Object
Sheliak Transporter
A cold, alien teleportation device aboard a Sheliak craft: concentric, angular emitter rings and dark metallic plating surround a low platform that hums with high‑frequency energy. When the unit activates, the air fractures into shimmering filaments of light and a sharp sonic sting accompanies sudden dematerialization and rematerialization. The transporter snaps Picard and Troi from the Sheliak environment back onto the Enterprise bridge, leaving both officers stunned and the crew visibly shocked.
2 appearances
Purpose
To dematerialize and rematerialize living beings or objects for instantaneous relocation; here employed by the Sheliak as an enforcement and transport mechanism to terminate contact and expel visitors.
Significance
Functions as a coercive plot device that coldly severs diplomacy, publicly humiliates Federation envoys, and accelerates the story from negotiation to desperate, decisive action; its use marks the turning point that forces the Enterprise and the colonists to abandon appeals and move toward improvisation and escalation.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used