Was I One of the Only People Who Weren't Annoyed by Lt. Barclay?

Well, he did seem to be a skilled engineer...skilled enough to get posted to the E...though it's not entirely clear whether that was "exceptional".

Anyway, wouldn't the "mildly autistic person who it turns out is extremely talented at one thing" notion be stereotyping and perhaps a little patronizing?

 

He was also picked by Geordi to be on the team to repair the Phoenix

 

I really enjoyed Barclay. Oddly, I feel like the character really got his most interesting in his appearances on Voyager, which fleshed out a lot of his difficulties in interpersonal relationships both in a professional setting, as well as in a social setting. The Pathfinder Project also gave his character some fulfillment in achieving success in his career, which was nice to see.

 

I wasn't annoyed by him at all. I actually enjoyed his interactions with the team, Georgie and the rest. I liked the time when Georgie was trying to include him in meetings and involve him in decision making, I found i very relatable to real life office politics. That's actually what I liked the most about Georgie heavy episodes, his relationship with the staff resonate with my own experiences in a work environment, but in a cool sci-fi setting.

 

He was annoying and yet I could relate to him a lot. I wonder how he got through the academy though, I imagine social events were downright nightmares.

 

I liked Barclay. He actually felt like he was a real human being, and not one of those "prefect" and supposedly "evolved" stiffs that seems to populate the 24th century.

 

I found him a bit annoying but mostly it was because I was uncomfortable when he got in trouble (like for what he did with the holodeck). I had some social problems as a child (related to learning disabilities) and seeing him called out on the carpet (kind of like my being sent to the principal's office) was upsetting to me. Barkley just being Barkley didn't but me much.

 

*bug not but

 

Yeah his social awkwardness did remind me of some my own failings throughout school and that is certainly discomfiting.

That's the thing though the fact that it makes you uncomfortable shows you can relate to it.

As for mildly autistic-I can certainly see how such a stereotype is patronizing perhaps even harmful. Autistic people aren't just super geniuses or people so awkward and mentally screwed over they can barely talk. There is a spectrum in between some might not be experts at any one field but are knowledgeable, reasonable, nerdy people yet struggle socially and often resent social conventions.

 

The first episode was very unpopular within the fandom when it came out because a lot of people interpreted it as the writers taking a dig at obsessive Star Trek fans who were out of touch with reality and wished they could live in Star Trek. The character's rap as being unpopular I think is still a result of that.

Personally, I think Hollow Pursuits is good and one of the best TNG comedy episodes. The character did get a bit old in some of those return appearances (let's just not talk about those Voyager episodes) but he's not that bad and hardy the most annoying Star Trek character.

 

Agree, despite his working on the Pathfinder project he still seems like as much of a loser as in his first appearance on TNG. They made it seem like he had progressed and was past a lot of that stuff after his first couple TNG appearances, so what they did with him on Voyager was disappointing.

 

Perhaps TPTB felt that on some level they might need to reintroduce the character. Not an incomprehensible notion.

I rather liked him in "Pathfinder" and "Lifeline".