The Enterprise Receives Manheim's Distress Signal
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The Enterprise bridge crew resumes stations amid lingering tension after an unexplained energy blast hits the ship. Data reports the impact originated suddenly and from an unknown source, with minimal damage and no prior sensor detection, sparking immediate concern.
Picard and Riker enter the bridge in fencing clothes, pressing Data for details. Data narrows the blast's origin to the distant Pegos Minor sector, prompting Picard to order a course set and shields raised, shifting the crew from reaction to decisive action.
Worf intercepts a repeating S.O.S. distress transmission from Doctor Paul Manheim at specific coordinates. Picard commands the signal to stop and orders immediate course for the location at warp eight, cementing the mission's dangerous trajectory.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Resolute with a quiet undercurrent of curiosity and personal investment
Captain Picard commands the bridge with calm authority, swiftly adjusting priorities upon receiving the distress signal. He orders full shields and directs course to the Pegos Minor sector, revealing a mixture of professional resolve and underlying personal connection to the Manheim legacy.
- • Protect the Enterprise and crew from unknown threats
- • Respond decisively to the distress call and rescue mission
- • The safety of the ship requires immediate defensive measures
- • The Manheim signal signals a critical mission that cannot be ignored
Puzzled curiosity tempered by clinical detachment
Data methodically analyzes the unexpected energy blast, communicates his puzzlement over the unknown origin and minimal damage, and provides critical sensor data that guides subsequent decisions on navigation and threat assessment.
- • Determine the nature and source of the energy blast
- • Communicate accurate status reports to Captain Picard and crew
- • The energy force is an anomaly requiring scientific scrutiny
- • Accurate data is essential for informed command decisions
Focused vigilance mixed with concern for crew welfare
Worf delivers damage and injury reports promptly, relays the ongoing SOS transmission status, and maintains a serious, concerned tone, embodying his role as a disciplined tactical officer focused on crew safety.
- • Provide accurate damage and personnel status updates
- • Ensure communication lines are monitored and relayed effectively
- • Crew safety is paramount in crisis
- • Effective tactical communication supports mission success
Attentive professionalism with growing concern
William Riker enters the bridge promptly, engages Data to clarify the situation, and assumes command from Picard as ordered. He works cooperatively within the chain of command, reflecting readiness to support mission objectives.
- • Gain situational awareness of the energy blast and distress call
- • Execute Captain’s orders and maintain bridge operations
- • Effective communication is vital under crisis
- • Trusting Picard’s command decisions is essential for success
Calm, methodical concentration under pressure
Geordi La Forge promptly sets the coordinates for the Pegos Minor sector and plots the course at warp speed, maintaining professional focus to enable rapid response to the distress signal and protect the ship.
- • Accurately input coordinates and plot safe course
- • Maintain ship systems at optimal performance during crisis
- • Technical precision is critical in navigation
- • Rapid response increases chances of mission success
Shaken desperation underscoring urgent need for help
Although physically absent, Paul Manheim’s shaken and desperate voice transmits an urgent SOS, triggering the Enterprise’s shift from investigation to rescue. His message is the catalyst for the unfolding crisis and emotional stakes.
- • Request immediate assistance for himself and companions
- • Transmit precise coordinates to facilitate rescue
- • Only external aid can prevent disaster
- • His legacy and survival depend on outside intervention
Not present physically; her fate and connection provoke concern
Mentioned in context as the missing wife alongside Paul Manheim, Laura Manheim’s presence is felt indirectly, providing emotional weight and personal stakes that deepen Picard’s response.
- • Serve as emotional anchor to Paul Manheim’s backstory
- • Symbolize the personal cost embedded in the scientific crisis
- • Her disappearance is intertwined with Paul’s fate
- • Rescue involves both scientific and deeply personal dimensions
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The main bridge communication system comes alive with the reception and playback of Paul Manheim’s SOS transmission, serving as the crucial medium that transforms the crew’s mission and escalates the dramatic stakes.
The Enterprise Shields are acknowledged as having failed to respond in time to the sudden energy blast, highlighting their critical defensive function and the vulnerability the ship now faces, prompting an immediate command to maximize shield power.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Main Bridge functions as the nerve center for crisis response, hosting the crew’s rapid assessment, decision-making, and command shifts. Its glowing consoles, tactical displays, and strategic layout emphasize the tension and urgency of reacting to an unknown threat and urgent rescue.
The Pegos Minor sector is the mysterious origin point of the energy blast and distress signal, representing both a literal and narrative destination toward which the Enterprise redirects its mission, symbolizing the unknown frontier and the locus of the unfolding crisis.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Key Dialogue
"DATA: It appears to originate from the Pegos Minor sector."
"MANHEIM'S COM VOICE: I repeat, this is Doctor Paul Manheim. We are in need of help. Urgent. Any ship please respond. Coordinates are six-six-seven eight point nine by seven-zero-seven-five-four-two point two. Manheim out."
"PICARD: ... Who disappeared over fifteen years ago. Along with his wife, Laura."