Wesley discovers Data’s sabotage
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Wesley examines Data with a tricorder while Robin acts as a lookout, confirming the nurse is still engrossed in the game. Wesley discovers a signal breach between Data's brain and body but is unable to determine it's cause.
Wesley isolates the signal interruption to a specific area below Data's cognitive processor. With Robin's help, he uses the viewscreen to reveal that Data's positronic links have been cleanly severed, indicating deliberate sabotage.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Confounded yet determined, with a growing sense of urgency and worry
Wesley Crusher conducts a meticulous and urgent investigation of Data’s positronic network using a medical tricorder. He methodically scans Data’s body, isolating the signal breach and uncovering the precise cuts in the cognitive fibers. His technical expertise and quick thinking drive the discovery, while his emotional connection to Data and the crew fuels his determination. Wesley’s dialogue reveals his growing realization of the conspiracy’s scope, culminating in the implication of Geordi La Forge and Beverly Crusher as the likely saboteurs.
- • Uncover the cause of Data’s unconscious state
- • Expose the sabotage and its perpetrators
- • The game’s effects extend beyond addiction to mind control
- • Data was targeted because he was immune to the game’s influence
Nervous, fascinated, and increasingly worried about the conspiracy’s scope
Robin Lefler acts as Wesley’s lookout, monitoring the nurse’s distraction while assisting with the diagnostic viewscreen. She expresses nervousness about being discovered but remains focused on the investigation. Her technical skills and quick thinking complement Wesley’s efforts, and her dialogue reveals her growing understanding of the conspiracy’s implications. Robin’s presence adds a layer of urgency and collaboration to the scene.
- • Assist Wesley in uncovering the sabotage
- • Protect the crew from the game’s mind-control effects
- • The game’s effects are more sinister than they appear
- • Data was targeted because he was immune to the game’s influence
Neutral (unconscious), but his state evokes concern and urgency in others
Data lies unconscious on a biobed in Sickbay, his head panel open and his positronic network exposed. His body remains physically intact, with all systems functioning, but his cognitive processor has been deliberately sabotaged. The diagnostic viewscreen reveals clean, precise cuts in his positronic fibers, indicating expert interference. Data serves as the silent victim of the investigation, his unconscious state a direct result of the sabotage that Wesley and Robin are uncovering.
- • None (unconscious, but his condition drives the investigation)
- • Serve as evidence of the sabotage plot
- • His sabotage confirms the game’s true purpose is control, not pleasure
- • His immunity to the game’s effects made him a target
Addicted and distracted, with no awareness of the investigation
The nurse stands in another part of Sickbay, completely absorbed in playing the addictive Risan game. His distraction provides Wesley and Robin with the cover they need to investigate Data’s sabotage. The nurse’s obliviousness to their actions underscores the game’s mind-controlling effects and the urgency of the situation. His presence serves as a constant reminder of the crew’s compromised state.
- • None (fully absorbed in the game)
- • Unwittingly provides cover for Wesley and Robin
- • The game is purely for pleasure (misled by its effects)
- • His actions are not endangering the ship (unaware of the conspiracy)
Not directly observable, but implied to be conflicted or compromised
Geordi La Forge is mentioned by Wesley as one of the two individuals with the technical expertise to sabotage Data’s positronic network. Though not physically present in the scene, his implication as a potential saboteur looms over the investigation. His absence and the gravity of the accusation heighten the tension, as his role as Chief Engineer makes him a key figure in the conspiracy.
- • None directly observable (implied: sabotage Data to facilitate the game’s control)
- • Maintain control over the ship’s systems (implied)
- • The game’s purpose is control, not pleasure (implied)
- • Data’s immunity posed a threat to the plan (implied)
Not directly observable, but implied to be conflicted or compromised
Beverly Crusher is mentioned by Wesley as the other individual with the expertise to sabotage Data’s positronic network. Like Geordi, her implication as a potential saboteur is a shocking revelation. Her absence and the weight of the accusation create a sense of betrayal and urgency, as her role as Chief Medical Officer makes her a trusted and influential figure on the ship.
