Star Trek The Next Generation
Object

Pakled Mondor's Jury‑Rigged Photon Torpedoes

A jury‑rigged bank of crude photon torpedoes installed aboard the Pakled vessel Mondor: mismatched cylindrical warheads seated in hastily fabricated launch tubes with patched wiring, scorched plates, bolted brackets and exposed capacitor conduits that stutter, hum, and faintly glow as the devices charge. Their recent arming creates an imminent threat used by Riker as a staged bluff; Geordi later accesses panels and sabotages the arming circuitry to neutralize the payloads. The object functions narratively as the immediate dramatic lever that raises the stakes and enables a technically ingenious escape.
5 appearances

Purpose

To deliver explosive, long-range energy strikes by launching charged photon warheads; in this story specifically, to serve as the Pakleds' improvised offensive weapon that threatens the USS Enterprise.

Significance

Acts as the plot's escalator: the Pakleds' successful conversion raises the stakes, forcing Riker into a high-risk bluff and compelling Geordi toward covert sabotage. The torpedoes embody both the tangible danger to the Enterprise and the psychological leverage the Pakleds wield, catalyzing the rescue tactic and revealing character choices under moral and tactical pressure.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

5 moments
S2E17 · Samaritan Snare
La Forge's Gambit — Buying Time with Flattery

Mondor's Photon Torpedoes are rhetorically referenced during the ruse (Data's 'photon torpedo countdowns' line) to underline Geordi's supposed weapons expertise, thereby increasing his perceived value and credibility to the Pakleds.

Before: Mounted aboard the Mondor as a crude, jury‑rigged threat.
After: Remain on the Mondor; referenced as leverage but not employed in this exchange.
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S2E17 · Samaritan Snare
The Farewell Bluff — Selling a Weapons Expert

The Mondor's photon torpedo retrofit is implied via Geordi's joking reference to 'photon torpedo countdowns'—the object exists as part of the technical lexicon used to make the bluff plausible and to signal real offensive capability to the Pakleds.

Before: Installed as crude armament aboard the Mondor (mentioned elsewhere in the episode context).
After: Still in Pakled possession; referenced only verbally to support the deception.
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S2E17 · Samaritan Snare
Giving Them Teeth

The improvised photon torpedo rig is the narrative MacGuffin: previously a cobbled, dormant threat, it is now confirmed by diagnostics to be operational, converting crude components into an immediate, ship‑level danger that the Pakleds interpret as leverage.

Before: Retrofit, mismatched, patched and unconfirmed—appeared dangerous but not validated as functioning.
After: Charged and functionally armed; in the Pakleds' possession and read as a legitimate offensive capability against other ships.
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S2E17 · Samaritan Snare
Riker's Calculated Bluff to Save Geordi

The Mondor's newly armed photon torpedoes are identified by Data and referenced as the immediate threat; they are the target of Geordi's covert adjustments during the distraction, making them the central object of sabotage and the reason for the bluff.

Before: Armed and readied aboard the Mondor, constituting an active threat to the Enterprise and its supporters.
After: Subject to Geordi's covert tampering during the distraction; their armed status is being compromised (implied), reducing immediate lethality though not yet shown fully disabled in-scene.
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S2E17 · Samaritan Snare
Countdown Bluff: Riker's Nonlethal Rescue

Pakled ship's armed photon torpedoes are the objective threat detected by Data; their rumored presence provides the credibility for Riker's countdown bluff and motivates Geordi to access the weapons bay under the guise of adjustments.

Before: Armed and recognized by Enterprise sensors as an active threat aboard the Mondor.
After: Subject to a rapid‑fire countdown and now being accessed by Geordi for inspection/sabotage; their effective readiness is compromised though not yet shown destroyed.
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