A cargo bay (or cargo hold) is a general purpose storage area on a starship or starbase.
Cargo bays often have external hatches so that cargo can be deposited directly into the area from another starship. Many are also fitted with large transporter platforms for the same purpose.
It is not uncommon for the large space a cargo bay provides to be utilized for other purposes, such as medical treatment areas in large scale crises, brigs, stasis unit facilities, hydroponics bays, and temporary quarters. On the USS Voyager, a cargo bay was used as permanent quarters for the former Borg drone Seven of Nine.
External link
- Cargo bay article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.