Object

Riker's Frying Pan

A well-used, shallow metal skillet roughly 10–12 inches across with a long, heat-darkened handle and a brushed-steel interior scored by fine scratches and small nicks. Residual egg and oil cling to its surface; faint ringed discoloration around the base marks repeated exposure to high flame. Riker grips the handle with practiced ease, flipping and folding eggs as the pan hisses; the crew leans in, trading banter while the pan anchors the ritual.

4 appearances

Purpose

A cooking utensil for frying and sautéing—specifically used to fry eggs and construct an omelet on a personal quarter's burner.

Significance

Functions as the tactile center of Riker's private ritual: making an omelet to assert identity and control. The pan turns personal comfort into a communal touchstone when Data, Geordi, Pulaski, and Worf join, humanizing the crew and grounding them before duty interrupts.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S2E13 · Time Squared

Riker's Omelet Ritual — Quiet Defiance

Riker's frying pan is heated on the improvised burner and becomes the site where the beaten eggs are transformed into an omelet; it auditory anchors the scene with hissing and folding actions and culminates in plated food.

Before: Clean, on hand with light wear from regular use, ready to heat.

After: Contains cooked omelet residue and faint grease marks; in use until the crew departs for the bridge.

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S2E13 · Time Squared

Omelet, Ale, and Interrupted Respite

Riker’s frying pan is used to cook the beaten eggs over the jury-rigged burner; it hisses with heat, carries the finished omelet to the plates, and visibly bears residual egg and oil—evidence of the ritual’s physicality.

Before: Held at the ready by Data and Geordi as part of the improvised setup; clean and functional.

After: Contains cooked residue and is left on the counter after Riker dishes up; remains in the quarters.

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S2E13 · Time Squared

Omelet, Memory, and the Call

Riker's frying pan is heated by the improvised burner and serves as the site where the omelet cooks; its hissing and residual egg anchor the sensory reality of the scene and mark the transition from private action to communal tasting.

Before: Clean but heat-darkened; brought into use by Data and Geordi with a Bunsen-type burner placed beneath.

After: Contains residual cooked egg and grease, left on the burner or workstation after the group eats and departs.

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S2E13 · Time Squared

Interrupted Omelet — Duty Calls

Riker's frying pan is heated on the improvised burner, receives the beaten eggs, and serves as the vessel where the omelet is cooked and transformed from ingredient to shared meal; it literalizes Riker's craft and anchors the sensory detail of sizzling food.

Before: Brought into the quarters by Data and Geordi, empty and heat-darkened from prior use.

After: Contains cooked omelet residue; carried or set aside after portions are plated and the officers sit to eat.

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