Star Trek Voyager (VOY) Season 5

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

NightDroneExtreme RiskIn the FleshOnce Upon a TimeTimelessInfinite Regress
Nothing HumanThirty DaysCounterpointLatent ImageBride of Chaotica!Gravity
BlissDark FrontierThe DiseaseCourse: OblivionThe FightThink Tank
JuggernautSomeone to Watch Over Me11:59RelativityWarheadEquinox I/II

 

Night

Synopsis

Stardate 52081.2: On the long way back to the Alpha Quadrant, Voyager has to cross the "Void", a region 2500 light-years across that is devoid of star systems. Additionally, theta radiation blocks any light from outside the Void. The morale on the ship hits a low, and Janeway, who is stricken with guilt for stranding her crew in the Delta Quadrant, locks herself up in her quarters. Suddenly Voyager loses power and drops out of warp. Alien intruders board the ship, one of whom is disabled by Seven of Nine. After firing a photon torpedo to illuminate the surrounding space, it becomes clear that Voyager has been surrounded by alien vessels. Then a different alien ship appears, upon which the attackers retreat. The commander of that ship introduces himself as Controller Emck of the Malon. He says that he is on a transport mission. He offers Voyager to lead them to a spatial vortex that could cut two years of the voyage through the void but demands the extradition of the intruder in return. The Doctor finds out that the alien in his sickbay is indigenous to the Void and that he is dying from theta radiation poisoning, radiation that is caused by antimatter waste that Emck dumps in his realm. Janeway returns the alien to his people and meets with Emck to offer him a solution to recycle the antimatter waste so no further harm is done to the aliens. But Emck refuses, as this would make his waste disposal business expendable. Janeway assembles the crew, to reveal a plan that would allow Voyager to escape through the vortex, while she herself would stay behind in a shuttle to close the vortex. The members of the bridge crew, however, do not follow her orders. Instead of leaving the captain behind, they propose to destroy the vortex while Voyager is already inside, and to enhance the aft shields to withstand the explosion. Emck, however, uses his ship to block the entrance and damages Voyager's warp drive. The indigenous aliens arrive and distract his vessel. Janeway orders to take the opportunity and target his cargo hold, whereupon the Malon ship explodes. Voyager proceeds to the vortex, and as the torpedoes detonate behind the ship, it reaches the far end even without warp drive, by "riding the shockwave".

Commentary

Watching it again after many years, I am surprised how multifaceted the season 5 opener is. Not only does the story make quite an effort to show the crew's difficulties to adapt to the boredom of the Void, culminating in the Doctor's assessment of Neelix's condition as "nihilophobia", the fear of nothingness. It also does a solid job to work out Janeway's remorse about her decision to stay in the Delta Quadrant in "Caretaker", now that she has a lot of time to ponder about it, thereby wrapping up the previous four years of the show. These two themes do not only serve to set up the conflict with the two alien species, they don't simply disappear along with the boredom but determine how everyone acts in the crisis. Janeway has made up her mind that she would never order her crew to stay behind again when there is a chance to escape, and she is ready to sacrifice her life for the safety of her people - and for her own redemption in their eyes as Tuvok and Chakotay correctly anticipate. The crew, on the other hand, are anxious to escape from the Void, but no one would want to do that at the expense of the lives of the indigenous aliens or of Janeway's safety.

The main plot thread begins as late as about ten minutes into the episode. The crew suddenly find themselves in the moral dilemma whether to follow Controller Emck through the spatial vortex and forget what they witnessed in the Void, or whether to help the aliens by shutting down Emck's business. The Prime Directive may not provide a clear course of action in this case, as Voyager was already involved and there was no chance to avoid interference any longer. Unlike it may have been the case in the earlier seasons of the show, there is no conflict among the crew whether to help the aliens in need or whether rather to help themselves. Well, the prospect of achieving the latter only with the support of the unethical and unlikable Emck facilitates the decision a lot.

The Malon and their ships look a bit too much like what they represent: dirty and ugly. The interesting aspect about their society is that they have the 24th-century equivalent of present-day underregulated capitalism that puts short-term profit above the preservation of our planet. In particular, the Malon Controller Emck, who refuses the offered refining technology because it would make his business dispensable, behaves much like present-day energy companies that cling to fossil fuel. Emck may be a one-dimensional character, but he is quite credible as such.

Although it is overall a bit contrived, as well as flawed in many details, everything that happens in this surprisingly contemplative episode makes sense and fits together to a bigger picture and a classic Trek story.

Annotations

• Continuity: The light that illuminates the whole hull of the ship is missing, in an attempt to visualize the emptiness of the Void. However, the ship should always be completely dark when in open space save for its self-illumination. We could assume in favor of almost all other episodes that the self-lighting is quite bright, but then the lack of stars in the Void wouldn't make any difference.
• Nitpicking:
• The holodeck is still black & white after the complete power failure. We could imagine that the objects created inside continue to exist even without power because they have some sort of substance and that they don't have a color (so it isn't necessary to actively filter it out). But there is no good reason why even the real characters would still be black & white as well. Since there is obviously light in the holodeck, it needs to have a wide spectrum to create the impression of black & white holographic objects (if these are no projections), which in turn would let appear everyone else in full colors.
• Seven is able to use a holographic ray gun to shoot at the alien. How is this possible without power, unless the weapon was fully charged even before she disabled the safety protocol?
• And how is it possible for Seven to turn the Captain Proton ray gun into a fully functional phaser by simply saying "Deactivate safety protocol"? How can the computer decide that, without the safety protocol, the fictional ray gun behaves like a phaser, unless Tom has linked his creation to the model of a phaser, which Seven can't possibly know?
• The ship arrives at the "boundary" of the Void and all the stars reappear almost immediately. Even if the Void has a somewhat sharp boundary, this transition should last several days even at high warp.
• Remarkable error: When the Doctor interrupts the Captain Proton program, he says that he wants to sing "Don Carlo", which of course should be "Don Carlos" (by Giuseppe Verdi).
• Remarkable Vulcan humor: "The view from my quarters has been less than stellar lately." (Tuvok, to Seven)
• Remarkable scenes:
  • When the holographic character Constance Goodheart screams (as women were supposed to in Captain Proton's era), Harry Kim grabs his ear in pain.
  • During his bridge shift, Harry Kim plays a piece he calls "Echoes of the Void" on his clarinet.
• Remarkable facts:
  • This episode marks the first appearance of the black-and-white Captain Proton retro science fiction program (already including Chaotica and "Satan's Robot") that would appear in several more episodes, most notably in "Bride of Chaotica!".
  • While serving as a commander aboard the USS Billings in 2365, Janeway sent an away mission to survey a volcanic moon. The shuttlecraft was damaged by a magma eruption, and three of the crew members were severely injured. The next day, out of remorse, Janeway took a shuttle and completed the mission on her own.
  • B'Elanna and Tom play the board game durotta in this episode, which Tom always opens with a move known as the Novakovich gambit. (I thought Tom said "derada", but the spelling is "durotta" according to Memory Alpha. American accents are sometimes very indiscriminate!)
• Remarkable 47: It takes 47 seconds to the vortex.
• Photon torpedoes used: 13 (at least!)
• Distance bridged: 2500ly

Rating: 7

 

Drone

Synopsis

Stardate not given: B'Elanna, Tom, the Doctor and Seven take a shuttle to investigate the formation of a protonebula. The shuttle gets caught in a gravimetric shear, and the crew has to be beamed out. The transporter operator has trouble to get clear patterns but manages to materialize the four crew members on the platform. Then, however, the Doctor's mobile emitter malfunctions. B'Elanna transfers his program to sickbay and leaves the device in the science lab for further diagnostics. When Ensign Mulchaey enters the room the next morning, Borg injection tubules extend from the device and take genetic samples from him. The mobile emitter was infected with Seven's nanoprobes during the beam-out and now evolves to something like a 29th century Borg with the genetic material obtained from Mulchaey. Captain Janeway allows the new drone to mature and puts Seven in charge of supervising him and teaching him that he is not a part of the Collective but an individual. The drone, who names himself "One", learns very quickly and begins to develop a personality, the only apprehension being that he might want to join the Borg, which would make them even more powerful. Even though his transceiver was deactivated, a second one is created in his body without anyone noticing, which contacts the Collective. One agrees to support Voyager in the fight against the Borg. When a Borg vessel approaches, he remodulates Voyager's shields but his phaser modifications turn out useless. One says he can only disable the Borg from within. He beams over, using his internal transporter, and navigates the Borg ship into the protonebula where it is destroyed. Voyager can salvage the drone from the wreckage. But One believes that he is too great a danger, should the Borg ever get hold of him alive. He declines medical treatment and dies.

Commentary

The idea that the right of free development of the individual applies to everyone, including enemies of the Federation and artificial lifeforms, has a long tradition in Star Trek. The parallels in the story of "Drone" to Seven's own arrival on board one year ago (that is explicitly referenced) and also to the development of Hugh, the other "friendly Borg" in TNG: "I, Borg", are obvious and definitely intentional. "Drone" also reminds me very much of TNG: "The Offspring" and DS9: "The Begotten", where Data and Odo, respectively, raised someone of their own kind with a tragic outcome. Overall, the story relies on proven recipes but not to its disadvantage.

Most notably, "Drone" shows the next step on Seven of Nine's way to become human again when Janeway puts her in charge of One's development as an individual. The decision to choose Seven of all crew members absolutely makes sense, considering that she can speak from experience. Seven knows better than anyone else how to handle a Borg, who may become a valuable crew member just as well as he is a potential threat. On the other hand, there are a few cues in the episode that Seven herself may want to switch sides as the Borg approach. The story plays nice in this regard, as Seven refutes each of these red herrings almost immediately. But that would have been a reason not to insinuate Seven's possibly lacking loyalty in the first place (and only through the fourth wall, as Janeway is never shown to have any doubts). Actually, in hindsight I would have preferred if, rather than that, Seven's ability to tend to One had been called into question, possibly leading up to a conflict with Janeway.

But the impression that this may have been a good time for a character conflict is my only slight complaint about the story. Kudos to Jeri Ryan who once again delivers a strong performance as someone who has emotions but neither knows how to express them nor to deal with them. It is also good to see that Seven of Nine, after a season in which she repeatedly caused trouble because of regressive behavior or because of misjudgments, can prove herself in more than just technical matters.

Overall, "Drone" contains both thrilling and touching moments. It is exciting from the first to the last minute and it does a lot for Seven's character development. It comes with great visual effects that are still convincing today. My only criticism is about some inconsistencies on the technical side of the writing, but I don't think it impairs the story very much.

