Reginald Barclay
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Reginald Endicott "Broccoli" Barclay III, played by Dwight Schultz
, is a recurring character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
. He later had a recurring role in the last few seasons of Star Trek: Voyager
where he plays a vital role in re-establishing regular contact with the stranded ship.
professor Sarah Higley created Reginald Barclay in her script for the Star Trek: The Next Generation
episode "Hollow Pursuits". According to Higley, Barclay is a satirical depiction of Trekkies
and their excessive obsession with imaginary characters. He has characteristics associated with many negative nerd
and geek
stereotypes. While possessing great technical skill and sincere enthusiasm, Barclay seems anxiety-ridden, socially awkward, and self-conscious in ways that may indicate Asperger syndrome
, avoidant personality disorder
or social anxiety disorder
. He has an obsessive interest in fantasy, which seems to serve as an escape from personal interaction. Barclay's anxieties extend to idiosyncratic fears (such as fear of being transported
) and hypochondriasis. The overcoming of his fears
and social avoidance became a running plot point across many seasons in multiple Star Trek series.
", in which he creates simulacra of the ship's bridge officers, who are now completely responsive to Barclay's every whim. Being totally unlike their ship-board counterparts, they served to bolster his self-esteem. With encouragement from Chief Engineer
Geordi La Forge
, however, Barclay redeems himself and helps to uncover the cause of a critical multi-system failure on the Enterprise-D in time to avert the ship's destruction.
In the episode "The Nth Degree
", Barclay's brain is taken over by an ancient race from the center of the Milky Way galaxy, the Cytherians, radically increasing his intellect. Under their influence, Barclay seizes command of the Enterprise-D and brings the ship to a confrontation with the Cytherians, who explain to Picard that they only desire an exchange of information with the Federation. After the exchange, the Cytherians return the Enterprise-D to Federation space, leaving Barclay with the memory of his interaction and an enhanced ability in chess
. This episode also sees Barclay try his hand at acting, performing the title role in Dr Crusher's production of Cyrano de Bergerac
.
In the episode "Realm of Fear
", Barclay deals with his transporter phobia when assigned to an away team. Though he is capable of allowing himself to be transported, he believes that he sees large worm
-like creatures while in transit. When no evidence of a problem is found, Barclay believes himself to be going mad. However, he later discovers that these are actually human survivors trapped inside the transporter beam. With Barclay's help, these people are successfully rescued.
In "Ship in a Bottle", Barclay unwittingly revives a sentient holo-simulation of Sherlock Holmes
' arch-foe, Professor James Moriarty
(previously seen in "Elementary, Dear Data") while performing holodeck maintenance. This results in Picard, Data and Barclay unknowingly becoming trapped in a Moriarty-created simulation of the Enterprise itself, and forced to research a method of making holo-simulations "real" outside of the holodeck through Moriarty's manipulations. When the ruse is discovered, Moriarty and a holographic companion are tricked into a simulation within the simulation, and stored in a computer where they will continue to exist, believing that they have gained freedom from the holodeck.
In "Genesis
", Barclay's T-cells have a bizarre reaction to a medicine
, creating an airborne virus
which causes Barclay to de-evolve
into a spider
-like ancestral form, and its other victims to revert to their various evolutionary forms, after multiple dormant introns in his body are accidentally activated. Upon recovery, the disease is named after him as he was the first to have had contracted it: Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome.
.
Working on Starfleet's "Pathfinder" project, Barclay becomes obsessed with the crew of the lost USS Voyager, which had been stranded in the Delta Quadrant for about four years. He once again creates simulacra on a holodeck, this time of the Voyager crew, but based on facts available to him about their true personalities (for the most part; because he named his cat
Neelix
, he makes the holodeck Neelix purr). With the help of these holograms and Deanna Troi - with whom he had developed a close friendship - he devises a method to use a micro wormhole
to establish two-way communication with Voyager. This plan is initially shot down but Barclay defies direct orders and breaks into the laboratories successfully to make contact. During this incident, Barclay also works through his relapse into holo-addiction, as he reveals to Deanna, he had lost his 'family' after leaving the Enterprise and did not know how to cope except with fake people.
