Hollow Pursuits
When Lieutenant Barclay's holodeck fantasies begin to bleed into reality, causing malfunctions aboard the Enterprise, Geordi La Forge must overcome his personal discomfort to help Barclay confront his social anxieties and prevent the ship's destruction.
Lieutenant Reginald Barclay, a socially awkward and underperforming engineer, finds solace in elaborate holodeck fantasies where he is confident, competent, and admired. His programs feature idealized versions of his colleagues, including Counselor Troi, as well as scenarios where he's a heroic figure. Geordi La Forge, his supervisor, struggles with Barclay's tardiness, poor performance, and the general unease he creates among the crew, leading Geordi to consider requesting Barclay's transfer.
However, Captain Picard tasks Geordi with mentoring Barclay, urging him to get to know the man and help him contribute positively to the team. Geordi reluctantly attempts to befriend Barclay, but his efforts feel forced and insincere, causing Barclay to become even more suspicious and uncomfortable. Meanwhile, strange malfunctions begin to plague the Enterprise, starting with a broken anti-gravity unit, followed by a bizarre incident where a drinking glass is molecularly altered, and culminating in the catastrophic failure of Transporter Room Three.
Geordi discovers Barclay's holodeck activities and is initially concerned, but Counselor Troi cautions against immediately shutting them down, recognizing them as a coping mechanism. Riker, however, is less understanding and confronts Barclay in the holodeck, witnessing the extent of his elaborate fantasies, including holographic versions of the senior staff. The situation escalates when the Enterprise becomes trapped at warp speed due to a malfunction in the matter/antimatter injectors. With the ship hurtling towards certain destruction, Geordi, spurred by Barclay's unusual observation, suspects a connection between the malfunctions and the tissue samples they were transporting and spreading trace amounts of an undetectable substance called Invidium throughout the ship, leading to the various system failures because Duffy and O'Brian picked up the broken canister in cargo bay 5 and became contaminated.
Barclay identifies Invidium, an old medical containment agent, as the culprit and proposes a solution to neutralize it. Working together, Geordi and Barclay devise a risky plan to flood the injector pathway with liquid nitrogen. The plan works, averting disaster and saving the ship. In the aftermath, Barclay gains confidence and a sense of belonging. He realizes that his holodeck fantasies, while comforting, are not a substitute for real connection. He chooses to erase his holodeck programs, except for one, signifying a step towards integrating his real self with his imagined world. The episode concludes with Barclay's tentative steps towards genuine relationships and Geordi's newfound appreciation for Barclay's unique perspective and potential.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The narrative opens with Lieutenant Reginald Barclay immersed in a holodeck fantasy, where he is a confident, heroic figure dominating idealized versions of his colleagues, including a submissive Holo-Riker and a seductive Holo-Troi. This starkly contrasts with his real-world persona: a shy, perpetually stressed, and awkward engineer who is late for duty. His supervisor, Geordi La Forge, and Commander Riker express deep frustration over Barclay's poor performance and social discomfort, leading Geordi to consider requesting his transfer. A seemingly minor incident occurs in Cargo Bay Five where a canister of tissue samples, crucial for a medical mission, is found leaking gaseous nitrogen, though its significance is not yet clear. Captain Picard, however, rejects Geordi's transfer request, instead tasking him with mentoring Barclay, urging him to overcome his personal discomfort and 'get to know the man.' Geordi's initial attempts at forced friendliness only heighten Barclay's suspicion. The situation escalates when Barclay is publicly humiliated during a briefing, his ideas overshadowed by Ensign Wesley Crusher. Seeking solace, Barclay retreats to the holodeck, creating elaborate fantasies that allow him to vent his frustrations and fulfill his desires. Concurrently, strange malfunctions begin to plague the Enterprise, starting with the anti-gravity unit failing after Barclay's inspection. The act culminates with a bizarre incident in Ten-Forward where a drinking glass is molecularly altered in Duffy's hand, signaling a deeper, unexplained problem affecting the ship. This act establishes Barclay's internal conflict and external challenges, while introducing the mysterious ship malfunctions that will drive the plot.
