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Star Trek Voyager (VOY) Season 2 Guest Reviews

Season 1 - Season 2 - Season 3 - Season 4 - Season 5 - Season 6 - Season 7

 

The 37's Stardate 48975.1: Synopsis in main VOY listing

I'm not sure why the ratings are so high or why there's so much hype over this particular episode. Yep, it's a gem in the early seasons of Voyager and probably is up there with the best, but I don't think it's worthy of the high ratings. Yes, it's a very interesting story, the idea of Earhart and her crew and others abducted and taken across the galaxy for the purposes of breeding slave labour somehow by a powerful race. Their descendants rising up to revel and then forming their own human civilisation, Janeway wondering how the crew would react when given the option to stay behind. It posed questions and delivered for the most part.
I didn't like the initial reaction of the 37s, the drunkard pulling a gun and holding Janeway hostage was cliché and it's irritating when people from the past are depicted in such an ignorant and arrogant way. The human cities not being shown was also a pain, but I'm thinking the impressive sequence of Voyager 'landing' on the planet took up most of the budget. And the fact that no crew decide to stay was strange, you'd think even SOME Maquis might have decided to stay on the planet than remain onboard a Starfleet ship for potentially the rest of their lives. For all the hypotheticals brought up by Chakotay, Kim and Torres about staying, it was a bit cheesy that no one in the end decided to remain behind.
Still, great episode, if not a little flawed in my opinion.
Remarkable scene: Voyager landing on the planet's surface.
Remarkable fact: For landing on a planet, Condition 'Blue' is called.
Rating: 7 (Cameron)

Projections Stardate 48892.1: Synopsis in main VOY listing

It's rather ironic that this episode was directed by Jonathan 'Number One' Frakes considering the remarkable similarity between it and the Riker episode TNG: "Frame of Mind". Both involving a main character questioning his sanity and existence while tripping between realities of sorts, and while we all know that it's REALLY the Doctor who's REALLY on board Voyager and so on, the episode did well to plant a very small few seeds of doubt and it's not till Chuckles turns up in Engineering that we're all sure of what's truly reality.
The only question I wonder is what sort of holoprogram the Doctor was running that included him having to blow up the ship basically!
A predictable episode, for all its twists and turns, good performance by Robert Picardo.
Remarkable fact: This is the first of many appearances in Voyager of Reg Barclay.
Rating: 5 (Cameron)

Non Sequitur Stardate 49011.0: Synopsis in main VOY listing

I really like this episode, there's nothing TOO remarkable about it other than the notable lack of main cast, but that's what sets it apart from any other 'reset button' episode that featured during the series. Pretty good performances from all, especially McNeill as a disillusioned Paris who never joined Voyager and thus wasn't given much purpose. I also liked the Cosimo character, Bernd questioned his relevance to the plot in his own review, but I thought he was sorely needed due to the amount of scepticism about Harry's situation that everyone displayed in spite of this being an age where spatial phenomena and temporal anomalies are near commonplace. That did frustrate me quite a bit.
But still, I liked it, it was clear what was going to happen in the end due to Harry's complete reluctance to even consider staying in this 'reality' at home in San Francisco with his fiancée, and the improbability of him being able to maintain his career considering he jerked around Starfleet brass and so on, but it didn't diminish the sincerity of the story and the dilemma presented to Kim.
Remarkable recycling: Plenty of shots from Original Series movies being used for the scenes overlooking Starfleet Command.
Rating: 7 (Cameron)

Twisted Stardate not given: Synopsis in main VOY listing

Yawn, Voyager's layout is altered by a spatial distortion leading the crew to round around lost for the majority of the episode. The only saving grace for the episode to NOT get a big fat zero is the performance of the cast, otherwise, meh.
Rating: 2 (Cameron)

