🖖Star Trek: The Next Generation 5x22 Imaginary Friend REACTION

[@jenmurrayxo]

DS9 has started Patreon!! www.patreon.com/collection/1240458 TNG Playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLQHhQlj8i5dqskzLNqeSNyMGa1rBWe3h1 Original Series: kzbin.info/aero/PLQHhQlj8i5drsrCtQd-FDuZZ99vKlPTyZ

[@The_Kiosk]

YEEEAH BOOOOI!😂

[@nickjohnson6511]

"Suck it, ball of light child" made my day, you rule. Glad you're watching DS9 can't wait.

[@noneya3635]

Had me chuckling the rest of the day at work.

[@captainchaos3667]

The acting by both of the kids is excellent.

[@RichardVernadeau]

OMG you have a way with words. Now I will always remember this episode as the "creepy ball of light girl" episode.

[@Katastic32]

I watched star trek next gen when I was a kid with my family and was always delighted when a child was in the show. This was actually one of my favorite episodes back then because it helped me imagine what it would be like to be my age on a starship. Also the idea of an imaginary friend becoming real was such a cool concept, even if she did turn evil for a while. Haha. As an adult, I see that it might not build the greater plot but it was still a fun novelty that i bet other families enjoyed watching together.

[@JKM395]

“Suck it, ball of light child!” Jen makes me laugh every time.

[@rccraig7580]

Yeah that was hilarious

[@bobbuethe1477]

I'm almost certain that's a sentence that has never been spoken before.

[@JKM395]

@@bobbuethe1477 I wouldn’t doubt it. I’m glad I was here for it.

[@5thRace]

"Maybe someday they'll fall in love" then Isabella busted his cup and they became enemies for life!

[@chrismcelligott5462]

Can't of anything better on a cold and snowy day than a couple of episodes of Next Jen.

[@chadtiemeyer2175]

I'm a mailman who is dreading tomorrow due to that cold and snow. The TNG reviews has been a bright spot this morning.

[@xzonia1]

Yes, I forgot to say this, but it's a very happy Sunday watching Jen react to ST: TNG. :)

[@Brasc]

Well done.

[@augiegirl1]

@@chadtiemeyer2175 Where do you live? Topeka, Kansas just got 14.1 INCHES of snow yesterday; Topeka has got more snow than that only TWICE in its history!!

[@chadtiemeyer2175]

@@augiegirl1 I'm a little east of Topeka in Johnson County. We got around 10 inches, and since the roads were so bad and we got the emergency message I was advised not to try to go to work today. I'm glad I got to safely stay at home.

[@gregoryforsterjr8365]

"She made friends with 'the creepy ball of light child'". Love it.

[@Hum0ng0us]

This episode is okay. I like how it shows life in the Enterprise away from the main cast story and shows life aboard the ship beside the Starfleet shenanigans.

[@noneya3635]

LOL, Leave it to science officer Jen to be impressed by the child actresses ability to rattle off science jargon. "This kid can't stay on the ship. Get out of here Ball of light." Jen has the best off the cuff comments.

[@nataliefaust7959]

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we've no place to go: Make it so, Make it so, Make it so! Thanks Jen! ♥

[@xzonia1]

I like that TNG did episodes with kids every now and then to remind us how this ship is different from the one in TOS. I also think this was a good Troi episode, getting to see her be a counselor doing a good job, instead of just going around sensing this or that. X) And that little red-headed girl they got is so adorable! I'm not even a kid person, and even I look at her and think oh she's so cute!!! Lol. This episode just makes me happy. :)

[@Mokkari77]

She also played Luke Perry's half sister on a few episodes of Beverly Hills 90210.

[@seanmcmurphy4744]

I love the episodes that show kids and families, too, because it shows that the Enterprise is not a warship. I am a pacifist and believe that by the time humans achieve interstellar flight our civilization will have abandoned warfare.

[@One.Zero.One101]

Yeah Troi doing counselor things is the one positive to come out of this episode. I also like when parents and kids are shown on the ship, I like seeing the slice of life. So I guess that makes two positive things, but I don't think that was enough to save this episode.

