Transporter Pad Standoff — Kargan Accuses Riker
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Captain Kargan stands confused on the transport pad, spins to locate threats, then locks eyes on Worf as Pulaski instinctively retreats — tension tightens as the Klingon confronts an unfamiliar presence.
O'Brien restores the ship's defensive shields, hardening the Enterprise's posture while Worf answers Kargan's demand for identity with a blunt declaration of his rank and affiliation.
Kargan accuses Riker and lashes for his sidearm; Worf shoots the weapon from the Klingon's hand with a hand phaser, dropping Kargan into a stunned collapse and instantly shifting control of the moment to Starfleet.
Pulaski rushes in, pronounces Kargan barely stunned, and pivots to demand Riker's whereabouts while Worf, half-proud and half-wary, steadies the fallen captain — the immediate threat is contained but the central question of Riker's location and intent remains open.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Righteously indignant and fearful; paranoia about betrayal overriding situational awareness.
Captain Kargan rematerializes disoriented on the pad, scans the room, crouches when he sees Worf, accuses Riker of trickery, reaches for his sidearm and attempts to aim before being hit and dropped by a phaser blast; later he is helped to his feet.
- • Identify who ambushed or deceived him
- • Defend his personal honor and punish perceived treachery
- • Regain control of the situation and locate Riker
- • Riker has violated Klingon honor and cannot be trusted
- • Immediate, forceful response is the correct defense against betrayal
- • Starfleet presence on his pad is an affront that must be answered
Concerned and pragmatic, with impatient urgency focused on medical facts and the missing officer.
Pulaski initially recoils from the sudden confrontation, then forcefully pushes Worf aside to examine the prone Kargan, declares him barely stunned, and brusquely demands information about Will Riker's location, prioritizing diagnosis and the broader mystery over ritual or rhetoric.
- • Assess and stabilize Kargan's physical condition
- • Determine whether any life‑threatening injuries require immediate intervention
- • Obtain information about Riker's whereabouts because it affects patient care and security
- • Medical triage must take priority after a violent incident
- • Knowing Riker's status is crucial to both medical and diplomatic outcomes
- • Emotional displays or rituals should not obstruct clinical action
Alert, controlled, and quietly satisfied — duty-focused with cultural pride shaping his response.
Worf steps forward, announces his identity as Enterprise officer, reacts to Kargan's weapon draw by firing a hand phaser set to stun, hits and drops Kargan, issues a celebratory Klingon call, and then assists in getting the Klingon captain to his feet after Pulaski examines him.
- • Neutralize an immediate armed threat to the transporter room and crew
- • Assert Starfleet control and preserve order aboard the Enterprise
- • Protect the injured and maintain protocol after the threat is removed
- • Force used proportionally and swiftly is justified to protect the crew
- • His Klingon heritage obliges him to both defend and to respect the enemy's strength
- • Starfleet security protocols must be upheld even under cultural stress
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The handheld phaser in Worf's possession is employed as a non‑lethal tool: he fires it at Kargan as the Klingon aims his sidearm. The shot quickly stuns and drops Kargan, ending the immediate threat and demonstrating Starfleet's preference for controlled, disabling force.
The Enterprise defensive shields are announced as restored by O'Brien, providing the tactical background that secures the transporter room and frames the ensuing confrontation as contained and under Starfleet control rather than an open-board skirmish.
Kargan reaches for his Klingon sidearm to respond to perceived treachery, making the weapon the immediate focal point of violent escalation; its attempted use provokes Worf's defensive shot and thus drives the scene's conflict.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"KARGAN: "Who are you?""
"WORF: "I am Lieutenant Worf of the Starship Enterprise.""
"PULASKI: "That's great, but where's Will Riker?""