Inside Man (VOY S7 E06)

Inside Man (Star Trek: Voyager, S7 E6) was recommended by Rugger (They/them), who said: When people talk of this episode, they usually say it's a repeat of season 6's Pathfinder, where Barclay is clever but is ignored by Commander Harkins, so Barclay has to prove himself right. And it's two episodes after the Starfleet data stream was hacked by another party, to the detriment of Voyager.

Plot-wise, they're right. But the plot isn't why I love this episode.

Barclay instantly became one of my favourite Star Trek characters from his introduction as Lieutenant Broccoli, and Voyager made me love him even more. Barclay is the socially-inept, self-doubting genius, and, aside from when he merged with the Enterprise, he has remained in that role.

In this episode, awkward Barclay cannot save the day with engineering or cleverness. All he can do is talk. It is a fantastic moment that serves as an excellent capstone on a side character's arc, who found confidence in his engineering, and, after 10 years, in his voice.

Also, it is sheer delight to watch Dwight portray two vastly different characters with such zest. Dwight played Murdoch on the A-Team, and that versatility really shows in this episode.

Inside Man first aired on November 8, 2000, written by Robert Doherty, and directed by Allan Kroeker

A hologram of Reginald Barclay is sent to Voyager, supposedly to implement a dangerous plan to bring them home; but the hologram has been tampered with by some Ferengi, who are trying to steal valuable Borg nanoprobes from Seven of Nine.

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