Parturition Stardate 49068.5: Synopsis in main VOY listing

I gotta start by expressing my distaste at the Neelix/Kes relationship. Yes this is a 'buddy' episode between Tom and Neelix, with Kes being the lynchpin between the two that sees them come to blows before being ordered onto a hostile planet to collect food. But like I said, Kes and her relationship with Neelix drives the tension. Now, I think it was a mistake to pair these two up originally, whoever decided to do so already helped write themselves and future script writers into a corner by indicating Kes is only so young, adding a controversial and unsettling angle to her being with the older (and of late particularly annoying) Neelix, and I'm at least grateful that the level of intimacy of their relationship was never thoroughly dwelled upon. Nor do I think there was a great amount of chemistry between the two actors. Jennifer Lien is quite good, but I could never buy Phillips' take on the character being with Kes quite credibly. It seems like a favor was done in the end by splitting the two characters apart at a later date.
Ok, now that rants out of the way, the episode, it had it's moments of humour, but I didn't find it that interesting. The search for food and the ramifications of not finding any on the planet in the end is brushed over in the end so everyone can enjoy the warm fuzziness left due to the alien parent being reunited with one of its children, and Neelix and Paris making nice, allowing for later "Odd Couple" episodes in which the Talaxian is paired up with Tuvok.
Remarkable discrepancy: The size of the alien ship that attacked Voyager, at least from my perspective looked to have tripled in size from when it first appeared to when Voyager fights back :-o
Nitpicking: The opening scene is a shuttle simulation in which it's attacked by three Jem'Hadar attack ships, considering the lack of contact with the Dominion at the time Voyager left Deep Space Nine in the pilot, I find it unlikely they were able to garner enough information on Dominion vessel specifications for a credible attack simulation.
Remarkable indecisiveness: Janeway once more changes her hairdo, the 4th so far (bun, ponytail, Seven of Nine-like do, 'Parturition-variant'), to a similar style as seen later in the series.
Rating: 5 (Cameron)

Cold Fire Stardate not given: Synopsis in main VOY listing

Gotta say Gary Graham kicks arse. He later went on to play Soval in many episode of Enterprise, but was especially cunning and at the same time charming in his role as Tanis here, an Ocampa, one of many on a station far from their home world, who with the help of the female Caretaker had been instructed to enhance their abilities. In Kes, he sees another with potential, but I don't understand his eagerness for her to join, I doubt there was anything romantic about it (despite how adorable Jennifer Lien is in the role), but it's not like she would've given the Ocampa on the station anything they went without, right? Hmm, it wasn't that well expanded upon which I didn't like.
Still, it was a pretty good continuation on the Caretaker story, little did they know at the time it was also the conclusion of the Caretaker story funnily enough, Suspiria vanishing back into subspace at the end of the episode, never to be seen again. The story though is mainly focused on Kes and Tanis, and the emergence of her powers which would play a greater role later in the next season and a half.
Remarkable fact: According to Trek novelist Steven Edward Poe, ratings were already declining early in the series, and the introduction of Suspiria was a means to allow the ship to return home possibly if the series was cancelled.
Remarkable fact #2: According to the opening segment recapping Caretaker and the role of the alien of the same moniker, it had been 10 months since the events of the pilot.
Rating: 6 (Cameron)

