A Starfleet ensign in engineering aboard the Enterprise-D in 2368, whose frequent transfers have left his young daughter Clara lonely enough to invent a friend named Isabella.
Ensign Daniel Sutter is an engineer on the USS Enterprise-D. He appears in the episode Imaginary Friend, played by Jeff Allin.
Sutter is bringing up his daughter Clara alone, and his career has moved them from ship to ship. He worries about her made-up friend Isabella and asks Counsellor Troi for advice. Troi tells him that such a friend is quite normal for a child who has had to leave people behind so often.
While the ship studies a nebula, an energy being takes on Isabella's form and becomes real. It judges the adults harshly for the rules they place on Clara. Sutter is torn between his duties in engineering and his fear for his daughter. In the end Picard explains to the being why parents set limits, and Sutter resolves to spend more time with Clara.