I don’t care how much hate it gets, this is one of my personal favorite episodes of TNG.

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StarfleetStarbuck@reddit

This is not a bad episode by any measure, TNG fans just have a weird thing about hating kids

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I honestly think most of the Wesley hate comes from the first season or two. He was utterly insufferable, but after Roddenberry (who the actors, writers, and crew hated, and the feeling was mutual) wasn't running the show anymore, he got a lot more likeable. However, once nerds start off hating something, they're pretty stuck in their ways (I'm guilty of this myself). I like the episode with the kids and Picard trapped in the turbolift/Jeffries tubes. They're not the best part of the episode by any means, but they didn't detract from the episode either.

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MindlessNectarine374@reddit

I never understood how you can hate any character from TNG. I even like the villains, somehow. And I like all episodes.

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midorikuma42@reddit

It's true, Wesley was a lot better in season 3 and later.

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StarfleetStarbuck@reddit

Yeah the Wesley hate at least comes from the existence of a lot of really bad episodes, but you also get people posting about how much they hate Alexander for example, which is just psychological imo

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Used-Gas-6525@reddit

We fear change in the nerd community. Everyone wants to see the Worf they already know: the warrior tough guy, not a loving father. I think the Alexander hate is just adjacent to people not liking seeing other dimensions to characters they've gotten comfortable with.

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popcornchicken42@reddit

Will Wheaton is a okay actor, but the kid who played Alexander was not.

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Boxing_joshing111@reddit

Nah I think the show had a specific way of writing dialogue that worked for the adults better than it did the kids, and some people don’t like it.

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geekycynic83@reddit (OP)

They’re too much like early seasons Picard.

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Constant-Box-7898@reddit

Is that you, Wil Wheaton? 🙃

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haresnaped@reddit

When my husband wants to freak me out he tilts his head and says 'let's go to engineering...'

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MindlessNectarine374@reddit

Wow. You must be die-hard fans.

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Capable_Swordfish701@reddit

I like this episode, but that little girl freaks me out.

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Brunt-FCA-285@reddit

I watched this episode at the age of five, and for years after, I was terrified of girls named Isabella.

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MindlessNectarine374@reddit

Wow.

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Bird_Herder@reddit

I wonder what the casting call said.

'Does your little girl have the look of an absolute bitch? Bring her down to the studio for an audition.'

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mr_john_steed@reddit

She did an amazing job being creepy as hell!

I also really liked the kid who played Clara (who was also great in the DS9 episode where Odo is investigating disappearances on her planet). A very naturalistic and non-annoying child actor!

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MindlessNectarine374@reddit

Why do so many child actors don't have a career afterwards?

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UnpricedToaster@reddit

Little girl with RBF: "My time to shine!"

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bothmybehalves@reddit

She kind of freaked me out on 3rd Rock From the Sun, too

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Mrs_Evryshot@reddit

Is that Autumn??

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Effective-Board-353@reddit

*August

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Mrs_Evryshot@reddit

Oops! Thanks!

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bothmybehalves@reddit

Yes and it’s so funny to see how she was as a child lol basically the same

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Toyworldstar@reddit

She's in one the greatest horror films of all time Ernest Scared Stupid.

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geekycynic83@reddit (OP)

The girl who played Isabella did a great job at playing creepy.

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Lilasfantasy@reddit

I loved this one too. I always love an episode where the Antagonistic character is presented as a bad guy, but at their core, really aren't, and just need a lesson from the TNG crew to realign their moral compass or come to some sort of understanding.

Same thing with the alien impersonating Maria Aster in "Bonding," Hugh from "iBorg", and the aliens that feel things super hard from "Liasons" (With the exception of the creepy part involving the girl in that particular episode, but Loved the dude who basically bullied Worf just to experience Antagonism and get hit).

It's the exploration of aspects of humanity itself from the perspective of those who are alien to it, and I love those episodes.

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Lordmorgoth666@reddit

So, I don’t wanna be that guy but it’s “I, Borg” but the implications in your typo are bloody hilarious which is the only reason I’m even bringing it up.

