Transporter phobia

Transporter phobia was a fear of using transporters, either before one's first use of the device, or consistently over a period of time. Transporter use carried an inherent risk, since transporters disassembled and reassembled matter at the atomic level.

During the 2150s, when transporter technology was still in its infancy, many people – including Starfleet officers – were hesitant to use the transporter despite the fact that it had been approved for bio-transport. According to Travis Mayweather, Captain Jonathan Archer himself even feared putting his dog through the transporter. (ENT: "Broken Bow") However, by 2155, the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise were getting more comfortable with the transporter and hence were not quite as reluctant to use the device. (ENT: "Demons")

Archer's fear to put his dog through the transporter would be realized in an alternate reality, when Montgomery Scott lost the animal in a subspace transport experiment.

Lt. Reginald Barclay suffered from transporter phobia when in 2369, he was faced with a difficult transport, the truth that he had never used the device came out. However after a meeting with Counselor Deanna Troi he overcame his fear and was able to transport. (TNG: "Realm of Fear") Other people who were not very fond of transporters were Ensign Hoshi Sato, Dr. Leonard McCoy and Dr. Katherine Pulaski. (ENT: "Vanishing Point"; Star Trek: The Motion Picture; TNG: "Unnatural Selection", "Shades of Gray")

Phobias
Agoraphobia • Aquaphobia • Aviophobia • Claustrophobia • Nihiliphobia • Transporter phobia • Xenophobia
Fear of alien abduction • Fear of death • Fear of failure • Fear of the future • Fear of heights • Fear of intimacy • Fear of losing control • Fear of punishment