Object

Klingon Rite Stainless‑Steel Trough

A clinical, waist‑high stainless‑steel trough with a mirror-bright finish and gently sloped interior leading to a narrow drain. Fabricated to read as both sterile and ritual, the trough spans several feet and sits flush against the Holodeck floor alongside raised platforms. Light skitters off its cold surface as crew members circle it; Data gestures to it with procedural calm, Geordi recoils at its brutal realism, O'Brien’s grisly anecdotes anchor its threat, and Wesley’s insistence turns it into a charged prop that compels action.

3 appearances

Purpose

To serve as a ceremonial apparatus within the Holodeck’s Klingon Rite of Ascension reconstruction—acting as a focal prop and functional surface around which ritual actions are staged during the simulation.

Significance

Functions as the tangible centerpiece that converts cultural study into an ethical and physical test: the trough’s presence anchors the simulation’s authenticity, escalates stakes, and forces the crew from detached analysis to a committed, risky act of chosen kinship on behalf of Worf.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S2E14 · The Icarus Factor

The Holodeck Reveal — Worf's Unexpected Ascension

The stainless‑steel trough functions as the ritual channel Worf must walk; its cold reflective surface focuses the action, channels sparks from the painstiks, and constrains Worf to a public, vulnerable path where the crew witnesses his ordeal.

Before: Instantiated in the holodeck as part of the Klingon Rite set, aligned with raised platforms and the holographic warriors.

After: Remained in place within the holodeck simulation unchanged physically; served as the place where Worf collapsed and later rose to thank the crew.

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S2E14 · The Icarus Factor

Worf's Holodeck Rite — The Crew's Gift

The stainless-steel trough is the central ceremonial architecture of the simulation: Worf walks down its channel as the painstiks strike from either side. It channels his movement, focuses witness attention, and functions as both stage and crucible for his rite and physical ordeal.

Before: Instantiated and polished as part of the holodeck Rite of Ascension Chamber, empty and awaiting the initiate.

After: Contains the end position where Worf collapses and recovers; remains intact and unchanged as part of the holodeck environment.

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S2E14 · The Icarus Factor

Worf's Holodeck Rite — Pain, Promise, and Belonging

The stainless‑steel Klingon rite trough functions as the physical stage for the ordeal: its channel guides Worf's processional walk, focuses the motion of the ceremony, and concentrates the sensory details—sparks, metallic echoes, and Worf's body movements—into a narrow, ritualized path.

Before: Installed and rendered within the holodeck set as part of the Rite of Ascension Chamber, gleaming and ready.

After: Remained in the simulated chamber following the rite; unchanged, available for deactivation or reuse.

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