Maneuvers Stardate 49208.5: Synopsis in main VOY listing

Suppose it was an exciting enough episode though I didn't appreciate being beaten over the head with obvious plot points when it was plain to see, the Kazon Raider is able to continually counter the shield harmonics on board Voyager and questions are being asked as to how? A group of Kazon ships congregate and Janeway needs Neelix to tell them perhaps they're co-operating? They find 2 Kazon beamed into space and it didn't cross their minds it was murder? The suspenseful music and horrified looks on the crews faces said it all to me that it was a homicide, yet the Voyager crew again looked like idiots. Ugh!
Anyway, more insight into how Kazon society works is shown with the differing 'clans' coming together, but it's pretty clear that Culluh is just being manipulated by Seska who has her own agenda. Ah well. Lots of action, the opening fight sequence in which a Raider repeatedly targets a point in Voyagers shields long enough for a small craft to pierce the hull was impressive, and there's a few good scenes with the firefight on board Voyager which preceded said attack, to Seska's chat with Chakotay on board the Raider, and Chakotay's interrogation in which he tries to point out that Culluh's being duped.
I didn't like the final revelation though, it was pretty clear that Seska obviously has some screws lose, but to impregnate herself with Chakotay's baby just to mess with him I thought was a bit pointless. With Voyager on a continuous run from Kazon space, with the distractions of other clans challenging the Nistrim, it's a wonder she bothered (and it's all later revealed to have been a lie anyway).
I also found the all too apologetic Chakotay to be, not so credible. It was clear the two leaders shared a respect with each other, but he really lacked a lot of spine in the scene where he's dressed down by Janeway: "Boo, hoo Captain, I didn't want to let you down, wah-wah!". For a seasoned Maquis officer, I really expected the character to have well, more balls to put it simply. I wouldn't expect nor would appreciate his character to be a macho oaf like others we'd seen, but this was a personal matter to him, and he at least destroyed the Federation technology, he shouldn't have been so apologetic in my opinion.
Good episode by the way.
Remarkable error: Cargo Bay 2 is apparently located on Deck 4, however later in the series when it becomes home to Seven of Nine's alcoves, it's located on the secondary hull.
Remarkable quote: "You know what I liked the most? The mole on her stomach... Guess you've seen it." -Chakotay, while being interrogated by Culluh
Remarkable ship: The small Kazon ship that pierced the hull of Voyager.
Rating: 7 (Cameron)

Resistance Stardate not given: Synopsis in main VOY listing

For what it's worth I found myself enjoying this episode despite the low rating and rehashed story. I liked the desperation of the crew to have something to power the warp drive which reflected the reality of the situation, I liked the supporting roles of Caylem and the Mokra and I especially liked Kate Mulgrew. Janeway could've easily been harsh on the old man and just told him to bugger off and that she wasn't his daughter like you'd expect Picard to have done, and even if I think her compassion was a bit of a conflict of interest, it allowed for some touching moments, especially Caylem's death.
The scenes with Tuvok and B'Elanna were kind of dark, but I'm already fed up with the criticism constantly unleashed upon Tuvok for his Vulcan heritage, the guy doesn't crack under a torture that Torres doesn't experience, and the most motivational thing she can do is berate him for his composure under the circumstances. And once again Chakotay shows more restraint than what you'd expect from a former terrorist, 'diplomacy or bust' seemed to have been his mantra throughout the episode, and that was before the extent of the Mokra's defensive capabilities were made more explicit, not impressed.
Rating: 3 (Cameron)

Alliances Stardate not given: Synopsis in main VOY listing

This episode let me down, for the first half or so I felt like it was bordering on greatness, I was thankful that FINALLY the issue of Janeway holding onto Federation principles regarding not sharing technology with the Kazon with a religious fervour was addressed with the crew starting to grow impatient with her. I would have to agree as well. Considering replicators can't be programmed to make weapons, and with surely some ability to alter them further as to what they can and cannot create, distributing the technology equally might not have done as much harm as Janeway is obviously convinced it would do, as in front of crew members, Starfleet and Maquis alike, she boasts about her intentions of destroying the ship before pawning off technology to the Kazon. Ouch. But I really like Chakotay once more, he brings up the credible point that Voyager is a long way from home, and as such Janeway should not feel so compelled to cling to 'Federation Principles' at the expense of her crew. The consequences of doing so made all to clear in the exciting opening teaser with the ship under a Kazon attack, suffering at least one death with a lot of system damage as a result (Though I found it baffling why the ship was left alone after reaching 'sitting duck' status!).
So the compromise is reached that Voyager could form an alliance with a Kazon sect or sects and agree to offer aid and defense from other 'tribes', but wont offer technology. It's only through the miraculous happenings during Neelix's B-story that they discover a potentially more powerful ally in the Trabe, a species who once enslaved the Kazon and as such are hunted relentless by any Sect. When a meeting is called by Janeway to unite the Kazon clans in an effort to bring peace, the leader of the Trabe Mabus attempts a mass assassination of the Sect leaders in an effort to weaken all Kazon. Janeway throws a hissy and beams him off the ship, doing a fantastic job of ensuring that the Starfleet crew has potentially another enemy to worry about (though they never appear again). This is pretty much why I was so let down, the opportunity is presented to take this show in a direction with long term consequences and further potential for story development, but without fail, a way is found to ensure that Voyager, on its own warps off into the distance without having to worry about any of the characters they had to deal with that episode before (excl. Culluh and Seska).
And the final gut-churning scene has Janeway giving some disturbing propaganda speech to the senior staff on why, in a lawless area as the one they're in, they MUST adhere to those almighty FEDERATION PRINCIPLES, as they are the best ally they can have. Try telling that to those crewmen who have died cause YOU wouldn't give the Kazon a means to provide their people with water, decent clothing or hair products Starfleet Stepford-Captain Janeway!
Remarkable scene: The attempted assassination of the Kazon leaders on Sobras.
Remarkable shout-out: Tuvok, in his assessment of an alliance with the Kazon, mentions a visionary called Spock who also suggested peace with the Klingons in the 23rd century.
Rating: 5 (Cameron)

