Object

Enterprise-C Warp Field Nacelles

Long, tubular warp nacelles jut from the battered Enterprise‑C, their composite housings scorched and seams peeled back to reveal singed coils and sparking conduits. Diagnostic readouts on bridge screens show fluctuating field harmonics; a low, strained hum and occasional metallic groan punctuate alarms. Bridge officers watch the nacelles' telemetry like a dying pulse, urgency sharpening every order.

4 appearances

Purpose

To generate and shape the ship's warp field for faster‑than‑light propulsion and to supply high-capacity power to systems dependent on warp‑field modulation.

Significance

Damage to these nacelles transforms an ethical dilemma into an immediate rescue and tactical crisis: their failing fields mark the Enterprise‑C as crippled, force Picard and his officers to prioritize aid and defense, and raise stakes about altering history by exposing survivors and vulnerability.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S3E15 · Yesterday's Enterprise

The Lost Enterprise Returns — Moral and Tactical Crossroads

Bridge sensors report the Enterprise‑C’s warp nacelles as visibly and functionally compromised; these damaged nacelles serve as concrete evidence of the ship’s inability to escape and underscore the urgency of rescue and repair decisions.

Before: Part of the operative propulsion on the Enterprise‑C but already scorched and failing when the ship emerges.

After: Remains heavily damaged and unreliable, presenting a barrier to the Enterprise‑C’s independent maneuvering or return to its own time.

View full event

S3E15 · Yesterday's Enterprise

Distress Call and Imminent Klingon Closure

Enterprise‑C's warp field nacelles are scanned and identified as heavily damaged; mentioned by Tasha to convey the ship's crippled mobility, they serve as tangible evidence that the older ship cannot maneuver or escape and require engineering attention if rescue is to succeed.

Before: Scorched and structurally compromised aboard the Enterprise‑C; telemetry shows fluctuating harmonics and damaged coils.

After: Remain damaged and nonfunctional; the ship is effectively immobilized pending repairs, reinforcing urgency for external aid.

View full event

S3E15 · Yesterday's Enterprise

Sacrificial Shield: Enterprise‑D Holds the Line

Enterprise‑C's damaged warp nacelles are a visible reminder of her crippled state and the reason Picard orders the protective maneuver — their failing signature motivates the sacrificial action.

Before: Scorched and damaged but still generating waning warp capability.

After: Still damaged; being afforded protection in hopes of re‑entering the temporal rift.

View full event

S3E15 · Yesterday's Enterprise

Picard's Gambit: Shielding the Past

Enterprise-C's warp field nacelles are narrative signifiers of her battered state; the D's protective positioning is intended to shield these critical propulsion components long enough for the C to reach the rift.

Before: Scorched and visibly damaged by preceding combat.

After: Under continuing fire but afforded increased window to reach the temporal rift thanks to Enterprise-D's protection.

View full event