Annotations

• Continuity:
  • The authors obviously forgot about the designation of the streamlined shuttle that was referred to as "Type 9" in "Resolutions" and is called "Class 2" here.
  • Seven suggests that Tom build a new, larger shuttle than Class 2. This foreshadows the creation of the Delta Flyer in "Extreme Risk".
• Nitpicking:
  • I doubt that anyone can remember the "Class-2" shuttle from their Academy days. It very clearly looks like a new type, maybe even specifically developed for the Intrepid class, with which it shares a couple of features.
  • Why doesn't Janeway make an attempt to run from the Borg vessel? She orders to go to warp as late as the ship is already in weapons range. Of course, this hesitation allows One to take the Borg vessel into the nearby protonebula where it is crushed, but this solution was previously not considered an option.
  • Why is One so vastly advanced compared to the rest of the Borg? The species the Borg have encountered must have been separated by millions of years of development. What could be so special about a 29th century piece of Federation technology, since we can be sure that much more advanced knowledge has already been assimilated?
  • It is very unlikely that anything useful is left of the mobile emitter that was first damaged and then assimilated. At least, there should be nothing left after One's death that would allow allow B'Elanna, with her very limited knowledge of 29th century and of Borg technology, to restore the mobile emitter for the Doctor.
• Remarkable scenes:
  • One steps into the regeneration alcove the wrong way, and Seven has to tell him he must face outward.
  • When One was first activated, he grabbed Seven's arm and only stopped when she said, "You're hurting me.". He thereby proved that he possessed compassion. When One is in sickbay after he has been rescued from the wreckage of the Borg vessel, Seven begs him to allow the treatment, again saying "You're hurting me." But this time it is in vain. The death scene is especially moving because of its subtlety as Seven is trying hard to suppress her emotions.
  • At the beginning of the episode, Seven looks into a mirror and practices smiling, when the Doctor walks in and interrupts her. In the end, she looks into the mirror again, now unable to smile.
• Remarkable dialogue: "Joke. A verbal comment or gesture, designed to provoke laughter." - "I see you've got your mother's sense of humor." (One and the Doctor)
• Remarkable quotes:
  • "0600 hours. Early bird gets the gagh." (Doctor to B'Elanna)
  • "Volatile. English adjective meaning readily vaporizable at low temperature. Easily aroused. Tending to violent eruption." (One, reacting to Seven's description of B'Elanna's temper as "volatile")
• Remarkable facts:
  • The Borg pick up One's proximity signal from "Unimatrix 325 grid 006".
  • The formidable Borg sphere to appear in this episode is a "long-range tactical vessel, with transwarp capability and ablative hull armor".
• Remarkable 47: One has assimilated 47 billion teraquads of information from Voyager's computer.
• Shuttles lost: 1 (Type 9 aka Class 2)

Rating: 8

 

Extreme Risk

Synopsis

Stardate not given: B'Elanna Torres secretly runs holodeck programs such as orbital skydiving with the safety protocols off. She is dispassionate about her duties and relationships but wouldn't talk to anyone about it. Meanwhile, the Malon try to get hold of Voyager's multispatial sensor probe but Janeway manages to hide it in the atmosphere of a gas giant. The Malon freighter that attempts to follow the probe implodes, killing nine crew members. Tom Paris proposes to build a new shuttlecraft, the Delta Flyer, which could sustain the enormous pressure and which could be used to salvage the probe. Another Malon freighter appears on the scene, and it soon turns out that its crew has the same intention. Janeway reckons that the probe's data could be valuable for the Malon to find new dumping grounds for their radioactive waste, and she pushes the crew to get the Delta Flyer operational sooner. Only B'Elanna is not with the project with all her heart. Chakotay finds her unconscious in the holodeck after she disengaged the safety protocols yet again, allegedly to better investigate the effects of microfractures in the Delta Flyer. After the Doctor finds various old injuries that are unaccounted for, Janeway relieves B'Elanna of duty. But Chakotay wants to find out why she would want to hurt herself. He takes her to the holodeck and launches one of her programs, in which her fellow Maquis members are slaughtered by the Cardassians. It turns out that she didn't allow herself to mourn the loss of her friends and that she ran all the dangerous programs to be able to feel anything again. When Janeway orders to launch the Delta Flyer prematurely, to catch up with the Malon and despite the danger of microfractures, B'Elanna convinces Chakotay to let her join the mission. The Delta Flyer manages to disable the Malon shuttle, but after retrieving the probe a fracture forms in the hull. B'Elanna erects a makeshift forcefield that saves the crew.

Commentary

Although it is just one of several aspects of the story, "Extreme Risk" is remembered most of all for being the premiere of the Delta Flyer, Voyager's supershuttle and arguably one of the coolest innovations in the course of the show. But if its intention was to provide a back story for the Delta Flyer, the episode fails on many accounts. The most obvious mistake is that Tom proposes to build a versatile shuttle with all kinds of features, with specs he already has in his drawer, when all Janeway would need right now is something that could withstand the extreme pressure of a gas giant. That is the point the story loses me, and when I just think by myself that nothing in it happens for any obvious reason.

It would have been great to see the Delta Flyer designed and built with a plausible incentive, with realistic specs, taking the due time, and by people who care for (and perhaps clash about) the project and not something else. But everything in "Extreme Risk" revolves around B'Elanna's secret personal problems and on the uninteresting salvage operation, which are linked together in an awkward fashion. The setup is a bit like in last season's "Vis-à-Vis", where the story was supposed to focus on Tom and his temporary defiant phase and didn't succeed for similar reasons. Ironically, this time it would have been wiser to involve Tom more as usual, rather than B'Elanna. After all the Delta Flyer is his brainchild and not B'Elanna's.

Regarding B'Elanna, it is an interesting idea that, rather than openly mourn and deplore the loss of her friends after learning of the fate of the Maquis, she would bottle it up in a fashion that no one would expect from her. It makes some sense that, as she says herself, she couldn't bear the sorrow about the loss of the Maquis, after already losing her father and her Starfleet commission, so much that she wouldn't feel anything at all. But it is just not credible that after several months neither Chakotay nor Tom would have talked with her about the Maquis and would not have noticed that she is not herself - not to mention the unprofessional treatment of her wounds and bruises! It doesn't seem their relationship is all that close.

I like two aspects of B'Elanna's story though. The scene when she pays Neelix's kitchen a nightly visit resonates with me. B'Elanna seeks someone to talk to, and although she has never been close to Neelix, he shares her fate of losing a family he loved. The two understand each other, perhaps for the first time, but never speak out what they have in common. Moreover, B'Elanna doesn't run into Neelix again, against my expectations, when she orders banana pancakes again at the end of the episode. I have to concede that some things better remain unsaid, and left to our imagination and perhaps interpretation. The other thing I like about B'Elanna is how she respects Chakotay in this episode, the man who still knows best of all how to handle her, although this sheds a bad light on her relationship with Tom and her loyalty to Janeway.

The story about the multispatial probe is just implausible. This plot device was never mentioned before and will never appear again, but it is apparently so immensely valuable that it requires to put one's own crew at extreme risk and even to go to war for it. The conflict with the Malon over the probe is overdone for no good reason, except providing both sides with the motivation to launch a "space race".

Overall, this episode has an adolescent tone and themes, among which B'Elanna's tendency to hurt herself is still on the serious side, but everything related to the "space race" and Tom's "improvements" to the Delta Flyer feels rather silly.

Annotations

• Nitpicking:
  • Would the holodeck have permitted B'Elanna to be killed by the orbital jump, by the Cardassian soldier or by the poisonous atmosphere of the gas giant? Irrespective of the technical question whether the holodeck just simulates something that has much the same effect or whether it creates the real thing, would it be allowed to actively kill a person when requested, in defiance of Asimov's first law?
  • The probe is called "multispatial", a piece of technobabble that was never mentioned before and will never play a role again, but is of paramount importance just this one time.
  • It is almost needless to annotate that the construction of the Delta Flyer by a small starship crew with limited resources in a few days is almost as incredible as the Warp-10 shuttle in "Threshold". Also, if it were that easy, they would have had four years to build a larger shuttle.
  • The perfectly flat forcefield that B'Elanna creates with a phaser and an EPS relay to seal the hull breach in the Delta Flyer is totally implausible. Moreover, the "McGyver" method to take random components and build something new with them isn't credible at all and gives a totally wrong picture of what science and engineering is really about.
• Remarkable quote: "I'm not trying to kill myself. I'm trying to see if I'm still alive" (B'Elanna)
• Remarkable scene: Tom suggests to add "dynametric tail fins" to the Delta Flyer, but Tuvok is obviously not so fond of the idea of a "hot rod".
• Remarkable costume: After Kirk's skydiving scene was cut from "Star Trek: Generations", the skydiving suit is reused here.
• Remarkable VFX scene: When B'Elanna ends the skydiving program, we see that the forcefields slowly move her in a vertical position, which looks very credible. However, I would have expected to see her drop to the floor, since the safety protocols were off. ;-)
• Remarkable 47: B'Elanna ran the program Zeta-1 (in which the fellow Maquis members were killed) for 47 seconds.

Rating: 3

 

In the Flesh

Synopsis

Stardate 52136.4: Chakotay and Tuvok investigate a space station with a perfect replica of Starfleet Headquarters, complete with a man who looks like groundkeeper Boothby, as well as many humans, Vulcans, Bolians, Ferengi and other Alpha Quadrant species. The two officers disable one of the "human" Starfleet officers and take him to Voyager. He commits suicide upon his exposure as an impostor. The Doctor manages to revert the dead alien to his actual form: Species 8472! After their heavy losses in the war against the Borg and Voyager one year ago, it seems that Species 8472 is planning a full-scale invasion of the Alpha Quadrant. In order to learn more about their intentions, Chakotay returns to the station where he has a date with a fake member of his species, Valerie Archer. Their good-night kiss, however, provides Species 8472 with the evidence that Chakotay is not one of them. They arrest Chakotay and take him to Boothby, their leader, for interrogation. In the meantime on Voyager, Janeway has Seven prepare nanoprobe-enhanced weapons to attack the station, but she remains open for negotiations. When Voyager approaches the station, she is greeted by Boothby. Both affirm that they could destroy the other side but Janeway proposes to negotiate a truce. To Species 8472's surprise, Janeway reveals that Voyager is Starfleet's only ship in the Delta Quadrant, and she deactivates her ship's weapons to prove her good will. Although Boothby is not certain he can convince his superiors of the peaceful intentions of the Federation, the war is averted for now.

Commentary

Aliens disguised as humans or humans disguised as aliens have a long tradition in science fiction in general and in Star Trek in particular. It is the spice of many spy stories that it is not possible to tell apart friend and foe by the look and behavior of a person. "In the Flesh" is definitely successful in this regard, and proves that the old trope is not yet exhausted.

Yet, I doubt that this is the way that Species 8472 of all aliens would proceed. In "Scorpion" they were introduced as lifeforms who have virtually nothing in common with humanoids, and this let them appear quite impressive and menacing. Not even communication with them was possible, except through Kes on a telepathic level. Their way of living and their technology was beyond our comprehension. This all doesn't seem to matter any longer. Species 8472 now pursues their goals with methods that would rather suit the Soviets (that were readily mentioned in the episode as building American-looking training cities) or the Romulans and are also reminiscent of the Founders (as in DS9: "Homefront"). The space station looks rather conventional as well and not biological, it could be just as well a Cardassian design.

We may argue that the extreme difference between everything Species 8472 and everything Federation could be their motivation to first investigate and then destroy the enemy, but wouldn't Species 8472 simply send a fleet of bioships? Wouldn't they rather do strategic simulations instead of irrelevant studies of humanoid behavior? In this regard they have previously been shown as even more ruthless than the Borg, who are at least interested in the "biological and technological distinctiveness" of a species. Summarizing, it is a pity that Species 8472 has to be entered into the list of "next-door races", as have been the Borg and perhaps even Q before.

There is one aspect of the disguise that I like: Species 8472 takes on humanoid shapes, and they begin to behave, to speak and to think like humanoids. They are so human that they wouldn't recognize a true human. This is a bit like in TOS: "By Any Other Name" where the Kelvans became the more sympathetic towards humans the longer they were in their human bodies. This is remarkable in so far as it disproves the idea that the soul rules over the mind that rules over the body and the soul/mind can be transferred into any body without consequences to a personality like it happened in TOS: "Return to Tomorrow". I prefer the first theory over the latter. And we can only muse about how Species 8472 in their actual form would have reacted on Janeway's proposal of a truce. I think there would have been no chance.

While "In the Flesh" is a bit let down by the revelation that Species 8472 are just conventional aliens, it is still a decent spy story with a Trek-like peaceful resolution, and is visually appealing as well.

Annotations

• Remarkable dialogue: "Sit down, Admiral." - "Sir?" - "I said sit down, or I'll knock you right on your human butt." ("Groundkeeper Boothby" issues orders to the "Admiral")
• Remarkable quote: "Targ manure! United Federation of Planets, tolerance for all species, the Prime Directive. Targ manure, every word of it." ("Groundkeeper Boothby")
• Nitpicking:
  • Isn't it a bad idea that Chakotay examines the fake Starfleet scenario wearing his provisional rank sign that would only raise suspicion and could blow his cover?
  • The viewfinder of Chakotay's holographic camera has a very pronounced vignetting. It seems some imperfections of photography won't vanish even with the most advanced technology. ;-)
  • Neither the transporter nor the Doctor's DNA examination reveals that the species they deal with is Species 8472. Of course, it is for the dramatic impact that only triggering the reversion of the alien's body reveals the truth. But it remains implausible that such a total alteration of a living being could still leave anything of the original personality intact (a question that would reappear with even more implausible implications with Voq/Tyler in Discovery's season 1).
• Remarkable facts:
  • The Vulcan neck pinch works on Species 8472, at least in its human form.
  • Chakotay's Starfleet serial number is 47-alpha-612.
  • Chakotay's last time at Starfleet Headquarters was on March 3, 2368, the day he resigned.

