Imaginary Friend (episode)

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"Imaginary Friend"
TNG, Episode 5x22 Production number: 40275-222 First aired: 4 May 1992
←	121st of 176 produced in TNG	→
←	121st of 176 released in TNG	→
	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 176 released in TNG Remastered
←	229th of 726 released in all	→

Teleplay By Edith Swensen and Brannon Braga Story By Jean Louise Matthias & Ronald Wilkerson and Richard Fliegel Directed By Gabrielle Beaumont
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As the Enterprise explores a nebula, a little girl's imaginary friend becomes terrifyingly real.

1 Summary
2 Memorable Quotes
3 Background Information
- 3.1 Video and DVD releases
4 Links and References

[edit] Summary

This episode centers around a little girl named Clara, who just moved to the Enterprise with her father. She is lonely, and creates an imaginary friend named Isabella to keep her company. One day, to her surprise, her imaginary friend appears, and seems real.

Clara and Isabella spend all their time together. Increasingly, Isabella gets Clara into trouble by leading her into off-limits places (Isabella always makes herself invisible before adults see her, although Worf sees her when Clara and Isabella run into him in a corridor when they aren't paying attention). Eventually Isabella gets Clara into enough trouble that Clara leaves her friend alone to go play with others, such as Worf's son Alexander. When she returns, Isabella is angry and says, "When the others come, you can die along with everyone else."

Clara works up the courage to talk to her father, who then talks to the captain. The crew learns that Isabella is actually an energy-based lifeform whose home is the nebula outside the ship. Picard finds Isabella in the arboretum and talks to her about Human parenting. Isabella argues that the adults were cruel to Clara, and Picard explains that rules are for her protection, and even Clara will make some rules for her children when she grows up. Isabella is convinced, and allows the ship to pass safely through the nebula.

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"So, what are we gonna call this nebula? FGC47 just doesn't have the proper ring to it."
"Why don't we call it Sutter's Cloud?"
"No, I was thinking about something more along the lines of the La Forge Nebula. It has sort of a majestic sound, don't you think?"
"Given the selections, I prefer FGC47."

- Geordi La Forge, Daniel Sutter and Data debating over naming a nebula

"It is interesting that people try to find meaningful patterns in things that are essentially random. I have noticed that the images they perceive can sometimes suggest what they are thinking about at that particular moment. Besides, it is clearly a bunny rabbit."

- Data, to Guinan as they stare at the nebula clouds

"Can you only communicate by threatening a small child?"

- Picard, appealing to Isabella to show herself

"Sounds scary!"
"Oh it was! Especially when he smiled."

- Clara and Guinan, talking about Guinan's imaginary Tarcassian razor beast

[edit] Background Information

Noley Thornton later appears in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as Taya in "Shadowplay".
In early drafts, Isabella was much more benign and curious than in the finished episode.
Earlier scripts did not have Guinan appearing in this episode at all. When Whoopi Goldberg became available, her character was written in only one day before shooting began. The cloud-watching scene with Data was originally written for Crusher and Troi, and later Guinan and Troi. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)

[edit] Video and DVD releases

Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 61, 15 March 1993.
UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 5.7, 2 December 2002.
As part of the TNG Season 5 DVD collection.