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Realm of Fear (TNG episode)
Encyclopedia
"Realm of Fear" is an episode of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
. It is the second episode of season 6.
's paralyzing fear of the transporter
.
Counselor Deanna Troi
teaches him a Betazoid
meditation technique, and with renewed confidence he goes back to the transporter room. Still nervous before transporting, Chief O'Brien
relates that he was once afraid of spiders
, and understands how Barclay feels. Barclay offhandedly mentions that he has never had a problem with spiders (in a later episode, "Genesis", Barclay de-evolves into a spider-like creature). He beams over without incident, and assists La Forge
. When beaming back he sees a worm-like creature in the matter stream in mid-transport, which moves toward him. Barclay deflects it with his arm, and when he materialises on the transporter pad he is unsure what has just occurred. When a check of the transporter reveals no anomalies, he convinces himself he must have been hallucinating and is suffering from transporter psychosis, an affliction that hasn't been seen in 50 years.
He becomes increasingly convinced he has the symptoms of transporter psychosis, forcing Troi to temporarily relieve him of duty. Wanting to be certain that he was hallucinating, he studies the log and with the help of O'Brien discovers that a surge occurred only during his transport, which would explain why only he saw something. He transports again and has O'Brien create the same surge again. He sees a creature in the beam, and again sure of himself, he calls a meeting of the senior staff to insist further investigation is taken.
He convinces Captain Picard
that there may be a real problem with the transporter, and a more intensive investigation is done both on the transporter and on Barclay's physical condition. Barclay's arm is found to be out of phase and he is carrying microbes not detectable by the transporter's biofilter. In order to cure him, the transporter's biofilter is modified and he is dematerialised for around 30 seconds. While in the beam he observes the creatures and grabs onto one of them just before materialising. On the pad a crewman from the Yosemite materialises along with Barclay. He deduces that the creatures were actually the missing crewmen of the science ship when he realized the number of creatures equaled the number of missing crewmen. They had been trapped inside the beam after an explosion occurred on their vessel during the transport. Worf
and two other security officers transport after Barclay and successfully rescue the other crew members trapped in the beam.
The episode closes with Barclay and O'Brien meeting in Ten-Forward and striking up a conversation about how they each have dealt with their fears. O'Brien has even brought his pet spider, Christina, to share with Barclay. However, when O'Brien leaves the table Barclay displays some arachnophobia.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
. It is the second episode of season 6.
Overview
"Realm of Fear" primarily focuses on Reginald BarclayReginald Barclay
Lieutenant Reginald Endicott "Broccoli" Barclay III, played by Dwight Schultz, is a recurring character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation...
's paralyzing fear of the transporter
Transporter (Star Trek)
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
.
Plot
The episode starts with the Enterprise coming to the assistance of a science vessel, the USS Yosemite. Unable to beam over using the Enterprises transporters, Lt. Barclay's suggests linking the transporters on both ships, however this means beaming one at a time with a lengthy dematerialisation/materialisation process. Barclay is assigned to the away team, and after watching Worf, Riker and Crusher confidently stride up to the transporter pad and beam over, he does the same. However, he steps off the pad just before energizing and leaves the transporter room.Counselor Deanna Troi
Deanna Troi
Commander Deanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis. Troi is half-human, half-Betazoid and has the psionic ability to sense emotions. She serves as the ship's counselor...
teaches him a Betazoid
Betazoid
In the fictional Star Trek universe, Betazoids are a sentient humanoid species from the planet Betazed, a member of the United Federation of Planets.-Overview:...
meditation technique, and with renewed confidence he goes back to the transporter room. Still nervous before transporting, Chief O'Brien
Miles O'Brien (Star Trek)
Miles Edward O'Brien, played by Colm Meaney, is Chief of Operations in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Before DS9, he appeared as a recurring transporter chief in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
relates that he was once afraid of spiders
Arachnophobia
Arachnophobia or arachnephobia is a specific phobia, the fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions. It is a manifestation of zoophobia, among the most common of all phobias. The reactions of arachnophobics often seem irrational to others...
, and understands how Barclay feels. Barclay offhandedly mentions that he has never had a problem with spiders (in a later episode, "Genesis", Barclay de-evolves into a spider-like creature). He beams over without incident, and assists La Forge
Geordi La Forge
Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is a regular character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its feature films, played by LeVar Burton...
. When beaming back he sees a worm-like creature in the matter stream in mid-transport, which moves toward him. Barclay deflects it with his arm, and when he materialises on the transporter pad he is unsure what has just occurred. When a check of the transporter reveals no anomalies, he convinces himself he must have been hallucinating and is suffering from transporter psychosis, an affliction that hasn't been seen in 50 years.
He becomes increasingly convinced he has the symptoms of transporter psychosis, forcing Troi to temporarily relieve him of duty. Wanting to be certain that he was hallucinating, he studies the log and with the help of O'Brien discovers that a surge occurred only during his transport, which would explain why only he saw something. He transports again and has O'Brien create the same surge again. He sees a creature in the beam, and again sure of himself, he calls a meeting of the senior staff to insist further investigation is taken.
He convinces Captain Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
that there may be a real problem with the transporter, and a more intensive investigation is done both on the transporter and on Barclay's physical condition. Barclay's arm is found to be out of phase and he is carrying microbes not detectable by the transporter's biofilter. In order to cure him, the transporter's biofilter is modified and he is dematerialised for around 30 seconds. While in the beam he observes the creatures and grabs onto one of them just before materialising. On the pad a crewman from the Yosemite materialises along with Barclay. He deduces that the creatures were actually the missing crewmen of the science ship when he realized the number of creatures equaled the number of missing crewmen. They had been trapped inside the beam after an explosion occurred on their vessel during the transport. Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
and two other security officers transport after Barclay and successfully rescue the other crew members trapped in the beam.
The episode closes with Barclay and O'Brien meeting in Ten-Forward and striking up a conversation about how they each have dealt with their fears. O'Brien has even brought his pet spider, Christina, to share with Barclay. However, when O'Brien leaves the table Barclay displays some arachnophobia.