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Revisiting Star Trek TNG: The Nth Degree

Barclay! Super-brains! Walks around the arboretum! Here's our latest look-back at Star Trek: The Next Generation season four...

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This review contains spoilers.

4.19 Nth Degree

The episode opens as Lt. Reg Barclay and Dr. Crusher perform some AmDram in front of the crew, whose enlightened 24 th Century dispositions allow them to appreciate even the most stilted and awkward performance. And that’s just from the D-list ensigns they have to shove into every episode now that Wesley’s gone. Everyone congratulates Barclay’s progress even though he’s terrible, and Data even learns a pithy lesson about being polite (and with that box ticked, he basically disappears for the rest of the episode.)

Barclay still isn’t feeling confident, but is happy when Geordi picks him to go on a mission to examine a probe that has disabled the Argus Array, a subspace telescope that has been disabled and needs to be fixed. Geordi and Barclay are just getting into their scans when the probe gives Barclay 10,000 watts to the face, knocking him out completely.

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Back on the ship, Barclay awakes and is instantly more confident in his mannerisms. In fact, he’s even coming up with solutions no-one has thought of before. When the probe turns on the Enterprise he manages to reconfigure some techno-nonsense so that they can blow it up and save the ship, to the obvious surprise of everyone involved. Troi looks on suspiciously.

After suggesting a radical way to fix the damaged Array, Barclay returns to his acting class where he gives a performance so moving that Dr. Crusher weeps openly. Meanwhile Troi looks on suspiciously (again). She eventually speaks to Barclay in Ten-Forward and confronts him about his newfound confidence. He responds by trying to chat her up. She rejects his invitations, but she’s clearly surprised that he felt he could even try.

The next morning, La Forge goes to find Barclay when he fails to make a meeting on time (the ultimate crime on the Enterprise, as we well know) and discovers that he’s arguing string unification with holographic Einstein (who is ploughing his time into theory with only 10 spatial dimensions, the idiot). Barclay apologises, but La Forge is sick of this nonsense and forces him to visit a doctor. It turns out the probe gave him superbrains, and he’s getting smarter all the time.

Of course, not everyone thinks this is particularly great, and the senior staff try to decide whether or not to let him roam around or confine him to quarters. Eventually they decide he’s caused them no obvious harm, so he should be allowed to continue his work. Then he almost instantly plugs his brain into the Enterprises computer and takes it over. Bad call, everyone.

Using the brain-link he designed, Barclay’s consciousness replaces the Enterprise’s computer. Since he no longer responds to orders (or even a friendly chat with Troi) it’s decided that he should be forcibly removed, but that doesn’t work either because he had the foresight to erect forcefields. A diabolical strategy!

As the Enterprise crew run out of options, Barclay uses the engines to warp subspace and transport them 30,000 light years away, to the galactic core. Here, they meet a giant floating head alien who speaks like he was bussed in from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys . Apparently the race in this star system are so lazy that they like to explore by bringing ships to them, so Barclay did exactly what they want. The Enterprise crew stick around to share information, and try not to think about the array they failed to repair.

Unfortunately, Barclay is now back to normal and lacks the super-genius skills that made everyone invite him to their meetings. But he’s feeling slightly more confident in himself, and Troi takes him for a walk around the arboretum as a reward.

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TNG WTF: I know Barclay’s a bit weird, but it takes a LOT of time before anyone starts going “hey, maybe being zapped in the face by an alien flash bulb did something to him.” It’s not like this isn’t a regular occurrence on board the Enterprise. They can’t do five missions without someone being elevated to a higher level of consciousness, or transcending this plane of existence, or being taken over by an alien race.

TNG LOL: Jonathan Frakes really goes to town with his facial expressions in this episode. He’s not given a lot of lines so watching his frankly bizarre choice of reactions to other people’s dialogue had me hypnotised. There’s not a single choice that makes sense.

To Boldly Go: The Enterprise’s all-important mission of exploration sees them sent to fix a broken telescope. Incidentally, they do not complete this task.

Mistakes and Minutiae: A fun little touch that you couldn’t possibly know if you’re watching them in order, but Jim Norton (who plays Holo-Einstein) reprises the role in Season Six. I’ll probably forget to mention it then so I’m mentioning it now

Who’s That Face?: Aha! Not a face this week, but a voice. Ensign blink-and-you’ll-miss-him Brower is David Coburn, the voice of Captain Planet. Yeah, THE Captain Planet. Look impressed because it is impressive.

Time Until Meeting: 15:42. Barclay is invited to sit in on the meeting about how they might fix the Argus array.

Captain’s Log: Maybe it’s just because I like Barclay, but I’ve been really looking forward to this episode, and it did not disappoint. Perhaps my favourite thing is that it didn’t just go full Flowers For Algernon , which would’ve been the easy way out of the plot. Nope, the Enterprise crew completely loses control of the situation and basically they would’ve died if the circumstances had been less benevolent. In narrative terms it’s probably not particularly satisfying for the lead characters to be passive observers to the story’s climax, but as a sci-fi nerd I enjoyed the exploration of an idea through to its natural conclusion.

Dwight Schultz is great, though. This crew is stuffed with hyperconfident, best-in-class types, so it’s always refreshing to get clumsy, bumbling Barclay on stage (in this episode, literally) so that we can watch the characters’ obvious irritation with him. By all rights he probably shouldn’t be on the Enterprise at all, but he’s got such personality that you can’t help but want him in every episode.

Read James’ look-back at the previous episode, Identity Crisis, here .

James Hunt

Star Trek: Every Lt. Barclay Episode Ranked Worst To Best

10. realm of fear.

Star Trek Barclay

This episode was analogous to getting over the fear of flying. as Barclay struggles to go through the transporter which, in the 24th century, is deemed to be the safest form of travel. However, in typical Barclay luck - he turns out to be right!

The episode is another strong showcase of Dwight Schultz's acting talent, not least for keeping his composure with O'Brien's Lycosian Tarantula crawling up his arm at the end - Barclay and spiders, what is with that?!

It is also a great episode for spending a little more time paying attention to a form of technology that has been taken for granted since the show's inception. The transporter was invented for budgetary reasons, allowing the crew to travel down to a planet each week without having to go through the expense of building shuttle sets. Yet, despite that, there haven't been that many episodes exploring the nature of the technology.

This episode is one of the first of the Next Generation's sixth season, which would also feature Relics and another life-saving use of the transporter. A strong episode overall and another look into Barclay's many, many neuroses.

Writer. Reader. Host. I'm Seán, I live in Ireland and I'm the poster child for dangerous obsessions with Star Trek. Check me out on Twitter @seanferrick

Sometime in 2004, Kris decided to edit a video for a laugh. Well, the joke was on him it seems because now he has to come to WhatCulture and do it every single day. All that's really changed in that time is that now he exports to YouTube instead of a VHS. Yes, an actual VHS, that's how long he's been honing his craft.

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Published Dec 1, 2023

How Reginald Barclay Changed Starfleet for the Better

There has to be room for people like Barclay in Starfleet's future.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

StarTrek.com

Starfleet’s ideals act as its driving force, shaping the future into a utopia where humanity strives for knowledge and self-improvement. The organization itself is filled with passionate and deeply skilled people, all exceptional at their jobs. Star Trek is packed with fantastic role models, and its positive message about hope and optimism for the future makes the show perfect “comfort watching.”

But it was during Star Trek: The Next Generation that Gene Roddenberry reportedly noticed that a certain character type was missing. What if there was someone who just didn’t fit in? Late in the series' third season, the show introduced a new character that would challenge Starfleet, who would later go on to span an 11-year character arc and ultimately be instrumental in getting the U.S.S. Voyager home — Lieutenant Reginald Barclay.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - 'Hollow Pursuits' Barclay stands in the holodeck

"Hollow Pursuits"

In his debut, “ Hollow Pursuits ,” we see how fellow crew members initially consider Barclay. Early in the episode, Riker and La Forge openly discuss unsatisfactory reports caused by Barclay’s inability to fit in. The officer instinctively shields himself from their view using stacked cargo containers, coming across as neither professional nor subtle. Routinely late, distracted, insecure, he just isn’t what a model officer is expected to be, and the matter is soon escalated to the captain, with Riker adding Barclay’s “seclusive tendencies” at the Academy.

“I guess the question is whether Mr. Barclay is Enterprise material,” Riker says. Instead of transferring Barclay, Picard chooses to give him the chance to show what he can do and urges them to change their attitudes. He’s sympathetic, seeing a common bond, “[He] chose this way of life. He has made the same commitment to Starfleet that we all have.”

