Realm of Fear
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 28 September 1992
- ON
- First-run syndication
- STARDATE
- 46041.1
- DIRECTED BY
- Cliff Bole
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 228
WRITTEN BYWritten by Brannon Braga
The Enterprise finds a science vessel with its crew missing, and Lt Barclay, who is terrified of the transporter, must beam across. In the matter stream he sees something no one else believes.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
The Enterprise locates the USS Yosemite, a science ship drifting near a plasma streamer with its crew nowhere to be found. Lt Reginald Barclay is assigned to the away team, but he has a deep and secret dread of being beamed. He forces himself through the transport and glimpses a strange creature inside the matter stream. Troi teaches him a relaxation technique, and the crew suspect transporter psychosis, yet O'Brien confirms there were odd readings during his beam. When Barclay's arm begins to behave strangely, it emerges that tiny energy microbes from the plasma are involved. Facing his fear, Barclay asks to be held in the beam for longer and reaches out to the creature. It is in fact a Yosemite crew member, trapped in the stream along with the others. Barclay pulls him free, the rest of the missing crew are recovered, and the microbes are filtered out.
- 01Brannon Braga called it one of his most personal episodes: his own dislike of flying gave him the idea.
- 02It shows a transport from the point of view of the person being beamed, the first time Star Trek had done so.
- 03Troi teaches Barclay “plexing”, a relaxation technique she later uses on herself in “Timescape”.