Date: 05 Jan 2010 14:16 Title: Chapter 2: One Thing Leads to Another
First off, crikey that Picard would alter course of the Enterprise to talk to Cass. But after losing his family he knows the cost of ignoring problems. Not to mention he sees himself in Cass. If we think of how much Picard was able to cut himself off from his crew, his staff, his friends, and really only because of Q's actions in All Good Things did he learn to lower his barriers; then it is not hard to imagine that Cass could indeed cut herself from all others. Never mind that in terms she already is cut off in a way because of her condition. It marks her as very different. We've seen she sees herself as flawed. And with no telepathic abilities or the ability to be read, she can in part relish the ability to lie convincingly but also I imagine she values truth and honesty. And so far in her life she has been led to believe everything that came out of people's mouths. Only she has begun to see that is not the case and then the history program reveals that those closest to her have lied to her. And lied is how she sees it. In fact, I dare say for all the indignation the Rikers feel at Cass' eventual betrayal, she herself has felt betrayed from this time to her very core. She worries that her life, her family, the values and principles of the Federation are all based on a lie. That is both traumatic and revelatory.