star trek next generation barclay

Star Trek: Every Lt. Barclay Episode Ranked Worst To Best

He bumbled and he made mistakes. He also made contact with Voyager and saved the Enterprise.

There are many guest stars in Star Trek who endear themselves to the audiences, carving their own niche in the hearts and minds of those who follow the franchise. Some are purely comedic and some are pure evil. Some come down in the middle and some are in a category all of their own.

One such guest was Dwight Schultz as Reginald Barclay.

The character originated on Star Trek: The Next Generation, was featured in a cameo in Star Trek: First Contact but truly found his feet on Star Trek: Voyager. He became something of a sidekick for Robert Picardo's Doctor/Lewis Zimmerman, explained away initially in that he was a member of the team who helped to design the Doctor and then simply being accepted as an officer with an almost unhealthy obsession with the ship.

Through his various episodes, while much time is spent depicting his neuroses, the audience watches Barclay begin to emerge from his chronic shyness to become a confident and highly moral officer, one who manages to bend the rules in the name of the greater good.

The rankings for this list are not necessarily ranking the episodes in terms of their overall impact on their various series, but rather they are ranked in terms of Barclay's impact upon them.

11. Life Line

A slightly controversial entry here, but Robert Picardo as the Doctor is perfection. Robert Picardo as Lewis Zimmerman is anything but.

Barclay sends news to the Doctor, via the MIDAS subspace array, that Zimmerman is dying. The disease that he has cannot be treated by any Alpha Quadrant physician and so Barclay ask the Doctor for anything he might be able to do to help. The Doctor goes one better and makes a house call, beaming across the galaxy (for the second time.)

At first, Zimmerman is resistent to the idea of an EMH mark 1 being able offer anything in the way of help. He is rude and abrasive, with poor Barclay doing everything he can to apologise to the Doctor and convince Zimmerman that there is still a chance. Even Deanna Troi is unable to sway the professor around.

It is only after an episode of brow beating the man into submission that the Doctor is able to finally cure him.

Life Line is not the best episode for any involved, although Dwight Shultz and Robert Picardo do always make a strong double act.

Writer. Reader. Host. I'm Seán, I live in Ireland and I'm the poster child for dangerous obsessions with Star Trek. Check me out on Twitter @seanferrick

Sometime in 2004, Kris decided to edit a video for a laugh. Well, the joke was on him it seems because now he has to come to WhatCulture and do it every single day. All that's really changed in that time is that now he exports to YouTube instead of a VHS. Yes, an actual VHS, that's how long he's been honing his craft.

Hollow Pursuits (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 1.7 Log entries
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Production history
• 3.2 Story and production
• 3.3 Continuity
• 3.4 Reception
• 3.6 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Special guest star
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6 Stunt doubles
• 4.7 Stand-ins and photo doubles
• 4.8.1 Other references
• 4.9 External links

Summary [ ]

Lieutenant Reginald Barclay , a new and brilliant engineer, relaxes in Ten Forward when Counselor Troi enters. Guinan , tending bar , warns Barclay that she doesn't want trouble here. Barclay questions why there'd be trouble, and she answers that wherever Barclay goes, trouble seems to follow. Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge enters and browbeats Barclay for being derelict; he's supposed to be on duty at this current moment. Barclay exhibits gross insubordination, tells La Forge to " take himself and his holier-than-thou attitude and get out of his life ", and shoves La Forge so hard he sprawls against a booth near the starboard wall.

" You're nothing but a pretty mannequin in a fancy uniform. "

Commander Riker approaches from the other end of the bar, strangely not looking shocked or angered, and tells Barclay that what he has just done is insubordination , to which Barclay toasts after glancing at Troi. Riker makes a grab for him, but Barclay reverses and suddenly has Riker in a choke hold. Barclay tells Riker that he's nothing more than " a pretty mannequin in a fancy uniform ", full of hot air. If Captain Picard has something to say to him, he should come and say it to Barclay himself. Barclay releases Riker hard, slamming him on the bar. As this happens, La Forge finally recovers from his sprawl and runs out of Ten Forward.

Troi, watching these events, seems worried over what she senses from Barclay. Indeed, as Barclay joins her, she says that she senses his confidence and arrogant resolve, and that it excites her. They're just about to kiss , when suddenly an unknown officer's voice pipes up on the intercom, and tells Barclay to report to Cargo Bay 5, now . Barclay tells Troi that it (whatever they were going to do) will have to wait until later, and annoyed, tells the voice he'll be right there.

" I feel your confidence. "

Then he stands near the entrance to Ten Forward, and says, " Save program, " and everything disappears, leaving the yellow hologrid of the holodeck . Barclay has been running a holodeck simulation of his delusions of grandeur, and his attitude as shown on his face indicates a far more timid, hesitant personality than the one he had put on display in the holographic Ten Forward.

In Cargo Bay 5, the real La Forge and Riker are overseeing the beam-in of several containers on the cargo bay's transporter pad. La Forge tells Riker that he is basically at his wit's end when dealing with Barclay, that he is always late and never gives his best effort, and questions how someone like Barclay could have even made it through the Academy . Riker says he'll speak to the captain about " Broccoli ", then explains that this is the nickname Wesley has given Barclay, and tells La Forge to keep it to himself; La Forge notes that the nickname is apt. Duffy , the officer working with the canisters has now placed them on an anti-grav sled , and informs La Forge that one of the canisters has a broken seal; indeed we see vapor pouring from the front middle canister. La Forge tells Duffy to destroy the broken canister, as the samples inside will be tainted.

Duffy with a leaking canister

The cargo bay doors open and finally Barclay arrives. Upon spotting his two superiors he moves behind several red barrels to try to hide, but they've seen him, and La Forge asks him if it is a problem to report to duty on time. Barclay makes up some lame story about having received a communique that required his immediate attention, but La Forge doesn't want to hear it. He cools off, though, and tells Barclay about the anti-grav platform's difficulty. Barclay moves to follow his orders, but Riker grabs his arm, and tells him he's tired of seeing him disciplined by his superiors; he doesn't know how things were done on Barclay's last posting, but here on the Enterprise , there is a different standard set for the crew. Riker walks out, casting dark glances back towards Barclay.

Act One [ ]

Despite Barclay's assurances that everything looks normal to him, the anti-grav platform falters after a few seconds and drops another canister. O'Brien moves to clean it up (it is spewing more vapor), and La Forge calls for more people from engineering. Barclay stammers that it shouldn't do that, and La Forge simply gestures, prompting Barclay to help with the cleanup. Barclay takes a panel off the unit and an isolinear chip out of the assembly, then inserts a testing device.

In his ready room , Captain Picard is looking over the several reports made against Barclay and notes that he isn't used to seeing a man under his command on report . Riker questions whether Barclay is Enterprise material, and Picard infers from La Forge's request for Barclay's transfer that the former thinks that the latter is not. La Forge adds that he thought he could work with anyone, until "Broccoli," who makes everyone nervous. Picard picks up on the nickname; Riker tells the truth, that it was an invention of Wesley's, and Picard orders that the nickname usage be stopped. Barclay has served competently in Starfleet for years; Picard notes what he's heard from Captain Gleason of the Zhukov , that Barclay performed quite brilliantly as an engineer. Riker wonders if Gleason wasn't shading the real truth of Barclay's performance, as he knew that the Enterprise was in need of a diagnostic engineer and was trying to rid himself of the neurotic officer. Riker also looked into Barclay's psychological profile and says he has a history of seclusive tendencies that was noted at the Academy more than once. Picard notes that despite Barclay's behavior, he chose this way of life and made the same commitment to Starfleet as everyone else. It is too easy to transfer a problem to someone else, and Picard denies the transfer request; instead, he assigns La Forge to work with Barclay and make him La Forge's pet project, despite La Forge's protests that he can barely stand to be in the same room with Barclay.

