Star Trek: Voyager — 3x07 — Sacred Ground

Aired 1996-10-30

SpaceOpera.com rating:3

Average reader rating:3.9

Synopsis

Janeway tests her spiritual beliefs.

Remarkable scenes

The doctor coincidentally saying to Janeway everything she went through was meaningless.
The doctor explaining how the whole thing worked in the end.

Review

This episode evokes mixed opinions. Janeway's expressed respect for the culture of our aliens of the week is fantastic, along with her scientific skepticism. This episode is designed to explore the science behind religions. Though it's also designed to tell us not everything can be rationally explained, and that we should have faith in something. I'll be frank; the concept of blind faith annoys me more than most other things. Consequently, this episode comes off with an impression like a Final Fantasy game, or a Star Wars film, which is decidedly not what Star Trek is all about. But in the end, everything does have a rational explanation, thanks to the doctor's "very scientific" analysis. As a result, while I don't particularly like this episode much, a certain part of me respects its controversial nature.

5 reader comments

I have to agree that the concept of blind faith is very annoying. Some people just aren't scientific and will feel more comfortable with spiritual explanations. I can handle that. However what really annoys me about this episode is that the guide seemed out to prove a point at Kes's expence. She said that the ritual was meaningless yet the toxin was crucial to the solution. So what does she know? Frankly, I think the science vs religion concept could have been written into a better story. The ending was pretty weak.
by dr theopolis | 02/04/2007 at 5:11 pm

Ditto Eric's review.
This feels anti-Trek to me, and one of the things I like least about Voyager is that it pushes this sort of new age-y pseudo religious philosophy more than any other Trek series. Still, this could have been a cool concept with a more interesting story. The montages of Janeway's quest are terrible, the alien of the week isn't very interesting, and the whole thing just isn't very interesting.
On a side note, there must be some link between having ridges on the bridge of your nose and beleiving in vague spiritual nonsense. These people and their "spirits" are a lot like the Bajorans and their prophets.
by JRPoole | 05/30/2009 at 1:46 pm

2 1/2 seasons into voyager and I'm still incredibly underwhelmed. Bland.
There's been minor annoyances but this one is the first to really piss me off, with its ridiculous propaganda of glorifying pseudo-mystical nonsense and demonising rational thought or wanting straight answers to simple questions.
That 'spiritual' guide flat out mis-led and lied to Janeway. Janweway's purpose was very clear, she wasn't searching for their misguided version of enlightenment, she was on an urgent mission, and she was given the run-around just so they could feel superior while laying all the responsibility on Janeway. She should have slapped that smug cow.
This was just anti-intellectualism, and it's crap like pushing this new-age so-called 'spirituality' that has probably been a factor in us arriving at the internet dark-ages of anti-science ignorance we find ourselves in now.
I'm very annoyed with you Star Trek.
by L | 12/19/2013 at 12:42 am

10/10 You people may not like faith in general, but you've made a religion from science. How is blind faith in science better than any religion? Oh, I see… Because you have tricorders:) Great episode. Without a little bit of spiritualism and mystery world is boring and terrible. You really want to live in Q Continuum? Where everybody knows everything? God, it's hell:)
by McCoy | 08/08/2017 at 5:16 pm

How? It is better because (unlike spirits and superstition) science reliably works, it is not blind. Also, why are spirits always such trolls? The play silly games with Janeway while Kes' life hangs by a thread. Not to mention leaving that death trap around for tourists to wander in.
by Amelia Obumhardt | 02/14/2022 at 9:11 am