ST:TNG Season Three, Episode Twenty-One "Hollow Pursuits"

ST:TNG Season Three, Episode Twenty-One "Hollow Pursuits"
Production Order: 21
Air Order: 21
Stardate: 43807.4
Original Air Date: April 30, 1990

We start out this week by following Deanna Troi into Ten Forward. She's wearing a different dress than usual and looks like a million bars of gold-pressed latinum. The camera moves from her to the bar where we see Guinan try to cut off a Gold. She tells him that she doesn't want any trouble and covers his glass with her hand. He rips the glass away, and for some reason he has his own bottle of hooch? Did he get that from behind the bar, or bring his own? I mean, I don't know how much things have changed in bars by the 24th century, but pretty sure bringing your own booze in is frowned upon. She tells him that he's trouble.

Geordi stomps in.
"Lt Barclay, you're on duty! Get the fuck back to your post!"
Our rude-ass Gold is rude to Geordi as well. "Go the hell away."
And he shoves the blind guy backward into a bunch of furniture. Damn.
Riker, who was sitting further down the bar, approaches Barclay. "That's insubordination!"
Barclay grabs Riker and twists the commander's arm behind his back. He calls Riker a "pretty mannequin in a uniform" and tells him that if Picard has a problem with him, the captain can tell him that himself.

Geordi sneaks out of Ten Forward, and Barclay approaches Troi, who has been watching nearby.
"I feel your confidence, your arrogant resolve," she purrs. "It excites me."
Ugh, who wrote this dialogue?
They're about to kiss when Barclay gets paged to one of the docks.
Barclay: "It'll have to wait until later, darling."
Troi: *makes noise like she was about to get off, but was robbed of an orgasm*

Barclay starts to leave Ten Forward, then turns and says "Save program."
Everyone disappears, including Troi. Then Ten Forward disappears.
It's the holodeck.

Down on a dock, Riker and Geordi are talking about Reginald Barclay. Geordi complains that Barclay is often late, a bit of a space case, never seems to give his all.
"I think I'll have to talk to the captain about Broccoli. That's a nickname Wes thought up," adds Riker. "Please don't spread it around."
Yeah, mostly because it sucks. Sure, Barclay sounds like Broccoli, but comparing him to a vegetable makes no sense. A good nickname comments on the person somehow. Broccoli comments on nothing. Get your shit together, Wes. And stop encouraging that crap, Riker.
Another Gold (Duffy) interrupts their convo to tell Geordi and Riker that some container of some stuff has a broken seal. The container is leaking mist, and Geordi tells him to throw it out, as it's contaminating other stuff.
Barclay enters the dock, sees Geordi and Riker, and tries to duck behind some containers. Oops, caught.
"You're late!" Geordi barks at him.
The Barclay who left Ten Forward is very different from the one who entered the dock. He stammers an apology and a fake excuse about an urgent communique that needed his attention.
"STFU," says Geordi. "Seriously. Do your job, get here on time. Come look at this antigrav unit."
Riker grabs Barclay's arm as he tries to pass, and Riker tells Barclay that he's tired of seeing his name on the naughty list. "Get your shit together, Barclay. This is the Enterprise."

Dramatic music! Opening credits break!

Picard's Log 43807.4: "We're taking a bunch of samples from one planet to another. Hopefully, the shipment will help prevent disease on Planet #2."

Barclay is working on the antigrav unit. He tells Geordi that it looks perfectly fine, and they test it out. The unit does fine, then wobbles and dumps another canister. O'Brien and Duffy clean it up.
Poor Barclay. This dude has some serious anxiety. He's nervous and stutters. And Geordi is coming off as intimidating.
"I'm...I'm so sorry," he tells Geordi. "It, um, it shouldn't do that. I'll take it apart later and check it out."
Geordi sighs, calls to Engineering for more Golds, and asks Barclay to help clean up the canister.