[@Aphasial]

Kind of a combination of factors here: Bottle episodes do get used to help save production costs so that more budget could be used on bigger episodes, but TNG was still at heart an anthology series, and episodic storytelling survived well into the 90s. They were even accepting pure spec scripts at one point and adapting a what could basically be short stories into episodes. (I don't know that that was the case here.)

[@jwolfe01234]

Yeah, nothing saves on SFX budget like an invisible character.

[@One.Zero.One101]

Some of my favorite episodes are Bottle Episodes like Data's Day and Disaster, but they can also be a miss like this one.

[@mikerhodes8454]

It's been a while, but I finally figured out where I had seen "creepy ball of light girl" as well. She was one of Tommy's girlfriends in Third Rock from The Sun. So she went from being an alien child to the girlfriend of an alien.

[@leefox1124]

RIP nurse Ogawa

[@gwenthor]

Sunday TNG with Jen! "Suck it, ball of light child!" ROFL Commercial break!

[@SilentBob731]

Shay Astar does a great job playing "super-creepy" in this. She was also good in 3rd Rock From The Sun. 6:48 There is no Isabella, only Zuul... 8:59 "More than that now." Jinx! Owe me a Coke. 😉

[@shanedaley6236]

For whatever reason listening to the reaction I think she would have been a good Wednesday Addams

[@Skynet_Cyborg27916]

Creepy ball of light child 🤣

[@bjgandalf69]

Part of why we all love watching Jen's reactions...she has no trouble telling us whatever she is thinking!...😂😅😊

[@randy7831]

Thanks!

[@jenmurrayxo]

Thank you!!

[@vermithax]

"Maybe they'll fall in love!" Star Trek the Next NEXT Generation. Isabella is a refugee from the Village of the Damned.

[@BogeyTheBear]

Or inhabiting Test Card F.

[@jd-zr3vk]

Or Children of the Corn.

[@StefanLoferer]

Thanks for another awesome reaction, Jen! And congrats for a great start of DS9 on Patreon🎉 I cross my fingers for a successful transport to KZbin as well!🖖

[@professor-josh]

Geordi is a Service brat just like LeVar Burton. He was born in what was then West Germany while his father was stationed there.

[@wernergatterer2953]

Hi Jen! I wish you a wonderful new year!

[@cbradfordgorby3237]

Star Trek:TNG always looked to the future as the storylines were concerned, so with that in mind the whole reason for this episode was to give us "imaginary friends" the opportunity to hear Jen go dark by suggesting " that the crew might have to kill this kid" and also experience her shipping Alexander and Clara after complaining about "arranged marriages" and grooming in the previous episode. 😁

[@jerryward3311]

Watching Star Trek gave me two axioms to live by: stay out of the nebulae and avoid glowy balls of light. 👽

[@jessicahhhhhhhh]

One exception to staying out of the nebula is if there's coffee in it.

[@seanmcmurphy4744]

"Balls of light on the Enterprise are never a good thing" Or invisible people no one else can see. Remember, kids

[@davidwilburn4734]

It seems as though most series use something like this after a emotionally charged episode like "The Perfect Mate" as sort of a pallet cleanser.

[@Adam_Le-Roi_Davis.]

A great reaction, like you, for me this is only a so-so episode, Jen, but in the grand scheme of things it could have been worse, but your reaction is always great, Jen. All the very best for getting DS9 on KZbin as well as Patreon. 🙂

[@allenporter6586]

It was an example of episodic tv, much like most of TOS where they'd visit planets and never return.

[@marydodsonmt]

I agree that this episode feels like a throwback to early TNG or even TOS. And floaty balls of light are never good, especially when they take the form of children. But I do like Picard's speech at the end.

[@raterus]

"Season 3: The season where we put throwaway episodes" -Jen Murray

[@RichardEyring]

Never a good thing when a ball of light appears on the ship--so right you are, Jen. Just watched Star Trek episode from TOS in which a swirling ball of light (an alien of course) tried to create an unending comflict between Enterprise crew and crew from a Klingon ship.

[@johnpittsii7524]

Hi Jen hope you are having an great and awesome day ❤

[@jenmurrayxo]

Thanks John you too

[@satanclaus8381]

As we step into this new year, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the joy and fun you've brought through your reactions. Here's to many more moments and wishing you all the best for a fantastic New Year!