Riker looks down at a Barclay who looks down and can't meet his eye in 'Hollow Pursuits'

But Starfleet’s rigid expectations don’t disappear overnight. Later in the episode, La Forge reaches out to Guinan for advice. She talks about Barclay’s strengths, but when La Forge says Barclay “just doesn’t fit in here,” Guinan responds with a story about her uncle, whom she describes as “sort of the family misfit.” She says the idea of fitting in repels her. As La Forge continues to complain about Barclay’s faults and nervousness, Guinan says, “If I felt that nobody wanted to be around me, I'd probably be late and nervous too.” We learn about Barclay’s character, how the system deals with people who don’t fit in, and about the pressure of living up to the Starfleet standard. With Picard’s loyalty to individuals who make a commitment to Starfleet, and Guinan’s ability to connect with people, we have two trusted voices countering the adversarial attitude of the senior staff.

Barclay in his Starfleet uniform lies down in the lap of a simulation Beverly Crusher on the Holodeck

“Hollow Pursuits” also introduces the topic of ‘Holo-addiction,’ although arguably Barclay’s use of the holodeck is less an addiction than a compulsion . Barclay’s mental health isn’t discussed specifically, but his anxiety and inability to move away from fixations may imply OCD to some viewers, where compulsive behavior seeks to relieve anxiety. We see Barclay’s reliance on the holodeck grow, with his programs often featuring the Enterprise crew and himself, the hero of the story.

After discovering one of the programs, La Forge is concerned about Barclay’s actions and opens up about his own experiences with Leah Brahms in “ Booby Trap ." It’s this opening that paves the way for arguably the best and most raw scene of the episode, a defining character moment for Barclay. He’s honest about his trouble fitting in, telling his commander, “Being afraid all the time of forgetting somebody's name, not knowing what to do with your hands. I mean, I'm the guy who writes down things to remember to say when there's a party. And then when he finally gets there, he winds up alone in the corner trying to look comfortable examining a potted plant. 'Just shy.' Sounds like nothing serious, doesn't it? You can't know.”

But it’s at the end of the episode, after being instrumental in helping La Forge identify a threat to the ship, that attitudes begin to change. Confident in his newfound value on the ship and in the relationships that he’s begun to forge, he bids the holographic crew goodbye and deletes the program.

Close-up of Reginald Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation - 'The Nth' Degree'

"The Nth Degree"

A year later, in “ The Nth Degree ,” Barclay is now more involved in group activities on the ship, taking part in one of Dr. Crusher’s plays. Troi and Riker, previously wary of Barclay, rush to congratulate him on the progress he’s made in the past year. Troi doesn’t spare the praise, “You used to withdraw onto the holodeck. Look at yourself now. Look at all the other people you're with. You're not just acting, you're interacting. Give yourself some credit.” There’s a noticeable effort being made to include him, and this genuine affection is an ongoing theme throughout the episode.

As a result of an encounter with an alien probe, Barclay becomes increasingly intelligent and competent. But as his confidence turns into arrogance, he gets called on it. In frustration, he argues, “What? Because I'm beginning to behave like the rest of the crew? With confidence in what I'm doing?”

Geordi La Forge, Barclay, and Deanna Troi enjoy drinks at 10 Forward in 'The Nth Degree'

His behavior drives away the friends who have come to genuinely respect him. Even so, Barclay’s empathy and friendship are still obvious. In fact, he sacrifices himself for the crew, although the alien species who sent the probe eventually intervene, saving Barclay’s life. In the closing scene, Barclay is in 10 Forward with La Forge and Troi. He’s returning to normal. His friends sit and support with him as he comes to terms with the past few days. There’s a genuine sense of understanding.

Barclay returns two years later, in “ Realm of Fear .” On an away mission to the U.S.S. Yosemite , an abandoned Starfleet vessel, Chief O’Brien’s warning of a “bumpy ride” is too much for the transporter-phobic Barclay who experiences a panic attack. While Barclay is noticeably more anxious than before, two things reflect the positive changes that the Enterprise has made.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - 'Realm of Fear'

"Realm of Fear"

One of them is how others react to Barclay’s anxieties. O’Brien and Barclay talk about the former’s own fears, solidifying the idea that a model officer isn’t always fearless or confident. Later, when Barclay does beam over and sees a shape in the beam, La Forge and O’Brien help him investigate it. And when Barclay is short and somewhat irrational with the transporter chief, O’Brien recognizes that he’s acting out of anxiety and defuses the situation.

The second demonstration of that positive change is in how the senior staff talk to Barclay. When he steps off the transporter pad on the Yosemite , he’s visibly shaken. A friendly La Forge welcomes him without judgment and Riker also shows Barclay support. No one condemns Barclay for needing time to deal with his anxieties, and they recognize that he managed to take the leap despite deep-seated reservations.

Soon Barclay realizes that there is something trapped in the beam. The matter is taken seriously, not because they have to, but rather because the Enterprise has created an atmosphere where discourse and different viewpoints are welcomed. Barclay’s word is accepted like that of any other Starfleet officer. The crew soon discovers that Barclay’s claim is correct, proving himself instrumental in saving the Yosemite ’s missing crew members.

Eventually, Barclay transfers from the Enterprise to Starfleet Command to work on the Pathfinder project to establish contact with Voyager .

Barclay holds on to his pet cat in 'Pathfinder'

"Pathfinder"

“ Pathfinder ” begins as Barclay walks Troi through the events leading to his dismissal from his latest project and admits that he’s become obsessed with Voyager . His approach is at odds with the rest of the officers on the project. Commander Pete Harkins appreciates Barclay’s dedication to the project, but he doesn’t believe in his plan to create a wormhole that would allow communication with Voyager .

Barclay starts repeating old behavior, having recreated the Voyager crew in the holodeck. But the program is different from the ones he used to run on the Enterprise ; those were an outlet for his frustration. Here, he interacts with a crew who appreciate him. We see how he’s fallen back into old habits, even though he insists he’s working out technical problems. But it’s clear that the simulation isn’t just about his work. He’s lacking friends; ever since he left the Enterprise , Barclay has been struggling to cope. He feels as if he lost his family.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Owen Paris puts his hand on Reginald Barclay's arm in 'Pathfinder'

During Admiral Paris’ visit the next day, Barclay mentions his wormhole idea against Harkins’ orders. When Harkins dismisses Barclay’s theory as premature, Barclay loses his temper; he feels they are betraying the people stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Admiral Paris doesn’t take kindly to the implication that he has forgotten about his own son, and Harkins dismisses Barclay for the day.

Whatever support or comfort Barclay may have taken from the Voyager simulation, he was serious about using it for research. Lack of progress caused Harkins to lose faith in Barclay’s suggestions, but with the false support of the holographic Voyager senior staff, Barclay can work whilst feeling like absolute faith has been placed on him.

It’s hard for Starfleet to see this in a positive light. When Harkins discovers what Barclay has been up to, it raises concerns about his mental health, but before Barclay can be removed from the project, a transmission from Voyager is received. The connection is brief, but it’s enough for the Admiral to talk to his son, and to let them know that Starfleet is going to bring them home.

Harkins credits the achievement to Barclay, and lightyears away in the Delta Quadrant, Voyager celebrates their new “honorary member of the Voyager crew.” The Doctor talks about Barclay’s colorful career and unusual medical history, but Janeway sums it up, “Well, whatever his problems, he certainly came through for us.”

In Star Trek: Voyager 's final season, Starfleet attempts to transmit a holographic version of Barclay to Voyager in order to help create a geodesic fold in space that would allow them to reach Alpha Quadrant. However, the transmission is hijacked by the Ferengi. Far more confident and self-aware than its creator, the hologram mingles easily with the Voyager crew. In fact, the personalities are so different that Barclay is considered to be completely separate from the hologram. Or as Kim puts it, “Hope [the real Barclay is] not too shy. He's going to have a 150 new friends when we get back home.”

Back on Earth, on the Pathfinder project, Barclay is trying to figure out why the transmission abruptly ended. In frustration, Barclay seeks out Troi; it’s with the counselor and the admiral’s support that Barclay ends up ultimately saving Voyager .

Future Barclay raises a champagne glass in celebration in 'Endgame'

"Endgame"

We last see Barclay in Voyager ’s finale, “ Endgame ,” set both in the present day and 26 years into the future. In the future, he’s gathered with his “adopted” family as they celebrate the 10th anniversary of their return to the Alpha Quadrant. There’s a real sense of long-lasting friendships and a boost in confidence that comes from being among equals. We also learn that Barclay is one of the few friends who continues to visit Tuvok regularly. So, when Admiral Janeway asks for his help on a clandestine mission, there’s a genuine sense of trust. He offers to go with her, knowing that it may be a one-way trip, but she turns him down. She thanks Barclay, saying she wouldn’t have been able to do this without him, her statement genuine and heartfelt.

