Hollow Pursuits

Dwight Schultz played a recurring character on not just "Star Trek: The Next Generation" but also on "Star Trek Voyager" as well as an appearance in one of the "Star Trek" movies. Lt. Reg Barkley (nicknamed 'Broccoli' by his fellow crew members) was only intended to be in one episode, but apparently he resonated with viewers and writers and in all he had about a dozen appearances.

When the show begins, LaForge and Riker are both uncharacteristically negative about a member of the crew. Both see Lt. Barkley as a lazy and disinterested guy. However, their rush to judgment is premature, as Barkley's real problem is that he's painfully shy--so shy that he always doubts himself and is just about paralyzed by his fears. When LaForge approaches the Captain about transferring Barkley off the ship, the Captain is angry and tells LaForge to make things work with Barkley. If that means befriending him or working closely with him, so be it. So, Barkley is finally given an important assignment--to figure out why one of their transporters keeps malfunctioning. Can Barkley rise to the occasion or is he simply hopeless?

This episode had a lot of funny moments due to Barkely's bad habit of retreating into the holodeck instead of dealing with people. Inside this piece of machinery, Barkely is a studly hero--and the holo images of the Doctor and Counselor are there to cheer him on and lust after his rugged manliness! It's all clever and fun, but also important because in the 24th century you STILL see that folks have prejudices-- as LaForge and several others are surprisingly cruel towards Barkley. So, despite their advances, people are still people. Well worth seeing.

Schultz is a great actor in this episode. He's in a few other episodes as well as one of the movies.

I remember talking to someone when I was in college about this episode and they did a Mr. T. impression "I'm not getting into that transporter foo!" That would have been awesome to see..

But, as a 20 something when this came out, you know darn well that I and any guy watching the show would have thought about doing this very same thing. Enjoying fantasies, perhaps with people they know, maybe in a.... slightly non-g-rated fashion. There's a later episode where it implies Riker does this (the one with the metamorph).

So, I can't condemn his actions, just enjoy the episode.

Lt. Reg Barclay spends too much time in the holodeck.

This is a strong character episode that introduces a new face and presents a different perspective on the Enterprise crew.

To enjoy this episode you need to either like or at least sympathise with Barclay. If you find him annoying it probably will be a long 45 minutes. I think the plot is great when it focuses on him and his social anxieties, but there is a fairly contrived aspect of the storytelling that forces him in a certain direction, albeit with some decent sci-fi detail.

'Hollow Pursuits' is about a very passive man who lives most of his life in a fantasy world interacting with fake caricatures of his work colleagues. The show's creators may have intended this to parody the imaginative process of writing fictitious stories, but it also comes across (unintentionally or not) as a satire of the obsessive fans of shows like Star Trek. This theme is one of the best aspects of the episode. The distain shown towards Barclay by some of the regulars, who appear more aggressive than usual from his perspective, works well.

The other element that I find entertaining is the comical world that Barclay has created within the holodeck. It's hard not to laugh at the versions of the crew he has created and cringe when they are confronted by the real life versions. Particularly Deanna Troi.

The visuals are very good, especially the holodeck scenes.

Dwight Schultz is perfectly cast and excellent as Barclay. LeVar Burton plays Geordie well from a more commanding perspective. The regular cast work nicely as comic foils for Barclay.

Humour, this is pure Gold.

Now we know from the A Team just how funny Dwight Schultz is, and boy he shows it here, no wonder he become a recurring character as he has the "likeability" factor and in life that is so very much important.

Being shy is not easy, but do people care, nope. Meeting the opposite sex not having the banter can be a nightmare I was Dwight, even at work if a stranger come in, was a nightmare. If i had a holodeck, I would never come out :-).

Is Reg Barclay like one of those kids that are promoted so the teacher can be rid of them at the end of the year? He is a mess and yet he has great expertise or he would never have made it through the academy. What he is, is addicted to the Holodeck. He has incredibly complex programs where he lives his life of adventure, Walter Mitty style. Obviously, he is incredibly talented but with absolutely no self-esteem. He is also careless and undependable. The factor that makes what he does a bit disconcerting is that he uses the images of actual crew members a the models for his characters (this is not a violation, but it is frowned upon). He even has a passionate, submissive characterization of Troi. I've always wondered about the Holodeck. Apparently, anyone who wishes can walk in on another person, so I guess you'd better not do anything embarrassing. It is hilarious to watch Picard and Data as Musketeers, battling the master swordsman, Barclay. The true problem is something that has happened to the systems on the Enterprise and the entire ship must be analyzed and evaluated to find the bug which is very serious. For those of you who watch too much of this stuff, you know that this character is hardly finished as an important factor in the opus.