Star Trek: Voyager — 5x10 — Counterpoint

Aired 1998-12-16

SpaceOpera.com rating:7

Average reader rating:5.33

Synopsis

Janeway falls for a man who may be using her.

Remarkable scenes

Kashyk: "Your culture has many contradictions. Violence and beauty, science and faith, all somehow mingled harmoniously, like the counterpoint of this music. Mahler, Symphony No. I, am I correct?"
Professor Torat: "Federations, Imperiums, why do you people feel such a need to align yourselves with monolithic organizations?" Janeway: "I'd be glad to discuss that and any other philosophical issue you care to raise if you would just slow down and talk." Professor Torat, sarcastically: "Sorry, can't do that. I'm late for a very important conference!" Kashyk: "This is a waste of time. Disable his ship." Janeway: "That's what we call overkill, inspector." Janeway beams Torat to the bridge.
Kashyk insulting Torat. I love Torat's pump-up nose.
Kashyk betraying Janeway.
Janeway to Kashyk after he realizes Janeway had fooled him: "Computer, change music selection. Mahler's Symphony No. I, Second Movement... maybe this will help you relax."

Review

This episode is quite original; most remarkable is the music played throughout the course of the episode. The Classical symphonies of Mahler and Tchaikovsky create a surreal atmosphere surrounding Janeway and Kashyk as they both attempt to manipulate each other. The counterpoint in the music symbolized the counterpoint of Janeway and Kashyk's evolving "relationship" throughout the episode. Another feather in the episode's cap was the briefly shown Professor Torat. He was just the kind of alien I wish we could see more of. His few scenes were not wasted, the guy was hilarious. I just wish he got more time and Kashyk got less as the pseudo romance that evolved between Janeway and Kashyk was on the verge of becoming offensive. Overall though the episode presents a successful story depicting mistrust, innuendo, and deception.

7 reader comments

This plot would have worked much better if there had been any chemistry at all between Janeway and Kashyk. I could see they were implying a relationship when they were working together, but there was no spark whatsoever. When they kissed, I was surprised because it simply made no sense.
by carsonist | 01/19/2010 at 10:22 pm

Doesn't Kashyk's organization massively resemble the Psi Corps from Babylon 5?
So the episode has some originality regarding the music choices but also some striking unoriginality there.
"Black uniforms, jack boots, giving orders… Some days, they scare the hell out of me." - Michael Garibaldi
by Lennier | 06/14/2010 at 4:26 am

There seemed to be 2 glaring mistakes on this episode. #1: when they found out about the location of the worm hole in the solar system, it was said that it was 8 Light years away, the enemy commander said that there was a problem with the solar system, as it has a sensor array that would pick them up. It had a sensor range of 10 Light years. Would that not mean they are already in range?
2: At the end when the telepaths leave in the 2 shuttles.the commander, gives the ship back to Jane-way, as the telepaths are gone and the failure would look bad. Where are the Vulcan Tovok and the engineer. surly they did no leave too!
by Kenobie | 04/10/2011 at 9:01 am

Holy crappoly… this just ranked itself into my short list of favorite voyager episodes. It has an almost magical elegance to it. Everything flows smoothly, one scene to the next - unlike some episodes which seem jerky and abbreviated, like a movie trailer.
I love the complexity of the relationship between Janeway and her counterpoint, Kashyk.
Mahler and Tchaikovsky make for a great soundtrack as well.
I could probably say more but the point is, this is a very well written and well directed episode.
by plus | 11/01/2011 at 7:29 am

I agree with an above poster: where the hell were Tuvok and the other vulcan at the end of the episode? I guess held in transporter suspension in a different part of the ship?
And on a separate note, relating to the entire series: is voyager the slowest ship in the quadrant? because it sure doesnt seem like they can ever outrun anyone. It wouldnt matter too much if you were outgunned by 10 warships if you could just outrun them, but obviously that wouldnt make fore very good episodes.
by Rick Smith | 01/08/2013 at 6:46 am

"The Sting" episode.
The story is excellent, and told with a good flow without interruptions this time. Almost like one actual movie. Professor Torat made for one very good alien, and not just another humanoid with nothing more than a funny bump on the forehead, and good acting there as well.
@carsonist: I hope you read this and go see the episode again, the attraction between Janeway and Kashyk is so strong I expected they would jump each other any second. Even though it turned uot it were faked by Kashyk, it rather did show good acting and quite a sign that his character were supposed to have one heck of an ability of manipulation.
But yes there's one inconsistency, the whereabouts of Tuvok and the Vulcan from engineering named Vorik is unaccounted for.
Also I have to chime in with a tumbs up on the selection of music, good choice and very nice to have one departure on the variations of Gustav Holst "The planets" which we hear so many times on Voyager.
So why do I call this episode 'The Sting' well like in that film the viewers are kept in the dark on several details - first the whereabouts of 2 crewmembers and the fact that Voyager hold refugees. But also in the conclusion, that Janeway and the crew created a what appeared to be a wormhole in the predicted location - which were false, and that the telepaths already were on their way to escape in another location in space. A solid 10.
by TheAnt | 10/12/2013 at 10:13 pm

So Kashyk let Voyager go because… wait, why did Kashyk let Voyager go? As far as I'm concerned this is the end of the series. Voyager is impounded by the gestapo aliens and the crew is sent to a detention camp, where they languish and die. Kashyk's "Let's just pretend this whole failure never happened" thing is ridiculous. And then Voyager, I guess, just leaves their space, which isn't apparently all that large, at least not compared to species like the Kazon or the Malon who seem to control vast reaches of the Delta quadrant.
by Dstyle | 06/24/2015 at 5:02 pm