Riker Voices Deep Distrust of Kosinski’s Warp Test Protocols
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard challenges Riker's skepticism about the tests, affirming that no unauthorized engine alterations will occur and questioning the harm in exploring new warp methods.
Riker voices blunt distrust of Kosinski’s technical specifications, labeling them as nonsensical and prompting Data to confirm the specs' failure to improve engine performance.
Picard demands an explanation for contrasting Starfleet reports claiming propulsion gains on older ships, while Riker rationalizes these as corrections of previous inefficiencies, deepening the tension.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Measured composure with underlying determination to maintain order and uphold Starfleet's protocols despite rising skepticism.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard remains seated in his command chair, calmly steering the discourse on warp drive test validity. He listens carefully to Riker's concerns, references Starfleet data via the command viewer, and authoritatively authorizes Riker to personally meet and evaluate the incoming visitors.
- • Maintain command stability and morale on the bridge
- • Reconcile conflicting technical opinions about the warp tests
- • Ensure safe and orderly reception of external experts
- • Support scientific exploration within Starfleet guidelines
- • Starfleet's official test procedures are reliable and trustworthy
- • Open dialogue and data verification are essential for command decisions
- • Kosinski's presence and tests will not threaten Enterprise's integrity
- • Riker’s concerns merit examination but are premature
Unemotional, strictly factual in delivering data; detached but crucial in shaping the debate.
Lieutenant Commander Data stands at the Operations Station, providing objective and unemotional analysis of Kosinski’s warp drive test specifications. He confirms through computer simulation that the specifications yield no engine performance improvement, lending empirical weight to Riker's doubts.
- • Provide accurate, unbiased data to command
- • Clarify technical realities of the warp test specifications
- • Support informed decision-making with empirical evidence
- • Empirical data is central to evaluating technical claims
- • Objective analysis transcends personal opinions or assumptions
- • Technical accuracy is paramount for ship safety
Calm vigilance, supporting operational stability without overt involvement in the debate.
Lieutenant Geordi La Forge remains at the Conn station, maintaining steady piloting of the Enterprise as the two starships approach each other. Though not verbally engaged, his presence supports command operations during this tense moment.
- • Ensure precise navigation during the docking maneuver
- • Support the bridge crew by maintaining ship control
- • Remain alert for any unexpected developments
- • Maintaining ship’s course is critical amid tensions
- • Crew depends on pilot’s steady hands during crises
Guarded apprehension tempered with professional responsibility; determined to protect the Enterprise from potential harm.
Commander William Riker stands at the bridge, expressing firm skepticism toward Kosinski's warp drive test specifications. He challenges the validity of the data, citing Data's analysis, and insists on involving Counselor Troi to scrutinize the visitors, signaling his distrust and concern for the ship’s safety.
- • Prevent unproven or dangerous experiments on the Enterprise
- • Verify the true nature and credibility of Kosinski and his assistant
- • Advocate for crew safety above procedural formality
- • Leverage Counselor Troi’s empathic skills to assess visitors
- • Kosinski's test specifications are flawed and potentially dangerous
- • Official Starfleet assurances may be incomplete or unreliable
- • Empathic evaluation is crucial for understanding visitors’ intentions
- • Command must be vigilant against hidden threats to the ship
Calm but alert, ready to probe underlying motives and provide psychological insight.
Counselor Deanna Troi prepares to accompany Riker as he departs the bridge to meet the incoming visitors, signaling her role as an empathic intermediary poised to assess the newcomers’ intentions and emotional state.
- • Support Riker’s concerns through empathic evaluation
- • Ensure the safety and psychological well-being of the crew
- • Gather information on visitors’ true intentions
- • Empathy reveals truths beyond technical data
- • Interpersonal dynamics are key to understanding threats
- • Her presence may defuse tensions or uncover hidden motives
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The USS Enterprise Transporter Platform is indirectly involved as the Transporter Chief's communication announces the readiness of two visitors from the USS Fearless to beam aboard. It functions as the imminent gateway for these external agents whose presence sparks the unfolding tensions.
The Engineering Control Computer Consoles are referenced indirectly through Data's use of the ship's computer to simulate and test Kosinski's warp drive specifications. They symbolize the technological heart that validates or refutes experimental data, anchoring the empirical backbone of the debate.
The Main Bridge Command Viewer serves as a vital visual reference for Captain Picard and Commander Riker, displaying Starfleet reports and test parameters that fuel their debate over Kosinski’s warp drive specifications. It embodies the authoritative data source and focal point of evidentiary conflict in the scene.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Enterprise Main Bridge acts as the nerve center for this critical confrontation, housing the senior command staff and serving as the locus for tactical decisions and scientific debates. Its technological sophistication and confined space amplify the intensity of the dialogue and the underlying tensions between skepticism and protocol.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"PICARD: I don't understand your concern, Number One. They're not authorized to make any alterations in our engines."
"RIKER: It's the specs that Kosinski sent us. In my opinion, sir, they're gibberish."
"DATA: Sir, we put Mister Kosinski's specs into the computer and ran a controlled test on them. There was no improvement in engine performance."