In a surreal, clichéd holodeck recreation of Ten Forward, Barclay—emboldened by his fantasy persona—physically overpowers Holo-Riker and verbally dismantles Holo-Geordi’s authority, exposing the fragile facade of his confidence. The scene …
Barclay’s holodeck fantasy—where he has meticulously crafted a world of dominance and desire—reaches its violent climax as he physically overpowers Holo-Riker and verbally dismantles Holo-Geordi, his repressed rebellion against authority …
In the Enterprise’s cargo bay, Geordi La Forge’s simmering frustration with Barclay’s chronic tardiness and erratic performance reaches a boiling point. As Geordi vents to Riker—calling Barclay ‘Broccoli’ (a derisive …
In the Enterprise’s cargo bay, the tension between Geordi La Forge’s frustration with Barclay’s chronic lateness and Riker’s escalating impatience reaches a breaking point. Barclay, visibly uncomfortable and socially paralyzed, …
The scene opens in the Enterprise’s Cargo Bay, where Geordi La Forge and William Riker are already engaged in a tense discussion about Reginald Barclay—his chronic lateness, his lack of …
In the tense, high-stakes environment of the Enterprise's Cargo Bay, Lieutenant Barclay—already under scrutiny for his chronic lateness and social awkwardness—is assigned to inspect a malfunctioning anti-grav unit by Geordi …
In the sterile, echoing expanse of the Enterprise's Cargo Bay, the tension between Geordi La Forge and Lieutenant Barclay reaches a breaking point—not through confrontation, but through the suffocating weight …
In the tense, charged atmosphere of the captain’s ready room, Picard confronts Riker and Geordi over their request to transfer Barclay—a decision rooted in personal discomfort and professional frustration. The …
In the sterile confines of the Enterprise’s ready room, Captain Picard confronts the crew’s collective failure of empathy toward Lieutenant Barclay, a moment that serves as both a moral reckoning …
In the captain's ready room, Picard dismantles Geordi's request to transfer Barclay with surgical precision, exposing the crew's collective failure of empathy. The scene unfolds as a masterclass in leadership …
In a moment of raw emotional vulnerability, Barclay flees the pressures of his real-world failures into the holodeck, where he constructs a seductive fantasy of intimacy with a holographic Deanna …
The scene opens in Barclay’s holodeck fantasy—a serene glade where he flees his social anxieties—culminating in a fleeting, idealized embrace with a holographic Deanna Troi as the 'Goddess of Empathy.' …
Act Two deepens the mystery of the Enterprise malfunctions as Data and Geordi investigate the molecularly altered drinking glass. They conclude its structure changed at an atomic level, possibly due to an unshielded power source, a diagnosis that implies a daunting ship-wide diagnostic. Geordi, still attempting to fulfill Picard's mandate, assigns Barclay to this complex task, trying to highlight his technical prowess. Barclay, showing a flash of insight, suggests a potential link between the glass incident and the earlier anti-gravity unit failure, indicating a nascent investigative ability. However, his progress is immediately undercut when Captain Picard inadvertently calls him 'Broccoli' on the bridge, a humiliating moment that reinforces Barclay's deep-seated insecurities and causes him to retreat. Seeking advice, Geordi consults Guinan, who offers a perceptive perspective: Barclay's imagination and social awkwardness might be linked, suggesting his shyness stems from feeling unwelcome. Guinan's insights challenge Geordi's conventional view of competence. Driven by Guinan's words and his assignment, Geordi tracks Barclay to the holodeck, where he witnesses the full extent of Barclay's elaborate fantasy life—a world where Barclay is a heroic musketeer, commanding respect from holographic versions of his superiors, including Picard, Data, and even Geordi himself. This revelation sparks a mix of shock and a new, genuine compassion in Geordi. Barclay, deeply embarrassed, offers to request reassignment, but Geordi, now understanding, assures him his holodeck activities are private, as long as they do not impact his work. In a vulnerable moment, Barclay confesses his profound social anxieties, the comfort his fantasies provide, and his struggle to connect with real people, admitting the holograms often feel more real. Geordi, now genuinely concerned, urges him to seek help from the real Counselor Troi. The act concludes with a catastrophic malfunction in Transporter Room Three, where a test object is destroyed, escalating the ship's problems to a critical level and underscoring the urgency of finding the cause.
