Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 4, Episode 17
Original Air Date: March 18, 1991
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| via Memory Alpha |
The Enterprise has drifted into an area of space where the crew are all suffering from sleep depravation because they are unable to achieve REM and therefore dream. Well, actually, Deanna can dream but she's only having nightmares. And, of course, Data is unaffected - always a key when these sorts of stories come up.
"Night Terrors" is a notoriously bad episode. The premise is fine but the pace is glacial. In fact, before editing it was even slower and they had to trim just to fit into the time constraints. The result is just plain boring: the unforgivable sin of science fiction. We do get the benefit of one genuinely scary scene when Dr. Crusher hallucinates all of the bodies in the morgue sitting up at once. Otherwise, this one's mostly forgettable.
Acting Notes
John Vickery played the role of Andrus Hagan, a Betazoid advisor aboard the USS Brattain and that ship's lone survivor when it was discovered by the Enterprise at the beginning of the story. Vickery was born November 4, 1950 in Alameda, California. He graduated from UC-Davis as a math major before going to the UK to study acting at Drama Studio London.
He did well with the big TV space opera franchises of the era. This was his first of five appearances on various Star Trek series and he also made several appearances on Babylon 5. He has strong stage credentials, including originating the role of Scar in The Lion King on Broadway.
Where asaaare youuuuu? That’s the major problem: An incredibly poor depiction of Troi’s search. I have no idea how anyone thought it was a good idea.
ReplyDeleteYeah, pretty bad.
DeleteI don't know how true this story is but someone once wrote that the special effects crew meant to name the other ship in this episode "USS Britain" but misspelled making it Brittain.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I really hated this episode. The writers had a galaxy to work with full of possible scenarios and they turn out a weak Twilight Zone-like rehash.
Actually, it was supposed to be Brattain, named for physicist Walter Houser Brattain.
DeleteI know I saw this but I can't remember it...I guess that says something
ReplyDeleteExactly.
Delete