Rating: 6

 

Once upon a Time

Synopsis

Stardate not given: Tuvok, Tom Paris and Samantha Wildman are on a mission with the Delta Flyer when an ion storm hits the shuttle. Tom finds a planetoid to land on, but the Delta Flyer ends up buried in solid rock. Neelix, who takes care of Naomi Wildman, distracts her with all kinds of entertainment, including the Flotter holoprogram. Even though there is not much hope of finding her mother alive, Neelix holds back the truth from Naomi. But Naomi discovers what is going on on the ship and seeks refuge in her holoprogram. Just as another ion storm is approaching, the Delta Flyer and its crew can be salvaged in the nick of time, and Naomi is reunited with her mother.

Commentary

It is remarkable that the literally minor character Naomi gets a major part in this story. "Once Upon a Time", in my view, is all about family and about how it is to lose one's family, rather than about the shuttle crash and the rescue efforts. I think this episode would have worked better, had everything been shown from Naomi's perspective, and if the truth about the Delta Flyer and her mother had remained still more of a mystery, a bit like already in TNG: "Lower Decks". The way it was actually written and executed, it is rather undecided about its theme and spends too much time on the routine plot in my opinion.

I understand that one reason not to focus even more on Naomi is the intention to work up Neelix's personal history. His family was killed in the metreon cascade many years ago, and the possible death of Naomi's mum reminds him of his own loss. But this analogy is a bit fabricated. Neelix was already an adult when his family died, and he witnessed their deaths, so in his case there was neither doubt nor denial - except the one he imposed on himself. And, as Janeway adds, Naomi still has her godfather Neelix. Overall, linking a present situation on the ship to Neelix's past doesn't work as well as probably intended. "Jetrel" and "Mortal Coil" were far more impressive in this regard.

In some ways, Naomi is a more adult person than Neelix in this story. Not only does she understand concepts such as symbiosis. It also strikes me how she shows sympathy with Neelix, in spite of him being dishonest, which is not exactly a childlike reaction. She asks, "Do you ever pretend that nothing bad happened to your family?" This is an observation for which she would normally have to be a couple of years older. On this and several other occasions, Naomi steals the show from Neelix.

Overall, this story is pleasantly consistent, but aside from the routine rescue operation and the little conflict between Captain Janeway, Neelix and Naomi, nothing of note happens, and everything that does happen is predictable. Well, the series may need such an "easy" installment once in a while. Still, despite the simplicity some things don't fit together as well as they could. For instance, it has no further relevance for the story that Samantha Wildman is severely injured and would need immediate medical attention because no one on Voyager even knows about it. Also, besides the references to Neelix's past, some other analogies in the episode don't make much sense either, such as the "Ogre of Fire" on the holodeck as a symbol for the ion storm. Furthermore, I was waiting in vain for the concept of symbiosis (which is mentioned twice, by Naomi on the holodeck and later by the Doctor) to have a further significance.

Regarding the Flotter holoprogram, some fans may dislike the idea of a "Sesame Street in space", but it should be considered that the crew and their children must have an everyday life. Star Trek even faces frequent reproaches of showing this normalcy too seldom. The Flotter program is one of the things that makes this episode very relatable. I only doubt that the scary "Ogre of Fire" episode would be suitable for children. It looks like it should have the 24th century equivalent of a TV-PG rating.

Annotations

• Continuity: Everyone seems to know holodecks from their childhood, although the technology was praised as brand new in TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", just a couple of years earlier. Maybe it's just a continuous improvement of the technology, which has existed for a long time but didn't become a stunningly realistic simulation until the 2360s.
• Nitpicking:
  • The Delta Flyer may have been designed for tough environmental conditions. But even if the shields were intact (which very likely isn't the case after the ion storm hits and everything else fails), it is totally incredible that the shuttle could traverse three kilometers of solid rock and survive.
  • How can a barren rock be Class M and have a breathable atmosphere? An atmosphere that just exists where the away team beams down and not where the Delta Flyer crashed?
• Remarkable dialogue: "Don't move, the Borg lady." - "She has a name, you know." - "Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero-One. Don't look! She'll assimilate you." - "Naomi, Seven is a nice person. And she's a valuable member of this crew." - "I don't want to be in her Collective." - "I don't think there's much danger of that." (Naomi and Neelix)
• Remarkable quotes:
  • "The Doctor talks too much." (Naomi)
  • "No, thanks. I've had enough. One more cup and I'll jump to warp." (Janeway)
• Flotter episodes shown or mentioned:
  • "Flotter and the Tree Monster"
  • "Trevis and the Terribly Twisted Trunk"
  • "Flotter, Trevis, and the Ogre of Fire"
  • "The one where Flotter suspects Trevis to be a rubber tree. He keeps trying to trip him to see if he'll bounce."
• Remarkable fact: The holographic Flotter remembers Samantha Wildman from her childhood. Unless there is a privacy breach in the Flotter software, this means that it has to be her personal copy of the program she passed on to her daughter.

Rating: 4

 

Timeless

Synopsis

Stardate 52143.6: 15 years in the future, Harry Kim and Chakotay are the only survivors of USS Voyager. They find the ship buried in ice, salvage the Doctor's mobile emitter and Seven of Nine's body and take them to the Delta Flyer where an assistant named Tessa is waiting for them. The two are eager to change history. 15 years ago, a quantum slipstream drive was installed on Voyager. When Tom and Harry found a flaw in the design, Harry and Chakotay took the Delta Flyer to guide the ship through the slipstream by transmitting corrections to the phase variance. But Harry made an error, which caused Voyager to drop off uncontrollably and crash on an ice planet with no survivors. With the help of a stolen Borg temporal transmitter, Harry and the Doctor prepare to send a message back in time to Seven's cranial implant, containing corrected phase data. But the attempt fails. Although Seven receives the corrected data, the disaster happens anyway. Moreover, the USS Challenger under Captain Geordi La Forge is on their heels. The Delta Flyer takes damage, and the warp core is about to breach. Harry has no time to try out still other phase variances, and on the Doctor's advice he sends data that would collapse the slipstream field, thereby preventing the accident but also putting an end to this experimental drive on Voyager.

Commentary

Voyager's episode 100 is special in several ways. The storytelling departs from the usual focus on what happens here and now on Voyager, although this is something we already know from "Living Witness". Also, there is a guest appearance of a Galaxy-class vessel and of LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge. It is always a pleasure to see him. Finally, there are the fantastic visual effects of the crash on the ice planet, which were almost revolutionary for a TV series when they were produced and are totally credible still today. It seems that the producers saved the interesting plot idea and an unusually high budget for this special occasion, and I think it was worth it.

One particular quality of "Timeless" in my view is the dramatic presentation and the way it is directed by LeVar Burton. It is exciting from the very beginning. When we see the ship buried in ice, it is one of the few teasers of the show that really deserve this name. The flashback to the slipstream drive celebration is another very interesting scene. Although everyone except for Tom, the skeptic, is hilarious, a somber atmosphere is created through the camera pans and background music, foreshadowing that something is wrong. I also like how the story switches seamlessly from the events in the present (Delta Flyer being followed by Voyager) to those in the future (Delta Flyer suddenly pursued by Galaxy-class ship).

Chakotay could easily have been involved just as much, but this is Harry Kim's episode. High praise goes to Garrett Wang. He credibly portrays an older Harry, who is disillusioned, guilt-ridden and determined to correct the error he made 15 years ago. He is a different person now, and quite a contrast to the enthusiastic and optimistic young ensign that we see in the scenes set on present-day Voyager. The Doctor and Chakotay are at his side all the time but actually don't have much to say or to do, which is an unusual setup in this series.

I don't begrudge Harry his own episode, but I would have liked to see more of Chakotay and Tessa's relationship though, since once history has been changed they wouldn't ever have met in the first place. This sacrifice ought to have played a greater role in my view but was mentioned only in one brief scene. Maybe "Timeless" could have been an awesome 90-minutes episode for that matter. On the other hand, the fast pace would have been lost.

Although I like the fast pace, I think that in one respect it wasn't beneficial. I don't care that, just as in last week's "Once Upon a Time" there is a race against time, although without the rush there may have been more story opportunities. As the Doctor muses, normally a time traveler would have all the time in the world to try to change the past. What if he and Harry had gotten into an argument whether changing the past is the right thing to do? Or if Chakotay, after talking to Tessa about the impending end of their relationship, had changed his mind? It seems that the urgency to act before Geordi finds and destroys them kills any possible debate about the right course of action.

I like the more "technical" time travel aspects of this story very much, despite the obvious paradox that is even explicitly addressed by Harry, without getting an answer from Janeway.

Annotations

• Nitpicking:
  • After Voyager has dropped off the slipstream field and is out of control, there is a planet at a distance of merely 9 million kilometers. The chance for that is extremely slim in the vastness of interstellar space, especially since a course through slipstream would need to be plotted to avoid planetary systems.
  • Why does Janeway try to land the ship at all after the failed slipstream flight? If it is already hard to stabilize the damaged ship in space, how can she expect to survive the inevitable impact? Wouldn't it have been a much better option to evacuate Voyager?
• Remarkable dialogue: "Wait a second. If I sent a message from the future and changed the past, then that future would no longer exist, right? So, how could I have sent the message in the first place? Am I making any sense?" - "My advice in making sense of temporal paradoxes is simple: don't even try. To me all that matters is that somewhere, somehow, sometime, you come through for us." (Harry and Janeway)
• Remarkable quote: "Mr. Neelix, you are an unending source of astonishment." (Tuvok's reaction to Neelix's furfly)
• Remarkable scene: the cut from Voyager's bridge to an exterior shot of the Delta Flyer, which actually shows the shuttle 15 years later, now pursued by the USS Challenger
• Remarkable VFX: the opening scene with the contours of Voyager buried under the ice, and the crash itself
• Remarkable facts:
  • The slipstream core is built with benamite crystals, a substance that will never be mentioned again.
  • Having a Talaxian furfly on board is considered a sign of good fortune among Talaxians.
• Current crew complement: 150 who died in the crash, plus Kim and Chakotay
• Distance bridged: the equivalent of 10 years
• Missed opportunity to get home: #12, because with a bit more luck, more patience and shorter slipstream jumps it may just have worked

Rating: 8

 

Infinite Regress

Synopsis

Stardate not given: Unbeknown to anyone including herself, Seven wakes up during her regeneration cycle, enters the mess hall and rummages through the kitchen like a Klingon. When she is talking with Naomi Wildman in a corridor the next day, she again mutates to a different personality, this time apparently a little girl who loves to play kadis-kot with Naomi. When Seven eventually attacks B'Elanna in engineering, it is obvious that something is wrong with her. She assumes the identities of individuals she assimilated, in something like a multiple personality disorder. This happens under the influence of a Borg vinculum, a device that normally suppresses the individuality in drones and links them together. Voyager approaches a destroyed Borg cube and Janeway allows the vinculum to be beamed aboard with the intention to shut it down. But the device reactivates itself and Seven's own brain pattern even disappears. It also looks like the vinculum has been infected with a pathogen, which led to the destruction of the ship. Voyager runs into Species 6339, who sent a shuttle to be assimilated and to infect the Borg, as revenge for them destroying nearly their whole civilization. Their plan was that the vinculum should spread the pathogen to even more Borg ships. When Janeway refuses to hand out the device, Species 6339 attacks Voyager. A mind meld with Tuvok helps Seven to regain her focus. The link with the vinculum is severed, and Janeway has it beamed out into space for Species 6339 to pick up. Seven can resume her normal life. But before she returns to duty, she insists on talking with Naomi and learning kadis-kot from her.

Commentary

Sometimes the writers don't have better plot ideas than to let a character experience a mental disorder. Provided that the actor is capable, this is an opportunity for the character to exhibit strange and crazy behavior, which can be spiced up with eerie dream or hallucination sequences. We may even label it as comparably effortless because everything is allowed, even expected to be out of character and out of context before the condition will be cured.

"Infinite Regress" is better than this blunt generalized description. This is very much to the credit of Jeri Ryan, who is no just capable but simply terrific in her various roles, even though the Klingon and especially the Ferengi identity are a bit silly and could have turned out cringeworthy. She effectively carries the whole episode. Everything else that happens is of little interest and doesn't even make much sense. It looks like the whole story was built around the idea that Seven suffers from a disorder. It was then attempted to cobble together a line of reasoning how her condition comes about and why it is hard to cure, and only by risking a conflict with an alien species. There is quite some talking about the vinculum, but we never really learn how exactly it malfunctions, why it can't be simply destroyed or switched off or why it is necessary to keep it aboard although Species 6339 is attacking to retrieve it. The vinculum is a badly written plot device that the writers desperately attempt to keep important.

