Object
Data's Tricorder
Data's palm‑sized Starfleet tricorder is a standard‑issue portable scanning and analysis device, its matte alloy casing housing a compact sensor emitter and tactical display that delivers real‑time telemetry on matter, energy, and environments. Data carries it clipped to his belt or in hand on nearly every away mission, using it for forensic sweeps (the melted duranium scar on the quarter), medical triage (confirming the crew's recovery from Paxan‑induced stasis), and structural assessments (the abandoned Nervala IV research station). The tricorder's most dramatic moment came in season 5 when the time‑traveling con artist Berlinghoff Rasmussen stole it from Data's quarters, hoping to exploit its technology. Picard suspected the device was hidden inside Rasmussen's time‑vessel and ordered Data to inspect the ship, leading to a confrontation in the shuttlebay. Throughout the Enterprise's later missions, the tricorder remained a critical tool for Data's scientific analysis—whether scanning for residual bitrious matter on Melona Colony, verifying deaths aboard the Vico research vessel, or validating engineering repairs in Jefferies tubes. It never acquired specialized modifications, remaining a reliable general‑purpose unit that Data trusts for immediate diagnostic evidence.
121 appearances
Purpose
Handheld environmental, medical, and investigative scanner used to detect life signs, atmospheric composition, radiation, and structural/biological anomalies to inform tactical, medical, and retrieval decisions.
Significance
The tricorder drives discovery and decision-making: it turns absence into evidence (confirming no animal life), ties Riker's wound to a rhizomatous predator, identifies Ian as a source of dangerous radiation, and converts scientific observation into urgent action—escalating stakes and shaping choices under risk.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used