Barclay’s character grows throughout The Next Generation and Voyager , as he finds new things that ground him and give him confidence. In that glimpse of the future, we see that he has flourished, surrounded by the friends that returned to him from the Delta Quadrant, brought home in great part by his determination. The guidelines, achievements, and sense of direction Starfleet provides to its people often failed this competent and passionate officer. He represents aspects of humanity that are easily overlooked or lost. Originally a candidate for a transfer off the Enterprise , he makes a difference time and time again. He was enabled by his fellow officers’ efforts to create an open and welcoming atmosphere. Even when his superiors didn’t take the time to listen, that didn’t stop Barclay. He was driven to understand a situation fully in order to help others.

Starfleet is rigid in its structure, and it needs to be in order to be able to sustain itself. Someone like Barclay doesn’t fit their definition of a “model officer,” and Barclay isn’t one. Even so, he is invaluable.

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This article was originally published on March 5, 2021.

Based in London, Rachel Perkins (she/her) is a writer with a passion for Star Trek, video games, cats, and Nancy Drew. She can often be found writing for The Sudden Stop and Positively Tomb Raider. Find her on Twitter @JadenRachel.

Illustrated collage featuring Star Trek's Number One, Kasidy Yates, Carol Marcus, Ro Laren, Lursa, Edith Keeler, Rachel Garrett, and Lily Sloane

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

The nth degree (1991), dwight schultz: barclay.

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Dwight Schultz in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Quotes 

Barclay : Computer, begin new program. Create as follows: workstation chair. Now, create a standard alphanumeric console, positioned for the left hand. Now an iconic display console, positioned for the right hand. Tie both consoles into the Enterprise main computer core, utilizing neural-scan interface.

Enterprise Computer : There is no such device on file.

Barclay : No problem. Here's how you build it.

Commander William T. Riker : [after Barclay has managed to raise the shield strength by 300%]  Mr. Barclay! Everyone's still trying to figure out exactly how you did it.

Barclay : Well, it... it just occurred to me that I could set up a frequency harmonic between the deflector and the shield grid, using the warp field generator as a power flow anti-attenuator, and that, of course, naturally created an amplification of the inherent energy output.

Commander William T. Riker : [clueless]  U-huh, I see that...

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge : Reg, ever since our run-in with that probe, something's different about you.

Barclay : What? Because I'm beginning to behave like the rest of the crew? With confidence in what I'm doing?

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge : You just spent the entire night arguing grand unification theories with Albert Einstein!

Barclay : The Cytherians are exploring the galaxy, just as we are. The only difference is that they never leave their home. They bring others here. Their only wish: an exchange of knowledge. They want to know us!

[last lines] 

[Barclay analyzes a chess game and makes the next move] 

Barclay : Checkmate in nine moves.

[he rejoins Troi for a walk] 

Counselor Deanna Troi : I didn't know you played chess.

Barclay : I don't.

[Barclay is back to his old self] 

Counselor Deanna Troi : So how much do you remember?

Barclay : I - I remember doing everything. I just don't remember how or why.

Counselor Deanna Troi : How do you feel now?

Barclay : Smaller.

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge : Just plain old Barclay, huh?

Barclay : Always seems to come back to that, doesn't it?

Barclay : Wouldn't you like to take a walk with me through the arboretum? The zalnias should be in bloom.

Counselor Deanna Troi : Reg, as your former counselor, I don't think it would be appropriate.

Barclay : I don't need a counselor. What I need is the company of a charming, intelligent woman.

Counselor Deanna Troi : [indulgent]  Good night, Mr. Barclay.

Barclay : I've finally become the person I've always wanted to be. Do we have to ask why?

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge : Yeah, I think we do.

Barclay : I perceive the universe as a single equation, and it is so simple!

Barclay : The moon, yes, that'll be my home, my... Paradise. I shall find there all the souls that I love: Socrates, Galileo... And when I arrive, they will question my worthiness. "What the devil is *he* doing there among us?" Philosopher, scientist, poet, musician, duellist! Here lies Hercule Savinien De Cyrano de Bergerac!

[to Beverly, as Roxane] 

Barclay : I would not have you weep any less for that charming, good and handsome Christian. I only ask this: that as the great cold surrounds my bones, you allow a double meaning for your mourning veil. And when you let fall your tears for him, some few will be... for me.

Doctor Beverly Crusher : [blinking away tears]  ... That was a real improvement.

Doctor Beverly Crusher : [analyzing Barclay's brainpower]  I couldn't even guess at your IQ level now.

Barclay : Probably somewhere between 1200 and 1450.

Doctor Beverly Crusher : But that isn't all. The corpus callosum, the connecting bridge between both sides of the brain? It is so active now that the hemispheres are essentially behaving as one.

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge : So it's not just raw intelligence we're talking about here?

Doctor Beverly Crusher : No. Creativity, resourcefulness, inspiration, imagination, they've all been enhanced. Lieutenant - you could very well be the most advanced human being who has ever lived.

Counselor Deanna Troi : Reg, you've frightened all of us. I'm sure that wasn't your intent.

Barclay : Young children are sometimes frightened of the world. That doesn't mean that their parents should let them stay in their cribs.

Barclay : Trust me!

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Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S4E19 "The Nth Degree"

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Original air date: April 1, 1991

Lieutenant Barclay has taken up acting in his spare time. Even though he's pretty awful, Counselor Troi applauds him for his progress, as last time we saw him he would never have had the nerve to perform in front of an audience. But that isn't to say that he’s entirely moved beyond feeling awkward around other people; in particular, he doesn't appreciate his own successes as much as Troi and La Forge do. After everyone else leaves, he sits alone on the stage.

Anyway, the Enterprise 's next mission is to investigate the Argus Array, a large unmanned radio telescope at the edge of Federation space, which inexplicably went silent two months ago. They discover a mysterious probe, which they conclude is the most likely culprit, and send out La Forge and Barclay in a shuttlecraft to get a closer look. Barclay thanks La Forge for choosing him for the assignment, and La Forge tells him that he's one of the ship’s top engineers, and it’s about time he got in on some of the interesting stuff. Just then, the probe emits a flash of light that knocks Barclay unconscious and disables the shuttle. The two are transported to Sickbay, where Dr. Crusher checks them out. She tells Barclay that he seems to be fine, but she’ll have to wait for some test results to know for sure. Rather abruptly, Barclay starts to make radical suggestions about how she could run the tests faster.

The probe begins approaching the Enterprise and building up some sort of energy field. They back away from it, but it matches their velocity, and their phasers do nothing to it. They can't fire photon torpedoes because the probe is too close. Barclay, acting on his own, somehow boosts shield capacity by 300% and tells Picard he can now fire photon torpedoes, which do the trick. With the probe out of the way, the crew can focus on repairing the array, which La Forge estimates will take two to three weeks. Barclay interrupts and says that he can do it in just two days by creating a new computer program to install into the array. Troi remarks to him that his confidence seems greatly improved and he agrees, though he can't explain what sparked it. It's enough for him to smoothly ask Troi on a date in the arboretum, and though she turns him down, citing professional ethics, she seems rather tempted. Even his acting has gotten better; Crusher is moved to tears by his performance in a rehearsal.

The next morning, though, it seems as if he's fallen back into his old habits—he misses a scheduled meeting, and La Forge tracks him to the holodeck. But instead of working his frustrations out against caricatures of his crewmates, he's kicking around some quantum physics theories with Albert Einstein . La Forge remarks that the ideas they were discussing were out of his league and should have been out of Barclay’s league as well. He's sure there’s something fishy going on, though Barclay is offended by the implication that being mediocre and awkward is his natural state. Nevertheless, Dr. Crusher confirms that his brain has dramatically changed since his encounter with the probe—enough to make him the smartest human being to ever exist.

The Argus Array's reactors go critical as they attempt to repair it, and Barclay finds the computers to be too slow, so he goes to the holodeck to build one of his own. With seconds remaining before a catastrophic overload that will destroy the Array (and probably the Enterprise with it), the reactors shut down, and when the bridge crew inquires how it happened, the computer responds in Barclay's voice. He has literally connected his brain to the ship’s computer systems. Picard orders him to break the connection immediately, but he and the computer are now inextricably linked. Any attempt to pull him out would kill him.

To make matters worse, Barclay soon decides to stop listening to Picard's orders and takes control of the Enterprise himself. He develops a way to move the ship at greater than warp speed and prepares to jump. Troi goes to the holodeck to reason with him, but he doesn't listen. He also blocks Geordi’s attempt to set up a computer bypass through Engineering. Running out of options, Picard orders Worf to disconnect Barclay by force, but Barclay’s set up a force field to protect himself. The ship jumps through Barclay's whatever-it-is, coming out 30,000 light-years away from where they started. When they get there, the computer is suddenly under their control again, and a giant floating head appears on the bridge. Barclay shows up, disconnected from the computer, to explain that the probe was built by an alien race called the Cytherians, who are interested in exploring the galaxy. Instead of leaving their home, though, the Cytherians send out probes loaded with the technical knowledge needed for other races to reach them so the two groups can learn from each other. Their probe was supposed to reprogram the computer of any ship it encountered, but it failed with both the Argus Array and the shuttle; it did, however, successfully reprogram Barclay's brain.

