Fabula
S2E7 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unnatural Selection

Taggert's Ode to Pulaski

Captain Taggert of the Repulse divulges to Picard that they deliberately erased Dr. Pulaski's transporter records post-transfer, citing her notorious distrust of the technology and preference for shuttlecraft. His tone shifts from bureaucratic to wistful as he lauds her as the finest CMO he's served with—revealing her transfer request stemmed from a long-held admiration for Picard himself. The revelation lands with palpable weight, exposing the unspoken institutional tensions surrounding Pulaski's abrupt arrival on the Enterprise while hinting at her complex professional motivations.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Taggert shrugs through a confession: the Enterprise purged Doctor Pulaski's transporter trace after her transfer, she favored shuttlecraft over transporters, and he praises her as the best CMO he'd served with.

defensive/apologetic to admiring/respectful

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2

Warmly nostalgic with undercurrents of regret over losing Pulaski's expertise

Projecting jovial nostalgia while confessing institutional secrecy, his bushy mustache framing a rueful smile. Shifts tone from bureaucratic efficiency to wistful praise during revelations about Pulaski.

Goals in this moment
  • Explain the erased transporter records to Picard
  • Convey Pulaski's professional excellence despite her quirks
Active beliefs
  • Professional accommodations should be made for exceptional personnel
  • Personal integrity sometimes outweighs strict protocol adherence
Character traits
Transparent about institutional decisions Genuinely admiring of Pulaski's skills Respectful of professional autonomy
Follow Taggert's journey

Calculated composure disrupted by genuine astonishment

Command-chair straight-backed posture giving way to visible surprise, fingers pausing mid-air as revelations about Pulaski's admiration land with unexpected weight.

Goals in this moment
  • Understand the real circumstances behind Pulaski's transfer
  • Reconcile this new information with their strained working relationship
Active beliefs
  • Professional admiration should be earned through demonstrated competence
  • Starfleet officers' personal preferences merit consideration within reason
Character traits
Skilled at masking professional surprise Quick to reassess interpersonal dynamics Attentive to institutional implications
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Enterprise Main Bridge Viewscreen (Communications & Sensor Display)

The main bridge viewscreen displays Captain Taggert's transmission with crisp clarity, his face filling the frame in the Ready Room as he delivers revelations that reshape Picard's understanding of Dr. Pulaski's motivations. Its sterile interface underscores the contrast between formal Starfleet protocol and personal disclosures.

Before: Active communication channel awaiting transmission
After: Retaining visual of startled reaction after emotionally charged …
Before: Active communication channel awaiting transmission
After: Retaining visual of startled reaction after emotionally charged revelations
Pulaski's Purged Transporter Records

The deliberately purged transporter records become the absent center of this conversation - their erasure both a procedural anomaly and character revelation. Taggert's confession about their deletion exposes institutional accommodation of Pulaski's beliefs, making the void where quantum signatures should be a powerful narrative presence.

Before: Secretly purged from Repulse systems
After: Openly acknowledged to Picard as missing
Before: Secretly purged from Repulse systems
After: Openly acknowledged to Picard as missing

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Captain's Ready Room

The Captain's Ready Room hosts this confidential exchange, its sound-dampened walls absorbing startling truths about institutional accommodations and personal admiration. Starlight filtering through the observation window catches Picard's micro-expressions as he processes revelations that will reshape his working relationship with Pulaski.

Atmosphere Professionally intimate with undercurrents of revelation
Function Secure venue for sensitive command-level disclosures
Symbolism Represents the private realities beneath Starfleet's polished exterior
Access Restricted to command staff
Precise LCARS illumination highlighting facial reactions Observation window's starlight casting shifting patterns
Starship Repulse

The Starship Repulse looms as an unseen presence in this exchange, its institutional habits and personnel decisions transmitting across light-years to impact Enterprise dynamics. Though physically distant, its command culture and past accommodations for Pulaski become key narrative factors through Taggert's revelations.

Atmosphere Bureaucratically accommodating yet professionally nostalgic
Function Source of institutional backstory and character history
Symbolism Embodies Starfleet's negotiation between protocol and personal convictions
Access Accessible only through official channels
Implied bridge setting for Taggert's transmission Historical imprint of Pulaski's former posting

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

"TAGGERT: Sorry, Picard. We purged Dr. Pulaski's trace right after her transfer. Not that she used the transporter much, she preferred using the shuttlecraft. I'd have given her a shuttle if it would have kept her here. Best CMO I ever served with."
"TAGGERT: The moment she heard of the opening on the Enterprise, she put in a request for transfer. Knew your service record backward and forward. Apparently she's been an admirer of yours for some time."