[@jenmurrayxo]

Thank you!

[@richardstarkey2247]

Lately Sundays have been my one day off for the week. So I always look forward to these Trek Sundays! Can't wait for DS9.

[@Dillpicks95]

I remember when Sundays used to be so boring and now it’s my favourite day of the week because of Jen and her amazing Star Trek reactions 🖖

[@jenmurrayxo]

Thanks D!

[@Lightmane]

"Suck it, ball of light child" They could really use Jen on the ship.

[@rhyswickham8281]

Some of your one liners are frickin hilarious Jen 😂...... I don't think you even realise how funny you are 😍. Can't wait for DS9 🧔🏾‍♂️🖖🏾

[@georgekellon2471]

My new grunge band "Creepy Ball of Light Child"

[@jocko-xy5sd]

I love watching these reruns with you Jen! Your intuition is correct, the little girl actors are never seen again in TNG series. I actually liked this storyline. A slight deviation from the main characters is often interesting.

[@jenmurrayxo]

Thanks! 🖖☺️

[@PerfeccionistoPerezoso78]

4:34 “He _never_ talks about his parents.” It _is_ frustratingly rare. Especially for a main character. These sound like the kinds of details they should’ve disclosed back in Season 1.

[@augiegirl1]

I frequently quote what Geordi said about how resilient kids are. Also, we meet his mom in a later episode.

[@PerfeccionistoPerezoso78]

@@augiegirl1 Yeah. So frickin' late in the _series._

[@deanspanos8210]

Imaginary friends are nice. The people on the subway seem concerned for some reason but George only snapped once. Once.

[@The_Kiosk]

7:45 radio telescopes have discovered real strands and filaments made of plasma and aligned with galactic magnetic field lines. The viewscreen showed something extremely close to the real thing, over 30 years later.

[@RichardEyring]

"Suck it, ball of light child". Oh Jen your comments are so humorous, so right on message.

[@paulalexandredumasseauvan2357]

enjoyed your reaction 👍☺

[@grgapitic5768]

So happy you're watching DS9!

[@ch44227]

Keep in mind this was back when tv shows had 24ish episodes in a single season. So stand alone episodes (or throw away as you put it) are going to be more common to fill out the season. Plus having an episode that largely follows a one off character allows them to overlap episodes while shooting. Probably all/most of the scenes shot with the little girl was probably shot when the rest (or most) of the main cast was shooting a different episode.

[@EmbassyNerdcore]

Anyone remember the old TV show Ghostwriter? He makes a cameo in this ep

[@seventhson2151]

Clara Sutter is also on DS9

[@gregweatherup9596]

Same actress, different character.

[@Robotrik1]

In context, a lot of television in the 80's was very much "young adult" oriented, and we had a lot of representation for the 7-12 demographic in various shows . Hence, with the "main stream tv" status that TNG has achieved , putting in shows "for the whole family" was not something unusual ... , while some episodes were a bit too serious for younger audiences . But that was kinda how we rolled in the 80's . Low parental supervision & high amounts of "age inappropriate" content . Hell, Ghostbusters infers a blowjob by a ghost (and had a cartoon series following the popularity of the movie with kids) , Robocop had a guy blown to bits , and another guy melt in acid (and had a cartoon series following popularity with kids) , and Terminator 1 has a full sex scene (mostly without nudity) . The 80's were also kinda awesome because there was still a kind of uniformity in experience . No internet, no smart phone, no individual bubbles to loose the kids in . And parents could talk about known stuff to avoid, if they choose to do so . Good luck warning about a website today .

[@thinkbolt]

Shay Astar showed up later on Third Rock from the Sun, which you should definitely watch. She was the perfect angry girlfriend.

[@Tiffinki]

La Forge Nebula... grand! LOL

[@cypher515]

This is a fun little episode in my opinion, and I love these twists on some standard stories. I'd basically argue that this is entirely Mister Snuffalupagus from Sesame Street, only more sinister. Slightly. (I'm not kidding, because of the reason why they stopped implying Snuffy was imaginary to the adults: the kids COULD always see him, therefore he was definitely real to the intended audience, but the showrunners were told that the lesson they were teaching kids was, "If you tell an adult something that you can't prove, they'll never believe you".)

