Brothers and the Battle Bridge

[Navigator_NCC2120]

It does seem a bit odd to immediately evacuate everyone just because the life support shut off. With a room that size there should be a couple hours' worth of air, especially if you move some of the random minions hanging around the back. If nothing else break out some air masks.

Here at memory-alpha it states that Data removes the air from the bridge.

He then drastically alters the course ordered and begins to commandeer the ship, first by removing the atmosphere from the main bridge. Under protest, the rest of the bridge staff evacuate to main engineering, giving Data enough time to very effectively establish himself as the sole commander of the ship (using his precise imitations of Picard's voice).

Excerpt from "Brothers" courtesy of website: http://www.chakoteya.net/NextGen/177.htm

[Engineering]

KOPF: Our velocity is holding steady at warp nine point three. Do you wish to override, Commander?
LAFORGE: No, not yet. Computer, isolate cause of life support failure.
COMPUTER: Atmosphere conditioning pumps on deck one are operating in negative mode.
LAFORGE: How could that be? There are seven independent safety interlocks to prevent that.
(Picard and Worf enter, then others)
LAFORGE: Captain, I believe we've found the problem, but it really doesn't make sense.
PICARD: Bring the Enterprise to a full stop, Commander.
LAFORGE: Aye, sir. Full stop, Ensign.
KOPF: It's not responding, sir.
LAFORGE: I'm going to have to do this at the manual input level, sir. Wes.
RIKER: We're still at the altered heading, Captain, holding at warp nine point three.
WORF: Captain. Force fields have been established on all main Bridge turbolift doors and service crawlways.
PICARD: Computer, locate Lieutenant Commander Data.
COMPUTER: Commander Data is on the main Bridge.
RIKER: What the hell is he up to?
PICARD: Number One, take a security team up to deck two. Try and break through from below. Commander?
LAFORGE: Everything's locked up, Captain. We have no control of impulse or warp engines from here.
WESLEY: Navigation's not responding either, sir.
PICARD: Picard to main bridge.

Assuming the atmosphere pumps were just turned off instead of operating in negative mode and there was air left on the bridge how long would it take for the bridge crew to start choking on their own carbon dioxide?


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

 

[Vanyel]

Question: If Data removed all the air from the bridge, how was he able to give voice commands? No mater how sound is generated it needs a medium to travel through.

In space, no one can here you scream.

 

[DonIago]

It's possible he restored life support as soon as everyone was off the bridge.

Hrm, unless the blue lights were still flashing. Sorry, haven't seen the episode in a long time.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

I was about to quote the TNG Companion or some other book which mentioned that the producers basically had everyone go to Engineering because the Battle Bridge set had already been torn up and put back in storage. I then remembered that "Brothers" and/or "Family" was actually filmed before BOBW II, so the BB set may not even have been built yet. *Then* I remembered that studio space, being always at a premium, may have also prevented them from mounting the Battle Bridge set anyway since they would have had to use the space for Soong's home and the jungle outside.

I do like the notion that Engineering would have been a better place to troubleshoot environmental and navigation problems, if the Main Bridge may have been seriously compromised. Perhaps in a similar circumstance where the Main Bridge would become uninhabitable for non-combat situations, everyone would go to engineering first with one person on a given bridge shift designated to go to the BB to fire it up and/or check systems from there. Thus, when Data headed to that turbolift Picard gave a curt nod and kept going, especially since no one was going with the Android (everyone else left via the other two lifts, with more than one person per lift).

I guess there'd be nothing preventing people from leaving via the supposed ramps down to deck two either, but it's not like anyone was in a big rush. OTOH, when the nanites had smogged up the Bridge in the previous year, it took only seconds for the (same?) reverse pumps to remove the noxious fumes...

Mark

 

[Takeru]

I never understood why picard didn't just order a photon torpedo placed under the bridge to blow the entire thing up when everything else failed.

 

[Vanyel]

I never understood why picard didn't just order a photon torpedo placed under the bridge to blow the entire thing up when everything else failed.

