Falsified Sensors — The Viewscreen Ruse
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Worf unveils a deception gambit—use Enterprise security overrides to make their sensors lie about an approaching enemy—and Riker seizes on it as the tactical edge they need.
Nagel challenges the plan with the viewscreen problem; Worf extends the ruse by projecting a false enemy image, Riker needles about anyone checking a window, and Nagel snaps to confidence as the team locks in.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Buoyant and confident — a lighthearted reassurance that masks the strain of crisis and helps steady the team.
Nagel is working in the background on the bridge, asks a practical question about the viewscreen's integrity, then responds with a breezy, upbeat quip that affirms the plan and converts tentative agreement into shared momentum.
- • Clarify technical limitations (viewscreen vs. sensor deception) so the plan can be executed.
- • Boost crew morale and buy‑in through positive reinforcement.
- • The enemy will accept instrument readings at face value rather than verify visually.
- • Quick improvisation and team confidence increase the chances of success.
Calmly confident and focused — a controlled urgency that treats deception as a craft rather than a moral crisis.
Worf proposes using his knowledge of Enterprise security overrides to falsify incoming sensor data and cause the ship computer to project a false enemy image onto the Hathaway's main viewscreen, speaking with technical authority from the bridge consoles while Nagel and Riker respond.
- • Exploit Enterprise security overrides to feed false sensor returns to the enemy.
- • Create a convincing visual decoy on the Hathaway's main viewscreen to buy tactical time.
- • Starfleet systems (specifically Enterprise overrides) are accessible and manipulable with the right knowledge.
- • Deception is a valid tactical tool when lives and mission success are at stake.
- • Technical precision can translate into strategic advantage.
Cautiously optimistic — a hopeful, controlled determination that places results and crew safety above ideological scruples.
Riker listens to Worf's proposal, immediately evaluates and endorses its tactical merit, framing it as the edge the Hathaway needs and implicitly authorizing rapid implementation under pressure.
- • Secure an immediate tactical advantage to protect the Hathaway and its crew.
- • Enable and leverage a low‑resource, high‑impact solution quickly.
- • Bold, unconventional tactics are justified in asymmetric situations.
- • Worf and his technical knowledge are reliable and should be trusted.
- • Time and initiative are the crew's best assets right now.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The ship computer (holodeck subroutine) is invoked as the mechanism that can project a fabricated enemy vessel image on the Hathaway's main viewscreen and produce false sensor returns. Worf cites its ability to be fed alternate data streams via Enterprise security overrides, making it the technological linchpin of the deception.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"WORF: With my knowledge of the Enterprise's security override, we may be able to convince the sensors that an enemy ship is approaching. Their instruments would "lie" to them."
"RIKER: If you can pull that off, Mister Worf, it might just give us the edge we're looking for."
"NAGEL: ((jovially)) ... They're going to fall for it!"