Tread Perilously -- Star Trek TNG: Imaginary Friend

Star Trek month continues on Tread Perilously with an episode of The Next Generation called "Imaginary Friend." When the Enterprise surveys a nebula formed around a collapsed star, an energy being makes its way inside the ship and assumes the form of little Clara Sutter's imaginary friend. But it soon becomes clear to the child that her playmate, Isabella, is more than just a figment of her imagination. Meanwhile, the ship begins to encounter a form of energy that reads like matter to the shields, but is invisible to sensors. And when Isabella begins to make threats, it becomes clear to Captain Picard that the phenomena are related. Erik and Justin face a particularly poor TNG episode. The pair activate script doctor mode to find other ways to tell this story. Justin tries to figure out whose episode this really is. While Counselor Troi seems the focus, the guest characters take point, and Picard ends up bringing it home. Alexander Rozhenko makes a special appearance. Justin gets a few Deep Space Nine references into the proceedings. Erik tries to figure out the real dynamic between Clara and her engineer father. Both also try to determine what career goals mean in the 24th Century. A Twilight discussion breaks out and the film Invisible Child ends up mattering a great deal.