The Nth Degree (episode)

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"The Nth Degree"
TNG, Episode 4x19 Production number: 40274-193 First aired: 1 April 1991
←	92nd of 176 produced in TNG	→
←	92nd of 176 released in TNG	→
	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 176 released in TNG Remastered
←	199th of 727 released in all	→
Written By Joe Menosky Directed By Rob Legato
44704.2 (2367)
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After an encounter with a mysterious alien probe, Lieutenant Barclay begins to exhibit signs of profound intelligence, ultimately hooking himself into the ship's computer and hurling the Enterprise into apparent danger.

Contents 1 Summary 1.1 Teaser 1.2 Act One 2 Memorable Quotes 3 Background Information 3.1 Story and production 3.2 Cast 3.3 Continuity 3.4 Video and DVD releases 4 Links and References 4.1 Guest Stars 4.2 Uncredited Co-Stars 4.3 References

[edit] Summary

[edit] Teaser

Reg Barclay and Dr. Crusher perform a scene from Cyrano de Bergerac in Ten Forward before a handful of crew, including the senior officers. Beverly's performance is great as Cyrano's love interest but a woman already in love with another man, Cyrano's compatriot. But Barclay's performance, as Cyrano himself, complete with long prosthetic nose, is awkward, halting and somewhat embarrassing to watch. Despite this lackluster performance, the crew present claps for both Crusher and Barclay. Data joins in after a quick question to Riker about why everyone is clapping, and Riker's reply that it is simply polite. Troi compliments Barclay, saying it takes a lot of confidence to throw himself out there and act, but Barclay doesn't feel too confident. He sits awkwardly at the table.

The USS Enterprise-D arrives at the Argus Array, a gigantic subspace telescope whose reactors have gone critical. A huge amount of time is estimated for its repair, but of more pressing concern is the probe now holding station near the array, determined to be the cause of its malfunctions. Barclay and Geordi La Forge take a shuttle out to examine the probe, but after a few unsuccessful scans, the probe emits a super-bright flash and knocks Barclay unconscious.

[edit] Act One

Barclay, in sickbay, awakens to the news from Crusher that the flash overloaded his optic nerves, and that was what knocked him unconscious; La Forge's VISOR must have filtered out the bright light.

Because of this incident, Barclay gains a new self-confidence, and the full effects of this are slowly realized by the crew. In addition to gaining self confidence, Barclay's intellect has increased in all areas of study, eventually reaching hypercognitive levels. His new intelligence is caused by neurotransmitters hypersecreting in his brain, and his two cranial hemispheres fusing; in effect, turning Barclay into a savant. He can be seen in the holodeck correcting a virtual Einstein, rehearsing a scene from a play with Dr. Crusher that causes her to tear up, and confidently hitting on Counselor Troi.

Eventually, Barclay suggests a method to help fix the deep space telescope, in two days, over La Forge's estimate of several weeks. Upon beginning Barclay's plan, he realizes that the computer is too slow to execute his commands, and proceeds to the holodeck. Once in the holodeck, Barclay instructs the computer on how to create a Human-to-computer interface, and then fuses with the computer, completing the assignment. In doing so, he locks out the main bridge from using the computer, with Barclay now acting as the computer, and this causes discomfort among the crew.

Against Picard's orders, Barclay initiates a subspace warp that transfers the Enterprise to the center of the galaxy. Upon arriving, a Cytherian reveals himself to the bridge crew. Barclay explains that the Cytherians are on a similar mission to that of the Enterprise, in that they want to explore the galaxy to learn. But instead of the Cytherians traveling away from their home, they bring those they are interested in to them. The crew then realizes they are in no danger, as can be seen by Commander Riker's grin.

After a few days of exchanging information, the Cytherians send the Enterprise back to Federation space. In a final scene in Ten Forward, Barclay is seen with La Forge and Troi, and they are discussing how Barclay is back to his old self. La Forge asks Barclay for help with a Level 3 diagnostic, when Counselor Troi interrupts Barclay, telling him that he owed her a walk in the arboretum. It appears that Barclay is back to normal, when he goes up to a group playing three-dimensional chess, and tells them how to force mate in nine moves. Troi exclaims that she did not know Barclay played chess, and Barclay, in his nervous voice, states that he doesn't.

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"It just occurred to me that I could set up a frequency harmonic between the deflector and the shield grid... using the warp field generator as a power flow anti-attenuator and that of course naturally created an amplification of the inherent energy output."
"Uh huh, I see that."

- Reginald Barclay and William Riker

"I've finally become the person I've always wanted to be. Do we have to ask why?"

- Reginald Barclay

"Emotive, electrochemical stimulus response; cranial plate; bipedal locomotion. Endoskeletal. Contiguous external integument."
"I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the Federation starship Enterprise."
"Hierarchical collective command structure."
"Who are you?"
"Interrogative!"

- Cytherian alien and Jean-Luc Picard

"Worf, I have an opening in my workshop."

- Beverly Crusher to Worf after the Cyrano de Bergerac play

"You just spent the entire night arguing grand unification theories with Albert Einstein!"

