Neutrino Beacon — Wesley's Plan and Tomalak's Ultimatum
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Riker urgently proposes finding a way to signal Geordi through Galorndon Core's storms, highlighting the crew's desperation and immediate need for a solution.
Wesley seizes the moment, suggesting a portable neutrino beacon as a solution—his youth and ingenuity cutting through the tension with a viable technical fix.
Data validates Wesley's plan, confirming the neutrino pulse could pierce the atmospheric interference and connect with Geordi’s VISOR, turning theory into executable strategy.
Picard grants authorization with a decisive 'Make it so,' delegating to Wesley—his trust in the crew's expertise overriding protocol in crisis, propelling the rescue forward.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Inspired and determined—keen to act and prove his technical competence while anxious about time pressure.
Proposes the neutrino beacon concept, explains how Geordi could signal back by modifying the pulse, then immediately moves off the bridge to construct the device after receiving Picard's order.
- • Design and deploy a portable neutrino beacon quickly.
- • Enable Geordi to indicate his position so the ship can recover him.
- • A workable, improvised engineering solution can be built rapidly under pressure.
- • His technical idea will materially increase the chance of rescuing Geordi.
Calmly urgent—he masks anxiety with authoritative decisiveness, balancing hope for a rescue with awareness of looming diplomatic danger.
Presides over the bridge exchange, reads Data's sensor report, nods approval to Wesley and issues the decisive order 'Make it so,' then authorizes Data to display the Romulan transmission.
- • Authorize a practical rescue plan to recover Geordi quickly.
- • Maintain command control and prevent rash actions that could escalate into war.
- • Acquire full information about the intercepted transmission before reacting.
- • It is his duty to bring crew home alive whenever possible.
- • A technical solution can succeed if given immediate authority and resources.
- • Romulan intervention is a strategic threat that must be treated seriously.
Dispassionately alert—focused on sensor data and the implications of an interception without emotional coloring.
Provides the analytic confirmation that a neutrino pulse will be detectable by Geordi's VISOR, then detects and reports a parallel transmission which he offers to display on the viewscreen.
- • Verify the scientific viability of Wesley's neutrino beacon.
- • Locate and present the intercepted transmission for command evaluation.
- • Sensor data should drive immediate tactical decisions.
- • Parallel transmissions can reveal external actors and must be shown to command.
Tense and watchful—internally prepared for confrontation even as he respects command decisions.
Physically present and observing the exchange; remains terse and vigilant, implicitly ready to shift into security posture should the Romulan transmission demand a defensive response.
- • Ensure the ship's security is maintained during rescue operations.
- • Be prepared to implement defensive measures if Romulan intent becomes hostile.
- • The presence of Romulans in the Neutral Zone represents a potential military threat.
- • Orders of the commanding officer must be followed while remaining tactically ready.
Concerned and proactive—he channels worry into practical problem‑framing rather than panic.
Frames the problem aloud—identifies the need for 'something that can cut through the storm'—prompting Wesley's idea and helping focus the bridge on actionable solutions.
- • Find a method to signal or locate Geordi despite atmospheric interference.
- • Support and execute an effective rescue with minimal risk to additional personnel.
- • The storm requires unconventional sensor work to penetrate.
- • Clear, tactical framing speeds innovation and rescue efforts.
Worried and insistent—focused on the human cost and pressing for timely action on the technical plan.
On the bridge in a medical capacity—listening closely to the rescue proposal and the Romulan transmission, concerned for Geordi's survival and the speed of intervention required.
- • Secure rapid retrieval of Geordi so life‑saving treatment can begin.
- • Ensure the proposed rescue method actually enables medical access.
- • Every delay reduces Geordi's chance of survival.
- • Medical necessity should weigh heavily in command decisions.
Attentive and cautious—aware of undercurrents and ready to translate them for command judgment.
Observes the exchange and senses crew affect; registers the emotional and diplomatic subtext when Tomalak appears and prepares to advise Picard about Romulan intent and the ship's response.
- • Read the emotional intent behind Tomalak's message and advise Picard accordingly.
- • Help maintain crew morale and prevent panic in the face of a political threat.
- • Non-verbal cues and tone can reveal true intent beyond words.
- • Crew cohesion is critical under sudden diplomatic stress.
Stranded yet hopeful (inferred)—the beacon represents a tangible chance for rescue and connection.
Absent from the bridge but central to the plan: his VISOR is cited as the sensor that will detect the neutrino pulse. He is the stranded subject whose survival the beacon is meant to secure.
- • Detect any rescue signal and communicate back modifications as instructed.
- • Survive long enough to be recovered by the Enterprise.
- • His VISOR remains a capable sensor even in adverse conditions.
- • The Enterprise will persist in attempting rescue.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Geordi's VISOR is invoked as the detecting instrument for the neutrino pulse; Data explains its capability to register non‑charged particles, making it the narrative enabler that links a laboratory beacon to a stranded person on the surface.
The main bridge viewscreen is used as the interface for command to inspect Data's intercepted feed; it projects Tomalak's visage and message, physically and emotionally redirecting the bridge's focus from rescue logistics to diplomatic threat management.
Data identifies and then brings the Romulan transmission onto the bridge. The transmission functions narratively as an escalation device—Tomalak's image and ultimatum convert a technical rescue scene into a diplomatic countdown and threat of conflict.
The neutrino beacon exists initially as Wesley's proposed solution: a portable neutrino source to be placed in a probe and released to the planet. Functionally it converts an abstract detection problem into an actionable rescue plan and becomes the immediate focus of engineering effort.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Main Bridge functions as the operational and moral fulcrum where technical ingenuity, chain of command, and diplomatic reality collide. The bridge hosts the proposal, the scientific validation, the authorization to act, and the reception of the Romulan ultimatum.
The Neutral Zone is evoked by Tomalak's message as the geopolitical seam framing the Romulan incursion. It is not physically present but functions as a looming constraint that converts a rescue operation into a time‑bounded political problem.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Wesley's neutrino beacon is detected by Geordi, linking their efforts across the planet and ship."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"WESLEY: A neutrino pulse... We could build a portable neutrino source and send it in a probe to the surface. It would be like a beacon."
"DATA: A neutrino pulse would send non-charged particles back up through the atmosphere... and would be detectable by Geordi's VISOR."
"TOMALAK: Tomalak to Pi. We have received your distress signal. Respond. If you can hear me, we are entering the Neutral Zone now... We will reach you in six hours."