Homn's Toast — Lwaxana's Ambush
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard steps into romantic lighting and an intimate table for two. Homn accepts Picard's bottle and brazenly chugs it dry, knocking Picard off-balance before bowing in smug gratitude.
Picard fishes for chaperones, asking when the other officers—Riker and Deanna—will arrive. Homn meets him with blank silence, letting Picard’s hope curdle into doubt.
Homn mischievously points behind Picard, who turns to find MRS. TROI posed in a sexy dress, purring her greeting. The private seduction springs shut, confirming Picard is the sole target.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Surprised and awkward externally; trying to preserve professional composure while privately feeling intruded upon and uneasy about the potential social/diplomatic fallout.
Picard enters Mrs. Troi's quarters holding the blue Altairian brandy, addresses Homn with measured diplomacy, asks about other guests, and reacts with surprise and constrained embarrassment when Mrs. Troi is revealed behind him.
- • Confirm who else is present and ensure the dinner is properly chaperoned.
- • Maintain decorum and protect the Enterprise's diplomatic reputation.
- • Defuse an unexpected personal/romantic advance without causing scandal.
- • This is meant to be a formal, chaperoned gathering with other officers present.
- • Responding brusquely would escalate a private embarrassment into a public diplomatic problem.
- • Nonverbal cues from Homn can be trusted as meaningful — he is Mrs. Troi's emissary.
Assertive and amused; she is enjoying the violation of Picard's private/professional boundaries and relishes the power of the surprise.
Mrs. Troi (Lwaxana) appears from an adjoining room in a sexy dress, leaning against the wall and greeting Picard with a seductive, purring line that confirms the staged ambush and places Picard squarely the object of her attention.
- • Secure Picard's undivided attention and flirt openly despite his rank and protocol.
- • Override expected chaperoning by using spectacle to force a private encounter.
- • Test Picard's resistance and provoke an intimate reaction for personal gratification.
- • Her desires and social flamboyance justify bending or breaking decorum.
- • Picard is an appropriate target for her attentions and will respond to direct seduction.
- • Using Homn and theatrical staging will create the desired intimate atmosphere and disarm Picard.
Stoic and mildly amused; maintains ceremonial reserve while executing a playful, complicit reveal ordered by his mistress.
Homn quietly fills glasses, accepts Picard's bottle, unscrews the cap and drinks directly from it until it is empty; he then smiles, bows regally, and uses a slow, deliberate point to indicate Mrs. Troi's presence behind Picard.
- • Carry out Mrs. Troi's social script and set the stage for her entrance.
- • Disarm Picard with a nonverbal, humorous act that enacts Mrs. Troi's agenda.
- • Signal (without words) that Mrs. Troi is present and in control of the situation.
- • His duty is to follow Mrs. Troi's instructions and manage her domestic staging.
- • Silent, exaggerated gestures communicate more effectively in this household ritual than words.
- • Picard will interpret the gesture and react, completing the theatrical reveal.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Picard's chilled glass bottle of blue Altairian brandy is the inciting prop: offered as a tentative gift, it is commandeered by Homn who unscrews the cap and drinks straight from it. The bottle functions as a social cue and comic instrument that publicly signals the shift from polite dinner to private ambush and enables Homn's wordless reveal.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Mrs. Troi's quarters provide the private, domestic stage for the ambush: soft, candle-like lighting, a small table set for two, and an adjoining concealment room allow for theatrical timing and intimate atmosphere. The space transforms from a safe, hospitable setting into a place where personal boundaries and diplomatic protocol are publicly tested.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"PICARD: "Tell me Mister Homn, when will the others be arriving?""
"PICARD: "Commander Riker? Deanna?""
"MRS. TROI: "Hello, Jean-Luc. So glad you could come.""