Later in the ready room, Picard is surprised that Riker has requested that Barclay be transferred off the E. He isn't used to seeing bad reports from his crew.
"I'm not sure he's Enterprise material," admits Riker.
Geordi says he thought he could work with anybody, but that he doesn't understand Broccoli.
"Broccoli?" asks Picard.
"Yeaaahhh, Wes started that," smiles Riker. "Looks like it caught on."
"Let's get it uncaught," says Picard. "His records show that he does good work, and his last CO gave him a glowing review."
"I'm wondering now if maybe that CO gave him a good review so that we would take him off of their hands," suggests Riker.
Oh, yay. Dumping your iffy employee on another department and claiming that they're awesome is my very favorite. Also, that's a shitty suggestion, Riker.
"Also, I looked at his psych evals," Riker pushes on. "He has a history of doing solitary stuff, not being social at all."
Picard isn't having any of this shit. Remember last week when he struggled to relate to Tam Elbrun and just kept getting angry and frustrated? This week, he's on Barclay's side.
"You guys need to try harder to find how to make this work. You're fucking managers, so figure out how to bring out the best in him."
"I don't know how," complains Geordi.
"Make him your best friend," Picard says.
(Have done this. It actually kind of works. Recommend.)
"Dude, I can barely stand being in the same room with him," says Geordi.
Picard shoos them out the door with their new instructions.

Geordi goes back down to Engineering. To indicate that it's late and no one else is working, the dock is slightly darkened. Barclay is sitting cross-legged on the floor, diligently working on the antigrav unit.
This time, Geordi tries Picard's advice. He speaks nicely to Barclay, and calls him "Reg." Barclay says he's still trying to find what's wrong with the unit, and he'll get Geordi a report by the end of the day.
"That's fine," says Geordi. "No rush." He starts to walk away, then a thought occurs to him, and he turns around. "Hey, how about you join me and some of the others in the morning for a mission briefing?"
Barclay starts to panic. "Oh, crap. Do I need to give a presentation?"
"No, it's cool," Geordi assures him. He smiles and is friendly. "Just come and participate."
 Barclay promises to be on time.

At 0800, Geordi meets several Golds around the pool table console in Engineering, including Wes and Duffy. Barclay is not there, and everyone starts to roll their eyes, but then Barclay comes running up at 0800:15. They start the meeting.
"This mission is super routine, so we should (maintenance)," says Geordi.
Duffy breaks in to say that, at the same time, they should also (other maintenance on anti-matter injectors). Geordi agrees. He says that Wes will be working with them this week as part of his training, which is why he's in this meeting. Then Geordi announces that Reg is here because he's working on the malfunctioning antigrav unit, and that his prelim report had some good theories as to what was happening, and could Reg explain some of them?
Pays compliment, goes out of way to include him: good job, Geordi.
Unfortunately, Barclay is caught off-guard. He can't find his voice, and when he does, he stutters.
Duffy rolls his eyes like an asshole.
Have you ever encountered someone rolling their eyes in such a obnoxious way that you wanted to slap them hard enough to knock their eyes out, and you hope the floor is kind of dirty so that after said eyeballs have rolled across the floor and under some heavy fixture, they have to be washed off before being placed back into the sockets? That.
I... I don't like Duffy, you guys.

Barclay tries to explain his way of thinking about the problem, but Wes butts in to mansplain antigrav units to him, and how Barclay's guess couldn't possibly be correct. Barclay gets flustered and says that he knows that it isn't, but it should be checked anyway, and also (science and crap).
I know that Wes is just trying to be a helpful team player, but he interrupted Barclay and then fucking mansplained this guy's job to him. Wunderkind or not, mansplaining should be punishable by death, so I have to ding Wes for that. Shut up, Wesley.
Geordi rushes to Barclay's defense, telling Wes diplomatically that they need to explore all avenues to get the answer. Points to Geordi again.
The meeting adjourns to the warp core area, where they discuss the aforementioned maintenance. Barclay follows at a distance.

