Star Trek TNG Phantasms

I like this silly episodes. There were a lot of silly episodes like this in the seventh season. I think it was a sign that they were starting to run low on ideas for this setting: The Starship Enterprise exploring the familiar quadrants of the galaxy. It's silly because the science fiction was as questionable as the transporter and holodeck glitches. But if the technology mattered that much to me, I'd be more into the tecno-babble aspects and how it all works. I'm willing to let it slide as long as it's enjoyable, and in this case it is. It's also one of my approved uses of the holodeck.

It begins with Data walking through the corridor and the camera perspective is noticeably unusual, but when you're seeing it the first time, you can't put your finger on why it looks that way. Geordi is standing there and they start talking about bringing a new warp core online soon. Data tells Geordi that he'll meet him in engineering. On the way, he hears a telephone ringing and then sees 19th or early 20th century style workmen burrowing into a bulkhead with pickaxes. Data asks what they're doing and tells them that they shouldn't be there. They're aggressive and belligerent when they tell him to go away. Data then opens his mouth to speak, but emits a high pitched tone instead. This makes the workmen angry. They yell at him to stop making that noise and then attack him. The Data head from Time's Arrow makes another appearance as they dismantle him in rage. It then cuts to Data waking up in bed since it was all a dream which also explains the strange camera perspective. He is obviously concerned about what he was seeing in the dream. Then the Captain's log tells us that they did, in fact, just install a new warp core and that they're headed to a Starbase where Picard is expected to attend an Admirals' Banquet which he is less than enthused about but has no excuse not to attend this time. Data relates his nightmare to Geordi. Geordi doesn't think much of it at first since nightmares and obsessing over nightmares are all a part of the human experience. It seems likely that Dr. Soong would've taken this into account when creating the dream program. They're then approached by a young Ensign named Tyler that has a crush on Geordi whose feelings he doesn't reciprocate. This was filler material and it's hard to feel sorry for Geordi on this one... she's, like, the only woman that's come into his path that's actually interested in him instead of being unobtainable or unrealistic. Data offers to speak for her and it's just one of several humorous moments to offset the main story.

They then contact the bridge to fire up the new warp core and get going. The lights on the bridge dim, however, and Geordi tells Picard that they'll have to spend a couple of hours reconfiguring the conduit where it's at. Picard is annoyed, but not worried about anything yet. Troi goes to visit Data at Geordi's behest. He is watching Spot sleep to observe how he dreams and he tells Troi that he's having second thoughts about running his dream program again. But Troi encourages him to dream again and not to be hesitant about exploring the darker side of dreams since it pertains to self expression in humans. So he agrees and after going through the motions of yawning and preparing for bed he initiates another dream. Patrick Stewart directed this one as well as In Theory, both of which have Data badly imitating human behavior for comical effect and it works because not enough time is spent on that. It was well placed humor since his next dream is even more bizarre. He is in Ten Forward watching Worf eating a piece of cake that's decorated like part of a blue uniform with a com badge on it. He says it's a cellular peptide cake with mint frosting and offers a bite to Data, but Data turns it down as he hears the telephone ringing again. He turns to see Beverly drinking from Riker's head through a straw. Riker is agitated by the ringing and tells Data to answer it. He says he will but before he can he sees the workmen standing over a table. He tries to ask what they're doing again but ends up emitting a high pitched tone again. They tell him to shut up but this time they hand him a knife and lead him to the table where Troi is laying, except her body is a cake. There's already a slice cut out of the shoulder where her com badge would be - the slice that Worf has. Data then moves to cut another slice while Troi begs him not to hurt her. He apologizes and says he has no choice and she screams his name in pain just before he's waken up abruptly by Troi along with Geordi and Worf. They've been trying to wake him up for several minutes wondering why he didn't report to duty. The only explanation can be that he's overslept, but Data is certain that something is wrong. Geordi, again, thinks this may be part of the human experience built into the program, but Data is doubtful and is now so disturbed by the images that he doesn't tell Geordi exactly what he was dreaming about this time.

