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S2E5 · Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Schizoid Man
S2E5
· Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Schizoid Man

Farewell to Gravesworld

The Enterprise departs Gravesworld, marking the nominal conclusion of their mission. Captain Picard voices his melancholic log entry, acknowledging their failure to preserve Ira Graves' scientific legacy as the planet shrinks behind them. Kareen Brianon watches silently, her grief palpable—a quiet moment charged with unresolved tension that foreshadows the destabilizing truth of Graves' consciousness transfer into Data. Though ostensibly moving on, Picard's 'empty feeling' hints at deeper unease about Data's recent behavior, subtly setting up the looming crisis.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

The Enterprise pulls out of Gravesworld's orbit, physically leaving the planet behind and signaling the mission's abrupt end.

neutral to melancholic ['Ship leaving Gravesworld orbit; Enterprise underway …

PICARD shifts from elegy to duty, declaring the immediate priority to reach the nearest starbase so Graves' assistant and the marooned settlers can resume their lives.

melancholy to pragmatic resolve ['Enterprise en route to nearest starbase']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Kareen Brianon
Scientific Assistant
 primary

Raw sorrow mixed with lingering unresolved tensions from her fraught relationship with Graves

Silently observing Gravesworld’s retreat through the observation lounge window, her stillness amplifying the weight of personal grief and unprocessed complicated feelings about Graves’ death.

Goals in this moment
  • • Mentally say farewell to Graves and her life on Gravesworld
  • • Process the abrupt severance from her professional/personal anchor
Active beliefs
  • • Graves’ genius deserved preservation despite his personal flaws
  • • Their shared history—now lost—held unspoken emotional significance
Character traits
Visibly grieving Physically restrained
Follow Kareen Brianon's journey
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain
 primary

Surface-level composure masking deeper unease about unresolved mission threads (particularly Data’s unexplained behavior)

Delivering a voiceover log entry tinged with regret, his authoritative tone undercut by melancholy as he formally acknowledges mission failure and the irrevocable loss of Graves' scientific contributions.

Goals in this moment
  • • Document the mission’s nominal conclusion for Starfleet records
  • • Transition focus to humanitarian next steps (starbase relocation)
Active beliefs
  • • Starfleet’s duty extends beyond scientific acquisition to honoring human dignity
  • • Graves’ death—and the failure to retrieve his work—represents a profound intellectual loss
Character traits
Reflective Professionally restrained
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Gravesworld

Gravesworld recedes into the distance, becoming a vanishing point of unresolved narrative tension—its surface still hiding the truth of Graves’ consciousness surviving in Data, despite its apparent abandonment.

Atmosphere Eerily serene as it diminishes visually, masking the unseen violation beneath its surface (Graves’ mind-transfer …
Function Symbolic threshold of loss/disconnection
Symbolism Embodies the illusory finality of death (Graves’ physical demise versus his digital survival).
Planetary curvature visible during retreat Deep space beyond emphasizing isolation
Observation Lounge (USS Enterprise-D)

The Observation Lounge provides a contemplative vantage point for both characters—its panoramic windows framing Gravesworld’s departure as a visual elegy, while the room’s hushed formality underscores the solemnity of the moment.

Atmosphere Quietly mournful, with starlight casting elongated shadows that accentuate the characters' isolation in their grief.
Function Sanctuary for private reflection
Symbolism Represents the boundary between duty (the Enterprise’s mission) and personal loss (watching Gravesworld disappear).
Access Presumed senior staff access
Viewport framing the shrinking planet Subdued ambient lighting

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

No narrative connections mapped yet

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Key Dialogue

"Picard (V.O.): "Captain's log, Supplemental. I leave Gravesworld with an empty feeling and the knowledge that our mission was unsuccessful. Whatever scientific secrets Ira Graves was about to unlock will follow him to his grave...""
"Picard (V.O.): "Our immediate priority is to reach the nearest starbase so that Graves' assistant and the marooned settlers can get on with their lives.""