Star Trek The Next Generation
Object

Romulan Auto-Destruct Sequence

A shipboard self-destruction protocol announced by the Romulan bridge's computerized voice: urgent alarms, red alert lamps and a terse countdown tone emanate from bridge consoles. The system lacks a single visible 'device'—its presence registers as synchronized console readouts, flashing indicators and a cold, dispassionate female-sounding announcement that declares the irreversible sequence. Crew reactions define it: Sub‑Commander Taris glares and taunts while the klaxon and displays corrode any chance of negotiation; Picard feels transporter locks as the sequence climaxes and dematerializes in defiance. The sequence reads as an engineered, automated kill-switch integrated into the Romulan command systems.
1 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

1 moments
S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Final Accusation and Picard's Defiant Beam‑Out

The Romulan auto‑destruct sequence functions as the immediate plot threat: it is verbally confirmed by Taris and audibly intoned by the ship's computerized voice, creating an irreversible backdrop of danger that forces Picard's escape and frames Taris's accusation as lethal theater.

Before: Dormant or unannounced prior to Taris's claim; not actively affecting the bridge until invoked.
After: Announced and engaged—the sequence is active or in the process of being initiated, its ultimate outcome left unresolved within the scene.
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