Object

Data's Box of Medals

A small hinged travel/presentation case owned by Data containing Starfleet medals and ribbon bars, lined to protect delicate awards. It is the same object shown both in quarters (when Data packs personal items) and in the courtroom (when Picard opens the case to display the medals as moral testimony). The case's modest hardware and polished contents contrast with its outsized legal and emotional significance.

5 appearances

Purpose

To store, protect, and transport Data's service medals and personal insignia.

Significance

Serves as tangible proof of Data's attachments and interior life; the medals become evidentiary stakes in the conflict over his personhood and potential disassembly, crystallizing the emotional and legal consequences of his resignation.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

5 moments

S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Packing Memory — Data's Quiet Resignation

The medal case receives Data's service medals after he inspects them; it functions as an archival container that makes his service tangible and portable, thereby turning sentimental items into potential evidence of lived experience.

Before: Accessible on the desk or nearby, empty or ready to receive contents.

After: Contains Data's medals, now packed as part of his personal effects.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Violation of Quarters — Data's Resignation

The medal case receives the medals Data examines; it functions as an archival, portable container that literalizes the transfer of personal artifacts as he prepares to leave Starfleet.

Before: Closed and available on the desk.

After: Contains the medals he placed inside; remains in Data's possession.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Picard Turns the Courtroom into a Moral Crucible

Picard pulls Data's compact travel case onto the table, opens it to produce the contained case of medals and other keepsakes. The travel case serves as the physical archive that converts private life into courtroom evidence.

Before: Secured under the courtroom table in Picard's possession after being retrieved from Data's things.

After: Opened on the courtroom table and its contents displayed; remains evidence under court observation.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Cross-Examining Sentience

Data's compact travel case is produced by Picard from beneath the table, opened to reveal the medals and keepsakes; it serves as the physical container that converts intangible legal debate into tangible, intimate evidence of attachment and service.

Before: Concealed beneath the counsel table in the courtroom, in Picard's possession.

After: Opened on the counsel table and its contents displayed; presumably returned to Data's custody later.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Judgment: Defining a Person

Picard pulls Data's compact hinged travel case from beneath the table, places it on the table, opens it and uses it as the first physical anchor to shift the hearing from abstraction to personal testimony; its reveal begins the emotional escalation.

Before: Closed and hidden beneath the counsel table in the courtroom, in Picard's possession.

After: Open on the table with contents displayed, then removed/handled as evidence by counsel.

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