Narrative Web
Location
Terraforming Base Control Room

Main Control Room

The Main Control Room commands tense authority as a remote technical nerve center within the Velara III terraforming base. Geordi and Bensen anchor themselves at flickering consoles, orchestrating power shutdowns and monitoring the hydraulics room and laser drill systems through a bank of screens and controls. The room hums with urgent energy, its modest space layered by the invisible threat looming in the sabotaged machinery. Communication pulses here—every alert, command, and status update converges in this hub, where the fragile balance between safety and catastrophe is held by a few expert hands. The atmosphere tightens with suspicion and focus, as the unseen enemy weaponizes the base’s own systems against them, turning this otherwise quiet control chamber into the frontline of a deadly technological conflict.
13 events
13 rich involvements

Detailed Involvements

Events with rich location context

S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Iconian Control Room — Ruins, Gateways, and Roots

The Iconian Control Room is the event's physical and symbolic stage: a ruined, high-technology chamber whose central pentagonal console and three silver gateways embody the civilization's vanished power and pose immediate strategic questions that force the away team's investigative pivot from rescue to containment.

Atmosphere

Eerie and tense — dimly lit, sparking conduits, low mechanical hums and a clinical hush of archaeological gravity.

Functional Role

Investigation site and potential hazard zone where primary forensic evidence is gathered and critical decisions about containment and language-based interaction are made.

Symbolic Significance

Represents the vanished Iconian civilization's technological legacy and the moral burden of preventing its misuse; symbolizes both a doorway to other worlds and the danger of technological contagion.

Access Restrictions

Effectively limited to the away team and senior officers; hazardous for casual entry due to unstable systems and communication disruptions.

dim lighting with a softly glowing translucent blue dome at the table center three silver gateways embedded in a far wall, rotating through distant vistas walls covered with scorched controls, conduits and alien script flat geometric screens set into the table's five angles
S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Deciphering the Gate: Silent Comms and Linguistic Forensics

The Iconian Control Room functions as the immediate site of discovery and forensic inquiry: a ruined but operational chamber whose artifacts (gateways, dome, keys, scripts) force the away team to shift from rescue/posturing to methodical decryption and containment planning.

Atmosphere

Tense, clinical and uncanny — dimly lit with a persistent undercurrent of ancient power and technological menace.

Functional Role

Stage for archaeological forensic work and the practical locus where the crew attempts to understand and halt the contagion's mechanisms.

Symbolic Significance

Embodies the silence of an extinct supercivilization and the moral hazard of wielding powers without stewardship — a literal center of lost agency.

Access Restrictions

Effectively restricted by circumstance (ship cannot maintain reliable transport) and by danger; only the away team and their immediate command are present.

Dim lighting with a softly glowing translucent blue dome as the central light source Walls covered with scorched controls and conduits, flat screens set into the pentagonal console Three silver gateways mounted on a distant wall Alien script beneath screens and on control walls, and particulate flecks on the dome
S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Iconian Gateways Awaken — Data Struck Down

The Iconian Control Room serves as the discovery locus where the away team deciphers symbols, activates the console, watches the globe project the gateway, and suffers the first on-site casualty when Data is disabled. The room's architecture — pentagonal console, glowing dome, and sparking conduits — makes the ancient technology feel simultaneously domestic and lethal.

Atmosphere

Tense wonder shifting quickly into urgent alarm; the room hums with rising energy and a metallic, acrid undertone from conduits and sparking panels.

Functional Role

Investigation and crisis stage — a place of forensic analysis that becomes a battleground between curiosity and survival.

Symbolic Significance

Represents the intersection of lost civilization and present danger; the control room transforms myth into immediate political and ethical stakes.

Access Restrictions

Practically limited to the away team present; hazardous and effectively restricted by the device's defensive energy emissions.

