Object

Daled Four Gigawatt Carrier (Encoded Beam-Down Coordinates)

A raw, high-power electromagnetic carrier wave originating from Daled Four, registering on the Enterprise as a sharp, crackling transmission and a bright spectral spike on sensor readouts. The emission reads at gigawatt levels, capable of penetrating atmosphere, and carries tightly packed data bursts that resolve into encoded beam-down coordinates when analyzed. Aboard the bridge the carrier has no physical form but manifests as a harsh metallic timbre through speakers; Worf raises the audio and Data isolates the embedded payload, drawing immediate tactical focus and altering commandroom posture.

2 appearances

Purpose

To broadcast encoded beam-down coordinates from the planet (Daled Four), using overwhelming power to penetrate interference and compel or enable a transporter lock for forces on the surface.

Significance

The transmission converts a domestic containment problem into an operational emergency: its raw power and encoded destination force Picard and Riker to treat the passengers’ custody as a tactical imperative, driving the decision to send people down and escalating the moral and strategic stakes aboard the Enterprise.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E10 · The Dauphin

Containment and the Gigawatt Call

A gigawatt-class planetary transmission is detected and analyzed; it contains a carrier signal powerful enough to penetrate the atmosphere and, crucially, has beam‑down coordinates encoded within it, thereby supplying the Enterprise with means to transport passengers to the planet and turning a custody matter into an operational mission.

Before: Originating from the planet Daled Four, transmitting toward the Enterprise; not yet identified or decoded by the ship's sensors.

After: Detected, decoded for coordinates, and accepted as an actionable transport vector by command — the transmission becomes the instrument enabling the ship's next move.

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S2E10 · The Dauphin

Gigawatt Signal — Encoded Beam-Down

The gigawatt-level planetary transmission is the catalytic object: received on Enterprise sensors, audibly decoded on the bridge, and found to contain beam-down coordinates. Functionally it provides both a plot solution (a way to move passengers) and a narrative problem (the planet's capacity for long-range, high-power signaling).

Before: Actively broadcasting from the planet's surface; undetected by the Enterprise until Worf's sensors picked it up.

After: Received, analyzed, and decoded by bridge systems; coordinates exposed and used to plan a transporter operation.

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