Object

Large Birthday Cake with Seventeen Burning Candles

A large, festively decorated birthday cake topped with seventeen flickering candles, radiating warm light and inviting celebration. The cake serves as the vibrant centerpiece on a lounge table aboard the Enterprise’s Deck 21 Forward Lounge, surrounded by the gathered bridge crew. Characters, including Wesley, Beverly, Riker, Troi, and Geordi, focus on the cake as candles glow, marking Wesley’s sixteenth birthday with affectionate warmth and bittersweet anticipation.

3 appearances

Purpose

Serves as a celebratory centerpiece for a birthday party, providing a symbolic focus for traditional candle-blowing rituals and communal festivity among the Enterprise crew.

Significance

Acts as an emotional anchor highlighting Wesley Crusher’s coming of age, blending personal milestone and camaraderie. The cake embodies both the joy of celebration and the tension of impending challenges, underscoring the transition from youth to the responsibilities ahead.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S1E19 · Coming of Age

Wesley’s Sixteenth Birthday and Departure for Academy Exams

The large birthday cake, adorned with seventeen burning candles, serves as the symbolic centerpiece of the celebration, embodying both celebration of Wesley’s milestone and good wishes for his future. It anchors the gathering and punctuates the emotional tone, with Wesley blowing out candles and crew sharing slices.

Before: Positioned prominently on the lounge table, candles lit and flickering warmly.

After: Candles extinguished after Wesley’s wish; cake partially cut and distributed among the crew.

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S1E19 · Coming of Age

Data Probes Human Rituals Amid Wesley’s Birthday Farewell

The large birthday cake with seventeen burning candles serves as the vibrant centerpiece of Wesley’s celebration, symbolizing warmth, hope, and the passage of time. Its inscription and lit candles create a festive atmosphere, framing a rare moment of joy amidst looming tensions about Wesley’s future and the crew’s challenges.

Before: Set on the center table of the Deck 21 Forward Lounge, candles lit and intact.

After: Partially cut and distributed among the crew, candles extinguished after Wesley’s wish.

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S1E19 · Coming of Age

Admiral Quinn’s Sudden Arrival Disrupts Wesley’s Birthday

The large birthday cake with seventeen burning candles serves as the vibrant symbolic centerpiece of Wesley’s sixteenth birthday celebration, embodying warmth, hope, and the passage of youth amidst a Starfleet context. It draws the crew together, marking the bittersweet transition between adolescence and emerging responsibility.

Before: Positioned prominently on the lounge table, fully decorated with candles lit.

After: Partially cut and served, candles extinguished, remnants remaining as the party transitions to a serious tone.

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