Low humming from the dome that crescendos into a high-pitched tone Glowing pentagonal console with a ring of colored keys and newly lit bank of lights Sickly green beam discharge and audible crackling when the globe fires Spinning aperture projecting varied landscapes including the Enterprise and Romulan bridge
S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Iconian Gateway Awakens — Data Struck Down

The Iconian Control Room is the physical and symbolic stage: a ruined high-tech pentagonal chamber whose dome and ring are central to the action. It transforms from archaeological curiosity into an active launch-control environment as the globe spins, images cycle, power surges and the away team confronts the technology's moral and tactical implications.

Atmosphere

Tension-filled and uncanny—clinical curiosity gives way to alarm as the room hums, lights change, and the gateway animates.

Functional Role

Investigation site and battleground for ethical decisions; the place where knowledge is gained at personal risk.

Symbolic Significance

Embodies the collapsed boundary between discovery and danger; the room also symbolizes the Iconians' ambiguous legacy—technology as salvation or weapon.

Access Restrictions

Effectively limited to the senior away team present; physically hazardous due to active systems and power surges.

Low humming mechanical sound that intensifies when activated Globe emits sickly green beam and high-pitched tone during attack Ring of colored keys scorched but luminous; bank of lights suddenly glow Spinning aperture cycles through vivid projections including the Enterprise and Romulan bridge
S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Blinded Data — Picard Chooses Denial

The Iconian Control Room is the scene of the assault on Data, the repository of forbidden technology, and the operational center Picard elects to destroy. The room's active consoles, launch racks, and gateway all function as tactical instruments and moral fulcrum for Picard's denial decision.

Atmosphere

Tense, metallic, and convulsive — electrical hums, sputtering lights, and the aura of ancient, unreadable machinery create an oppressive urgency.

Functional Role

Battleground and execution site for the denial operation; it is both the threat to be neutralized and the source of lethal knowledge.

Symbolic Significance

Embodies the dangerous seduction of powerful, unguarded knowledge; represents the point where discovery must be sacrificed to prevent greater harm.

Access Restrictions

Hazardous and effectively restricted by its automated defenses; only the away team (senior officers) is present and capable of operating inside it.

rectangular and triangular screens with colored lights (blue, amber, red) used as keys venting steam and sparking conduits that make the air metallic and acrid a gateway opposite the console that cycles through worlds and the launch racks with probes
S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Picard's Last Override

The Iconian Control Room is the claustrophobic battleground where the moral decision is made: its pentagonal console, spinning gateway domes, and convulsing consoles force Picard to choose denial over study. Practically, it houses the console, probes, doors, and the gateway—making it the physical and symbolic center of the sacrifice.

Atmosphere

Tense, metallic, and urgent—sparks, venting steam, pulsing glyphics, and a mechanical countdown create a claustrophobic, doom-laden mood.

Functional Role

Battleground and destructive staging area: platform for manual override, launch sequence initiation, and final evacuation through the gateway.

Symbolic Significance

Represents forbidden knowledge and moral isolation—the place where the choice to destroy knowledge is made, physically embodying the cost of denying power.

Access Restrictions

Not formally restricted during the event (Picard, Worf, and Data operate inside), but functionally dangerous and effectively inaccessible to anyone lacking technical knowledge or authorization.

A low, mechanized counting voice and rhythmic hums from the console and gateways. Sparks, venting steam, and flickering glyphic status lights creating an acrid, metallic air. Three spinning gateway domes visible on the console, plus a blue glowing dome and rectangular and triangular control screens. Solid amber and red status lights referenced, tactile glyph-pads, and an overall sense of delayed automatic sequences (doors tied to launches).
S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Picard Commits the Iconian Launch — Countdown Begins

The Iconian control room is the physical locus where Picard initiates the sequence and where the machine's reaction is immediately felt. Its architecture channels the ancient technology's authority into the present, making the room the stage for escalation from investigation to crisis.

Atmosphere

Ominous and tense: low mechanical rumbling, sudden vocalized countdown, and a sense of latent power becoming active.

Functional Role

Stage for decisive confrontation with ancient technology; battleground where human command meets automated Iconian protocol.