Barclay meets with Troi in her office.
"I didn't know what to say."
He tells her that he knew the answers he should have given at the meeting, and it was mortifying that some kid was telling him how to do his job. Gone is the stuttering Reg. Back again is the Reg from the first scene, where he speaks firmly and with confidence.
She tells him that he's being too hard on himself, and that he needs to let some things go.
Up until now, she seemed to be giving even-handed advice, acting like Counselor Troi. But now she starts giving him a backrub and talking to him in a sultry manner. This time they kiss.

Barclay decides that he doesn't like this setting, and asks Majel for something more unusual. He tells her to run a certain number Barclay program, and a kind of idyllic scene appears instead. Ahead, Troi is draped in a green toga. She holds out her arms.
"I am the Goddess of Empathy," she announces. "Cast off your inhibitions and embrace love, truth, joy."
He goes to her, and they kiss again.

Holo-Troi's Goddess of Empathy costume mirrors the color scheme of her teal
dress, and the medical/science uniforms of Starfleet.

Geordi is having a drink with Duffy, Data and Wes in Ten Forward. This is where Wes kind of redeems himself from earlier. He says he thought that those meetings were for an exchange of ideas. Geordi replies that they are, but that Barclay gets nervous.
Duffy makes some forgettable comment and uses the name Broccoli.
"Oh, I shut him down," Wes realizes. He seems to feel genuinely bad about this. "Poor Broccoli."
Data then asks about the Broccoli thing, and when the others tell him it's a nickname, he points out that nicknames are often given to a person by their friends, and they're not supposed to be a shitty mocking thing but a term of endearment, and also this nickname makes no sense, because they're calling him a piece of produce.

Geordi remembers that Picard told him to quit it with the Broccoli thing, and he points out that Data has a point, and they're going to stop calling Barclay that.
Duffy takes a sip of his drink, but the glass is leaking.
"The fuck?" asks Duffy.
Data holds it up to show that the Duffy has made indentations in the exact shapes of his fingers in the glass.

Dramatic music! Commercial break!

Down in Engineering, Data and Geordi are examining Duffy's glass with a tricorder.
"The glass has been changed at the atomic level," says Data.
Geordi suggests that there might have been a problem with the replicator, but Data points out that it would have changed Duffy's synthehol as well, which it didn't.
Geordi takes a look with his VISOR and says he doesn't see anything weird going on with the glass.
"I think it came into contact with an open power source," says Data.
"Oh, fuck me," sighs Geordi. "That means checking all 4000 of the E's power sources. Ooh, wait! This is a good job for Reg!"
Barclay is near the warp core, checking out stuff for his antigrav mystery. Geordi asks if he will also look into the glass thing.
"I need you to check for leaking power sources."
"Oh, um... that was on my agenda already."
"It was?"
"Yeah, because, um.... because of the antigrav thing, which I still can't figure out. I wonder if these two things were caused by the same problem."
"It's possible," says Data.

Later, all three are at the science station on the bridge discussing the problem with Riker.
"Lt Barclay suggested that the two incidents - the glass and the antigrav unit - might be linked," Data tells Riker.
Barclay, who was drifting, realizes that Data is talking about him and gets flustered. "What? No, that wasn't me. Not me."
Picard approaches, and as per his instructions to Riker and Geordi earlier, is being super friendly and polite to Barclay. "Will your investigation into these things affect how much power we have for our mission?" he asks cheerfully.
"Noooo..." says Barclay. "No... we'll shut them down a few at a time, and your power that you're using shouldn't be affected at all..."
Picard continues to smile, but it falters a little, because Barclay could have said "No, it should be fine," in a more efficient manner, but it gets drawn out because he's nervous.
"Cool. I look forward to reading your report, Mr Broccoli."

