Mythmaking and the Peril of Deification
A single accidental miracle becomes communal myth: private trauma, an unconscious body, and corroborating witnesses coalesce into religious belief. Liko's appropriation of the 'Picard' name, Nuria's reluctant legitimization, and the crowd's rapid worship show how meaning is collectively manufactured to resolve anxiety. The theme explores how reputations are weaponized, how absence (Picard's non‑presence) can become authority, and how faith can convert humanitarian exigency into coercive social power until a visceral disproof collapses the myth.
Events Exemplifying This Theme
Disguised as Mintakans, Riker and Troi try to contain cultural damage as Liko publicly recounts being healed and insists he met a supernatural 'Overseer'—naming him 'the Picard.' Troi attempts a …
In the assembly hall Riker and Troi attempt to defuse Liko's extraordinary claim that he was resurrected by a being called "the Picard." Their rational arguments collapse when hunters carry …
In the crowded assembly Nuria, Liko and the villagers gather around the unconscious Palmer and, through a mix of superstition and hope, decisively claim him as a servant of the …
In the assembly, Nuria declares the dazed Palmer must be kept as a servant to the Picard, and the village moves toward ritualizing his captivity. Troi then interrupts with news …
A sudden leadership vacuum and failed hunt turn fear into violent purpose. Oji and Fento announce Nuria is missing while Hali returns empty-handed; the storm outside mirrors the community’s rising …
In Nuria's absence, panic hardens into zealotry: Oji and Fento report the leader missing, Hali confirms Riker and Palmer have slipped away, and thunder rakes the night. Liko invokes Picard's …
In a charged, rain-lashed assembly, Liko demands divine proof and aims a crossbow at Troi; Picard enters and refuses the mantle of 'Overseer,' insisting he is a mortal man. When …