Lwaxana Fixates on Rex — The Unreadable That Distracts Diplomacy
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Mrs. Troi and Mr. Homn burst into Rex’s Bar, jolting the room; Rex clocks the spectacle and immediately beckons her to a 'saved' stool as she saunters in, out of place and judging the joint.
Lwaxana needles Picard about the bar’s filth, then pivots and coolly dismisses Riker as unable to handle her; Rex piles on that she’s too good for Riker, and she seals the put‑down with a smile and agreement.
Her attention locks on Rex; his unreadability fascinates her. She flatters the 'mystery,' accepts his house wine, and declares the unknown erotic as she orders him to carry her beverage to a table for a private talk.
Rex winks, takes the wine, and joins Lwaxana at a table for an intimate conversation while Picard and Riker choose not to spoil her illusion, granting her the moment.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Amused and opportunistic — enjoying the disruption and the chance to be the center of a rare Betazoid's fascination while maintaining proprietorial calm.
Rex leans forward, registers Lwaxana's entrance with a shocked delight, flirts openly, produces an opened bottle of house wine, pours and carries a glass to a private table, then winks at Picard and Riker before joining her for an intimate conversation.
- • Entertain and accommodate a high-profile, conspicuous patron
- • Diffuse potential social awkwardness through charm and hospitality
- • Maintain the bar's atmosphere and reputation as a refuge
- • Good service and a witty response will calm awkward situations
- • A charming patron brings attention and perhaps profit or stories
- • Picard and Riker prefer discretion and won't escalate a social scene
Mildly exasperated and amused; chooses restraint to avoid public embarrassment and to preserve the social fabric of the ship during a fragile mission window.
Picard responds to Mrs. Troi's barb with a dry indication toward Riker, watches her fixation on Rex with quiet amusement, and when asked whether to intervene elects to let the moment continue, preserving decorum while containing embarrassment.
- • Prevent escalation or public scandal
- • Preserve mission focus by allowing a harmless diversion
- • Protect crew reputation and uphold decorum
- • Lwaxana's impulsive behavior is usually self-limiting
- • Intervening could cause more disruption than it prevents
- • Maintaining calm and letting social moments pass is often the best diplomatic choice
Amused with a touch of discomfort — enjoying the comedy but aware of the need to manage crew and guest relations.
Riker nods and replies when addressed, watches Rex serve and join Lwaxana with bemused tolerance, considers whether to inform her of Rex's nature, and finally smiles and accepts Picard's decision to allow the scene.
- • Support the captain's social decision-making
- • Prevent unnecessary escalation or shame for the guest
- • Monitor for any distraction that could affect ship operations
- • Honesty can sometimes spoil harmless enjoyment
- • Lwaxana's attachments are impulsive and not strategically dangerous
- • A little levity helps maintain morale during tense missions
Neutral and focused on service; his silence underscores Lwaxana's flamboyance and signals reliable support rather than judgment.
Mister Homn stands dutifully beside Lwaxana, silent and protective — a physical anchor to her entrance and movements, offering presence rather than speech as she takes the stool and moves to the table.
- • Attend to Lwaxana's needs without drawing attention
- • Preserve her dignity and act as her physical support
- • Signal her status through ceremonious presence
- • Following Lwaxana's lead is paramount
- • Silence and composure are appropriate in public spaces
- • Physical presence can command respect and maintain order
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
A stemmed glass is filled from the opened bottle and carried by Rex to Lwaxana's private table, concretizing the shift from public spectacle to intimate exchange and signaling hospitality and consent to the quieter conversation.
The small private table becomes the focal meeting place for Lwaxana and Rex's intimate conversation; its close footprint concentrates the boundary breach and provides a ritualized, semi-private space away from the bar's public counter.
The opened bottle of house wine is produced by Rex as a hospitable gesture; it functions as the tangible catalyst for intimacy, legitimizing Rex's attention and enabling Lwaxana to transfer the encounter to a private table.
Rex gestures to a saved bar stool and invites Lwaxana to sit; the stool functions as the immediate physical mediation of social proximity, enabling her to settle into the bar's space and direct attention to Rex.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Rex's Bar — the holodeck's noir dive — provides the atmospheric frame for the encounter: a dim, smoke‑laced refuge where social roles can be tried on and comic disruptions land lightly. The bar stages the contrast between Lwaxana's flamboyance and the room's sunglasses-and-sardonic humor, making her fixation on an inscrutable proprietor both startling and theatrically apt.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Lwaxana dismisses Geordi for his perceptiveness, then fixates on Rex precisely because his unreadable mystery attracts her."
"Lwaxana's declaration to marry Rex is later undercut when she fumes about having doted on a bartender who doesn't exist."
Key Dialogue
"REX: Good God, what's that?"
"Mrs. Troi: You are a most interesting person."
"Mrs. Troi: He's strong. I feel no thoughts from him... nothing. I've never known a man so able to keep his true feelings completely hidden."