Object

Table at Starbase 173 Restaurant

A medium-sized dining table—dark laminated wood with a faintly scuffed surface and a simple chrome pedestal base—set for an intimate meal under muted restaurant lighting. A single place setting, a water glass and a folded napkin mark Picard's solitary repose; the surface catches the flash of a service tray and the shadow of approaching footsteps. Characters lean across it, rest hands on its edge, and use its small, exposed footprint to convert a private dinner into a public provocation when Philippa Louvois confronts Picard, making the table both stage and barrier for barbed, personal exchange.

4 appearances

Purpose

Provides a restaurant dining surface for patrons at Starbase 173; supports plates, glasses, and serves as a focal point for face-to-face conversation.

Significance

Functions as the intimate locus where Picard's private life collides with professional danger—Louvois' sudden appearance on its opposite side ruptures a quiet meal, raising personal stakes and transforming the table into a narrative pivot that foregrounds wounded pride and the looming institutional conflict.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Louvois' Return — Old Wounds Reopened

The table serves as the physical stage for Picard's solitary posture and the initial barrier between him and Phillipa; its small, public footprint converts a private dinner into a visible encounter that other patrons could witness, increasing the social pressure of the exchange.

Before: Set for a single diner: small, scuffed surface with a cup and place setting, marking Picard's solitary presence.

After: Still set but now part of the public tableau of confrontation as Picard leaves it to approach Phillipa, converting the table from refuge to visible stage.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Barbed Reunion — Louvois Returns

The dining table receives Picard and Phillipa as they step down from the pass-through; it anchors a pseudo-private conversation in public space, catches the gestures and shocks of Phillipa's flirtation, and becomes the locus where institutional actors approach and raise the stakes.

Before: Set for a quiet meal: single place setting, water glass and folded napkin present; Picard appears seated.

After: Occupied during the exchange and then by Nakamura and Maddox as they cross to the table; remains a visible marker of interrupted privacy.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Intrusion: Maddox Introduced, Past and Power Collide

The dining table anchors the transition from public pass-through to seated conversation; Picard invites Phillipa to sit, turning a flirtatious duel into a contained social exchange until Nakamura and Maddox cross to it and convert the table into a platform for institutional introduction.

Before: Set for an intimate meal, single place setting ready; empty until Picard and Phillipa approach.

After: Occupied by the principals and then by Nakamura and Maddox' approach; remains the physical center of the now-shifted conversation.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Picard's Gambit in Ten-Forward

The table provides the intimate stage for confession and counsel: Picard drums his fingers on it during his admission, pushes back his chair when reaching resolution, and it physically contains the two drinks and empty glass that mark the scene's rhythm of loneliness turned to partnership.

Before: Occupied by Picard, his empty glass, and the quiet weight of late‑night solitude.

After: Hosts two drinks after Guinan arrives; the table witnesses the toast that converts private resignation into a public moral decision.

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