Threshold Stardate 49373.4: Tom Paris develops a way to travel at Warp 10.

I just had to add my little tidbit about this episode. The other reviews cover it pretty well. Although I don't think this is a bad episode. Even though this episode is filled with inconsistencies (in which every single Star Trek episode made has at least 1 inconsistency in it) it shows yet again what Warp 10 is like. After reading the Voyager Inconsistencies page on this website I needed to say something. Does anyone realize that the Enterprise-D went past Warp 10? So why not get on that as well and complain about Warp 10. In the first season the episode "Where No One Has Gone Before" the Enterprise-D was taken to another galaxy and back again. If you remember Geordi said something along the lines of "We are going past Warp 10!" You have to realize this IS science fiction. FICTION therefore it is not real. Overall this is a good episode. Don't listen to the critics, they are just mad they didn't write an episode this good.
Rating: 8 (Adam)

Threshold Stardate 49373.4: Synopsis in main VOY listing

Oof. If I were to rate the three worst Star Trek episodes, I would probably do it as follows: 1st is ENT: "Harbinger", 2nd would be "Threshold", and 3rd would be TOS: "The Alternative Factor". From what I understand, TPTB admit that this episode stinks and that it might not even be considered canon, and even Brannon Braga himself admits it was the worst episode he ever wrote. Okay Brannon, then really what where you thinking when you wrote this piece of garbage?
This episode really angers me. Are the writers really stupid, or do they simply think we, the viewers, are really stupid? I know this is science fiction and that it should not be taken too seriously, but "Threshold" crosses the line and even more. How can a small group of officers on a small ship figure out something so amazing when oodles of scientists back at the Federation could not? Also, couldn't Voyager get some valuable information on getting home faster from the 900 thousand zillion teraquads the shuttle supposedly logged from all over the universe?
The writers also seem to not have a clue as to how evolution works. A species does not have a predetermined path in evolution, unless you factor god in, but let's not have that debate here. Evolution is an incredibly slow process that involves countless generations of minor mutations and natural selection. You don't just turn into a lizard/salamander thingy overnight.
Bogus molecule: Acid Dichloride -- Someone with more chemistry background may know better than me, but this nomenclature is screwed up. I never heard of a compound name that starts with "acid". If this is supposed to be two chlorines bonded with hydrogen, wouldn't it simply break down into HCl, hydrochloric acid? Brannon Braga obviously pulled this one from his ass probably because the name sounds cool and "technical". Give me two minutes and I could look up something else that is both cool sounding AND is an actual, real poisonous gas.
More nitpicking: It was bad enough is previous Trek episodes to see humans morph into something completely different and then somehow be able to come back to their normal state. TNG: "Identity Crisis" and TNG: "Genesis" come to mind. One curious question pops in my mind any time I watch one of this episodes: Would an old scar, mole, or freckle reappear as it was before the radical transformation? Also, would these people really be able to retain all their memory?
Rating: 0 (Chris)

Threshold Stardate not given: Brannon Braga makes an even bigger fool of himself.

