A Volunteer’s Sacrifice; Picard Commits Cover
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Castillo declares his readiness to lead the Enterprise-C back through the temporal rift, despite the overwhelming odds.
Riker highlights the severe limitations Castillo will face, emphasizing the absence of key personnel and resources.
Castillo asserts his belief that returning to their original time is what Captain Garrett would have wanted, reinforcing his resolve.
Castillo reaffirms his intention to return through the rift unless directly ordered otherwise, displaying unwavering commitment.
Picard, visibly impressed, asks Castillo how soon the Enterprise-C can be ready, signaling his support for the mission.
Picard orders the Enterprise-D to maintain position to provide cover for the Enterprise-C's return.
Castillo and Picard exchange a formal, resolute salute, sealing the commitment to the perilous mission.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Worried and respectful — anxious about tactical exposure but quietly admiring of Castillo's bravery and duty.
Voices tactical urgency by asserting Klingon command likely received their coordinates; watches Castillo with visible concern and then follows him out to stand by during the departure.
- • Ensure the Enterprise‑D does not remain unnecessarily exposed to Klingon attack
- • Protect Castillo and his crew as much as possible within her remit
- • Act on immediate threats by informing command and preparing to support the mission
- • Klingon command likely knows their coordinates and will act on it
- • Remaining in the area raises unacceptable risk to the Enterprise‑D
- • Her duty includes both honest warning and personal protection of junior officers
Calmly resolute — accepts near-certain sacrifice with a soldier's clarity and filial loyalty to his captain's memory.
Volunteers boldly to lead his crippled ship back into the rift, invokes Captain Garrett's wishes as justification, declares intention to return unless forbidden, renders a crisp salute and departs with Tasha.
- • Return the Enterprise‑C to its rightful place in history
- • Honor Captain Garrett's presumed wishes and the ship's legacy
- • Protect the broader Federation by completing the sacrificial mission
- • Captain Garrett would want the ship returned to its proper time
- • Personal and crew sacrifice now can prevent greater future catastrophe
- • He and his remaining crew are capable of accomplishing the task despite limitations
Grave and admiring — externally composed, internally carrying the weight of a painful, consequential choice that accepts necessary sacrifice.
Stands as the moral and operational fulcrum: listens to counsel, receives Data's sensor report, weighs Riker's cautions, then decisively orders the Enterprise‑D to hold and provide cover before returning a formal salute to Castillo.
- • Protect the Enterprise‑D and its crew while enabling the larger mission to restore the correct timeline
- • Make a command decision that balances Starfleet duty with moral responsibility
- • Provide tangible cover and resources to the Enterprise‑C to maximize the chance of success
- • Restoring the Enterprise‑C to its proper time is likely necessary to prevent a wider catastrophe
- • Captain Garrett would have wanted his ship to return; honoring that legacy matters
- • Sometimes command requires painful, sacrificial choices for a greater good
Objectively concerned — communicates facts without affect, but the implications imply serious operational risk.
Relays critical sensor data over com: reports additional instability in the time rift and notes absence of other Klingon vessels on current sensors, providing factual inputs that shape command's risk calculus.
- • Provide accurate, up‑to‑the‑moment sensor information to command
- • Monitor rift behavior to inform tactical and temporal decisions
- • Support bridge officers' decision-making with objective data
- • Sensor data is the primary basis for tactical assessment
- • Rift instability is a measurable, escalating risk likely tied to recent Klingon engagement
- • Absence of Klingon contacts now does not guarantee safety, given possible transmissions
Concerned and pragmatic — his surface reasoning masks an emotional worry for crew welfare and the moral cost of sending men to likely death.
Interjects with a procedural, operational assessment: warns Picard and Castillo about limited manpower, no tactical support, and reduced engineering — framing the volunteer act as strategically fraught.
- • Ensure command understands the severe tactical limitations of the Enterprise‑C
- • Protect lives by preventing unnecessarily risky orders
- • Provide Picard with clear operational options to inform a responsible decision
- • A ship should not be sent into battle without its captain if avoidable
- • Operational realities (manpower, tactical, engineering) must shape moral choices
- • Honoring duty should not ignore practicalities that determine survival
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Observation Lounge functions as the steel‑edged war room where senior officers convene for the decisive moral and tactical exchange. Its panoramic port frames indifferent stars while conversation tightens into operational brevity; the room concentrates authority, witness, and ceremonial salutation.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"CASTILLO: I'm prepared to lead the Enterprise back myself, Captain Picard."
"DATA'S COM VOICE: Commander Data to Captain Picard. PICARD: Go ahead. DATA'S COM VOICE: Sir, sensors are showing additional instability in the time rift. Possibly the result of the battle with the Klingons."
"PICARD: We will maintain position to provide cover."