How did Reginald Barclay graduate from Starfleet Academy?

[fenwyk79]

I'm in the process of re-watching "Pathfinder" currently in my something-something number re-watch of "Voyager" and along with his appearances on TNG I still find it interesting how he was able to graduate from the academy without being psychologically weeded out from being an officer.

I like the guy in spite of his multiple neuroses (or because of them in part, I suppose). He's a brilliant guy for sure but he's also completely anti-social and psychologically... ahem, not very sound at times. I'd imagine Holodeck obsession in the 24th century is as dangerous as internet addiction or addiction to video games now. But I'm honestly surprised that someone like him could make it through the academy. You'd think this would be one of the things that Starfleet would screen for though.

His being an officer though always made me question the standards that Starfleet set for their officers. Even for crewmen, who I don't believe have to go through the academy but I have no doubt there's a process for them as well, you'd think there would be a very strict and intensive psychological screening process as well for the requirements of space exploration and work. It does give me hope though that even if I'm somewhat nutty at times even I could have the potential for greater opportunities. Now only if I could find a gal a little less crazy to date than I have encountered up to this point (I try to follow the rule of not dating anyone crazier than I am - unfortunately, I've just recently begun enforcing this rule. That plus staying away from women who smoke menthol cigarettes as they can't be fully trusted).

Then again, if you look at our current crop of politicians perhaps it's not so difficult to imagine him being an officer at all.

 

[Paradise City]

He hit his head sometime after he graduated but before we met him.

 

[sbk1234]

How could he hit his head?! He knew that ship like the back of his hand!

 

[Richard Baker]

The Academy has to provide staff for a massive fleet of ships- I think if they are competent and do not raise a big red flag they are sent out even if they are not perfect.
I thought the whole testing thing in 'Coming of Age' was ridiculous. They could not be that picky for admittance and get a decent class size- part of the education was to instill in the students what they were screening for during those tests.
Barclay was refreshing- not a perfect human but a skilled one who would rise to the occasion.

 

[JeffinOakland]

Maybe he was in the "slow" classes.

 

[maneth]

He's not slow, just socially awkward. Not the same thing at all. That said, I'd expect someone with his personality to spend most of his time at a starbase with a well-equipped lab rather than on a ship.

 

[JeffinOakland]

It is kind of funny that you never hear any other officer wonder aloud how Barclay graduated from Starfleet.

 

[Ronald Held]

I do not see him as unfit to serve on a starship, especially with counseling on board.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Anyone who's ever watched Scorpion (the TV series, not the VOY episode) knows that being quirky doesn't mean you're stupid or unable to contribute. As long as he's working with people who are strong where he's weak and vice versa, he should be okay.

 

[daedalus5]

You'd think they would do something about unhinged crew members....... However, they seem to mostly just promote them to Captain and Admiral where they become the bad guy of the week/film.

 

[JWPlatt]

A Utopian meritocracy would provide the freedom of unfettered opportunity to every individual to express their best talent in order to provide for a healthy civilization.

In Starfleet terms:
Riker [to Wesley]: One of the reasons you've been given command is so you can make a few right decisions, which will lead to a pattern of success and help build self-confidence...

 

[JeffinOakland]

A Utopian meritocracy would provide the freedom of unfettered opportunity to every individual to express their best talent in order to provide for a healthy civilization.

In Starfleet terms:
Riker [to Wesley]: One of the reasons you've been given command is so you can make a few right decisions, which will lead to a pattern of success and help build self-confidence...

Starfleet is not a utopian meritocracy. Starfleet is hard and meant to separate out those unfit to serve as officers.

 

[Jedi Marso]

When you consider the the disparate number of alien societies and cultures whose members make up Starfleet, Barclay probably comes up as quite normal compared to some of the characters going through the Academy. Or perhaps he's seen as having a 'personality more akin to an XXXXX' than a human. Where XXXXX can be one of any of a number of alien species considered 'quirky' by our standards.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Plus, let's not forget that Starfleet has a speckled history when it comes to screening officers and especially starship captains.

You've got Ron Tracy, Ben Finney, a couple of admirals from TNG...

 

[JWPlatt]

Starfleet is not a utopian meritocracy.

Star Trek is described as both. Perhaps the dark and gritty version with shaky cam will come along to change all that.

 

[JeffinOakland]

Star Trek has never meant to portray a utopia of any sort.

 

[TheAdmiralty]

I don't think there were issues with his engineering knowledge, he just had social issues. Also keep in mind that holodecks appeared to be relatively new in Encounter at Fairpoint, so the holoaddiction may not have been an issue until he was on the Enterprise.

 

[stardream]

By passing his classes.

 

[Six of Twelve]

I think Barclay is kind of a savant, exceptionally brilliant in one of a few areas, but woefully deficient in most others, even things that merely average people are competent with. Perhaps his areas of brilliance were such that the Academy overlooked his deficient areas and waived those courses, in order to be able to use him where he excelled.

Of course, he could have never been the all-around competent generalist type of officer that ends up in command red, but I'm sure he'd have been fine in science blue, as well as the track of operations yellow, where social skills aren't quite so vital.

And, possibly, his issues were more of a late onset variety, who knows?

 

[sbk1234]

He's Sheldon