The Enterprise spends ten days conversing with the Cytherians before being returned to Federation space. Barclay is safely disconnected from the computer, and he's more or less back to normal again . Troi and Geordi comfort him over his loss of confidence and super-intelligence. They tell him that this experience might help him grow, and either way he's still an important part of the crew. Troi even agrees to go on that walk in the arboretum with him. As they leave Ten Forward, Barclay stops to suggest a move to a woman playing chess, announcing checkmate in nine moves.

Tropes in this episode include:

  • Bait-and-Switch : When Barclay doesn't show up to a meeting, Geordi tracks him to the holodeck, thinking he's fallen back on his addiction as seen in " Hollow Pursuits ." Instead, he finds Barclay debating advanced quantum physics with Albert Einstein.
  • Brain/Computer Interface : Barclay creates one in order to shut down the Argus Array, since typing commands and reading screens proves too slow. Unfortunately, his mind expands into the Enterprise computer systems such that disconnecting him would kill him.
  • Brain Uploading : Barclay starts out simply trying to create a Brain/Computer Interface , but he ultimately puts so much of his mind into the computer that it effectively becomes his brain.
  • A Day in the Limelight : For Barclay.
  • "Flowers for Algernon" Syndrome : Barclay goes from his usual stuttering self to a confident mega-genius and back again.
  • Huge Holographic Head : How the Cytherians present themselves to the Enterprise crew.
  • Gratuitous German : Einstein exclaims "Gruß Gott!" while working with Barclay. This is actually a salutation in Southern Germany, mostly Bavaria, and Austria. He should have said "Mein Gott!"
  • Improbably High I.Q. : Barclay estimates his I.Q. under the probe's influence is in the 1200 to 1450 range. Just a little under what Q said his was in " Deja Q ."
  • Insufferable Genius : Barclay's self-confidence shoots through the roof when he becomes super-intelligent. He becomes prone to inserting himself in conversations and going over Geordi's head when he feels it necessary.
  • Negative Space Wedgie : Computer!Barclay figures out how to generate one from the Enterprise's Bussard Collectors, sending the ship over 30,000 light years away to the center of the galaxy.
  • Not Himself : The normally withdrawn Barclay is suddenly more open and proactive after being exposed to the probe.
  • Nothing Personal : Barclay says this to Worf and his security mooks, when they come to the holodeck to disconnect him by force. Barclay: I want you to know, Lieutenant Worf, that I understand your duty in this matter. And that I in no way will take your actions personally.
  • Not Quite Back to Normal : As demonstrated by his chess insight at the end, Barclay seems to retain some small trace of his temporary intellect.
  • "Not So Different" Remark : Barclay explains that the Cytherians are on the same mission as Starfleet: exploring the galaxy. The difference is, they use their probes to bring other races to their homeworld, rather than fly out into space themselves.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business : Geordi takes Barclay to see Dr. Crusher after finding him discussing grand unification theories with Albert Einstein on the holodeck, as those theories should have been well out of his league.
  • Properly Paranoid : The crew make sure to disconnect the audio and visual pickups when discussing what to do about Barclay.
  • Naturally, the computer-linked hyper-intelligent Barclay has to respond to Picard's order to disconnect with " I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. "
  • Barclay performs two scenes from Cyrano de Bergerac as the title character. Like Cyrano, Barclay is talented but lacks confidence.
  • Smart People Play Chess : In the episode's last scene, Barclay reveals that some residue of his superintelligence might have remained by making a genius move in chess, even though he didn't previously play.
  • Smug Super : Though he still seems fairly friendly, the way Barclay refers to the the rest of the crew as "scared children" when talking to Troi comes off as pretty arrogant. Troi: Are we children to you, now? Barclay: I can see so much more than you are capable of.
  • Status Quo Is God : Barclay makes several impressive modifications to the Enterprise's systems, including 300% stronger shields and the ability to jump halfway across the galaxy in minutes. Naturally, all of these improvements are gone by the next episode.
  • Sufficiently Advanced Alien : The Cytherians are an incredibly advanced race who help Barclay develop technology that can seemingly do the impossible. Appropriately, the member of their species that we see looks like a white-bearded wizard.
  • Stylistic Suck : Barclay's first stage performance is stilted, awkward, and riddled with flubs. Even Data grimaces.
  • Technobabble : Barclay's enhanced intelligence comes with heaping helpings of this. Barclay: It just occurred to me that I could set up a frequency harmonic between the deflector and the shield grid... using the warp field generator as a power flow anti-attenuator and that of course naturally created an amplification of the inherent energy output. Riker: Uh-huh, I see that.
  • Unwitting Instigator of Doom : The Cytherian probe was just doing its job of communicating with alien computers, not realizing that its signal was harmful to Federation technology.
  • Wham Shot : Barclay sitting calmly in a chair on the holodeck with lasers shooting into his head, speaking through the computer without moving his mouth.
  • You Are Too Late : Said word for word by Barclay when Geordi tries to bypass his link to the ship's computer.
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation S4E18 "Identity Crisis"
  • Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation S4E20 "Qpid"

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Memory Alpha

Realm Of Fear (episode)

  • View history
  • 1.2 Act One
  • 1.3 Act Two
  • 1.4 Act Three
  • 1.5 Act Four
  • 1.6 Act Five
  • 2 Memorable quotes
  • 3.1 Production history
  • 3.2 Story and script
  • 3.3 Production
  • 3.4 Continuity
  • 3.5 Reception
  • 3.6 Video and DVD releases
  • 4.1 Starring
  • 4.2 Also starring
  • 4.3 Guest stars
  • 4.4 Co-stars
  • 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
  • 4.6 Stand-ins
  • 4.7 References
  • 4.8 External links

Summary [ ]

The USS Enterprise -D responds to the stricken vessel USS Yosemite . The crew of the Yosemite all have disappeared and due to its proximity to a plasma streamer, the only way to get there safely is by bridging the transporter systems of the two ships. As the away team prepares to beam over one by one, Transporter Chief O'Brien informs each of them that due to disturbances in the plasma field , they may be experiencing problems during transportation. When Lieutenant Barclay hears this, he becomes very nervous and refuses to transport over, rushing out of the transporter room soon after Worf , Riker , and Doctor Crusher all have beamed over to the Yosemite .

Act One [ ]

Barclay, who is experiencing some form of transporter phobia , speaks to Counselor Troi in her office about his troubles and she introduces him to a Betazoid relaxation technique known as plexing . However, completely unconvinced and still tapping himself on the neck as he walks out the door he returns to the transporter room, preparing himself for the ride. He's comforted a little by O'Brien, who tells him about his fear of spiders , which he conquered by crawling through a Jefferies tube past twenty Talarian hook spiders , to repair a damaged emitter array on Zayra IV .

On the Yosemite , there's no sign of survivors, yet the escape pods are all in place and the transporter is functional. Dr. Crusher finds a body, ship's engineer Joshua Kelly . When Barclay finally materializes on the Yosemite , Lieutenant Commander La Forge asks him to download the ship's science logs. They collect fragments from a broken container and the body for further analysis on the Enterprise .

Meanwhile, Picard communicates with Admiral Hayes , who mentions Ferengi allegations of Cardassian destruction of two freighters and is concerned that, if the Yosemite was attacked as well, it would signal large-scale movements in the sector.

The landing party then beams back to the Enterprise . During transport, Barclay has an awful vision of a worm-like creature swimming around in the matter stream and touching his arm. He steps off of the transporter pad nervous and shaking after O'Brien tells him it wasn't so bad.

Act Two [ ]

Barclay is in engineering with La Forge while they try putting the logs together. Seeing them too badly damaged, La Forge turns to the broken sample container for clues. Plagued by what he saw, however, he asks La Forge if he had ever seen anything unusual while he was being transported. La Forge says he hasn't. Barclay then tells La Forge of his recent experience and La Forge has the transporter undergo a full diagnostic.

In the transporter room, despite the exhaustive diagnostic of all subsystems and La Forge's and O'Brien's insistence that " transporting really is the safest way to travel ", Barclay marvels at the job the transporters do consistently without accidents, but also how easy they are to occur . He thinks back to his Transporter Theory classes at Starfleet Academy taught by Doctor Olafson . The empirical evidence of only a couple accidents in the past ten years is hard to argue with, however. Barclay brings up transporter psychosis , too, but there hasn't been a case of that in the past fifty years since the perfection of multiplex pattern buffers.

