Object
Signal Device
A compact, portable device used on Data's homeworld to emit and receive specific signals. This signal device plays a crucial role as a narrative clue, guiding the away team toward uncovering the truth of Data's origins amidst the planet's desolate landscape. Its activation and presence help locate Data's hidden birthplace and reveal the colonists' concealed refuge, marking it as a key technological element that bridges Data's mysterious past and the team's current investigation.
3 appearances
Purpose
To lock onto, stabilize, and amplify weak or degraded transmissions so they can be monitored, decoded, and recorded by shipboard systems and crew for forensic or operational analysis.
Significance
The lock initiates Data’s illicit engagement with a forbidden external signal; its activation converts curiosity into action, escalates the risk of discovery, and catalyzes the episode’s ethical conflict over secrecy and the Prime Directive.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used