Star Trek The Next Generation
Object

Jean‑Luc Picard's PADD

A compact, handheld Starfleet Personal Access Display Device (PADD): slate-sized, palm-friendly, with a bright touch-sensitive display and a matte bezel worn at the corners. In the ready room Picard cradles the unit as it renders a manifest flagged by Data — text and tabular requisition entries scrolling under his thumb. The device functions as both input interface and portable reference; characters lean toward its glow, treating it as an immediate, practical record of logistics data.
8 appearances

Purpose

To display, review, and annotate shipboard documents and manifests and to serve as a portable touch-driven interface for recording notes and examining logistics data.

Significance

The PADD converts a minor logistics flag into a command-level lead: the manifest it displays pivots Picard's curiosity into an official inquiry into the Mariposa cargo. It acts as an evidentiary trigger that advances the plot and frames Picard's investigative decision.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

8 moments
S2E9 · The Measure of a Man
Picard Demands Data's Voice

Picard holds a PADD at the start—an evidentiary tool for recording responses. It frames the encounter as an interview, formalizing Data's words into potential recordable testimony and reminding viewers this is data to be used in institutional argument.

Before: Picard seated with the PADD ready to take notes; device powered and in his possession.
After: Remains in Picard's possession, presumably containing notes or ready to record further testimony; unchanged physically but narratively charged as an evidence-gathering instrument.
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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man
Compelling Data to Testify

Picard's Interview PADD is physically present as the note-taking instrument and symbolic evidentiary device: its presence signals that this conversation is being recorded, structured, and converted into admissible testimony rather than casual conferral.

Before: In Picard's hand or on his knee, ready to be used for notes; active and accessible.
After: Remains with Picard as the conversation continues, having been used as the implied repository for testimony and evidence.
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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man
Top-Secret Schematics — Riker's Moral Reckoning

The PADD is used by Riker to make a notation while researching files. It functions as his private working tool — a tactile, human counterpoint to the sterile computer displays and a way to translate information into actionable notes.

Before: At Riker's side or in his hand, ready for note-taking during research.
After: Left with Riker, bearing whatever notation he made; remains a private record of his preparatory work.
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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man
Riker's Quiet Moral Break

The PADD serves as Riker's tactile note-taking device: he makes a notation while scanning legal and technical displays. It marks his procedural preparation and the attempt to organize thoughts and evidence before the formal hearing.

Before: In Riker's possession or on his console, ready for note-taking.
After: Contains a fresh notation related to the case and Riker's observations; remains in Riker's possession.
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S2E18 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — Up the Long Ladder
Mariposa Manifest — A Contradiction Unearthed

Picard touches a palm PADD/console to summon and scroll the manifest page; the device mediates the archival reveal and enables the captain's close reading of cargo entries.

Before: In Picard's ready room possession, idle while he researches.
After: Active, displaying the Mariposa manifest under Picard's control.
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S2E18 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — Up the Long Ladder
From Curiosity to Command: Picard Seizes the Mariposa Lead

Picard's PADD functions as the tactile interface he uses to pull up and scroll the manifest; he cradles and manipulates it to read cargo entries aloud, making the device the physical conduit of revelation.

Before: In Picard's possession, used for private archival review.
After: Held and used to annotate and vocalize the manifest; remains in Picard's control for next steps.
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S3E2 · The Ensigns of Command
Legal Loophole and Quiet Dissent

Picard's PADD is handed to him by Troi and used to reference and identify the exact treaty clause (paragraph 563(9)); it functions as the documentary lever that converts procedural ambiguity into a demand the Sheliak must honor.

Before: In Troi's possession in the captain's ready room, displaying treaty text and analysis.
After: Remains in Picard's hands briefly as he cites the clause, then implicitly part of the bridge's evidence set as Picard moves to the viewscreen.
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S3E5 · The Bonding
Duty Interrupts Grief — Planetary Energy Alert

The PADD labeled 'STATUS REPORTS' is present and reinforcing Picard's focus on duties; it signals that the conversation occurs within a command context, reminding both men and audience that private counsel sits within ongoing responsibilities and may be interrupted by emergent data.

Before: Resting on the ready-room desk, displaying summary status items and sensor thumbnails.
After: Retains its informational role and supports Picard's shift to operational posture as the new detection is addressed.
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