Fabula
Object
Object

Sarjenka's Handheld Transmitter

A small, child‑sized planet‑side communications receiver/transmitter owned by Sarjenka. Physically a compact handheld unit with a short antenna array; its casing is cracked and soot‑streaked, with a bent stub antenna and loose fasteners indicating field repairs. The device bears sentimental wear (scuffed edges and crude sticker residue) and is found among star pictures and a broken lute. Functionally it served as a local relay/beacon that could accept off‑world hails; when polled by the Enterprise it registers silent/destroyed, and that sterile confirmation triggers Data's decisive, unauthorized rescue. Narrative role: a tangible emotional anchor that converts abstract protocol argument into an urgent human obligation.
4 appearances

Purpose

To receive and relay two-way communication signals between Sarjenka's surface and off-world transmitters; to serve as the planetary endpoint for Data's attempts at contact.

Significance

Narratively crucial: its destruction severs Data's last indirect tether to Sarjenka, catalyzing his emotional breakdown and precipitating the protocol breach that forces the crew to confront the Prime Directive's moral stakes.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments
S2E15 · Pen Pals
Transmitter Failure — Data's Last Tether Snapped

The planet‑side remote receiver is explicitly identified by the computer as the cause of the failed contact. Its reported damage turns a technical error into a catastrophic barrier between Data and Sarjenka, transforming procedural failure into moral urgency.

Before: Operational previously (had been receiving weak signals), but vulnerable to planetary damage from seismic events.
After: Reported as damaged/destroyed and therefore incapable of receiving the Enterprise's transmissions in the immediate term.
View full event
S2E15 · Pen Pals
Ash, Recognition, and the Decision to Beam Up

Sarjenka's handheld transmitter lies on the floor as the sentimental reason she stayed. She references it when explaining her presence, making it both emotional proof of connection and the narrative catalyst that humanizes the signal the Enterprise answered.

Before: Cracked, soot-streaked, lying on the floor near the doorway — clearly used and sentimental to Sarjenka.
After: Left behind in the room when Sarjenka is beamed up; remains as physical evidence of loss and the cost of evacuation.
View full event
S2E15 · Pen Pals
The Child's Plea and Data's Reckless Rescue

Sarjenka's handheld transmitter is the emotional catalyst in the scene: it lies on the floor as evidence of loss and determination, and the child declares she rescued it during the evacuation — proof she waited for Data and the reason she returned to the site despite danger.

Before: Cracked, soot-streaked, lying on the floor near the room's detritus, apparently salvaged during the family's evacuation.
After: Implied to be in Sarjenka's possession when she is beamed away with Data, carried as her emotional anchor and evidence of their contact.
View full event
S2E15 · Pen Pals
Data's Defiant Rescue: Beaming Sarjenka to the Enterprise

Sarjenka's handheld transmitter is shown lying on the floor as evidence of her return to the room; its presence explains her risk‑taking and emotional need to return. It functions as the narrative motive for her reappearance and as a tangible connection between child and rescuer.

Before: Cracked, soot‑streaked, and lying on the floor of Sarjenka's room, indicating field repairs and sentimental use.
After: Implicitly remains with Sarjenka as she is positioned for transport and is dematerialized with her aboard the Enterprise.
View full event