Armus Envelopes Riker — A Hostage Made of Flesh
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Armus closes in and yanks Riker with brutal, unseen force; when Data moves to help, Armus snaps a lethal warning that any touch will kill him.
Armus engulfs Riker, dragging him into the slime hole as their screams fuse; Riker’s face presses against the living skin, trapped and suffocating.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Urgent and commanding — prioritizes immediate extraction while responding to an unfolding crisis.
Via ship comms, the voice transmits the beam-up order — an authoritative, immediate attempt to extract the away team and Riker in response to Data's report.
- • Execute a rapid transporter beam-up to recover personnel from danger.
- • Follow Captain's command chain to protect the away team and survivors.
- • The transporter is the fastest means to avert further casualties.
- • Immediate adherence to orders will minimize harm.
Shocked and tense — wrestles with immediate fear and the readiness to follow orders or attempt rescue.
Representative away-team member who watches Armus seize Riker; reacts with alarm and shock, remaining on the scene as the hostage situation is declared.
- • Aid the injured and follow the team's extraction plan.
- • Comply with ship orders while trying to keep Riker and survivors safe.
- • Riker's injury requires immediate help and the ship's resources are necessary.
- • Armus poses lethal danger; rash actions could make casualties worse.
Clinically concerned — maintains procedural clarity while registering the gravity of the emergency beneath his composed surface.
Data moves toward Riker to help and immediately reports the situation to the Enterprise, delivering a factual, clipped status update as the slime swallows Riker's face.
- • Provide immediate physical assistance to Riker if possible.
- • Communicate precise information to the ship to enable the fastest possible rescue response.
- • Accurate, rapid reporting will allow the Enterprise to respond effectively.
- • Objective assessment and adherence to procedure are the best way to help in crisis.
Terrified and desperate — courageous in effort but overwhelmed, panic bleeding through controlled resistance.
Suddenly pulled by an unseen force, Riker fights with all his strength, screams, and is dragged into the slime hole; final image is his face pressed against the inner skin as he disappears from view.
- • Resist being taken and survive the attack.
- • Protect the away team and any survivors by not giving ground.
- • Physical resistance can buy time and possibly prevent the worst outcome.
- • His presence and leadership matter to the away team and must not be abandoned.
Triumphant and contemptuous — exulting in dominance and using psychological terror as leverage.
Armus advances off the shuttle, emits a warning voice and uses its viscous membrane to seize Riker, dragging both itself and him into the slime hole; after the engulfment it speaks a coercive ultimatum to the away team.
- • Prevent the away team from simply escaping with the survivors.
- • Use Riker and the crash survivors as hostages to control the crew's choices.
- • It is invulnerable to conventional force and can dictate terms through fear.
- • Threatening or killing hostages will coerce the crew into compliance.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The shuttlecraft functions as the locus from which Armus moves and as the crash site containing survivors. It frames the rescue operation, motivating the away team's presence and supplying the leverage Armus uses when it threatens the survivors inside.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The thorn’s invasive attack rhymes with Armus physically engulfing Riker—alien threats breaching bodily boundaries."
"The thorn’s invasive attack rhymes with Armus physically engulfing Riker—alien threats breaching bodily boundaries."
"Data’s predation hypothesis echoes Armus later engulfing Riker—both hostile lifeforms exploiting a body."
"Data’s predation hypothesis echoes Armus later engulfing Riker—both hostile lifeforms exploiting a body."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"ARMUS: "Touch him and he dies.""
"DATA: "Enterprise, ARMUS has enveloped Commander Riker.""
"ARMUS: "If any of you leave now, he dies. And so do the survivors of the crash.""