Imagination
Imagination was the quality of an individual to form images in their mind. Elim Garak once commented "The truth is usually just an excuse for a lack of imagination". ()

Zefram Cochrane was known for his imagination and intoxication. ()

In 2269, a Romulan commander accused James T. Kirk of having an imagination that was "creative but obviously out of control" when the captain accused him of using a Vendorian spy to lure the  into the Neutral zone. ()

In 2366, when Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge had issues with the performance of Lieutenant Reginald Barclay, he sought the advice of Guinan, who told him that Barclay was "imaginative." When La Forge suggested that maybe Barclay was in the wrong line of work, Guinan asked if "engineering types" didn't appreciate imagination, and told him of Terkim, a cousin of hers whose sense of humor nobody else appreciated because they wouldn't stay around him long enough. Later when, when La Forge discovered Barclay participating in an unusual holographic program, Barclay was worried, but La Forge told him that what he did on the holodeck was his own business, so long as it didn't interfere with his work. He agreed that he wouldn't tell anyone else about it, as they might not appreciate his imagination like he did. ()

In the experience of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, communication was a matter of patience and imagination, something which he felt were qualities that he and his crew had in sufficient measure. ()

In 2369, at least three aliens studied the crew of Deep Space 9, in part, by taking the form of people from their imaginations, including Jadzia Dax, Buck Bokai and Rumpelstiltskin. The aliens had never experienced anything like it and found it to be extremely unusual.

Prior to this incident, Odo had a discussion with Quark in which he told him that he didn't have time for fantasies. He told Quark that imagination was a waste of time, that too many people dreamed of places that they would never go or wished for things that they would never have instead of paying attention to their real lives. Later, during the incident, Odo complained to Quark of having to chase after "incarnations of the Prophets, long-dead lovers, Gunji jackdaws, blizzard, trollops" from people's imaginations that had been made real by the aliens. Quark called him a man without any imagination, but Odo chuckled to himself when he experienced a vision of Quark being placed in one of Deep Space 9's security cells. ()

Garak would often say Julian Bashir had an active imagination when he questioned Garak about his past. ()

In 2370, Lieutenant Commander Data took part in a clay sculpting class on the . He made a sculpture of a PADD that had dimensions accurate to within 1.3%, but Counselor Deanna Troi told him he was there to work on his imagination and suggested that he sculpt something a little more abstract. Later, when the Enterprise fell under the control of a D'Arsay archive, Data sculpted a mask with a rose motif that Troi considered "amazing." When she asked Data how he came up with it, he told her that he had followed her advice and used his imagination. ()

In 2372, when Major Kira Nerys had trouble enjoying a Hoobishan Baths holoprogram, Lieutenant commander Jadzia Dax told her that she simply had to relax and use her imagination, but Kira replied that she didn't have much of one. Dax asked if she had ever played make-believe when she was a child and she replied that she had pretended that the Cardassians had stopped killing Bajorans and just gone away. She then apologized and admitted that she had never had much use for imagination, that Dax had planned a fun evening and she was sitting there worrying about Klingons. Dax replied that she could worry about the Klingons tomorrow and that she was prescribing a strict regime of exercise for her imagination, starting immediately. ()

Later that same year, when Captain Benjamin Sisko represented Lieutenant commander Worf at a hearing regarding his having fired at a supposedly civilian ship, he asked the opposing advocate Ch'Pok if he could imagine any circumstance in which the Klingon Empire would deceive the Federation. Ch'Pok replied that he had a poor imagination and Sisko stated "Let's see what we can do to spark it", presenting information that proved that the names of the supposed civilians on the ship were likely fabricated. ()

Also that same year, Commander Chakotay suggested that the crew of the  make an alliance with a Kazon sect after the vessel suffered a severe Kazon attack. Captain Kathryn Janeway replied that nothing had led her to believe the Kazon were trustworthy and she couldn't imagine making a deal with them. Chakotay suggested that this might be because her imagination was limited by Starfleet protocols, asking if the decisions she was making were really in the best interest of her crew. ()

In 2373, when Lieutenant commander Tuvok told Marayna that he had never felt the illusion of being able to control the wind and the waves on the ocean, she asked if he had an imagination. He replied that if she meant the ability to generate images in his mind, then he did indeed have a highly developed one, as did all members of his race. She then asked him to imagine he was skimming atop waves of emotion, believing himself to be in control, but that control was an illusion. ()

In 2374, Captain Kathryn Janeway had Seven of Nine do clay sculpting in her  holoprogram. Seven of Nine wondered what the purpose of the environment, a messy workshop, was, and Janeway told her that a little disorganization can be very encouraging to the imagination. When Seven told her that she didn't understand why things such as imagination, creativity and fantasy were necessary, she replied that they weren't, but were nevertheless an important part of one's life, because imagination frees the mind. ()

When Damar expressed his interest in picturing the conflict between the Prophets and the Pah-wraith, Weyoun warned him that too much of an imagination was dangerous. ()

During a vision being sent to Benjamin Sisko by the Pah-wraith, Wykoff told Benny Russell the Deep Space 9 crew were all in his imagination. ()

In 2376, The Doctor was upset when Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres didn't choose him to go on an away mission, as he had been hoping to snap some holographic images of an interesting canyon on the planet they were visiting. Torres offered to take some pictures for him instead, but he told her not to bother and after she left 's sickbay commented "I'll just use my imagination," referring to his new daydreaming subroutine. Later, after The Doctor saved the ship from the Hierarchy, Janeway awarded him the Starfleet Medal of Commendation for his imaginative defense of the ship and her crew. ()

In 2399, Jean-Luc Picard told Soji Asha that her contention that she and others like her had no choice, that organics had never given them one, was a failure of imagination. ()

External link 
 
Psychology