Fabula
Object
Object

Enterprise Guest Lounge Com Panel

A guest-lounge communications console on the USS Enterprise: a low-profile, touch-sensitive communications unit embedded in the lounge area with brushed/matte composite housing, narrow status LEDs/a softly glowing bezel, capacitive or holo input panels, and a central speaker/microphone array. It presents a standing-to-tabletop interaction surface (sources variably describe it as portrait-sized/briefcase-height or roughly café-table scale), and displays a pulsing status sigil or strip when active. Functionally it provides localized, ship-wide communications and access to Enterprise systems; narratively it acts as a physical locus of authority and conflict when guests attempt to commandeer ship access and Picard overrides the unit to reassert command.
11 appearances

Purpose

To provide a local shipboard interface for initiating and receiving internal and external voice/data hails—enabling Ten-Forward staff or patrons to contact the bridge and other ship systems quickly.

Significance

Acts as a tangible locus of authority and protocol: Ralph's seizure of the console converts technical access into a claim on private power, and Picard's reclamation reenforces institutional control and reframes the ideological dispute about possessions versus communal values. The console thus catalyzes both enforcement and the scene's moral pivot.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

11 moments
S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone
Cryo Revival: Duty Divided

The guest lounge/comms panel is used by Picard to summon Worf; it functions narratively as the physical instrument through which command authority is asserted and Security is mobilized to Sickbay.

Before: Mounted and active on the Sickbay bulkhead, available for use by senior officers.
After: Used to place the order for Worf to report to Sickbay; remains active and unchanged.
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S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone
Containment and First Revival — Welcome to the Twenty‑Fourth Century

Picard uses the com panel to summon Data to Sickbay and to issue orders (including summoning Security); the panel functions as the technological conduit that connects command decisions on the bridge to action in Sickbay.

Before: Active and accessible in Sickbay/adjacent communications network; ready to accept commands.
After: Remains active after use; has transmitted Picard's order and will likely be used for further coordination.
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S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone
Treat Them as Living — The First Awakening

The Enterprise guest lounge com panel (here used as a bridge-to-Sickbay communications control) is touched by Picard to summon Data and coordinate responses; it functions as the technological means by which command presence and institutional decisions are enacted across locations.

Before: Idle but powered, available for command use on the bridge/near Sickbay access.
After: Used to call Data and issue orders; returns to standby after communications are completed.
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S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone
Sonny Samples the Future

The lounge com panel carries Picard's voice into the room, functioning as the connective tissue of ship command: it interrupts the social scene and summons senior officers back to operational duties.

Before: Installed and idle in the lounge; available for communication.
After: Activated by Picard's call; Riker answers and prepares to leave with Data.
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S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone
Bridge Summons — Protocol Over Plea

The guest lounge com panel is the physical interface through which Riker receives Picard's call ('Number One'), enabling the rapid redirection of crew resources from hospitality to command. It mediates institutional voice into the civilian space, instantly altering the dynamic.

Before: Stationary and active as a public communications panel in the lounge, awaiting input.
After: Used to transmit and receive the captain's order; after Riker answers, it returns to idle but its function has already shifted the scene's focus.
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S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone
Testing Romulan Intent — Strategy Interrupted

The Guest Lounge Com Panel is referenced as the origin of Offenhouse's access: Riker notes Offenhouse must have seen him use the com panel, implying that the panel’s guest access can be observed or exploited to place calls to priority channels.

Before: Located in the guest lounge, functional and used by visitors and non‑essential personnel; visible enough for a passenger to see its operation.
After: Remains operational but implicitly implicated as a procedural vulnerability; its accessibility is now a security concern.
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S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone
Offenhouse Hijacks the Comms — Ideology Interrupts Strategy

The guest/com panel functions as the access point Offenhouse observed and used to intrude on the captain’s Ready Room channel. Riker admits Offenhouse must have seen him operate it, which explains the breach and exposes a procedural vulnerability between guest access and priority comms.

Before: Installed and operational in guest areas, idle but available for authorized use.
After: Temporarily implicated as the vector for the intrusion; its use prompts command scrutiny but remains physically unchanged.
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S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone
Picard Reclaims the Console — A Clash of Values

A wall-mounted guest-lounge communications panel is the physical locus of Ralph's takeover. He attempts to use it to contact his lawyer and reassert control; Picard verbally forbids its personal use, transforming the panel into both a tactical asset and a moral symbol of institutional authority versus private entitlement.

Before: Mounted in the guest lounge and idle; accessible to guests but intended for official ship business.
After: Remains physically in place and under ship control; Ralph is compelled to cease use and no longer occupies the panel after Picard's intervention.
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S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone
Interrupted Solace: Picard Balances Compassion and Duty

The wall-mounted guest lounge communications panel is the immediate object of contention — Ralph demands access to it, treats it as his lifeline, and Picard cites it as a tool reserved for official ship business. It functions as both practical device and symbolic locus of institutional control.

Before: Mounted and active on lounge wall; Ralph is physically using or standing at it and attempting to assert control.
After: Left under ship control after Picard's rebuke; Ralph has been told to refrain from using it but still remains nearby.
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S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone
Delta‑05 Alert — Command Reprioritized Amid a Breakdown

The wall‑mounted guest lounge com panel is the flashpoint: Ralph demands access to it as a lifeline to his pre‑war lawyer, Picard insists it is reserved for official business, and Picard steps to it to summon Counselor Troi, turning the device from contested property into an instrument of ship authority.

Before: Mounted on the lounge wall, active and available; Ralph is positioned at it and attempting to commandeer it.
After: Remains installed and under command control; Ralph is ordered to refrain from using it and Picard has used ship systems to summon Troi.
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S2E16 · Q Who?
Guinan's Unspoken Warning

The Ten‑Forward communications panel is the physical instrument Guinan uses to contact the bridge; its tactile pads and lamp facilitate a concise, private hail that triggers Riker's immediate attention and shifts the ship's tone from leisure to alert curiosity.

Before: Wall‑mounted and idle near the service bar, with lamp dark and no active channel.
After: Recently used; channel closed after Guinan's sign‑off, panel returns to idle state though its activation has already altered Ten‑Forward's mood.
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