The Nth Degree is an episode that takes some chances and falls flat on its face. This episode is just miserable in its concept, direction, pacing and conclusion. There are only a handful of redeeming qualities contained within an installment that is as ludicrous as it is boring.

The story revolves around Lt. Barclay who has begun to come out of his shell a little bit, even taking an acting class with Dr. Crusher and performing in front of the crew. Of course, his performance is comically cringe-worthy — but cringe-worthy nonetheless. It is a nice bit of character development, though, as well as some necessary references to Barclay’s embarrassing foray into the Holodeck in Hollow Pursuits.

The episode progresses to the Enterprise‘s encounter with a large derelict telescope array. After discovering a nearby alien probe, Barclay and LaForge investigate it, using a shuttle craft. And now we start going downhill.

The probe emits a flash of light, knocking out Barclay (but not LaForge because LaForge has a handy-dandy VISOR which filtered the light). After awakening, Barclay begins to exhibit some unusual behavior. He becomes brilliant, arrogant and even more annoying. He even returns to the Holodeck. At first, it is to debate with Albert Einstein. But after Barclay’s intelligence grows exponentially, he uses the Holodeck to builds a laser-beam enhanced interface that connects him to the Enterprise main computer (the wacky-looking thing looks like it belongs in a Manhattan dance club).

Certainly with science fiction we expect to suspend our disbelief, but the fact is, none of this seems very plausible at all. As it turns out, Barclay’s brain was somehow “reprogrammed” by the probe. That much is a bit of a stretch, but we can buy it. But reprogramming the brain and physically altering it to the point we see in the episode is just taking things way beyond any reasonable stretch of the imagination.

And then there is the conclusion — which actually had a chance to be a somewhat redeeming aspect of the episode, but instead wound up being embarrassingly silly. Barclay’s reprogramming was intended to bring the Enterprise to the center of the galaxy to meet up with an alien species called the Cytherians. Their purpose: to gain knowledge. But instead of exploring the galaxy themselves to seek out new civilizations, they find ways to bring civilizations to them.

This is actually a very interesting concept. Unfortunately the episode chooses to represent the Cytherians by way of a giant holographic head that appears on the bridge of the Enterprise. Worse still, the facial expressions looks like some amateur mime you’d see on the street begging for quarters — rather than the face of a wise, advanced civilization.

To make matters even worse, the camera work on the episode, particularly as the Enterprise was traveling through some sub-space field to get to the Cytherians was just awful. The out-of-focus oscillating backwards and forwards was amateurish at best, and downright unforgivable on a production such as TNG.

All in all The Nth Degree was just plain dull. I give it some credit for taking some chances, but the story was hardly engaging. The episode grates on your nerves and your patience. And it all ended up with a silly head floating on the bridge.

Topics: Barclay
Filed under: TNG Reviews