Crisis Point

Boimler builds a holodeck simulation of the bridge crew from their personal logs so he can practise for an interview with Captain Freeman. Mariner, ordered by Freeman to see the ship's counsellor, Dr Migleemo, takes over the program and turns it into an action film, “Crisis Point”, casting herself as the vengeful villain Vindicta. Tendi and Rutherford join her as henchmen, and the story escalates into a full movie-style assault on the Cerritos, complete with sweeping ship shots and big set pieces. Inside the program, a holographic copy of Mariner confronts the real one and says what she will not admit: she loves her job, her crew and her mother, and her rebellion is a way of living down to expectations. The holographic Cerritos crashes and is destroyed. Mariner apologises to her friends and to Freeman. Boimler, meanwhile, discovers that Freeman is Mariner's mother and panics his way through his real interview.