The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled “The Game” features addictive alien technology. It is the sixth episode of the show’s fifth season and first aired in October 1991.
In the story, Kiefer gives William Riker a handheld device obtained from the pleasure planet Risa. The device produces a compelling visual game that affects the brain’s reward system. Riker brings it aboard the Enterprise, where the crew gradually becomes addicted and falls under outside control.
Wesley Crusher and his new friend Robin Lefler discover the danger and work to resist it. The episode is sometimes discussed as an early science-fiction story about compulsive technology and behavioral manipulation. Its title is unrelated to the classical Pandora myth, but the plot uses a seemingly attractive object that releases consequences far beyond what its users expect.