An obsessive engineer on Earth tries to establish communications with Voyager in this welcome change of pace from recent episodes.
Additional credits
Reginald Barclay - Dwight Schultz
directed by Mike Vejar
written by David Zabel
What happened
Earth. A man in an apartment receives a surprise visit from Deanna Troi, the counselor from the starship Enterprise.
The man, it soon becomes clear, is Lt. Reginald Barclay, the nervous engineer who once worked on the Enterprise. He tells Troi he has a problem. He's become obsessed with Voyager.
Deanna, who is on shore leave, wants to help. She listens as Reg tells his story…. (more extensive
Quotable moments
B'Elanna: Anyone know this Barclay?
Doctor: I took the liberty of reviewing his personnel file. He's had a rather colorful career, not to mention an unusual medical history. He's recovered from a variety of maladies, including transporter phobia and holodeck addiction.
Janeway: Well, whatever his maladies, he certainly came through for us.
Chakotay: Starfleet should give him a promotion.
Analysis
In salutary contrast to Voyager's recent run of synthetic mawkishness, "Pathfinder" attains a degree of emotional authenticity. As in his occasional appearances on The Next Generation, Lt. Reg Barclay provides an intriguing and credible character, subject to foibles but also capable of rising to challenges.
Reg's difficulties in implementing his ideas at Starfleet Command will strike a familiar chord with viewers subject to the frustrations and uncertainties of the present-day workplace.
And the shift in venue from the real Voyager to a (not totally accurate) simulation makes for a refreshing change of pace.
Reality check
Tachyons -- faster-than-light particles -- have been postulated as theoretically possible (provided that they never sink below the theory of relativity's celestial speed limit), but evidence for their existence is lacking outside Star Trek.
In any event, the communications method highlighted in this episode -- including the existence of such entities as an "itinerant pulsar" and a microwormhole" -- is entirely notional.
Conceivably, if tachyons could be used for communications purposes, the message would arrive before it was sent, something that does not occur in this episode.
Dangling plot threads
Did Reg give his cat the unusual name "Neelix" through a mystical coincidence, or has a previous Starfleet communication with Voyager transmitted knowledge of the Telaxian's existence?
Speaking of Neelix, is he actually unworthy of further singing lessons? Just how valuable is Seven of Nine's teaching time, anyway?
Tune in next week
Reruns begin again. Ironically, next week's offering is "Think Tank," wherein
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