Star Trek Made Ghostbusters' Ghost Trap Canon In Its Universe

Thanks to the quick thinking of Geordi La Forge, the Ghostbusters' ghost trap has become the weapon of choice in Star Trek against ghostly enemies.

Thanks to Geordi La Forge, Ghostbusters' Ghost Trap is a classic in the Star Trek universe. The worlds of Star Trek and Ghostbusters might seem like an unlikely pairing, but in the Star Trek: The Next Generation special "Embrace the Wolf," Geordi must set a trap to ensnare an invisible being -- and this The traps aren't just short-lived resemblances to the ones used by Ghostbusters.

These two franchises make an unlikely pair due to their competing worldviews: Ghostbusters strongly believes in the paranormal - ghosts and demons are a daily occurrence in its world. Star Trek, on the other hand, eschews these concepts, preferring a world that operates under established scientific principles. That hasn't stopped the creatures and species that appear on Star Trek from appearing as ghosts to the uninitiated. One such being is Redjac, a malevolent incorporeal life form that travels the universe and brutally murders women; Redjac has been responsible for several notorious crimes, including historic serial killer Jack the Ripper . Redjac appeared in the season two episode "Wolf in the Circle". Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise encountered Redjac in deep space and managed to defeat it. However In 2000's Star Trek: The Next Generation: Embrace the Wolf (originally published by Wildstorm), an evil entity returns to threaten the new Enterprise and its crew.

Star Trek's Darkest 'Ghost' Is Pure Evil

Story by Christopher Gordon and Tom Snegoski, illustrated by Dave Hoover. The Enterprise is on its way to Enoch-7, a world considered by the galaxy to be a model of peaceful life. A wave of madness sweeps the planet, throwing it into violent chaos; Picard sends a visiting team to the planet's surface, including Dr. Crusher. There, the entity Redjac took control of Crusher and returned to the ship, transferring its consciousness into the ship's computer. Redjac migrates to the Holodeck, creates a recreation of Victorian London - one of its old stomping grounds, and begins kidnapping random crew members, killing them. As the crew struggles to regain control of the ship, Geordi realizes how Redjac returned: As a being of pure energy, Redjac cannot be destroyed - but he can be contained. Geordi then builds a device that can imprison Redjac.

Star Trek & Ghostbusters Agree That Science Beats the Supernatural

Although 24th century humans, when embracing wolves, may no longer believe in ghosts, there are still life forms In a space that fits the definition - not all is good and pure. Geordi's approach to including Redjac in this story comes straight from Ghostbusters. The Ghostbusters movies made it clear that ghosts can't be destroyed - they can only be captured - and Geordi did the same with Redjac, putting together an advanced Ghost Trap that, if captured, would even have A strange light flickered.

Both Star Trek and Ghostbusters embrace the idea that dedicated scientists can find ways to combat the seemingly impossible, so it makes sense that Star Trek would include a nod to Ghostbusters in its own "Spirit of Evil" story of. Geordi's solution to defeating Redjac would undoubtedly make Egon Spengler proud, essentially making Ghostbusters' Ghost Trap a Star Trek classic.