‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Imaginary Friend’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Something adults tend to forget about… is how hard it is to be a child. Because while kids do indeed get something akin to a free ride, since it is the job of the parents to feed and clothe and care for them, they still have a lot of struggles to work through. For the world is a scary place they don’t understand in the slightest and it confuses them often. Plus, people prefer they be seen and not heard. For so many adults believe that kids don’t have all that much to offer observation wise, and that they’re annoying. Because they believe they don’t know jack and they enjoy causing mischief well, that’s behavior and a perception we have to change as adults. Because their observations can be powerful and sometimes their ‘annoying’ nature is related to our indifference toward them.

If anything, this is relevant to our discussion today, simply because how we view kids and how we can be better with them, served as the focal theme of the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. For ‘Imaginary Friend’ introduces us to a young girl named Clara Sutton, who has just come aboard the Enterprise with her father and well… he’s seeing some odd behavior out of her that concerns him. For she is obsessed with an imaginary friend named Isabelle and is isolated because of their ‘friendship’ and while Counselor Troi is quick to point out that this is normal behavior for a child that is desperate for attachment and stability, there is some legitimate cause for concern in regard to Isabella. Simply because… she’s actually real, thanks to a scientific surprise.

Because while the 1701-D is on a survey mission of a mysterious nebula, a being composed of energy sneaks aboard the ship and uses Clara’s image of Isabella to take form as the imaginary girl, all in the hopes of understanding what this ship and its crew is all about. But while that seems innocent enough, Isabella is actually quite the impatient creature, and when she doesn’t get her way, she’s quick to cause trouble and lay on a guilt trip and sadly… she is eager to send trouble the crew’s way courtesy of the rest of her people. Whom she has sent signal to, to help her reckon with a ship full of beings that she has deemed to be unsavory and cruel and that is when this story begins to properly explore the struggles of being a child and how we can be better toward them.

For Isabella reveals to Captain Picard that her concerns stem from Clara's perspective. Wherein Clara is constantly told to shoo and not to bother adults or come into restricted areas. Phrases that come up, to protect her of course, but Isabella doesn’t know that, nor do a lot of kids. Because we simply give them what for and expect their obedience, and that twist really is designed to point out to all of us, that it might behoove us to explain our decisions and expectations to children to better help them understand and learn and of course, this segment also reminds us to listen carefully when they have concerns. For had Clara's worries been taken seriously a little sooner, then perhaps the danger might not have surprised the crew at the last possible second.

If anything, is a pretty solid episode when all is said and done. Simply because it does a fine job of exploring its topic in a manner that both children and adults can enjoy, and it features a cool little mystery for the crew to unfurl and it also is host to some beautiful visuals. For the nebula and its dense strands of matter are quite the sight to behold. But outside of that, there is little else to discuss when it comes to this tale and that’s not a bad thing. Because there is nothing wrong with being entertained by a simple one-off episode, one that has a little something to say and features a solid adventure through space and now that this mission has ended, we can turn our attention to one juicy and powerful tale. One that features the return of a terrifying and relentless villain that believes, resistance is futile. Until next time.   

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