Instantly, everything changes. Picard is a deer in the headlights. Barclay takes the glass and mutters about needing to start his investigation before scampering onto the lift and disappearing. And Riker and Geordi are amused that Picard fucked up. Data makes this face:

Bahaha, holy shit, Data

"Mixing up letters in a word is very common," he reports. "Barc to broc, one could see how you would -"
Data quickly reads the group and decides that a "shut up, Data" moment is needed here. He clamps his mouth shut and immediately does a thing that humans do, which is to instantly find fascinating something that is inherently dull or uninteresting.
I would like to point out how astute that is, picking up on the fact that his own explanation is unnecessary and unwanted, stopping mid-sentence, and pretending that he said nothing. It's actually a pretty subtle nuance in human behavior, knowing that that is an appropriate response, and when to employ it. Good job, Data.

Geordi is down in Ten Forward, asking Guinan about Barclay.
"He comes in sometimes, stands at the bar, orders warm milk."
He snorts. "Figures."
Hey. Fuck you, Geordi. Milk is delicious.
Guinan also defends Barclay. "Warm milk helps you sleep. You should try it sometime."
He tells her that he's trying to understand Barclay better, and she says that she usually just serves him his milk and just lets him be.
"I know he's imaginative," she adds.
"How do you know that?"asks Geordi.
"I just do."
"Maybe he needs to find a new job, then."
"Engineers don't appreciate imagination?" she asks.
"Naw, not that. He just doesn't fit in."
"So what? That reminds me of this relative of mine. Everybody told me to stay away from him, that he didn't fit in and was a bad influence," she replies.
"Did you?" asks Geordi.
"Fuck no. He was the only one of my family members who had a sense of humor. Only nobody knew that but me, because nobody would hang out with him. Supposedly, I'm just like him. I hate the idea of fitting in."
But Geordi is just not getting it. "No, no. Dude is late all the time. And he's super nervous, and nobody wants to spend time with him."
"Uh-huh. If nobody wanted to hang out with me, I'd be late and nervous, too."

I love this outfit on Guinan. That color is gorgeous on her, and the texture
reminds me of flowers.

Geordi asks Majel where Barclay is now, and you can guess where she directs him based on the fact that he's seen heading into the holodeck.
Seriously? You shouldn't be able to just walk into a program like that. What if someone is running a porno program in there? The doors should remain locked until you ask that person over the comm system if they can let you in. They should only open like that for an emergency override, and only if you don't respond.
Anyway, he walks into that idyllic landscape, so you know how this is going to go. A few feet in, and he gets this:

A+ set design

A+ costume design

All the A-pluses

Oh, God. Crusher is on a swing, and she chastises Wes for forgetting his manners while Wes stuffs his face with pie. Crusher tells Wes that if he doesn't get his manner straightened out "Master Barclay will spank you."

Noooooooooooooooo.
Geordi demands to know where "Master" Barclay is, and she tells him that "the boys" got into another scrap.
I... yeah, they're fencing. Like, with foils. But not like the sport that Picard indulges in with the masks. Like, they're dressed as the Three Musketeers. Data and Picard and Geordi. And they're all battling it out against Barclay, who has two swords, because in his own holodeck fantasy, he's ambidextrous and can work both of those swords independently. Barclay is his own Mary Sue.

Obvious Barclay stand-in with a different hairline

Holo-Picard asks Barclay where he learned to fight, and Barclay rakishly declares himself to be self-taught.
"Shall I give you a few lessons?" he asks, and I wonder if he knows that Picard actually fences IRL.
I hope not. How mortified would he be when he found out.
Holo-Picard notices IRL Geordi watching, and asks if that's one of Barclay's friends.
"Oh, Jean-Luc," declares Barclay in an affected British accent. "Not that old trick! I'm very disappointed in you."
But Geordi clears his throat, and Barclay realizes that he's completely boned.

Geordi and Barclay go to Ten Forward for a chat. Barclay tells Geordi he will request a transfer, because he knows he doesn't fit in here.
"Not necessary," says Geordi. "Look, it's cool to use the holodeck, and what you do in there is none of my beeswax, but you can't let it affect your work."
"Are you going to tell anyone what you saw?" asks Barclay.
"No, I don't think many other people appreciate your imagination like I do."
Guinan sets two glasses of warm milk in front of them.

