Object

Shuttle Flight Control Console

A compact, vital digital control interface embedded within the shuttlecraft's control systems, the Flight Control Computer features tactile panels and glowing displays that respond to pilot inputs and environmental feedback. During a desperate mission inside Vandor's Manheim Laboratory, it serves as the technological heart coordinating navigation and flight stability under extreme distress. The crew—Data, William Riker, Worf, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard—interact closely with this system as they execute a perilous plan to override a deadly failsafe. Its flickering readouts and control outputs mirror the mounting tension, guiding Riker’s arduous microchip swap and Worf’s heroic door-holding to prevent catastrophic failure.

8 appearances

Purpose

To manage and regulate the shuttlecraft's flight controls, ensuring stable navigation and response to pilot inputs during critical missions.

Significance

The computer's operation is central to the crew's desperate attempt to reverse Manheim’s catastrophic failsafe, making it the linchpin of their survival and the preservation of vital research. Its faltering signals amplify the urgency and stakes of the rescue effort under Captain Picard’s ruthless deadline.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

8 moments

S1E19 · Coming of Age

Jake Kurland's Desperate Shuttle Escape

The flight emergency override is forcibly engaged by Jake Kurland to circumvent the locked shuttle bay doors, enabling the unauthorized launch of the shuttlecraft and escalating the security breach into a critical crisis.

Before: Secured within the shuttle bay control systems, inactive under lockdown protocol.

After: Activated to override security lockdown, allowing shuttle launch.

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S1E19 · Coming of Age

Remmick Intensifies Scrutiny as Kurland Launches Unauthorized Shuttle

The flight emergency override control is forcibly engaged by Jake Kurland to bypass standard shuttle launch protocols, triggering alarms and forcing bridge officers into immediate crisis response mode. It represents a breach of Starfleet security and a challenge to command authority.

Before: Secured and inactive, intended only for authorized emergency use.

After: Activated by Kurland, enabling unauthorized shuttle launch.

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S1E22 · Skin of Evil

Enterprise Responds to Shuttlecraft Thirteen’s Critical Distress

The Flight Control Computer aboard Shuttlecraft Thirteen malfunctions severely during the event, its failure causing loss of shuttle control and contributing to the spiraling descent that endangers the crew.

Before: Fully operational, managing shuttle navigation and flight stability.

After: Fried and non-functional, resulting in loss of control and exacerbating the emergency.

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S1E22 · Skin of Evil

Shuttlecraft Thirteen’s Desperate Descent

The flight control computer aboard Shuttlecraft Thirteen fails dramatically mid-flight, its malfunction directly contributing to the shuttle’s uncontrollable spinning and loss of navigation control, intensifying the crisis.

Before: Operational and managing shuttle navigation and flight control.

After: Fried and nonfunctional, contributing to loss of control.

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S1E22 · Skin of Evil

Riker Survives Armus’s Assault; Picard Orders Immediate Evacuation

The Flight Control Computer is indirectly referenced through the shuttle’s damaged condition and the urgency of the rescue operation. Though not actively used in this moment, the shuttle’s systems failure led to the critical injuries and the need for immediate beam-up authorization.

Before: Malfunctioning and damaged aboard the crashed shuttlecraft on Vagra 2, contributing to shuttle instability.

After: Status unchanged during this event; still damaged and non-functional as the crew evacuates.

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S1E22 · Skin of Evil

Picard Stays to Confront Armus as Away Team Evacuates

The beam-up transporter serves as the critical rescue tool, enabling the rapid evacuation of the away team from the hostile surface. Its use is contingent upon Armus’s reluctant permission, symbolizing the crew’s tenuous control over their fate.

Before: Operational but restricted by Armus’s energy field preventing transport.

After: Successfully executed beam-up of four crew members, with Picard remaining behind, indicating partial mission success.

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S1E22 · Skin of Evil

Picard’s Defiant Confrontation and Armus’s Silent Abduction

The flight control computer of the crashed shuttlecraft is indirectly referenced as the critical system whose compromise led to the shuttle’s crash, underscoring the urgency of the rescue. While not operated during this event, the computer’s prior failure contextualizes the dire condition of Riker and the away team.

Before: Malfunctioning, causing shuttle crash and loss of control.

After: Inactive or damaged, no longer functional due to crash and rescue efforts.

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S1E22 · Skin of Evil

Coordinated Extraction Amidst Armus’s Energy Surge

The flight control computer is programmed by Lieutenant Worf to automatically initiate the transporter beam-up of Counselor Troi and Lieutenant Prieto once the energy field reaches a precise threshold (2.6.2.05). It functions as the vital technical interface enabling timed rescue execution under the captain’s command.

Before: Operational but awaiting programmed command execution.

After: Set to automatic mode to trigger transporter beam-up at the designated energy level.

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