AT: "mu"
The agony booth on board the ISS Enterprise (NX-01)
Chekov in the agony booth
The agony booth was a disciplinary device utilized aboard Terran starships, for the purpose of torturing disobedient officers. It was also commonly used for interrogations.
Technical information
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 use
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. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")
In the 23rd century, the booth 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 2267, Ensign Pavel Chekov was placed in the booth, subsequent to his attempted assassination of Captain Kirk. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror")