Fabula
Object
Object

Quinn's Jacket Button (Torn Uniform Button)

A small, torn button detached from Quinn's jacket, found in the sabotaged Communications room. It serves as critical evidence linking Quinn to the sabotage, used by both Ben Jackson and Bragen to accuse him. The button's frayed threads and uniform fabric match the souvenir the Doctor showed from his swamp attack. In the Guest Quarters, Ben waves it in Polly's face during their heated debate, while Bragen later uses it to frame Quinn, exploiting the Doctor's attack clue to erode trust and tighten control amid rising conspiracy fears. Its presence cuts through Polly's trust in Quinn and amplifies colony suspicions just before the enquiry.
2 appearances

Significance

Acts as pivotal clue accusing Quinn of Communications room sabotage, widens divide between Polly's idealism and Ben's pragmatism, and underscores fractured trust ahead of the official investigation.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments
S4E10 · The Power of the Daleks Part 2
Quinn Framed for Sabotage in Communications Room

The torn uniform button is produced by the Doctor as evidence of his own earlier attack, but Bragen quickly turns it against Quinn by suggesting it belongs to him. The button becomes a pivotal piece of evidence in the frame-up, linking Quinn to the sabotage and the attack on the radio operator. Its mundane appearance belies its power to ignite arrests and sever the colony’s Earth link, symbolizing the fragility of trust and the ease with which evidence can be manipulated.

Before: In the Doctor’s possession, collected as a souvenir from his earlier attack.
After: Used by Bragen to accuse Quinn, removed from the scene as part of the evidence against him.
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S4E10 · The Power of the Daleks Part 2
Polly and Ben’s Clash Over Quinn’s Guilt

The jacket button, a small but damning piece of evidence, is central to Ben’s argument against Quinn. He references it as physical proof of Quinn’s presence in the sabotaged Communications room, using it to counter Polly’s idealistic defense. The button symbolizes the clash between logic and intuition, serving as a tangible representation of the colony’s fractured trust and the companions’ ideological divide.

Before: Possessed by Ben, used as evidence in his argument against Quinn’s innocence.
After: Remains in Ben’s possession, its role as evidence now firmly established in the debate.
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