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Potential Lower Decker, EMH inspiration, and cat lover.
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00:00Played by The A-Team's Dwight Schultz, Reginald Barkley III, or Reg for short,
00:05is one of Star Trek's fan-favorite characters. Schultz puts this down to the fact that he's
00:09not the shining example of Starfleet perfection that makes up the majority of 90s Star Trek
00:14crews. He's shy, a bit nerdy, and struggles to form social connections with people. He prefers
00:19to escape into the fictional world rather than confront the real one, all of which are things
00:24I feel a lot of us can relate to. Barkley proved so popular after his first appearance that he
00:29appeared in four subsequent episodes of Star Trek The Next Generation, and later played an
00:33integral part in getting the Voyager crew back to the Alpha Quadrant. He appeared in six episodes
00:38of Voyager, and also got to meet one of his heroes when he shook hands with Zephyrm Cochran in Star
00:43Trek First Contact. All of this is widely known, but there are small character moments that are
00:48easy to forget, or behind-the-scenes stories that shed more light on the creation of the beloved
00:53Enterprise crew member. So, with all that in mind, I'm Bree from Trek Culture, and here are 10 things
00:59that you didn't know about Lieutenant Barkley. Number 10. He has something in common with Seven
01:04of Nine. Reg Barkley suffered a few physical and mental ailments in his time on the Enterprise.
01:10One of these was an addiction to the holodeck, dubbed holoaddiction or holodiction. Given the
01:15opportunities presented in Star Trek's holographic technology, it's surprising that this wasn't a more
01:20common affliction in the 24th century. Struggling to form connections with other members of the crew,
01:25Barkley retreated into a fantasy world where he could be the charming, romantic hero he wanted to
01:30be. Barkley is helped with his addiction by Geordi LaForge and Deanna Troi, who help him form real-life
01:35connections with his crewmates. His obsession with finding the missing USS Voyager leads to a relapse
01:41in the Season 6 episode, Pathfinder, when his obsession leads him to create a fully functional
01:46replica of the ship and its crew. In Voyager Season 7, holoaddiction grips Seven of Nine when she,
01:52too, becomes obsessed with a holographic representation of Voyager and its crew.
01:56In Human Error, Seven attempts to improve her social skills but becomes increasingly overwhelmed
02:01by the emotions that these new connections stir up. Seven's obsession alerts the attention of Janeway,
02:06who chastises her for spending too much time on the holodeck instead of fulfilling her duties.
02:11That's a bit rich from a woman who once deleted a handsome hologram's wife.
02:15Number 9. He Loved The Three Musketeers
02:18Reg Barkley's love for The Three Musketeers is, of course, well-documented in the TNG episode,
02:23Hollow Pursuits. When he confronts his hollow addiction, Reg deletes The Three Musketeers
02:28simulation, but that clearly wasn't the end of his connection to the classic novel by
02:32Alexander Dumont. In the DS9 episode, Image in the Sand, Worf and O'Brien reminisce about their
02:37time on the Enterprise, in an attempt by the latter to comfort his friend over the death of his wife,
02:42Dax. In this, the subject of Barkley and his Three Musketeers program comes up, but surely this is
02:48impossible. While the simulation may have entered legend aboard the Enterprise, the pair's assertion
02:53that Barkley often asked crewmates to join him in the Three Musketeers program suggests that he
02:59resurrected it, though he probably did so by removing the problematic representation of Deanna
03:04Troy and his fellow crewmates. It's heartwarming to imagine Reg Barkley sharing his hollow programs
03:10with the Enterprise crew instead of hiding out in them. It's also funny to imagine the likes of
03:15Worf and O'Brien attempting to duck invitations to Barkley's swashbuckling adventure game nights.
03:21Number 8. He has an unfortunate nickname. To prove the old adage about the weak picking on those who
03:27are weaker, Wesley Crusher coined an unfortunate nickname for poor, shy Reg Barkley. While Reg struggled
03:34to fit into the Enterprise crew, Wesley Crusher dubbed him Lieutenant Broccoli. When you're being bullied
03:39by Wesley Crusher, then you know that something has to change. Barkley's nervousness and poor
03:45service record were all symptoms of his hollow addiction, but the nickname followed him around
03:50for quite a bit. In a neat bit of karma, the very fandom that rejected Wesley Crusher embraced the
03:56nerdy, socially awkward Reg Barkley, leading to four subsequent appearances in TNG. So take that,
04:03Wesley. The bullying of Reg is something that's not always seen in the utopian future of Star Trek,
04:08with most people respecting their colleagues and not resorting to cruel name-calling.