Symbolic Significance

Embodies the persistence and autonomy of Iconian technology—an artifact of a vanished civilization that now exerts modern political consequences.

Access Restrictions

Implicitly restricted to trained or senior personnel in practice; effectively controlled by whoever can physically operate the console.

Low heavy rumbling filling the room. Mechanical, alien-sounding countdown voice emanating from the console. Ancient control surfaces responsive to keyed input (implied tactile interfaces).
S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Manual Override Against the Iconian Command

The Iconian Control Room is the cramped, high-technology battleground where manual intervention confronts inscrutable ancient systems; its architecture channels the scene's physical threats and moral stakes, forcing Picard to act at the machine's face.

Atmosphere

Chaotic, claustrophobic and violent: a tension-filled chamber stocked with mechanical rumble, steam hissing, and an oppressive, mechanical voice.

Functional Role

Stage for direct confrontation with the Iconian technology and the physical site where leadership and sacrifice are enacted.

Symbolic Significance

Embodies the weight of ancient power and the ethical crossroads between unlocking technology and preventing catastrophe.

Access Restrictions

Effectively restricted to the away team and senior officers during exploration; not a public or secure diplomatic space.

Low, building RUMBLING that explodes into a ROAR Scalding steam erupting from console vents Mechanical, vocalized countdown filling the chamber Shuddering consoles and flickering glyphic status lights
S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Leap Through the Flickering Gate

The Iconian Control Room is the scene's crucible: a collapsing, ancient technology hub where physical danger and moral stakes intersect, forcing Picard into immediate action that will shape diplomatic and tactical outcomes.

Atmosphere

Chaotic, metallic, claustrophobic — the space throbs with mechanical noise and the relentlessness of the countdown.

Functional Role

Battleground and technological fulcrum where a decision must be made to stop or accept the gateway's activation.

Symbolic Significance

Represents the seductive and corrupting power of ancient, inscrutable technology and operates as a moral test for command responsibility.

Access Restrictions

Effectively restricted by environmental hazard — unsafe for general personnel; only priority or desperate entry occurs.

Sparks flying from consoles Walls venting steam and shaking An audible alien countdown A gateway image flickering between two bridges A central globe that shatters
S1E17 · Home Soil
Picard Demands Urgent Status Amid Deadly Sabotage

The main control room is the operational nerve center where Geordi and Bensen coordinate power shutdowns, monitor system statuses, and communicate with the away team, embodying the fragile command bastion amid technological crisis.

Atmosphere

Focused and tense, with flickering consoles and urgent communications dominating the mood.

Functional Role

Control center managing safety protocols and remote system operations during the crisis.

Symbolic Significance

Represents human attempt to impose order and safety amid mechanical chaos.

Access Restrictions

Staffed by technical personnel only, access tightly controlled during emergency.

Array of computer panels and displays. Sounds of urgent voice communications and console beeps.
S1E17 · Home Soil
Data Alone Confronts Sabotage Amid Laser Barrage

The main control room functions as the command center where Geordi and Bensen coordinate power management and monitor the hydraulics room systems. It is the nerve center for remote operational decisions and crisis communication during the laser drill’s hostile reactivation.

Atmosphere

Tense and focused, layered with technical urgency and suspense.

Functional Role

Remote command and system monitoring hub supporting field operations.

Symbolic Significance

Embodies the fragile human control over technology amidst chaos.

Access Restrictions

Restricted to engineering personnel and key command staff.

Flickering consoles Flow charts and system diagrams Urgent communication via communicator devices
S1E17 · Home Soil
Data Confronts Deadly Sabotage in Laser Drill

The main control room functions as the nerve center from which Geordi and Bensen manage power systems, monitor the hydraulics room’s status, and respond to unfolding sabotage, embodying the precarious control attempted over a rapidly deteriorating situation.

Atmosphere

Focused and tense, with the hum of consoles and urgent communications filling the room.

Functional Role

Control center for power management and system monitoring during sabotage response.