"It's unusual that you recreate people you know," remarks Geordi.
"Yeah... I, uh... I needed to blow off some steam. One of the officers had been getting on my case -" he pauses and smiles "- okay, yeah, it was you... and I couldn't bring myself to say what I needed to say. So... I have more control in there."
"I can see how that could work for you," says Geordi. "But maybe you should see Counselor Troi."
"Nooooooooooo."
Barclay shakes his head and launches into the most relatable speech ever:
"You don't know what a struggle this has been for me, Commander... Being afraid all of the time of forgetting somebody's name... not... not knowing what to do with your hands. I mean, I am 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."
And Geordi says the most tone-deaf thing ever:

"Just shy - sounds like nothing serious, right?" asks Barclay.
Nope, sounds like hard-core anxiety.
O'Brien pages Geordi to one of the transporter rooms, and on his way out, Geordi insists that Barclay go see Troi. Barclay tries to back out, and Geordi does all but order him as his CO.

Down in the transporter room, O'Brien sets up something he's working on: (transporter science).
"I'm using these canisters, and I haven't done anything new. But look."
O'Brien energizes the canister. It disappears and reappears one pad over. He energizes again, but when it reappears on another pad, it's a twisted mess.
Sassy Geordi Moment: "Glad I don't have anywhere to go."

Dramatic music! Commercial break!

Geordi's Log 43808.2: "We don't know why this transporter room seems to have lost its mind."

Geordi, Picard and Riker examine the busted canister. It seems similar to the other shit that Barclay is working on. This is the only transporter room where this is happening. Picard is annoyed that they're about 24 hours away from the planet where they need to deliver the tissue samples, and they need all of the transporters working.
Riker asks Geordi for a meeting between them and Barclay on the bridge, but Geordi asks to push it back a bit because he has Barclay working on something.

Barclay has a disastrous appointment with Troi. She asks if he's ever been with a counselor before, and he almost tells her that he's been hooking up with her digital doppelganger on the holodeck.
He's manic and stutters.
She decides to try a relaxation technique and turns down the lights somewhat. He practically hyperventilates. She teaches him to breathe deeply through his nose, then exhale out through his mouth.
"Oh, that's great!" he says, suddenly standing up and breathing too fast through his nose and out through his mouth. "I'm gonna go practice it right now!"
He hits the door button and disappears into the corridor.

Troi goes to the bridge and tells Geordi she had a weird appointment with Barclay. She isn't able to tell him about it, though, as Riker bellows that it's past time for their meeting, and where the hell is Barclay? Geordi pages him. No answer.
"Majel, where's Lt Barclay?" he asks.
"Holodeck two," she replies.
Knowing what's probably going on, Geordi tries to help Barclay save face by offering to go get him, but nope. Riker insists on getting him.
"Um, you should come too," Geordi tells Troi.

When they get to the holodeck, Geordi tries to warn Riker that Barclay likes some unusual programs, but Riker is pissed and doesn't care. The doors open onto the idyllic setting. And the sword-fighting trio lounging on those old ruins. And Blue Boy Wes with his pie.
Troi looks mildly amused. Riker looks like being confused has just made him angrier.

Dramatic music! Commercial break!

"This is a violation of protocol," snarls Riker. "Crew members should not be simulated on the holodeck."
"That's... not a thing," says Geordi.
"Should be."
Yeah, you're not gonna like what happens next, Riker. Also, I agree.
The Holo-trio, who are having a snack, decide to challenge Riker to a sword fight.
"Fuck off," says Riker.
They call him a coward, and suggest that he fight someone a little more his speed.
 "Number one!" yells Holo-Picard.
Holo-Riker stumbles, bumbling, onto the scene, asking excitedly if he missed the fight.

