Television Review: Phantasms (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S7x06, 1993)
Phantasms (S07E05)
Airdate: 25 October 1993
Written by: Brannon Braga
Directed by: Patrick Stewart
Running Time: 46 minutes
Sir Patrick Stewart stands as arguably the most valuable member of the Star Trek: The Next Generation ensemble, his long tenure marked by a constant desire to push boundaries and try new things. This ambition extended beyond his performance to include directorial efforts behind the camera, where he sought to bring fresh perspectives to the familiar world of the Enterprise. However, Stewart’s creative endeavours were often hampered by uninspired or fundamentally flawed scripts that failed to match his high standards. One such instance of this creative friction can be found in the Season 7 episode Phantasms, a story that began with the potential to be a compelling exploration of artificial intelligence and psychology but ultimately settles into being a forgettable entry in the series' catalogue.
The episode opens with a surreal premise as Data begins to experience bizarre dreams that include strange objects like rotary phones and visions of three working men moving through corridors of the starship Enterprise. Seeking guidance, Data consults with Deanna Troi, who encourages him to continue to experiment with his dream program, viewing it as a natural step in his quest for humanity. Simultaneously, Captain Picard is ordered to attend a Starfleet banquet held by the Admiral Nakamura (Clyde Kusatsu), a social obligation he finds distasteful. The failure of the newly installed warp system provides him with a convenient excuse to evade the event, though this delay only serves to complicate matters for Geordi LaForge, who struggles in vain to locate the cause of the malfunction.
As the narrative progresses, Data continues to have strange and increasingly disturbing dreams that begin to affect his waking hours. Driven to understand these visions, he retreats to the holodeck to discuss his subconscious with a hologram representing Sigmund Freud, portrayed by Bernard Kates. This psychological investigation leads Data to begin seeing strange "mouths" from his dreams appearing at other crew members during his waking hours. The tension reaches a breaking point when he sees one of these mouths on Troi's shoulder in a turbolift; in a moment of panic induced by his hallucinations, he stabs her. Realising the gravity of his actions and the source of his madness, he subsequently has himself confined to his quarters to reflect on the incident.
In the medical bay, Dr. Beverly Crusher finds strange discolouration on Troi's skin, which triggers a deeper investigation. During the tests, she applies interphasic radiation, a process that reveals until that time invisible interphasic creatures that have been feeding on the Enterprise crew. It is later revealed that these creatures were inadvertently brought to the ship together with the new warp core. Data, having connected the dots between his dreams, the warp core malfunction, and the creatures, develops a high pulse weapon designed to destroy the interphasic invaders. The creatures are neutralised, things return to normal, and Picard is left happily celebrating his successful avoidance of the banquet.
The underlying idea of having Data, in his pursuit of being human, experiment with his dreams was genuinely interesting and offered a fresh angle on his character development. Brannon Braga, one of the better Star Trek writers of the era, cleverly wrapped this concept into a satisfying science mystery, grounding the fantasy elements in a plausible, albeit speculative, scientific framework.
As director, Stewart used the same premise as a vehicle to fill the episode with a series of surreal and off-kilter images. These include Troi being consumed as a cake and Dr. Crusher casually sucking Riker's brain through a straw from his ear. These attempts were designed to give a new visual look to all-too-familiar world of Enterprise and his crew, providing a visual feast that contrasted sharply with the sterile environments usually seen on the bridge. The intention was clearly to break the visual monotony and offer something unexpected to long-time viewers.
However, these efforts are ultimately undermined by other elements of Braga's script, most notably a subplot involving LaForge being aggressively pursued as a love interest by Ensign Tyler (Gina Ravera). This romantic distraction feels forced and serves to dilute the tension of the main plot rather than enhancing it. More importantly, the resolution of the central mystery is revealed in the last ten minutes of the series in an all-too-convenient and anticlimactic way, robbing the preceding build-up of its emotional weight.
Furthermore, the portrayal of Freud, who appears as one of many historical characters to appear in the series as holograms, succumbs to cheap cliches and a simplified pop culture version of psychoanalysis. Instead of providing a nuanced look at the icon of psychology, the character is reduced to a caricature, delivering platitudes rather than deep insights that would genuinely help Data resolve his crisis. The reliance on such broad strokes diminishes the intellectual credibility of the episode.
Despite the valiant efforts of Stewart and the rest of the cast, Phantasms will look too familiar and will create too much of deja vu when viewed in the context of its release date, relatively late in the series' run. While it is a solid episode with some commendable direction, it isn't good enough to stay in memory and be remembered as one of Stewart's brighter moments or a classic instalment of TNG.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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