Perigee Deadline — A Captain's Choice
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Garin and the scientist reveal worsening planetary conditions as the moon's perigee approaches, increasing urgency for the Enterprise intervention.
The scientist acknowledges the catastrophic stakes for the western continent if the Enterprise fails, heightening the personal cost of failure.
Garin expresses gratitude despite the looming disaster, subtly pressuring Picard with moral responsibility.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Concerned and gratefully resigned — scientific composure tinged with fear for civilian lives and relief that assistance is being given.
Stationed at the Main Viewer, Doctor Garin reports tidal measurements, pleads for the Enterprise's help, and expresses heartfelt gratitude — translating raw scientific data into a human appeal that reframes Picard's tactical choice as moral duty.
- • communicate the severity and immediacy of the threat to secure action
- • ensure the Enterprise understands the human stakes and acts decisively
- • External intervention can meaningfully alter the planet's fate
- • Clear, honest data and moral appeal will compel Starfleet to act
Resolute and heavy with responsibility—calm in voice but carrying the moral cost of putting his ship at danger to save a population.
As bridge commander, Picard receives the Bre'el briefing, internalizes the mortal stakes, weighs sensor reports, and issues the order to proceed—authorizing shields to be lowered despite known lethal exposure to protect millions below.
- • save as many Bre'el civilians as possible
- • minimize collateral risk to his crew while executing the rescue
- • The captain's duty prioritizes saving lives when possible
- • Accepting risk to the ship can be justified when millions are at stake
Stern and alert — focused on threat containment and dutifully prepared to act on orders without visible hesitation.
At tactical, Worf reports that sensors detect increased Calamarain energy output, then acknowledges and accepts Picard's order to monitor 'Q's friends' — combining procedural threat assessment with an immediate surveillance task.
- • track and report Calamarain activity to protect the ship
- • monitor for any Q‑related interference that could endanger the operation
- • Sensor readings are reliable indicators of external threat
- • Obedience to command and immediate situational awareness are necessary for ship safety
Serious and focused — accepts the necessity of risking ship defenses to carry out the rescue attempt.
Standing near the captain's station, Riker assesses the tactical implications and advises that shields must be lowered to proceed — translating engineering constraints into an operational order that forces the moral calculation.
- • ensure the tactical prerequisites for the maneuver are met
- • advocate for decisive action that balances risk and potential rescue
- • Lowering shields is a necessary tactical step for tractor/engine operations
- • Prompt, clear orders prevent delay and increase chances of success
Focused urgency — calmly insistent that timing is critical and engineering is ready to proceed with the risky maneuver.
Communicating via ship comms, Geordi reports from engineering that the moon has reached minimum orbital distance and signals that it is time to act — supplying the precise technical timing that forces command to commit.
- • provide accurate timing and readiness information to enable the operation
- • ensure engineering is given authority to execute the tractor/engine gambit
- • Precise timing is essential to the success of the maneuver
- • Engineering can accomplish the task if command commits to the necessary risks
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Enterprise defensive shields are the tactical constraint: Riker states they must be lowered to permit the maneuver. Picard authorizes proceeding despite the known risk, ordering the shields to be reduced and exposing the ship to possible Calamarain attack in order to perform the life‑saving operation.
The ferrous crystalline moon is the immediate technical threat: reported as moving to perigee and now at minimum orbital distance. Its composition prevents tidal breakup and its trajectory promises catastrophic impact, forcing the Enterprise to undertake a dangerous orbital intervention.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Main Bridge functions as the operational heart where scientific appeals, tactical data, and moral authority collide. Senior officers receive Bre'el delegates on the Main Viewer, exchange urgent technical updates, and consolidate a command decision under time pressure and external threat.
The Main Viewer displays Doctor Garin and the Bre'el scientist and projects the planetary emergency into the bridge—making distant human desperation visually immediate and forcing command to translate empathy into action.
The Western Continent on Bre'el Four is singled out as the highest‑risk population center: shelters there will be inadequate if the attempt fails, making the continent the narrative focus of loss and the moral urgency driving Picard's choice.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"GARIN: "Whatever the results, we know you've done your best, Picard. It's appreciated.""
"SCIENTIST: "Our population has already taken shelter... but I'm afraid no shelter will be adequate if you fail... Especially for the people on the western continent.""
"GEORDI'S COM VOICE: "La Forge to bridge. The moon has reached its minimum orbital distance... it's time, Captain...""