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Synopsis: The Enterprise is tasked with providing transportation to a mediator to a planet to end a civil war, but without understanding that he is syphoning off negative emotions onto Counselor Troi. In this episode, Ambassador Ves Alkar embodies a belief that is endemic in Western culture, that if he is able to relieve himself… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 3: “Man of the People”

Synopsis: In the process of being transported, a crew member is forced to face his worst fear. In this episode, like so many others dealing with transformation, it is connected to a transporter issue. Here, Engineer Reginald Barclay is put in the position of facing his fears and letting go of them in a transporter… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 2: “Realm of Fear”

Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise tries to both prevent alien intrusions on Earth in the nineteenth century and to rescue Lt. Commander Data. There is a remark that Guinan makes in the prior episode, the first part of this two-part story, she says to herself: “full circle” (Menosky et al., 1992). What she is… Continue reading Star Trek: Then Next Generation Season 6, Episode 1: “Time’s Arrow, Part II”

Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise is tasked with investigating a potential alien presence on Earth in the nineteenth century when Lt. Commander Data’s head is excavated in a cavern. In this episode Lt. Commander Data is in the unique position to be looking at his remains from the future that were then transported back… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 26: “Time’s Arrow”

Synopsis: An alien probe enters Captain Picard’s body so that he is able to recall the memories of an ancient civilization. In this episode Captain Jean-Luc Picard is suddenly stricken down on the bridge of the Enterprise by a probe that has projected energy into his body. This is an analogy of what it can… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 25: “The Inner Light”

Synopsis: A transporter malfunction causes Lt. Commander La Forge and Ensign Ro to disappear, and are presumed dead, but they are instead alive just invisible to the crew. In this episode Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge and Ensign Ro Laren are actually caught in what could be interpreted as the science fiction equivalent of the… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 24: “The Next Phase”

Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise respond to a distress call and locate a lone Borg survivor. In this episode, much like “Imaginary Friend,” we see what happens when an alien being, which represents here an individual’s unconscious, comes into the awareness of the crew of the Enterprise, here representing an individual’s consciousness, and most… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 23: “I, Borg”

Synopsis: A young girl’s imaginary friend turns out to be an alien entity that threatens the Enterprise and her crew. In this episode we can see how our unconscious can be perceived as our invisible imaginary friend. When Clara Sutton first imagines her friend, Isabella, Isabella does just as Clara wishes. But when Isabella becomes… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 22: “Imaginary Friend”

Synopsis: A beautiful female alien is brought on board the Enterprise to serve as a gift to bring peace to two warring civilizations. Much has been written about this episode from not only a depth psychological perspective but also from a gender studies point of view. I myself have previously written a paper on how… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 21: “The Perfect Mate”

Synopsis: Lwaxana Troi, Counselor Troi’s mother, comes aboard the Enterprise to be married and befriends Lt. Worf’s son. In an early scene of this episode Lt. Worf and his son, Alexander Rozhenko, are meeting with Counselor Deanna Troi, trying to resolve some of their issues. Counselor Troi advises a rational way of proceeding in working… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 20: “Cost of Living”