Star Trek The Next Generation
Character
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Sarjenka

vulnerable trusting toward Data curious/wonder-filled resilient (saved her transmitter; waited for rescue) absent (fled at the onset of tremors) non‑speaking/unnamed fearful/evacuative (implied) narratively instrumental (absence increases stakes)
Sarjenka is an alien child from Drema Four whose four‑word distress call — "Is anybody out there?" — ignites a forbidden, intimate correspondence with the android Data. Her frightened live transmissions and eventual materialization aboard the Enterprise convert abstract Prime Directive debate into an immediate humanitarian crisis. She clings to Data, trusts him instinctively, and becomes the personal focal point that compels Starfleet officers to choose compassion over strict non‑interference. Her presence drives the episode’s ethical stakes and catalyzes consequential rescue and medical decisions.
25 appearances
Humanitarian Rescue / Ethical Catalyst
Also known as: her family, the child, family members, Drema Four child, alien child, Sarjenka's family

Sarjenka's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

25 moments
S2E15 · Pen Pals
The Forbidden 'Yes' — Data Answers the Whisper

Terrified and desperate, but clinging to hope that someone beyond the static will answer and provide help.

Heard only as a faint, fractured voice-over asking 'Is anybody out there?'—a pleading, frightened child's cry that pierces the static and becomes the human anchor of the scene.

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
The Whisper That Forces a Choice

Desperate and trusting (inferred); the signal and shared stories suggest fear and a childlike appeal for help.

Sarjenka does not appear physically but is central: her four-word distress call and the content of her communications drive the entire exchange, making her an immediate, remote participant whose vulnerability …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Lonely Signal, Impossible Choice

Implied desperation and fear; a child's implicit hope that someone will answer her plea.

Sarjenka does not appear onstage but functions as the named subject of Data's confession; her transmitted pleas and described family details humanize the distant planetary catastrophe and catalyze Picard's moral …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Confession in the Meadow: Data's Forbidden Contact

Endangered and frightened (inferred); her distress message and described confidences create urgency and pathos.

Sarjenka is not physically present but is constructively present through Data's testimony: a vulnerable child whose four‑word plea triggered clandestine contact and who now becomes the immediate human face of …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
The Plea That Breaks the Directive

Terrified and desperate; dependent on the presence and response of Data and whoever answers.

Sarjenka is heard only as a frightened, pleading voice over the link — calling for Data, asking if he is angry, begging not to be left — her words turning …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
When a Child Speaks: Picard Forsakes the Directive

Desperate fear and confusion, seeking comfort and contact with Data.

Although not physically present, Sarjenka's terrified, pleading voice is audible over the link; she personalizes the crisis and becomes the immediate focus of the room's moral reckoning.

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
The Plea That Breaks the Directive

Terrified and pleading—utterly dependent and seeking the comfort and protection she previously associated with Data's presence.

Sarjenka's terrified voice comes over the open link, pleading directly to Data — her emotional appeal instantly humanizes the abstract debate and becomes the immediate cause that halts the planned …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
The Plea That Breaks the Directive

Terrified, desperate, and pleading — exposed and dependent upon the one who answered her call.

Not physically present aboard the Enterprise; communicates over the fragile link as a terrified child calling for Data, her voice converting abstract argument into immediate human need.

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Transmitter Failure — Data's Last Tether Snapped

Inferred as frightened and endangered (the reason Data is urgent and distressed).

Not physically present in the scene; nonetheless is the direct addressee of Data’s plea and the implied victim whose safety is immediately jeopardized by the failed transmission.

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Data's Challenge — Picard's Compromise

Implied distress — her silence and absence create urgency and emotional pressure on the crew.

Sarjenka is not physically present but functions as the absent focal point: Data reports losing contact with her, and her endangered status precipitates the transport authorization.

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
The Child's Plea and Data's Reckless Rescue

Terrified and breathless at first, quickly shifting to wonder, relief, and exhilaration upon recognizing Data; a vulnerable yet fierce attachment underlies her actions.

Sarjenka bursts into the room coughing, freezes at Data's appearance, succumbs to fear then awe, recognizes him, physically clings to him and confesses she saved her transmitter and waited; she …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Ash, Recognition, and the Decision to Beam Up

Terrified and coughing on arrival, rapidly shifting to awe and relief upon recognizing Data, then thrilled and comforted once rescue is imminent.

