Hearsay, Law, and a Forced Concession

Tayna gives a shaken, secondhand account of Apgar's final moments while Krag methodically converts her deposition into prosecutable material. Picard interrupts to undermine the statement's procedural reliability, but Krag calmly invokes Tanugan law to admit the testimony despite its hearsay nature. Picard makes a reluctant, high-stakes concession to view the reconstruction, trading procedure for the chance to defend Riker. The exchange crystallizes courtroom pressure, deepens Picard's moral dilemma between command and loyalty, and mechanically pivots the story toward a visual reenactment that will escalate the stakes.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

4

Tayna recounts Apgar's distressed state after the fight, hinting at deeper emotional turmoil.

neutral to tension

Krag presses Tayna for details, leveraging her hearsay testimony to build his case against Riker.

tension to pressure

Picard challenges the validity of Tayna's hearsay testimony, asserting procedural fairness.

pressure to defiance

Krag insists on the admissibility of Tayna's statement under Tanugan law, forcing Picard to comply.

defiance to resignation

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

6

Calm and resolute; confident in legal standing and unflappable in pressing the Tanugan case.

Krag calmly frames Tayna's deposition as admissible under Tanugan law, directs the holocomputer to run 'Tayna Simulation Three', and asserts jurisdictional weight to compel consideration of the evidence.

Goals in this moment
  • Secure admissible evidence to justify extradition or charge
  • Force the Enterprise to accept Tanugan procedural standards
Active beliefs
  • Tanugan law legitimizes hearsay in this context
  • A visual reconstruction will strengthen the prosecution's case
Character traits
authoritative procedural unemotional dogged
Follow Krag's journey

Referenced as agitated and deceased; his prior emotional state (upset) colors the deposition and raises suspicion and urgency.

Doctor Apgar is not present alive but his reported upset state and final words are the content of Tayna's statement and the basis for the reconstruction; his absence drives the legal dispute over hearsay.

Goals in this moment
  • N/A (deceased) — his prior actions continue to shape the investigation
  • Ensure the factual sequence of his last moments is reconstructed
Active beliefs
  • N/A (inferred through deposition) — that he felt wronged and conveyed important information to Tayna
  • His statements as reported are consequential to determining culpability
Character traits
absent-but-central victim provocative-to-proceedings
Follow Nel Apgar's journey

Shaken and frightened; struggling to steady speech while compelled to tell what she knows, with guilt-tinged urgency.

Tayna gives a halting, emotionally frayed deposition describing Apgar's upset state and the information he relayed to her; she stands at the center of the room as others react to her words.

Goals in this moment
  • Convey faithfully what Dr. Apgar told her
  • Comply with investigators and avoid appearing deceptive
Active beliefs
  • What Apgar told her is important and accurate
  • She must cooperate with authorities even if it is painful
Character traits
deferential nervous truthful emotionally raw
Follow Tayna's journey

Skeptical and concerned; outwardly calm but inwardly torn between duty to process evidence and loyalty to Riker.

Picard interrupts Krag to contest the admissibility of the deposition as hearsay, then concedes—reluctantly—to view the Holodeck reconstruction while stressing procedural caution and weighing the evidence.

Goals in this moment
  • Protect Riker from unfair legal prejudice
  • Ensure the Enterprise follows recognized evidentiary standards
Active beliefs
  • Hearsay should be treated with suspicion absent corroboration
  • He has a duty to both the law and his officer's fair treatment
Character traits
procedural protective measured conflicted
Follow Jean-Luc Picard's journey

Tense and defensive; outward composure masks worry about how the reconstruction will portray him.

Riker is present and observed as the subject of the impending reconstruction; he stands to one side, watched by others, absorbing the procedural turn with restrained anxiety.

Goals in this moment
  • Maintain dignity and appear credible
  • Allow the investigation while hoping the evidence will exonerate him
Active beliefs
  • He did not commit murder and expects evidence will support him
  • Official procedures will be followed and can vindicate him
Character traits
reserved anxious composed-under-pressure
Follow William Riker's journey

Observant and quietly concerned; emotionally tuned to the stress in the room and protective toward those affected.

Troi watches the deposition and the exchange, offering empathic presence; she observes emotional cues and stands ready to support Riker or temper tensions.

Goals in this moment
  • Monitor emotional fallout and support crew morale
  • Provide counsel if tensions escalate
Active beliefs
  • Witness stress will influence testimony credibility
  • Emotional context matters for interpreting evidence
Character traits
empathetic attentive stabilizing
Follow Deanna Troi's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Tayna's Deposition Recording

Tayna's deposition recording functions as the substantive seed evidence: Krag cites its content to justify a holoreconstruction, and the recording's claims are transliterated into 'Tayna Simulation Three' so that spoken secondhand testimony becomes visualized proof for adjudication.

Before: Stored in the holocomputer as an admissible testimonial …
After: Accessed and used to cue the Holodeck reconstruction; …
Before: Stored in the holocomputer as an admissible testimonial file; contains halting, emotional verbal account.
After: Accessed and used to cue the Holodeck reconstruction; effectively converted from passive recording into active simulation input.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Riker's Quarters

Commander Riker's Quarters is the content being reconstructed — the private scene of the alleged incident; though not physically present, its furnishings and layout will be simulated to visualize Apgar's reported actions and test witness consistency.

Atmosphere Not directly observed in the room yet but implicitly intimate and vulnerable as it is …
Function Subject of the Holodeck reenactment; the locus of alleged crime and private life about to …
Symbolism Represents the crossing of private duty and public accountability; Riker's private domain becomes a courtroom …
Access Normally private to Riker; in this context, it is being virtually accessed for investigative purposes.
Soft alcove seating and personal clutter (to be simulated) A comm console and personal effects referenced by investigators The quarters' intimacy contrasted with clinical holodeck lighting
Holodeck — Space Station Laboratory (Recreation)

The Holodeck-configured Space Station Laboratory serves as the evidentiary stage where Tayna gives deposition and where Krag prepares to run the reconstruction; its clinical simulation quality turns private testimony into observed, adjudicable spectacle.

Atmosphere Tension-filled and clinical; quiet except for compressed, legal conversation and the low mechanical hum of …
Function Stage for deposition delivery and for launching the visual reenactment used as prosecutable evidence.
Symbolism Transforms a sanctuary of private creation into an interrogative theater where memory is scrutinized and …
Access Effectively restricted to senior officers and the investigating party during the reconstruction; holodeck doors can …
Clinical, stark lighting that flattens faces for scrutiny Underlying mechanical hum of holoprojectors and relays Easels and art-studio trappings repurposed into an evidentiary arena Close framing on Tayna as others look on

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"PICARD: Inspector, this is hearsay... She wasn't a witness to this incident..."
"KRAG: Doctor Apgar is dead. Tayna's statement is admissible under Tanugan law... and I insist you consider it."
"KRAG: Computer, run Tayna Simulation Three."