In the sterile confines of Transporter Room Three, Miles O’Brien meticulously prepares a pure-duranium test object—a routine procedure that should yield predictable results. Yet when the transporter activates, the object …
In the sterile glow of Transporter Room Three, the Enterprise's technical failure manifests as a ghostly spectacle: a duranium cylinder dematerializes in a stuttering, erratic dance across the pads, dissolving …
In the sterile glow of Transporter Room Three, the crew examines the smoldering residue of a test object that violently dematerialized—its destruction a physical manifestation of the Enterprise’s escalating instability. …
In Transporter Room Three, the Enterprise’s escalating malfunctions reach a critical juncture as Picard, Riker, and Geordi examine the smoldering residue of a failed transporter test—a physical manifestation of the …
In the wake of a catastrophic transporter malfunction—where a duranium test object dematerializes erratically, burns out, and vanishes entirely—Commander Riker seizes the moment to impose a transporter lockdown, halting all …
In a painfully ironic reversal of his holodeck fantasies, Barclay sits in Counselor Troi’s office—mirroring the seductive, idealized version of her he created in his programs—yet the reality is a …
In a painfully tense counseling session, Counselor Troi attempts to guide Barclay through a relaxation exercise, but his anxiety spirals into physical distress—clenched fists, rapid breathing, and a voice trembling …
Act Three opens with Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge's log entry, detailing the ongoing mystery of the Transporter Room Three malfunction, noting that no cause has been found and only that specific room is affected. Captain Picard, concerned by the escalating incidents, orders a comprehensive diagnostic of all ship systems, emphasizing the critical need for operational transporters within twenty-two hours. Commander Riker, still frustrated with Barclay's performance, demands his immediate presence on the bridge. Geordi, however, attempts to delay, hinting at Barclay's current activity. Meanwhile, Barclay attempts a therapy session with the real Counselor Troi, but his profound social anxiety renders him unable to engage. He quickly flees the session, demonstrating his deep-seated discomfort with genuine human interaction, especially concerning his personal struggles. His inability to confront his issues in reality drives him back to the escapism of the holodeck. When Barclay fails to report to the bridge at the appointed time, Riker's patience snaps. Discovering Barclay's location in Holodeck Two, Riker, accompanied by a reluctant Geordi and a concerned Troi, charges off to confront him. They enter the holodeck to find the elaborate musketeer fantasy in full swing, with holographic versions of Picard, Data, and Geordi engaged in a picnic, further highlighting Barclay's retreat into an idealized, controlled world. This scene serves as a dramatic confrontation point, where Barclay's private coping mechanism is exposed to his superiors, setting the stage for the direct conflict between his fantasy life and the pressing reality of the ship's escalating malfunctions.
