Star Trek: Voyager — 1x07 — Eye of the Needle

Aired 1995-02-20

SpaceOpera.com rating:7

Average reader rating:6.04

Synopsis

Voyager discovers a deep space wormhole.

Remarkable scenes

Crewman addressing Kes with his question: "Can this guy do everything a real doctor can do?" The Doctor referring to himself in the third person: "Yes, he can."
Kes concerned with how rudely the doctor is being treated.
The Doctor lamenting about people shutting him off, or forgetting to be turned off.
Janeway's private chat with the Romulan, trying to convince him she is who she says she is.
Torres discovering that it may be possible to beam through the wormhole.
The Doctor discovering Kes' photographic memory.
Voyager beaming the Romulan captain into the Delta Quadrant.
Tuvok discovering that the wormhole leads to the Alpha Quadrant, yes, but twenty yeaes in the past.
Tuvok revealing that he checked the history and that the Romulan captain died before he could have sent the crew's messages.
The Doctor finally getting some respect.
The Doctor: "I would like a name." He never gets one though...

Review

Voyager is continuing in its tradition of jumping the gun. A story about getting home was far too premature. They should have saved this up for late in the season, possibly even the finale! The reason is that the audience was 100% certain this wormhole would NOT lead to the safe arrival home of our characters. It's just too early! Even if you don't make this assumption from the beginning, it becomes more and more clear that the wormhole is a lost cause. First it's too small, then there's Romulans on the other side, then they want to beam through the wormhole? Abandon Voyager? Sorry. Didn't have me fooled for a minute. That said, it's still a good episode and I enjoyed watching it, even if was predictable and premature. One high point is how the doctor is finally getting some respect. I like how it took a while for him to get it though. And it's nice that it took an outsider, Kes, to get everyone to realize that the Doctor and Data from TNG are the same concept. Artificial life is no less life, and the Doctor, just like Data, is a remarkable creation by man which should be respected as a person, not as a slave. A very good episode.

7 reader comments

Actually, I'm pretty sure Torres mentions explicitly that she's half-human in the pilot episode.
by siukong | 06/08/2010 at 6:38 am

While not direct, I'm pretty sure Kim mentions Torres' Klingon ancestry in "Caretaker" when they're climbing the stairs, saying something to the effect of "I probably wouldn't be so tired if I were half Klingon, too" and Torres gives an affirmative response "It's almost more trouble than it's worth"
by krs321 | 01/09/2012 at 4:10 pm

To me the doctor doesnt really make sense. When Data is activated he is essentially a blank slate. Of course, he grows considerably. The Doctor, on the other hand, is a smug jackass from Day 1. He was apparently programmed to be that way as well as overly emotional, sensitive, and imposing on everyone he meets. Basically, it is the most irrationally designed program I have ever heard of. The whole holographic rights movement in voyager is utterly ridiculous. You can take their arguments to so many incredibly illogical ends that they need not be stated.
by Rick Smith | 03/19/2013 at 3:24 am

Belanna does say (in the pilot, 2nd half, right in the beginning, talking with Harry) that she's half Klingon, but doesnt mention the other half.
by Spline | 10/19/2013 at 10:06 am

Wait a minute: aren't wormholes super unstable, prone to collapse at any moment? That's what made DS9's wormhole to the Gamma quadrant so special: it was stable and wasn't going anywhere. So where do they get off theorizing that this wormhole is deteriorating and is centuries old? Wouldn't that mean this wormhole is also (relatively) stable? I thought wormholes were supposed to appear and disappear without warning. I feel like there were several TNG episodes to that effect.
by Dstyle | 12/18/2013 at 2:48 am

I am very impressed with voyager so far. I find this first season to be very strong and it is quickly becoming my favourite Star Trek series. I've watched all other incarnations of Star Trek but have stirred away from this one due to warnings from friends.
I do not understand why my friends and so many other Star Trek fans do not like voyager. The science is a bit weak sometimes but for me the character development and storylines makes up for it. I enjoyed the doctor in this episode in particular.
by Shani | 12/22/2014 at 1:41 pm

I can't believe no other reviews have pointed out that Torres explains she's half-Klingon in the pilot episode! OK, I'm joking…I take pride in being the fourth to do so :)
Anyway, I thought this was quite an innovative episode. I didn't care much for The Doctor subplot, despite its advancement of his fantastic character. But on the plus side, they only spent as much time on it as they needed to. Most of the episode revolved around the rather unique concept of their first Alpha Quadrant contact being a Romulan…and one 20 years in the past to boot! Very creative.
I do find myself agreeing with Shani. Voyager gets overly criticized despite its many awesome contributions to the Star Trek saga. Before people criticize it too much, let's not forget that TOS, despite its awesomeness, did give us such mind-numbing nonsense as Iotian gangsters, Greek gods, the Koms and Yangs, and an offworld Roman Empire. You can criticize VOY for having its characters be a bit flat at times, but it still captures the same Star Trek excitement and exposes us to an entirely new quadrant.
by Mike L. Jackson | 05/25/2017 at 3:11 am