 At the Alpha Beta base, a technician tells Buck Murdock that the  piece of equipment he is working on has red lights that go back and  forth, but no other apparent purpose. This piece of equipment has  been seen in many science fiction movies and television shows  (including _Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982)_ (qv), and an  episode of _"Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987)_ (qv)), but its  function is never explained.