Barclay is late as usual

La Forge, looking like a cow being led to the slaughter, approaches Barclay, still examining the inner workings of the anti-grav unit in the cargo bay. La Forge does his level best to encourage Barclay and advises him to take his time with the unit's problems. La Forge tells Barclay that he would be a good addition to La Forge's senior staff meeting in the morning; Barclay positively squeals and asks what he should talk about, but La Forge assures Barclay that there's no pressure, just to be there. Barclay says he'll be on time, at 0800 hours. He looks a little stunned at La Forge's praise.

As the meeting in engineering starts, La Forge has the staff gather around the master systems display table , wishes them a good morning, and encourages them (including Costa , Myers , Duffy, and Wesley) to start their brains . The absence of Barclay is noted, however. He comes in just a hair too late, but La Forge doesn't call him on it. He immediately assigns engine work to Duffy and Costa, and assigns Wesley, on assignment to engineering as part of his training, to Myers, and jokingly instructs him to teach Wesley the difference between impulse and warp drive. La Forge next moves on to Barclay's preliminary report on the anti-grav failure, noting that there are some interesting theories he posited. Barclay is again somewhat lost, and La Forge has to prompt him to report to the staff. During his report, Duffy looks somewhat disdainful as Barclay stammers through some tech stuff on which Wesley immediately corrects him; Barclay looks quite abashed as the engineering staff moves off to accomplish their duties and follows at a distance.

" I am the Goddess of Empathy. "

In counseling with Troi, Barclay has regained his confident tone and swagger despite what he's saying and expresses his disgust with himself that he didn't know how to respond to Wesley at the meeting; " I should have told him to mind his own damn business. " Troi notes that Barclay is letting this incident get him much too upset; she asks why Barclay is so hard on himself; to help him relax, she gives him a passionate kiss. Barclay calls for a change of program, and the scene shifts to a warm, arboreal paradise, with Troi in a toga . She identifies herself as the " Goddess of Empathy ," encouraging Barclay to cast off his inhibitions and embrace love, truth, and joy. Barclay approaches, and again they kiss passionately.

In Ten Forward, the engineering staff is informally discussing the morning meeting. Wesley complains that La Forge criticized him for correcting Barclay, and that the staff meeting is supposed to be about discussing different approaches. Again, the nickname "Broccoli" is used. Data expresses confusion – first that Lieutenant Barclay is being clandestinely referred to as a vegetable , then that the assignment of a nickname is usually between friends, not as a pejorative . At this, Commander La Forge relays the captain's orders to stop using the nickname. Suddenly, Duffy discovers his glass is leaking; the structure seems to have been twisted from within.

Act Two [ ]

Data, scanning the twisted glass in engineering with a tricorder , determines that its atomic structure has been abnormally altered. It is not a problem with the replicator , as that would affect the liquid in the glass as well as the glass itself. Data surmises that the glass had been struck with electricity somehow, which means a complete workup of the power systems on the Enterprise – all four thousand of them. Barclay is assigned to the project, but he awkwardly states he was already going to look at the power systems anyway, to find out what went wrong with the anti-grav unit.

On the bridge , La Forge shows the glass to Riker, who asks if the ship may need to go to a starbase , something that will not be known until the power systems are examined by Barclay. Data points out that it was Barclay who first said that there could be a correlation between the glass and the anti-grav unit failure. Barclay exhibits his usual self-effacing mannerism, as Picard approaches the science stations around which they are all crowded. Picard asks Barclay if power should be affected during the tests; Barclay stammers his way toward saying he doesn't think so. Picard gives him an encouraging smile and says " Good. I look forward to your report, Mr. Broccoli. " The crew (except Barclay, of course) looks very amused in Picard's direction; Picard is shocked and appalled at his mistake and corrects himself quickly. It doesn't help Barclay's demeanor, and he takes his leave, looking mortified. Data chalks Picard's mistake up to metathesis , somewhat encouragingly; the others turn away, as Picard continued to look shocked and appalled, Riker quietly amused, and La Forge somewhat shaken.

La Forge talks to Guinan about Barclay. She doesn't see anything out of the ordinary with him; he just comes in, never talks to anyone, and just orders warm milk to help him sleep. La Forge is just trying to figure Barclay out, as he doesn't have the luxury of letting him be, as Guinan does. Guinan confides that Barclay is imaginative (" I just know "), and La Forge expresses doubt in an imaginative person's value as an engineer, or rather just Barclay's place on the ship; he just doesn't fit in. Guinan remembers the story of her uncle Terkim , the family misfit; she had grown very close to him when no one else did. She had picked up her own fear of fitting in from Terkim. She says that if everyone felt uncomfortable around her, she'd probably be always late and just as nervous as Barclay is. Guinan then moves off to serve another customer, leaving La Forge to his thoughts. Finally, he calls from his combadge for the location of Barclay, who is in the holodeck, as seems the norm these days.

La Forge opens the holodeck doors onto the idyllic arboreal paradise we saw before; he calls for Barclay, to no avail. He comes across Doctor Crusher and Wesley as holograms, only they are in 17th century clothing and enjoying a picnic . Dr. Crusher chides her son, saying that "Master Barclay" will spank him if he misbehaves. Dr. Crusher notes that "the boys" got into a bit of a scrap, but that boys will be boys. Suddenly, a great shout draws La Forge's attention, and he sees Barclay involved in a fierce fencing match with holographic duplicates of La Forge, Picard, and Data, all in period dress. Data offers Barclay the chance to yield since he is outnumbered, even though Barclay is winning; Barclay responds, " I shall speak with my sword, sir! " and continues the battle with two swords. Finally, left alone against Picard, Barclay responds admirably, and Picard is perplexed as to how Barclay learned to fight the way he does. Barclay claims he is self-taught, sardonically offers to teach Picard, and defeats him with his swords against Picard's throat. Picard mentions the real La Forge behind Barclay, who disbelieves him at first, but La Forge clears his throat. Barclay looks back and blanches; he's been found out.

Back in Ten Forward, Barclay sits at a table having a drink with La Forge. He offers to be transferred, but now La Forge won't hear of it. He's spent a few hours on the holodeck too and feels what Barclay does there is his own business. But La Forge doesn't understand why he's making copies of the ship's crew instead of original characters; Barclay claims it is to blow off steam, especially against one particular officer, and La Forge knows Barclay means him. Barclay couldn't, of course, tell La Forge off to his face, so he made the holographic La Forge and the others as a catharsis when he's fencing against them. La Forge strongly recommends Barclay have a talk with Troi about his holo-addiction , but Barclay's against it; he is far too nervous and afraid of forgetting little details that may turn others against him, but La Forge pulls rank on Barclay and orders him to counseling.

O'Brien calls La Forge to transporter room three, and reports that there's a major problem; O'Brien shows La Forge how he transports a pure duranium test cylinder from one pad , into the buffer , and onto another pad; no problem, but when he beams the canister back, it's broken and steaming. La Forge, in a bit of gallows humor, expresses his relief at the fact that he has no place to go at the moment.

Act Three [ ]

" None of the other transporter rooms are malfunctioning. " " Yet. "

Picard examines the remains of the duranium canister on the transporter pad that fell apart during transport, along with Riker and La Forge; it's strange that no other transporter rooms are malfunctioning… yet. They will reach Nahmi IV in twenty-two hours, and Picard wants all transporters working by then. He orders a level-1 diagnostic across the board. Riker orders La Forge to summon Barclay to the bridge, but La Forge advises Riker to hold off until 1400 hours; La Forge has Barclay working on something. Riker agrees, and on his way out, orders O'Brien to cease maintenance on the transporters until further notice.

Barclay is in counseling with Troi – it is obvious now that it is the real Troi, as she's not acting amorous at all, purely as a counselor – and Barclay is as nervous as ever. He declines Troi's offer to help him feel more comfortable; he talks about his former counselor, who wasn't really a counselor. After turning the lights down, Troi leads Barclay in some relaxation exercises, and tells him to breathe slowly, in through his nose and out through his mouth. Troi places a comforting hand on Barclay's arm. Barclay embraces the technique, but breathing rapidly, and practices it while quickly and nervously making his way out of Troi's office. We can only imagine the horrible mixed messages that go through Barclay's mind and are picked up by Troi.

Troi goes up to the bridge and talks to La Forge at the science station; she describes her visit from Barclay as "very strange" – she's not sure what happened, as he left so suddenly. Riker leaves the ready room and asks Worf where Barclay is; La Forge calls for Barclay, to no avail; Riker learns from the computer that Barclay is in the holodeck again. He's fed up and goes with Troi and La Forge to get Barclay out of there.

La Forge warns Riker obliquely that Barclay is running "some unique programs", but Riker doesn't care what he's been running; he just ran out of patience with Barclay. Again, the holodeck opens onto the arboreal paradise of Barclay's fantasies; hearing raised voices somewhere, the three head off to find them. Troi is amused to find Data, Picard, and La Forge dressed as the Three Musketeers , but Riker is not.

Act Four [ ]

Riker, in an agitated voice, declares that crewmembers should not be simulated in the holodeck as a matter of protocol. La Forge notes that he does not believe there are any such protocols listed and Riker tells him that there should be. The Musketeers look up and notice Riker, but they don't respond. Riker calls to erase the program instantly, but Troi belays the order, theorizing that if the means by which Barclay responds to reality is removed suddenly, the psychological damage could be quite severe.

The "Number One" adversary.

Musketeer Picard opines on the disagreeable nature of the real crew members; the three stand up and prepare to have at them. Riker doesn't want to fight them, so the Musketeers call him a coward; then they summon the holographic Number One, a bumbling fool much shorter than Riker's actual self, who stumbles over to the crew and screams in a squeaky voice, " EN GARDE! " Riker asks his double where Barclay is; the hologram Riker assumes it is a personal grudge. He advises Riker to prepare for death, as Barclay is the greatest sword – " in all the holodeck ," grumbles Riker, to Troi's amusement. Troi remarks that Riker's height might threaten some people, which may be why Barclay designed Number One like this; Riker is terminally disgusted with Number One and erases him from the program. The Musketeers are in turn disgusted at Riker's poor sense of fair play; they simply turn their backs when La Forge asks again where Barclay is. Riker is doubtful as to the need to search through what could be a gigantic program, but Troi sees the opportunity to get valuable information about what troubles Barclay.

" There's nothing wrong with a healthy fantasy life, as long as you don't let it take over, " are the famous last words before Troi sets eyes on her counterpart, the Goddess of Empathy. Troi's jaw drops and steam nearly pours from her ears, so red is her face. The Goddess continues to spew soothing rhetoric, and Troi starts to erase the Goddess, but Riker stops her, turning her own words back on her with an amused grin. Troi seems fit to slap both Riker and La Forge when they agree that Barclay has a healthy fantasy life after seeing the Goddess.

Back on the bridge, the ship suddenly speeds up to warp 7.25, with no explanation but that the engines have malfunctioned. The speed is brought back to warp 7; Data explains the matter-antimatter injectors malfunctioned for a second. It is a mystery, and Picard calls on La Forge to solve it. La Forge, of course, isn't in engineering, but promises to return as soon as he finds Barclay. La Forge tells the Goddess of Empathy that they need to find Barclay now , but she is now hitting on all of them, including Troi, who advises a shocked Goddess to " muzzle it! " Then they start off again in search of Barclay. They find him, being tended by Doctor Crusher while he sleeps. Doctor Crusher shushes them, but they wake Barclay up and hurry out of the holodeck.

Troi looks like she's going to pummel Barclay, but La Forge rescues him by dragging him off to engineering as requested by the captain. La Forge and Barclay discuss the nature of his holo-addiction; La Forge relates that he fell in love in the holodeck once , but he knew when to turn it off. Barclay confides that the people he creates in the holodeck are more real to him than those he meets in real life… except maybe La Forge. La Forge reiterates his sincere need to have Barclay out in the real world, giving him a clap on the shoulder.

In engineering, Barclay suggests dropping out of warp to cure the non-responsive diagnostic systems, but now the engines will not respond. The injectors are physically jammed. Then the ship accelerates, right up to warp 9.

Act Five [ ]

Picard calls for red alert as the ship threatens to tear itself apart in about sixteen minutes; La Forge doesn't know what to do but he'll notify the bridge as soon as he does. La Forge calls for every idea to be thrown down on the master situations table; several technically-obscure solutions are offered, all shot down instantly as already tried. La Forge shouts that he needs to find a connection to the anti-grav unit failure, the twisted glass, the transporter malfunction, and now the jammed matter/antimatter injectors, just as the ship starts to tear; on the bridge, preparation for emergency saucer separation is made, but due to uneven plasma flow in the nacelles , Data announces to Picard that a saucer separation could rupture the warp field , which has now propelled them to warp 9.4.

Barclay finally blurts out an idea; what if one or more of the engineering crew is the connection to all the malfunctions? Someone could've picked up an untraceable substance and carried it around the ship. The common link is that both Duffy and O'Brien were in the cargo bay with the failed anti-grav, and one of them was present at each of the other malfunctioning equipment; they could be carriers. La Forge, with the help of the computer, narrows the list of suspected reactants – those that would not be picked up by a standard scan (15,525), exist in an oxygen atmosphere (532), and can modify the molecular structure of glass (5). He and the others then begin evaluating the five remaining substances one by one. Barclay eliminates jakmanite ; it has too short a half-life (fifteen seconds) to be spread around the ship. Wesley eliminates selgninaem and lucovexitrin ; both are too toxic for a person to carry around. Saltzgadum and invidium are the only ones left; and since virtually all of the affected technology was invented after both substances were phased out of use, the chance exists of one of them creating unexpected reactions. La Forge then remembers that invidium was once used in medical containment fields. Although Wesley replies that the Federation hadn't used it in over a century , Barclay counters that the Mikulaks, who gave the Enterprise the samples in the cargo bay, might still use it – and one of their canisters was broken. La Forge tells the bridge that the problem might be invidium contamination; they rush off to the cargo bay to confirm the hypothesis.

" Invidium has been confirmed. "

Barclay opens one of the medical containers; wearing gloves , he now dips his hand into the material in the canister, and La Forge scans it with a colored beam; switching colors, La Forge finally finds it when the beam is purple; swirly bits brighter than the glove material. Barclay states that if the invidium is cooled to −200 ° Celsius , it will become inert. La Forge orders gaseous cryonetrium to be flooded through the antimatter injectors to cool and neutralize the invidium.

The engine is pulsing rapidly as the injection of the cold gas commences; the injectors get steadily cooler and cooler, until finally the invidium goes inert. The matter injector responds immediately, while the antimatter injector responds after a power cycle through a ventral relay. The warp engines are shut down, and the Enterprise safely drops out of warp.

The immediate danger past, Picard cancels red alert; Riker congratulates La Forge and Barclay on their great work, but La Forge recommends setting course to Starbase 121 for a complete systems and bio-decontamination of all the invidium remaining on the ship. Picard agrees. La Forge is glad Barclay was out in the real world. A few smacks on the back later, and Barclay seems to have come to a decision.

Barclay arrives on the bridge and stands between Conn and Ops; he announces that he's leaving the crew; it is for the best, he says. La Forge assures Barclay he'll always be welcome on the Enterprise ; Picard tells Barclay it was a pleasure to serve with him; Troi wishes him good luck. Barclay says it has been fun... and then ends the program; he was announcing his goodbye to his holo-addiction. Barclay then deletes all of his programs except one, Program Nine and leaves the holodeck for hopefully a more balanced lifestyle from now on.

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2366
• Chief engineer's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Good, I'll look forward to your report, Mr. Broccoli… (long pause) Barclay. "

" I'm just not accustomed to seeing an unsatisfactory rating on a member of my crew. "

" I mean I am the guy who writes down things to remember to say when there is a party. And then when he finally gets there, he winds up alone, in the corner, trying to look… comfortable examining a potted plant. " " You're just shy, Barclay. " (Pause) " Just shy… sounds like nothing serious, doesn't it? You can't know. "

" The idea of fitting in just… repels me. "

" If Barclay's having difficulty facing reality, to suddenly destroy his only means of escape would be brutal and could do considerable damage. "

" Computer, discontinue… " " Computer, belay that order! We want to get more insight into what's been troubling this poor man, remember? " (Looks at La Forge) " Quite a healthy fantasy life, wouldn't you say? " " Hmm. "

" Cast aside your masks, and let me slip into your mind. "

" Muzzle it! "

" Sir! You have no sense of fair play! "

" Glad you were with us out here in the real world today, Mr. Barclay. "

" It's been fun. Computer – end program. Erase all programs filed under 'Reginald Barclay'. (Pause) Except Program 9. "

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

• Final draft script: 9 February 1990 [1]
• Premiere airdate: 30 April 1990
• First UK airdate: 25 March 1992

Story and production [ ]

• This episode marks the first appearance of Dwight Schultz as Lieutenant Reginald Barclay . Schultz had been a Star Trek fan for a long time and had asked Rick Berman to consider him if the right part came along. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 125)) Schultz' official fan site claims it was Whoopi Goldberg who recommended him to the Star Trek producers. Schultz and Goldberg were working together in the 1990 film The Long Walk Home , during which he told her that he was a lifelong fan of both The Original Series and The Next Generation , in which Goldberg played Guinan . Realizing how great an actor Schultz was, Goldberg approached the producers with the idea of getting him cast in the series. He had no idea of her "actions" until they called him with the news that a guest role was written especially for him. Schultz was thrilled with the part of Lt. Barclay. [2]
• The production staff noted that the show was not intended as a satire of obsessive Star Trek fans . Director Cliff Bole commented, " I didn't feel that, and I would have heard if it was intended. I certainly didn't approach it that way. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 196)
• Likewise, Michael Piller remarked, " It really was not intended directly at Star Trek fans. It was certainly about fantasy life versus reality. More than any other character in the three years I have been at Star Trek , the character of Barclay was more like me than anybody else. My wife watched that show and saw what was going on, and said that's [me] because I'm constantly in my fantasy world. Fortunately, I make a living at it. I have an extraordinary fantasy life and use my imagination all the time. It's real life that I have the problems with. I was delightfully happy with the episode. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 196) In fact, Barclay's line about "[standing] in the corner, trying to look comfortable examining a potted plant" was taken near-verbatim from something that Piller himself said to Ira Steven Behr shortly after the latter joined the show's writing staff; Behr subsequently added the line to the script when he performed a rewrite on the episode. ( TNG Season 3 Blu-ray ; "A Tribute to Michael Piller")
• Holo-Wesley's appearance in this episode was based on a famous painting by Thomas Gainsborough called " The Blue Boy ". His costume was copied in detail and references to the painter and the painting can be found in the script of the episode. [3]
• The test cylinder props were actually US Navy sonar buoy transport cases. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 125))
• Barclay refers to a flux capacitor when in Troi's office. According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia  (4th ed., vol. 1, p. 277), this is a reference to the Back to the Future series of films. It appears the term Barclay was supposed to use was "flow capacitor", according to Wesley's dialogue in the previous scene.
• The tune of " The Minstrel Boy " can be heard playing during the scene where Barclay is seen leaving the holodeck at the end of the episode.

Continuity [ ]

• Geordi La Forge alludes to his relationship with a hologram of Leah Brahms from " Booby Trap ".
• Miles O'Brien and Worf recall Barclay's holodeck antics in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Image in the Sand ". Although neither character actually witnessed Barclay's holoprogram in this episode, La Forge and Barclay are both referred to by name in that episode.
• The shot of a test cylinder being beamed away and back again will be reused in " Data's Day ".
• Beverly Crusher only appears in this episode as a hologram .

Reception [ ]

• Director Cliff Bole remembered: " Dwight Schultz is excellent. He really comes to work prepared and has direction. He did a great job. The fantasy part of it was fun, too. Technically, I had fun on that show. The fans enjoy it when we do an illusion within an illusion. They like those little period fantasies. I was happy with the episode. It was a good character study and a great fantasy within the illusion. " ("Cliff Bole – Of Redemption & Unification", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 17 , p. 31)
• Jonathan Frakes enjoyed the episode. He recalled, " That was a riot, and the goddess of empathy… " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 196)
• A mission report for this episode by Patrick Daniel O'Neill was published in The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 14 , pp. 12-15.
• This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Series.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 35, 20 January 1992
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment ): Volume 3.7, 4 September 2000
• As part of the TNG Season 3 DVD collection
• As part of the TNG Season 3 Blu-ray collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Commander William Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
• Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi / Goddess of Empathy
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
• Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher / Barclay's Blue Boy hologram

Guest stars [ ]

• Dwight Schultz as Barclay
• Charley Lang as Duffy
• Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien

Special guest star [ ]

• Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Rachen Assapiomonwait as Nelson
• Majel Barrett as USS Enterprise -D computer voice
• Joe Baumann as Garvey
• Karin Baxter as operations division ensign
• James G. Becker as Youngblood
• Michele Gerren as science division officer
• Casey Kono as operations ensign
• Debbie Marsh as command division officer
• Randy Pflug as Jones
• Denise Lynne Roberts as Patti
• Command division officer
• Female civilian
• Female command division officer
• Female science division officer
• Lieutenant junior grade
• Male officer in cargo bay (voice)
• Science division officer
• Ten Forward waiter
• Ten Forward waitress

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Tom Morga as stunt double for Dwight Schultz
• John Nowak as stunt double for Patrick Stewart
• Brian J. Williams as stunt double for Brent Spiner
• Unknown stunt performer as stunt double for LeVar Burton

Stand-ins and photo doubles [ ]

• Doug Biery as photo double for Jonathan Frakes
• Jeffrey Deacon – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Tim McCormack – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
• Guy Vardaman – stand-in for Wil Wheaton & Dwight Schultz
• Unknown actor as photo double for LeVar Burton

References [ ]

