Ready room - what was that thing on the table?

[NiteTrek]

Just watching some TNG re-runs and noticed something that I often wondered about.

In Picard's Ready Room, there was this rectangular thing that sat on the table. Sometimes Picard would pick it up and look at it like it was a PADD or something. It resembled a circuit board. It was kind of orange colored with black tracing on it.

Anyone know what I'm talking about?

Here is a picture of Picard holding it.

 

[Space Black]

Looks to me like the logical evolution to those "futuristic" clipboards yeomen brought for Kirk to review. Probably reports or the likes?

 

[nx1701g]

^ Those were what PADDs were used for.

I always believed that they were isolinear chips. If you click on them in the Interactive TNG Tech Manual that's what they're identified as.

 

[NiteTrek]

I always believed that they were isolinear chips. If you click on them in the Interactive TNG Tech Manual that's what they're identified as.

So, why would Picard always have one of them sitting in his ready room?

 

[Plecostomus]

Big one for configuring and controlling his desktop computer.

 

[DanCPA]

Big one for configuring and controlling his desktop computer.

I always took it as an extension of his computer...

 

[Triskelion]

The day Lwaxana forgot to wear underwear Picard took a page out of Data's book.

 

[sbk1234]

I always thought that was like a 24th Century Magic Eight Ball, to help with those really big decisions.

 

[Sheliak]

Check the Script?

 

[nx1701g]

I always believed that they were isolinear chips. If you click on them in the Interactive TNG Tech Manual that's what they're identified as.

So, why would Picard always have one of them sitting in his ready room?

Maybe they were like command chips for the computer system. It wasn't explained on the program (just called them Isolinear Chips).

Perhaps it's something like SeaQuest had in season 2. In their Season 2 premire when Captain Bridger activated SeaQuest two he inserted an isolinear chip like device into a computer terminal and the ship came online.

 

[Squiggy]

Crusher also had one in Unification pt 1.

Perhaps Mike or Andy could fill us in.

 

[votd]

Maybe they're like PADDs but don't have the full functionality; maybe they're only used for viewing pre formatted information.

 

[Timewalker]

He probably kept it handy to smack Wesley on the head with.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I always thought that was like a 24th Century Magic Eight Ball, to help with those really big decisions.

Upon careful consideration, this is my favorite answer.

 

[Michael]

Breadboard of the future!

 

[The Old Mixer]

Wait--Maybe it's a Ouija Board! Did Picard bring a curse upon the Enterprise-D...!?!

 

[Flexdog]

It a record of how many days till he can retire from Starfleet

 

[The Old Mixer]

Or maybe it's just a record--his treasured Barry Manilow Live album.

 

[nx1701g]

It a record of how many days till he can retire from Starfleet

Come on everyone knows they die three days before retirement. So I guess it's a death clock.