Object

Short-Term Refrigeration Crypt / Refrigerated Transport Unit (Derelict)

A short-term refrigerated crypt found in the derelict, described both as a compact, insulated chamber embedded in a storage bay and as a battered refrigerated transport module: metallic-walled, rimed with frost and condensation, with a viewing port or small access hatch (and in some descriptions latch-sealed double doors). Underside docking rail mounts and scuff marks and tamper scratches indicate it was moved and forcibly opened; one interior shelf is modified to cradle and restrain a preserved occupant. Crew members (Worf, Data) scrape rime, photograph serial plates, and unseal the unit to reveal a preserved body, linking the container to the removal and concealment of occupants.

2 appearances

Purpose

Short-term refrigerated preservation of human bodies or tissues in suspended cryostasis for temporary storage prior to diagnostic or longer-term treatment.

Significance

Serves as a decisive forensic clue: its opened and intact crypts reveal selective removal and tampering, turning the derelict from curiosity into evidence of extraction or experimentation and forcing the crew to escalate their investigation.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone

Selective Extractions — The Plucked Crypts

The short-term refrigeration crypt (the derelict's container) is identified by Data as designed solely for refrigeration, not for long-range transit, making it a displaced Earth-orbit artifact; its condition (scorched hatch, pried seals) supports the conclusion that it was moved and partially violated.

Before: Embedded in the derelict's storage bay, rimed with frost, with a narrow frosted viewing port and a small access hatch that appears pried or scorched; humming with residual cold.

After: Remains in the same physical location within the derelict but has been more closely inspected and partially cleared of rime to reveal preserved tissue; classified as evidence and prioritized for extraction or preservation.

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S1E26 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — The Neutral Zone

Selective Tampering Revealed — A Second Preserved

The short-term refrigeration crypt is the central forensic object: Data identifies it as refrigeration-only, not designed for navigation or long voyages. Its design undercuts the idea of autonomous transit and strengthens the inference of external relocation; it houses preserved occupants and shows evidence of tampering.

Before: Rimed with frost, installed in the derelict's storage bay, humming with residual cold and appearing insulated but non-propelled.

After: Still in the storage bay and intact physically, but reclassified from mere container to critical piece of forensic evidence suggesting intentional placement and selective access by an outside actor.

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