Barclay's arm glows in Ten Forward

Barclay starting to glow

In sickbay , Dr. Crusher and Nurse Ogawa examine Kelly's body and determine that it isn't alive, but residual ionization causes muscular activity. The heart starts beating, so Crusher quickly tries a cardio-stimulator , but the activity disappears. Then, neuro-electric activity in the cerebral cortex is detected, then gone. He breathes, then it's gone.

Barclay goes to Ten Forward to try to relax, but then finds his left arm glowing blue like during the transporter. Something must be wrong and he leaves.

Act Three [ ]

Barclay goes to his quarters, drinking lots of water and even going so far as to diagnose himself with transporter psychosis after asking the computer in his quarters for causes and symptoms from the Starfleet Medical Database . Barclay ascribes his symptoms, especially hallucinations , to his transporter psychosis but keeps quiet about it.

In the observation lounge , Crusher reports her findings, and they suspect that the ship's crew decided to beam aboard a container of plasma from the matter in the streamer which exploded. La Forge and Data go to engineering to examine the container, and find the residual ionization that Dr. Crusher found on the body. Data suggests to re-create the beam-in.

At the end of the conversation, Data and La Forge notice Barclay's preoccupation and La Forge asks him to get some rest. He also asks Counselor Troi to check on him, who then relieves him of duty temporarily when she finds him pacing the corridors and being agitated. However, while trying to sleep in his quarters, he finds his arm glowing again.

Act Four [ ]

Reginald Barclay in the observation lounge with senior staff

" Let me get this straight, you think this thing was alive? "

Barclay decides to take action and goes to the transporter room, ordering O'Brien there very early in the morning . He tells a tired O'Brien that La Forge wanted him to conduct a scan inside the matter stream with a tricorder to obtain readings on the fluctuations. O'Brien informs Barclay that they could do that simply from the transporter console . Barclay says that the sensors may not be sensitive enough and pulls rank on O'Brien, ordering him to do it. O'Brien dutifully follows his orders but tells Barclay that he forgot to bring a tricorder with him. He grimaces and asks the chief that he needs to know if there is something in the stream or if he is going crazy. O'Brien understands and initiates transport. Barclay, inside the matter stream, sees the creature again, and upon materializing, tells O'Brien to wake the senior staff immediately.

In the observation lounge, Barclay reports to the senior staff what has been going on with him and what he saw. Picard orders another diagnostic on the transporter system and asks Worf to initiate a level 3 security alert. Dr. Crusher also wants to run a micro-cellular scan on him, which does confirm the residual ionization like on Lieutenant Kelly's body and the sample container. Barclay is convinced re-creating the beam-in of the material will shed light, and Riker agrees.

Data and La Forge beam in experiment from the Yosemite

Data and La Forge in engineering

They attempt to recreate conditions on the Yosemite . They first take the precaution of setting up a force field around the container. A sample of the plasma streamer is beamed aboard the Enterprise successfully, however, while running a resonance frequency scan, it explodes, though the explosion is contained within the force field. La Forge also detects highly complex patterns of biomagnetic energy. Barclay suddenly collapses, and La Forge and Data rush to him. When they turn him over, they see that multiple parts of his body are now glowing.

Act Five [ ]

Barclay saves a Yosemite crewmember

Barclay saving a crewmember from the Yosemite

In sickbay, La Forge and Data tells Barclay the plasma is full of quasi-energy microbes, who disliked the scan and thus made the sample container explode. Dr. Crusher discovers some of the microbes from the Yosemite have gotten into Barclay's bloodstream during transport back to the Enterprise and this is what has been causing his symptoms. La Forge and O'Brien decide the transporter could be used, once proper adjustments were made, to filter the microbes from Barclay's body while holding him in a stasis.

In the transporter room, they run the process. Once Barclay is inside the beam, he sees the creatures again. Suddenly Barclay seizes one of the creatures in his arms and doesn't let go. When he rematerializes, he has another person in his grasp, one of the Yosemite crew members. Barclay tells Worf and his security team that there are three more crew members caught in the beam and instructs them how to save the rest of them. Barclay explains to La Forge and Crusher that he realized the crew of the Yosemite was also trying to cleanse themselves of the quasi-energy microbes, which the Yosemite crewman confirms. Lieutenant Kelly had tried to program the biofilter but pushed molecular dispersion past the integrity point, trapping them; Barclay speculates that residual energy from the plasma streamer had amplified the charge in the buffer sufficiently to prevent their patterns from degrading. Worf and the security team then return with three other members of the Yosemite crew.

O'Brien meets Barclay at Ten Forward, and shows him his pet Lycosa tarantula , whom he adopted and named Christina after getting over his arachnophobia. The chief remarks that he almost stepped on her when he discovered her on Titus IV .

He gets up to grab some drinks, while the tarantula crawls up Barclay's arm, who is nervously waiting for O'Brien to return…

Memorable quotes [ ]

" I'm sorry, I just can't do this! "

" I know, it sounds crazy, but… " " It's not crazy at all. You are being taken apart molecule by molecule. "

" I'm going to beam over there. I can do it! "

" See, sir? That wasn't so bad, was it? "

" Reg, transporting really is the safest way to travel. "

" Commander La Forge said you seemed a little nervous this morning." " I'm always nervous. Everybody knows that."

(Gentle ocean and bird noises playing) " Mmm… computer, more birds." (Loud squawking) (More frustrated) " End stress reduction program. Water." " Specify temperature." " I don't care! Just give me water!"

" Chief." " Lieutenant. Glad you could make it. You know, I think this is the first time we've ever spoken outside of the transporter room." " Well, to be honest, I've always avoided you." " Why?" " Because you run the transporters, and I hate the transporters. At least, I used to."

" Uh, Chief? "

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

  • Final draft script: 15 July 1992 [1]
  • Premiere airdate: 28 September 1992
  • First UK airdate: 19 July 1995

Story and script [ ]

  • Brannon Braga enjoyed writing this episode. " Certainly, it was one of my most personal episodes. People around here say I am Barclay. I hate flying and that's where the idea came from. If I lived in the 24th century, I'd be afraid to transport, so I enjoyed exploring some of the deeper neuroses that Barclay had. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 257)
  • Braga, a fan of The Twilight Zone , wrote the script as a homage to " Nightmare at 20,000 Feet ". That episode featured William Shatner as an airplane passenger who sees a creature outside the aircraft, but nobody believes him. Accordingly, Braga substituted "a thing in the transporter" for "a thing on the wing". He commented, " I thought it would be fun to explore the notion that just as not everybody likes to fly, not everybody likes to transport […] Barclay seemed like the right guy to have that kind of neurosis. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 269)
  • Braga was proud of the title, which he thought sounded like an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series . ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 269)
  • Michael Piller remarked, " I always like the Barclay shows. I think it's a perfectly valid fear to explore, whether you have a phobia about spiders or about being molecularly taken apart and put back together. As Star Trek viewers we have come to take it for granted, but why shouldn't somebody be afraid to get into a transporter? " Piller sought to play down the allusions to the Twilight Zone . " I felt very strongly we needed to get the episode away from that, and I think we succeeded. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 257)
  • Zayra IV was named for production staff associate Zayra Cabot . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 216))

Production [ ]

Dan Curry with Realm of Fear puppet

Dan Curry with the creature puppet

Dan Curry filming Realm of Fear

Dan Curry in a green suit puppeteering the creature

  • The creatures were designed by Dan Curry and built by modelmaker Carey Howe . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 216); Profiles in History auction ) Curry, covered in a green suit, later puppeteered the creatures. ("Departmental Briefing Year Six – Profile: Dan Curry", TNG Season 6 DVD special feature)
  • The red giant and white dwarf in the Igo sector seen in this episode were originally from " Evolution " and later re-used as a similar stellar phenomenon in the Topin system in " Preemptive Strike ".
  • The multi-level Jefferies tube set, directly attached to main engineering , appears for the first time in this episode.

