Object

Mariposa Crew Tissue and DNA Samples

A proposed collection of sterile vials and coded DNA cartridges — envisioned rather than physically shown — containing genetic material harvested from Enterprise personnel. Imagined as small, temperature-controlled specimen tubes labeled with crew identifiers, the samples vibrate with narrative weight: Granger pleads for them as salvation, Riker recoils at the idea, and Picard weighs authority and consent over their hypothetical transfer.

2 appearances

Purpose

To supply fresh genetic material for Mariposa's failing cloning/infusion process, intended to counteract centuries of replicative fading and restore the colony's gene pool.

Significance

This set of samples becomes the moral fulcrum of the scene — a tangible stand-in for bodily autonomy, cultural survival, and the clash between pragmatic preservation and ethical consent. The request crystallizes political desperation on Mariposa and forces the Enterprise leaders to defend personal uniqueness against communal survival instincts.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E18 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — Up the Long Ladder

Two Generations Left — Pulaski's Verdict and Picard's Compromise

The idea of Mariposa Crew DNA Samples is explicitly debated: Picard asks whether to give clones DNA samples, Pulaski dismisses that as a temporary fix. Here the object exists primarily as a debated policy instrument, not a physical prop.

Before: The concept of using crew DNA as a temporary treatment exists hypothetically; no transfer has occurred.

After: Conceptual rejection in favor of breeding stock; crew DNA samples are not authorized as a long-term policy.

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S2E18 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — Up the Long Ladder

Brokering Survival: The Mariposa–Bringloidi Compromise

The 'Mariposa crew tissue and DNA samples' (conceptualized in prior scenes) are discussed hypothetically as a potential but inadequate rescue measure; Picard voices the question of giving them up and Pulaski rejects that as a strategy.

Before: Envisioned/hypothetical collection rather than physically present; regarded as a possible but morally problematic resource.

After: Remain hypothetical — ruled medically insufficient by Pulaski and morally problematic in discussion, so no transfer occurs in this scene.

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