Object

Barrel of Felicium

A large, sealed barrel containing the narcotic substance Felicium, central to the fragile economic and social balance between the Brekkian and Ornaran societies. The barrel's weight and imposing presence dominate the Enterprise cargo bay, where the crew carefully extracts an ultra-potent sample. Its contents are minuscule yet devastating in dosage, underscoring the drug's potency and the destructive addiction fueling interplanetary dependency. The barrel acts as physical evidence of the toxic trade, inspiring tension and moral conflict among Picard, Beverly, and the alien delegates during critical moments of ethical reckoning and enforced non-interference.

5 appearances

Purpose

To serve as the container and transport vessel for the highly potent narcotic Felicium, enabling its trade and distribution between the addicted Ornarans and the Brekkian producers.

Significance

The barrel symbolizes the deeply entrenched addiction and economic exploitation binding two worlds, driving the narrative's core moral dilemma of intervention versus non-interference. It is the tangible nexus for the unfolding ethical conflict, representing both the source of societal suffering and the catalyst for Picard's reluctant enforcement of the Prime Directive.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

5 moments

S1E23 · Symbiosis

Felicium Extraction and the Cost of Interdependence

The large sealed barrel containing Felicium is the central physical object from which a minuscule but critical sample of the drug is carefully extracted using specialized scientific equipment. The barrel’s presence underscores the immense value and danger of the substance and acts as a tangible symbol of the interplanetary economic and ethical tensions at play.

Before: Contained securely within the Enterprise cargo bay under guarded watch, intact and fully sealed.

After: Remains securely stored in the cargo bay, though a small ultra-potent sample has been extracted for medical analysis.

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S1E23 · Symbiosis

Picard Illuminates Brekkian-Ornaran Narcotic Symbiosis; Felicium Sample Secured

The barrel of Felicium serves as the critical focal point for this event, containing the ultra-potent narcotic whose extraction reveals the substance’s minuscule required dosage and immense potency. It symbolizes the economic lifeblood and moral quandary central to the episode’s conflict.

Before: Securely stored in the Enterprise cargo bay, under guarded watch by security personnel and surrounded by key participants.

After: Remains in the cargo bay, intact and secured, after a small sample is carefully extracted for medical analysis.

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S1E23 · Symbiosis

Picard’s Reluctant Enforcement of the Prime Directive Amidst Felicium’s Toxic Trade

The barrel of Felicium serves as the focal cargo being transported to Ornara. It symbolizes the toxic dependency between the Ornarans and Brekkians, central to the ethical conflict. The transfer represents both a humanitarian concession and a continuation of economic control.

Before: Secured in the cargo hold under Starfleet custody, surrounded by concerned parties.

After: Dematerialized aboard the Enterprise, now in possession of the Ornaran delegation on their home planet Ornara.

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S1E23 · Symbiosis

Picard’s Reluctant Sanction

The freighter coils, though not a separately catalogued object in the canonical list, are referenced verbally as essential spare parts critical to the Ornarans’ freighters — their absence marks Picard's refusal to supply these parts, heightening stakes of survival and trade dependency.

Before: Located in the cargo hold alongside the Felicium barrel, intended as freighter spare parts.

After: Withheld by the Enterprise; remain in storage, not transported to Ornara.

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S1E23 · Symbiosis

Picard Enforces Non-Interference by Withholding Critical Aid

The barrel of Felicium is the central object symbolizing the fragile lifeline between the Ornarans and Brekkians. It is delivered to the alien delegation as a humanitarian gesture, yet it also embodies the destructive addiction and economic control fueling the conflict. It physically represents the contested cargo whose fate carries moral and political weight.

Before: Securely stored in the Enterprise cargo hold, under supervision.

After: Transported via transporter beam down to Ornara with the alien delegation.

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