Fabula
Object
Object

Class One Probe — Maximum-Scan (Nelvana Three)

A compact, unmanned Class One probe prepared for maximum-scan reconnaissance: roughly hand‑sized, with a brushed metallic shell, a clustered sensor array and a narrow telemetry aperture configured for burst transmission. In the ready room officers do not display the device physically; instead Data runs prelaunch calibrations and the bridge awaits its condensed telemetry packets. The probe sits primed as a tactical instrument — Data records its configuration and Picard frames its deployment with deliberate restraint while crew tension tightens around the decision.
6 appearances

Purpose

To perform a maximum-scan surveillance sweep of Nelvana Three and transmit condensed sensor telemetry back to the USS Enterprise for intelligence and historical record.

Significance

Serves as the procedural mechanism by which Picard seeks hard intelligence while minimizing provocation; its ordering formalizes evidence‑gathering, externalizes command responsibility, and turns Data into the ship’s dispassionate archivist and confidant, heightening the ethical and emotional stakes ahead of potential conflict.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

6 moments
S3E10 · The Defector
Yellow Alert — Probe to Nelvana Three; Data as Recorder

The Class One probe is explicitly ordered into action by Picard as the primary technical response: configured for maximum-scan to monitor Nelvana Three. It functions as the narrative hinge between caution and action, converting command deliberation into tangible intelligence-gathering.

Before: Primed in the Enterprise's inventory conceptually (ready for configuration but not yet being actively calibrated).
After: Data begins calibrations; the probe is actively being prepared for deployment and configured for a maximum-scan role over Nelvana Three.
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S3E10 · The Defector
Assigning the Witness: Picard Charges Data with the Record

The Class One maximum-scan probe is ordered by Picard as the primary technical response to the Nelvana Three mystery. Data accepts the task and begins calibrations, turning the probe from a potential instrument into the active means of gathering the objective telemetry Picard demands.

Before: Stored/available and configured for rapid deployment in Enterprise tactical/engineering systems.
After: Calibration begun under Data's supervision; probe primed for launch and active monitoring of Nelvana Three.
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S3E10 · The Defector
Keeping the Record — Picard's Burden of Command

The Class One maximum‑scan probe is ordered into service by Picard—Data is directed to prepare it and start calibrations to monitor every meter of Nelvana Three, converting raw curiosity into a targeted intelligence operation.

Before: Primed and available for calibration (configured for maximum‑scan reconnaissance in ship inventory/ready room systems).
After: Calibration sequence initiated by Data and prepared for launch or deployment; designated as active monitoring asset for Nelvana Three.
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S3E10 · The Defector
When Gut Meets Data — A Probe's Left Turn

The Class One Probe is the source of the telemetry under scrutiny; its burst transmissions feed the console with the raw data and patterns that spark the epistemological debate and then produce the sudden shift that converts the conversation into a tactical problem.

Before: Active (unmanned) and transmitting initial maximum-scan telemetry to the Enterprise for analysis.
After: Continues to transmit but the incoming data set has changed—new or shifted readings are received and must be reinterpreted by the crew.
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S3E10 · The Defector
Ambiguous Romulan Emissions Over Nelvana Three

The Nelvana Three Class One maximum-scan probe is the source of the contested data: it returned low-strength subspace emissions and patterned telemetry that initiated the briefing. Narratively it functions as the inciting instrument converting remote suspicion into an operational dilemma.

Before: Primed and launched into orbit around Nelvana Three; transmitting condensed telemetry packets back to the Enterprise.
After: Telemetry analyzed and reported; remains in orbit transmitting faint emissions while its readings are debated by command (possession remains with Enterprise's data logs and engineering analysis).
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S3E10 · The Defector
Ready Room Reckoning: Picard Alone with Doubt

The Class One probe, in orbit around Nelvana Three, functions as the event's primary piece of evidence: it picked up low-level patterned subspace emissions that triggered the briefing. Narratively it converts remote suspicion into tangible (if ambiguous) telemetry that forces command into a decision.

Before: Launched and in stable orbit around Nelvana Three, actively transmitting condensed telemetry back to the Enterprise; primed for maximum-scan reconnaissance.
After: Continuing to orbit and transmit faint signals; its data has been received and analyzed by the Enterprise, but its limited capabilities leave questions unresolved.
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