"Oh, hell no!" yells Riker.
He starts to cancel the program, but Troi stops him.
"Hey, you can't do that. If Barclay is struggling to face reality, canceling his fantasy could be detrimental to his mental health."
Truth.
Instead, Riker demands to know where Barclay is. Holo-Riker advises him to make his final arrangements first, as Barclay is the finest swordsman -
Sassy Riker Moment: "In all the holodeck?"
Troi and Geordi stifle a laugh, and Troi points out that Riker can be intimidating, and presenting him in this way makes him less so.
All the same, he has Majel turn off Holo-Riker.
The Three Musketeers refuse to tell them where Barclay is, so they decide to look themselves. Troi starts to tell Riker and Geordi about how having a fantasy life can be a healthy thing, as long as you don't let it take over your life. At least, she keeps that line until they stumble across the Goddess of Empathy. Now it's Riker's turn to be amused.
She tries to delete the Goddess, but Riker stops her, citing healthy fantasy lives.

There's a weird lurching moment on the bridge, and Picard steps out of his ready room to find out what that was. Both Data and Worf confirm that their speed just increased a bit for no reason.
"Why?" demands Picard.
"Um, matter/anti-matter injectors locked for a split second," replies Data.
They fix the problem, and Picard calls Geordi to find out what the deal is.
"I'm on the holodeck, so it's news to me," Geordi replies.
"You can hang out there later. Get your ass back to Engineering. And talk to Barclay about this shit."
"Yeah, love to," mutters Geordi after signing off. "We need to find him now," he tells the others.
"Cast aside your masks and let me slip into your minds," replies Holo-Troi.

They round a corner and find Barclay snoring in the lap of Holo-Crusher.
A moment later, they escort him from the holodeck. Troi coldly tells Barclay that they have a lot to talk about at their next appointment. Riker dismisses both Geordi and Barclay to go back to Engineering.
In the corridor, Geordi chastises Barclay for falling asleep in the holodeck. Barclay apologizes. He has been putting in a lot of time on this antigrav-glass-transporter thing, and couldn't stay awake.
"Dude, you had the opportunity to talk to the real Counselor Troi, and instead you went back into the holodeck."
"I tried to avoid it," Barclay says, "but the people in there seem more real to me than the people out here. Except for maybe you, Commander."
"Man, you got some serious holodiction," says Geordi, not unsympathetic. "I've had my share of that shit. I fell in love in there once."
*cough, cough*

"But I had to decide when to put the brakes on and walk away. And I really need you present right now. Please, please, please, stay out of the holodeck for now."

Down in Engineering, Barclay and Geordi look at the engine problem.
"We should drop out of warp," recommends Barclay.
Geordi calls the bridge to tell them to slow down, but Data says the computer isn't responding.
"I think it's not a computer problem," says Barclay. "The injector is physically stuck."
Unfortunately, the ship ramps up the speed and won't slow down.

Dramatic music and zoom-in on Picard's face! Commercial break!

The Ship is Disabled.
Going too fast already, and pushing the limits more with every second.
On the bridge, Riker asks how long until the ship physically breaks apart.
"Fifteen minutes," replies Data.
Down in Engineering, Geordi has called a meeting to determine what the hell is wrong. The Golds all toss out suggestions for what the problem might be, and how to fix it. In each case, Geordi tells them why that suggestion isn't the solution.
Twelve minutes.
Barclay starts thinking quickly. "An antigrav unit, a glass, a transporter, and now the injectors. What if the problem isn't systemic, what if it's one of us? Like we touched something, and spread it around? You guys touched the injectors when you did (maintenance)," he tells Duffy. "And you touched the glass."
"But he didn't touch the transporters," points out Wes. "O'Brien did."
"Yeah, but both O'Brien and Duffy were there when that canister broke open when it fell off the antigrav unit," says Barclay. "And the stuff in those canisters was not considered dangerous by the computer, so it didn't set off any alarms."
Through some trial and error, they figure out that Planet #1 uses invidium in their medical containment, which was probably in that broken canister. Invidium could alter the molecular structure of all of those things they touched.