The tension on the Enterprise bridge reaches a boiling point as Deanna Troi’s cryptic warning about Barclay’s erratic behavior—delivered with uncharacteristic hesitation—collides with Riker’s simmering frustration over the lieutenant’s repeated …
The tension on the Enterprise bridge reaches a boiling point as Geordi La Forge—still reeling from his own failed attempts to mentor Barclay—is forced to confront the lieutenant’s escalating instability. …
The tension on the Enterprise bridge reaches a boiling point as Geordi La Forge—already on edge after Barclay’s erratic behavior—attempts to locate the missing engineer, only to be met with …
The holodeck’s idyllic glade—already a battleground of clashing perspectives—escalates into farcical chaos when Barclay’s holographic musketeers, mistaking Riker’s fury for a threat, draw swords and challenge the real crew to …
The scene erupts into a surreal confrontation between Barclay’s holographic fantasies and the real crew’s escalating frustration. Riker’s rigid skepticism collides with Troi’s empathetic defense of Barclay’s emotional world, as …
The scene opens with Geordi La Forge, mid-conversation with Picard over the comm, as the Enterprise grapples with escalating warp core malfunctions. Picard’s directive—‘consult Lieutenant Barclay’—hits Geordi like a gut …
In a deceptively serene holodeck glade, Geordi, Troi, and Riker stumble upon Barclay in a moment of raw vulnerability—curled in the lap of a holographic Beverly, his snoring betraying the …
Act Four begins with Riker's furious reaction to finding Barclay's holodeck fantasy, particularly the simulation of senior crew members, which he deems a violation of protocol. He attempts to shut down and erase the program, but Counselor Troi intervenes, arguing that such an abrupt termination would be psychologically damaging to Barclay, who uses the holodeck as an escape from a difficult reality. The holographic musketeers, including Holo-Picard, Holo-Data, and Holo-Geordi, challenge the real crew, adding an element of absurd humor to Riker's frustration, especially when a shorter, subservient Holo-Riker appears. Troi observes Riker's intimidating presence, subtly linking it to Barclay's anxieties. The situation becomes even more awkward when Holo-Troi appears as the 'Goddess of Empathy,' a highly revealing and suggestive figure, much to Geordi's discomfort and Riker's amusement. This moment underscores the profound disconnect between Barclay's idealized fantasies and the real emotions of his colleagues. The ship is suddenly rocked by a severe malfunction: the matter/anti-matter injectors lock, causing the Enterprise to accelerate uncontrollably to warp 7.25. Captain Picard, now realizing the gravity of the situation, orders Geordi to consult with Barclay, recognizing his unique perspective might be valuable. They find Barclay asleep in Holo-Beverly's lap, a stark image of his escapism. Back in the corridor, Barclay, humiliated, admits his holodiction, and Geordi, showing empathy, shares his own past experience with holodeck romance, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing fantasy from reality. Barclay acknowledges that his holograms feel more real than actual people, 'except maybe for you, Commander,' signifying a crucial step towards genuine connection. As they return to Engineering, Barclay discovers the injectors are physically jammed, not a computer error, and cannot be cleared. The Enterprise continues to accelerate out of control, hurtling towards certain destruction, setting up the climax.
In the heart of the Enterprise's crisis, Barclay and Geordi's desperate attempts to diagnose the warp core injectors collapse under the weight of the ship's malfunctioning systems. Barclay's tentative suggestion …
In the heart of Enterprise's Engineering, the warp core's spiraling destruction reaches a critical juncture as Barclay's physical inspection reveals the injectors are mechanically jammed—not a software glitch—while Geordi confirms …
The Enterprise lurches toward annihilation as Captain Picard’s Red Alert declaration transforms the bridge into a war room, its crimson glow casting long shadows over the crew’s grim faces. Worf’s …
The Enterprise lurches toward annihilation as Picard declares Red Alert, triggering a high-stakes countdown: Data’s cold calculation—15 minutes, 40 seconds—hangs over the bridge like a death sentence. Riker, his voice …
In the throes of a catastrophic systems failure, Geordi La Forge delivers a brutal ultimatum to his engineering team: the Enterprise has fifteen minutes before it tears itself apart. The …
In the high-stakes crucible of Main Engineering, the Enterprise teeters on the brink of self-destruction as Geordi La Forge’s desperate plea for solutions exposes the crew’s collective helplessness. The air …
