Starbase Realizes Enterprise Missing with Picard and Riker Aboard
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Worf urgently asks if Picard and Riker are present; Data and Tasha confirm their absence from Starbase 74, sparking alarm about their whereabouts.
Geordi questions if Picard and Riker remain on the Enterprise; Worf confirms and urges immediate action to beam them back, escalating the urgency.
Tasha insists Picard and Riker must be in trouble given their absence; Quinteros grabs her attention and points as the Enterprise backs away from its mooring, escalating tension to a crescendo.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Worried and resolute, focused on immediate crew safety despite incomplete information.
Lieutenant Natasha Yar reacts urgently to the unfolding crisis, insisting on the gravity of Picard and Riker's absence, advocating for swift action and refusing to be swayed by technical anomalies.
- • Ensure the safety of the missing officers
- • Mobilize Starbase personnel to respond efficiently to the crisis
- • If Picard and Riker were safe, they would have evacuated
- • The situation demands immediate and uncompromising response
Calm and focused, masking any potential frustration with cold logic and procedural efficiency.
Data beams into Starbase 74, maintaining his trademark calm and logical demeanor while analyzing the crisis, suggesting immediate transporter operations to retrieve Picard and Riker.
- • Locate and safely retrieve Picard and Riker
- • Restore command structure aboard the Enterprise promptly
- • The best course of action involves transporter retrieval
- • Efficiency and logic are paramount during emergencies
Uneasy concern mixed with a growing sense of responsibility amidst uncertainty.
Wesley Crusher arrives at Starbase 74's command center, joining Worf and Natasha Yar, observing the crisis with evident concern, still somewhat inexperienced but increasingly aware of the stakes.
- • Absorb information to better understand the unfolding crisis
- • Support senior officers through vigilance and communication
- • The crisis will escalate without prompt resolution
- • Senior officers must be protected and recovered
Anxious and determined, his voice carrying the weight of imminent danger
Worf stands alert in the command center, urgently asking if anyone has seen the captain and Commander Riker, then demanding to know the location of the Transporter Room so he can beam back to the Enterprise to rescue them.
- • Locate Captain Picard and Commander Riker
- • Return to the Enterprise immediately to assist or rescue them
- • Believes the captain and first officer are still aboard the Enterprise
- • Believes they are in danger given the ship's unexplained departure
Urgent and concerned, his actions showing growing alarm as the situation escalates
Quinteros commands the operation at Starbase 74's command center. He urgently states that there is no time to beam back, grabs Tasha to point out the departing Enterprise, and declares that the ship is almost clear.
- • Prevent any further attempts to beam back that might be dangerous
- • Control the crisis as the Enterprise departs
- • Believes that beaming back is futile or too dangerous
- • Believes that the situation is escalating beyond immediate control
Concerned and anxious, silently absorbing the escalating situation
Wesley has joined Worf and Tasha in the command center, observing the unfolding crisis without speaking, his presence indicating his concern.
- • Understand what is happening
- • Possibly assist if needed
- • Believes the captain and commander are in trouble
- • Believes the situation is serious
Concerned and curious, his voice showing surprise at the unexpected development
Geordi beams into the command center, hears the report of the Enterprise's magnetic field regenerating, and questions how that is possible, showing his technical curiosity and concern.
- • Understand the anomalous magnetic field regeneration
- • Find a way back to the Enterprise
- • Believes something is wrong with the Enterprise's systems
- • Believes that the senior officers should have evacuated
Neutral and professional, but the content carries tension
The Starbase communication voice delivers critical real-time updates: first announcing the regeneration of the Enterprise's magnetic field, then reporting that the Enterprise has departed in excess of warp one.
- • Provide accurate status updates to the command center
- • Document the ship's departure
- • Believes in the accuracy of the sensor readings
- • Believes the ship's actions are anomalous and require attention
Captain Picard is not present in the command center; his absence is noted by Worf, and the characters realize he …
Commander Riker is not present; his absence alongside Picard is the focus of the crisis. He is assumed to be …
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The USS Enterprise is the central object of this event, depicted as autonomously backing away from Starbase 74 and then warping away without authorization, its empty corridors and flashing warning lights underscoring the severity of the crisis and the missing senior officers aboard.
The USS Enterprise is the central object of this event, depicted as autonomously backing away from Starbase 74 and then warping away without authorization, its empty corridors and flashing warning lights underscoring the severity of the crisis and the missing senior officers aboard.
The antimatter containment magnetic field aboard the Enterprise is reported as regenerating inexplicably during the ship's unauthorized departure, serving as a crucial technical clue that the ship remains operational despite the crisis and hinting at autonomous system control.
Transporter Room Seven is invoked by Data as the key facility from which he intends to beam back to the Enterprise to attempt rescue of Picard and Riker, symbolizing hope and a tangible means to intervene in the crisis remotely.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Starbase 74 serves as the operational base and nerve center where the crisis is first fully grasped; its command center is the focal point for coordinating response, monitoring the Enterprise's unexpected autonomous movement, and grappling with the unsettling reality of missing senior officers.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
Across episodes
"The away team’s departure in Episode 15 is logically followed by the Enterprise’s evacuation and hijacking in Episode 16, as Starfleet conducts upgrades."
Departure to Angel One: Initiating a Delicate Mission"Both scenes involve teams reacting to a sudden, violent death—Tasha’s response to the Enterprise crisis in E16 echoes her reaction to Malencon’s death in E17, where she again works to restore order and safety."
Hydraulics Power Shutdown and Laser Sabotage Escalation"Both episodes begin with a critical communication breakdown: in Episode 16, the Enterprise crew is stranded on Starbase while the ship is hijacked; in Episode 17, the Enterprise arrives to find Velara III unresponsive and hiding vital truths."
Tense Arrival and Veiled Anxiety at Velara IIIKey Dialogue
"WORF: Did you see the captain and Commander Riker?"
"DATA: No. Are they not here on the Starbase?"
"TASHA: No."
"GEORDI: Are you saying they are still on the Enterprise?"
"TASHA: That changes nothing. The captain and Commander Riker must be in trouble, or they'd be here."
"QUINTEROS: Look!"
"STARBASE COM VOICE: The USS Enterprise has departed in excess of warp one."