23rd century ; 2349 ; acceleration ; adversary ; ale ; ally ; anti-grav unit ; antimatter flow ; antimatter injector ; assault ; assignment ; atmosphere ; atomic ; attitude ; back ; bar ; Barclay Program 9 ; Barclay Program 15 ; Barclay Program 15 holograms ; best friend ; Beta Tottoro IV ; " blow off some steam "; brain ; breath ; broccoli ; Broccoli ; " Buttering our bread "; cage ; canister ; cargo bay 5 ; Celsius ; chance ; chemical compound ; choice ; cockatoo ; combat ; commanding officer ; computer ; computer control protocol ; confidence ; consonant ; corner ; Correllium fever ; counselor ; Cromarty whiskey ; cryonetrium ; cup ; cycle ; damage ; danger ; decade ; decontamination ; diagnostics ; diagnostic engineer ; diagnostic sweep ; diminutive ; discomfort ; " dismissed "; docking clamps ; duranium ; Earth ; emergency saucer separation ; empathy ; engine containment field ; engine core ; engineering ; engineering team ; error ; evacuation ; explanation ; eye ; face ; fact ; failure ; fight ; flow capacitor ; flow regulator ; flux capacitor ; fondness ; French language ; friend ; fuel inlet servos ; " full of hot air "; fun ; fusion pre-burners ; glass ; Gleason ; goddess ; graviton inverter circuit ; guest ; Guinan's mother ; half-life ; hand ; " here and now "; history ; " holier than thou "; holo-addiction ; holodeck 2 ; holographic image ; holographic program ; hour ; humor ; hundred ; idea ; imagination ; impulse ; impulse power ; " in God's name "; " in good hands "; information ; inhibition ; injector pathway conduit ; input ; insight ; insubordination ; internal scan ; invention ; investigation ; invidium ; jakmanite ; job ; joke ; joy ; kiss ; leak ; lesson ; level 1 diagnostic ; liquid ; love ; lucovexitrin ; magnetic capacitor ; magnetic field ; magnetic quench ; malfunction ; mannequin ; manners ; mask ; matter injector ; mechanism ; medical containment field ; metathesis ; Mikulaks ; mind ; minute ; mission ; mission briefing ; mister ; molecular structure ; mood ; morning ; mouth ; mystery ; nacelle ; Nahmi IV ; name ; nickname ; nitrogen ; nose ; " nucleosynthesis ; " Oh my God "; " on the table "; online ; order ; outbreak ; override ; oxygen ; party ; patience ; pattern ; phase transition coil ; physical substance ; plan ; plant ; plasma flow ; polarity ; polarity scanner ; power ; power source ; power system ; power transfer system ; preliminary report ; problem ; project ; pronunciation ; protocol ; psychological profile ; question ; radiation ; rapier ; rate of acceleration ; rating ; real world ; realignment procedure ; reality ; red alert ; replication ; replicator ; report ; room ; safety limit ; saltzgadum ; seal ; second ; secondary hull ; selgninaem ; senior officer ; sense of humor ; sensor ; sheep ; shipment ; solution ; sound ; spanking ; speed ; " split second "; standard scan ; starbase ; Starbase 121 ; starboard ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet regulations ; station ; substance ; suggestion ; swirl dampers ; sword ; symptom ; synthehol ; systems analysis ; temperature ; Terkim ; test object ; therapeutic ; thousand ; Three Musketeers, The ; tissue sample ; toast ; toxic ; training duty ; transfer ; transfer coil ; transfer conduit ; transporter ; transporter malfunction ; Transporter Room 3 ; trick ; tricorder ; trip ; truth ; uniform ; vegetable ; velocity ; ventral relay ; violation ; visit ; voice ; vowel ; warm milk ; warp drive ; warp field ; way of life ; " what the hell "; work ; working theory ; " write the book on "; year ; yellow ; Zhukov , USS

Other references [ ]

• Warp Core Diagnostic Systems: antimatter stream coil ; deuterium injector ; deuterium stream coil ; dilithium chamber ; warp core diagnostic system
• Display of substances: agricultural sterilization agent ; Beta Tottoro IV ; biological containment vessel ; catalyst ; Central Plains Area ; industrial biochemical system ; KDA ; kelp ; kelp farm ; Klingon ; Qo'noS ; radioisotope ; Rigellian colonies ; virus culture ; yurium

External links [ ]

• " Hollow Pursuits " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Hollow Pursuits " at Wikipedia
• "Hollow Pursuits" at StarTrek.com
• " "Hollow Pursuits" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "Hollow Pursuits" script  at Star Trek Minutiae

Screen Rant

Star trek reinvents tng's barclay as a super-competent villain.

Fans know Star Trek Next Generation's Barclay as a shy and awkward officer, but in the Mirror Universe he is a calculating and manipulative villain.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: The Mirror War - Data #1! The disturbing effects of Star Trek 's Mirror Universe reinvent Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s Lieutenant Barclay as a villain. Throughout the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation , Barclay was portrayed as shy, withdrawn and anxious, but in the Mirror Universe, he is a scheming villain, one who is not afraid to use people as pawns or play the long game. Star Trek: Mirror War - Data , published by IDW, presents fans with this chilling vision of a beloved Star Trek character.

Portrayed by veteran actor Dwight Schutlz, Lieutenant Reginald Barclay first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation’ s third season, in an episode titled 'Hollow Pursuits.' Barclay was unlike any other officer on the Enterprise , depicted as shy and withdrawn - a far cry from his bridgemates. Barclay would appear in more episodes of The Next Generation , as well as episodes of Star Trek: Voyager . IDW Publishing, who currently hold the rights to produce Star Trek comics, has returned to the Mirror Universe, that dark corner of the Star Trek multiverse, where in the place of the Federation stands the evil Terran Empire. Whereas the Federation is driven by exploration, the Terran Empire is driven by conquest. In the Mirror Universe, a number of Star Trek tropes and characters are flipped on their heads. The publisher has released a series of one-shots focusing on individual characters, and in Mirror War: Data , readers meet a dark version of Lieutenant Barclay.

Related: Star Trek's Q Confirms the 5 Most Powerful Races in the Franchise

In the Mirror Universe, Barclay is still fond of the Holodeck, as he is in the Prime timeline, but his fantasies here are decidedly more violent. Data walks in on one of Barclay’s holodeck programs and asks about it. Barclay then fills him in on his family history: a hundred years ago, Barclay’s ancestors lived on a colony world, in relative peace. Then, Klingons attacked. Barclay’s father had built a shelter under their house and the family waited the invasion out, but when they emerged from the bunker, they were accused by other townspeople of being collaborators. Merliak, another colonist, led the hunt against the Barclays - a hunt that is continuing a hundred years later. Determined to end the blood feud and clear his family’s name, Barclay joined Starfleet, in order to gain experience with weapons and technology he can use to kill Merliak’s descendants.

Barclay Becomes a Killer

Barclay is successful, both in getting revenge and in clearing his family name, but this vision of Barclay is a far cry from what fans know and love. In the Prime universe Barclay is motivated by the same things that motivate everyone in Starfleet: seeking out new life and civilizations. But in the dark Mirror Universe, he is driven by the need for revenge.The Barclay of the Prime universe is awkward, often escaping into the Holodeck, but in the Mirror Universe he uses the Holodeck to sharpen his weapons skills. Barclay’s need for vengeance led him to Starfleet, where he gains additional experience with the technology needed to kill Erya, Merilak’s granddaughter.

How the Mirror Universe Comments on Star Trek

Mirror-Barclay is more tragic than his Prime counterpart, and this tragedy leads him down a dark path, however the two are still bound together. Barclay's shyness and need to escape others becomes the experience of literally being hated and hunted, while his method of escape becomes a way to obsess over his persecution and the dark deeds he'll carry out to end it. The Mirror Universe's evil incarnations are, in a twisted way, comments on the strengths and principles of their main-universe counterparts, and the twisted reflection of Barclay serves to show how, while he may not be the most confident person, he hasn't allowed his anxieties to corrupt him.

Part of the Mirror Universe’s appeal is seeing dark, gritty visions of beloved Star Trek icons. The Mirror Universe flips the script on the Star Trek universe, and no character changed more than Star Trek: The Next Generation's Lieutenant Barclay , who was recast as a vengeance-driven villain.