As much as I dislike the frame story about the vinculum, as wonderful is the cute and funny interaction of Seven and Naomi Wildman. And although I claimed that mental disorder stories usually don't have any consequences, I think Seven learns a further lesson. She no longer sees Naomi as the "sub-unit of Ensign Samantha Wildman" but as girl whose mentor and friend she can be.

Annotations

• Nitpicking:
  • Nearly all the assimilated individuals in Seven are from the Alpha Quadrant, although they should amount to only a few thousand among billions.
  • The Doctor suddenly disagrees with mind melds, while he had no objections in "Flashback".
• Remarkable quotes:
  • "Naomi Wildman, sub-unit of Ensign Samantha Wildman, state your intentions." (Seven)
  • "Captain, you can't actually consider this Vulcan mumbo-jumbo." (Doctor's opinion on mind melds)
• Seven's personalities (shown or mentioned): human girl, Klingon, Vulcan, Ferengi, Bolian, Terellian, Tombaugh crew member, mother of a Melbourne crew member, Krenim
• Seven's visions in sickbay (in order of appearance): human girl, unknown alien, red Starfleet man, Klingon, Bajoran, unknown alien, blue Starfleet woman, pig-like alien, another Bajoran, another Klingon, yellow Starfleet woman, "ribbed-face" alien (Yridian?), unknown alien, the first Bajoran again, "pimple-face" alien (Tosk?), Cardassian
• Visions during mind meld: some of the aforementioned plus a Romulan and another Klingon
• Remarkable 47: There are 47 suborders of the Prime Directive.

Rating: 5

 

Nothing Human

Synopsis

Stardate not given: Voyager is struck by an energy wave that contains an incomprehensible message. The ion trail leads to a damaged alien ship. Janeway decides to beam the injured alien to sickbay and secure it with a forcefield. The lifeform, however, breaks through the forcefield and attaches itself to B'Elanna. The transporter is not capable of separating the two without killing the chief engineer. The Doctor concedes that he lacks the specific knowledge about exobiology and suggests to create a holographic consulting program. He chooses the Cardassian physician Crell Moset, who is known for finding a cure for the Fostossa virus while he was on Bajor. The holographic Moset regrets the cruelties of the occupation of Bajor, and he has not recollection of how exactly he saved thousands of lives under such adverse conditions. No one among the crew is happy with the Cardassian hologram, least of all B'Elanna herself. Moset thinks that the alien is cytoplasmic and has become parasitic in order to survive. He suggests to perform a surgical procedure that would kill the creature, but the Doctor insists on saving the alien too. When the program fails and needs to be restarted, Bajoran Ensign Tabor is present and is shocked to see the hologram because members of his family were killed in Moset's medical experiments. There are no records on these atrocities, but Kim and Seven's research reveals that Moset infected patients with the Fostossa virus on purpose. A debate ensues on whether it is ethical to rely on the medical knowledge gained by criminal experiments. Janeway decides to keep the hologram running until B'Elanna is saved. Another alien ship appears just as the two physicians are about to separate the lifeform from B'Elanna. After beaming over the alien, the other ship disappears. Janeway left the decision what to do with the program to the Doctor, who eventually deletes Moset.

Commentary

Voyager does not shy away from ethical controversies that have real-world relevance and that are given a 24th century spin in the best tradition of Star Trek. Only recently in "Night", the show commented on ruthless waste disposal practices. A discussion on the appropriate way to deal with psychic problems will follow in "Latent Image". I think this quality of Voyager is generally underappreciated. Still, while I applaud the intention to address the crimes of a 24th century Mengele in "Nothing Human", it happens in a too contrived setting.

My first problem is that many of the crew criticize or outright despise the hologram from the outset, only because he is Cardassian. While it is still understandable that B'Elanna, who fought against the Cardassians, would not want to be treated by one, Harry Kim's remark that "they're not the friendliest folks in the galaxy" is just the kind of racist attitude that shouldn't exist in Starfleet. And Harry says that without knowing anything about Moset and long before there is any suspicion that the man may be a criminal! The open racism casts a shadow on the story that will unfold, and it clearly lessens the impact of the revelation that Moset conducted cruel experiments on Bajorans. A good Star Trek episode should try to disperse prejudices and not corroborate them.

At several later points of the story, I wonder whether the crew take offense at using a medical database that was gained from inhumane experiments, or merely at the appearance of the Cardassian Crell Moset. The creation of a Cardassian consultant was objectionable in their eyes in the first place, and the discussion repeatedly digresses to the question how to deal with the Moset hologram, rather than with his research. Ultimately, when the Doctor deletes Moset, he only gets rid of the unpleasant holographic representation but the question of what happens with the physician's work remains unanswered. I am aware that the crew of a starship in the Delta Quadrant with only limited access to records can't make a final judgment, but interviewing Ensign Tabor, who happens to be a witness, would be a start.

Tabor is an extremely contrived and totally plot-driven character anyway. He never showed up in the series so far and now he is coincidentally and conveniently present to identify Moset as a murderer. I could have thought of much more plausible ways for the crew to discover the Cardassian's dark secret. Considering that Seven and Kim investigated Cardassian records to find evidence for his crimes, how about the idea that they could have actually been searching for more details about the procedures that were not part of the medical database and then stumbled upon the incriminatory data? After all, the Crell Moset hologram stated he could not remember how exactly he cured the Fostossa virus. There could have been a decent detective story on top of the ethical debate, but the writers decided to make up a witness out of thin air, only to let him vanish after his testimony.

One aspect I really like about the story is how the uncertainty about the holographic Crell Moset is worked out, although or just because many of the crew mistake him for an authentic replica. We have to keep in mind that the Doctor creates the consultant program from a medical database. The physical representation of Crell Moset and perhaps some aspects of his personality may be accurate. He comes across as a bit self-aggrandizing, which is in line with the depictions of other Cardassians, although I admit it too is a bit racist. Overall, Moset appears as the person he wants to be seen as and that Starfleet sees in him, considering that they have no evidence of his crimes. His passing remark that he doesn't know how he could actually cure the Fostossa virus is telling in this regard. So far, the hologram is like an actor playing the actual physician in a documentary that conceals or denies important facts.

When the Doctor confronts Moset with his crimes that the inaccurate hologram naturally has no recollection of, he could react in different ways. I would have preferred Moset to despair because after all he was programmed to be a person with remorse for Cardassian crimes on Bajor. But the writers decided to let him defend his misdeeds, a bit like Gul Dukat praising himself as the best friend of the Bajoran people. I can understand that this may work better in the context of the story, whose goal it is to deconstruct Moset. But thinking even further about it, the hologram has been running for just a couple of hours. He had not time to to develop a personality of his own, and all he can do is respond the way he was programmed. This leaves the bad taste of a programming that uses stereotypes of Cardassians being dismissive or defensive, rather than admitting errors.

Although I have issues with several aspects of the story, "Nothing Human" is an overall appropriate discussion about medical ethics. I personally agree with Janeway's decision to use the unethical research to help B'Elanna - because nothing would be more unethical than to let someone of her crew die although a cure is available. The case would have been different if the question had been whether to save B'Elanna at the expense of the alien's life. Regarding the objection that it should not be allowed to profit from cruel experiments because that would only be an invitation to perform new ones, I think that is what laws are for, at least in the Federation. And as I already mentioned, rather than an indiscriminate ban on anything related to Moset, it would be more useful to investigate what actually happened, to honor his victims and to ensure it never gets forgotten and can never be denied.

Annotations

• Nitpicking:
  • In "Message in a Bottle", Harry utterly failed in creating an interactive replacement for the Doctor, while the Moset program works perfectly after only a few minutes of programming.
  • Specific supporting characters seem to be created whenever needed, and suddenly there is another Bajoran on board who coincidentally and conveniently for the story turns out to be a witness of Moset's crimes.
  • It seems unlikely that Moset gained the specific knowledge to separate the alien organism from B'Elanna on his criminal experiments on Bajorans. The evidence points to him infecting patients with the Fostossa virus, which doesn't seem to have anything to do with surgical procedures involving alien organisms.
• Remarkable dialogue: "What happened to going to yellow alert after half an hour?" - "Commander Chakotay appears to have disobeyed a direct order." - "Definitely grounds for court-martial." (B'Elanna, Tuvok and Janeway after their "unforgettable experience" of the Doctor's holographic slide show)
• Remarkable quote: "Harry, you and I were lucky enough to enjoy the Doctor's scintillating exhibition for two full hours, would it really be fair to deny our friends the same unforgettable experience?" (Chakotay)

Rating: 4

 

Thirty Days

Synopsis

Stardate 52179.4: Voyager discovers a planet that consists entirely of water, held together by a containment field. Lieutenant Paris is particularly fascinated. Three small ships emerge from the ocean and begin to fire on Voyager but cause only insignificant damage. Captain Janeway explains that she just wants to explore the planet, upon which the inhabitants, the Moneans, agree to a meeting. They found the planet they call "The Waters" 300 years ago, not knowing how it was created, and are worried that it has begun to shrink. Tom Paris, Harry Kim, Seven of Nine and Monean scientist Riga take the Delta Flyer on a mission into the depths of the ocean where no Monean has gone before. They discover that the water is held together by gravity generators 600 kilometers beneath the surface. Also, it turns out that the large-scale oxygen production of the Moneans is the reason for the gradual loss of containment and causes more and more water to dissipate. Paris urges Janeway to stop the Moneans from destroying their own planet, but she rebukes him, citing the Prime Directive. Against his explicit orders, Paris joins forces with Riga and takes the Delta Flyer to sabotage the industrial facilities. Janeway stops him with a photon torpedo. Paris is demoted to ensign and sentenced to 30 days of confinement.

Commentary

It is a pattern that ever since B'Elanna and Tom are a couple there are repeatedly stories about a pastime or passion getting one of them into trouble. "Thirty Days" is in good company with "Vis à Vis", "Extreme Risk", "Juggernaut" or "Alice" in this regard. However, it is also noteworthy that it hardly ever leads to a relationship conflict, with the notable exception of "Alice". B'Elanna could and perhaps should have had a more significant role in the story of "Thirty Days". She doesn't even appear as Tom is in the brig.

Other than that, the attempt to tie in Tom's private life with the main plot is largely successful this time, unlike in "Vis à Vis". We might object that his fascination for the ocean and for Jules Verne may appear as more plausible, had it been hinted at in an earlier episode. Then again, when Voyager arrives in orbit of a planet after roaming the vastness of space, it is usually not a priority to explore marine life. In "Thirty Days", in contrast, the mystery about the planet itself is so fascinating that it warrants an investigation and lets Tom's childhood dreams resurface.

On one hand, "Thirty Days" tells a quite simple story. On the other hand, it is littered with facts. We learn a lot about the Monean homeworld, such as that it is some 100,000 years old and that it was built by extracting all water from a Class-M planet, which took 200 years. But all this information is only circumstantial because it boils down to the planet being endangered by the shortsightedness and stubbornness of its own inhabitants, a bit like already in "Night". This revelation doesn't even come as a surprise because the trailer anticipated that Tom would disobey his orders to save this paradise.

If I'm not mistaken it is the first time in Star Trek that an episode begins with the modern stylistic device of a flashforward. I didn't like it back in the day, and I'm still not fond of it today. Actually, the whole frame story including Tom's time in the brig with "bread and water" and the letter he writes to his dad was included because some ten more minutes of footage were needed.

As opposed to Tom, the rebel with a cause, Janeway leaves an ambiguous impression in my book. Her actions are rigorous as usual and justified as discipline on the ship is concerned. I could accept it if she were consequential. But I wonder if Janeway ever reflected on her own violations of the Prime Directive ("Night" anyone?) or on B'Elanna's (in "Remember")? The outcome of this episode is that in the absence of any admirals, Janeway is the boss of the Delta Quadrant, and she is the only one to break the rules or to decide whether a rule has been broken.

The perhaps most memorable aspect about "Thirty Days" is its beautiful CG imagery. The episode is action-loaded and quite exciting at times. But it feels like more could have been done to develop the story.

