The Nth Degree by: Joe Menosky and directed by: Robert Legato

 

“The Nth Degree” is written by: Joe Menosky and is directed by: Robert Legato.  It was produced under production code 193, was the 19^th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, the 93^rd episode overall, and was broadcast on April 1, 1991.

 

2001: A Space Odyssey is a revolutionary piece of science fiction.  Stanley Kubrick defined cinematic science fiction, all during the initial broadcast of Star Trek.  The original series never outright produced an homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it was made up of writers with connections to Arthur C. Clarke and often discussed similar themes.  Star Trek: The Next Generation was produced in a world where the reputation of 2001: A Space Odyssey fully cemented, and yet it took until the back half of the fourth season to cannibalize some of its surface plot elements and visual style with ideas from Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon.  “The Nth Degree” is about the Enterprise encountering an alien race that exists as pure thought, calling other species to them for an exchange of knowledge.  This is done through invading and controlling the mind of Lt. Reginald Barclay, played by Dwight Schultz, giving him fundamental knowledge of the universe.  This develops Barclay into a HAL-9000 figure, integrating himself into the Enterprise computer and controlling the ship.  The explanation of the aliens as peaceful and using Barclay as a conduit is a twist so the episode presents this as horrific, Barclay is losing his humanity.  The buildup to this is the fear that the Enterprise crew cannot take any action because Barclay is simply becoming more intelligent and more socially competent.  He makes a pass at Troi which is brought up as potentially a problem, but that is quickly forgotten and she actually agrees to go on a date with him.  At least there is an attempt to frame it as inappropriate with Troi’s position as counselor, but he still gets the date in the final scene of the episode.

 

The biggest issue with “The Nth Degree” is Schultz’s performance.  This was clearly an issue in “Hollow Pursuits”, Barclay’s introductory episode, where he learned not to retreat into his own fantasies in an episode that calls for a particularly nervous performance, coded as through an anxiety disorder.  Joe Menosky’s script for “The Nth Degree” shifts the anxiety not to something he can control but actively resets his development back to being able to work, though with far less derision from the rest of the crew.  Schultz, however, is tasked with playing Barclay as becoming increasingly confident with his increase in intelligence throughout the episode and he simply doesn’t.  With every line delivery there is this undercurrent of that nervousness that makes the confident dialogue stilted.  It is not helped by Schultz’s physical presence still embodying that anxiety, making himself look small and weak.  When the performance shifts to voiceover in the final act that problem decreases, clearly indicating that it’s the physical presence of Schultz that is making Barclay more awkward than he needs to be.  The pre-credits sequence calls for Barclay to perform in a scene from Cyrano de Bergerac poorly, and it is difficult for a good actor to give an intentionally bad performance, but oddly enough these scenes are somehow some of Schultz’s best work in the episode.  He’s paired on stage with Dr. Crusher and Gates McFadden is clearly drawing on her experience on and off stage.  It’s very possible that director Robert Legato isn’t directing Schultz properly because these weren’t issues in “Hollow Pursuits”.  That’s particularly a shame because there are several moments where the blocking and framing of the episode is particularly excellent.

 

Joe Menosky’s script clearly understands the character of Barclay but writes the character arc as a retread of ground from “Hollow Pursuits”.  In the script there is a lack of external conflict from the rest of the crew, Menosky almost cordoning off Barclay when he becomes too smart so the rest of the cast can sneak in to try and turn off the computer.  Where Menosky’s script does fall particularly flat is in its ending, the reveal of the aliens coming into the story simply because a resolution is needed.  Barclay as a character sits in the role of a potential fan of Star Trek, he is supposed to represent the introverted nerd stereotype which in the mind of the general public and the production staff is the type of person who likes science fiction.  Rhetorically it is sympathetic to this type of person, however, the stereotypes it draws upon for Barclay are of bad people.  Retrospectively, while the writers want the viewer enamored with Barclay’s growth and give him the reward of a romantic date at the end of the episode, it is these elements that are precisely why the character doesn’t work.  Once again, it is at the expense of Deanna Troi, often the female character on the show reduced to the role of potential love interest or even just a simple sex object.

 

Overall, while “The Nth Degree” isn’t a bad episode, it is one that is drawing on two science fiction stories that have been engrained in pop culture and it does try to say something about Barclay as a character, it’s brought down quite a bit by Schultz’s poor performance and inability to have more than a nervous presence and particularly poor direction of the actors.  In far too many ways it retreads the previous Barclay episode without having much new to say on the character.  6/10.