Object
Enterprise Hailing Frequencies (Bridge Hailing Channel / Open Hailing Frequency)
A priority ship-to-ship hailing conduit realized aboard the Enterprise bridge as a discrete chime, a bright comm indicator, priority headers and narrow-band waveform traces across console displays, and an audible narrow-band voice path. Activation produces a tight audio image and brief visual headers on main screens; when operators toggle controls the link carries intermittent carrier tones, crackle, or nothing at all if sensors return false positives. Officers react instantly to the channel: Picard issues the open command, Data monitors diagnostic traces, Burke calls sensor status, Worf adjusts audio levels, and Kolrami reads tactical implications—the device snaps bridge attention into focused command posture during contact (or failed contact) events.
71 appearances
Purpose
To establish immediate, priority real-time communications between the USS Enterprise bridge and external vessels or stations for hailing, negotiation, and operational coordination.
Significance
Serves as the narrative trigger and tactical fulcrum in the scene: Picard opens the frequency in response to an apparent Romulan contact, the channel's activity (and absence of a confirming signal) exposes a sensor spoof and forces an urgent tactical pivot, converting perceived crisis into a deliberate operational feint and shifting command momentum on the bridge.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used