[@RevMan001]

A lot of these episodes are trying to teach kids/teens lessons, this was created before adults spent a lot of time wrapped up in sci-fi so they are often not the target audience.

[@TYTARMY]

I could never keep imaginary friends. Eventually they would conclude that I am an A-hole.

[@ZagnutBar]

Remember Star Trek needed to write and produce some 30 episodes of TV... every single year. That's an insane amount of creative output, so episodes one this are inevitable no matter what season.

[@EfrenQUlloa]

actress Patti Yasutake who played ensign Alyssa Ogawa passed away August 5th of last year. She will be missed.

[@MichaelKelly-eg6jo]

Goodness, gracious, great balls of space light!

[@kshizzle_bizzle]

Thanks for another great reaction Jen. I think the producers really lucked out with the two child actors in this one, if they were bad you would never be able to buy into this episode.

[@Markus117d]

TNG episodes are nearly always self-contained stories, for story arc's DS9 is somewhat more like modern hyper serialised shows. There are still a lot of standalone eps, but many more that either connect with other eps or directly continue on from them the very next episode..

[@beyonderbill3409]

"Piss off, ghost!"

[@silikon2]

Fun fact: chocolate cravings are almost always due to a magnesium deficiency.

[@satanclaus8381]

Or maybe it is your brain seeking a little comfort and joy.

[@LadyBeyondTheWall]

Or there's a dementor nearby. 🤷🏻‍♀

[@kevinlewallen4778]

Even non-stellar (joke!) episodes are fun when watched with the delightful Jen!

[@nonnobis2232]

That dad is a daddy!

[@Nimbus1701]

For next Halloween, we need to request Jen watch Village of the Damned. She'll get the parallel.

[@barryvanwieringen3445]

It's the purple omelette episode! I've never tried it, but kids do have great imagination.

[@smadaf]

I had an imaginary friend. I would talk to him on my green plastic toy phone: we never met in person.

[@joonaa2751]

Clara’s dad played Lt. Burke in THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL between 1988-1995. A very fun recurring character. The episode itself is rather underrated IMO

[@patsk8872]

The young actress was very good, and you will see her again sometime ❤

[@bellvnv2000]

I don't know I think the intermediary stories or "throw away stories" have their place in Star Trek . I mean yes the more interesting and intriguing stories are the ones that deal with space politics and recurring villains and that sort of thing but you got to remember these people are traveling through an unknown wilderness where you very well may encounter floating ball of light children or a giant concrete ice cream cone that wants to eat your planet when you're not encountering an ancient Greek gods or Q ! And let's not forget all the space animals that they encounter , from a crystalline entity to a baby space whale that wants to use the Enterprise as its mother ! " It's all Star Trek baby ! " 😄

[@reebokprincess1]

Actress who plays Isabella name is Shay astar and she is a singer-songwriter these days. she still acts i just looked art one of her performances she is a good singer.

[@dwilborn1257]

The next three episodes are some of my favorites!

[@allengray5748]

Throw Away Episode??? Well even legendary bands like The BEATLES, Rolling Stones,, etc had the occasional oddball song they weren't sure what to do with. Where to place it on what album or any all the while meeting deadlines!! Peace 🕊️☮️♾️😎🎸🤟🏼

[@cashflowhustles]

Cool episode. No complaints. Not horrible but not epic either. Decent episode.

[@andrewblanchard2398]

06:44 to 06:55 😂 JEN : " oh frig "

[@Eyetrauma]

2:46 Isn’t that the guy that plays the protagonist’s dad in the Borg FMV game? Edit: It is, Jeff Allin

[@ReelMeurik]

Imaginary Friend may have been a "filler" episode of season 5, but the last 4 of season 5 are all very strong. Look forward to next weeks videos :)

[@TheHighSorcerer]

I had imaginary friends but they didn't want to hang out with me either.

[@jacksonconley5117]

This kind of reminds me of a Ray Bradbury novel.

[@synthetic240]

Personally, I'm a sucker for spooky nebulas and weird lattices of energy. One, it reminds me of a PC game called Homeworld. Two, the PC sim Space Engine can make some pretty nebula, even recreate real ones pretty closely.

