Stardate 43807.4: Lt. Reginald Barclay is a shy, nervous and unsteady member of Geordi La Forge's engineering staff. Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew he spends his spare time on the holodeck where he has created holographic versions of his superior officers. Geordi complains to Riker about Barclay, but Picard orders Geordi to try harder to get along with him. In an attempt to encourage him, Geordi seeks Barclay's advice when the ship is plagued by inexplicable malfunctions. Barclay suggests that these may all have a common cause. When Barclay once again does not show up for a staff meeting, Riker, Deanna and Geordi find out about Barclay's secret holographic activities. When the warp drive injectors too run out of control, Geordi's team with Wesley and Barclay finds out that the cause is a substance leaking from a cargo container which is spread throughout the ship by the crew members who have touched the container. Barclay and Geordi manage to eliminate the contamination in the nick of time. Barclay, with his newly developed self-confidence, deletes all his holoprograms - except for one.

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