He then visit's Sigmund Freud on the holodeck. Sigmund Freud of all people. It's absurd, and it's meant to be since Freud is convinced that he's covering up mother issues and sexual desires and won't listen when Data explains that he has neither a mother nor sexual impulses. Why not Troi or Guinan? Well, I think it's because it was still nothing to be concerned with yet, so as part of the human experience he chose an iconic psychiatrist to help with dream interpretation. But he can tell it's pointless and leaves Freud quickly. Meanwhile, Picard gets a call from Admiral Nakamura who is wondering where Picard is and is suspicious that he's trying to get out of the banquet for the seventh year in a row. Picard tells him that they're just having some glitches with the new warp drive, but that it's nearly cleared up and that they'll be on their way shortly. Sure enough when they try to start the warp drive again, it fails again. Picard sees the irony that this is keeping him from the banquet but also not thrilled with having to tell the admiral that they'll be later than he'd just got through telling him they'd be. In Engineering, Geordi and Data are working on the problem with the Tyler floating about, still mooning over Geordi. Geordi hands data a tool that looks like the cake knife in his dream that he wants him to scan. When Data is hesitant he asks him what's wrong. Data starts to explain that it reminds him of a recent dream and Geordi turns away. Data then sees a mouth on the back of Geordi's neck. He backs away in confusion as he hears the ringing again and when he looks around the area is empty except for Riker who is standing there with a straw in his head telling him to answer the ringing. He pops open his torso cavity to find an antique telephone and answers it. He hears Sigmund Freud's voice telling him to kill them all before it's too late. He snaps out of it when he hears Geordi asking him what's wrong again and is surprised to find himself holding the tool in such a way that would indicate that he is getting ready to stab Geordi on the neck.

He's now alarmed enough by this waking nightmare to see Troi. She tells him that if he was human, it would be a neurosis, but he's not so there must be a technical problem. Data tells her that he's run several self diagnostics and can't find anything wrong with his programming. He's intrigued at the notion of having a neurosis and is anxious to start regular therapy, much to Troi's amusement. She tells him to stop the dream program until their first session just to be safe though. Picard is being questioned by Nakamura again in his ready room. He offers, or threatens, to send help, but Picard assures him that they're just having a little difficulty and that he has full confidence in his engineering staff to clear it up. He then goes to engineering and begins to pester Geordi and Data and get under their feet. Ensign Tyler proves useful in helping to get him out of the way which earns her some gratitude form Geordi, but not the admiration she's seeking. There's a reason he's single I guess. When Geordi turns to talk to Data, he's gone. Troi is walking down a corridor looking behind herself a couple of times with an eerie sensation as though she's being followed. She gets into a turbolift and as the doors are shutting Data puts a hand in and forces the doors opened. She jumps but simply asks Data what he's doing without fear. Data stares at her shoulder and holds up the cake knife/tool. He tells her to hold very still and proceeds to stab her. Riker and Worf are walking up to the turbolift as it opens again to reveal Data standing over a wounded Troi with the weapon in his hand. He moves to attack Riker's head next but comes back to his senses as they restrain him. He looks confused and concerned with what has happened. He then explains his waking dream to Picard and the others in his ready room. He tells of how he saw a mouth on Troi's shoulder and that he felt compelled to destroy it. He also tells Riker about the straw in his head. Geordi offers to set up for a very detailed diagnostic of Data since nothing else appears to be wrong with him, but it will take time and Data agrees to be confined to his quarters. When Troi wakes up in sick bay, Beverly is treating her and tells her that Data isn't there. Then she notices something puzzling. The area that she treated shouldn't be showing any remaining damage, but it is.

