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The Star Trek Episode So Raunchy Nobody Knows How It Got Past Censors

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published

While Star Trek: The Next Generation has quite a few bad episodes, including “Code of Honor” (an insanely racist throwback) and “Shades of Gray” (an insanely lazy clip show). However, no episode is more infamous than “Sub Rosa “ in which Dr. Crusher has surprisingly explicit onscreen sex with a ghost, causing fans to ask the obvious question: how in the name of Q did they get all this raunchy material past the censors? As it turns out, almost everyone involved in the production of this episode has been asking that same question for decades.

For example, Next Generation effects supervisor David Stipe (as quoted in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion) was particularly worried about getting the ghost effects just right because of how much Dr. Crusher was going to (ahem) feel the spirit moving through her. He understood better than most the challenge of doing “purposeful, borderline-erotic ephemerals to look like it’s caressing and hugging Beverly, without looking ridiculous or lewd.” The effects guru was only partially successful, though: while the visual effects look great (especially on the remastered Blu-rays), the doctor’s ghostly encounters in “Sub Rosa” look downright raunchy.

She’s Got The Spirit

Veteran Star Trek: The Next Generation writer and producer Rene Echevarria actually enjoyed how transgressive the broadcast episode was. After praising Gates McFadden for her enthusiastic performance and commending the episode’s pleasantly campy story and high production values, he said (as quoted in Captain’s Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Voyages) that “just having an orgasm at 6 o’clock on family TV was great.” He claimed “that alone” made the episode “worth doing” and finished his thoughts by noting how amazing it was that the episode got past the censors: “We got away with murder.”

“Sub Rosa” episode writer Brannon Braga seemingly agreed; after scripting lines such as “She writhes around in the bed having invisible sex,” he thought to himself (as quoted in Captain’s Logs) that, “’Oh man, we’re asking for trouble. Are they gonna be able to pull this off?”

Downright Haunting Sex Scenes

Obviously, the Star Trek: The Next Generation producers did end up pulling the episode off, which surprised executive producer Rick Berman. According to Braga, Berman took one look at the freaky ghost sex episode script and declared, “I can’t believe we’re doing this.” As for Braga, he was proud of Gates McFadden’s performance but still shocked at the raunchy details that made it to the screen: as he put it, “Picard catches Beverly masturbating, for crying out loud!

Interestingly, one of the only Star Trek creatives who didn’t worry about “Sub Rosa” was its director, Riker actor Jonathan Frakes. In Captain’s Logs, he is quoted as saying that he “drew a good straw” in getting to direct this wild episode because “it wasn’t a Star Trek” episode and instead felt “it was more like Tales From the Crypt.” He also really enjoyed working so closely with McFadden and felt that “she looked like a movie star” in this wonderfully transgressive adventure.

As you can see, almost everyone involved in the production of “Sub Rosa” (minus Frakes) was concerned about its raunchy content and subsequently amazed at what they were allowed to put onscreen. In some ways, the episode was ahead of its time; while it remains one of the lowest-ranked Next Generation episodes, modern fans have embraced its campy humor and how it recontextualizes the reserved Dr. Crusher into the most sexually adventurous member of the Enterprise crew (move over, Riker). While she never rocked a proton pack, Beverly’s experience with a seductive specter ultimately helped her learn something the Ghostbusters figured out long ago: busting makes her feel good!


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Entertainment

AI stocks are cooling — this ChatGPT trading tool keeps delivering

TL;DR: A ChatGPT-powered investing platform that helps you find and manage stocks with clearer signals—lifetime access for a one-time $54.97.


Credit: Sterling Stock Picker

The AI trade has seemingly had its moment — big runs, big headlines, big expectations. The AI fun is not over by any means. But now that things are settling, the real question is what comes next?

Instead of chasing whatever’s trending, Sterling Stock Picker leans into a more grounded approach: using a ChatGPT-powered assistant (Finley) to help you understand what’s actually happening inside a stock. You can ask questions about companies, sectors, or your own portfolio and get explanations that are tied to real data — not just surface-level summaries.

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By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

It also handles the heavy lifting most people avoid. The platform analyzes financials, growth metrics, and risk, then surfaces signals like whether a stock is worth buying, holding, or avoiding. There’s even a “North Star” system that simplifies that call into something actionable.

If you’re building from scratch, there’s a done-for-you portfolio builder that aligns with your risk tolerance. If you already have positions, it can suggest adjustments based on your portfolio’s performance.

One thing that stands out is how it balances guidance with transparency. You’re not just handed picks — you can see the reasoning behind them, which matters if you’re trying to build a repeatable process.

Have a lifetime way to pressure-test your judgment — especially in a market that’s moving past hype and into something more selective.

