Dwight Schultz played a recurring character on not just "Star Trek: The Next Generation" but also on "Star Trek Voyager" as well as an appearance in one of the "Star Trek" movies. Lt. Reg Barkley (nicknamed 'Broccoli' by his fellow crew members) was only intended to be in one episode, but apparently he resonated with viewers and writers and in all he had about a dozen appearances.
When the show begins, LaForge and Riker are both uncharacteristically negative about a member of the crew. Both see Lt. Barkley as a lazy and disinterested guy. However, their rush to judgment is premature, as Barkley's real problem is that he's painfully shy--so shy that he always doubts himself and is just about paralyzed by his fears. When LaForge approaches the Captain about transferring Barkley off the ship, the Captain is angry and tells LaForge to make things work with Barkley. If that means befriending him or working closely with him, so be it. So, Barkley is finally given an important assignment--to figure out why one of their transporters keeps malfunctioning. Can Barkley rise to the occasion or is he simply hopeless?
This episode had a lot of funny moments due to Barkely's bad habit of retreating into the holodeck instead of dealing with people. Inside this piece of machinery, Barkely is a studly hero--and the holo images of the Doctor and Counselor are there to cheer him on and lust after his rugged manliness! It's all clever and fun, but also important because in the 24th century you STILL see that folks have prejudices-- as LaForge and several others are surprisingly cruel towards Barkley. So, despite their advances, people are still people. Well worth seeing.