One more substantial injection of humor before the mystery is solved and it's one of the best moments in the series as Dats asks Worf to look after Spot, as he's afraid he might hurt him if he has another waking dream. Worf is disgusted and allergic and agrees to feed him as Data details how to talk to him and pet him. Yes, it makes the whole episode worth it. While that's going on, Beverly is investigating why Troi's skin continues to show damage after she's healed it. She thought it was a rash from the tool, but then she used an interphasic scanner and found a strange parasitic creature on her shoulder that was feeding on her. They're all over everyone including on her own arm, on Riker's head where the straw in Data's dream was, and on Picard's throat. They have a conference and she goes on to explain that they're causing damage on the cellular level, feeding on everyone's cellular peptides. If they continue, everyone will just dissolve. LaForge has tried a variety of things to eliminate them but nothing is working. They don't know where they've come from. But, it doesn't take long to link Data's dreams to their presence since he attacked Troi where one was attached. And the straw on Riker's head indicates that he was seeing one there as well in his dreams. Picard and Geordi go to Data with the idea of hooking him up to the holodeck so they can follow along in his dreams to see if they can find out what's going on. I think this is one of the coolest uses of the holodeck. They sit Data down and plug him in. When the holodeck grid disappears, so does the sitting Data and the next thing they see is Data walking through the corridor in his dream and they follow him. Geordi lets Picard know that Data will not think of them as anything more than just a part of the dream.

They follow him to Ten Forard where the telephone ringing continues. They observe Crusher drinking from Riker's head where the parasite was sitting in sickbay earlier. They also make more connections when they ask Data what the Troi cake is made of - cellular peptides (with mint frosting, an eating Worf reminds them.) Riker then tells Data to answer the damn ringing again and although nobody can see the phone, Geordi figures out that it's coming from Data and opens his torso cavity to find the antique phone. He answers and then hands the receiver to Picard, saying it's for him. It's the voice of Sigmund Freud urging them to kill all of them again. The scene switches to Freud's office where he interprets his own presence in the dream as Data's unconscious mind warning him about the dangers around him. Picard asks him to confirm that the dangers are the parasites and also inquires as to how they can kill them. The antique phone on his desk rings again and Freud tells them to answer it, meaning to respond to the organisms. They turn to see Data lying on the couch while the workmen are breaking into a bulkhead again. They tell Freud to shut up and shoot him dead. Geordi recognizes the area they are working on as the conduit where they'd installed the new warp drive. They try to ask them what they're doing and the workmen turn to attack Picard and Geordi. But Data stands and tells them that they mustn't harm his friends. He then starts emitting a high pitched tone again which causes them pain and they fall to the floor. Data understands and pulls himself from the dream. He explains that his positronic net picked up the interphasic signatures of the organisms and asks Geordi to help reconfigure his brain to send out an interphasic pulse that will drive them out. They make the arrangements, and Crusher is in contact with them watching the creature on her arm disappear as the pulse sweeps through the ship.

Geordi suspects that the conduit for the warp core picked up the organisms in the place where it was manufactured. Now that he knows exactly what to do, he can give Picard an exact ETA for when they'll be ready to leave. He offers to speed things up for the sake of the banquet, but Picard conveniently tells him that he'd rather take the full time to make sure they're absolutely safe. Geordi gives a knowing "yes, sir" to this. Later, Troi comes to visit Data in his quarters and brings him a cake made in his image for fun and to let him know that she's not upset about his attack on her. They take a moment to ponder how Freud would interpret one consuming oneself and decide that sometimes a cake is just a cake.

It's a "for fun" episode that's not meant to be taken too seriously. I could get picky and complain about the interphasic critter on Beverly's jacket as being a little off... it should've been on her skin like it was on everyone else except perhaps Troi (but we never actually saw hers) since they were eating away at people on the cellular level. Does that include clothes? And that Data cake at the end is kind of awful. With their budget they could've done a better job than that, but I guess it looks more homemade like that. Neither of these things are big deals. It was just very entertaining as it showed how the writers had a better grasp on humor than they did in the earlier seasons and it was even a little suspenseful in places as Data exhibits signs of a serial killer. Four stars.