Continuity [ ]

  • This episode marks the first appearance of the Admiral's uniform which was used for the rest of the series and much of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , although Admiral Hayes is seen here without the standard combadge .
  • O'Brien's collar insignia changes from lieutenant (two pips) to chief (one black pip) in this episode. According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 216), this was done to reinforce the plot point that Lieutenant jg Barclay outranks O'Brien. See also : Miles O'Brien - Rank Inconsistencies .
  • A brief insert shot of Barclay getting a glass of water from his replicator is a stock shot from TNG : " The Vengeance Factor ", as Riker 's Starfleet uniform can be seen reflected from inside the replicator.
  • Barclay mentions in this episode that spiders never bothered him. Later, in " Genesis " (also written by Brannon Braga), Barclay de-evolved into a spider-like creature.
  • This is the first and only time O'Brien's pet tarantula, Christina , is seen or mentioned.
  • This episode is the first to show a first-person perspective of the transport process; the only other time this was done is in " Prototype ".
  • While expressing his fear of transporting, Barclay asks La Forge, " Commander, has anything strange ever happened to you during transport… anything out of the ordinary? " La Forge answered dismissively, " No, not really. " However, in an episode during the previous season, La Forge himself was involved in a transporter malfunction that transported him and Ensign Ro out of phase with the rest of reality. They were reported missing, and presumed dead. They ultimately rematerialized in the midst of their own memorial service. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ")

Reception [ ]

  • Jeri Taylor observed, " This was an episode that a lot of people just didn't respond to and I don't know why. I thought it was a wonderful idea. I thought Brannon wrote a terrific script. It just seemed so perfect, Barclay with a transporter phobia just seemed like a marvelous marriage of something people can relate to today and in the future: technology. I just thought everything worked with the exception of the visual effects. The explanation by the end really got painfully detailed. And it's that fine line you try to draw, if we don't say this, is the audience going to be fairly confused and cheated because they don't understand it? But if we do say it, are they going to be overwhelmed by the words? We went one way in " Time's Arrow II ," and maybe we tried too hard to explain things in "Realm of Fear," but it's hard to strike that back. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 257)
  • Brannon Braga commented, " The first three acts are fun and then the tech gets in the way […] I envisioned a scarier episode where the creatures in the transporter were a little more frightening, but then again what a tall order to the effects guys, 'Make it amorphous, but terrifying.' What does that mean? It's easy to write that, but difficult to visualize. I just wanted you to feel scared with this guy and you never really did. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 257)

Video and DVD releases [ ]

  • UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 64, 26 April 1993
  • As part of the TNG Season 6 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

  • Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
  • Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William Riker

Also starring [ ]

  • LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
  • Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
  • Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
  • Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
  • Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data

Guest stars [ ]

  • Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien
  • Patti Yasutake as Alyssa Ogawa
  • Dwight Schultz as Barclay

Co-stars [ ]

  • Renata Scott as Admiral
  • Thomas Belgrey as Crewmember
  • Majel Barrett as Computer Voice

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

  • K.C. Amos as operations officer
  • David Keith Anderson as Armstrong
  • Lena Banks as operations ensign
  • Steven Boz as operations ensign
  • Michael Braveheart as Martinez
  • Cameron as Kellogg
  • Cullen Chambers as civilian
  • Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae
  • John Copage as sciences officer
  • Debra Dilley as operations ensign
  • Hal Donahue as command lieutenant
  • Elliot Durant III as civilian
  • Gunnel Eriksson as sciences officer
  • Holiday Freeman as a command officer
  • Gina Gallante as sciences ensign
  • Goldie Ann Gareza as civilian
  • Christie Haydon as command ensign
  • Kerry Hoyt as operations ensign
  • Gary Hunter as sciences officer
  • Arvo Katajisto as Torigan
  • Mark Lentry as civilian
  • Debbie Marsh as command ensign
  • Brandy Pickett as sciences officer
  • Keith Rayve as command ensign
  • Richard Sarstedt as command ensign
  • Victor Sein as command officer
  • Talbot as Ten Forward waitress
  • Curt Truman as command officer
  • Christina Wegler Miles as command ensign
  • Bradley Weinholtz as Joshua Kelly
  • Anne Woodberry as operations officer
  • Female civilian
  • Female sciences officer
  • Sciences officer
  • Ten Forward waiter
  • Three Yosemite crewmembers

Stand-ins [ ]

  • David Keith Anderson – stand-in for LeVar Burton
  • Debbie David – stand-in for Brent Spiner
  • Michael Echols – stand-in for Michael Dorn
  • Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
  • Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
  • Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
  • Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
  • Guy Vardaman – stand-in for Dwight Schultz

References [ ]

2209 ; 2319 ; 2347 ; atom ; autonomic system ; autopsy ; away team ; base pair correlation ; biofilter ; blast analysis ; burn ; Cardassian ; Cardassian warship ; cardio-stimulator ; career ; carotid artery ; Celsius ; cerebral cortex ; Christina ; counselor's office ; day ; Delinia II ; dehydration ; distortion field ; DNA ; endorphin ; epidermis ; explosion ; explosive device ; eyesight ; Ferengi ; Ferengi freighters ; hallucination ; heart ; heart rate ; Heisenberg compensator ; hysteria ; ignorance ; Igo sector ; Igo sector binary stars ; imaging scanner ; ionic field ; ionic interference ; Jefferies tube ; kiloquad ; level 3 security alert ; level 5 containment field ; Lycosa tarantula ; matter-energy conversion ; matter stream ; medical tricorder ; meter ; micro-cellular scan ; monitoring device ; multi-infarct dementia ; muscular contraction ; myopia ; neurochemistry ; Oberth -class ; Olafson ; pattern buffer ; phased matter ; phase transition coil ; plasma streamer ; plexing ; psychogenic ; quasi-energy microbe ; resonance frequency scan ; safety precaution ; sample container ; science vessel (aka science ship ); sleeplessness ; Starfleet Medical Database ; stellar cartography ; stress reduction program ; symptom ; systemic contraction ; systems engineer ; Talarian hook spider ; temperature ; tissue sample ; Titus IV ; transport chamber ; transport cycle ; transporter ; transporter accident ; transporter beam ; transporter chief ; transporter platform ; transporter psychosis ; Transporter Room 3 ; transporter sensor ; transporter system ; Transporter Theory ; victim ; VISOR ; water ; Yosemite , USS ; Zayra IV

External links [ ]

  • " Realm of Fear " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
  • " Realm of Fear " at Wikipedia
  • "Realm of Fear" at StarTrek.com
  • " "Realm of Fear" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
  • 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
  • 3 Star Trek: The Next Generation

Screen Rant

Star trek's 10 best monster episodes.

Star Trek teaches us not to judge by appearances, but on the other hand it has provided us with multiple scary monsters for almost 60 years.

  • Star Trek embraces peace but also explores monster movie elements for some thrilling episodes.
  • Shows like Voyager & Next Generation weave classic monster movie themes with sci-fi twists.
  • Even as monsters take center stage, empathy remains a core theme in the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek has a message of peace and tolerance and seeing beyond the surface, but it's not above doing an all-out monster movie from time to time. From its inception in 1966, Star Trek has taught audiences not to judge alien species by appearances . For example, Star Trek: Voyager villains Species 8472 were terrifying, Alien -inspired creatures, who turned out to be benevolent aliens that had been driven to violence by the actions of the Borg Collective. Earlier episodes like Star Trek: The Original Series ' "Devil in the Dark" revealed hidden emotional depths to a creature that was ostensibly a disgusting rock monster.

Despite Star Trek 's message of empathy, sometimes the writers can't resist creating scary monsters and super creeps. Star Trek has always drawn on the history of science fiction, and the big monster movies popularized by studios like RKO are no exception . Over nearly six decades, Star Trek TV shows have drawn on classic monster movies like The Thing From Another World and King Kong , giving them a Gene Roddenberry-style twist.

10 Times Star Trek Went Full-On Horror And Gave Us Nightmares

10 star trek: voyager, season 2, episode 15, "threshold", story by michael de luca, teleplay by brannon braga.

Star Trek: Voyager 's notorious salamander episode , "Threshold" begins as an exploration of theoretical transwarp barriers and becomes something more akin to The Phantom of the Opera or King Kong . When Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) breaks the transwarp barrier, he begins experiencing some bizarre side effects. Breaking the transwarp barrier has triggered a strange evolution in Paris' body, which turns him into a salamander, who decides they need a mate in the form of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).

...the monster movie elements ensure that "Threshold" is never boring.

There are some obvious monster movie parallels in "Threshold", from the way that the reptilian Paris carries an unconscious Janeway like the Phantom of the Opera to the body horror of the Voyager helmsman's transformation. The climax of the notorious Star Trek: Voyager episode, in which the "monster" that is now Paris fights off the crew to take Janeway as his mate, is pure King Kong . It's a Voyager episode that is rightly panned for its lack of narrative cohesion, but the monster movie elements ensure that "Threshold" is never boring.

9 Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 7, Episode 19, "Genesis"

Written by brannon braga.

Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 19, "Genesis" is essentially The Island of Dr. Moreau set aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) return to the Enterprise to discover that the crew has devolved into various terrifying monsters. For example, Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) is de-evolved into a spider-like creature, while Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) devolves into a savage proto-Klingon that tries to kill Picard. The cause of these transformations is a mistake made by Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) while reactivating a cell that would have given Barclay immunity to the flu.

Gates McFadden injects what could have been a very silly story with genuine tension.

Although the science is just as dubious as Star Trek: Voyager 's "Threshold", Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 19, "Genesis" has the benefit of being much more atmospheric. Interestingly, "Genesis" was directed by Dr. Beverly Crusher actor Gates McFadden , who injects what could have been a very silly story with genuine tension. The climax, where Picard tries to fend off an attack from a prehistoric Worf, while Data tries to concoct a cure using the DNA of Nurse Ogawa's unborn baby, is well directed by McFadden, giving this daft TNG outing an exciting monster movie vibe.