Annotations

• Nitpicking:
  • At the very beginning, Janeway says: "Lieutenant Thomas Eugene Paris, I hereby reduce you to the rank of ensign, and I sentence you to 30 days solitary confinement." When the same scene is replayed at the end, a dialogue before Janeway's statement is added, but this time the personal address is omitted: "At least this time I broke the rules for reason, for something I believed in." - "I admire your principles, Tom, but I can't ignore what you've done. I hereby reduce you..."
  • The Delta Flyer crew is said to be "uploading" the database from the submarine structure, which should be "downloading".
• Remarkable characters: The Delaney sisters show up eventually.
• Remarkable 47: The Monean homeworld is rules by 47 local sovereigns.
• Photon torpedoes used: 1

Rating: 6

 

Counterpoint

Synopsis

Stardate not given: Voyager is on the way through Devore territory. The Devore subject the ship to frequent rigorous inspections, whose only goal is to find telepaths. In their society, telepathy is considered subversive and has been banned. Janeway instructs the crew to cooperate with the inspectors, while the telepathic crew members of the ship such as Tuvok and also a number of Brenari refugees are hiding in the transporter buffer. The captain needs to find a way to speed up their journey through Devore territory because frequent transporter suspension leads to cellular degradation. The ship heads for a nebula two days away. Suddenly, the head of the inspection team, Kashyk, appears alone in a shuttle and requests asylum. He knows of the refugees and says that the nebula is a trap set up by his people. Kashyk also helps the crew to pinpoint a wormhole that the Brenari may use to escape. As the Devore ships are already close, he offers to lead the next inspection personally to ensure the refugees are not detected. When Kashyk reappears with the other inspectors, he blows the whistle on the plan and orders a photon torpedo to be fired to collapse the wormhole. However, Janeway was prepared for the deception. The refugees are on shuttles on the way to the real wormhole. In order not to have the failure to capture the Brenari on their records, the inspectors cover up the incident, and Voyager is free to leave.

Commentary

"Counterpoint" is the art of combining different melodies or, in a figurative sense, of different opinions. This episode is remarkable because of its unusual, almost surrealistic atmosphere created by the classical music of Mahler and Tchaikovsky and by the interplay of Janeway and Kashyk that the music corresponds with. At times Kashyk is triumphant, then again it is Janeway. Is there really an emotional attachment or even a romantic relationship emerging between the two at any time or are both of them just pretending? Mutual mistrust may make a person appear very attractive. But neither of the two confess their true feelings, not even in the end.

It is a pity that the motivation why the Devore keep chasing telepaths with such a passion remains a mystery. Kashyk states that they defy the principle of trust by simply reading other people's minds, but other than that it plays no role in the story. We never see any Devore other than the military, and we can't be certain whether it is a dictatorship that needs to conceal its lies and deceptions from the population (the probable intention) or whether the Devore are actually a society that has been manipulated by telepaths in the past.

Well, the contrast between telepaths and "normal" people has a symbolic significance. Janeway and Kashyk only manage to deceive each other because they can't read each other's mind. Then again, if they both were telepathic, maybe their game would be much the same. Who knows.

Overall, "Counterpoint" is an entertaining and thrilling episode that has aged well.

Annotations

• Continuity:
  • Voyager's crew complement has never been quite consistent. Regarding telepaths on the ship, we may accept that there is suddenly a Betazoid woman (Jurot) that has never appeared before and will never be seen again.
  • The only Vulcans in this episode are Tuvok and Vorik, although in "Flashback" Tuvok mentioned "the other Vulcans on the ship". This will become a nasty inconsistency in "Repression" when there is suddenly a female Vulcan crew member.
  • Why is Lt. Stadi, the Betazoid woman at the helm, not listed among the other deceased telepathic crew members? And what about Kes?
  • What happened to the large shuttlebay where the Delta Flyer was built and is launched from? In this episode the shuttlebay is merely big enough to hold the small Devore shuttle, unless this is the infamous second shuttlebay.
• Remarkable dialogues:
  • "You created false readings!" - "That is the theme for this evening, isn't it?" (Kashyk and Janeway)
  • "Prax, do you have the telepaths?" - "I have cargo containers... filled with vegetables!" (Kashyk and Prax)
• Remarkable quotes:
  • "Federations, Imperiums. Why do you people feel such a need to align yourselves with monolithic organizations?" (Torat)
  • "Interspatial flexure? Why didn't you say so in the first place? He said wormhole, a layman's term that that covers any number of phenomena. I am familiar with a certain anomaly that could be categorized as an interspatial flexure." (Torat)
• Remarkable alien: Professor Torat with his pump-up nose. We kept laughing for a minute when we first watched it, and still today!
• Photon torpedoes used: 1
• Shuttles lost: 2, given to the refugees

Rating: 8

 

Latent Image

Synopsis

Stardate not given: When taking photos with his holocamera, the Doctor notices that he has performed a surgery on Harry Kim he can't remember. Moreover, he discovers that someone has been tampering with his memories. It turns out that one and a half years ago he made a decision that entailed the death of Ensign Jetal, his program got out of control and to prevent him from self-destruction the connected events were erased from his memory. This is about to happen again, but this time Janeway decides to help him cope with it.

Commentary

There is a lot of tough stuff in this episode. Who is to decide which patient is to be treated with priority? Who is to decide whether to intervene when a person, real or hzolographic, shows self-destructive tendencies? In some way, both problems are related to each other, however, the Doctor had to find a quick solution. There is no such thing as blaming him for doing something wrong. Janeway and her crew, on the other hand, would have had far more time to try out a cure for the Doctor in the first place, and it is not clear in how far it was simple convenience to erase everything bad inside him. Surprisingly, it is Seven, the crew member from who we can generally least expect compassion, who defends the personal rights of the Doctor. Maybe this is partially because she didn't witness his madness 18 months ago, but she definitely shows a Borg-unlike sense for individual rights.

I liked and disliked at the same time that the eventual treatment was much the same as that of a human patient in psychiatry. It shows that the Doctor has evolved beyond the state of being a technical device. On the other hand, there should still be considerable differences, and I wonder why sitting on a couch was supposed to help. I don't know anyway why the Americans are so fond of their psychiatrists, a profession that is fairly unknown in Europe.

The episode exhibits a clear parallel to TNG: "Clues", where it was also tried to hide all evidence from both the computer and the biological memories. I wonder if Data has any problems to keep his secret. At some point, even if we suppose that all computer data has been deleted, someone should have been careless and could have mentioned Ensign Ahni Jetal in the Doctor's presence. It's a pity that she is dead. I have been missing such a cute and charming female crew member, the ideal date for Harry. :-)

Annotations

• Remarkable quotes:
  • "I am having trouble with the nature of individuality." (Seven to Janeway and Janeway to Seven)
  • "In that book which is my memory, on the first page of the chapter, that is the day when I first met you, appear the words, 'here begins a new life'." (Doctor, reading from La Vita Nuova)
• Crew losses: 1 (18 months ago)

Rating: 6

 

Bride of Chaotica!

Synopsis

Stardate not given: While Tom's "Capt. Proton" program is running, photonic beings from subspace enter the holodeck, mistaking the simulation for the real world. The crew have to convince the aliens of their peaceful nature and support them in their struggle against the evil Dr. Chaotica, who fights them with holoweapons, deadly to photonic beings. Janeway aka Queen Arachnia and Tom aka Proton finally manage to defeat Chaotica and save the aliens.

Commentary

The parallel to "Heroes and Demons" is obvious. Still, I like this episode better, although it is just a remake in some fashion. This time the holonovel itself plays a greater role in the plot, and the photonic beings are conceded a greater role in the holodeck. The story is much more complex than the simple idea "Send the Holodoc to fix the holodeck". It may be unfair to prefer the re-issue over the original, but "Heroes and Demons" of the first season is rather an initial character-building episode for the Doctor, while "Bride of Chaotica!" makes much better use of the given 45 minutes, filling it with lots of character interaction, trivia, fun and unexpected twists. The only thing I really dislike is that there is not the slightest reference to the former episode, as if the whole situation and the existence of photonic beings were completely new. Once they maintain consistency, and they don't even proudly mention it! 

"Bride of Chaotica!" is a fun episode in the first place, and in some way it is a parody of Star Trek itself. The scene when Proton's rocket ship crashes could take place on a "real" Federation ship as well, and when Tom is repairing the fictitious technology of Satan's Robot it seems to allude to Star Trek fans caring about Treknology.

Annotations

• Inconsistency: There is one fundamental logical problem with the photonic beings. They recognize the environment on the holodeck as a "planet". This would imply that they do know real planets as objects in our three-dimensional world. On the other hand, they must have noticed that "Planet X" is photonic and therefore not real, unless there exists something like planets in their photonic environment in subspace, which is highly unlikely.
• Remarkable quotes:
  • "All life is photonic." (the photonic being)
  • "Intruders from the fifth dimension!" (Satan's Robot)
  • "And, um, use grandiose language. He likes to be called 'Sire', and it helps to say things like 'The clever fiendishness of your evil plan is brilliant!'" (Tom to Janeway who is about to play Queen Arachnia)
• Remarkable dialogues:
  • "We didn't burst into flames in the last chapter! Why are these recaps always so inaccurate?" - "Well, they brought people back to the theaters." - "Cliffhangers." - "The lost art of hyperbole." (Harry and Tom, alluding to a common continuity problem)
  • "Planet X looks kinda familiar. What was the last place we went to?" - "The Mines of Mercury." - "They're identical." - "Sets were expensive. At least there's no erupting volcano this time." (Harry and Tom and still another allusion to Star Trek)
• Remarkable "technobabble": (Tom is repairing Satan's Robot) "Looks like he burnt out a resistor." - "A what?" - "That's a few centuries before duotronic circuitry." - "I see. How do you propose we repair him?" - "Ha, first of all, we got to move this damaged tube. No problems. Just a few crossed wires." - "Your knowledge of this technology is impressive." (Tom and Tuvok)
• Remarkable scene: (topic: Queen Arachnia) Tom: "Somebody is going to have to take on her character." - Janeway: "Who'd you have in mind?" *looks away and then realizes that Tom is looking at her* "Oh, no!" - Paris: "It's the role of your lifetime!" - Tuvok: "Captain, need I remind you that we have exhausted all other possibilities of escaping this layer of subspace." - Chakotay: "'til we can eliminate those distortions, we're trapped." - Seven: "Think of it as Starfleet's first encounter with Planet X."
• Remarkable mistake: Tom's hands are shown holding a telegraph print-out which is upside-up. However, since it is running through his hands from the left to the right, it would have to be upside-down.
• Current crew complement: 150, as stated by Neelix

Rating: 8

 

Gravity

Synopsis

Stardate not given: A shuttle with Tuvok, Paris and the Doctor gets sucked into a gravity well and crashes on a desert planet. The alien woman Noss helps them find shelter. During the following two months Noss falls in love with Tuvok. But the Vulcan is unable to return her feelings. Due to a temporal difference only few hours elapse on Voyager, and they manage to save the four people just before an alien starship closes the opening of the gravity well forever.

Commentary

Needless to say that I'm tired of shuttle crashes as plot devices. Once again some of our heroes are isolated in a hostile environment, besieged by equally hostile aliens, and a fast salvage is not possible. Fortunately the refreshing character of Noss saves the episode from complete boredom. It is quite obvious that Tuvok wouldn't feel the same. After all he is Vulcan and he is married, and maybe he didn't like her squeaking voice so much. ;-) At least I didn't. It is interesting to learn that once Tuvok was anything but a typical Vulcan. He only submitted to logic because his father wanted him to. Maybe this is why he is especially precautious. He once had unsuppressed emotions, and he might fear they could resurface again. I also like one scene with Tuvok and Tom, when Tom wants to convince Tuvok to yield to their present situation, just like Chakotay tried in "Resolutions". In only wonder if not rather Tom would be the one who would never give up, as illogical as it may seem.