04:13In Hollow Pursuits, Will even considers having Barkley removed from the ship for not meeting
04:18standards demanded by the Federation flagship. It's a refreshing take on the structure of Starfleet
04:23that shows that not every officer is an unflappable expert in their chosen field.
04:28Thankfully, Captain Picard gave Barkley another chance, as he would do with Wesley Crusher,
04:32and the character went on to great heights.
04:35Number 7. The TNG writers struggled to bring him back.
04:39Reg Barkley was an instant hit, due both to the writing of this relatable realistic character
04:44and to the great performance by Dwight Schultz. Plans were immediately set in motion to bring
04:49Barkley back for another episode of TNG, but there was a problem. So wonderful was the character that
04:56the writers didn't want to bring him back just for the sake of it. Instead, they agonized over how to bring
05:01him back. They wanted the character to develop rather than be stuck in the mold of a nervous
05:06Starfleet officer with a holodeck addiction. It took the writers' room the better part of a year
05:10to find the perfect Reg Barkley story. Season 4 is the Nth Degree. This was a favorite episode of
05:17Dwight Schultz and Barkley fans alike. In it, Barkley's intelligence is subsequently improved by an alien
05:23force attempting to make contact with the Enterprise. It was the perfect evolution for the character,
05:28who had moved past his anxieties by becoming an actor and super-intelligent Starfleet officer.
05:33At the end of the Nth Degree, Barkley is disappointed at being returned to his usual self,
05:38but he's reassured by Troy and Geordi in a touching scene that hints that he still has
05:43some residual intelligence left from his encounter.
05:46Number 6. He Has a Cat Called Neelix
05:49When Barkley created his Voyager replica, he may have experienced a relap of his holo addiction,
05:55but the Voyager crew similarly impacted his real life. Barkley's work on the Pathfinder project was
06:00abruptly halted when his unauthorized holodeck replica was discovered, but his obsessive use of
06:06it did eventually pay off when he used it to prove the best way to contact Voyager in the Delta
06:11Quadrant. Barkley's Voyager obsession was channeled into his home life as well. He has an affinity for
06:16cats, having once looked after Data's pet spot, and ends up adopting his own cat during Voyager.
06:22He calls the silver Persian cat Neelix after Voyager's Talaxian crew member. The cat ends
06:28up influencing the simulation of the actual Neelix, who audibly purrs to the surprise of the
06:33doctor. When he realized that Barkley has named his cat after Neelix, the doctor tells Barkley that
06:38the Talaxian would be proud to have had such an impact on Reg. It's unsurprising that Barkley has
06:43an affinity with cats, as he struggles forming social connections. While cats are definitely aloof,
06:49they don't crave the affection in the same way. Something for him to aspire to, perhaps.
06:54Number 5. The character was the brainchild of Gene Roddenberry.
06:59The origins of Reg Barkley can be traced back to the Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry,
07:03who, according to actor Dwight Schultz, felt like such a character was missing from Star Trek.
07:08The character of Reg is genuinely groundbreaking. In the utopian future of Roddenberry's Star Trek,
07:14everyone seems incredibly self-confident, and they're all excellent at their jobs. This can
07:19often make it hard for audiences to identify with the characters on an emotional level.
07:23Reg, on the other hand, he felt the pressures that many of us would have felt serving aboard a
07:28starship. The Federation flagship is incredibly overwhelming. Not only are you constantly at the
07:33forefront of space exploration and potential conflict, but there are also hundreds of people
07:38aboard whose names you have to remember. It's a daunting prospect for anyone, let alone someone who
07:42clearly suffers from imposter syndrome and social anxiety, the way that Reg Barkley clearly does.
07:48It was an inspired move by Roddenberry to bring someone more realistic and grounded into the Star
07:53Trek universe, but much of the credit should also go to writer Sally Caves, who wrote Reg's first
07:58episode, as well as actor Dwight Schultz, for making the character such a hit with fans.
08:04Number 4. He has an illness named after him.
08:07Reg Barkley has quite the medical history. Hollow addiction, transporter phobia,
08:12and hypochondria. The latter led him to self-diagnose with transporter psychosis and Torellian
08:17death syndrome. He of course had neither of these conditions, but does have the questionable honor
08:22of having one particular illness named after him.
08:26Barkley's protomorphosis syndrome. It's something of a misnomer, given that the disease was
08:31accidentally created by Beverly Crusher. What is it with the Crusher family holding grudges against Reg?
