Imaginary Friend

As the Enterprise studies a rare nebula, Troi keeps an eye on Clara Sutter, a lonely girl who has moved often with her engineer father. Clara's imaginary friend Isabella seems a normal part of growing up, until Isabella actually appears and others can see her. She is an alien life form from the nebula that has taken the shape Clara imagined, and she tempts Clara into breaking rules. When Clara makes friends with Alexander and other children, Isabella turns jealous and hostile, injuring Troi, while energy-feeding aliens attach themselves to the ship and drain its power. Isabella decides that the adults aboard treat children cruelly and that the Enterprise must be destroyed. Picard persuades her otherwise, explaining that the rules adults set are meant to protect children, not to hurt them. Isabella relents and the ship is released. Before leaving, she says goodbye to Clara, who promises to come back one day.