Annotations

• Remarkable quotes: "If I were to deny feelings, why was I born with them? Where's the logic in that?" (young Tuvok), "I'm a doctor, not a battery." (Doctor), "Logic. I hate logic!" (Noss)
• Remarkable dialogue: (Tuvok tells Noss that he is the chief of security) "What else?" - "Can you be more specific?" - "Your duties? Where do you sleep? What you eat? Music? Friends?" - "Why is any of that relevant?" - "Because it is you."
• Remarkable 47's: Janeway states the time differential is 0.4744 seconds per minute. Tuvok calculates that the scheduled 30 minutes would last 2d 11h 47s. This is actually a mistake, unless he uses the length of a day on the planet with a precision of at least one second. Based on the Captain's figure he should have arrived at 2d 15h 14min 16s. The writer obviously tried to involve as many 47's as possible.
• Remarkable facts:
  • The planet is Class D.
  • Young Tuvok fell in love with the daughter of either a Tarellian, Terellian or Tyrellian diplomat. Since it all sounds pretty much the same, I can't tell which race it is, but I assume it is the Tyrellians.
• Current crew complement: 152, as mentioned by Tuvok
• Shuttles lost: 1

Rating: 3

 

Bliss

Synopsis

Stardate 52542.3: The crew is excited about the discovery of a wormhole directly leading to Earth. Only Seven is suspicious, and she finds out that something makes everyone see exactly what they want to see. Inside the alleged wormhole that is actually an enormous creature digesting ships, the crew except for Seven, Naomi and the Doctor fall asleep. With the help of the "monster hunter" Qatai they finally manage to escape.

Commentary

We know the very basic story from TNG: "The Game". The whole crew is under alien influence, and only very few of them are not affected. Even the roles are somehow the same. Seven is "Wesley Crusher" and arranges forcefields and emergency beam-outs whenever necessary, Naomi is "Robin Lefler" and relies on Seven's skills, the Doctor is "Data" and is deactivated, since he could find out the truth. It is not necessarily a deficiency that the underlying plot idea is largely the same and its execution is similar, because it is just too good to be used only once. The one aspect that makes "Bliss" special is that it is not just a device that suppresses independent thinking like in "The Game", but that the innermost desires of the crew are being exploited by the "monster" and turned against them. So the crew apparently act on their own, driven only by the force of imagination. In this respect I remember DS9: "If Wishes Were Horses" where an alien lifeform made the crew's dreams, albeit rather the silly and superficial ones, come true likewise.

The only thing I really disliked about "Bliss" was to see yet another space-dwelling creature. Qatai as the "local monster expert" was credible, always somewhere between completely mad and completely sensible. I also liked the unsettling atmosphere that was successfully created for the dream sequences of the crew, although the dreams themselves were very pleasant - and very amusing for the viewer. Fortunately this time it was not only Harry who was overly enthusiastic.

Annotations

• Nitpicking: Voyager was only several million kilometers away, but suddenly their distance to Qatai's ship inside the anomaly/entity is 3.4ly.
• Remarkable quotes:
  • "Can we first contact with somebody or get a space battle?" (Naomi)
  • "The odds of finding such an anomaly are infinitesimal." (Seven)
  • "I'm a doctor, not a dragonslayer." (Doctor)
• Remarkable dialogues:
  • "My mom says two hands are better than one. Isn't that the Borg philosophy too?" - "Simplistic, but accurate." (Naomi and Seven)
  • "Please state the nature of the medical emergency." - "Your ship is being devoured. I'd say that's an emergency." (the Doctor and Qatai)

Rating: 5

 

Dark Frontier

Synopsis

Stardate 52619.2: Despite her doubts about Seven's feelings about the Borg, Janeway takes her on a daring away mission to a damaged Borg vessel. They succeed is stealing a transwarp coil, but Seven decides to stay with the Collective. Back in the Unicomplex, the Borg Queen expects Seven to help her assimilate mankind. The Delta Flyer being equipped with the transwarp coil, Janeway, Tuvok, Paris and the Doctor head for the Unicomplex and manage to free Seven. The pursuing Queen's ship is destroyed when the transwarp channel collapses.

Commentary

Unlike the conventional two-part episodes, "Dark Frontier" was aired as a 90-minutes TV movie. The format might be one reason why the basic plot is rather straightforward, and much of the time is dedicated to character development, trivia and special effects. What could I want more? The focus is on Seven and her three "moms": her real mother, the Borg Queen and Janeway. The first one doesn't play such a great role, but it would have been just too obvious to involve her more. The other two moms are not only struggling for Seven's loyalty, they really care about her well-being or at least pretend to, as far as the Borg Queen is concerned. We have seen a similar story when the Queen tried to bribe Data in "Star Trek: First Contact". Anyway, Seven as the missing link between the Borg and humanity appears to be even more valuable. Still, it doesn't become obvious why exactly her support is supposed to be so crucial and why the Borg don't just abduct any other human. On the other hand, I wouldn't have expected the Queen to tell her everything.

I wonder when exactly Seven decides to rejoin the Borg. They obviously sent her subconscious messages all the time, threatening to destroy or assimilate Voyager, however, there is a definite moment when she seems to be aware of her dilemma. When she talks about her parents ("Because of their arrogance I was raised by Borg.") and tumbles out of sickbay, this may be rather a sign that she doesn't want to doom her new family, rather than a post-traumatic effect of her own assimilation.

As for the Hansens, I think they were incredibly naive and incautious. It was remarkable that they studied the Borg like wild animals and that the Borg came out as much too weak and harmless at that time. It seems a fundamental rule anyway that exciting episodes always have a great deal of continuity and plausibility problems, and this is the case here too. There are some oddities about Seven's age, the stardates during the Raven mission and the fact that the Raven is suddenly a Starfleet ship. However, one thing that bothered me more is the usual "drive-of-the-week" inconsistency. It is a stretch that a small part from a Borg cube, namely a transwarp coil, could make the big ship much more powerful and much faster. Moreover, considering that warp coils are huge components inside the warp nacelles, I expect nothing less of a transwarp coil. I also wonder why the idea to get hold of such a coil comes so late. They would have had much better opportunities twice, in "Unity" and in "Scorpion". Also, at the end of "Dark Frontier", it may have been possible to salvage a few more warp coils from the debris of the Queen's ship. Giving them exactly one coil seems too much like a trick to get the ship closer but not too close to home.

Finally, my biggest concern is the fact that the Hansens knew about the Borg long before the Enterprise was introduced to them by Q in "Q Who?". The Hansens didn't even accidentally run into a cube, they went searching for them and they had informed the Federation Council. If the Borg were more than just legends from the past, namely from Lily ("Star Trek: First Contact") or the El-Aurians ("Star Trek: Generations"), why didn't Picard know anything? Another related inconsistency: How can there be already a Ktarian drone when the Hansens examine the Borg ship in the 2350's?

Annotations

• Remarkable quotes:
  • "I don't know about you, but I feel lucky today." (Janeway gets cynical after the destruction of the Borg ship, part I)
  • "Now this is how I prefer the Borg - in pieces." (part II), "Seven of Nine, be efficient." (Borg Queen)
  • "There are three things to remember about being a starship captain: keep your shirt tucked in, go down with the ship...and never abandon a member of your crew." (Janeway to Naomi)
  • "Don't listen to her, Seven. She's irrelevant." (Janeway about the Borg Queen)
• Remarkable dialogues:
  • "Don't touch it, Captain." - "What is it?" - "I don't know, but a few minutes ago it was crawling around the floor." (Harry and Janeway)
  • "You see, if we change our long range sensors to Seven's cortical implant frequency, maybe we can find her." - "The Delta Quadrant is a very big place and Seven could be thousands of light years from here." - "What if we boosted our sensor range with power from the main deflector?" - "You've been spending too much time in engineering. I'm afraid it's not that simple." (Naomi and Janeway)
• Remarkable understatement: "We'll be searching for one individual among thousands of drones." (Wasn't that supposed to be trillions?)
• Remarkable scene: Seven witnessing the assimilation of Species 10026, one of the most dramatic and cruel scenes ever shown in Star Trek
• Remarkable facts:
  • A Borg cube has a volume of 28 cubic kilometers and 129,000 drones.
  • The Borg Queen once belonged to species 125.
  • The Unicomplex is populated by trillions of drones (could be a bit exaggerated, though).
  • Species 10026 "welcomes" the Borg with 39 vessels, a familiar number.
• Remarkable species: "Species 5618, human. Warp-capable, origin grid 325, physiology inefficient, below average cranium capacity, minimum redundant systems, limited regenerative abilities."
• Remarkable ship: The Raven is shown as an intact ship, after it was already featured as a wreck in "The Raven". However, continuity is impaired, as the prefix is suddenly "USS" in the dialogues, Hansen's logs as well as on the MSD, although on the hull it is "SS Raven" and the dedication plaque simply reads "The Raven". A reasonable explanation is that the ship was quickly assigned a Starfleet prefix when the mission was officially approved of by the Federation Council.
• Remarkable scenery: the Unicomplex, simply impressive to see the tiny cubes in between the huge structures
• Distance bridged: 20,000ly, equaling 15 years
• Current crew complement: 143, according to the Borg
• Shuttles lost: 1
• Torpedoes used: 7

Rating: 9

 

The Disease

Synopsis

Stardate not given: While Voyager supports a 400-year-old generational ship with repairs, Harry gets involved with the resident alien woman Tal, against explicit orders. He is infected with some kind of disease which could also be described as a biochemical bond between Tal and him. Tal belongs to a group who sabotage the generational ship to break apart in order to go separate ways. Although there would be a cure, Harry decides to live with his love-sickness.

Commentary

"...and now a girl from a xenophobic species." Tom somehow takes pleasure in reminding Harry that he has had anything but luck with women during the past five years. It is no surprise that Harry gets into trouble once again. Fortunately it is not one of the usual plots where the alien femme fatale deceives the righteous Starfleet officer. Tal doesn't tell the whole truth, but their mutual feelings are real, and that is the most important thing. The secondary plot of the dissenter group trying to break the ship apart (at least this plot appears to be subordinate) neither improves nor ruins the love story, it is just unnecessary complexity.

It is remarkable that it has never been mentioned, let alone discussed in Star Trek before that sexual relationships with aliens have to be approved of in advance. Starfleet officers frequently get involved with alien species, but it seems that usually it doesn't go that far that a protocol or order would be violated. Have Kirk or Riker ever been sentenced for unauthorized relationships? It almost seems like the ban on sex with aliens was especially made up for the lowly ensign Harry Kim.

Anyway, Harry now has threefold problems due to the specific circumstances. Firstly, he should have let the Doctor check the "compatibility" in advance. Secondly, he disobeyed a direct order by Captain Janeway. Thirdly, he disrespected the wish of the aliens to get in contact with the Voyager crew as little as possible. Of all these problems, Harry's conflict with Janeway, his surrogate mother, seems to be the worst by far. Their dispute in Janeway's office is the most controversial we have seen on Voyager for a long time. It is interesting to see how Janeway nevertheless shows insight, even encourages Harry to further go his own way at the end of the episode. It is obvious that Harry and Tal would have to part, no matter if the generational ship separates or not. Still, why has the alternative of staying together on either of the ships never been discussed?

Overall, the well-written dialogues and the good acting of Mulgrew and Wang are the bright spots in this episode. Other than that, it only caters to the "unlucky Harry" cliché by getting him into trouble with the help of contrived twists, only in a more "adult" fashion as before.

Annotations

• Remarkable quotes:
  • "Perhaps not everyone is content to be in your Collective." (Seven to the captain of the generational ship)
  • "You're beautiful when you scan." (Harry to Tal)
• Remarkable dialogue: "Maybe I'm not the perfect officer anymore." - "Maybe not. - But you're a better man." (Harry and Janeway)
• Remarkable scene: the zoom-in from a total view of the impressive generational ship to Tal and Harry
• Remarkable fact: The Borg have referenced something like love in 6000 assimilated species.

Rating: 3

 

Course: Oblivion

Synopsis

Stardate 52586.3: B'Elanna and Tom get married, and an "enhanced warp drive" has been installed on Voyager, capable of taking the ship home in only two years. It soon becomes obvious that this is not the real starship Voyager and crew though, but the bioformed "Silver Blood" duplicates from the Demon planet. However, the warp field begins to damage the molecular structures of both the ship and the crew, and just when the real Voyager picks up their distress call, the "Silver Blood" crew and their ship have completely dissolved.

Commentary

The sequel to "Demon" shows the fate of the bioformed duplicates and doesn't have anything to do with the real crew, except for the last few minutes. This is not necessarily a bad setting. Yet, it doesn't advance the storyline in any way. If at all, such a plot should only be allowed if it is very original. This might apply to "Course: Oblivion", however, I have problems with the episode's plausibility and credibility. I just can't believe that the *bio*mimetic gel can duplicate everything, including non-organic compounds like the ship, and even those materials which cannot be replicated, antimatter for instance. Even if we accept this, how could it remain unrecognized for more than nine months that the crew as well as the ship are not what they appear to be? Routine scans should have revealed that everyone and everything is composed of the "Silver Blood". The most important question, however, is why no one remembers their origin. The excuse that somehow they forgot it is very weak. Maybe this is what the episode title actually refers to ;-). Anyway, the primary meaning of the title, the fact that no one will ever take notice of the existence of the ship and crew copies is the most tragical one, even more than their destruction itself. The episode is definitely among the saddest. I have the impression that the crew duplicates are even more desperate than their originals would have been in this situation. This goes along with their physical decay, which is emphasized with an almost ridiculous yet convincing thick make-up. As opposed to other episodes where I hardly notice the background score (which is usually either of the "suspense" or of the "multi-purpose" type), this time it was very melancholic, suiting the overall depressive mood.