Sarjenka rushes into the room coughing from ash, freezes at the sight of Data, then recognizes him and reaches out to touch his cheek. Overcome, she throws herself into his …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Data's Defiant Rescue: Beaming Sarjenka to the Enterprise

Terrified and panicked on arrival, rapidly shifting to relief, trust and exhilaration when Data reassures her and offers rescue.

Sarjenka rushes into the room, coughing and terrified; she recognizes Data, touches his cheek, throws herself into his arms, answers his questions about her family and transmitter, and allows herself …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Quite Impossible

Panicked and frantic on the surface, seeking safety and human (alien) contact; instinctually attaches to Data as protector.

Sarjenka materializes terrified, edges toward Data, slides her hand into his and then seizes his arm while whispering a desperate plea not to be left behind; she clings to him …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Defiant Transport: Data Brings Sarjenka Aboard

Panicked and desperate; frightened child seeking physical comfort and safety, expressing an urgent plea to avoid abandonment.

Sarjenka materializes terrified, edges sideways, instinctively slides her hand into Data's, seizes his arm and pleads not to be left behind—her physical cling becomes the emotional lever of the scene.

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Data's Forbidden Bond on the Bridge

Overwhelmed by fear and alienation; displays attachment to the one familiar figure (Data) and distrust of strangers and the environment.

Sarjenka clings fiercely to Data, rejects Troi's attempts at comfort, emits shrill refusals and wild sobs, then calms only after Data embraces and strokes her hair; she remains attached to …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Picard Makes Sarjenka the Mission

Panicked and desperate; relief slowly begins as she experiences Data's protective touch.

Sarjenka is terrified, clinging to Data with frantic sobs, rejecting Troi's approach, shouting 'NO!' and burying herself against Data's shoulder, only calming when he embraces her.

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Stars, Trust, and the Cost of Mercy

From anxious and terrified for her family's safety to awed and comforted by the sight of the stars and Data's reassurance; relieved but still worried about loved ones.

A frightened native child who asks about her family, watches the bridge in wonder when Data shows her the stars, trusts Data enough to run to him and take his …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Resonant Strike — Drema Four Quiets

Shifts from anxious and frightened to relieved, awed by the starfield, and trusting toward Data.

Asks frightened questions about her family, watches the bridge and the stars with growing wonder, accepts Data's reassurance and physical comfort, and runs to take his offered hand before being …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Corridor of Lost Wishes

Quietly sad but hopeful — clinging to imagination and desire as a small refuge from fear and uncertainty.

Sarjenka walks closely beside Data, asking hopeful questions and then sighing with wistful sadness; she voices a straightforward, childlike longing to join the ship now, clinging to the possibility of …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Singer Stone, Machine Heart, and the Scan

Open and trusting then abruptly frightened — a child moved to affection whose immediate fear recasts clinical actions as threatening.

Sarjenka is captivated by the Singer Stone's private song, offers it to Data, smiles in wonder, touches his cheek tenderly, then reacts with alarm when Pulaski announces scans.

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
The Singer Stone's Private Song

Wonder and enchantment transition to tender concern and slight embarrassment when Data cannot share the experience, then to anxious alarm at the mention of medical scans.

Spots the Singer Stone, lifts it and is visibly enchanted when it sings only for her; impulsively offers the stone to Data, then touches his cheek after he explains he …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Silent Song, Tender Touch

Wide-eyed wonder shifting to immediate sadness and tenderness; her gesture communicates a desire to console and to bridge difference.

Sarjenka spots and picks up the Elanin Singer Stone, reacts with visible wonder as it sings uniquely for her, offers it spontaneously to Data, then responds with sorrow and tenderness …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
Erasure for the Greater Good

Unconscious and defenseless; any emotional state is enacted upon rather than expressed.

Sarjenka is exhausted and passive: Data helps her onto the biobed, Pulaski administers a hypospray rendering her unconscious, and she lies vulnerable beneath the neural device's blue beam as the …

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S2E15 · Pen Pals
The Singing Stone — Data's Quiet Farewell

Peaceful and untroubled on the surface due to sleep; implicitly fragile given the surrounding catastrophe.

Sarjenka lies asleep and vulnerable; she is carried, tucked under the covers, and given the Elanin stone which begins to sing in her palm, providing comfort she receives unconsciously as …

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