Symbolic Significance

Symbolizes the struggle to maintain order and control amid chaos.

Access Restrictions

Restricted to engineering and senior technical staff.

Flickering consoles and panels displaying flow charts and system diagrams. Audible communications from field teams and command.
S1E17 · Home Soil
Hydraulics Power Shutdown and Laser Sabotage Escalation

The Main Control Room functions as the operational nerve center where Geordi and Bensen manage power shutdown, servomotor locking, and power restoration in real time. It acts as the technological heart controlling the hydraulics room environment and facilitating rapid response to sabotage.

Atmosphere

Focused and tense with urgent activity and flickering consoles.

Functional Role

Command hub for remote technical operations and monitoring hydraulic systems.

Symbolic Significance

Embodies institutional control and the fragile hold over a deteriorating situation.

Access Restrictions

Restricted to engineering and command personnel.

Flickering control panels Display of flow charts and system diagrams

Events at This Location

Everything that happens here

13
S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Iconian Control Room — Ruins, Gateways, and Roots

The away team materializes in a dim, ruined control chamber dominated by three silver gateways and a pentagonal console crowned by a glowing blue dome. Data immediately begins methodical scans …

S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Deciphering the Gate: Silent Comms and Linguistic Forensics

The away team confronts a dead control room: three silver gateways, a glowing dome ringed with cryptic keys, and alien script across consoles. Worf's repeated hails to the Enterprise return …

S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Iconian Gateway Awakens — Data Struck Down

Data deciphers the Iconian console and, by activating what he believes to be a manual override, brings the room to life: a spinning portal revealing distant worlds — including brief, …

S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Iconian Gateways Awaken — Data Struck Down

The Iconian console activates, spawning a spinning gateway that cycles through distant worlds — including fleeting images of the Enterprise and a Romulan bridge — proving the portals are functional. …

S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Blinded Data — Picard Chooses Denial

Data is crippled when the Iconian program begins rewriting his positronic pathways; he is blinded and unsteady, stripping the away team of their primary interpreter. Under crushing time pressure (minutes …

S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Picard's Last Override

In a frantic, moral pivot, a wounded Data is hauled to the Iconian console as Picard races the cycle clock. With Data partially blind and failing, Picard orders the tricorder …

S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Picard Commits the Iconian Launch — Countdown Begins

Picard physically initiates the Iconian console's launch sequence, sacrificing caution for decisive action. A low, metallic rumble fills the control room as the ancient system comes to life and an …

S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Manual Override Against the Iconian Command

Picard physically forces an emergency override at the alien console as the Iconian control room convulses—steam blasts, consoles shudder and the rumbling becomes a furious roar. The device's countdown refuses …

S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Leap Through the Flickering Gate

As the Iconian control room collapses around him, Picard makes an impossible, moral decision: the gateway image wildly flickers between the Enterprise bridge and the Romulan cruiser, presenting two futures …

S1E17 · Home Soil
Hydraulics Power Shutdown and Laser Sabotage Escalation

Following the discovery of Malencon's body amid wreckage in the hydraulics room, Riker orders a full power shutdown to ensure a safe recovery. With Geordi and Bensen securing the servomotor …

S1E17 · Home Soil
Data Confronts Deadly Sabotage in Laser Drill

In the hydraulics room of the Velara III terraforming base, Data and Tasha Yar recover the body of the fallen engineer Malencon amid twisted wreckage. Data's detailed analysis reveals the …

S1E17 · Home Soil
Data Alone Confronts Sabotage Amid Laser Barrage

Inside the hydraulics room of the Velara III terraforming base, Data insists Geordi and Bensen stay clear as he alone reactivates the sabotaged laser drill. When the laser unexpectedly targets …

S1E17 · Home Soil
Picard Demands Urgent Status Amid Deadly Sabotage

In the hydraulics room of the Velara III terraforming base, the away team grapples with the aftermath of Engineer Malencon's fatal sabotage. Captain Picard urgently demands an immediate situation report …