10 Times Star Trek: The Next Generation Went "Dark & Gritty"

Schisms is one of those rare Star Trek episodes that is genuinely frightening. The episode was clearly capitalizing on the alien abduction phenomenon that was prevalent in the early 90s pop culture. Schisms does a great job presenting a creepy alien story a full year before the X-Files premiered.

So, in the episode, Troi, Riker, and a handful of other crew members notice they’re having trouble sleeping. Riker is so tired that he finds himself on the verge of collapse while on duty. They also have unexplained emotional responses outbursts.

Once the crew starts to compare notes they realize that something is happening to them. At night… while they sleep. Dr. Crusher examines Riker and finds that arm has been severed and reattached.

As the crew investigates more they uncover numerous abductions, of the crew, by an alien species living in subspace.

If that wasn’t bad enough, a quick check of the computer reveals two missing crew members. When they reappear one of them is dead, his blood replaced by a polymer liquid.

This episode explores body horror, PTSD, and it’s just really unsettling for a TNG episode.