Geordi and Barclay rush to the cargo bay to confirm it, calling Riker along the way.
"Working theory!" yells Geordi over the warning klaxons. "Going to confirm!"
"Those are great," points out Riker, "but without a solution in five minutes, it won't really matter."
They make plans to separate the ship, but Data points out that they're going too fast, and both parts of the ship would explode.
In the cargo bay, they are finally able to confirm the elusive invidium. For some reason, Barclay knows off the top of his head how to suppress this really obscure stuff that hasn't been used in the Federation for hundreds of years, but okay. Geordi calls the bridge and recommends that they freeze the injectors to minus 200 Celsius. He can't guarantee that they'll be able to get control, but they have no choice at this point, so they give it a shot.
Thirty seconds.
Finally, the injectors cool off enough to reset them, and the ship begins to slow and stop.

Riker calls to congratulate Geordi, who shares the credit with Barclay. Riker begrudgingly acknowledges Barclay. Geordi thanks Barclay as well, and says hes glad that the engineer was fully present to help them.

Barclay enters the bridge and walks to the front to address everyone.
"So, hey. I have to leave. I don't want to go, but after talking to Counselor Troi, seems like the right thing to do."
"You'll always be welcome here," says Geordi.
"Yeeeaahhh, that's why it sucks so much."
They wish him luck.
He takes a deep breath, then says, "Computer, end program."
Oops, bridge was a lie.
"Also," he tells the empty holodeck, "erase all programs under the name Reginald Barclay." A pause. "Okay, maybe not program nine."
He smiles.

*******

We seem to be getting several episodes in a row that have connections lately. First we have a pair of Picard episodes, one right another,  which are both thought of as lighter fare; then two episodes that deal with someone that the crew has a problem relating to, and in both episodes Riker is an angry jerk. Interestingly, Picard's frustration at having to deal with Tam Elbrun was not repeated here, despite the fact that others had trouble working with Barclay. perhaps because he was working with Tam directly, but not Barclay for the most part?

Both this episode and the last also feature people with disorder-like challenges. Tam's telepathic experiences translated (for me, at least) into Autism Spectrum Disorder. And Barclay's problem was not so much that he was shy, but that he has some rather severe anxiety. I'm rather surprised that Star Trek chose to call it shyness, as it was fairly obvious to me that it went far beyond that. Frustratingly enough, Netflix even chose to label Barclay as "shy" in their description of this episode. Barclay was right on the money when he told Geordi that "you couldn't possibly know."

Despite this, I really like this episode. The idea was to put an Everyman on the Enterprise, someone who might be thought of less that The Best of the Best, as most people on the Enterprise might be thought of. And it paid off. Fans liked Barclay. They themselves would probably not be "special" enough to join this crew, and were interested in seeing someone more like themselves on the ship. But however sympathetic Barclay might appear, he is still Enterprise-worthy: he is smart beyond belief, and is really only tripped up by his anxiety and antisocial behavior. These are often personality characteristics that accompany being highly intelligent.

I also love the fact that Barclay's anxiety leads him to create rich fantasy worlds on the holodeck. The guy pretty much lives out his shower thoughts, winning arguments and being his own confident hero. Of course, the safest way to engage in fantasy is to keep it locked in one's head, but I imagine that, as Geordi mentioned, it is pretty therapeutic to actually act it out, and I imagine that doing so on the holodeck adds a layer of excitement.

This leads naturally to a discussion on holodiction. So far, we've seen two crew members fall in love with holograms (Riker and Geordi), and one crew member (Geordi) create a hologram based on a real person. One could easily end up full-time on the holodeck, living out fantasies when reality becomes too much. "It's easier for me in there," Barclay tells Geordi. It's easier for him to speak his mind, easier to be confident, easier when his own brain isn't moving so fast as to cause his mouth to trip over his words. People on the holodeck are more ridiculous that he is, are less intelligent, and they look up to him. In the real world, people find him frustrating and off-putting. It's not hard to see why he views the holodeck as a means of escape. However, while using holograms of real people can be therapeutic, it also lead to some creepiness. While Holo-Riker was ridiculous, and the others merely amusing, Holo-Troi was a horse of a different color. He seems to make out with her regularly, which seems like an invasion of privacy. He didn't just make a hologram of her likeness, he gave her the same personality, possibly in the same way that Geordi used Leah Brahms' service record to inject her hologram with a personality. Not gonna lie. I agree with Riker about there needing to be a regulation against recreating crew members on the holodeck. A person could get angry with a fellow crew member and go into the holodeck to act out violent fantasies about that person, which seems particularly unhealthy.

