Star Trek: Voyager — 7x01 — Unimatrix Zero, Part II
Synopsis
The crew infiltrates Unimatrix Zero.
Remarkable scenes
- Janeway and Torres deploying the virus.
- Voyager getting pummeled thanks to the Borg having Tuvok's access codes.
- The Borg Queen self destructing ships with drones she cannot hear.
- Borg Queen: "Assimilation turns us all into friends. In fact, it brings us so close together we can hear each other's thoughts." Boy: "Is that fun?" Borg Queen: "Yes. It's fun."
- The Borg Queen self destructing her long range tactical cube, trying to kill Janeway.
Review
The episode ends much as you'd expect it to. Janeway finds a way to use Unimatrix Zero to attack the Borg Collective. She also finds a way to get her and her crew unassimilated. The whole episode was much too routine. It lacked the danger that episodes like TNG: The Best of Both Worlds, Voy: Scorpion, or even Voy: Dark Frontier offered. The Borg resistance was a good idea, but isn't sufficiently elaborated. Overall, between its numerous flaws and lack of originality, this episode felt more like a routine action episode than the stunning season finale / premiere that it should have been. It was quite entertaining as a two part episode, but most disappointing as a season finale / premiere.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x02 — Imperfection
Synopsis
Seven suffers a breakdown.
Remarkable scenes
- Mezoti, Azan, and Rebi departing.
- Icheb expressing interest in joining Starfleet.
- Tom pointing out that the last time she took the Delta Flyer it ended up being destroyed. :)
- Janeway extracting a cortical node from a dead Borg in a Borg debris field.
- The Delta Flyer battling the alien scavengers.
- The doctor's surgery simulation.
- Seven discussing with Torres afterlife.
- Icheb disconnecting his cortical node himself so as to force the doctor to give it to Seven.
- Seven: "This debate is pointless, I won't accept the node." Icheb: "And I won't keep it." The doctor: "Someone had better use the damn thing! If it stays disconnected much longer it won't do either of you any good."
- The surgery.
Review
Out of left field, we're shown a wonderful episode. It has all the components necessary for a good Star Trek episode. A contention, namely Seven's illness, putting her in danger. An attempt to save her that doesn't go so well, namely stealing a cortical node from a dead drone. A decent helping of action, namely the aliens who attacked the Delta Flyer at the Borg debris field. And finally a genuine moral issue concerning Icheb's radical solution to Seven's problem. I liked how mature and grown up Icheb has become and how logical his plan is. Most of all, I loved how he forced this plan upon everyone in order to save Seven's life when he realized he would fail to convince anyone. The ends justified his means, and Seven has grown much closer to Icheb as a result. Maybe our Borg action thriller that was last episode wasn't so great, but the drama in this episode is top notch.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x03 — Drive
Synopsis
Paris and Torres compete in a race.
Remarkable scenes
- The teaser's little competition.
- Tom and Harry selling the idea of the race to Janeway.
- Tom's chat with Assan.
- The start of the race.
- The accident.
- Tom: "She's not a Borg, she's not a hologram, and she's not dead. Looks like you might have finally found yourself the perfect woman."
- Irina betraying Harry.
- Tom and Torres working out their problems.
- Tom and Torres discovering the bomb.
- Tom: "Will you marry me?" Computer: "Warp core breach in 15 seconds." Torres: "You're proposing now?" Tom: "It's as good a time as any."
Review
A pleasant light hearted episode with only a minor contention resulting in Tom and Torres finally getting married. I much enjoyed the race and the marvelous eye candy sprinkled about. It was kind of a nice homage to Voy: Day of Honor that the marriage proposal required another extreme situation. The way the episode wove together the alien race event with Harry's women problems and the Tom and Torres conflict was quite nice as well. Overall very decent, slightly above Voyager's average.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x04 — Repression
Synopsis
Maquis crewmembers are mysteriously attacked.
Remarkable scenes
- "Let me get this straight. You've gone to all this trouble to program a three dimensional environment, that projects a two dimensional image, and now you're asking me to wear these to make it look three dimensional again?" Tom: "Great, isn't it?"
- Tuvok discovering himself to be the guilty party.
- Tuvok "activating" Chakotay.
- Chakotay "activating" Torres.
- The ensuing Maquis takeover.
- Tuvok shooting Janeway with a defective phaser.