Yes. The dreaded "Threshold". I had been, funnily enough 'dreading' this episode as I knew it was in Season 2 but wasn't sure when it would make it's unwanted presence known. Only took me the opening shot of Paris sitting in the shuttle to know what I was in for. So I didn't even watch it. It's on right now as a matter of fact, and my back is rightly turned. We all know the problems regarding evolution, science and logic plaguing this episode there's no need for me to go into it. Just a shame this episode could've been put to better use on a more worthy subject, like watching Neelix trim his sideburns for 45 minutes.
Rating: 0 (Cameron)

Meld Stardate not given: Synopsis in main VOY listing

Wow, this is an amazingly acted episode. They got Brad 'freakin' Dourif in for his first appearance as Lon Suder, psychotic Betazoid who murders a crewman. And his performance does not disappoint one bit, but after Tuvok, in an effort to understand Suder's crime mind melds with him, Tim Russ takes over with a great performance of a Vulcan, whose buried his emotions for so long, begins to slowly lose control. I loved the cinematography in this episode, the scenes with Suder and Tuvok are done in this dramatic darkness which is prevalent through the episode, even in the non-consequential B-story scenes on the holodeck where Paris is swindling crew out of rations in a gambling ring, where Chakotay pulls the plug. Paris gets narky at him but Chakotay does nothing. While I think this was a bit disappointing, I guess it was just to contrast what was going on concurrently with the relationship between Suder and Tuvok.
Great scene in sickbay where an emotionally non-repressed Tuvok let's fly, and what a dark moment for the show where the Vulcan, in an effort to relinquish his inner rage, kills a holographic Neelix. In a way it, and the dialogue about violence with Tuvok and Suder, is reminiscent of "Descent", where Data is attempting to 'feel' violence on the holodeck, and discusses it with Borg drone Crosis in the brig.
I was tempted to give this 10/10, but I'm happy to settle for a 9. Either way, a great episode and one not to be missed.
Remarkable quote: "All of us have violent instincts; we have evolved from predators... well, not me, of course. I've just been programmed by you predators." -The Doctor
Remarkable quote #2: "You are not invulnerable, hologram. A few well chosen commands to the computer, and you will cease to exist." -Tuvok to The Doctor
Remarkable scene: Janeway walking into Tuvok's ransacked quarters, which had been totalled by Tuvok in a rage.
Rating: 9 (Cameron)

Dreadnought Stardate 49447.0: Synopsis in main VOY listing

Don't have time for anything too in depth but I don't think this episode is so 'deep' to warrant a long rant. Yep, thrilling episode, I didn't like trigger happy Janeway's enthusiasm towards destroying the ship, she made that threat only a couple of episodes beforehand. Surely she needed to have had a bit more foresight considering the ramifications. If they wanted a sufficient explosion to render Dreadnought useless, why not drop the Core in it's path and fire a phaser at it? May not be 100% full proof a plan, but at least they would've had the ship intact! I liked the scene as well with the 2 computers, reprogrammed Dreadnoughts and the original Cardassian warring with each other's programming. There's also the foreshadowing of Ensign Wildman's pregnancy, she'll later name the kid Naomi, who'll make a frustratingly numerous amount of appearances later in the series. An ok episode, not bad, but I didn't find it so great to be honest. Another scene with Jonas collaborating with a Kazon trying to talk to Seska felt utterly useless, as if they recycled the same scenes with him covertly talking with a nameless Kazon type attempting to gain Seska's confidence every odd episode just to remind viewers there's a traitor on board who seemed intent on letting Seska know near all activity on the ship, no matter how inconsequential it turns out to be.
Remarkable fact: One name put forth for Ensign Wildman's baby is 'Cameron', my name! ...Ok, so that isn't so remarkable.
Rating: 7 (Cameron)