Annotations

• Remarkable dialogue: (Seven catches the bridal bouquet) Doctor: "Congratulations." - Seven: "What?" - Tuvok: "You may not want to know."
• Remarkable facts:
  • The Demon planet is in the Vaskan Sector.
  • The navigational deflector fails (a very seldom failure). Technically correct, this causes interstellar dust to hit the ship.
  • Paris is still a lieutenant, for we can assume he has been demoted only on the real ship (see "Thirty Days").

Rating: 5

 

The Fight

Synopsis

Stardate not given: Voyager gets stuck in "chaotic space", a region where fundamental physical constants fluctuate. Resident aliens contact with Chakotay by activating a genetic disorder, which causes him to hallucinate that he is engaged in a boxing match. After a while he manages to sort out his visions, and he finds a way out of chaotic space.

Commentary

This is the recipe for a really bad episode: take a generic space anomaly, a few mysterious alien lifeforms and a crew member that suffers from hallucinations. Not only have we seen all these basic parts of the plot before, for instance in TNG: "Night Terrors". A more detailed view at "The Fight" doesn't show any interesting or new aspects either. There have been boring episodes before with at least good acting or a few pointed dialogues or trivia to remember, but here there are almost nothing of that. The hallucination sequences are out of place, pointless and just a pain to watch. Yes, I understand they are meant to represent Chakotay's confusion, and hence they do not need to make any sense. But it is simply too much, I expect a certain logic in a TV series that is missing here and not such a psycho trash. On the top of everything, the scene when Chakotay talks to the aliens, who appear as crew members, is an awkward imitation of Sisko's encounters with the Prophets in DS9.

The only remarkable thing is that a distress beacon is shown for the first time. Boothby has a guest appearance, on the other hand, he doesn't play much of a role. It is almost a total waste for him to appear in this episode. As if all of this were not bad enough, the teaser already anticipates virtually everything that would happen in the episode and is more of a spoiler. "The Fight" was definitely my least favorite of the whole series... until only four episodes later.

Annotations

• Remarkable fact: Chakotay says he initially fought against a Tarellian, Terellian or Tyrellian. It is the same problem with lazy alien T-name recycling as already in "Gravity". However, although they are homophones, it can only be a Tyrellian, since the Tarellians do look exactly like humans and are almost extinct and the Terellians have four arms. The latter would have been a harder opponent. ;-)

Rating: 1

 

Think Tank

Synopsis

Stardate not given: Voyager is surrounded by apparently hostile Hazari mercenary ships, when Kurros appears. He is a member of a group of super-brains that Janeway dubs the "Think Tank". Kurros offers their help to escape the Hazari trap, but he demands that Seven of Nine would have to stay with his group. Their whole present situation being a plot by the Think Tank, Voyager finds allies in the Hazari who demand their payment, and with combined forces they can turn the tables on the Think Tank and escape.

Commentary

The situation is just too obvious: Voyager runs into a trap by the Hazari, who are notorious mercenaries, and accidentally somebody appears and offers their help. It does not come out as a big surprise that Kurros actually arranged the trap in the first place, only the reward he has in mind for his "kind help" is unusual. It is clear that Janeway would never agree to the deal "Seven for our safety", neither would she order Seven what to do. Nevertheless, I missed the old "Action Kate" spirit a bit, which was always strongest whenever a crew member was in danger. It is obvious that the prospect of staying with the brain-connected Think Tank "Collective" wouldn't be very tempting for Seven, who has just been freed from the Borg for the second time. Thus, unlike in "Scorpion", "Raven" or "Dark Frontier" there is not really a conflict in this episode, it is rather the consideration whether Seven served her crew better if she left or if she stayed.

The character development doesn't play a great role anyway. On the contrary, most of the time is dedicated to the solution of the "puzzle". I think the logical and systematic approach to a problem that depends on so many arbitrary, random or even unknown factors is vastly overestimated here. A tactical situation cannot be compared to a simple puzzle like the 24th century version of Rubik's Cube featured as a symbol for the greater dilemma. Yet, the plan to beat the arrogant Think Tank with their own weapons is a good idea. In this regard it is also a morally correct episode.

Annotations

• Observations:
  • I wonder where the debris field comes from, just before Voyager abducts the two Hazari. Some of the parts actually look like pieces from Voyager's hull.
  • Discipline seems to have reached an all-time low. Not only Janeway in her ready room, but even Harry on bridge duty are playing with "Rubik's Cube".
  • Another odd observation is how easily Janeway is ready to give away secrets like Voyager's schematics or slipstream technology. Prime Directive anyone?
• Remarkable quotes:
  • "When we helped the citizens of Rivos V resist the Borg, all we asked for was the recipe for their famous zoth-nut soup." (Kurros)
  • "Acquiring knowledge is a worthy objective. But its pursuit has obviously not elevated you." (Seven)
• Remarkable dialogue: (Seven solves the puzzle - "Rubik's Cube") "Seven, how'd you do that?" - "I scanned the device. Its mechanism operates on a simple fractal regression." - "You scanned it? That's cheating!" - "Cheating is often more efficient." (Tom and Seven)
• Remarkable facts: The Think Tank has found a cure for the Vidiian phage.
• Remarkable species: Species 4228, Hazari
• Photon torpedoes used: 4

Rating: 6

 

Juggernaut

Synopsis

Stardate not given: Voyager offers the Malon their help in sealing a radiation leak in an abandoned freighter that is about to poison a whole sector. The Malon, however, are reluctant to return, partially because of a mythical monster called "Vihaar" supposedly living in the radioactive waste. On the freighter, the Vihaar actually appears in the form of a poisoned subordinated core worker, and B'Elanna has to kill him in self-defense.

Commentary

It is hard to review and rate this episode, because there is not much special about it. What I really like was that we finally get some insight into the Malon culture. Thus far they were nothing but exasperating space-polluting aliens-of-a-few-weeks, but now their motivation and their hopes and fears are credibly presented for the first time. Unfortunately it will be the last time too, for we can't expect them to move even further beyond their borders. It is already hard to explain that the Malons are encountered thus far away from last time. Either their territory spans 15000 light years across, or they just used yet another wormhole. I have the impression the episode was originally scheduled for the early fifth season. This would also explain B'Elanna's violent behavior like in "Extreme Risk" that never showed up again in the meantime. I already had a problem with her behavior in the other episode, and I don't have a clue in "Juggernaut" either. Although this is a custom-tailored episode for B'Elanna, there is only a small amount of character development, as if a following episode, namely "Extreme Risk", were to further elucidate it.

Annotations

• Nitpicking: How can cells be inoculated not to absorb radiation? Absorption is primarily a physical, not a biological process, the only thing that could have helped would have been a protective suit. Only the effects of radiation damage can be treated medically.
• Remarkable quote: "It's an occupational hazard." (one of the Malons, seems to apply to anything they do)
• Remarkable dialogue: "You as a child. Those pointy little ears, you must have been cute." - "Indeed." (B'Elanna and Tuvok)
• Remarkable scenes:
  • (*fanfare*) We may look inside a running sonic shower for the first time.
  • Furthermore, we see an adult Malon play with a model ship. Not that I ever did the same childish thing with my ship models. ;-)
• Remarkable slide show: The Doctor wanted to call it "A Day in the Life of a Warp Core", but B'Elanna broke his holocamera. Unfortunately. ;-)
• Remarkable fact: The Malon garbage scow has 42 decks.

Rating: 4

 

Someone To Watch Over Me

Synopsis

Stardate 52648: While an ambassador fro the Kadi is visiting Voyager, the Doctor gives Seven lessons in "romantic relationships", but the success is lacking, until he takes on the role of her date himself. Against all diplomatic protocols the ambassador strives to taste all the enjoyments the Federation is able to offer. Drunk of synthehol he turns the official reception into a disaster. In the meantime, the Doctor has become aware that he himself feels attracted to Seven, but he never tells her.

Commentary

Well, the plot is one of the oldest to exist. Call it "Pygmalion", "My Fair Lady", or "Pretty Woman". Take a man with very distinguished manners and a girl who is lacking social skills, and you know what you'll get. Only the ending was different, and I felt a bit of pity that the Doctor wasn't successful. Apart from the more or less open ending, nothing really surprising happened. The Doctor and especially Seven behaved like they always do. Especially Seven's stereotypically sterile yet funny choice of words was rather used to cheer up the story than to show the character's emotions and attitudes. Nonetheless Picardo's and Ryan's performances were very good. They were up to impersonate two characters who are a little more than only working well together, and they worked out the necessary fine tones. The numerous quotes and tidbits like Seven and the Doctor singing together were fun, so the episode gets a much higher rating than it would deserve for the mere course of the story.

The secondary plot of the ambassador who behaves quite unlike his prude and restrictive culture was amusing, yet, also a bit distracting. It would have deserved either more or less screen time than it was conceded.

Annotations

• Remarkable song: "You are my sunshine", performed by Seven and the Doctor
• Remarkable quotes:
  • "Borg provokes Klingon. Klingon breaks Borg nose." (B'Elanna)
  • "Gossip travels faster than warp speed." (Doctor)
  • "Dating? You mean procreation." (Seven)
  • "What did the counselor say to the hologram: 'You're projecting.'" (Tom)
  • "Assimilate me! Please!" (the ambassador)
• Remarkable scenery: "Chez Sandrine's" appears for the first time since season 2.
• Remarkable facts: Voyager is a ship built for long-term exploration.
  • Species 8472 is believed to have as many as five sexes.
  • The Kadi can get drunk from synthehol, because they are lacking the necessary enzymes.

Rating: 7

 

11:59

Synopsis

Stardate 31.12.2000: Kathryn Janeway explores the history of one of her ancestors, Shannon O'Donnell, who comes to a town in Indiana supposed to be demolished for a giant building, the "Millennium Gate". Only book shop owner Henry Janeway withstands the project until the last moment, but she can eventually convince him not to obstruct progress.

Commentary

I felt like writing only a brief rant about this utterly pointless and boring episode. However, I will try to elaborate my criticism. The story has nothing to do with Voyager. Neither is it science fiction, nor does it further advance the storyline in any way. What's more, if it had not been for Kathryn Janeway or Janeway's clone, her equally caffeine-addicted token Irish ancestor Shannon O'Donnell, or Kate Mulgrew, it wouldn't have been recognizable as a Voyager episode at all. Agreed, all this is no reason to dismiss the episode. Yet, I don't watch Star Trek to see a story set in present-day America with very loose ties to the actual series. Abandoning all the basic settings is only justified for a very good plot. The one of "11:59", however, is very bad.

It is easy to see that almost the same story of a courageous woman and stubborn man who doesn't want to make way for progress has already been told in DS9: "Progress". The latter is among my least favorite DS9 episodes, so it is obvious that I didn't like to see it again, only with different actors in present-day Indiana. This takes me to another similarity with a DS9 episode. "11:59" obviously tries hard to repeat the success of DS9: "Far Beyond the Stars", whose basis was equally weak as described above but which presented an interesting story, involved profound criticism of racism and eventually asked us the thought-provoking question "What if all this (namely DS9) existed only in the imagination of Ben Russell?". There is nothing like that in "11:59". So what is the point here? What impact can the story have on Voyager? The only outcome in essence is that Janeway's ancestor was not quite the woman Janeway had taken her for. She used to be quite a loser for some time in her life. She didn't build the Millennium Gate, she merely contributed a small piece of work. History is not always as we see it, but this has already been much more impressively demonstrated in "Living Witness". Once again, what is the outcome? What is memorable about this episode? I can't tell.

