The concept of strange phenomena making dreams come true has become one of the many story ideas in Star Trek‘s arsenal over the past 57 years. These types of episodes shed light on beloved Star Trek characters’ hopes, fears, and desires, which can sometimes cause a great deal of embarrassment. For example, in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “If Wishes Were Horses”, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) was mortified when his sexual fantasy of Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) was brought to life by an unnamed alien force.
For other characters, there was a catharsis in confronting their own dreams and imaginary figments. For example, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) got a chance to beat up his old Starfleet Academy nemesis, Finnegan in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Shore Leave.” There’s a long history of Star Trek episodes about the power of the imagination, something that proved to be so fascinating to the aliens in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 16, “If Wishes Were Horses.”
9 Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1, Episode 17, “Shore Leave”
Aired 29 December 1966
It’s interesting that the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Shore Leave” first aired during the holidays, as its allusions to Alice in Wonderland feel appropriately festive. “Shore Leave” finds the Enterprise crew taking some much-needed rest and relaxation on a planet where their imaginations are brought to life. As well as Alice and the White Rabbit from Lewis Carroll’s novel, Kirk and the crew encounter a black knight that apparently kills Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) with a lance through the chest. Thankfully, the planet’s alien caretaker arrives at the end of the episode to reveal that while the world is designed to realize anything that visitors can imagine, nothing is permanent, including McCoy’s “death.”
8 Star Trek: The Animated Series, Season 1, Episode 9, “Once Upon a Planet”
Aired 3 November 1973
“Shore Leave” got an animated Star Trek sequel in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode “Once Upon a Planet.” When the USS Enterprise returned to the planet, they discovered that the elderly alien caretaker had died and left the chaotic computer in charge. The planet has descended into chaos, with the Enterprise crew facing threats including a two-headed dragon. Taking advantage of the animated form, “Once Upon a Planet” goes for broke with the references to Lewis Carroll’s Alice books. Dr. McCoy has to deal with the Queen of Hearts, and both Alice and the White Rabbit return for a relaxing picnic with Bones and Lt. Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) after the crisis is over.
7 Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 1, Episode 6, “Where No One Has Gone Before”
Aired 26 October 1987
In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 6, “Where No One Has Gone Before”, the USS Enterprise-D was catapulted into the furthest corner of the known universe. It quickly became apparent that in this uncharted region of space, imagination could be brought to life. Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) was reunited with his pet Targ, while Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) had tea with his mother. Much like Kirk’s rematch with Finnegan, the reunion between Picard and his mother gives him some comfort, which takes on new meaning after recent revelations about Picard’s family in Star Trek.
6 Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 1, Episode 10, “Hide and Q”
Aired 23 November 1987
When Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) was given the power of a Q, he offered to make dreams come true for the crew of the USS Enterprise-D. Riker aged Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) so that he could finally become an adult. Riker also created a female Klingon mate for Worf and restored the sight of Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), but his gifts were declined. Geordi said that the price of having his dream realized was “too high“, as it would essentially lead to Riker losing his humanity. “Hide and Q” is a story about the perils of having the ability to grant wishes, as Riker’s temptation puts him at risk of being lost to the Q Continuum.
5 Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5, Episode 22, “Imaginary Friend”
Aired 4 May 1992
In “Imaginary Friend”, a mysterious nebula causes an imaginary friend of Clara Sutter (Noley Thornton) to become real. Clara was a troubled child who was struggling to fit into life aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Her imaginary friend Isabella (Shay Aster) picked up on Clara’s turmoil and believed that the crew of the Enterprise were being cruel to her friend. Threatening to use her powers to destroy the USS Enterprise, she was eventually convinced not to by notorious child hater Jean-Luc Picard, who explained that the rules Clara was constricted by were in place for her own safety.
4 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 1, Episode 16, “If Wishes Were Horses”
Aired 16 May 1993
A mysterious alien force became fascinated with the human imagination in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “If Wishes Were Horses.” In an attempt to communicate with Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and the crew of DS9, the aliens embodied various figments of their imagination to test them. While the aliens were aboard DS9, anything could become real, from snow on the Promenade to a terrifying and deadly subspace anomaly. Sisko eventually worked out that the key to their survival was to simply stop believing, a solution that won him the respect of the alien masquerading as baseball legend Buck Bokai (Kenore Young).
3 Star Trek: Voyager, Season 6, Episode 4, “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy”
Aired 13 October 1999
Star Trek: Voyager‘s EMH Doctor (Robert Picardo) began experimenting with daydreams, which caused all manner of complications for him and the crew of the USS Voyager. When a race of aliens tapped into the Doctor’s daydreams instead of Voyager’s systems, they got a very different take on life aboard the starship. When the aliens launched an attack against Voyager, the crew was forced to make the Doctor’s dreams into a reality by acting out his fantasies. This meant that the EMH got to briefly command Voyager in his role as Emergency Command Hologram. Despite the embarrassment of his sexual fantasies being aired to the crew, the Doctor was awarded a medal for his work in saving Voyager.
2 Star Trek: Lower Decks, Season 3, Episode 3, “Mining the Mind’s Mines”
Aired 8 September 2022
Star Trek: Lower Decks visited a planet where imagination was brought to life, thanks to the proliferation of psychic mines on the surface. After they were tasked with safely disposing of the psychic mines alongside the USS Hood’s own lower deckers, things got wildly out of hand. When the psychic mines were shattered, they conjured up nightmarish images like Borg snakes, Klingon clowns, and a Kukulkan from Star Trek: The Animated Series. Ensigns Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), and Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) teamed up with the USS Hood’s lower deckers to see past the nightmares and find out what was really going on.
1 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 1, Episode 9, “The Elysian Kingdom”
Aired 23 June 2022
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ fairy tale, “The Elysian Kingdom”, the story book that Dr. Joseph M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) read to his daughter Rukiya (Sage Arrindell) was brought to life by an alien entity. This turned the entire crew of the USS Enterprise into fairy tale archetypes, from evil wizards, to hunters, and spoiled princesses. The Enterprise itself was transformed into a lush fairy tale kingdom complete with candlelight and forests. It was an outlandish and hilarious Star Trek episode, but it also realized Dr. M’Benga’s dream of a happy life for his terminally ill daughter.
All these episodes of Star Trek are available to stream on Paramount+.