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Galuvian@reddit

It sounds even more Swedish.

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Effective-Board-353@reddit

The Borg are artificial Swedeners.

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geekycynic83@reddit (OP)

I love the episode for its exploration of childhood in all its innocence and naivety. I also love how it shows the ways in which adults sometimes struggle to see things from a child’s perspective.

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TheMightyTywin@reddit

Bring me new food

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Commercial-Day-3294@reddit

Honestly, this is the episode that made me start questioning star trek when I was a kid and it first came out.

On a ship where weird shit happens every single day, Q interactions, Ghost boyfriends, weird psychic stuff, not to mention quantum singularities, time loops, accidental 2D alien invasions, that when a little girl comes to you and says "Hey, my imaginary friend turned into a real girl and is trying to sabatoge the ship"......why would you not immediately stop the ship and start scanning? start investigations? No?

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armann24@reddit

i like that story line

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FruitOrchards@reddit

I literally skipped this episode 20 minutes ago 😂

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geekycynic83@reddit (OP)

What the girl who played Isabella looks like now. Not as creepy.

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Republiconline@reddit

She had such a good deadpan face. Nice to see she has a wonderful smile.

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thanatossassin@reddit

This episode is interesting because you have two one-off characters taking the A-plot, when you typically have at least one of the main crew being focused on. It almost feels like a spin-off.

Now I'm trying to think of any other episodes that are similar...

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4me2kn0wAz@reddit

Not necessarily a personal favorite but I always enjoyed the episode

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NotJimCramer69@reddit

This was my first episode of Star Trek I ever saw! It was on TV a decade ago and was so surprised I never expected to enjoy Star Trek, I always thought it was just extremely nerdy. Now… yea

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Cookie_Kiki@reddit

And they say he's not good with kids.

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No_Painter_8154@reddit

It’s the legend, Kenny!

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geekycynic83@reddit (OP)

This is what the girl who played Clara looks like now as an adult.

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External_Mushroom674@reddit

I’m not saying I hate it, but when I am watching TNG on Pluto tv and this episode comes on, I don’t stick around to watch it.

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gaiusjozka@reddit

Alexander's clay sculpture he's been working on for weeks... Oh god, lmao every time. "But Clara!!!"

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ElonsPenis@reddit

She reminds me of the stuck up brat on Little House.

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Pa_Ja_Ba@reddit

Is this the episode that Deanna gets pushed into the wardrobe? And why has nobody ever made a GIF of that?

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kkkan2020@reddit

Picard speech to the alien about humans and their kids ...chefs kiss

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Cautious_Mongoose399@reddit

Worf just standing there through that scene thinking to himself " Man this is weird, glad I don't have a kid" 😆

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BeautifulArtichoke37@reddit

It gets a lot of hate? I thought it was touching and thoughtful.

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geekycynic83@reddit (OP)

Same here.

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TDS_isnt_real@reddit

This episode hit different as I got older. I was younger when this first aired, so the pacing was a little slower and there was less technological gibberish that I wanted to see in my weekly sci-fi show. Now that I’m older, especially as a parent, I like it a lot more. I saw this one recently and it made me reflect on how I approach my own kid (she’s Clara’s age) and how I set rules for her.

At the time this first ran, holy shit that Isabella kid scared the hell out of me. That fivehead could fucking act lmao

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James_Barkley@reddit

Oh my god. What a great clip. Thanks for sharing

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dnkroz3d@reddit

Isabella: The TNG version of Nellie Oleson.

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StanleyRuxy@reddit

Picard is a beast. Immediately managed the situation

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RadVarken@reddit

Come to find out freighters have been coming by en route to other places. They just spool up their engines and hang out with the imaginary people for a while.

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curiousitymdg@reddit

Upvote just for the classical guitar cover of the theme song!

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funlovingguy9001@reddit

Picard is the perfect diplomat.

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annontemp09876@reddit

I was a child when this episode came out. I now have 2 daughters. It hits different now!

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geekycynic83@reddit (OP)

Do they have an imaginary friend like Clara?

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