Fabula
Location
Location
Space Station (Orbital Waypoint)

Station-Salem Four

Station-Salem Four — an off‑screen orbital station named in TNG S3E15 "Yesterday's Enterprise". Invoked by Picard in the Observation Lounge as a hypothetical strategic target, the station functions narratively as a distant, technical waypoint (docks/sensor arrays/command consoles implied) used to dramatize the moral and operational consequences of altering history. Mentioned only in passing and never shown on-screen.
2 events
2 rich involvements

Detailed Involvements

Events with rich location context

S3E15 · Yesterday's Enterprise
Faith vs. Proof — Picard's Impossible Choice

Station‑Salem Four is referenced hypothetically by Picard to stress the difficulty and ethical complexity of choosing which historical wrongs to right; its invocation compresses operational distance into a moral test-case.

Atmosphere

Evoked rather than present; adds technical, procedural implications to Picard's argument about chains of causality.

Functional Role

Hypothetical target used as a counter‑argument to Guinan's moral certainty.

Symbolic Significance

Functions as an institutional/operational proxy for the unpredictable consequences of temporal interference.

Mentioned as part of Picard's rhetorical questioning Serves to broaden stakes from abstract philosophy to concrete mission logistics
S3E15 · Yesterday's Enterprise
Guinan's Impossible Plea

Station‑Salem Four is named by Picard as another hypothetical target: its mention underscores operational and ethical complexities of warning or protecting past assets and the unforeseeable consequences of intervention.

Atmosphere

Imagined as technical and consequential, its citation adds a procedural dimension to the moral debate.

Functional Role

Hypothetical location invoked to dramatize the difficulty of using history as a lever for present decisions.

Symbolic Significance

Acts as a proxy for the practical unknowns of altering timelines—distance, procedure, and unpredictable outcomes.

No physical presence in the scene—mentioned verbally. Functions purely as a rhetorical device emphasizing operational risk.

Events at This Location

Everything that happens here

2