Fabula
Object
Object

Ansata Dimensional Power Source (Armband Subspace Field Coil)

A compact, exotic dimensional power core embedded within Ansata technology, manifesting physically as a palm-sized toroidal subspace field coil in the Ansata armband. The component consists of densely wound layered filaments of an unidentified alloy insulated in brittle polymer sheathing, set into a flattened metal housing. It radiates a faint bluish corona, emits a low nuclear vibration / rhythmic otherworldly pulse detectable on engineering instruments, and shows localized scorching when forcibly removed. Narrative role: the core/coil is the anchor of the Ansata's inter-dimensional capability — its signature is initially detected indirectly by the bridge and later confirmed by direct handling and scans (Wesley, Geordi, Data), which link the device to biologically damaging transit and drive medical, ethical and tactical plot beats.
6 appearances

Purpose

To supply and stabilize the Ansata's dimensional-jump capability — the primary power anchor enabling their dimensional traversal or weaponized dimensional effects.

Significance

Functions as the episode's pivotal technical clue: discovering and fixing on this source transforms abstract horror into a concrete tactical opportunity. Wesley's method to track the core shifts the plot from helplessness to agency, catalyzing a rescue strategy and redirecting the crew's emotional energy into decisive action.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

6 moments
S3E12 · The High Ground
Alexana's Ultimatum: Dehumanization and the Impossible Request

The Ansata armband (subspace field coil) is tossed onto the desk, inspected by Picard, handed to Riker, and approved for transport for technical analysis—transforming from anonymous wreckage into the investigation's first material lead.

Before: Embedded in recovered terrorist gear; physically inside Alexana's office drawer and scarce technical understanding among local investigators.
After: In Picard and Riker's immediate possession with Riker authorized to take it for study by Starfleet engineers and research contacts.
View full event
S3E12 · The High Ground
Armband, Doubt, and Riker's Assignment

The Ansata armband is produced from a drawer and tossed onto the desk as a tactile, baffling clue. Picard inspects it and hands it to Riker; it functions as the scene’s pivot from political rhetoric to technical mystery and will be taken for study.

Before: Contained inside Alexana Devos's office drawer after being recovered from dead terrorists; in Rutian custody.
After: Handled by Picard then given to Riker for transport and study by Enterprise personnel; removed from Rutian custody for examination.
View full event
S3E12 · The High Ground
Elway Link — Lethal Interdimensional Transit Discovered

The dissected Ansata armband's subspace field coil is the forensic hinge of the scene: examined on the pool table, it shows an isolated power source and matches Elway's coil design, providing the physical evidence that links Ansata's technology to inter‑dimensional transport and the fatal consequences Data cites.

Before: Seized, pried open and laid out on the engineering pool table for examination; showing scorching and a faint bluish corona.
After: Remains dissected and retained as primary evidence; its signature is logged and used to query archival files and sensor-filtering strategies.
View full event
S3E12 · The High Ground
Elway Theorem Breakthrough — Crusher Required

The Ansata armband's embedded subspace field coil is physically exposed and inspected; its layered filaments and isolated power source become the key piece of evidence linking the device to Elway's discredited inter‑dimensional transport theory and the faint nuclear vibration readout.

Before: Removed from wearer and opened on the engineering work surface; showing scorch marks and a faint bluish corona, in possession of Wesley and Data.
After: Remain dissected and under active analysis on the engineering table; identified as the probable mechanism for inter‑dimensional transit and flagged as medically dangerous.
View full event
S3E12 · The High Ground
Grief Hardened into Resolve

Referenced as the Ansata dimensional power source that enabled the jump causing the attack; Wesley proposes using the power source's signature as a locking target next time, transforming it from an elusive threat into a tactical beacon.

Before: Active and unlocalized — emitting a distinctive but evasive dimensional signature that permitted an untraceable Ansata jump.
After: Still active and unaddressed operationally; newly identified as a potential target for future tracking per Wesley's proposal.
View full event
S3E12 · The High Ground
Aftermath and Breakthrough: Casualties, Stakes, and a Trackable Threat

Mentioned as the technical target for pursuit: Wesley claims the crew can obtain a fix on the Ansata's dimensional power source the next time the group jumps. The object functions narratively as the single tangible vulnerability that converts vague threat into a trackable objective.

Before: Active but unlocalized; its dimensional jumps and signature make it effectively untrackable and anonymous to Starfleet until further analysis.
After: Remains physically unchanged but becomes a defined target: the crew now believes they can lock onto it in future jumps, elevating it from background menace to tactical objective.
View full event