Strategema Gambit — Riker Courts Kolrami
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Riker coolly challenges Kolrami to Strategema; Kolrami accepts with cutting condescension, branding Riker an "opponent of limited dimensions." The intellectual duel ignites under a veneer of courtesy.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Focused and alert; unconcerned with the social exchange but ready to act on tactical orders.
Manning Tactical, Burke monitors sensors and status displays during Picard's order and the personnel change, offering quiet, vigilant presence that underpins the bridge's operational continuity.
- • Maintain continuous tactical awareness and readiness.
- • Ensure no immediate threats emerge during the personnel shift.
- • Operational stability must be preserved regardless of social distractions.
- • Duty requires vigilance at all times.
Amused and watchful; she appreciates the competitive spark and remains prepared to step in if the contest endangers crew morale or safety.
Seated to Picard's left, Pulaski watches the exchange with interest; her posture is alert, ready to interject medically or socially, enjoying the provocation she partly instigated earlier in the episode.
- • Ensure crew health and morale are not compromised by social gambits.
- • Observe and enjoy the intellectual interplay between Riker and Kolrami.
- • Interpersonal contests can reveal character and vulnerability.
- • As a senior officer, she must be ready to protect the crew from harmful consequences of provocation.
Detached amusement and superiority; he enjoys belittling rivals while maintaining an air of inscrutable strategy.
Kolrami stands by Science One examining the station; he responds to Riker's invitation with clipped curiosity then cold dismissal, framing Riker as an opponent of 'limited dimensions' and asserting intellectual dominance.
- • Maintain intellectual supremacy and unsettle the Enterprise command.
- • Transform a simple game into an opportunity to humiliate or test Riker.
- • Psychological advantage is as decisive as tactical skill.
- • Publicly dismissing opponents enhances his reputation and control.
Excited and proud; he seizes the opportunity for learning and adventure with youthful zeal.
At the Conn Wesley enthusiastically accepts Riker's invitation, leaps from the helm to join the Hathaway crew — his eagerness visible and immediate, making the personnel shuffle physical and public.
- • Gain practical experience aboard the Hathaway.
- • Support Commander Riker and demonstrate competence.
- • Opportunities for hands-on experience accelerate growth.
- • Being chosen by a senior officer is validation of his abilities.
Calm, authoritative; deliberate generosity masking calculation — he preserves institutional decorum while enabling a subordinate's public test.
Seated in the Command Chair Picard issues the tactical order to begin long-range scans, acknowledges Riker's request with a nod, and allows the personnel transfer — quietly consolidating authority while permitting Riker's challenge to proceed.
- • Ensure the Enterprise is tactically prepared for Braslota.
- • Preserve command integrity while delegating authority to Riker.
- • Proper procedure and readiness matter even as interpersonal contests unfold.
- • Allowing subordinates to grow through challenge strengthens command and reflects well on the ship.
Neutral and curious — intellectually interested in the Strategema offer though outwardly impassive.
Positioned to Picard's right on the bridge, Data listens to orders and the exchange; he serves as a steady, observant presence but does not interject, registering the social dynamics clinically.
- • Monitor command decisions and bridge activity.
- • Maintain operational readiness and be available if called upon.
- • Social maneuvers can alter command dynamics and are worth cataloguing.
- • His role is to observe and support, not to interfere in ceremonial contests unless ordered.
Confident with an undercurrent of pride; deferential to protocol yet eager to assert his competence and test an adversary publicly.
Enters, reports on crew readiness, requests Wesley for 'educational observation,' motions Wesley forward, and then respectfully asks Kolrami to play Strategema, converting a lull into a staged intellectual confrontation.
- • Secure a promising young crew member (Wesley) for the Hathaway mission.
- • Establish his intellectual credibility by engaging Kolrami in Strategema.
- • Public contests are a legitimate way to measure command and wit.
- • A polite, confident posture can disarm arrogance and assert authority.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Science One is being examined by Kolrami as he paces the bridge; it functions as both a literal console for sensors and a prop that Kolrami uses to project scrutiny and intellectual authority during the Strategema invitation.
The Conn helm is the physical locus of Wesley's action: he vacates the console to accept Riker's assignment, making the switch visible and immediate and forcing a crewperson to replace him, underlining the bridge's fluid personnel economy.
The Tactical console provides a background of vigilance: Burke monitors its threat overlays and status lamps throughout the exchange, reinforcing that operational readiness continues despite social provocations.
The Captain's Chair anchors the scene: Picard sits in it while issuing the tactical scanning order and presiding over the personnel shuffle, visually signifying steady command as improvisational moves happen around him.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The second planet of the Braslota System is the referenced tactical objective; Picard's long-range scanning order explicitly situates the bridge activity in relation to Braslota, making the planet the distant pressure that motivates personnel assignments and the strategic posture.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"PICARD: Begin long-range scanning of all sectors within three light years of Braslota. How is your crew shaping up?"
"RIKER: I was hoping that you would agree to play me in a game of Strategema."
"KOLRAMI: Very well, an opponent of "limited dimensions" can often be quite diverting."