Seems like a bit of overkill. They weren't in any danger. It's not Romulans who have control of the Bridge it's Data. Plus there was still the lockout code. Even with the Bridge destroyed (not to mention a big giant hole turning the saucer into a donut) the computer was still locked out. Now if Data had somehow been taken over by Romulans and the ship on a direct course for the Neutral Zone, Picard would probably have had Geordi, manually cut power to the antimatter containment field and destroy the ship.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Besides, if the Enterprise in STIII was any precedent, there would be a bunch of explosives planted SPECIFICALLY in and under the bridge to blow it up real good, but not before fatally tossing anyone ON the bridge at the time into the about-to-be-destroyed bulkheads.

Mark

 

[Genesis]

I never understood why picard didn't just order a photon torpedo placed under the bridge to blow the entire thing up when everything else failed.

Is that a serious question? Blow a big hole in the Enterprise and kill a highly-valued crewman when the ship is in no immediate danger (and, in fact, was never in danger at all)? Any captain who would even consider that shouldn't be in command of anything but a garbage scow.

Even with the Bridge destroyed (not to mention a big giant hole turning the saucer into a donut) the computer was still locked out.

For some reason, the image of an Enterprise donut is making me laugh out-loud every time I read this. Think it would have mint frosting?

 

[Jerikka Dawn]

Picard: Computer, release helm control to this engineering station.
Computer: Unable to comply. Orders regarding command functions can only be issued from the main bridge.
Picard: Computer, there is no main bridge anymore. Recognize Picard, Alpha 2 Priority.
Computer: Unable to comply. Orders regarding command functions can only be issued from the main bridge.
Picard: Computer, Is there a main bridge?
Computer: Negative.
Riker: We need Jim Kirk in here. I heard he can talk these things down.

 

[DonIago]

I prefer the dialog from "Jem'hadar" (paraphrased):
Jake - Computer, what's the status of the autopilot?
Computer - Guidance and Navigation Relay is disabled.
Jake - Computer, set course for Deep Space Nine!
Computer - Unable to comply. Guidance and Navigation Relay is disabled.

 

[Takeru]

Now if Data had somehow been taken over by Romulans and the ship on a direct course for the Neutral Zone, Picard would probably have had Geordi, manually cut power to the antimatter containment field and destroy the ship.

And you call my idea overkill? In your scenario they haven't even reached the neutral zone, why not kill Data first and try to save the rest of the crew before you blow up the entire ship.

The donut saucer is a funny image, but you don't have to do that much damage, just enough to blow up decks 1, 2 and parts of 3 and probably 4.

Is that a serious question? Blow a big hole in the Enterprise and kill a highly-valued crewman when the ship is in no immediate danger (and, in fact, was never in danger at all)?

Screw the highly valued crewman, even if he's Data, if he kidnaps the ship, looks everyone else out and goes on a mission to do god knows what his death is acceptable after all other options failed.
That the ship was never in any danger at all is irrelevant, you only know that after the fact so it cannot factor into the decision what to do.

Any captain who would even consider that shouldn't be in command of anything but a garbage scow.

I could say the same thing about a captain who twiddles his thumps and takes the wait and see approach while his armed to the the teeth ship is under the control of a single person who apparently snapped or his under the control of an outside person and refuses to even talk to anyone.

Who cares about the locked out computer, that's just a minor inconvenience. After the bridge is destroyed unplug the computer and shut down the warp drive manually. Then try to get rid of the lock out somehow, worst case scenario, delete everything and reinstall, that's what they did when they caught the iconian computer virus, so we know it's possible.

 

[Timo]

his death is acceptable after all other options failed

I don't see the hurry. The heroes could try out fifty different tricks before having to resort to something as idiotic as shooting themselves in the foot with a photon torpedo.

It's not as if

a) Data is doing anything directly threatening,
b) the heroes are out of things to try,
c) the child needing medical care would be minutes away from dying, or
d) whatever Data is doing would threaten to drag on for an excessively long time.

