Object

Promellian Battlecruiser (derelict relic)

An ancient Promellian battlecruiser encountered in "Booby Trap" (TNG S3E06): a derelict but mechanically intact Promellian warship preserved as a relic (frequently described as a 'ship‑in‑a‑bottle'). The vessel is sensor‑resolved as an isolated, sealed target and exhibits anomalous energetic/electrical signatures and a time‑layered distress transmission decoded by Data. The away team beams aboard; Picard is drawn to its historical engineering, Riker urges caution, Worf warns of buried danger, and the ship functions as the episode's central archaeological prize and lethal enigma (booby‑traps and ancient systems).

4 appearances

Purpose

A military warship — a heavy Promellian cruiser designed for combat, power projection, and long-duration operations (i.e., a battle cruiser).

Significance

Serves as the episode’s central relic and catalyst: an archaeological prize that reframes a rescue into a mystery, splits command judgment (Picard’s historical longing versus Riker’s caution), and anchors the plot’s lethal enigma when ancient systems and a thousand‑year distress call suggest time‑layered danger and a deadly trap.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S3E6 · Booby Trap

Echoes from a Dead Cruiser

The Promellian battle cruiser appears on the main viewer as the visual confirmation of the decoded signal. Its presentation reframes the crew's curiosity into a tactical and historical problem: intact architecture, possible artifacts, and latent danger are all implied by its derelict state.

Before: Silent and adrift in space, derelict but structurally intact with no active output.

After: Located and identified by the Enterprise; now the target of approach and further investigation.

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S3E6 · Booby Trap

The Thousand‑Year Distress: Discovery of the Promellian Cruiser

The Promellian Battle Cruiser appears on the main viewer as the visual confirmation of the signal's source; its presence reframes the mission, supplies historical context, and functions as a foreboding object of inquiry that will anchor later danger and archaeological temptation.

Before: Adrift and silent in the debris field, unmoving and registered only as a sensor return until visual confirmation.

After: Visually identified on the viewer and labeled by Worf; its known existence now directs the Enterprise's immediate plans and curiosity.

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S3E6 · Booby Trap

The Ship in a Bottle — Picard's Prerogative

The Promellian battle cruiser is the relic discovered and referenced in Picard's log; it functions as the narrative prize that ignites Picard's curiosity and Riker's caution, providing the concrete object that will later expose the crew to danger.

Before: Observed on long-range sensors as a derelict battle cruiser embedded among debris; intact but ancient and inert.

After: Target of immediate boarding preparations and the subject of debate; its presence shifts mission posture from distant study to imminent physical investigation.

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S3E6 · Booby Trap

The Ship-in-a-Bottle: Picard Insists on Boarding

The Promellian battle cruiser is invoked as the central relic that motivates Picard's excitement and Riker's caution. It functions narratively as both prize and latent threat: Picard frames it as a cherished discovery to be owned experientially, while Riker treats it as a hazard requiring protocol.

Before: Detected by sensors and catalogued as an intact, centuries-old derelict within the Orelious Nine debris field; inert but evocative.

After: Designated by Picard for immediate boarding — the derelict becomes an active objective and operational focus, increasing the ship's exposure to whatever latent dangers it contains.

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