Object

Enterprise Warp Engines (Including Intermix Regulators)

The Enterprise's warp engines, including their critical **intermix regulators**, drive faster-than-light propulsion. The engines whine under strain from Tin Man's energy pulse, hurling the ship into uncharted space after Beta Stromgren's supernova. Geordi La Forge assesses damage to the **intermix regulators**, insisting on immediate offline recalibration—a process requiring the engines to go offline and cannot be rushed. Riker rejects this priority for shield repairs, forcing technicians to scramble amid the engines' vulnerability. The regulators' fried circuits symbolize the ship's stretched limits and force high-stakes choices between warp recovery and shield repairs.

2 appearances

Purpose

Faster-than-light propulsion and interstellar travel for the USS Enterprise

Significance

Their post-pulse damage pits engine recalibration against shield repairs, amplifying Riker's distrust of Tam Elbrun, exposing command rifts, and heightening the crew's peril from Romulan warbirds in uncharted space.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S3E20 · Tin Man

Shields vs. Warp: Riker’s Gamble Under Fire

The Enterprise’s intermix regulators are a critical component of the warp engines, and their damage is a direct result of Tin Man’s energy pulse. Geordi highlights their need for recalibration, emphasizing that this process would take twenty hours of double shifts. The regulators’ involvement in this scene underscores the technical challenges the crew faces and the impossibility of addressing all critical systems simultaneously. Their fried circuits symbolize the broader fragility of the Enterprise’s systems, forcing the crew to make painful prioritization decisions.

Before: Damaged and requiring full recalibration, with fried circuits rendering them non-functional.

After: Still damaged, with recalibration deferred as Riker prioritizes shield repairs.

View full event

S3E20 · Tin Man

The Return of the Transformed: Data’s Revelation of Tam’s Fate

The Enterprise’s warp engines are mentioned indirectly as the ship emerges from the energy pulse, their whining sound underscoring the strain they endured. Though not a focal point in this event, their condition is a reminder of the physical toll the cosmic upheaval has taken on the ship. The engines’ status is implicitly tied to the crew’s efforts to stabilize the Enterprise and assess its readiness for further challenges.

Before: Under duress from the energy pulse, whining as the ship is hurled into uncharted space.

After: Stabilized but potentially damaged, their condition a background concern as the crew focuses on Data’s revelation.

View full event