Next: New Star Trek Series Is Officially a Deep Space Nine Sequel

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Jul 17, 2018

Mirror Barclay Up to No Good

Mirror Barclay is up to no good in Star Trek: The Next Generation - Terra Incognita #1 , available today from IDW Publishing. StarTrek.com has details, plus sneak peeks at the issue’s interior pages and four different covers.

Following on the heels of IDW’s popular Through the Mirror miniseries, Terra Incognita – written by Scott Tipton & David Tipton, with Tony Shasteen providing the art and cover – takes place during Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s critically acclaimed fourth season and spins the untold tales of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D . Following the epic clash with their villainous doubles from the Mirror Universe, the Enterprise crew returns to business as usual, little realizing the serpent in their midst: someone has been replaced… Barclay. What does Mirror Barclay want? And what’s to become of his Prime-universe counterpart?

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Terra Incognita #1 runs 32 pages and costs $3.99. Fans should be on the lookout as well for two photo cover variants and covers by Mirror Broken co-creator and designer J.K. Woodward, as well as Elizabeth Beals.

For information on how to secure copies of the Terra Incognita miniseries, please contact your local comic shop or visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you. And keep an eye on StarTrek.com for additional details.

Get Updates By Email

• Show Spoilers
• Night Vision
• Sticky Header
• Highlight Links

Follow TV Tropes

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E2RealmOfFear

Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S6E2 "Realm of Fear"

Edit locked.

Original air date: September 28, 1992

Part three of the "Barclay Saga"

The Enterprise finds the lost USS Yosemite , which disappeared while studying a plasma stream. Sensors can't tell if there are life signs aboard because of the plasma's interference, and any attempts to pull the ship out with the tractor beam would be equally futile, so Picard contacts La Forge to ask if beaming an away team to the Yosemite would be feasible. La Forge is at first hesitant to try it for fear of getting the away team stuck with no way of bringing them back, but Lieutenant Barclay suggests bridging the two transporter systems together to improve the transporter strength. La Forge likes this idea and gives the go-ahead. He asks Barclay to join him on the away team, a prospect that Barclay clearly has trepidations about. Seems he's got a bit of Bones' mistrust of the idea of being torn apart and hurled particle by particle across the vacuum of space. He agrees to go along, but before O'Brien can beam him over, he chickens out and dashes out of the room.

He heads straight to Counselor Troi to talk about it. She agrees that on paper the whole idea of the transporter sounds downright terrifying, but tells him he can overcome his completely rational fear by tapping a sensitive spot behind his ear to stimulate his endorphins and calm down. Armed with this technique, which he constantly uses for the rest of the episode, Barclay faces his fears. After confessing to his own phobia of spiders, O'Brien beams him over to the Yosemite . The investigation of the ship is going smoothly, but they can't figure out what happened to it. There are signs of an explosion on the transporter pad, though the transporter is still operating normally. The ship's engineer is found dead and covered in burns, but Dr. Crusher doesn't think the burns are what killed him. And there are four crew members completely unaccounted for. Picard gets a tip-off from Starfleet that the Cardassians might have been involved, but they don't find any evidence that proves it. They all beam back over, but this time while Barclay is mid-transport, he sees a hideous leech-like creature floating in front of him, which draws closer and touches his arm.

They run a diagnostic on the transporters, but find nothing wrong with them. O'Brien and La Forge try to assure Barclay that transporters are completely safe, citing that only a handful of accidents have ever occurred with them. Barclay counters that there is a condition known as transporter psychosis associated with them, but they tell him that there hasn't been a case of it in ages. Barclay then notices a strange feeling in his arm. He asks the computer to list the symptoms of transporter psychosis, becoming convinced that he's suffering from the disorder.

La Forge theorizes that the Yosemite attempted to transport a sample of plasma onto the ship and it exploded. They look into it, but Data notices that Barclay seems preoccupied with his physical condition. They let Counselor Troi know that he's acting strange, and she responds by temporarily relieving him of duty. He tries to take it easy, but can't get his mind off the transporter. He checks the transporter logs and finds an ionic fluctuation that occurred during his transport to the Yosemite . He wakes O'Brien in the middle of the night and tells him to beam him to the Yosemite and back again and recreate the fluctuation, claiming that La Forge wants a tricorder reading of the phenomenon. O'Brien notes that Barclay didn't bring a tricorder with him, and Barclay admits he was lying, but O'Brien understands and does it for him anyway. Barclay sees the leech thing in the matter stream again, and he orders O'Brien to wake the senior staff.

The senior officers hesitantly decide they believe Barclay's story, and Crusher examines his arm to find traces of ionization similar to what they found on the Yosemite . The engineering crew recreates the accident on the Yosemite , and Geordi's visor picks up life signs in the plasma. They decide that microbes in the plasma must have gotten into the transporter stream and onto Barclay's body, and that the life form Barclay saw was probably a magnified image of one of those microbes. They decide to decontaminate Barclay by suspending him in the transporter stream so that the technobabble can technobabble. Barclay doesn't like this idea one bit, but they tell him it should be perfectly safe, unless his signal degrades and he's lost forever, which could totally happen.

Tropes featured in "Realm of Fear":

• Bait-and-Switch : Barclay initially refuses to transport to the Yosemite; however, he eventually relents and beams over. Once on board, Riker barks out his name, leading Barclay to think he is about to be reprimanded. However, Riker breaks in to a grin, and welcomes Barclay aboard. Doubles as a heartwarming moment.
• Blatant Lies : Barclay wakes O'Brien up to perform a transporter test, claiming that he needs to take tricorder readings for Geordi. O'Brien quickly points out that Barclay didn't bring a tricorder.
• Cassandra Truth : Barclay spends much of the episode trying to convince the officers that he saw some strange lifeforms during transport. As it happens, Picard is willing to trust him since he knows Barclay wouldn't make such a claim without believing it (knowing how fragile his reputation already is). Picard also notes that after everything he's already seen with the ship, he's not dismissing something just because it seems impossible.
• Cowardly Lion : Barclay in this episode regarding the transporters. Ultimately, he's able to muster up the courage to re-enter the transporter and rescue the missing crew members.
• Though deathly scared of transporters, Barclay finds that in order to solve this mystery, he has to have himself transported.
• O'Brien tells Barclay about how he himself had to face his own arachnophobia.
• Foreshadowing : The discussion between Picard and the Admiral mentions increased Cardassian activity in the sector, possibly alluding to the events seen a few episodes later in "Chain Of Command" Parts 1 and 2.
• Here We Go Again! : Just after Barclay has overcome his fear of transporters (we hope), O'Brien introduces him to his pet tarantula. O'Brien goes to get a couple drinks...and Barclay's eyes widen at the sight of the spider crawling on his arm. Barclay: Uh...chief?
• Up to this point, Barclay had been suffering most of the symptoms mentioned (while the first two could be attributed to stress, the last two matched actual symptoms of what was happening to him). The only one he hadn't really suffered at that point was the diminished eyesight. Data later notes that Barclay has continually been testing his vision since the incident.
• Nightmare Fuel : The science behind the transporter—being taken apart at the subatomic level and reconstructed, with absolute precision necessary—is this In-Universe for Barclay.
• No OSHA Compliance : Once again, Geordi and Data conduct a dangerous and potentially explosive experiment within sight of the warp core.
• When Barclay barks an order at O'Brien, you know he's in extreme circumstances.
• One scene later, he has all the senior staff woken up to deliver his concerns, noting that he wouldn't have taken such extreme measures if he weren't completely sure of himself. Given how timid Barclay is, it says a lot.
• Oh, Crap! : Barclay's reaction when Geordi taps him for the repair team on the Yosemite . It's pretty much his default state of mind throughout the episode.
• P.O.V. Shot : A rare look at what being transported looks like from inside the matter stream.
• Reasonable Authority Figure : Barclay insists there is something wrong with the transporters, even though he lacks any real proof of it. Captain Picard responds by ordering the transporters taken off-line and thoroughly checked down to the individual components.
• Spiders Are Scary : O'Brien tells Barclay about his arachnophobia, and how he overcame it. In spite of the fact that Barclay claims that spiders have never bothered him, he looks extremely uncomfortable when one starts crawling on him.
• Teleporter Accident : Lampshaded really. Long-time Trek viewers would know that transporter problems just affecting ships named Enterprise have been common enough as to stand out. There's really no reason to think that other starships have it any better.
• That's an Order! : When O'Brien starts to question Barclay over his transporter experiment, Barclay actually pulls rank.
• Trapped on the Astral Plane : Lt. Barclay thinks he's seeing things while being transported and thinks he has Transporter Psychosis, but he's actually seeing some people trapped in whatever they transport through when using the transporter. Barclay grabs one of them and hauls him back into reality, and then some security officers are sent in to rescue the rest.
• Tuckerization : Zayra IV is one of several things named after writer/producer Jeri Taylor's assistant Zayra Cabot.
• You Have to Believe Me! : Fortunately for Barclay, Picard does.
• You Won't Feel a Thing! : Geordi assures Barclay that the transporter decon process won't hurt a bit.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E26 S6E1 "Time's Arrow"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek The Next Generation S 6 E 3 Man Of The People

