Picard's Holodeck Gambit
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard is left alone to contemplate the gravity of the situation, ending the scene with unresolved tension.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Controlled and authoritative outwardly, with an undercurrent of impatience and distrust toward Picard's motives.
Krag stands in the Ready Room demanding custody and immediate interrogation; he presses jurisdictional claims and the presumption of guilt under Tanugan law, then concedes to provide witnesses and lab data when Picard offers a Holodeck reconstruction.
- • Secure custody of the accused for interrogation under Tanugan authority
- • Obtain prompt access to witnesses and lab data to support prosecution
- • Prevent perceived obstruction by Starfleet or by Picard
- • Their legal system treats the accused as guilty until proven innocent
- • Federation captains may be biased in favor of their officers
- • A technical reconstruction and witness testimony will prove the truth
Not applicable personally (deceased), but his death casts a pall of gravity and moral urgency over the conversation.
Doctor Apgar is referenced as the victim whose explosion and alleged prior threats frame the dispute; he is not present but functions as the factual and emotional pivot for both Krag's accusations and Picard's defensive stance.
- • Serve as focal evidence whose circumstances must be reconstructed
- • Drive the need for technical data and witness testimony to determine cause of death
- • The material traces of the explosion and Apgar's actions can and should decide culpability
- • His death requires rigorous investigation before assigning criminal responsibility
Composed and resolute on the surface; privately guarded and burdened by responsibility for his officer's fate.
Picard hosts Krag in his Ready Room, openly challenges the evidence, refuses immediate extradition, keys his insignia to summon Data, and reframes the dispute as a technical reconstruction rather than a custody fight.
- • Prevent extrajudicial transfer of Commander Riker without due process
- • Shift the conflict to an evidence-based reconstruction that will establish facts
- • Maintain Starfleet procedure and avoid diplomatic escalation
- • Federation law presumes innocence and requires proof before punishment
- • Technical, neutral reconstruction (Holodeck) can produce objective evidence
- • As captain he must protect his officer while remaining institutionally lawful
Clinically neutral and curious; engaged by the intellectual problem of reconstructing the incident.
Data enters when summoned, listens to the proposal, and gives a concise technical assessment of what the Holodeck reconstruction will require (design specs, orthographic representations, voice analyses), then prepares to escort Krag to the transporter.
- • Determine feasibility of programming a faithful Holodeck reconstruction
- • Collect or specify the necessary data and materials for simulation
- • Facilitate Picard's request and escort Krag to the transporter as ordered
- • Given complete measurements and representations, the Holodeck can model past events
- • Objective technical reconstruction aids fair adjudication
- • Duty requires him to follow Picard's orders and assist in evidence-gathering
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Picard seats himself at the ready room desk and uses the desk area as the ceremonial and practical center of the negotiation; it serves as a locus for documents and the place from which Picard directs procedure and summons Data.
A chair is offered to Krag by Picard but remains unused; its presence stages civility and contrast — an offered seat versus Krag's choice to stand reflects the unresolved power friction in the conversation.
Picard physically keys his Starfleet insignia to open authenticated channels and summon Data — a small, procedural gesture that converts a diplomatic standoff into a controlled operational response and asserts Picard's authority.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Transporter Room Three is invoked as the immediate staging area to which Data will escort Krag; it functions as the practical egress for Tanugan personnel and the site where witnesses and visitors will be beamed aboard or returned.
The Holodeck Art Class is invoked as the Holodeck environment that will be programmed to recreate the science station incident; it represents the neutral, technical arena where witness testimony and lab data can be synthesized into a replayable model.
Apgar Science Station is the off‑world site of the explosion that catalyzes the dispute; it is the factual target for reconstruction and the source of lab computer data and Krieger equipment specifications.
Delta Rana star system is referenced as a jurisdictional boundary that Krag uses as leverage — Picard promises not to leave it, which temporarily neutralizes Krag's threat to carry Riker off-jurisdiction.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Krag's shocking accusation of Riker leads directly to Picard's demand for evidence in the Ready Room, setting up the central conflict."
"Picard's proposal of a Holodeck recreation leads to Data's programming of the simulation, which becomes the primary investigative tool."
Key Dialogue
"PICARD: Just what is your evidence against my officer?"
"KRAG: Two witnesses have come forward to describe Commander Riker's threats against Doctor Apgar..."
"DATA: It would require construction and design specifications, full orthographic representations of the Krieger equipment, as well as visual representations and voice analyses of the persons involved... but yes, it is possible."