Barclay's work on the Pathfinder project earns him a promotion to full lieutenant
(previously he had been a lieutenant junior grade). During this time, a hologram of him was sent to Voyager to help them find a way home, but the hologram was altered by Ferengi trying to acquire Seven of Nine
's Borg nanoprobes. Barclay and Troi managed to work out what was happening, and Barclay was then able to dupe the Ferengi into abandoning their plan by posing as the hologram and claiming that Voyager was more heavily armed than they were.
An alternate future in the Voyager series finale
"Endgame" shows an older Barclay teaching at Starfleet Academy
, with the rank of Commander
. By that point, Barclay has long since conquered his negative personal habits and is much more confident and secure of himself. He is present when a transwarp aperture opens near Earth. Correctly deducing that it has been opened by Voyager, he witnesses the battle that follows with the Borg Sphere and Voyager's dramatic return to the Alpha Quadrant.
, where he fills in as Chief Engineer for Geordi La Forge
, when La Forge is away on another assignment. Barclay is confident in the game, and even helps the player fight off an attack on the ship's engine room. Dwight Schultz provides the voice.
Barclay is also the first password given after completing the initial level for the Gameboy game Star Trek: The Next Generation.
created by Diane Duane
, Barclay is Captain Picard's personal guard. While on duty (and not knowing that his version of Picard had briefly been replaced by the one from the 'normal' Trek universe), mirror Barclay is murdered by that universe's counterpart of Deanna Troi
.
In the regular universe Trek novels, Barclay appears in the relaunch storyline of Star Trek: Voyager
. He is an engineer assigned to the USS Galen, an emergency medical support vessel. The Galen is one of the ships assigned to the new fleet of which Voyager is a part.
, the story is told by Gowron
, while Barclay has to make decisions throughout the story (similar to how the player had to make decisions in the game).
contains a reference to Reginald Barclay as a fictional cast member of a fake movie created by the team during one of their plans. This is an in-joke used to refer to Schultz, who played Murdock in the original television series and did a cameo in the scene.
Dwight Schultz
William Dwight Schultz is an American stage, television, film actor, and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Captain "Howling Mad" Murdock on the 1980s action show The A-Team, and as Reginald Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and the film Star Trek: First...
, is a recurring character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
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...
. He later had a recurring role in the last few seasons of Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
where he plays a vital role in re-establishing regular contact with the stranded ship.
Overview
University of RochesterUniversity of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
professor Sarah Higley created Reginald Barclay in her script for the Star Trek: The Next Generation
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...
episode "Hollow Pursuits". According to Higley, Barclay is a satirical depiction of Trekkies
Trekkies
Trekkies is a 1997 documentary film directed by Roger Nygard about the devoted fans of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek franchise. Starring Denise Crosby , the movie contains interviews with Star Trek devotees, more commonly known as Trekkies...
and their excessive obsession with imaginary characters. He has characteristics associated with many negative nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
and geek
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
stereotypes. While possessing great technical skill and sincere enthusiasm, Barclay seems anxiety-ridden, socially awkward, and self-conscious in ways that may indicate Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome
Asperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...
, avoidant personality disorder
Avoidant personality disorder
Avoidant personality disorder is a personality disorder recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders handbook in a person characterized by a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation, and avoidance of...
or social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder , also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear in social situations causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some parts of daily life...
. He has an obsessive interest in fantasy, which seems to serve as an escape from personal interaction. Barclay's anxieties extend to idiosyncratic fears (such as fear of being transported
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...
) and hypochondriasis. The overcoming of his fears
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
and social avoidance became a running plot point across many seasons in multiple Star Trek series.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Barclay was an occasional character in The Next Generation as an engineer, often being used as comic relief. His holo-addiction is first seen in the episode "Hollow PursuitsHollow Pursuits (TNG episode)
"Hollow Pursuits" is the 69th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Overview:In this episode, the Holodeck fantasy life of a crewman aboard the Federation Starfleet starship USS Enterprise-D interferes with his ability to deal with malfunctions which...
", in which he creates simulacra of the ship's bridge officers, who are now completely responsive to Barclay's every whim. Being totally unlike their ship-board counterparts, they served to bolster his self-esteem. With encouragement from Chief Engineer
Chief Engineer
In marine transportation, the chief engineer is a licensed mariner in charge of the engineering department on a merchant vessel. "Chief engineer" is the official title of someone qualified to oversee the entire engine department; the qualification is colloquially called a "chief's...
Geordi 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...
