Object

Moose Molecular Pattern (Replicator Template)

An intangible replicator data entry: a precise molecular template that the ship's food‑synthesis subroutine would use to construct authentic moose muscle and fat. It has no physical form aboard the Enterprise beyond a stored file in the pattern library and an access record in the ship's computer. Its absence is reported aloud; characters react by admitting improvisation and substituting alternate synthetic meat, prompting awkward apologies and cultural friction.

2 appearances

Purpose

To supply the replicator with an exact molecular blueprint for producing authentic moose meat for culinary use.

Significance

The missing pattern drives plot action: inability to reproduce the authentic ingredient forces Riker to improvise his Alaskan stew, frames his apologetic ritual, and produces interpersonal consequences (comforting for some crew, cultural rejection by Worf). The absent template thus becomes the proximate cause for sacrifice, humor, and lingering alienation in the scene.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E13 · Time Squared

Riker's Domestic Reckoning

The absent moose molecular pattern is invoked as the ideal template Riker couldn't find; its mention dramatizes scarcity, the limits of the fabricator, and the improvisational constraints Riker faces.

Before: Not present — the specific pattern could not be found in computer archives.

After: Remains unavailable and unreferenced, underscoring the improvisation.

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S2E13 · Time Squared

Riker's Stew and Worf's Refusal

The moose molecular pattern is referenced indirectly as the missing authentic template Riker wanted; its absence explains why the computer had to improvise and underpins the improvisational nature of the meal.

Before: Not found in the pattern library (absent) when Riker attempted to fabricate moose.

After: Still unavailable; the stew uses an improvised substitution instead.

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