Shipboard Communications System (Cory's Comms Device)

The shipboard communications system (handheld or console-based) operated by Cory inside the crashed vessel on Kembel. Used to attempt contact with Freighter XM2 after the crash, with static crackling back unanswered. The device's failure—due to either handheld limitations or crash damage—traps the crew in isolation on Kembel's hostile surface amid the Dalek threat. Cory hunches over the system, urgently repairing circuits and twisting dials/flipping switches, while Lowery questions its operation and zeroes in on the vergometer's functionality. Garvey's body lies nearby during these attempts, heightening the tension with encroaching Daleks.

4 appearances

Purpose

Contact the rendezvous ship Freighter XM2 and transmit warnings to Earth about the Dalek threat

Significance

Anchors Cory's bid for command amid crew skepticism; faltering repairs underscore isolation, fractured trust, and the ticking urgency of alerting the galaxy to Dalek expansion

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S3E5 · Mission to the Unknown

Cory asserts SSS authority and reveals Dalek threat

Cory's handheld comms device is used in repeated attempts to contact the Freighter XM2. The device's failure to establish communication underscores the crew's isolation and the desperation of their situation. Its static-filled responses amplify the tension, as it represents the crew's only means of warning Earth and securing help. The device's malfunction highlights the technical challenges the crew faces and the urgency of their mission.

Before: Functional but unable to establish contact due to the damaged communications system.

After: Still non-functional, leaving the crew without a means to communicate.

View full event

S3E5 · Mission to the Unknown

Cory reveals Dalek threat and comms failure

Cory’s handheld comms device is a failed tool for contacting the Freighter XM2, symbolizing the crew’s isolation and desperation. He twists its dials and barks calls into it, but static crackles back unanswered, underscoring the futility of their attempts to communicate. The device’s failure is a narrative turning point, forcing Cory to abandon the ship and consider a dangerous surface trek to deliver the warning. Its inoperability heightens the tension and urgency of the scene.

Before: Functional but unable to establish contact due to atmospheric interference or damage.

After: Confirmed inoperable; Cory abandons it in favor of a surface mission.

View full event

S3E5 · Mission to the Unknown

Cory admits unauthorized mission to Lowery

Cory’s handheld comms device is a smaller, personal extension of the ship’s communications system, used in vain to establish contact with Freighter XM2. Its static-filled responses mirror the larger failure of the ship’s systems, reinforcing the crew’s inability to call for help. The device becomes a symbol of their helplessness, its uselessness a stark contrast to Cory’s urgency. Lowery’s skepticism about its functionality adds to the tension, as even their most basic tools are unreliable.

Before: Functional but unable to establish contact, emitting only static. Cory twists its dials in frustration.

After: Still non-functional, abandoned as Cory shifts focus to the Varga thorn and the Dalek threat.

View full event

S3E5 · Mission to the Unknown

Cory reveals Dalek invasion evidence

Cory's handheld comms device is a smaller, more personal extension of the ship's failing communications system. He clutches it tightly, twisting its dials as he repeats his desperate calls to Freighter XM2, the static hissing back like a taunt. The device's failure mirrors the larger breakdown in their mission—its dead air a stark contrast to the urgent warnings Cory needs to transmit. Lowery watches skeptically as Cory grapples with it, the device becoming a symbol of their fading hope for rescue and the need for drastic action.

Before: Functional but ineffective—capable of transmission but receiving only static. Cory uses it repeatedly, growing increasingly frustrated.

After: Abandoned as 'useless' by Cory. It remains in the ship, a discarded tool in their shifting strategy.

View full event