In the heart of Main Engineering, the Enterprise teeters on the brink of catastrophic failure as Geordi La Forge—his voice tight with urgency—demands solutions from his team. The air hums …
In the heart of Main Engineering, the Enterprise lurches violently for the first time—a physical manifestation of the ship’s unraveling, its systems destabilized by Barclay’s repressed anxieties bleeding into reality. …
Act Five plunges the Enterprise into a full-blown crisis as the ship accelerates past warp nine, with structural failure imminent in just over fifteen minutes. Captain Picard declares Red Alert and prepares for emergency saucer separation, a desperate measure. In Main Engineering, Geordi, under immense pressure, gathers his team, including Barclay, urging them to propose any idea, no matter how unconventional. Traditional diagnostic approaches fail to identify a common link between the escalating malfunctions. It is Barclay, overcoming his profound shyness, who finally proposes a radical theory: the crew themselves might be the connection, unknowingly transmitting an undetectable substance. Despite initial skepticism from Wesley, Barclay persists, suggesting the substance might be un-scannable and could have been spread by Duffy and Costa in the cargo bay. This breakthrough leads Geordi to use the computer to narrow down potential undetectable substances that could alter molecular structure. Through a process of elimination, aided by Barclay's quick thinking, they identify Invidium, an old medical containment agent, as the most probable culprit, connecting it to the broken canister from Cargo Bay Five. With time running out, Geordi and Barclay rush to the cargo bay, where they confirm the presence of Invidium using a specialized light. Barclay then devises a risky but viable solution: flooding the injector pathway with liquid nitrogen to neutralize the substance. Picard, with no other options, approves the plan. Geordi, Wesley, and Duffy execute the procedure under extreme time pressure, with the ship seconds away from structural collapse. The liquid nitrogen successfully neutralizes the Invidium, bringing the matter and anti-matter injectors back online, and the Enterprise drops out of warp, averting disaster. In the aftermath, Geordi commends Barclay, acknowledging his critical role in saving the ship. The episode concludes with Barclay returning to the holodeck. He addresses his holographic crew, expressing his decision to leave them, a sign of his newfound confidence and commitment to reality. He then erases all his holodeck programs, *except one*, symbolizing his acceptance of his real self and a tentative step towards genuine human connection, leaving the holodeck with a hopeful smile.
In a moment of raw intellectual courage, Barclay—his voice trembling with the weight of his own audacity—proposes a radical theory that upends the crew’s investigation: the crew themselves may be …
In a moment of intellectual courage, Reginald Barclay—overcoming his paralyzing social anxiety—proposes a radical theory: the Enterprise’s crew themselves may be the unwitting carriers of the substance sabotaging the ship’s …
In the throbbing heart of Engineering, where the Enterprise’s structural integrity teeters on collapse, Geordi La Forge and his team scramble to decode the ship’s cascading malfunctions—each failure a domino …
In the high-stakes tension of the Enterprise-D’s cargo bay, Reginald Barclay—his hands trembling with a mix of fear and determination—uses a specialized detection tool to expose the Invidium residue clinging …
In the Enterprise-D’s cargo bay, Geordi La Forge and Reginald Barclay—working under extreme pressure—confirm the presence of Invidium residue on Barclay’s glove, a substance that has infiltrated the ship’s systems …
In the final, desperate moments before the Enterprise’s warp core collapses under the strain of Barclay’s holodeck-induced malfunctions, the crew executes a high-risk, multi-layered procedure to stabilize the ship. Wesley …
In the immediate aftermath of the Enterprise’s harrowing warp core crisis—where the ship teetered on the brink of structural collapse—Geordi La Forge and Reginald Barclay stand on the cargo deck, …
In the charged silence of the Cargo Deck, the Enterprise’s crisis has just been averted—its warp engines stabilized, its structural integrity preserved—but the emotional fallout lingers. Geordi La Forge, still …
In a moment of quiet but profound transformation, Barclay—now visibly more confident—enters the holodeck for what may be the final time. Addressing his holographic crew (a surrogate family of idealized …
In a moment of quiet resolve, Barclay—now transformed by his journey—convenes his holographic crew for a final farewell. The scene unfolds with poignant restraint: Barclay, his posture subtly altered by …