Lifesigns Stardate 49504.3: Synopsis in main VOY listing

Great episode here, not chock full of action or major plot revelations or threats of doom and gloom, but a closer character study of The Doctor, and the Vidiian he falls in love with, Denara Pel. We see the two characters, who have thus far spent their lives in isolation dedicated to the treatment of others, act with such discomfort when presented with the opportunity to finally make themselves happy. I thought the ending was a bit of a shame though, not that the Doc was able to look paste the 'real' Denara's appearance, but that we know they'll be no more reference to another major development in his character (her very brief appearance later in "Resolutions" notwithstanding), so I wasn't happy again to see those accursed credits so abruptly appear in the fadeout once more. Anyway, I liked how the relationship was played out, Susan Diol did well with her role as Denara, and there's some good scenes, like the aforementioned final moments in the episode in which the Doc dances with Denara (how she became a pro in the waltz so quickly I have no idea), and the pair on a 'date' on the holodeck, in a '57 Chevy overlooking Mars.
Found it interesting to see the appearance of a Vidiian not affected with the Phage, an attractive race of people surely did their former reputations mentioned in "The Phage" as scholars and artists justice.
The tension between Chakotay and Paris is touched upon in the supporting story, with Paris under the impression that Chakotay is being to restrictive of Paris' duties, while Chakotay tries to explain that part of his role means ensuring the welfare of the crew and putting it above the 'inventiveness' of the ship's pilot. In the end Paris pushes Chakotay down and gets sent to the brig for his trouble.
Again though, great, somewhat touching episode revolving around the Doctor and his gradual evolution towards further sentience. Though I was bothered by the first shades of arrogance of The Doctor, a lot of his pompous comments about how sophisticated a program he his and slapping himself on the back for his improvisation didn't rub off too well.
Remarkable quote: "Mr. Paris, I assume you've had a great deal of experience being rejected by women." - "Thanks a lot, Doc." -The Doctor, asking Tom Paris for relationship advice
Rating: 7 (Cameron)

Investigations Stardate 49485.2: Synopsis in main VOY listing

This is an exciting episode which culminates in ending the arcs of Paris' insubordination, and Jonas' traitor ism. Gotta say I was a BIT disappointed with Paris' antagonism towards Chakotay was entirely a ruse, it's not enough for him to have just said at the end he had fun doing it, but I thought his character would've eventually dabbled in stuff like gambling for the sheer hell of it considering his reputation. But all the same, it's really good continuity, a continuity also shared in the Jonas side of the story. His transmission with Seska seen in the previous episode is played on the Kazon vessel Paris is imprisoned on, which mentions the planned ambush on Voyager on Hemikek IV, where Voyager must go to retrieve minerals needed to help repair damage to the ship, so it was well done how it was all set up. It was also good to see Hogan again, I like the use of the recurring Maquis crewmen for purposes OTHER than bitching about Starfleet or collaborating with the enemy.
Nothing wrong with this episode at all.
Remarkable nitpick: When attempting to beam Jonas out of Engineering all that's beamed away is his combadge, come on! Starfleet had been beaming for centuries without combadge probably due to a lock on the persons bio-sign, they could've at least have had Jonas set up an incredulous forcefield around Engineering to prevent a beam out...
Unremarkable ship: The Kazon shuttle, much like the ongoing problems with the Klingon Bird of Prey, it can't be so simple that their shuttles are just scaled down versions of their regular cruisers. Even their heavy vessel seen in Caretaker was much different in design, and of course there was the modified ship designed to pierce Voyager's hull in 'Maneuvers', some originality please!
Remarkable appearance: The then Crown Prince of Jordan, now King Abdullah ibn al-Hussein, appears in the opening segment as the blue-shirt talking to Kim.
Rating: 8 (Cameron)

Deadlock Stardate not given: Subspace anomalies inside a nebula cause a quantum duplication of Voyager and crew. One version is heavily damaged by the Vidiians, Ensign Wildman loses her baby and Harry is blown off the ship through a hull breach, while an undamaged version of Voyager occupies the same space at the same time. In order to save the intact ship, Capt. Janeway of the damaged ship decides to activate the self-destruct. However, as the Vidiians enter the undamaged Voyager, this ship has to be destroyed, after Kim and Naomi Wildman have been transferred to the other ship.