"Genesis" was the only episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation to be directed by Gates McFadden.

Star Trek: Every Actor Who Also Directed Episodes Or Movies

8 star trek: the original series, season 1, episode 26, "the devil in the dark", written by gene l. coon.

"The Devil in the Dark" is a classic Star Trek monster episode , because it hinges on Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Lt. Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) learning to understand a creature beyond their understanding. Investigating a supposed monster that is attacking a mining operation on Janus IV, they soon discover that the titular " devil in the dark " is no monster, but a mother protecting their young. It's thanks to Kirk and Spock's open-mindedness that the miners manage to avert the destruction of the entire Horta race .

The scene in which Kirk has to reason with the baying mob invokes images of the villagers with torches and pitchforks in the climax of Universal's classic monster movie, Frankenstein .

From a visual effects perspective, the actual Horta in Star Trek: The Original Series may look hokey by today's standards , but it tells a story about the need for empathy. TOS' cave monster isn't able to communicate with the miners, and so has to resort to violence. Similarly, the miners want violent recriminations from the "monster" that killed their colleagues. The scene in which Kirk has to reason with the baying mob invokes images of the villagers with torches and pitchforks in the climax of Universal's classic monster movie, Frankenstein . Thanks to Kirk, however, the Horta has a happier ending than Frankenstein's monster.

7 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 2, Episode 12, "The Alternate"

Teleplay by bill dial, story by jim trombetti and bill dial.

In one of Constable Odo's best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes , a mysterious monster stalks the corridors of DS9 late at night. It's believed to be the mysterious sample that Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and scientist Dr. Mora Pol (James Sloyan) brought back from the Gamma Quadrant. However, in reality, it's Odo, who is under the influence of mysterious alien toxins, and the stress of seeing his "father" again. "The Alternate" is a fun Star Trek spin on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde , that has some genuinely unnerving moments of horror.

Odo's monstrous alter-ego is less Mr. Hyde, and more like the titular Blob from the classic 1958 sci-fi monster movie.

Odo's transition into the monster toward the end of the episode is horrifying to watch as he rants and raves while struggling to remain in a solid state. Odo's monstrous alter-ego is less Mr. Hyde, and more like the titular Blob from the classic 1958 sci-fi monster movie. Interestingly, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) doesn't categorically confirm it's the alien toxins that caused the transformation, suggesting another cause. As the gelatinous monster bears down on Dr. Mora Pol, it becomes clear that the real cause of the transformation is Odo's father issues.

All 4 Star Trek Characters Played By James Sloyan

6 star trek: voyager, season 3, episode 12, "macrocosm".

Star Trek: Voyager has many creepy episodes , but "Macrocosm" is the most overt monster episode. Like Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "Genesis", also written by Brannon Braga, "Macrocosm" has a silly concept that is realized like a survival horror movie. The monsters faced by Captain Janeway and the Doctor (Robert Picardo) are effectively giant viruses that become airborne, infecting those they come into contact with. To repel the viral infection of the USS Voyager, the Doctor created an antigen which Janeway eventually detonated inside the holodeck, killing the assembled macroviruses.

"Macrocosm" finally gave Captain Janeway her Ellen Ripley moment.

"Macrocosm" got a wryly funny sequel in Star Trek: Lower Decks ' season 4 premiere, "Twovixed", but the episode itself is a decent homage to the Alien franchise. As the Star Trek franchise's first female captain, it's great to see Janeway getting to be an action hero like Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series , or Picard in Star Trek: First Contact . While the monsters themselves weren't anywhere near as terrifying as Alien 's Xenomorph, "Macrosm" finally gave Captain Janeway her Ellen Ripley moment.

5 Star Trek: Discovery, Season 1, Episode 3, "Context is for Kings"

Teleplay by gretchen j. berg, aaron harberts, and craig sweeny.

The disgraced Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is given a second chance after her mutiny aboard the USS Shenzhou in a Star Trek: Discovery monster episode. "Context is for Kings" explores what happened to the USS Glenn, the second of Discovery 's crossfield-class starships . Following a catastrophic accident while experimenting with spore drive technology, the ship's entire crew were killed, save for the tartigrade creature they had captured and wired to the spore drive. Freed from its shackles by the accident, the creature rampaged through the Glenn, killing a Klingon boarding party and turning its attention to Burnham and her away team .

The true monster in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, episode 3, "Context is for Kings" is Starfleet themselves.

The true monster in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, episode 3, "Context is for Kings" is Starfleet themselves. The cruelty that the crew of the USS Glenn had shown to the tartigrade was unbecoming of Starfleet, and showed how far they were willing to diverge from their principles to defeat the Klingon Empire . Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) hammers this point home by having the tartigrade brought aboard the USS Discovery, taunting it as it tries to break free from the forcefield.

Jason Isaacs’ 10 Best Acting Roles (Including Star Trek: Discovery’s Lorca)

4 star trek: lower decks, season 4, episode 2, "i have no bones yet i must flee", written by aaron burdette.

Star Trek: Lower Decks introduced Moopsy into the canon in the season 4 episode, "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee". Visiting an alien menagerie, newly promoted Lt. junior grade Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) had to conted with Moopsy, a soft fluffy creature that also happened to drink bones . Mariner and Ransom came up with a suitably irreverent Lower Decks solution to their problem, by punching out Ransom's teeth and using them as treats to lure the Moopsy back into its cage.

Moopsy is basically a monstrous Tribble, unable to control its base urges.

Moopsy was the sort of creation that could only feature in the irreverent world of Star Trek: Lower Decks , and yet it plays on existing creatures in the canon. Moopsy is basically a monstrous Tribble, unable to control its base urges. However, Mariner and Ransom don't kill the creature to save themselves, they find a humane - if slightly painful - solution to their situation. Not only that, but Mariner also unmasks the truly dangerous monsters - greedy humans seeking to bulk up their business portfolios , in this case by staging a hostile takeover of an alien menagerie.

3 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 1, Episode 9, "All Those Who Wander"

Written by davy perez.

"All Those Who Wander" combines the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Arena" with Alien to provide a terrifying episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . The vicious Gorn babies that are encountered by the Enterprise away team are relentless, rampaging through the ship and killing everything in their path. It's through the noble sacrifice of Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak) that the away team is able to get back to the safety of the USS Enterprise. However, the scars of the terrifying encounter between the Enterprise and the Gorn carry over into Strange New Worlds season 2 .

The Gorn infants move like raptors, drawing comparisons with the climax of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park

Because there's genuine dramatic stakes and a cost to life, Star Trek: Strange New World 's Gorn survival horror movie is the best version of the subgenre after the classic movie, Star Trek: First Contact . As an hour of television, it wears its genre influences on its sleeve, particularly the similarities between the icy crash site with the colony in Aliens . However, it's not just the Alien franchise that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds riffs on in "All Those Who Wander". The Gorn infants move like raptors, drawing comparisons with the climax of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park .

Complete History Of The Gorn In Star Trek

2 star trek: the next generation, season 1, episode 23, "skin of evil", teleplay by joseph stefano & hannah louise shearer.

Armus (Ron Gans) in Star Trek: The Next Generation , is a truly monstrous creation, and even refers to himself as " evil " . Unlike the Horta in Star Trek: The Original Series , Armus isn't attacking the Enterprise away team to protect its children, he's doing it because he's a monster. A black, oily mass of everything impure and evil rejected by a " race of Titans ", Armus was abandoned on the planet Vagra II . There, he fantasized about torturing any visitors to the planet, but he quickly got bored after killing Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby).

Tasha Yar was no red shirt, and her death at the hands of the monster of the week makes "Skin of Evil" an impactful entry in the TNG canon.

"Skin of Evil" is one of Star Trek 's best monster episodes because, like "All Those Who Wander", it takes a toll on the characters. Star Trek: The Next Generation loses Tasha Yar to this monster, which proved that it would be a very different show to Star Trek: The Original Series . A TOS version of "Skin of Evil" would have played out in a similar fashion, but with the deaths of some disposable red shirts thrown in . Tasha Yar was no red shirt, and her death at the hands of the monster of the week makes "Skin of Evil" an impactful entry in the TNG canon.

1 Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1, Episode 5, "The Man Trap"

Written by george clayton johnson.

Star Trek 's best monster episode is also its very first, setting the tone for those that would follow . Star Trek: The Original Series , season 1, episode 5, "The Man Trap", features a Salt Vampire that feeds on salt, which can also shapeshift to take the form of anyone that can help it achieve its goals. In essence, "The Man Trap" is Star Trek 's take on the 1951 movie The Thing From Another World , later remade by John Carpenter as The Thing . Both the Star Trek episode and the Thing movies center on a shapeshifting creature that feeds on the human characters.

