Star Trek The Next Generation
S1E24
· We'll Always Have Paris

Away Team Returns: Confirmation of Lab's Destruction

The away team rematerializes aboard the transporter pad, their palpable relief and camaraderie underscoring the perilous mission they've just survived. William Riker urgently seeks assurance about the status of Manheim's laboratory, reflecting his focus on mission closure and crew safety. Data's precise, logical confirmation that the laboratory has disintegrated provides definitive closure, symbolizing the neutralization of the existential threat. This moment marks a crucial narrative pivot, transitioning the story from active crisis toward resolution, as the characters begin to process the consequences and emotional toll of their actions.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

5

The away team materializes on the transporter pad, their exuberance charging the air with a palpable brotherhood as they reunite after the perilous mission.

relief to camaraderie

Riker cuts through the post-mission haze with a sharp demand for confirmation: 'Did it work?'

anticipation to urgent inquiry

Data responds with clinical assurance, describing the lab’s condition as 'well patched' and hinting at complex containment through technical metaphor.

tension to measured reassurance

Riker pragmatically accepts Data’s explanation with a terse, 'Patched is good enough,' signaling readiness to move on despite lingering uncertainties.

measured reassurance to cautious acceptance

Data tilts his head, revealing his internal chronometer, and solemnly announces the laboratory’s disintegration, marking the mission’s definitive closure.

cautious acceptance to finality and relief

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

3
Data
Second Officer
 primary

Calm and collected, focused on objective data interpretation without emotional interference.

Data responds with measured, analytical precision to Riker's inquiry, providing a logical assessment that the laboratory has disintegrated, thereby confirming the mission's success while maintaining his characteristic composure.

Goals in this moment
  • • Provide accurate technical confirmation of the laboratory's status
  • • Support command decisions with reliable data
Active beliefs
  • • Objective evidence is paramount to operational success
  • • Clear communication of facts supports effective leadership
Character traits
Analytical Calm Precise
Follow Data's journey
William Riker
Commander
 primary

Anxious yet hopeful, balancing relief with the pressing need for definitive answers.

Commander William Riker urgently questions the status of Manheim's laboratory immediately upon the away team's rematerialization, exhibiting a leadership-driven focus on mission closure and crew safety amidst relief.

Goals in this moment
  • • Confirm the neutralization of the laboratory threat
  • • Ensure the away team's safe return
Active beliefs
  • • Mission success hinges on neutralizing the laboratory
  • • Clear information is crucial to crew safety and morale
Character traits
Decisive Concerned Pragmatic
Follow William Riker's journey
Enterprise Crew
primary

Exuberant relief mingled with cautious optimism as they regroup aboard the Enterprise.

The away team rematerializes on the transporter pad, exhibiting exuberance and a deep sense of brotherhood born from shared peril and survival, underscoring their cohesion and resilience after the harrowing mission.

Goals in this moment
  • • Survive and return safely
  • • Confirm the success of their mission
Active beliefs
  • • Team unity is vital to overcoming danger
  • • The mission's success ensures their survival
Character traits
Resilient Brotherly Relieved
Follow Enterprise Crew's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
USS Enterprise Transporter Room 4

The Enterprise Transporter Room serves as the critical setting where the away team returns after their perilous mission, functioning as a secure staging area that bridges the dangerous external environment with the relative safety of the ship. The room’s high-tech ambiance contrasts with the emotional weight of the moment, encapsulating hope, tension, and the fragile boundary between survival and loss.

Atmosphere Tense yet hopeful, filled with the electric hum of transporter technology and the palpable relief …
Function Sanctuary and confirmation point for the away team's safe return and mission status update.
Symbolism Represents the liminal space between danger and safety, serving as a physical and emotional threshold.
Bright, sterile lighting reflecting off sleek consoles The distinctive hum and pulse of transporter machinery

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 3
Causal

"The successful chip swap and lab disintegration enable the away team to safely rematerialize aboard the Enterprise, ending the immediate threat."

Picard’s Ruthless Deadline Drives Desperate Rescue
S1E24 · We'll Always Have Paris
Causal

"The successful chip swap and lab disintegration enable the away team to safely rematerialize aboard the Enterprise, ending the immediate threat."

Riker’s Race Against Time to Reverse Manheim’s Failsafe
S1E24 · We'll Always Have Paris
Causal

"The successful chip swap and lab disintegration enable the away team to safely rematerialize aboard the Enterprise, ending the immediate threat."

Deadline at the Brink: The Chip Swap Against Time
S1E24 · We'll Always Have Paris

Part of Larger Arcs

The viral outbreak aboard the USS Enterprise, challenging the medical staff to contain a mutating virus threatening crew survival, with escalating operational consequences and leadership transitions due to Captain Picard’s illness.

Key Dialogue

"RIKER: Did it work?"
"DATA: It is well patched... Closed in this sense would be an equation..."
"RIKER: Patched is good enough."
"DATA: By my calculation, the laboratory just disintegrated."