Mirror Universe
(coexisting on another dimensional plane)
"There's something to be said for a good old-fashioned flogging."

The agony booth on board the ISS Enterprise (NX-01)

Agony Booth-2267, remastered

Chekov in the agony booth

The agony booth, sometimes known as the agonizer booth or simply agonizer, was a disciplinary device utilized aboard Terran starships, for the purpose of torturing disobedient officers. It was also commonly used for interrogations.

Technical informationEdit

The agony booth was capable of stimulating the pain center of virtually any humanoid, a synaptic scan calibrating it for each species. To overcome the limitation of more traditional forms of punishment, in which the nervous system becomes overwhelmed, resulting in the brain becoming desensitized to the pain, the booth's sensors continually shifted the stimulation from one nerve cluster to another, keeping the subject in a constant state of agony.

History and useEdit

The booth was first developed cooperatively by Doctor Phlox and Major Malcolm Reed in 2155, as an alternative to traditional forms of discipline, with the Tellarite crew member Terev having the unfortunate role of test subject. Soon after the booth's initial development, Commander Jonathan Archer subjected Commander Charles Tucker to its effects, when it appeared that Tucker had been responsible for the sabotage of a Suliban cloaking device which Archer had ordered installed. Shortly thereafter, both Archer and Reed were placed in the booth, as punishment for the attempted mutiny against Captain Forrest. The booth was subsequently destroyed when Enterprise was lost in a battle with the Tholians soon after. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")

By the 23rd century, the booth technology was still used to great effect aboard imperial starships, and, when used at full duration, was even capable of causing the subject's death.

In the 2250s, the ISS Shenzhou was equipped with several agony booths located in the ship's brig. After arranging his return from the primary universe, Captain Gabriel Lorca was placed in such a booth. After being brought on board the ISS Charon Lorca was again placed inside an agony booth at the order of the Emperor. (DIS: "Despite Yourself", "Vaulting Ambition")

In 2267, Ensign Pavel Chekov was placed in the booth, subsequent to his attempted assassination of Captain Kirk. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror")

Yield-like warning symbols used on the spatial torpedo are also visible on the ISS Enterprise's (NX-01) agony booth.
The agony booth as seen in "In a Mirror, Darkly" was a reuse of the containment cell used to expose subjects to pathogens in "Cold Station 12", which itself was a reuse from the Star Trek: Voyager episode, "Living Witness".
According to Star Trek Online, by 2409 the Terran Empire has adapted agony booth technology to deliver its effects through special Phaser weapons (both hand-held and ship-mounted), which the player can obtain from the mirror universe-themed lock box under the moniker "Agony Phaser weapons".

See alsoEdit
