The Zalkonian escape pod was a small craft designed for safe escape from Zalkonian vessels in case of emergency. Part of the computer system of the Zalkonian escape pod consisted of small gel-filled capsules.

In 2366, the Zalkonian known as "John Doe" used one of these escape pods to leave a ship he was using to escape Zalkon that was attacked. "John Doe's" escape pod later crash-landed on an unknown planet in the Zeta Gelis Cluster. When found by the USS Enterprise-D, "John Doe" was rescued from the pod and a single computer capsule was salvaged from the wreckage. (TNG: "Transfigurations")