While carrying out a survey that will last several days Riker starts having sleep problems; he appears to be getting a full night's sleep but feels as though he hasn't slept at all. It later becomes apparent that he isn't the only person suffering; Geordi is having problems with his visor, Data loses an hour and a half and Worf has a strange reaction to getting his hair cut. A subspace rift is discovered in one of the cargo bays which is inevitably linked to the crew's problems. It turns out that aliens are sedating crew members and taking them to a different universe to experiment on.
This was a distinctly creepy episode, especially in the scene where the effected crew members go to the holodeck and create the table they vaguely remember from their time away this doesn't sound disturbing but as the each make corrections it changes from an innocent looking dining table to a strange device on which people are restrained and experimented on. Things are no less creepy when we see what happens to Riker the final time he is taken when stimulants keep him awake. It isn't all creepy though; there are some laughs to be had; mostly when Riker struggles to stay awake during Data's poetry recital. The acting is good throughout but it is Jonathan Frakes who stands out thanks to his totally believable portrayal of the exhausted Riker. Overall a fine episode which is at times surprisingly disturbing.
This was a distinctly creepy episode, especially in the scene where the effected crew members go to the holodeck and create the table they vaguely remember from their time away this doesn't sound disturbing but as the each make corrections it changes from an innocent looking dining table to a strange device on which people are restrained and experimented on. Things are no less creepy when we see what happens to Riker the final time he is taken when stimulants keep him awake. It isn't all creepy though; there are some laughs to be had; mostly when Riker struggles to stay awake during Data's poetry recital. The acting is good throughout but it is Jonathan Frakes who stands out thanks to his totally believable portrayal of the exhausted Riker. Overall a fine episode which is at times surprisingly disturbing.