The connection between the events in the past and Janeway's interest in her ancestors is awkward. Moreover, it is silly that suddenly the complete senior staff seems to be enthralled by genealogy, culminating in the awful "family photo" at the "Ancestor's Day". The visualization of situations and feelings can be best described as tacky, on 24th-century Voyager and in the past alike. There are a lot of calm moments with good acting, but this can't compensate for the frequent corny lines. In the 24th century it is nothing more than a hollow celebration of family history and pioneer spirit, in Janeway's family in particular and the USA in general: "The first in a long line of Janeway explorers" ...blah blah blah.

There is also a disputable moral in the story. The longer I watched, the more I became convinced that the Millennium Gate wouldn't ever be more than what Henry Janeway disdainfully nicknamed it, a huge shopping mall. Given the recent failure of the biosphere experiment, I doubt that a self-sustaining building would be possible as early as 2000. It's not as simple as attaching a few solar panels to the outer surface. Nevertheless, everyone in the story, eventually even Henry Janeway himself, seems to leave aside these second thoughts. It was disturbing to see how the non-argument prevails that smart people have conceived this building and that it represents progress, so it can't be wrong. And even if the Millennium Gate were something new and inevitable, would it justify the destruction of the old? The episode definitely says yes. I wonder most of all why they didn't simply build the Millennium Gate outside the town, buying all the required land from a single farmer and avoiding all the fuss with obstinate people like Henry Janeway. Realistically, there would have been hundreds, maybe thousands like him. I would have joined them too.

Just a side notice: It is annoying that Star Trek joined the "Millennium" hype, as if the new date would be equivalent to a new age. During late 1999 I was so tired of reading and hearing the word "Millennium" everywhere that I largely avoided newspapers and TV. You can imagine how much I enjoyed to learn about the "Millennium Gate" in my otherwise favorite TV series. At least the episode anticipated that there would be no Millennium Bug, which almost conciliated me again.

Annotations

• Remarkable quote:
  • "But it's nothing but hype. It's actually a glorified shopping mall. They've talked all of my neighbors into selling their businesses. Only one thing stands in their way." (Henry Janeway)
  • "The Bolians express dismay at the low quality of human plumbing." (Janeway)

Rating: 0

 

Relativity

Synopsis

Stardate 52861.3: Seven of Nine is in charge of preventing Voyager's destruction by traveling back in time and finding its cause, a temporal device from the 29th century. Seven arrests the saboteur. It is Captain Braxton, a future self of the very man who hired her for the job! As Voyager has ruined his career by stranding him on 20th century Earth, he strives to erase the ship from the timeline. Upon preventing the disaster with several paradoxes as side-effects, the timeline is cleaned in a way that nothing harmful actually happened.

Commentary

This must have been the most complicated time travel story ever. There were lots of paradoxes, but who cares if the story is that exciting? Read on here. "Relativity" is a fun episode that ironically comments on the many problems of time travel. There was literally not much time for big emotions, but Seven and Janeway acted exactly according to their established characters - at all times. It was good to see Capt. Braxton return, although I didn't recognize him at first, because of his now larger uniform size.

As for the 29th century, we only saw the Relativity and a few officers, and it was not a place I liked too much. It was like Starfleet style preserved for 500 years, only a tad too sterile. On the other hand, it must have been difficult to create a time that is as far in the future than Voyager is from now. I enjoyed the continuity to "Caretaker". It is not an error that Voyager is shown at Utopia Planitia, although the dedication plaque indicates it was launched from Earth Station McKinley. It is possible that the ship only received additional equipment at Utopia Planitia. This must have happened a brief time prior to the beginning of "Caretaker", since Janeway made the proposal to get Paris for the job.

Annotations

• Remarkable teaser: Janeway is just visiting the bridge of the newly commissioned ship when a blue-clad ensign is briefly seen in the foreground: Seven.
• Remarkable dialogues:
  • Janeway: "Starfleet's most up-to-date vessel and they still can't design a comfortable place to hold a meeting. What do you think, Ensign?" - Seven (disguised): "It is an...efficient design." - Janeway: "Well, there you have it, Admiral. It's efficient. I must be wrong."
  • Seven (just being trapped in a forcefield on Voyager): "I can't answer your questions." - Braxton (listens on the Relativity): "Good." - Janeway: "Why not?" - Seven: "It would be a violation of the Temporal Prime Directive." - Janeway: "You're from another time?" - Seven: "Yes." - Braxton: "No!"
• Remarkable quotes: "Tempus fugit." (Braxton), "An injection a day keeps space sickness away." (Doctor), "I look forward to it. Or should I say 'backward'?" (Seven)
• Remarkable scenes:
  • Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. Starship fans have been waiting to see this for years.
  • The ping-pong ball being stuck in mid-air. A nice and unexpected effect.
• Remarkable appearance: Lt. Carey is alive, but only in the past.
• Remarkable ship: USS Relativity, however, as opposed to the interior which I found a bit boring, I think the outside looks too "alien".
• Remarkable facts: Voyager has a mass of 700,000 metric tons.

Rating: 8

 

Warhead

Synopsis

Stardate not given: Harry and the Doctor salvage a device with a built-in artificial intelligence from a planet's surface. It turns out to be weapon of mass destruction that still believes in the need to destroy the assigned target, although the war is over by now. The Doctor can convince the weapon to abstain from the attack, and in an act of self-sacrifice it destroys the other weapons still approaching the former target.

Commentary

Agreed, superficially this episode is much like "Dreadnought", and it also shows similarities to the classic sci-fi movie "Dark Star" (right, the one with the psychotic talking bomb). There is also a clear parallel to "Crimson Tide" where Gene Hackman wants to launch the nuclear missiles without final confirmation, and Denzel Washington tries to hinder him. But it becomes clear that the "bomb that insists on going off" plot is not yet exhausted. The variant in "Warhead" is interesting because it doesn't just show the bomb as a stubborn mechanism that only does what it is programmed to do. Actually, "Warhead" reminds me still more of TNG: "The Quality of Life", where Data managed to prove Exocomps were sentient beings that have developed beyond their initial programming. The same applies to Data himself and to the Doctor, respectively, who try to protect their distant relatives. The main difference is that this time the consciousness belongs to a weapon and not a useful tool. Mass destruction is a good purpose according to the bomb's programming and, moreover, it is the only reason for its existence. Therefore it is even more remarkable that the bomb can be eventually convinced not to proceed to its target. Ironically, while one Exocomp in the TNG episode sacrificed itself to protect the other two of its kind, here the bomb explodes to disable the other weapons which have not evolved that far.

I wonder if the story would have been equally good without the old "evil twin" trick. Maybe they should have just given the bomb a voice instead of letting it take over the Doctor's matrix. Finally, there is one more thing I really liked: For the first time a distress call is picked up at night, and it is up to Harry to follow it who, besides the Doctor, gets a lot to do in this episode.

Annotations

• Nitpicking: How can deck 5 (sickbay) be jettisoned in an emergency? The deck is in the very center of the ship.
• Remarkable quote: "I am simply completing my mission. Only the target has changed." (the bomb before its detonation to destroy the other bombs)
• Remarkable error: The Doctor says "interpretating" at one point. Maybe language will change a bit until the 24th century. ;-)

Rating: 7

 

Equinox I/II

Synopsis

Stardate not given: The Equinox, a second Federation starship pulled into the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker, is under frequent attack by interspatial aliens that are able to penetrate the ship's shields. Janeway assures Captain Rudy Ransom of the Equinox of their full support. When the Doctor, however, discovers that the Equinox crew was killing the aliens to use antimatter emissions from the alien bodies to boost the performance of their warp drive, Janeway puts them under arrest. The Equinox EMH, whose ethical subroutines have been removed, frees his crew, while the Doctor and Seven are trapped on the Equinox. Ransom removes the Doctor's ethical subroutines too and lets him extract the code for the improved drive's power relays from Seven's brain. Janeway wants to stop Ransom at all cost, and she even relieves Chakotay of his post when he opposes her actions. An agreement with the aliens is found that the Equinox should be destroyed. In the following battle, Ransom changes his mind, but his first officer Max Burke takes command from him. Burke and the other mutineers are killed by the aliens; Ransom dies when the Equinox explodes after he has taken her to a safe distance; the four surviving Equinox crew members are demoted to crewmen and stay on Voyager.

Commentary

Ransom vs. nucleogenic aliens, Janeway vs. Ransom, Chakotay vs. Janeway, Burke vs. Ransom, evil Doctor vs. good Doctor, good Doctor vs. Seven. The story features multiple, maybe already too many conflicts. Anyway, this keeps the two parts of the episode thrilling for the complete 88 minutes. One of the key questions is what Janeway would have done in Ransom's place. If we don't count "Year of Hell" for obvious reasons, Voyager was never really as desperate as the Equinox has been for five years. Although there is definitely no excuse for Ransom's actions, could the judgment be more lenient upon further examination of the case? The flashback, when the first alien was inadvertently killed, had a close take of Ransom's face, and he looked really sorry. I took this as a first sign that he would finally change his mind. As for his crew, I don't understand why they always follow him blindly. I agree that their common destiny would likely lead to the tight combination of loyalty and familiarity shown among the Equinox crew, the crew calling their captain "Rudy" - I wonder when Tom will begin to call his captain "Kathy" ;-). Nevertheless, I would have expected Lessing (the black man in blue uniform) or Gilmore (the endearing blonde) who obviously had doubts to give up their loyalty rather sooner than later.

Interestingly, the main difference between Janeway and Ransom cannot be simply explained with Janeway being more of an explorer, for this would rather apply to the exobiologist Ransom. The real point is that Janeway always wants to do the right thing, complying with everyone's welfare, the Prime Directive (she sounded quite proud when she said she had never broken it, although we all know it must have been a lie) and, last but not least, the canon of her personal likes and dislikes. It is almost as if she bothers how she will be judged by history. Ransom, on the other hand, has very practical short-term goals, and his actions are accordingly short-sighted. Nevertheless, Janeway acts very emotionally and illogically too. The culmination point is definitely Janeway's interrogation of Lessing of the "enemy crew". What the hell is Janeway thinking when exposing the poor guy to the deadly aliens? Aside from breaking about every Starfleet regulation she is allegedly so proud of, is it moral to kill someone for whatever useful purpose? I'm quite sure that Lessing wouldn't have survived if Chakotay hadn't stopped her. This episode may have had the worst spirit of the whole series. I might give "Equinox" higher marks, but some of Star Trek's most valuable assets almost go down the drain.

What's more, the scientific and technical plausibility of "Equinox" is awful. It is anything but credible that the alien bodies would be suited to increase the ship's power, let alone its speed. It is definitely the worst idea for a "drive-of-the-week". What is so special about the "nucleogenic" antimatter, making it more powerful than "normal" antimatter? If the aliens really emit antimatter, how can they exist in our matter universe at all? If the shown remains of one alien ("ten isograms") can enhance the Equinox's warp drive (maximum speed: Warp 8) by merely "0.03% for one month", how could they ever have traveled the mentioned 10,000ly distance which was obviously necessary to catch up with Voyager? Even if they had been using millions of aliens at a time to accomplish this, how could the power systems and nacelles of the Equinox have sustained the enormous power increase? Another question: What does the Ankari vessel do 10,000ly from their territory, but only 2ly from the Equinox? Wouldn't it have been worth a try to acquire their propulsion technology? I have also a problem with the fact that the Doctor behaves just like his "evil twin" after his ethical subroutines have been removed. If he is really that evolved, his loyalty, friendships and feelings should consist of much more than just a few certain lines in his original program that can be quickly deactivated. So many problems, so few reasonable answers.

Annotations

• Remarkable quote: "Seven's cranial infrastructure is highly complex. You'll need months just to figure out what she had for breakfast." (Doctor)
• Remarkable dialogues:
  • "You know, Janeway's not the only Captain who can help you explore your humanity." - "You would be an inferior role model." (Ransom and Seven)
  • "Borg, Hirogen, Malon, we've run into our share of bad guys. Ransom's no different." - "Yes, he is. You said it yourself. He's human." (Janeway and Chakotay)
• Remarkable nickname: "BLT" aka "Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato" aka B'Elanna L. Torres
• Remarkable species: Species 6291, Iridians, a species that was thought to be extinct by both the Federation and the Borg until Ransom made first contact with them. Obviously, these can't be the familar Yridians.
• Remarkable ship: The Equinox is a Nova-class vessel, built for short-term planetary research.
• Crew losses: 3 (Voyager only)
• Photon torpedoes used: 7 (at the very least)
• Missed opportunity to get home: #13, although it would have been ethically incorrect

Rating: 7

 

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