Amber was the fossil resin of an extinct coniferous tree found in ancient deposits on Earth. Occasionally, this resin would hold the fossilized remains of an insect. The term could also refer to an object of the same color.
In 2364, Q, speaking for Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise-D in his starlog, stated that "The Enterprise is now helpless; stuck like an Earth insect in amber…" (TNG: "Hide And Q")
In 2365, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, making his own entry, described his situation in the void as being "… like a fly in amber, trapped." (TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease")
In 2380, Ensign Beckett Mariner told Ensign Brad Boimler that she thought he would end up "stuck in middle management like this pathetic little fly in amber." (LD: "No Small Parts")