“Imaginary Friend”
Written by Jean Louise Matthias & Ronald Wilkerson and Richard Fliegel and Edithe Swenson and Brannon Braga
Directed by Gabrielle Beaumont
Season 5, Episode 22
Production episode 40275-222
Original air date: May 4, 1992
Stardate: 45832.1
Captain’s Log: Troi has a session with Clara Sutter, the daughter of Ensign Daniel Sutter, a new engineer on board the ship. Clara has an imaginary friend named Isabella, which concerns Sutter. Troi theorizes that Sutter’s ship-hopping as part of his Starfleet career has led Clara to create Isabella as the one constant in her chaotic life. Troi’s confident that once she makes friends on the Enterprise, she won’t need Isabella anymore.
The Enterprise has arrived at FGC 47, a nebula surrounding a neutron star, which they plan to investigate. When they arrive, a glowy thing comes on board the ship unnoticed. It passes Data and La Forge discussing how to ration the sensors among the various science teams, then Crusher giving Ogawa a friendly grilling about a date she had, and finally the arboretum. Clara is there, planting nasturtiums and explaining to Isabella what she’s doing, and the glowy thing transforms itself into Isabella. In the fine tradition of best friends everywhere, Isabella convinces Clara to stop this boring planting of seeds and go off and explore the ship. Clara endeavors mightily to be responsible, but Isabella talks her out of it.
[It is clearly a bunny rabbit...]