[The Best/The Worst] Hallucination episodes?

[Ragitsu]

Good afternoon.

Are there any episodes of any Trek series that involve one or more characters hallucinating which you happen to enjoy...and, conversely, are there any such episodes that you absolutely detest? If so, why?

 

[Oddish]

Vanishing Point is quite the mind. Not as good once you know the ending, though.

 

[Farscape One]

TNG's "Frame of Mind" and VGR's "PROJECTIONS" immediately come to mind as the best. Both written by Brannon Braga, and both involved Jonathan Frakes. (Frakes starred in the former, directed the latter.)

For worst, I think I will go with "VANISHING POINT". Not for lack of trying by Linda Park, because she did a good job with what she was given. The episode itself just didn't... grab me like one of this kind of story should. (Braga co-wrote this with Berman, which is ironic because two of my favorite episodes of this type were written by him.)

 

[CorporalCaptain]

"And the Children Shall Lead," being the worst TOS episode period, is the worst TOS hallucination episode.

 

[Tosk]

I generally don't like "It was all a dream!" episodes much, especially so when it's obvious that's what is going on. (So tedious!)
But I don't mind ones like Night Terrors or Equilibrium, where we as an audience are still being told a real story even as the character/s hallucinate...and we aren't subjected to forty minutes of pointlessness.

Frame of Mind is one of the few where the whole ep is imagined but doesn't feel empty.
It's not the worst one, but I find Distant Voices utterly boring.

 

[Summer Solstice]

I love "Eye of the Beholder". I didn't realise exactly when Troi started hallucinating until the second time I watched it. "Frame of Mind" is really good but I think the CGI has aged badly. I'm not a fan of "The Inner Light", partly because I prefer stories that are set mostly in space and partly because we know what's happened to Picard right from the beginning.

 

[1001001]

I agree Frame of Mind was really good.

 

[tomalak301]

Best: Frame of Mind
Worst: Most of the hallucination episodes are quite good so I don't really know. Maybe Enterprise's Strange New World?

 

[Ragitsu]

Half of what makes Frame of Mind stand the test of time is the cinematography; the other half is Frakes' (deliberately) discombobulated performance. Plus, the music is damn eerie.

 

[Farscape One]

I personally think it's Frakes' best performance on TNG.

 

[at Quark's]

I like the morgue hallucination scene Beverly has in Night Terrors, with those dead bodies sitting up. Simple, yet extremely effective in giving me the creeps. The episode in its entirety is less stellar, unfortunately.

Also, while I don't think that objectively speaking The Fight is a very strong episode, I do like it for the bizarro feel some of Chakotay's hallucinations evoke.

 

[Farscape One]

I have to disagree about "Night Terrors". I really love the idea, and the execution was solid. You know things are bad when Picard loses it like he did in the turbolift. As a horror fan, I absolutely love the creepy atmosphere and vibe and setting here.

Regarding "THE FIGHT"... it was a very interesting concept, particularly Chaotic Space, which would totally explain so many missing ships over the years. But the execution was just... bad. It was knocked out before it could get in a jab.

 

[at Quark's]

Night Terrors has several scenes to recommend it, I agree on that, and I quite like the premise and atmosphere. But the whole just doesn't do it for me, I'm not entirely certain why. It's possible those lame dreams of Troi all the time ('eyes in the dark, one moon circling') spoiled it a bit for me.

 

[Silvercrest]

Does "Shades of Gray" count as a hallucination episode?

Although it still won't be on my "best-of" list.

 

[Oddish]

Does "Shades of Gray" count as a hallucination episode?

Although it still won't be on my "best-of" list.

Definitely. And I'm one of the few people who will admit to liking it.

It "The Inner Light" is classified as a hallucination episode, then it's obviously numero uno. With Frame of Mind as a strong contender.

 

[at Quark's]

The demarcation line is a bit hazy though.

Even though VOY:Projection probably technically isn't a hallucination episode, functionally it is, for example. Or, to shift the line still a bit further Ship in a Bottle in so far that at certain points, they are lost in a false reality. The only difference with a 'real' hallucination being that it's brought about by technical means.

 

[Ragitsu]

It "The Inner Light" is classified as a hallucination episode, then it's obviously numero uno.

Does it satisfy the standard? To me, it does not. Still, feel free to share your reasoning.

 

[Silvercrest]

The first few Google results I found:

• Oxford Languages defines "hallucination" as "an experience involving the apparent perception of something not present."
• Merriam-Webster defines it as "a sensory perception (such as a visual image or a sound) that occurs in the absence of an actual external stimulus and usually arises from neurological disturbance (such as that associated with delirium tremens, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, or narcolepsy) or in response to drugs (such as LSD or phencyclidine)."
• Dictionary.com defines it as "a sensory experience of something that does not exist outside the mind, caused by various physical and mental disorders, or by reaction to certain toxic substances, and usually manifested as visual or auditory images."

YMMV on whether Picard's experience can be defined as a hallucination under these three. 1) is a definite yes. 2) depends on whether you count an alien device messing with your brain as an actual external stimulus ... although I think that should count as a neurological disturbance. 3) requires it to be caused by a physical or neurological disorder, a definition that this situation doesn't meet. So, I'd say the answer is "maybe."

The other distinction is whether it's a hallucination episode. I think that category requires it to be clear to the audience that the character is experiencing something that can't possibly happen in the context of the show. If the audience can't tell if it's "real" (in context) or not, it just falls under "mind screw". The answer could turn out to be a hallucination or something totally different.

I think that's true here. For most of the sequence, it's entirely possible that Picard has been tossed back in time or has been shunted to an alternate reality or some such thing. Only after it's over is it made clear that the sequence wasn't real. So, even if we agree that his experience counts as a hallucination, I don't think it counts as a hallucination episode.

And you know, I went into this post expecting to argue the opposite.

Edit: How many of the other examples in this thread meet the definition? IS this a valid definition? I could still be convinced back to the other side.

 

[Anduinel]

"Far Beyond The Stars" I would peg as one of the best, if not the best, of the hallucination/vision episodes. "Inquisition" and "The Search pt 2" are also up there. For worst, I'd probably go with "Shades of Grey" and "Wrongs Darker Than Death..."

 

[Tosk]

Frame of Mind might be good, but Frakes does one of the lamest fake shoves I've ever seen.

"Wrongs Darker Than Death..."

Kira uses the same Orb as the one from Trials and Tribble-ations, so I believe the intent there is that she actually did go back in time.