Get lifetime access to the ChatGPT-driven Sterling Stock Picker while it’s on sale for a one-time $54.97 payment (reg. $486) through May 10.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Get 2TB encrypted cloud storage and collaboration tools for just $112.49

TL;DR: Lifetime access to 2TB of secure Drime cloud storage is on sale for a one-time $112.49 (reg. $299.99) through May 10.


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Cloud storage is one of those things that quickly turns into a monthly bill you forget about. That’s what makes a lifetime option like Drime worth a closer look.

You can currently get 2TB of storage for a one-time $112.49 (reg. $299.99), which means no ongoing fees just to keep your files accessible.

Mashable Deals

By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

But this isn’t just a place to dump files and forget about them. Drime leans more toward being a full workspace. You can upload, sync, and access files across devices, but also edit documents, leave comments, and collaborate with others without switching tools. It’s useful if you’re juggling projects, clients, or even just shared folders with family.

Security is a big part of the pitch. Files stored in the encrypted Vault are protected by end-to-end encryption, and everything is hosted in Europe in compliance with GDPR standards. This means your data isn’t floating around unsecured, and you have more control over who sees what.

There are also a lot of small quality-of-life features that make a difference over time — like version history for restoring older files, advanced link sharing with passwords and expiration dates, and even built-in e-signature tools.

It’s a simple way to get more control over your files without adding another monthly expense.

Get lifetime access to 2TB of Drime Cloud Storage for a one-time $112.49 (reg. $299.99) through May 10.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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The Bear still doesnt know how to write romance

Whenever The Bear introduces a new female character, I pray she doesn’t become a love interest for one of the male leads. Not because I hate romance, but because I specifically hate the way The Bear does romance.

The clearest offender is Carmy’s (Jeremy Allen White) relationship with Claire (Molly Gordon). A childhood friend who re-enters Carmy’s life, Claire is less a real human character than she is a walking self-help book for Carmy. She spends almost every moment she’s on screen talking about him: her memories of him, his mental health struggles, his relationship with his family. In theory, she has a life apart from Carmy — her defining character trait outside of being his girlfriend is vaguely “nurse” — but in watching The Bear, you wouldn’t know it.

Usually a great performer (see: Shiva Baby, Oh, Hi!, and more), Gordon is reduced to two modes here: luminous love interest hanging onto Carmy’s every word, or calming therapist. She’s not the only Bear character to meet this fate. As The Bear builds Ever staffer Jessica (Sarah Ramos) into a possible match for Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), it replaces her level-headed expertise with empty platitudes designed to ground him. (Season 4 line “honesty is sanity” made me want to drive my head through a wall.) Elsewhere, Richie’s ex-wife, Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs), acts as a similar pillar of support.

Their heads constantly askew, their eyes lit up in adoration, their mouths always ready to offer up an eager laugh or some cornball advice, these characters morph into The Bear‘s single idea of a Woman In Love. Now, The Bear‘s standalone episode “Gary” offers a new addition to this pantheon: Sherri (Marin Ireland) from Gary, Indiana.

Sherri is a woman whom Richie and Mikey (Jon Bernthal) meet at a bar while on a work trip to Gary. She immediately strikes up a rapport with Mikey, playing a private game of “Fact or Fiction” with him, listening to his complicated woes while nestled together in a bathroom stall, and stealing his beanie and wearing it like a middle schooler trying to get a rise out of a crush. It’s a level of blindly supportive compassion we haven’t seen since Claire Bear, and Ireland, typically a huge asset to any project, soon becomes trapped in The Bear‘s love interest archetype. (Someone please ban affectionate head tilts from the set of The Bear, effective immediately.)

While Sherri feels like she was meant to be a moment of bright connection in Mikey’s life, maybe even “the one that got away,” she really just comes across as an empty vessel for him to pour his trauma into. “What are you looking for, Michael?” she wonders. Later, when he asks permission to do a bump of cocaine, she simply responds, “I want you to be you.” It’s a series of faux-deep exchanges that even two great performers can’t sell. (It doesn’t help that Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach wrote the episode.)

That faux-deepness is what sinks The Bear‘s other romances, too. The show tries to force these deep, cosmic connections, but it forgets that these relationships should be a two-way street. Perhaps that’s why many viewers are drawn to shipping Carmy and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri). While the showrunners have affirmed that their relationship is platonic — and I personally agree with that choice — what sets this hypothetical pairing apart is that they each have such rich lives, both in their work together and their time apart. That’s because The Bear is invested in both of them as characters, rather than just using one as a device to unlock the other. You simply can’t say the same of The Bear‘s other romantic pairings, and the release of “Gary” further proves that romance is the recipe The Bear has yet to master.

“Gary” is now streaming on Hulu. The Bear Season 5 premieres this June on Hulu.

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