Covert Diversion to Dytallix B and Silent Mission Briefing
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard commands an immediate, secret course change to Dytallix B based on limited knowledge, asserting strict communication lockdown.
Data delivers a detailed briefing on Dytallix B’s hostile environment and abandoned mines, emphasizing the planet’s lifelessness.
Riker questions the purpose of the diversion to a barren world, underscoring the mystery and stakes of the mission.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Calm but steely determination mixed with a guarded wariness to protect crew and mission integrity.
Captain Picard decisively orders a secretive course change to Dytallix B, imposes a communications blackout, dismisses Riker's concerns, and ultimately resolves to beam down alone, embodying resolute leadership and guarded secrecy.
- • Maintain operational secrecy about the true mission destination and purpose.
- • Personally investigate the covert threat at Dytallix B despite risks.
- • The threat to Starfleet is grave and demands covert action.
- • Transparency could jeopardize the mission and crew safety.
Neutral and focused, displaying intellectual curiosity and methodical assessment.
Data provides a detailed briefing on Dytallix B’s hostile environment and abandoned mines, monitors sensor data revealing life signs on the planet, delivering calm, analytical insight to the crew’s growing unease.
- • Inform the crew accurately about the mission’s environmental risks.
- • Monitor sensors to detect any potential threats on the planet.
- • Dytallix B is inherently dangerous and lifeless.
- • Scientific data is critical to mission safety and success.
Focused and wary, prepared for potential hostile encounters or deception.
Worf reports sensor detections of three Federation starships in orbit, identifies the vessels, and confirms failed communication attempts, maintaining security vigilance amid rising mystery.
- • Ensure ship security by monitoring external contacts.
- • Prevent unauthorized communications or threats from nearby vessels.
- • Unknown Federation ships in orbit may pose a hidden threat.
- • Security protocols must be strictly enforced.
Concerned and cautious, seeking clarity and assurance amid rising tensions.
Riker questions the sudden reroute and lack of communication with Pacifica, assumes temporary command, and expresses skepticism and unease over Picard’s secretive decisions.
- • Ensure the crew and mission remain safe despite secrecy.
- • Maintain command stability and operational order during Picard’s absence.
- • Sudden, unlogged course changes are cause for suspicion.
- • Open communication is vital for crew trust and effectiveness.
Quietly worried and perceptive, sensing the growing unease and potential isolation of the captain.
Counselor Troi watches Picard with concern over his secretive orders, silently registering the tension and emotional undercurrents among the senior staff.
- • Support the crew emotionally through uncertain developments.
- • Advocate for transparency and crew welfare where possible.
- • Secrecy can strain interpersonal trust on the ship.
- • Emotional insight is key to managing crisis dynamics.
Uncertain and mildly anxious due to abrupt orders but maintains professional composure.
Geordi responds cautiously to Picard's query about Dytallix B, operates helm to chart the secret course, and manages ship systems amid the growing tension and secrecy.
- • Execute Picard's orders precisely and discreetly.
- • Support senior officers by providing technical and operational assistance.
- • Picard’s orders are to be followed without question.
- • The secrecy implies a serious and sensitive mission.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The USS Horatio, detected by Enterprise sensors in orbit around Dytallix B, emerges as a source of intrigue and possible threat, its presence raising questions about Federation complicity or corruption in the conspiracy.
The USS Enterprise serves as the primary setting where the secretive orders are issued and executed. Its advanced sensor systems detect the approach of Federation vessels and life signs on Dytallix B. The ship’s turbolift facilitates the captain’s movement as he departs for his solo mission, underscoring the transition from command to covert action.
The USS Enterprise-D forward turbolift doors mark a pivotal transition point as Captain Picard uses them to exit the bridge and retreat to the Ready Room, then later to the transporter room, emphasizing his separation from the crew and the secretive nature of the mission.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Captain's Ready Room offers Picard a private retreat immediately after issuing orders, a crucible of solitude where he shoulders the burden of secrecy and command before proceeding with his mission.
The Main Bridge operates as the nerve center where secretive orders are given, tactical data is analyzed, and crew tensions surface. It symbolizes command authority and the fragile balance between transparency and secrecy that governs the crew’s trust.
The Enterprise Transporter Room functions as the critical deployment point where Picard prepares to beam down alone to Dytallix B, marking the threshold between the relative safety of the ship and the unknown dangers below.
Dytallix B itself is the focal destination of the event, an uninhabited, hostile mining planet where abandoned tunnels harbor suspicious life signals. It embodies isolation and danger, setting the stage for Picard’s solo infiltration and the unfolding conspiracy.
The Mira System contains the hostile mining planet Dytallix B and frames the mission’s spatial context. Its reddish glow contributes to the ominous tone and underscores the isolation and danger of the target destination.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Picard’s decision to beam down alone despite risks reinforces his leadership style marked by personal responsibility and solitary burden in confronting danger."
Key Dialogue
"PICARD: Are you familiar with Dytallix B, Lieutenant?"
"RIKER: Captain, they're expecting us at Pacifica. Shouldn't we contact them to let them know --"
"PICARD: -- Negative, Will. Nothing goes out without specific orders from me."
"DATA: Dytallix B is the fifth of six planets circling the red giant known as Mira. One side always faces the sun -- where temperatures reach up to one hundred and eighty degrees Celsius. The mines line the temperate zone between the day and night sides, but they are long deserted."
"RIKER: Why the devil would we be going there? Are there any miners or indigenous life forms on the planet?"
"PICARD: Alone, Number One."