Important Links

• Action Adventure
• Commercials
• Crime & Punishment
• Professional Wrestling
• Speculative Fiction
• Sports Story
• Animation (Western)
• Music And Sound Effects
• Print Media
• Sequential Art
• Tabletop Games
• Applied Phlebotinum
• Characterization
• Characters As Device
• Narrative Devices
• British Telly
• The Contributors
• Creator Speak
• Derivative Works
• Laws And Formulas
• Show Business
• Split Personality
• Truth And Lies
• Truth In Television
• Fate And Prophecy
• Edit Reasons
• Isolated Pages
• Images List
• Recent Videos
• Crowner Activity
• Un-typed Pages
• Recent Page Type Changes
• Trope Entry
• Character Sheet
• Playing With
• Creating New Redirects
• Cross Wicking
• Tips for Editing
• Text Formatting Rules
• Handling Spoilers
• Administrivia
• Trope Repair Shop
• Image Pickin'

Advertisement:

Dwight Schultz

Music department, additional crew.

IMDbPro Starmeter See rank

• Contact info
• 3 nominations

• Lt. Barclay

• German Doctor #1

• Wilhelm 'Deathshead' Strasse (voice)

• Old Man of Barbarois (voice)

• Additional Voices (English version, voice)

• Mayor Dick Dastardly
• Dinky Dalton (voice)

• Jervis Tetch
• Mad Hatter (voice)

• Emperor Zal (voice)

• Admiral Animo
• Shepherd 2 (voice) ...

• Lab Assistant (voice)

• Dr. Jonathan Crane
• Scarecrow (voice)

• Willie Lumkin
• Shield Agent E (voice)

• Additional Adults Voices (voice)

• Odin (voice)

• Papu Papu (voice)

• Additional Voices
• Lester Van Luster (voice)

• Vulture (voice)

• Reverse-Flash
• Eobard Thawne (voice)

• Patrick (voice)
• 10 episodes

• performer: main title (uncredited)
• 65 episodes

• additional voices

• voice artist

Personal details

• The Official Dwight Schultz Fansite
• Dwight Shultz
• 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
• November 24 , 1947
• Baltimore, Maryland, USA
• Wendy Fulton June 12, 1983 - present (1 child)
• Ava Alexandra Schultz
• Other works narrator for "The Unofficial X-Files Companion" (1996) ISBN 1573753815
• 6 Interviews
• 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

• Trivia Designed all the T-shirts his character "Howling Mad" Murdock wore on The A-Team (1983) and called it his consistent contribution to the series.
• How old is Dwight Schultz?
• When was Dwight Schultz born?
• Where was Dwight Schultz born?

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

How much have you seen?

Recently viewed

10 Background Characters Star Trek Fans Love

• Background characters in Star Trek add depth to the universe, making it feel lived-in and real.
• Beloved regular faces like Lt. M'Ress, Nurse Ogawa, and Mr. Mot enhance Star Trek shows.
• From Lt. Linus to Dr. Migleemo, each background character brings their own unique charm to the series.

There's something about beloved Star Trek background characters that really helps its universe feel lived-in and real. While the primary action is taking place, it's up to the background actors to make the sets look like genuine places where people are going about their business. These are the folks at the bridge stations who aren't in the opening credits. They're the assistants to the main characters. They're the beloved regular faces spotted among the crowds in establishing shots, and the names floating around duty rosters and civilian gossip that remind viewers that there's more to Star Trek than the captains and chief engineers.

There are so many background characters from all of the Star Trek shows who are beloved by fans, of course. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Promenade is full of colorful background characters without names or personal histories, like the singing Klingon chef (Ron Taylor). Star Trek: Voyager features recurring background characters, since being stuck in the Delta Quadrant means no new Starfleet officers can join the crew. Star Trek: The Next Generation features background characters who sometimes level up to become proper guest stars , and in one famous case, a series regular: the "most important person in Starfleet" and original lower-decker, Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney). Here are 10 background characters Star Trek fans love.

20 Best New Star Trek Characters Of The Last 20 Years

Lt. m'ress (majel barrett), star trek: the animated series.

Lt. M'Ress is a Caitian officer with a seat on the USS Enterprise bridge, created for Star Trek: The Animated Series when Star Trek 's jump to animation meant that the aliens in Star Trek were no longer restrained by what the makeup department could physically create. As the first Caitian in Star Trek , M'Ress sets the standard for the feline alien species , later echoed by Star Trek 's other animated Caitian, Dr. T'Ana (Gillian Vigman) in Star Trek: Lower Decks .

Like many background characters, M'Ress' cool character design is a top reason for her appeal, but M'Ress earns her spot on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise by being a capable officer. M'Ress' duties as relief communications officer include communication within the Enterprise as well as to outside vehicles, along with scientific duties as situations arise, similar to the duties of primary communications officer Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).

Lt. M'Ress appeared in 2 episodes of the "anything but canon" animated web series Star Trek: very Short Treks, voiced by Cristina Milizia.

Lt. T'Veen (Stephanie Czajkowski)

Star trek: picard.

The starship action of Star Trek: Picard season 3 takes place primarily aboard the USS Titan-A, and as such, introduces a brand-new bridge crew of younger Starfleet officers, one of which is the Vulcan Lt. T'Veen. T'Veen stands out as both a woman and a Vulcan for her striking bald appearance , marking her look as both novel and unique. Actor Stephanie Czajkowski suggests that T'Veen may have some Deltan ancestry, but in reality, T'Veen's lack of locks comes from Czajkowski's own battles with cancer.

When Vadic (Amanda Plummer) commandeers the Titan in Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 8, "Surrender" , T'Veen is one of the Titan bridge officers used as leverage against Vadic's request for Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). At this point in Picard , the Titan's crew are painted as candidates for a potential spinoff show, but Lt. T'Veen's shocking death at Vadic's hand sends the message that no one is safe.

Sonya Gomez (Lycia Naff)

Star trek: the next generation, star trek: lower decks.

