Object
Navigational Shield Display
A thin, shimmering refractive scrim that spans Ten-Forward’s large viewport, bending distant pinpricks of starlight into soft bands and elongated streaks. Under normal motion the display produces a gentle prismatic glow across tables and faces; under the Enterprise’s sudden, impossible acceleration the stars smear into a violent blur, elongating into needle-bright streaks that flood the room with cold, shifting light and disorient patrons. Crew and bar guests fix on the rushing cosmos, their faces lit and unsettled by the display’s sudden intensification.
6 appearances
Purpose
Render refractive visual effects caused by the ship’s warp/externally induced distortions at Ten-Forward’s viewport, providing an ambient, observable backdrop and a visual reference for ship motion.
Significance
Acts as the immediate visual measure of the ship’s loss of control when Q flings the Enterprise: the display’s sudden streaking converts a philosophical confrontation into an existential crisis, externalizes imminent danger, and heightens panic and urgency among the crew and Ten-Forward patrons.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used