, however, Barclay redeems himself and helps to uncover the cause of a critical multi-system failure on the Enterprise-D in time to avert the ship's destruction.
In the episode "The Nth Degree
The Nth Degree (TNG episode)
"The Nth Degree" is the 93rd episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Plot:The Enterprise is sent to investigate the shutdown of the Argus Array, a deep-space telescope and radio antenna. Geordi La Forge and Lt...
", Barclay's brain is taken over by an ancient race from the center of the Milky Way galaxy, the Cytherians, radically increasing his intellect. Under their influence, Barclay seizes command of the Enterprise-D and brings the ship to a confrontation with the Cytherians, who explain to Picard that they only desire an exchange of information with the Federation. After the exchange, the Cytherians return the Enterprise-D to Federation space, leaving Barclay with the memory of his interaction and an enhanced ability in chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. This episode also sees Barclay try his hand at acting, performing the title role in Dr Crusher's production of Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac
Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a French dramatist and duelist. He is now best remembered for the works of fiction which have been woven, often very loosely, around his life story, most notably the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand...
.
In the episode "Realm of Fear
Realm of Fear (TNG episode)
"Realm of Fear" is an episode of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It is the second episode of season 6.-Overview:"Realm of Fear" primarily focuses on Reginald Barclay's paralyzing fear of the transporter.-Plot:...
", Barclay deals with his transporter phobia when assigned to an away team. Though he is capable of allowing himself to be transported, he believes that he sees large worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
-like creatures while in transit. When no evidence of a problem is found, Barclay believes himself to be going mad. However, he later discovers that these are actually human survivors trapped inside the transporter beam. With Barclay's help, these people are successfully rescued.
In "Ship in a Bottle", Barclay unwittingly revives a sentient holo-simulation of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
' arch-foe, Professor James Moriarty
Professor Moriarty
Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and the archenemy of the detective Sherlock Holmes in the fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Moriarty is a criminal mastermind, described by Holmes as the "Napoleon of Crime". Doyle lifted the phrase from a real Scotland Yard inspector who was...
(previously seen in "Elementary, Dear Data") while performing holodeck maintenance. This results in Picard, Data and Barclay unknowingly becoming trapped in a Moriarty-created simulation of the Enterprise itself, and forced to research a method of making holo-simulations "real" outside of the holodeck through Moriarty's manipulations. When the ruse is discovered, Moriarty and a holographic companion are tricked into a simulation within the simulation, and stored in a computer where they will continue to exist, believing that they have gained freedom from the holodeck.
In "Genesis
Genesis (TNG episode)
"Genesis" is the 171st episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Overview:Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Data return to the USS Enterprise to discover the rest of the crew de-evolved into more primitive forms of life, including spiders, amphibians and cave...
", Barclay's T-cells have a bizarre reaction to a medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, creating an airborne virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
which causes Barclay to de-evolve
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
into a spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
-like ancestral form, and its other victims to revert to their various evolutionary forms, after multiple dormant introns in his body are accidentally activated. Upon recovery, the disease is named after him as he was the first to have had contracted it: Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome.
Star Trek: First Contact
During First Contact Barclay remains under Picard's command after the destruction of the Enterprise-D in the previous film. When the ship travels back in time to 2063, Lt. Barclay accomplishes one of his lifelong dreams, by simply shaking hands and speaking with Zefram CochraneZefram Cochrane
Zefram Cochrane is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe. Created by writer Gene L. Coon, the character first appeared in the 1967 Star Trek episode "Metamorphosis", in which he was played by Glenn Corbett. James Cromwell later played Cochrane in the 1996 feature film Star Trek: First...
.
Star Trek: Voyager
Barclay appears as a guest character in Voyager. His first appearance is in the Season 2 episode 3, Projections, although this is as a holographic character. In this episode, it is claimed that Barclay worked with Dr. Lewis Zimmerman to develop the EMH doctor program, although since Barclay's appearance is actually caused by a holographic breakdown this may not actually be the case.Working on Starfleet's "Pathfinder" project, Barclay becomes obsessed with the crew of the lost USS Voyager, which had been stranded in the Delta Quadrant for about four years. He once again creates simulacra on a holodeck, this time of the Voyager crew, but based on facts available to him about their true personalities (for the most part; because he named his cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
Neelix
Neelix
Mr. Neelix is a fictional character in the television series Star Trek: Voyager. He is played by actor Ethan Phillips.-Fictional Biography:Mr. Neelix is a Talaxian originally from Rinax, a moon of the planet Talax, in the Delta quadrant, although his great-grandfather was Mylean. His entire family...