While Data just flies the ship forward, negating fear a), the heroes try out three or four perfectly sensible tricks, demonstrating fear b) to be unnecessary, and tend to the child in a way that shows fear c) not to exist, at which point Data takes the ship out of warp and negates fear d). At that point, taking control of the ship ceases to be a priority, and intercepting the newly mobile Data becomes the issue. Shooting photon torpedoes at him never is a viable or sensible option.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Vanyel]

Now if Data had somehow been taken over by Romulans and the ship on a direct course for the Neutral Zone, Picard would probably have had Geordi, manually cut power to the antimatter containment field and destroy the ship.

And you call my idea overkill? In your scenario they haven't even reached the neutral zone, why not kill Data first and try to save the rest of the crew before you blow up the entire ship.

The donut saucer is a funny image, but you don't have to do that much damage, just enough to blow up decks 1, 2 and parts of 3 and probably 4.

Once the big hole is blown in the ship, there is still the lockout code to deal with. While the ship is at warp it's probably not a good time to shut off the computer and reinstall it's programming. And if the ship were on a direct path to the Romulan Neutral Zone, there is no telling how many Warbirds are waiting for it. Warbirds that may have been traveling for weeks or months to avoid the sensors that monitor the Neutral Zone..

They tried to regain control, they couldn't. Blowing a hole in the ship or shutting off the main computer while at high warp is not a good idea in any event.

So if they are heading towards Romulus, and they have tried to regain control, the only option left to keep the ship out of Romulan hands is to destroy it.

 

[Jerikka Dawn]

I think the point, though, is that the situation need only be escalated when necessary. If they determined the Enterprise was barreling down on Romulus, a Romulan ship, a Vulcan science ship, or was a danger, I'm certain Picard would have ordered any action necessary to safeguard lives, treaties, or whatever. There simply was no need, at any point during the episode, to blow up the ship or blow up Data --- and that's not hindsight -- that's the decision making process of the commanding officer of the ship. Picard continually assessed the situation and adjusted his decisions accordingly, including factoring in the life of the kid in sickbay. The fact is, they weren't heading to the Neutral Zone, the weapons weren't armed, and no one in the ship was in immediate danger. All facts known at the time. When the facts change, Picard's decisions will adjust accordingly.

If it came to it, Picard would have done what he had to do to regain control of the ship. Picard's not the type (in the series) to make rash decisions. He's calculating and patient.

Who cares about the locked out computer, that's just a minor inconvenience. After the bridge is destroyed unplug the computer and shut down the warp drive manually. Then try to get rid of the lock out somehow, worst case scenario, delete everything and reinstall, that's what they did when they caught the iconian computer virus, so we know it's possible.

Geordi: We got a problem, Captain.
Picard: Report.
Wesley (the boy): The restore disks. They're for LCARS 2364.
Picard: Explain.
Geordi: When we were at McKinley Station, they upgraded us to LCARS 2366 Service Pack 1.
Wesley: We have to restore to LCARS 64, then download the updates.
Riker: So what's the problem?
Geordi: Data changed the app store password too.

 

[Genesis]

There simply was no need, at any point during the episode, to blow up the ship or blow up Data --- and that's not hindsight -- that's the decision making process of the commanding officer of the ship.

Exactly.

Also, from the perspective of a professional writer, having your main character (Picard) kill a beloved supporting character who hasn't actually harmed anyone and was not acting of his own volition would be suicide for the show. Generally, as writers, we try to avoid doing things that will make a large percentage of our fanbase evaporate, lol.

Geordi: We got a problem, Captain.
Picard: Report.
Wesley (the boy): The restore disks. They're for LCARS 2364.
Picard: Explain.
Geordi: When we were at McKinley Station, they upgraded us to LCARS 2366 Service Pack 1.
Wesley: We have to restore to LCARS 64, then download the updates.
Riker: So what's the problem?
Geordi: Data changed the app store password too.

 

[T'Preea]

Every time I've seen them go to the Battle Bridge, they were actually battling someone/thing. They'd do the separation and take on the enemy in two sections. I think in Brothers because it was just a simple evacuation, they thought nothing of it.