Object
Contact Symbol (Single Glyph in Data's Code)
A single luminous glyph — an abstract, compact symbol that suddenly appears within the scrolling block of unreadable machine code on Science One's main display. It reads as a pale, cyan icon against a dark matrix, roughly the width of a fingertip on the screen, pulsing faintly once before holding steady. The mark has no tactile presence; it exists purely as a visual data artifact. Data halts, studies the glyph with concentrated attention, and his announcement that contact has been established freezes the bridge into stunned stillness and redirects urgent action.
2 appearances
Purpose
To act as an embedded communicative marker within an incoming data stream: a concise signal or message element indicating the presence of an external intelligence and enabling recognition of contact.
Significance
The glyph converts an imminent, crew‑approved last‑resort protocol into a moment of ethical and strategic pause. Its appearance pivots the plot—preventing an annihilating gamma pulse, forcing a choice between destruction and engagement, and spotlighting Data as the mediator between alien signal and human command.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used