Object

Tarses Investigation PADDs

Crew members—Ensign Bailey, Crewman Marcus, and Ensign Kellogg—hold multiple handheld PADDs in the Observation Lounge as they scramble under Worf's orders to compile evidence against Ensign Simon Tarses. Screens display movement logs, polygraph scans, and lists of associates. The devices clutter the space during the frantic probe until Picard dismisses the crew, their lit interfaces casting a harsh light on the accusatory chaos.

3 appearances

Purpose

Compile and display investigative data including movement logs, polygraph results, and associate lists

Significance

Fuel Worf's aggressive probe into Tarses, embodying the drumhead trial tactics that Picard halts and exposing the clash between Klingon urgency and Federation due process

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S4E21 · The Drumhead

Picard halts Worf’s witch hunt

The PADDs held by Ensign Bailey, Crewman Marcus, and Ensign Kellogg are central to Worf’s investigation, displaying movement logs, polygraph scans, and lists of Tarses’ associates. Their lit interfaces cast a harsh, accusatory light over the Observation Lounge, symbolizing the frantic and invasive nature of the probe. When Picard intervenes, the PADDs are effectively neutralized as the crew is dismissed, their data no longer serving the investigation’s purposes.

Before: Active and in use, displaying compiled evidence against Tarses, held by junior crew members under Worf’s direction.

After: Deactivated or set aside as the crew disperses, their screens darkening as the investigation is halted by Picard.

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S4E21 · The Drumhead

Picard halts Worf’s witch hunt

The PADDs (Personal Access Display Devices) are central to the investigation, clutched in the hands of Ensign Bailey, Crewman Marcus, and Ensign Kellogg as they frantically compile evidence against Simon Tarses. Their screens display movement logs, polygraph scans, and lists of associates, casting a harsh, accusatory light on the proceedings. Picard’s arrival halts their use, as he dismisses the crew and shuts down the investigation, symbolically and literally darkening the screens. The PADDs represent the institutional machinery of surveillance and suspicion, which Picard challenges as a violation of the Seventh Guarantee.

Before: Active and in use, displaying movement logs, polygraph scans, and lists of associates as the crew compiles evidence.

After: Dormant, as the crew disperses and Picard halts the investigation, leaving the PADDs unused and their screens dark.

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S4E21 · The Drumhead

Picard challenges Worf’s moral compromise

The Tarses Investigation PADDs are central to the invasive surveillance being conducted by Worf and his team. Ensign Bailey, Crewman Marcus, and Ensign Kellogg are seen holding or referencing these devices, which display movement logs, polygraph scans, and lists of associates. The PADDs symbolize the institutional machinery of the investigation, their lit interfaces casting a harsh, accusatory light on the proceedings. Picard’s intervention halts their use, physically and symbolically dismantling the 'drumhead trial' dynamic by dismissing the crew and ordering the screens cleared.

Before: Active and in use by the investigative team, displaying compiled data on Tarses’ movements, polygraph scans, and associate lists. The PADDs are cluttered around the Observation Lounge table, their screens glowing with invasive details.

After: Deactivated and cleared, as Picard orders the crew to disperse and the investigation to halt. The PADDs are no longer in use for this purpose, their data temporarily suspended pending further ethical review.

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