- • None directly observable (implied: sabotage Data to facilitate the game’s control)
- • Maintain control over the crew’s health and compliance (implied)
- • The game’s purpose is control, not pleasure (implied)
- • Data’s immunity posed a threat to the plan (implied)
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Data’s biobed serves as the central location for the investigation, cradling his unconscious android body with his head panel open. The biobed’s diagnostic lights glow softly, providing a sterile and clinical backdrop for Wesley and Robin’s covert examination. Its presence underscores the medical and technical nature of the sabotage, as well as the urgency of the situation. The biobed is both a symbol of Data’s vulnerability and a practical tool for the investigation.
Data’s positronic fibers are the direct target of the sabotage and the focus of the investigation. Wesley’s tricorder reveals that some of these fibers have been cleanly and precisely severed, indicating expert interference. The fibers’ condition serves as the smoking gun, confirming that Data’s deactivation was not accidental but a calculated move. Their state underscores the technical sophistication of the saboteurs and the gravity of the conspiracy.
The Risan game is indirectly referenced as the catalyst for the sabotage. Though not physically present in the scene, its addictive and mind-controlling effects are implied to have compromised the crew, including the nurse, who is completely absorbed in playing it. The game’s influence looms over the investigation, as Wesley and Robin realize that Data was targeted because he was immune to its effects. Its presence underscores the broader conspiracy and the urgency of the situation.
The sickbay diagnostic viewscreen plays a critical role in visualizing the sabotage. Robin operates the console to display the microscopic view of Data’s positronic fibers, revealing the clean, precise cuts that confirm the deliberate nature of the attack. The viewscreen’s magnification capabilities allow Wesley and Robin to examine the damage in detail, providing irrefutable evidence of the conspiracy. Its use underscores the technical and investigative nature of the scene.
Wesley’s medical tricorder is the primary tool used to uncover the sabotage. He methodically scans Data’s positronic network, isolating the signal breach and revealing the precise cuts in the cognitive fibers. The tricorder’s diagnostic capabilities are crucial to the discovery, as they provide the visual evidence needed to confirm the sabotage. Wesley modifies the tricorder on the spot to beam enhanced diagnostics to the viewscreen, further aiding the investigation.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Sickbay serves as the covert workspace for Wesley and Robin’s investigation, providing the sterile, clinical environment necessary for their technical examination of Data. The location’s medical equipment, diagnostic tools, and biobeds create a tension between healing and sabotage, as the crew’s usual haven for recovery becomes the site of a conspiracy. The hum of life-support systems and the soft glow of LCARS panels add to the atmosphere of urgency and secrecy, while the nurse’s distraction with the Risan game provides the cover needed for the investigation.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Their suspicion about Data and the connection with the game leads directly to the discovery that his positronic links were deliberately severed, confirming a sinister purpose behind the game's arrival and escalating the threat."
"Their suspicion about Data and the connection with the game leads directly to the discovery that his positronic links were deliberately severed, confirming a sinister purpose behind the game's arrival and escalating the threat."
"Identifying Geordi and Beverly as the only ones capable of severing Data's links, raises the stakes making them see the game's purpose that goes beyond pleasure, making them the only ones who can save the ship. No one else can be trusted."
"Realizing they are the only ones unaffected and knowing Data was a specific target, Wesley and Robin decide to feign addiction to avoid suspicion, allowing them to continue their investigation undetected. They need to come up with an Act or they may also be hurt."
"Realizing they are the only ones unaffected and knowing Data was a specific target, Wesley and Robin decide to feign addiction to avoid suspicion, allowing them to continue their investigation undetected. They need to come up with an Act or they may also be hurt."
"Identifying Geordi and Beverly as the only ones capable of severing Data's links, raises the stakes making them see the game's purpose that goes beyond pleasure, making them the only ones who can save the ship. No one else can be trusted."
Key Dialogue
"WESLEY: ((re: Data)) I don't know what to make of this. There's brain activity... all his systems seem to be working."
"ROBIN: The cuts are very precise... see how clean the edges are?"
"WESLEY: Only two people on board know enough about Data to have done something like this. Commander La Forge... and my mother."