"The Man Trap" was chosen by the network as the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series to air due, in part, to its strong monster-of-the-week.

Both iterations of The Thing and Star Trek: TOS season 1, episode 5, "The Man Trap" also play on paranoia and being unable to trust your own eyes . In "The Man Trap", the Salt Vampire has the ability to take the form of the woman most desirable to each of the male characters. For example, Dr. McCoy believes it to be his former lover, Nancy, driving a wedge between him, Kirk and Spock. "The Man Trap" was chosen as the first episode of Star Trek: TOS to air in 1966, and its influence can be felt in Star Trek 's monster episodes nearly 60 years later.

All these episodes of Star Trek are available to stream on Paramount+.

IMAGES

  1. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" The Nth Degree (TV Episode 1991

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  2. Nerdstalking Video: Here’s to Star Trek’s Lt. Barclay

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  3. Captain Shaw's Best Picard Moment Turned Him Into TNG's Barclay

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  4. Star Trek: Every Lt. Barclay Episode Ranked Worst To Best

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  5. Reginald Barclay (Star Trek TNG)

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VIDEO

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COMMENTS

  1. Star Trek: Every Lt. Barclay Episode Ranked Worst To Best

    Star Trek: Every Lt. Barclay Episode Ranked Worst To Best. He bumbled and he made mistakes. He also made contact with Voyager and saved the Enterprise. by Sean Ferrick. Updated: September 30th ...

  2. Reginald Barclay

    Reginald Endicott Barclay III is a fictional engineer from the Star Trek media franchise.On television and in film, he has been portrayed by Dwight Schultz since the character's introduction in the Star Trek: The Next Generation third season episode "Hollow Pursuits."Schultz played the character for five episodes and one feature film (Star Trek: First Contact) of The Next Generation, as well ...

  3. Reginald Barclay

    Lieutenant Reginald Endicott Barclay III (often referred to as "Reg") was a highly talented Human Starfleet systems diagnostic engineer who lived in the 24th century. In his early days aboard the Enterprise-D, he frequently displayed nervous behavior, demonstrated a noticeable lack of confidence, stammered frequently, was extremely introverted, and occasionally bumbled. These traits aroused ...

  4. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" The Nth Degree (TV Episode 1991)

    The Nth Degree: Directed by Robert Legato. With Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn. When assigned to investigate an unknown probe, Lt. Barclay is hit by an energy surge, through a shuttlecraft's computer, and he receives an inexplicable boost of confidence and a vast increase in his knowledge.

  5. The Nth Degree (episode)

    After an encounter with a mysterious alien probe, Lieutenant Barclay begins to exhibit signs of profound intelligence, ultimately hooking himself into the ship's computer and hurling the Enterprise into apparent danger. Reg Barclay and Dr. Crusher perform a scene from Cyrano de Bergerac in the theater room before a handful of the crew, including the senior officers. Crusher's performance is ...

  6. Who Is Lieutenant Barclay? Star Trek: TNG's Favorite Lower Decker Explained

    Dwight Schultz's Lieutenant Reginald Barclay became a surprising fan-favorite character on Star Trek: The Next Generation.Following the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D, TNG typically focused on the main crew members aboard the Galaxy Class starship. From Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) to Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), the bridge officers of ...

  7. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Realm of Fear (TV Episode 1992)

    Realm of Fear: Directed by Cliff Bole. With Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn. Overcoming his fear of transporter, Lt. Barclay joins an away team, only to find something in the beam with him.

  8. Hollow Pursuits (episode)

    Lieutenant Barclay, an introverted diagnostic engineer, is having difficulties dealing with his fantasies. Lieutenant Reginald Barclay, a new and brilliant engineer, relaxes in Ten Forward when Counselor Troi enters. Guinan, tending bar, warns Barclay that she doesn't want trouble here. Barclay questions why there'd be trouble, and she answers that wherever Barclay goes, trouble seems to ...

  9. Hollow Pursuits

    Star Trek: The Next Generation (season 3) List of episodes. " Hollow Pursuits " is the 21st episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 69th episode of the series overall. The episode introduces the character Lieutenant Reginald "Reg" Barclay, who would go on to appear ...

  10. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Ship in a Bottle (TV Episode 1993)

    Ship in a Bottle: Directed by Alexander Singer. With Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn. Lt. Barclay mistakenly awakes Moriarty in the forgotten holodeck program, who then makes his demands clear and unforgettable.

  11. Revisiting Star Trek TNG: The Nth Degree

    4.19 Nth Degree. The episode opens as Lt. Reg Barclay and Dr. Crusher perform some AmDram in front of the crew, whose enlightened 24 th Century dispositions allow them to appreciate even the most ...

  12. The Nth Degree (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

    "The Nth Degree" is the 93rd episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 19th episode of the fourth season. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. Rob Legato directed and oversaw visual effects for the episode.

  13. Star Trek: Every Lt. Barclay Episode Ranked Worst To Best

    Star Trek: Every Lt. Barclay Episode Ranked Worst To Best. 10. Realm Of Fear. CBS. This episode was analogous to getting over the fear of flying. as Barclay struggles to go through the transporter ...

  14. How Reginald Barclay Changed Starfleet for the Better

    On an away mission to the U.S.S. Yosemite, an abandoned Starfleet vessel, Chief O'Brien's warning of a "bumpy ride" is too much for the transporter-phobic Barclay who experiences a panic attack. While Barclay is noticeably more anxious than before, two things reflect the positive changes that the Enterprise has made.

  15. Genesis (episode)

    Enterprise crew members de-evolve into prehistoric creatures after a medical treatment by Dr. Crusher goes wrong. In sickbay, Nurse Alyssa Ogawa removes spines from Commander Riker's back; an accident while he was in the arboretum with Rebecca Smith had resulted in a close encounter with a Cypirion cactus. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Barclay, having diagnosed himself with a lethal illness, goes to ...

  16. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" The Nth Degree (TV Episode 1991 ...

    Commander William T. Riker : [after Barclay has managed to raise the shield strength by 300%] Mr. Barclay! Everyone's still trying to figure out exactly how you did it. Barclay : Well, it... it just occurred to me that I could set up a frequency harmonic between the deflector and the shield grid, using the warp field generator as a power flow anti-attenuator, and that, of course, naturally ...

  17. Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S3E21 "Hollow Pursuits"

    All of the Other Reindeer: Barclay's mistreatment by the main crew for much of the episode.Geordi realizes this through the episode's Whoopi Epiphany Speech.; Anti-Escapism Aesop: Barclay starts out spending most of his time in the holodeck, but with Geordi's support, he starts to cut down on his holo-fantasies.; Art Imitates Art: Holo-Wesley's appearance was based on a famous painting by ...

  18. Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S4E19 "The Nth Degree"

    Status Quo Is God: Barclay makes several impressive modifications to the Enterprise's systems, including 300% stronger shields and the ability to jump halfway across the galaxy in minutes. Naturally, all of these improvements are gone by the next episode. Sufficiently Advanced Alien: The Cytherians are an incredibly advanced race who help Barclay develop technology that can seemingly do the ...

  19. Realm of Fear

    "Realm of Fear" is the 128th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is the second episode of the sixth season.. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D.In this episode, Lieutenant Reginald Barclay (played by Dwight Schultz) has a paralyzing fear of the ...

  20. Realm Of Fear (episode)

    Barclay seemed like the right guy to have that kind of neurosis." (Star Trek: The Next Generation 365, p. 269) Braga was proud of the title, which he thought sounded like an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 269) Michael Piller remarked, "I always like the Barclay shows. I ...

  21. Star Trek Reinvents TNG's Barclay as a Super-Competent Villain

    Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: The Mirror War - Data #1! The disturbing effects of Star Trek's Mirror Universe reinvent Star Trek: The Next Generation's Lieutenant Barclay as a villain. Throughout the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Barclay was portrayed as shy, withdrawn and anxious, but in the Mirror Universe, he is a scheming villain, one who is not afraid to use people ...

  22. Star Trek's 10 Best Monster Episodes

    Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 19, "Genesis" is essentially The Island of Dr. Moreau set aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) return to the Enterprise to discover that the crew has devolved into various terrifying monsters. For example, Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) is de-evolved into a spider ...

  23. Genesis (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

    List of episodes. " Genesis " is the 171st episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the 19th episode of the seventh season. It was directed by series cast member Gates McFadden, her only directing credit to date. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew ...

  24. List of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes

    Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series which aired in syndication from September 1987 through May 1994. It is the second live-action series of the Star Trek franchise and comprises a total of 176 (DVD and original broadcast) or 178 (syndicated) episodes over 7 seasons. The series picks up about 95 years after the original series is said to have taken place.