Star Trek The Next Generation
S2E11
· Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Lock Lost, Lock Reclaimed — Emergency Transport from Romulan Ship

A sudden transporter failure detonates into crisis in the Transporter Room: O'Brien first cries 'I've lost him!' then, almost immediately, reclaims the lock and reports the subject has materialized aboard a Romulan vessel. Riker's instant order—'Energize!'—turns a technical glitch into a tactical and diplomatic gamble. The sequence forces a split‑second command decision, crystallizing the episode's theme of technological fragility demanding morally risky, high‑stakes action to protect crew and prevent escalation with the Romulans.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

3

O'Brien announces he has lost the transport lock; Riker's curt expletive compresses rising alarm into immediate pressure to recover the target.

control to alarm

O'Brien reacquires the subject and reports sharply that 'He's on the Romulan ship,' converting a technical hiccup into an immediate diplomatic and tactical complication.

panic to shocked clarity

Riker snaps the decision into action—'Energize!'—and O'Brien's hands engage the transporter as the crew moves to seize the moment and reclaim the target.

urgency to decisive action

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Miles O'Brien
Chief Petty Officer, Transporter Chief
 primary

Initial panic and alarm shifting instantly to focused urgency and taut vigilance — relief at regaining the lock undercut by anxiety about the diplomatic fallout.

O'Brien vocalizes loss of the transport lock, then immediately re-acquires it and reports the subject has appeared on a Romulan ship; his hands engage the transporter controls to complete the operation.

Goals in this moment
  • • Re-establish and stabilize the transporter lock to recover personnel.
  • • Execute transporter controls accurately to prevent loss of life or incomplete transport.
Active beliefs
  • • The transporter system can be wrestled back into a usable state through skillful intervention.
  • • Rapid action is necessary because technical glitches can escalate into greater harm or political incidents.
Character traits
technically proficient reactive under stress precise under pressure
Follow Miles O'Brien's journey
William Riker
Commander
 primary

Frustrated at the failure but resolutely urgent; channels irritation into a command decision, revealing willingness to accept diplomatic risk to protect crew.

Riker reacts to the report of a lost and reclaimed lock with frustration, suppresses a question, and issues a decisive tactical order — 'Energize!' — converting a technical emergency into an immediate transport attempt.

Goals in this moment
  • • Authorize immediate transport to recover the subject before the situation degrades.
  • • Contain the incident operationally to prevent harm to crew and avoid prolonged exposure to Romulan control.
Active beliefs
  • • Speedy, decisive action can avert greater losses even at political risk.
  • • Command must prioritize crew safety over diplomatic niceties in moments of acute danger.
Character traits
decisive expedient tactically pragmatic
Follow William Riker's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Medical Isolinear Data Chip

Transporter hardware (represented by spare isolinear chip components) underlies the emergency: O'Brien's hands engage the transporter's control array, relying on patched circuitry and system redundancies to re-acquire a failing lock and transmit the subject despite instability.

Before: Installed in the transporter racks as jury-rigged spare …
After: Still in active use sustaining the transport; operational …
Before: Installed in the transporter racks as jury-rigged spare patches and actively sustaining a fragile transport lock under emergency conditions.
After: Still in active use sustaining the transport; operational but stressed and implicitly vulnerable to failure, leaving the recovery only tentatively secure.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Enterprise Transporter Room (Transporter Platform)

The Enterprise Transporter Room is the physical locus where technical immediacy and command pressure collide: a cramped, humming space where O'Brien manipulates controls, Riker issues orders, and the fate of a crewman is negotiated via consoles and coils.

Atmosphere Tension-filled, electrically charged, breathless — a small room that feels like a command center during …
Function Operational staging area and emergency triage point for transporter operations; the site where a technical …
Symbolism Embodies the thin membrane between technological control and loss — the fragile threshold where individual …
Access Restricted to transporter personnel and senior officers during emergency; effectively controlled by engineering and command …
Audible hum of transporter's coils and consoles under strain Close-quarter physicality: console lights, control panels, and O'Brien's hands manipulating switches
Romulan Ship

The offstage Romulan ship functions as the destination where the subject briefly materializes; its sudden involvement transforms a transporter malfunction into a diplomatic and tactical complication.

Atmosphere Unseen but menacing — implied cold, remote, and strategically opportunistic, shifting the mood from technical …
Function Antagonist location and potential captor site; the other party whose presence escalates the technical incident …
Symbolism Represents the external threat of hostile powers exploiting technological fragility for leverage.
Access Externally controlled and inaccessible to Enterprise personnel without explicit diplomatic or military action.
Sensor blip or report indicating remote materialization Implied sealed, militarized compartments and unreadable intent

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

No narrative connections mapped yet

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Key Dialogue

"O'BRIEN: I've lost him!"
"RIKER: Damn it!"
"O'BRIEN: Got him! Sir! He's on the Romulan ship."
"RIKER: How the hell... never mind. Energize!"