Star Trek: The Next Generation's Most Disgusting Moment Was Banned By The BBC

While "Star Trek: The Next Generation" features controversial scenes no one likes to talk about, most of them were safe enough to show on television. However, the "Conspiracy" episode culminates with a moment so gross it forced the BBC to cut it entirely, as it was just too violent to get past the network's censors.

Written by Tracy Tormé and Robert Sabaroff, "Conspiracy" is essentially "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with more body horror thrown in for good measure. The story follows the Starfleet crew as they encounter alien parasites that possess their hosts, forcing William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) to locate the officer the queen is hiding in and make his head explode.

Sadly for fans in the United Kingdom, the queen's gruesome demise was too much for the BBC's censors. Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens' book "Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Continuing Mission" reveals that the head-explosion scene was cut from the original broadcast, making it difficult to see. Despite this, "Star Trek" fans have tracked down the episode in its original incarnation, only for it to haunt their dreams.

Many fans might not regard "Conspiracy" as one of the best episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"; however, it might be the series' creepiest outing. The head-explosion scene is a gross-out moment, for sure, but it isn't the only stomach-churning sequence to shiver at, as possessed crew members also feast on bugs. The episode's horror elements had an impact on many viewers, with some even claiming that it messed them up for a while afterward. "For years I slept with one hand over my mouth and one over my ears because of this episode," Reddit user u/Cameront9 wrote.

Redditor u/AdSpecialist6598 echoed this sentiment, adding that "Conspiracy" still holds up as an effective slice of scare fare after all these years: "It freaked me out as a kid and to this day it is unnerving as all get out. It was like someone decided just to use a random horror movie script and it was amazing."

Meanwhile, u/BurdenedMind79 seemingly understood why the BBC cut the episode's more gruesome sequences, as they were traumatizing for some folks. They wrote, "It was released on VHS in its all its uncut gory glory. I kinda wish I'd seen the edited version first as a kid, as the uncut version scarred me!"

For more information about this beloved sci-fi series, check out the untold truth of "Star Trek: The Next Generation."