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

Picard's Unsettled Revelation

Captain Picard receives unsettling revelations about Dr. Pulaski's motivations from Captain Taggert of the Repulse. Taggert, with nostalgic admiration, recounts Pulaski's stubborn insistence to transfer to the Enterprise, highlighting her deep familiarity with Picard's service record and longstanding professional admiration for him. Picard's measured yet stunned response—'Extraordinary'—belies his internal recalibration of their professional tension and suggests unspoken personal dimensions to their clashes. This moment deepens the mystery of Pulaski's abrupt arrival while setting up their ideological collision over the Darwinian children as potentially rooted in mutual respect rather than mere friction.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Picard utters a single, shocked 'Extraordinary,' the word compacting surprise and recalibration as Pulaski's transfer moves from personnel detail to a matter of personal and professional consequence.

surprise to sober reassessment

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Taggert
Captain
 primary

Lightheartedly nostalgic with underlying respect for Pulaski

Captain Taggert shares nostalgic and admiring anecdotes about Dr. Pulaski, chuckling while revealing her stubborn insistence to transfer to the Enterprise and her admiration for Picard.

Goals in this moment
  • • Share insights about Pulaski's character and motivations
  • • Express his admiration for Pulaski professionally
Active beliefs
  • • Dr. Pulaski's skills as a Chief Medical Officer are unparalleled
  • • Personal convictions often override bureaucratic procedures
Character traits
Nostalgic Admiring Jovial
Follow Taggert's journey
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain
 primary

Thoughtful shock masking command composure

Captain Picard listens to Captain Taggert's account of Dr. Pulaski's admiration for him, responding with measured yet evident surprise. His composed exterior belies his internal recalibration of Pulaski's motivations.

Goals in this moment
  • • Understand the true motivations behind Dr. Pulaski's transfer
  • • Reassess his professional relationship with Pulaski
Active beliefs
  • • Professional relationships should be based on merit and mutual respect, not personal admiration
  • • Transparency and directness are crucial in command dynamics
Character traits
Diplomatic Introspective Surprised
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Enterprise Main Bridge Viewscreen (Communications & Sensor Display)

The Enterprise's main bridge viewscreen serves as the communication medium through which Captain Picard sees and interacts with Captain Taggert, transmitting Taggert's revelations about Dr. Pulaski in real-time.

Before: Active and idle, awaiting communication input
After: Active, displaying Captain Taggert's transmission, reflecting a moment …
Before: Active and idle, awaiting communication input
After: Active, displaying Captain Taggert's transmission, reflecting a moment of significant disclosure

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Captain's Ready Room

The Captain's Ready Room is the private command nexus where Picard receives Taggert's transmission. Its sound-dampened walls and controlled ambiance allow for confidential discussions and personal revelations to unfold without external interruptions.

Atmosphere Tense yet formal, emphasizing the gravity of the revelations being disclosed
Function Meeting point for confidential and high-stakes discussions
Symbolism Represents the isolation and responsibility of command, where personal and professional truths intersect
Access Restricted to senior officers and authorized personnel
Starlight filtering through the observation window Blue-tinged console lights reflecting off surfaces
Starship Repulse

The Starship Repulse, though physically distant, looms as the origin point of institutional legacies and personal stories, its corridors housing the purged records of Pulaski and the professional memories of Taggert.

Atmosphere Nostalgic and institutional, emphasizing past professional relationships and command legacies
Function Backdrop for the discussion of Pulaski's transfer and professional history
Symbolism Symbolizes the weight of institutional history and personal professional arcs
Access Physical presence not directly accessible, only through transmission
Sterile bulkheads of a Federation starship Cobalt shadows of its bridge as seen through the viewscreen

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

No narrative connections mapped yet

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Key Dialogue

"TAGGERT: Sorry, Picard. We purged the Doctor 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."
"PICARD: Tell me, Taggart. If she served you as well as you say, why did you let her go?"
"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."
"PICARD: (shocked) Extraordinary."