Object

Mariposa Reception Curving Desk

A low, curving reception desk that sweeps in a semi-circle across the Mariposan reception area. Finished in a polished, neutral veneer, it accommodates a seated attendant and creates a formal threshold between visitors and the prime minister’s office. Characters pause at its edge, the athletic black man (2A) sits behind it, and the desk frames the diplomatic greeting that quickly turns tense as duplicates move through the room.

2 appearances

Purpose

Serve as the primary reception fixture for greeting and directing visitors—provide a staffed interface between arriving delegations and Mariposan officials during ceremonial welcomes.

Significance

Functions as the staging point for the ceremonial welcome that fractures into suspicion; the desk’s staffed position lets the away team first register the uncanny duplicates and anchors the scene’s revelation of the Mariposans’ cloning ambiguity.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E18 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — Up the Long Ladder

Ceremonial Welcome, Unsettling Multiples

The low, curving reception desk frames the initial threshold between visitors and the Mariposan officials; it anchors the choreography of greeting, gives a vantage point for identical staff to be observed, and functions symbolically as the institutional barrier that both welcomes and conceals.

Before: Polished and occupied by an attendant, serving as functional reception furniture.

After: Continues in place as the away team is escorted past, visually reinforcing the formal but guarded tone of the encounter.

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S2E18 · STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — Up the Long Ladder

Identicals: Riker's Alarm, Pulaski's Challenge

The low, curving reception desk frames the initial diplomatic threshold; Riker and team pause at its edge, the seated attendant and passing clones use it as a staging point, and it visually separates the visitors from the prime minister's domain.

Before: Occupied by an athletic black man behind it and organized with papers and routine equipment.

After: Remains in place, functioning as the reception boundary while clones and staff continue normal activity.

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