Object

Data's Heavy Anvil

Jack hauls the heavy anvil up to Data's hotel room, arriving exhausted from the effort. Data grabs it with one hand and lifts it effortlessly high overhead, showcasing android strength, before dropping it with a grunt to feign human strain. Jack stares in awe at the display.

2 appearances

Purpose

Low-intensity magnetic field core for Data's phaser prototype

Significance

Data's casual lift risks exposing his android nature, forcing a quick cover that fascinates Jack and sparks talk of business partnership. The moment tests Data's human disguise while hinting at his inventive mission amid temporal paradoxes.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S5E26 · Time's Arrow

Data conceals strength while bonding with Jack

The heavy anvil, delivered by Jack, is initially a test of Data’s human disguise. When Data lifts it effortlessly, he must feign strain to avoid revealing his android strength. The anvil becomes a symbolic object of human labor and limitation, contrasting with Data’s superhuman capabilities. Its presence in the room also serves as a practical component for Data’s invention, as he explains its role in creating a magnetic field core.

Before: Outside Data’s hotel room door, hauled up the stairs by Jack, who is visibly exhausted from the effort.

After: Placed in the center of Data’s hotel room, now serving as a functional part of his invention.

View full event

S5E26 · Time's Arrow

Data discovers Guinan in newspaper

The heavy anvil is delivered by Jack and serves as a critical plot device in revealing Data’s android strength. When Data lifts it effortlessly with one hand, the anvil exposes his inhuman capabilities, forcing him to feign injury to maintain his disguise. The anvil also symbolizes the physical labor and human struggle that Data is attempting to emulate, highlighting the contrast between his android nature and the human world around him. Its delivery and subsequent discussion with Jack about its use in the phaser prototype further entangle Data in the human world, complicating his mission.

Before: Located at Jack’s feet outside Data’s hotel room door, having been hauled up the stairs by Jack, who is visibly exhausted from the effort. It is a standard 19th-century blacksmith’s anvil, heavy and cumbersome.

After: Placed in the center of Data’s hotel room, where it will be used as part of the phaser prototype. However, its role in the scene shifts from a functional tool to a symbol of Data’s struggle to blend in, as its delivery inadvertently reveals his true nature.

View full event