Object
Main Engineering Computer Keypad
A compact, console-integrated keypad recessed into the Main Engineering workstation: low‑profile tactile keys with faint backlighting set into a scuffed alloy bezel. The pad registers rapid, practiced taps and flashes terse system prompts and schematics on adjacent displays. Geordi hammers sequences of parameters into it while Data keys a comm to summon medical aid; the unit smells faintly of coolant and constant use.
3 appearances
Purpose
Provide local, manual input for the Main Engineering console to run diagnostics, perform calculations, retrieve archived design files, and issue commands required to configure field parameters and engineering responses.
Significance
The keypad becomes the physical instrument of the story’s technical pivot: Geordi converts Q’s metaphysical taunt into concrete parameters by entering a low‑level warp‑field solution, turning imminent catastrophe into a salvageable engineering plan. Data also uses it to call for medical assistance to humanize Q, making the device both the locus of problem‑solving and a conduit for care.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used