[@jamie-hb8gy]

nice outfit👍

[@jd-zr3vk]

7:18 Alexander and Clara fall in love and have imaginary Klingons.

[@mikehuston3751]

What's more dangerous, a ball of light or a geometric shape?

[@Tiffinki]

Wonderful and thoughtful reaction to a weaker episode, Jen. Well done!

[@mikemazza1988]

Creepy Ball Of Light enters the Jenterprise and turns out to be lonely, etc. A typical Season 1 or 2 trope but still had some good moments nonetheless

[@patrick86806]

it's a good one but yeah, on to the next! 😉

[@jimithi5543]

You're my imaginary friend.

[@caseyanne967]

A ball of light showing up on the ship isn't always bad, (the entity that became Troi's baby back in season 2 didn't have evil intentions) and having an ep like this towards the end of the season isn't that uncommon. I enjoy it for what it is, not comparing it to the best eps of the season.

[@MalikBarrow16]

That ball of light just wanted a friend! :(

[@XRos28]

That Isabela is, indeed, creepy.

[@iiiDartsiii]

This show has no main direction that it needs to reach, it does have many sub plots but most of them get resolved within 1-3 episodes, the rest are all like this with random happenings going on the ship.

[@CaptainQ2607]

I didn't even remember this episode 😂

[@curtrogers5873]

Great reaction I think this episode is that many things but particularly with children I think it’s to tell parents that kids aren’t always making things up and if ever they’re scared to tell their friends, and this is the all parents to pay attention to them because sometimes parents think her imaginary some the kid did see it there is somebody watching them you know maybe somebody on the bus or somebody on the corner watching the school so just be aware of your kids surroundings and what they’re saying because it could be true what they’re saying somebody could be watching them and them be ready for that and plus you know imaginary friends. Some people say being On KZbin is imaginary because we have friends on KZbin, we don’t actually see the people so we see you but you don’t see us so in a way we’re all friends to each other but yeah in a way this is the way episode back then there’s 26 episodes per season there’s plenty of space to have throwaway episodes whereas today the average show is 10 episodes maybe 12 for streaming services so there’s not much time to write some things and stretch your writing legs. Thanks for the fun until next time.

[@seanmcmurphy4744]

Jen, so happy you are doing DS9! You are pretty much the perfect person I would choose to react to that series.

[@beyonderbill3409]

AGREED! there are 2 other Trek reaction channels that I watch. One is great and she's so into it and charismatic, and the other channel... Well, maybe I'm being critical, but they come off as douches, lol. Jen is really entertaining to watch.

[@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout]

And ironically, Clara will go on to be imaginary on DS9.

[@tachyonpulse]

I didn't care much for this episode but sometimes that's what you get in a 20+ episode season! Dad also plays an alien in an episode of Voyager, Dragon's Teeth, which I'll hopefully get to see you react to in the far future 😂🖖🌈

[@neutrino78x]

14:30 That's something that would be weird about serving on a carrier. Or a Galaxy class starship.... there's thousands of people on the crew, and you may never meet the Captain. Whereas, I was on submarines, and the boat is 560 feet (170 m) long, with 120 people aboard. Everybody knows everybody else! On the first day, you meet your whole chain of command, so in my case, sonar leading petty officer, leading Chief Petty Officer, Tactical Systems Officer (TSO), Weapons Officer, Executive Officer (like Riker) and Commanding Officer (Captain). You probably can't name everyone on the crew, but you've seen them. Admittedly, I never really fit in; my motivations seemed very different from most other enlisted members. I don't drink or smoke, and in port, I wanted to go to a museum or go hiking, not get drunk and sleep with prostitutes, lmao. Still, it's definitely a very different experience when you see everybody every day, versus only knowing a small fraction of the crew. 🙂

[@DrummingWriterTrekfan84]

I liked this episode but i agree that there was a drop off. But to me the drop off started right after the unification two part. We had all this klingon/Romulan plot going on since season 3 and then after unification the bottom fell out. But you always have a way of making it fun to watch Jen! And Happy new year Jen🎆🎉🖖

[@randallwong7196]

All sorts of lights or glitter invading the ship now and then.