Object

Dedicated Personnel Shuttles (Sheliak Colony Transports)

A flight of compact, utilitarian personnel shuttles mounted to a Sheliak colony vessel: metal‑skinned transfer pods with reinforced docking collars and passenger airlocks, sized for rapid surface runs and mass conveyance. They hang like promises of settlement — modular, functional, and ready to disgorge colonists — and they drive Picard and Riker to treat the interception as an urgent, high‑stakes operation.

2 appearances

Purpose

Short‑range transport and deployment of colonists between the Sheliak colony ship and planetary surfaces; dedicated to moving people and supplies for settlement or evacuation.

Significance

Their imminent use transforms a diplomatic dilemma into an existential emergency: preventing these shuttles from delivering settlers motivates the decision to intercept and frames the episode's moral gamble between protocol and saving lives.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S3E2 · The Ensigns of Command

Picard Chooses Risk: Intercept the Sheliak Ship

Dedicated personnel shuttles are referenced as the capability that makes the Sheliak colony transport dangerous: the presence of these transfer pods would enable mass settlement. They are the implied mechanism by which colonists (or Sheliak settlers) would be delivered to the planet, raising the stakes.

Before: Manifested as part of the Sheliak colony transport's equipment list; assumed to be ready for surface runs.

After: Remain an imminent threat opportunity for the Sheliak to disembark settlers; now a tactical consideration for the Enterprise during interception planning.

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S3E2 · The Ensigns of Command

Decision to Intercept the Sheliak Colony Ship

The dedicated personnel shuttles mounted to the colony transport are cited as the operational reason to act — their presence means rapid disembarkation and irreversible settlement; preventing them from reaching the surface justifies the interception despite diplomatic risks.

Before: Mounted to the Sheliak colony transport and ready for deployment; a key enabler of mass settlement.

After: Remain attached to the colony ship but are now the implicit object to be denied access to Tau Cygna Five by Enterprise action.

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