, he makes the holodeck Neelix purr). With the help of these holograms and Deanna Troi - with whom he had developed a close friendship - he devises a method to use a micro wormhole
Wormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
to establish two-way communication with Voyager. This plan is initially shot down but Barclay defies direct orders and breaks into the laboratories successfully to make contact. During this incident, Barclay also works through his relapse into holo-addiction, as he reveals to Deanna, he had lost his 'family' after leaving the Enterprise and did not know how to cope except with fake people.
Barclay's work on the Pathfinder project earns him a promotion to full lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
(previously he had been a lieutenant junior grade). During this time, a hologram of him was sent to Voyager to help them find a way home, but the hologram was altered by Ferengi trying to acquire Seven of Nine
Seven of Nine
Seven of Nine is a fictional character on Star Trek: Voyager, portrayed by actress Jeri Ryan. Born human, she was assimilated by the Borg at the age of six. Eighteen years later, Voyager left Borg space with Seven on board, after attempts to negotiate passage through Borg space proved only...
's Borg nanoprobes. Barclay and Troi managed to work out what was happening, and Barclay was then able to dupe the Ferengi into abandoning their plan by posing as the hologram and claiming that Voyager was more heavily armed than they were.
An alternate future in the Voyager series finale
Series finale
A series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...
"Endgame" shows an older Barclay teaching at Starfleet Academy
Starfleet Academy
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet Academy is where the future's recruits to Starfleet will be trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded...
, with the rank of Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
. By that point, Barclay has long since conquered his negative personal habits and is much more confident and secure of himself. He is present when a transwarp aperture opens near Earth. Correctly deducing that it has been opened by Voyager, he witnesses the battle that follows with the Borg Sphere and Voyager's dramatic return to the Alpha Quadrant.
Computer game
Barclay appears in the First Person Shooter video game Star Trek: Elite Force IIStar Trek: Elite Force II
Star Trek: Elite Force II is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Ritual Entertainment and published by Activision. It was released on June 20, 2003 for Microsoft Windows. Elite Force II is a sequel to 2000's Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force...
, where he fills in as Chief Engineer for Geordi 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 La Forge is away on another assignment. Barclay is confident in the game, and even helps the player fight off an attack on the ship's engine room. Dwight Schultz provides the voice.
Barclay is also the first password given after completing the initial level for the Gameboy game Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Novels
In the novel version of the Mirror UniverseMirror Universe (Star Trek)
The Mirror Universe is a fictional parallel universe in which the plots of several Star Trek television episodes take place...
created by Diane Duane
Diane Duane
Diane Duane is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Her works include the Young Wizards young adult fantasy series and the Rihannsu Star Trek novels.-Biography :...
, Barclay is Captain Picard's personal guard. While on duty (and not knowing that his version of Picard had briefly been replaced by the one from the 'normal' Trek universe), mirror Barclay is murdered by that universe's counterpart of 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...
.
In the regular universe Trek novels, Barclay appears in the relaunch storyline of Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
. He is an engineer assigned to the USS Galen, an emergency medical support vessel. The Galen is one of the ships assigned to the new fleet of which Voyager is a part.
Star Trek Klingon
In the novelization of the gameStar Trek: Klingon
Star Trek: Klingon is an interactive movie/computer game set in the Star Trek universe. It was written by Hilary Bader, directed by Jonathan Frakes, and featured music by Gregory Smith...
, the story is told by Gowron
Gowron
Gowron is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe. Portrayed by Robert O'Reilly and featured in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine...
, while Barclay has to make decisions throughout the story (similar to how the player had to make decisions in the game).
In popular culture
The 2010 film The A-TeamThe A-Team (film)
The A-Team is an American action film based on the television series of the same name. It was released in cinemas in the United States on June 11, 2010, by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Joe Carnahan and produced by Stephen J. Cannell and the Scott brothers Ridley and Tony...
contains a reference to Reginald Barclay as a fictional cast member of a fake movie created by the team during one of their plans. This is an in-joke used to refer to Schultz, who played Murdock in the original television series and did a cameo in the scene.