Star Trek The Next Generation
S2E7
· Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unnatural Selection

Pulaski's Last Stand

In the Darwin Laboratory, Dr. Pulaski, visibly ravaged by the rapid-aging contagion, works tirelessly to isolate the altered DNA, her physical deterioration mirroring her dwindling hope for a cure. When Picard insists she and Data remain in the lab for safety, Pulaski reveals Data's imminent departure, forcing Picard to confront her resolve. In a poignant moment of professional defiance, she acknowledges her reckless approach to the crisis but refuses to let Picard repeat her mistake, asserting her autonomy even in the face of death. This moment crystallizes the episode's central tension between duty and personal sacrifice, showcasing Pulaski's unyielding commitment to her scientific mission over her own survival.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Pulaski, her face creased and hair white at the lab station, admits they've isolated the altered DNA but warns the process may be irreversible and insists she belongs in the primary lab to continue the work.

measured acceptance to urgent responsibility

Pulaski refuses Picard's intervention, owning the error of 'leaping before looking' and forbidding him to repeat it—she steels herself, choosing responsibility and implied isolation over risking the ship.

anguish to resolute acceptance

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain
 primary

Controlled urgency straining against paternal concern

Standing at rigid attention near the lab entrance, Picard's clipped vocal cadence betrays tension as he enforces quarantine protocol. His eyes track Pulaski's deteriorating condition while maintaining a commander's neutral expression, the contradiction visible in his whitened knuckles where they grip his uniform tunic.

Goals in this moment
  • • Contain biological threat through enforced isolation
  • • Prevent Pulaski's further exposure to contagion
Active beliefs
  • • Starfleet protocols exist to prevent catastrophic outcomes
  • • A captain's duty supersedes personal relationships
Character traits
Command authority manifestation Suppressed protective instincts
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey
Data
Second Officer
 primary

Unflappable logic persisting through crisis (inferred)

Present through implication rather than physical presence—Pulaski's revelation about Data's imminent departure positions him as the unspoken third party in their confrontation. His absence from the lab underscores the breaking of Picard's mandated quarantine.

Goals in this moment
  • • Continue research despite quarantine orders
  • • Mitigate threat through direct action
Active beliefs
  • • Efficiency outweighs protocol in existential crises
  • • Non-organic biology grants operational immunity
Character traits
Procedural independence Implicit rebellion
Follow Data's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Riker's Neural-Invasive Microbe

The altered DNA sample serves as both scientific subject and silent witness to the confrontation—its containment unit reflecting pulsing red warning lights across Picard and Pulaski's faces as they debate quarantine protocols. The unstable genetic material mirrors the deteriorating professional trust between them while physically anchoring Pulaski's reason for dissenting.

Before: Partially isolated but not fully analyzed
After: Remains unstable with heightened stakes due to Pulaski's …
Before: Partially isolated but not fully analyzed
After: Remains unstable with heightened stakes due to Pulaski's condition worsening

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Darwin Laboratory

The secondary lab's sterile surfaces and blinking biohazard lights heighten the scene's medical tension, with the hum of containment fields providing an uneasy soundtrack to Picard and Pulaski's confrontation. The sealed environment transforms from research space to battleground over autonomy versus protocol, its very sterility underscoring the human stakes beneath clinical procedures.

Atmosphere Oppressive sterility charged with unspoken defiance
Function Containment zone becoming rebellion's ground zero
Symbolism Petri dish for testing the limits of duty and survival
Access Theoretically quarantined but practically breached by Data's imminent departure
Harsh biocontainment lighting revealing Pulaski's accelerated aging Persistent beep of genomic sequencers analyzing the sample
Primary Lab

Mentioned by Pulaski as where 'the others' continue working, the primary lab represents the approved research avenue that contrasts with her rogue efforts. Its referenced existence heightens the tension by establishing what 'proper' procedure looks like versus Pulaski's quarantine-defying actions.

Atmosphere Unseen but implied controlled urgency
Function Institutional alternative to Pulaski's isolation
Symbolism Representation of protocol over individualism

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

No narrative connections mapped yet

This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph

Key Dialogue

"Pulaski: Jean-Luc... I appreciate what you're trying to do. But I got into this by leaping before I looked, and I won't allow you to make the same mistake."
"PICARD: Doctor..."
"PULASKI: (shakes her head) We've isolated the altered DNA, but the process may not be reversible. The others are already at work in the primary lab -- where I should be."