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

10. Realm Of Fear

Barclay Star Trek Realm Of Fear
CBS

This episode was analogous to getting over the fear of flying. as Barclay struggles to go through the transporter which, in the 24th century, is deemed to be the safest form of travel. However, in typical Barclay luck - he turns out to be right!

The episode is another strong showcase of Dwight Schultz's acting talent, not least for keeping his composure with O'Brien's Lycosian Tarantula crawling up his arm at the end - Barclay and spiders, what is with that?!

It is also a great episode for spending a little more time paying attention to a form of technology that has been taken for granted since the show's inception. The transporter was invented for budgetary reasons, allowing the crew to travel down to a planet each week without having to go through the expense of building shuttle sets. Yet, despite that, there haven't been that many episodes exploring the nature of the technology.

This episode is one of the first of the Next Generation's sixth season, which would also feature Relics and another life-saving use of the transporter. A strong episode overall and another look into Barclay's many, many neuroses.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"

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