Fabula
Object
Object

Ansata Bomb (Rutian Plaza)

A concealed improvised explosive device that detonates in the Rutian plaza, producing a sudden, violent blast, shrapnel and wounded civilians. The device itself does not appear intact on-screen; characters reference its detonation and the blast effects—burned pavement, scattered debris, and injured Rutian townspeople—while Worf warns of possible secondary devices and Data identifies the charge as an Ansata bomb. The device functions as an unseen catalyst: it drives immediate triage, creates a perimeter of fear, and compels urgent tactical decisions from the away team.
6 appearances

Purpose

A lethal improvised explosive intended to detonate in a public space to cause casualties, sow chaos, and provoke a political/security crisis.

Significance

Serves as the catalytic plot device that converts a routine humanitarian stop into a Starfleet emergency: it forces Beverly Crusher to violate orders to treat the wounded, sparks command and ethical conflict with Picard and the bridge crew, and sets conditions that enable the subsequent abduction and diplomatic escalation.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

6 moments
S3E12 · The High Ground
Plaza Bombing — Beverly Defies Orders

The Ansata bomb functions as the catalytic, unseen actor — its detonation shatters a shop, wounds passers-by, scatters debris and creates the emergency that forces Beverly out into the plaza and triggers security alarm and panic.

Before: Concealed within or near the destroyed shop; dormant and undetected.
After: Detonated; physical casing absent on-screen; left forensic evidence in rubble and casualties.
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S3E12 · The High Ground
Plaza Explosion — Crusher's Oath Amid Chaos

The Ansata bomb functions as the unseen catalyst: it detonates in the plaza, shattering a shop, scattering shrapnel and sending victims onto the pavement. Its explosion creates the immediate medical emergency and the security reaction that frames the moral conflict between triage and containment.

Before: Concealed/implanted in the plaza environment, dormant and unnoticed by passers-by.
After: Detonated and destroyed, leaving debris, a damaged storefront, and a forensic scene; the device itself is not intact on-screen.
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S3E12 · The High Ground
Bridge: Order to Beam Out / Crusher Refuses

The Ansata bomb is the inciting device: its detonation creates the casualties and the vulnerability Data reports, directly forcing Picard's evacuation order and framing the moral dilemma between immediate extraction and ongoing medical triage.

Before: Concealed and armed within the Rutian plaza, awaiting detonation.
After: Detonated — exploded, leaving physical damage, wounded civilians, and the acute security threat that precipitated the transporter lock.
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S3E12 · The High Ground
Crusher's Defiance — Orders, Ethics, and a Held Beam

The Ansata bomb is the catalyzing object: its detonation creates wounded civilians, forces an emergency security assessment, and triggers Picard's order to recall the away team. Though not shown intact, its effects (debris, injuries) drive the ethical and tactical conflict central to the scene.

Before: Concealed within the plaza among stalls and pavement, unnoticed by Starfleet prior to detonation.
After: Detonated and expended; its blast remains as environmental damage and injured people, serving as the immediate source of crisis and triage.
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S3E12 · The High Ground
Line in the Sand — Riker Constrains Alexana

The Ansata bomb is referenced as the catalyst for the plaza carnage that triggered the roundups and interrogations; in this scene it functions as the underlying cause that justifies Alexana's harsh tactics and Riker's urgency.

Before: Had detonated in the Rutian plaza, leaving debris and wounded civilians; it exists as forensic evidence and a political provocation.
After: Remains a detonated, investigated device—its effects continue to shape security policy and fuel the interrogation scene's moral conflict.
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S3E12 · The High Ground
Negotiation Over Coercion

The Ansata bomb exists as the unseen catalyst referenced during interrogation — the reason people were rounded up and Katik questioned. Its detonation shapes the urgency, suspicion, and Alexana's willingness to consider harsher methods; it remains a background threat that justifies the office's aggressive posture.

Before: Already detonated in the Rutian plaza, having caused casualties and a security sweep.
After: Remains exploded and implicated; its effects continue to influence local policy and investigative behavior.
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