This episode was a little confusing at first, but made more sense as we find out about the duplicate Voyager. I like the fact that Naomi was born in this episode and was taken to the other ship in the end with the other Harry. It was a good episode that I could never get tired of.
Remarkable quote: "Mr. Kim. We're Starfleet officers, weird is part of the job." (Janeway)
Remarkable scene: When the Janeways are talking in engineering. When the two voyagers try to merge and pass through each other.
Rating: 8 (Kyle)

Deadlock Stardate 49548.7: Synopsis in main VOY listing

What an amazing episode, so far without a doubt the best so far in the series. An exciting an unexpected start to the episode, the opening 20 minutes in which Voyager is blown to hell and it looks like there won't be anything to save them for a change, Kim being sucked into space, Naomi dying (not that that's GOOD, but not something seen on Trek often), the revelation there's another Voyager, the conversations between the two Janeway's in an attempt to save both ships. The overall look of the 'first' Voyager we see being a wreck, the Vidiians boarding and harvesting crew, it's so action packed and so dark and the price to pay for the lives of 'our' Voyager come at the cost of the other ship. Not really sure I can put it into words, the ensemble cast didn't make the episode work well cause they didn't have much to do, but Mulgrew was pretty good playing the biggest dual role in the episode. Just a well written, greatly acted and well staged episode. And while it may be premature and I'm riding the high only recently after watching, I'm still confident giving it 10/10. Exciting, somewhat moving, it doesn't ask you to think deep nor does it boggle you down in needless technobabble, great episode.
My only nitpick: After the numerous hull breaches and massive damage taken to the ship, how quickly cleaned up and 100% operational it will no doubt be by the time the next episode comes around. And yes, there are undoubtedly similarities to DS9's 'Visionary' in which the station is saved from destruction by an O'Brien from the future at the cost of 'Present' O'Brien exactly like Harry here. But for the quality in this episode in its execution, I'm more than willing to overlook the resemblance. Oh, and why did it take them so long to detect multiple Vidiian ships and a system populated by Vidiians??? Normally any other starship could detect ships and populated planets from light years away but Voyager clumsily happens upon one at random?
And in regards to Bernd questioning the validity of one Voyager's self-destruct not harming the other, well I guess it's the same reason why neither ship was affected by the damage caused by the initial distortions, or the Vidiian weapons. Maybe trying to divide the power between the ships makes them inextricably linked, while what happens to one ship and one ship alone limits the extent of the damage to only that ship.
Remarkable similarity: Doesn't Ensign Wildman look like Laura Dern?
Remarkable scene: The opening 20 minutes of the episode, in which the ship is nearly destroyed. The bridge is evacuated, corridors are strewn with rubble, Engineering becomes a makeshift bridge à la DS9 episode 'Starship Down'.
Remarkable scene #2: The Vidiians storming the ship and killing the crew, and Harry's last mission to save Naomi and get her to the other ship.
Rating: 10 (Cameron)