The original claim to fame for Ensign Sonya Gomez (Lycia Naff) is being the eager young engineer who unfortunately spills hot chocolate on Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Star Trek: The Next Generation , season 2, episode 16, "Q Who". Serving on the USS Enterprise-D with Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) is Gomez's dream job, and the chocolate-covered Captain isn't going to earn her any high marks. La Forge recognizes Gomez's talent as an antimatter specialist, and helps Sonya focus, despite the gaffe.

Lycia Naff makes a triumphant return to Star Trek as Captain Sonya Gomez in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 10, "First First Contact", commanding the USS Archimedes with the same compassionate focus on problem-solving that La Forge had as Gomez's mentor. Captain Gomez's story is proof that Star Trek characters do learn from their earliest mistakes , and can come out on top in the end.

Mr. Mot (Ken Thorley)

Star trek: the next generation.

In an interesting twist, Mr. Mot is a barber working on the USS Enterprise-D, and happens to be a Bolian, a species that has no hair of their own. Nonetheless, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) says that the civilian Mot is the best barber in Starfleet . There's more to being a barber than just cutting hair, after all, and Mot's listening ears are available to anyone who comes to sit in his barbershop chair, as long as they don't mind receiving a little free advice on the side.

The Bolian barber became an entrepreneur.

After providing excellent service to the crew on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Mot grew even more successful. The Bolian barber became an entrepreneur, which is evident by the presence of Mr. Mot's Hair Emporium as one of the many businesses in Stardust City, on the planet Freecloud, as seen in Star Trek: Picard season 1, episode 5, "Stardust City Rag".

Bolians are named for Star Trek director Cliff Bole, who directed a total of 42 episodes between his work on Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and Star Trek: Voyager .

10 Star Trek Characters Fans See Themselves In

Groundskeeper boothby (ray walston), star trek: the next generation, star trek: voyager.

Mr. Boothby is a positive influence on generations of Starfleet officers at Starfleet Academy, but one would be wrong to assume that Boothby is an accomplished instructor working to shape young minds, because Boothby works at Starfleet Academy as the head groundskeeper. Groundskeeper Boothby's no-nonsense approach to the natural development of the Academy's flora also applies to how Boothby interacts with Starfleet cadets .

Boothby's influence on the USS Voyager crew was evident in Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episode 4, "In the Flesh", when a Species 8472 leader took on the guise of Boothby in a Starfleet Academy simulation, instead of a high-ranking Admiral.

Sometimes, Boothby's advice is harsh, as was the case with Jean-Luc Picard as a Starfleet Academy cadet. But in the end, Boothby always has an uncanny sensibility for knowing exactly how to cultivate the best forms of both botanical specimens and future Starfleet officers.

Lt. Kayshon (Carl Tart)

Star trek: lower decks.

Lt. Kayshon has the honor of being the first Tamarian in Starfleet , debuting in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 2, "Kayshon, His Eyes Open", as the USS Cerritos' new security officer. The Tamarians, first seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 2, "Darmok", have a puzzling metaphorical language reliant on background knowledge of Tamarian culture. The Tamarian phrases from "Darmok" have been adopted by Star Trek fans as a fun way to signal our fandom to each other, so it makes sense that a Tamarian officer should show up on Star Trek: Lower Decks , itself a celebration of Star Trek 's own weird and wonderful moments.

Kayshon spends more time in the background after his first episode, still part of the USS Cerritos' security team. The years between "Picard and Dathon at El-Adred" and Kayshon's assignment to the USS Cerritos in Star Trek: Lower Decks mean the communication gap between Kayshon and the rest of the USS Cerritos' crew is much smaller than it might have been in the past. Kayshon communicates in Federation Standard, but still slips into Tamarian metaphor from time to time, which just adds new phrases to the Tamarian lexicon.

Dr. Migleemo (Paul F. Tompkins)

In Dr. Migleemo, Star Trek: Lower Decks continues the tradition that was established with Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) on Star Trek: The Next Generation by having a counselor aboard the USS Cerritos . Strictly speaking, Migleemo is not the galaxy's best counselor , with a whole plateful of food metaphors that don't always land butter-side-up, but Migleemo's heart is always in the right place.

As a bird-like alien of an unspecified species, Dr. Migleemo's character design pays homage to Star Trek: The Animated Series , since a bird man in a tweed suit may not translate that well to live action, but works perfectly for animation.

Even though Migleemo is bad at his job, it's in a way that's not actively harmful, but makes you want to root for him, just like any other lower decker on the Cerritos. Sometimes Migleemo gets it right , after all, like counseling Ensign D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) in the senior science officer training program in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 3, "Mining the Mind's Mines".

Nurse Alyssa Ogawa (Patti Yasutake)

Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) usually has assistants in the background of the USS Enterprise-D's sick bay, and one of these, Nurse Alyssa Ogawa, is a regular background character starting in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4. Ogawa grows as a character over the course of TNG 's final four seasons , receiving a full name as of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 18, "Cause and Effect", and developing as a character through Ogawa's casual conversations with Dr. Crusher about Alyssa's dating history.

Nurse Ogawa gets more to do when Ogawa is one of the four USS Enterprise-D junior officers at the heart of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 15, "Lower Decks" , focusing on the friendship between often-overlooked characters. Ogawa's story focuses on Alyssa's relationship with Lieutenant Andrew Powell, and culminates in their off-screen engagement.

Nurse Alyssa Ogawa also appears in two Star Trek movies: Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: First Contact .

Lt. Linus (David Benjamin Tomlinson)

Star trek: discovery.

With Lt. Linus, Star Trek: Discovery shows in a casual, but meaningful way what it looks like to actively include someone with unique needs . Arriving in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Lt. Linus is a Saurian science officer who never fails to provide a little levity just by being himself. By all accounts, Linus is well-liked among the USS Discovery's crew , with plenty of crew members referring to Linus and Saurian customs relatively favorably.

Lt. Linus is accepted as someone whose needs are a little different to most human officers'.

Starfleet easily makes accommodations available for Linus' differences in biology , granting personal time set aside for annual shedding, and providing heat lamps in Linus' quarters as needed. After Star Trek: Discovery 's time jump , Linus takes a little more time to understand the new 32nd-century technology, but he's never admonished for catching up to the learning curve. Instead, Lt. Linus is accepted as someone whose needs are a little different to most human officers'.

Every DS9 Alien In Star Trek: Discovery

Morn (mark allen shepherd), star trek: deep space nine.

Morn is a fixture in Quark's Bar from the start of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the perennial barfly occupying the same seat at the end of the table. According to the other patrons at Quark's, Morn rarely shuts up, but the joke is, of course, that Morn is always cut off before delivering any speaking lines. Instead, the picture of who Morn really is slowly comes together through other people's comments and conversation about Morn, with the speculation about Morn's true identity finally coming to a head in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 12, "Who Mourns for Morn". Morn's apparent death is a blow to the community and all who knew him, but also reveals surprising facts about DS9 's Morn , like Morn's secret riches and tactical mind, confirming that there was more to the enigmatic Lurian than Morn's signature bar stool.

True to form, Morn is seated at Quark's Bar when the USS Cerritos visits Deep Space Nine in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 6, "Hear All, Trust Nothing".

Sometimes the Star Trek characters who aren't major players become some of the most beloved characters. When background characters on Star Trek attract the eyes of viewers with interesting character designs or memorable moments, they may wind up in expanded roles as their Star Trek shows go on. These featured background characters will get lines and names, and might even have a major part in an episode or two, but most live out their lives off-screen. From the bridge crew to the lower decks, from Starfleet officers to civilians, it's the unsung heroes in the background who keep Star Trek moving while the main action is taking place.

Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks are all streaming on Paramount+.