Cause And Effect: Why The Infamous Star Trek TNG Episode Drove Fans To Complain

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" is packed to the brim with memorable episodes, but few can rival the cult status of Season 5, Episode 18: the infamous "Cause and Effect." This installment has it all, from an experimental time travel premise to a surprise cameo appearance from "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer, and it's widely considered to be one of the best outings of the entire series. However, not everyone was a fan of "Cause and Effect" when it first aired. In fact, the episode's premiere actually caused some viewers to call in and complain for an amusing reason.

As noted in various official sources like the documentary "Requiem — A Remembrance of Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Cause and Effect" originally confused many viewers with its structure. In order to show that the crew is stuck in a time loop, the episode often repeats scenes and dialogue, making for a pretty disorienting experience before the viewer knows what's going on. As a result, some fans thought that these repeated elements were the result of a technical error or glitch, and called into their local broadcast companies to complain about the perceived issue.

The time loop structure of "Cause and Effect" may have caused many "Star Trek: The Next Generation" fans quite a bit of confusion on their first viewing, but they aren't the only ones who were initially baffled by the episode. As it turns out, Jonathan Frakes' ambitious directorial outing was boggling the minds of his "Star Trek: The Next Generation" castmates and the show's crew before it even premiered.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" writer Brannon Braga recalled that reading the episode's script was just as strange for some as watching the episode itself. "The early reactions to the script were similar to the reactions that the audience had when watching the episode, which was confusion," he said. "Because you're reading that script and you're like, 'Wait a second. There's got to be a mistake here. The acts just keep repeating. Is this a joke?'"

With the repetitive elements of the episode proving confusing, the crew sought ways to subtly clue viewers in on the time loop, such as placed an emphasis on shooting the same scene in a variety of angles. "We had a plan that we needed to shoot each scene more than one way ... we would shoot the master from either side of the room," Frakes recalled. "But I really enjoyed the challenge. Once I realized that [Brannon] wasn't f***ng with me, it was fun."