Object

Etch-A-Sketch-like Targeting Monitor

Geordi La Forge and Ensign Ro clutch the handheld, Etch-A-Sketch-like monitor in the tight crawlspace. Its screen renders a distorted grid of the Ten Forward forcefield, silhouettes of Troi and Picard sharp against the lines, a lighter circle pulsing to mark the plasma weapon's exact line of fire. They peer close, adjusting the weapon until Data's position aligns within the target zone.

2 appearances

Purpose

Displays the plasma weapon's targeting overlay through the forcefield, highlighting a critical circle that must capture all three possessed officers—Troi, Picard, and Data—for the attack to succeed.

Significance

Ro declares all three must enter the circle, locking the crew into a desperate calculus: precise alignment saves the ship but risks their own officers, amplifying the mission's moral tension and technical peril.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S5E15 · Power Play

Geordi and Ro prepare plasma ambush in crawlspace

The etch-a-sketch-like targeting monitor is essential for verifying the plasma weapon’s alignment with the possessed officers in Ten Forward. Geordi and Ro use the monitor to confirm that Troi, Picard, and Data are within the targeting circle, ensuring the ambush will hit all three targets simultaneously. The monitor’s distorted grid reflects the forcefield’s interference, adding a layer of technical challenge to the setup. Its role in this event underscores the crew’s reliance on real-time data and adaptive problem-solving to execute their high-risk plan.

Before: Powered off but ready for activation, its screen blank until aligned with the drilled hole.

After: Activated and displaying the targeting grid, confirming the weapon’s alignment with the three officers.

View full event

S5E15 · Power Play

Plasma weapon targeting confirms possession requirement

The Etch-A-Sketch-like targeting monitor is the visual interface for the plasma weapon’s setup, displaying a distorted grid of Ten Forward’s forcefield and the silhouettes of Troi, Picard, and Data. The monitor’s lighter circle pulses to mark the exact line of fire, allowing Geordi and Ro to adjust the weapon’s position until all three targets are aligned within the circle. Ro’s observation—'All three of them have to be in the circle if it's going to work'—underscores the monitor’s role as the final arbiter of the plan’s feasibility. Its optical distortion mirrors the moral ambiguity of the mission, as the crew must rely on technology to navigate a crisis that tests their ethics.

Before: Powered off and carried into the crawlspace; Geordi and Ro prepare to activate it for the first time.

After: Activated and aligned; the monitor now displays the targeting grid, with the circle positioned to capture all three possessed officers.

View full event