Object

Captain Jean‑Luc Picard's Personal Log Recorder

A compact shipboard digital recording interface used by Captain Jean‑Luc Picard: narrow holo‑panel and soft amber status LED framing a high‑fidelity speaker/microphone array. The unit fits into console bays or is carried by the captain, bears faint scuffs from frequent use, and digitizes spoken entries into timestamped archives routed to the Enterprise mission archive and Starfleet records. Functionally identical across scenes (poker, JAG hearing), it captures Picard's formal, measured voice and serves as an evidentiary record in both operational and legal contexts.

2 appearances

Purpose

To record the captain’s personal reflections, confessions, and strategic thoughts for private use and archival reference.

Significance

Acts as a narrative device exposing Picard’s inner turmoil, revealing critical emotional stakes and setting the stage for covert investigation. The log embodies the fragile trust and emerging conflict between Picard and Riker, anchoring the story’s themes of loyalty, suspicion, and the quest for truth.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Top-Secret Schematics — Riker's Moral Reckoning

Picard's supplemental log recorder is appropriated here as Riker's personal log device; Riker activates it to capture a late-night, weary statement that frames his moral conflict. The recorder converts private emotion into a formalized timestamped record and is then deliberately shut off in a gesture of exhaustion.

Before: Available and powered, placed on or near the console, ready to accept voice input.

After: Turned off by Riker after recording; contains the brief, emotionally charged personal log entry.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Riker's Quiet Moral Break

The supplemental log recorder is activated by Riker to capture a personal log entry. It translates an internal moral monologue into recorded evidence of his state of mind; the recorded moment ends abruptly when Riker turns the unit off in emotional exhaustion.

Before: Available on a console or nearby, powered and ready for activation.

After: Contains Riker's recent personal log recording; then turned off by Riker, leaving the log private but existent within ship archives.

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