08:37The reason that protomorphosis syndrome was named after Barkley isn't that Dr. Crusher was avoiding
08:42blame, it's because it was intrinsically linked to a genetic abnormality in Barkley's body.
08:47This abnormality meant that when he was given a hypospray to activate dormant cells that could
08:52fight the flu, all of his dormant cells were activated. This caused a nightmarish transformation
08:57into a prehistoric creature which soon affected everyone else on the ship. Barkley blamed himself for
09:03the bizarre transformations of his crewmates, but Crusher reassured him that it was all down to her,
09:08before then offering to name the condition after him. Beverly really needs to learn to read the room.
09:14Number three, Barkley was almost in TNG's Lower Decks. Reg Barkley would be such a great guest star
09:20on an episode of Lower Decks that it's surprising it hasn't happened yet. However, Barkley did almost
09:26feature in the Next Generation episode which inspired Mike McMahon's animated Star Trek comedy.
09:31Lower Decks was a well-regarded episode of TNG's final season, which portrayed the events of the
09:37average Star Trek episode as seen through the eyes of junior officers. Originally, Barkley was considered
09:43to join the team of lowly Star Trek officers serving aboard the Enterprise-D. It would certainly be
09:48interesting to see how Barkley interacted with those who weren't senior staff, but the writers decided
09:53wisely to remove him from the final script. Ultimately, Reg Barkley was so well-known by the time of TNG's
09:59final season that he would have stolen the limelight from the other characters. Given that Lower Decks
10:04was a fresh take on the regular cast through the eyes of unseen characters, it would have lessened
10:09the appeal of the episode's unique hook if Barkley had joined them. Oh, but he should definitely still
10:15show up on Lower Decks. Pretty please, Mike? Number two, Dwight Schultz lobbied for the role of Reg.
10:21As a character actor previously best known for playing Howling Mad Murdoch in The A-Team,
10:26Dwight Schultz had worked with a number of people related to Star Trek The Next Generation
10:30prior to being cast as Reg Barkley. He had worked with Worf actor Michael Dorn in an episode of Chips
10:36and knew Whoopi Goldberg from their time filming The Long Walk Home. As a huge sci-fi fan, Schultz was
10:42keen to take on a role in Star Trek The Next Generation and expressed his interest to TNG's executive
10:48producer Rick Berman. However, it was his friendship with Whoopi Goldberg that was instrumental in getting
10:53him the role of Barkley. She saw how great a fit Schultz was for the show and said as much to
10:58Star Trek producers. Schultz swiftly received a phone call from his agent about the role of Reg
11:03Barkley. As a Star Trek fan who gets to take his place on the USS Enterprise, Schultz reflected that
11:09he was the lucky one chosen in an interview with TV Zone. It's that love of Star Trek and Reg's own
11:15self-conscious and nervous personality that resonated so well with fans who got to live their own Star Trek
11:21fantasies vicariously through him. Number one, he was almost Voyager's doctor. Reg Barkley would
11:28eventually play an integral part in bringing the Voyager crew back to the Alpha Quadrant, but he
11:33almost had an even larger role in the Star Trek spinoff. When Voyager was in development, an outline
11:38suggested that the show's holographic doctor could actually be based on Reg Barkley and could be played
11:44by Dwight Schultz. In this version of Voyager, Barkley would have left the Enterprise in TNG season 7 to
11:50complete work on the emergency medical hologram program. Sadly, Barkley never got his proper
11:56send-off in TNG's final season. It's unclear if this was due to actor availability or just the
12:01absence of a solid story with which they could say goodbye to him. In the end, they decided to create
12:06a completely new character for Voyager. However, Barkley would eventually have links to the EMH.
12:12A Barkley hologram was a built-in failsafe for the doctor in the episode projections,
12:17and the real Barkley requested the EMH's help later in the series. In the episode Lifeline,
12:22Barkley teams up with the Voyager's doctor to cure the EMH's creator, Louis Zimmerman,
12:27of a terminal illness. Given Barkley's reclusive nature, it's hardly surprising that the bedside
12:32manner of Voyager's doctor left a lot to be desired. And those were 10 things that you hopefully
12:37didn't already know about Reg Barkley. Let me know in the comments anything else about Reg that you
12:43think we should know. You can also subscribe to the channel to never miss a new video.
12:47If you want to find us on various social medias, you can do so at either Trek Culture or Trek Culture
12:52YT. And if you want to find me on social media, you can do so by simply searching Trekkie Brie.
12:58But with all that being said, I hope you all have a great rest of your day,
13:01and don't forget to live long and prosper.
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