The Nth Degree

Lt Reginald Barclay, still crippled by shyness, is stumbling through Cyrano de Bergerac in Dr Crusher's drama group when the Enterprise is sent to the Argus Array, a deep-space telescope that has stopped working. While La Forge and Barclay examine an alien probe near the array, it strikes their shuttle with a burst of energy that knocks Barclay out. He wakes transformed: confident, brilliant and growing cleverer by the hour, even debating physics with a holographic Albert Einstein. When the failing array threatens the ship, Barclay finds a solution, then links his brain directly to the computer and takes control. He sends the Enterprise some 30,000 light-years to the centre of the galaxy, where the crew meet the Cytherians, explorers who invite other species to visit them rather than travelling themselves. After ten days of exchanging knowledge, the ship returns home and Barclay's intellect fades back to normal.