Fabula
Object
Object

Royale Novel (Page 244)

The same battered paperback/script used within the Royale environment: worn, thumbed pages with a visible crease at page 244. Contains printed dialogue/stage directions that map onto the lobby's events; Data's reading of page 244 provokes the crew's realization about the hotel's deterministic cues.
7 appearances

Purpose

A mass-market fiction paperback intended for reading and entertainment.

Significance

Functions as the decisive explanatory artifact: Data’s identification of the novel as a poorly written pulp called The Royale Hotel reframes the entire threat as a literalized piece of bad fiction. The book converts confusion into a solvable problem by revealing that the hotel and inhabitants obey story logic rather than supernatural rules, enabling the team to conceive strategic responses.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

7 moments
S2E12 · The Royale
Diagnosis: The Royale as Bad Fiction

The paperback 'The Royale Hotel' is presented by Worf, read aloud by Riker, then handed to Data, who fans the pages and synthesizes the novel's plot. It functions as the primary evidentiary artefact that establishes the hotel's inhabitants and scenes as literal enactments of pulpy fiction.

Before: Recovered from Richey's suite and held by Worf for presentation.
After: In the possession of the away team (handled by Data then Riker) and treated as critical forensic evidence.
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S2E12 · The Royale
Richey’s Diary — The Hotel as Misplaced Mercy

The paperback titled 'The Royale Hotel' is physically handed to Data and rapidly scanned; its plot summary serves as the connective tissue linking the hotel's inhabitants and staged incidents to a preexisting fictional blueprint, supplying the away team with the pivotal clue that the construct follows narrative rules.

Before: In Worf's hands as a found curiosity taken from Richey's suite; visibly worn with creased spine and yellowed pages.
After: Held and examined by Data, then recognized as primary evidence; its content verbalized and its relevance established for the team's strategy.
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S2E12 · The Royale
Page 244 — Mikey Executes the Bellboy

The physical script (page 244) is invoked by Data as the explanatory key: although the book itself is not shown in the moment of shooting, Data's citation converts the raw violence into a predictable, authored beat and converts a crime scene into a narrative clue.

Before: Presumed in Data's possession or previously encountered during investigation; present as a referenced object in the investigation.
After: Referenced and elevated in importance — its contents now determinative of future strategy; remains physically unchanged but narratively indispensable.
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S2E12 · The Royale
Page 244 — The Book's Loophole

The worn paperback novel is the causal engine: Data locates page 244, reads the coda that maps directly onto the murder and the hotel's sale, transforming a baffling crime into a revealing clue and the basis for Riker's buyout plan.

Before: Present on the registration desk or carried by officers as an item of evidence; available for consultation.
After: In Data's hands and read; its content now directly informs the team's strategy and understanding of the hotel's mechanics.
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S2E12 · The Royale
Loaded Dice, Legal Fiction

Page 244 of the Royale novel is the legal-fiction instrument Riker produces to convert their winnings into ownership; he reads and brandishes the clause identifying 'foreign investors' and the $12.5 million price, thereby reframing the payout as a purchase rather than simple winnings.

Before: In the group's possession (Data or Riker has flipped to it earlier); opened to the crucial passage and held discreetly.
After: Held up by Riker as performative evidence; its clause is cited to compel the casino staff's compliance.
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S2E12 · The Royale
Loaded Dice, Legal Title

Page 244 of the paperback, containing the 'foreign investors' clause and the $12.5 million sale price, is produced (via the novel) as pseudo-legal proof; Riker brandishes it to reframe winnings as a formal purchase and compel staff compliance.

Before: In the away team's possession (the paperback has been discovered earlier); available as a piece of evidence.
After: Held up publicly as a performative legal instrument; used to convince staff that a purchase has been made.
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S2E12 · The Royale
The Buyout and the Revolving Door

Page 244 of the Royale novel is the specific micro-evidence: Data (or Riker) references its sale clause and purchase price, which Riker leverages to create a literal purchase claim that forces casino staff into an epistemic dilemma.

Before: Openable and legible within the paperback; the page contains the sale clause and price.
After: Cited as authoritative evidence by Riker; it remains a performative artifact that the staff must reckon with as the team leaves.
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