Innocence Stardate 49578.2: Synopsis in main VOY listing

Yay, Tuvok and the annoying brats...yawn. 3/10, that's being generous just cause I like Tim Russ' portrayal so damn much, but it's still so boring and the final revelation of the Drayans' ageing in reverse is brushed over so casually, but it certainly wasn't the time to go into the biological development of their species.
There was some nice scenes in the episode, I liked Tuvok singing the kids to sleep and being annoyed at their playing with all the equipment on the shuttle when in the previous cut he made it explicit they not do so, and his attempts to train them in logic. And also the opening moments with the dead gold-shirt of the week dying, though Tuvok reassuring him one other crew member will miss him.
But yeah, like I said, poor episode. Whatever substance on the Drayan planet the crew were chasing had only been mentioned once before and never was said to have been a critical component since. And the kids were so damned annoying in their conjoined performance, spouting out the same clichéd 'scared child' lines over and over nearly in unison, argh!
Remarkable quote: "My attachment to my children cannot be described as an emotion. They are a part of my identity, and I am... incomplete without them." -Tuvok
Remarkable fact: In an outtake from the episode, Tuvok is seen approaching the cave for the final time with Tressa, then turning around, saying "I ain't going in there!" and bolting for the forest.
Nitpicking: Tuvok postulates a dielectric field is necessary to counter the turbulence of the atmospheric currents. Ok, how in hell could he work that out? It was a simple procedure but it took till the Drayans had used the technology that Paris was able to offer up that they could use it as well. And even then, why weren't any of the crews able to figure this out to begin with when scanning the planet?
Remarkable scene: Tuvok singing to the kids around the campfire.
Remarkably contradictory ship: The Drayan ship, about as big as Voyager, funny. For a species that looked to have shunned a lot of technology they didn't think of junking a powerful ship like that!
Rating: 3 (Cameron)

Tuvix Stardate 49655.2: Synopsis in main VOY listing

'The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few'. It's funny, for all the traits of Tuvok inside him, Tuvix never espoused this sacred Vulcan proverb once. Does it make him a hypocrite, or an individual? Do Janeway's actions amount to murder, or liberation? Gratefully, this isn't an episode which tries to make excuses for such a decision, and we see clearly that this is a decision not reached easily by Janeway, and not endorsed by the crew (it's just a shame the situation will be forgotten next episode). Tom Wright gives a great performance combining the nuances of Ethan Phillips and Tim Russ' characterisations of their respective characters and, of course, in the oh so dark scenes where he's attempting to justify his existing to Janeway and the crew; a speech I don't believe was falling on deaf ears. However Janeway makes the point that is clearest of all, the ship has lost 2 valuable crewmen (though I'm sure plenty will agree that Neelix isn't so valuable ;D) and they were not given the choice to become this new lifeform, and that must be taken into consideration.
It isn't black and white, far from it. But again, it's refreshing to note that Janeway clearly regrets taking an action which ended a life, and she doesn't try to use some speech about that same Vulcan principle (the needs of the many...) to justify what she had done.
I also liked how the story followed the loss experienced by Kes and Janeway, so far in the series Kes has had very little to do but play nurse, and Janeway certainly hadn't had her personality explored this deeply thus far, so we find both characters vulnerable, both in mourning, and both fearing what might have to be done to have their friends returned to them.
There's no easy rationalisation, no happy resolution, it only leaves the viewer with deeper questions, and I think that's the hallmark of a great Star Trek episode (unless those questions are of 'Threshold' proportions :-O).
Nitpicking: Janeway remarks that the situation presented hadn't been recorded in Starfleet before, but I'd think the events of 'Second Chances' cuts it pretty close in which Riker is separated into two people.
Rating: 8 (Cameron)

Basics, Part I Stardate not given: Synopsis in main VOY listing

What an exciting season finale. But I do object to the suicidal journey undertaken by the crew at Chakotay's behest to recover his son. Call me cold, but Seska had deceived the crew and Chakotay time after time by now, there was nothing I found trustworthy about the warning buoy with her telling of Culluh wanting to kill his son, and even Chakotay later wasn't convinced the Kazon Tierna was telling the truth about anything let alone Seska's murder.
Never the less, those actions still spurred on the plot of what develops into a well constructed, action packed episode, ending with a great cliffhanger. It was a good idea to bring Suder back, one thing I've appreciated so far while watching these earlier episodes is the use of recurring characters such as Ayala, Hogan and now Suder gets a reappearance which will play a bigger part in the next episode, as does his idea of a hydroponics bay which we'll later see in Season 3.
Don't have much more to say, can't wait till part 2 ;)
Rating: 8 (Cameron)

 


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