Star Trek The Next Generation
S2E13
· Time Squared

Riker Seizes the Bridge and Commands Warp

With the bridge on the edge of panic, Riker steps in and converts fear into procedure: he orders the ship back to course, commands scanners to maximum range and immediately sends the Enterprise to warp. The short, disciplined commands impose order, buy time and shift the scene from forensic puzzlement to urgent action. Narratively this is a decisive turning point—Riker’s pragmatic authority transforms an existential mystery into a tactical gambit (a desperate attempt to outrun or disrupt the temporal anomaly threatening the ship).

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Riker reasserts command authority by ordering the ship back to standard course and max-range scanning, instantly shifting the bridge from post-disturbance disarray to focused protocol — but the cold precision of his commands masks the unspoken dread of what they’ve just recovered.

disarray to controlled tension ['Main Bridge']

The Enterprise plunges into warp, its engines roaring to life as if fleeing the weight of the unknown — the ship’s acceleration becomes a physical metaphor for the crew’s desperate attempt to outrun the temporal paradox now ensnaring them.

tension to propelled unease ['Main Bridge']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Worf
Lieutenant, Chief of Security / Tactical Officer
 primary

Focused and compliant — he suppresses affect to execute orders efficiently, preferring action over debate.

Worf enters, takes his tactical post, acknowledges Riker's order and confirms the scanners are set to maximum range, implementing the command without question and readying systems for warp.

Goals in this moment
  • • Execute Riker's orders precisely to ensure sensor coverage and ship safety.
  • • Maintain the ship's defensive and sensor posture during a rapid transit into warp.
Active beliefs
  • • Following the chain of command is essential to ship survival.
  • • Maximum sensor sweep increases the chance of detecting and responding to the temporal threat.
Character traits
disciplined obedient focused tactically minded
Follow Worf's journey
William Riker
Commander
 primary

Controlled urgency — outwardly calm and businesslike while driven by the need to assert order and secure the ship.

Riker enters the bridge, moves to his station, and issues short, authoritative commands that convert uncertainty into disciplined procedure; he directs course, scanner sweep, and initiates warp through crisp orders.

Goals in this moment
  • • Regain command discipline on the bridge and prevent panic.
  • • Use ship systems (scanners and warp) to buy time and attempt to escape or disrupt the temporal anomaly.
Active beliefs
  • • Procedure and command will stabilize the crew and create options.
  • • Immediate action (scanning and warp) is more useful than continued conjecture about the anomaly.
Character traits
authoritative decisive procedural calm under pressure
Follow William Riker's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Enterprise Main Bridge Sensor Array

The bridge scanners are ordered to 'maximum range' and immediately extend their sweep outward; their activation functions as the crew's primary attempt to locate, analyze, or anticipate the temporal anomaly while the ship accelerates to warp.

Before: Operating at standard/unspecified range, not actively at maximum …
After: Set to maximum range, actively scanning at extended …
Before: Operating at standard/unspecified range, not actively at maximum sweep.
After: Set to maximum range, actively scanning at extended sensor arc and providing broader situational data to the bridge.

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"RIKER: Resume course and speed."
"RIKER: Scanners at maximum range."
"WORF: Maximum range."