That being said, I really like Barclay. I relate to him in a lot of ways, and I'm glad we'll be seeing him again.

Fun facts:

- It seems that quite a few people thought that Reg Barclay represented obsessive Star Trek fans, but producers were quick to point out that this was not the case. Michael Pillar identifies with Barclay because he also makes frequent use of fantasy in his life, and his own wife pointed out their similarities. In fact, Ira Steven Behr added the line to the script where Barclay mentions trying to look comfortable examining a potted plant based on something Michael Pillar said word for word about himself.
- Regardless of the initial inspiration, the part of Barclay was written specifically for actor Dwight Schultz. Schultz, a friend of Whoopi Goldberg, had followed her footsteps in getting onto the show: a long time Trek fan, he told Whoopi that he'd like to play a part on the show. Unbeknownst to him, she approached producers, who wrote the part of Barclay for him.
- The look for Holo-Wes was based on the Thomas Gainsborough painting "The Blue Boy." Effort was made to copy his clothes as carefully as possible.

- The test cylinders used in the transporter room are actually US Navy sonar buoy transport cases.
Test cylinders were made specifically to test transporters.

- When speaking with Holo-Troi, Barclay complains about flux capacitors. According to Wes' lines in the meeting scene, the term is 'flow capacitor' but it seems that rather than an actor flub, this was an intentional nod to Back to the Future.
- The song that plays when Barclay leaves the holodeck at the end of the episode is "The Minstrel Boy." This is a popular choice for Star Trek, and will turn up a number of times over the course of the franchise.
- Dr Crusher only appears in this episode as a hologram.
- This is the first episode in which Barclay appears. He'll show up four more times in TNG, in Star Trek: First Contact, and in six episodes of Voyager.
- At 43, Dwight Schultz is the oldest actor to have portrayed a lieutenant junior grade. In the US Navy, lieutenants are typically in their early twenties, and are usually promoted long before they reach Barclay's age.
- There were two action figures produced of Barclay. One featured him as he appeared in TNG, the other as he appeared in Voyager.

Totally want a Lt Barclay action figure now

Red deaths: 0
To date: 1

Gold deaths: 0
To date: 1

Blue deaths: 0
To date: 1
Unnamed color crew deaths: 0
To date: 127

Obnoxious Wes moments: 1
To date: 1

Legitimate Wes moments when he should have told someone to go fuck themselves: 0
To date: 0

Sassy Geordi moments: 1
To date: 11

Sassy Wes Moments: 0
To date: 0

Sassy Worf Moment: 0
To date: 7

Sassy Riker Moments: 1
To date: 13

Sassy Picard Moments: 0
To date: 11

Sassy NPC Moments: 0
To date: 0
Sassy Data Moments: 0
To date: 5
Sassy O'Brien Moments: 0
To date: 0
Sassy Crusher Moments: 0
To date: 2
Sassy Troi Moments: 0
To date: 5
Sassy Guest Star Moments: 0
To date: 0

Number of times that it is mentioned that Data is an android: 0
To date: 22

Number of times that Troi reacts to someone else's feelings: 0
To date: 25

Number of times that Geordi "looks at something" with his VISOR: 1
To date: 5
Number of times when Data gives too much info and has to be told to shut up: 1
To date: 3
Picard Maneuver: 1
To date: 29
Tea, Earl Grey: 0
To date: 4

Bobby, Master of Head Boops and Kneading