- Geordi La Forge to Reginald Barclay

" Tie both consoles into the Enterprise main computer core utilizing neutral-scan interface."
" There is no such device on file. "
" No problem- here's how you build it. "

- Reginald Barclay and Enterprise computer

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

- Reginald Barclay (while attached to ship's computer) to Jean-Luc Picard

" Reg, I didn't know you play chess."
" I don't..... "

- Deanna Troi and Reginald Barclay

[edit] Background Information

[edit] Story and production

• "The Nth Degree" originated as a vehicle to allow popular guest star Dwight Schultz to reprise his role of Reginald Barclay. Michael Piller recalled, ""Hollow Pursuits" was a wonderful episode last year, and [Barclay] is a very interesting character and a great actor. We were having trouble finding something that would make it worthwhile to bring him back. Joe had this concept of somebody who became super intelligent and said, 'Maybe this could be our Barclay show,' and we weren't sure what we were going to do with our premise at first, but we finally got a story together and I was really pleased with the way it turned out. Joe Menosky has said he was really proud to have his name on that show, more so than any other show. That's Rob Legato's second episode and Rob did a masterful job in terms of interpreting the story. I think Rick came up with the idea of doing Cyrano. It was kind of a con on the audience." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages)
• Brannon Braga remarked, "We struggled for a year with how to have Barclay come back. We didn't want him to play the nervous chap in the holodeck again and Joe Menosky came up with the science-fiction notion of a probe which is essentially a ship in a bottle. It was a good twist on that particular character which you could only get to with a science-fiction gag." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages)
• According to Legato, the script was constantly being revised, with the final scene only delivered on the day of shooting. In earlier drafts, the Cytherian was more malevolent, but this was changed to avoid the common hostage plot. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)
• The Feynman was named for physicist Richard Feynman. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)
• Live lasers were used in the scenes where Barclay interfaces with the computer. According to Michael Piller, "We've used laser beams in post production for firing things and lighting effects, and we've had several meetings where we've wanted to use them in production but have never done it. Rob suggested it on this episode and it was a wonderful idea – all those beams coming down and hitting his head are all laser beams and mirrors. It's all live, it's another effect we want to use more of. It's really weird and allows you to move the camera. If it was laid down in post-production, you wouldn't be able to. It has a real immediacy and in terms of technical stuff that was a real advancement in terms of using lasers on stage...Part of it was shot at eight frames per second, and part at six frames. Then we harmonized the voice down to that speed so that the voices work within that eight frames. It was a wild effect. It was a great episode for [Rob] to do so he could draw on all of his tricks." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages)
• This episode has one of the longest teasers in the franchise, around seven minutes long.

[edit] Cast

• Jim Norton plays the holographic Albert Einstein again in "Descent".
• Kay E. Kuter later plays the Sirah in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Storyteller".

[edit] Continuity

• This is not the first Federation starship named Enterprise to travel to the center of the galaxy. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, the USS Enterprise-A traveled under the control of Sybok to the mythical planet Sha-Ka-Ree, located in the galactic center, where they met a god-like alien. Given the visual presentation of both a Cytherian and the Sha-Ka-Ree entity as resembling a large, partly-noncorporeal floating face, it could be theorized that the latter was a malevolent, and even potentially ostracized, member of that species.

[edit] Video and DVD releases

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 47, May 1992.
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 4.7, 3 September 2001.
• As part of the TNG Season 4 DVD collection.

[edit] Links and References

[edit] Guest Stars

• Dwight Schultz as Reginald Barclay
• Saxon Trainor as Linda Larson
• Page Leong as April Anaya
• Jim Norton as Albert Einstein
• David Coburn as Brower
• Kay E. Kuter as Cytherian

[edit] Uncredited Co-Stars

• Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace
• Michael Braveheart as Ensign Martinez
• Carl David Burks as Ensign Russell
• Tracee Lee Cocco as Ensign Jae
• Cameron as Ensign Kellogg
• George Colucci as a security officer
• B.J. Davis as a security officer
• Richard Sarstedt as a command division officer
• Keith Rayve as a command division crewman

[edit] References

47; alpha-numeric console; ångström; arboretum; Argus Array; baron; corpus callosum; cosmological constant; de Bergerac, Hercule-Savinien De Cyrano; de Neuvillette, Christien; Cyrano de Bergerac; computer core; Cytherian; Cytherian probe; electromagnetic band; fusion reactor; Galilei, Galileo; Gott, Gruss; Grand Unification theory; graviton field; helium; iconic display console; intelligence quotient; isolinear chip; isolinear circuits; Kohlan system; level 3 diagnostic; Method approach, The; music school; neural scan interface; neurotransmitter; neutron densitometer; ODN bypass; optic nerve; passive high-resolution series; photon torpedo; Porte de Nesle; positron emission test; quantum principle; Science Station 402; Socrates; sero-amino readout; shield grid; Shuttle Five; subspace continuum; subspace distortion; theater; Theory of General Relativity; three-dimensional chess; violin; VISOR; warp nacelle; watt; zalnias

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