- Tuvok undoing the damage he did.
- Tuvok explaining to Janeway how he knew the phaser would be defective.
Review
An episode with a poor premise spiced up with great acting by Tuvok and some fun action scenes. Yeah, the timing is way off for a Maquis takeover. But at the same time, this exact story couldn't have been done until Voyager reestablished contact with Starfleet. There were two remarkable details that I thought made this better than the average mind control plot. Contrast this episode with TNG: The Game where everyone is totally out of their minds. Now look at how it's done here. Tuvok, after having mind melded with everyone, simply says "pah'tem'far, b'tanay" to Chakotay. Chakotay simple responds with "understood", and in that instant he is "awakened." He says the same to Torres, who replies with "I understand." The two of them probably went on to "activate" more people. The "activated" Maquis didn't act any different than they normally do, with the exception of to whom their loyalties lied, which I thought was kind of creepy, but cool. Overall, not too bad.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x05 — Critical Care
Synopsis
The Doctor is stolen.
Remarkable scenes
- The graphics in the teaser.
- Tom and Harry discussing Hockey with Nausicaans. Sounds nasty.
- The idiot EMH on Voyager.
- Janeway's and Tuvok's investigation.
- Janeway professing Tuvok her boyfriend.
- Voyager apprehending Gar.
- The doctor's revenge.
Review
We've seen the doctor stolen before, but never for the purpose of using him as a doctor. This episode is uniquely remarkable in this respect, and well used he is. We're shown an alien society which has very strict policies on who can be treated in a hospital which is determined by social status. The way these policies are presented makes them seem understandable, even if a bit chilling. It's not until late in the episode that it's revealed that it might all just be Chellick's sick little scheme for using resources more efficiently. In truth, neither is made entirely clear. the most remarkable aspect about this episode is the doctor's use of torture on Chellick to invoke change. The ends most certainly justified the means, but the doctor's methods to me seemed just about as chilling as Chellick's (former?) policies. But then, you're supposed to fight fire with fire, right?
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x06 — Inside Man
Synopsis
Voyager gets an unexpected delivery.
Remarkable scenes
- Holographic Barclay appearing on board.
- Holobarclay telling Seven that on Earth she's famous.
- Barclay's conspiracy theories regarding how his transmission was blocked.
- The revelation that the Ferengi are exploiting Barclay's program.
- Barclay surprising Troi with another counseling session.
- Barclay imitating the crew.
- Admiral Paris interrogating Barclay's ex girlfriend.
- The geodesic pulse.
- Holobarclay attacking Seven.
- Barclay pretending to be Holobarclay.
- Tom and Torres picking on Harry.
- Reprogrammed Holobarclay accosting Troi.
- Rules of Acquisition; 74. Knowledge = profit.
Review
Not quite as good as Barclay's previous three appearances, but still very good. It's remarkable how personally different Barclay's hologram was compared to the real thing. Holobarclay was so much more confident, even downright arrogant at times. I would assume this was done by Barclay intentionally, and not by the Ferengi. There are some directing issues in this otherwise wonderful episode though. Some scenes are in the wrong order, some are too long, some are too short. It would have been nice to see Holobarclay imitate the crew before we find out he's evil, and the scene when he gets angry at the doctor was just totally unnecessary. The biggest thing redeeming this episode is that it's a continuity goldmine. There are countless connections with TNG, too many to list. But all of them well placed. And finally the plot is amazingly original. The writer really knew his Trek and how to combine previously introduced elements into quite a story. With a little more care, this episode could have been among the top. But it's still quite good.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x07 — Body and Soul
Synopsis
The Doctor experiences actual human senses.
Remarkable scenes
- Seven's decidedly odd behavior once the Flyer was boarded.
- The doctor in total control of Seven's body.
- The doctor smelling Harry.
- The doctor enjoying eating.
- The cheesecake scene.
- The drunken Seven/doctor.
- The doctor as Seven: "It wasn't not my fault, Sevne's unique physiology is... unique. It doesn't react well to synthehol."
- Seven recovering her body, decidedly pissed at the doctor.
- Tom offering to make Tuvok a hologram of his wife.
- Tuvok's fun being disrupted by the battle.
- Janeway: "We're both reasonable people. I suggest a compromise. Your vessel will escort us through Lokirrim territory. That way you can keep an eye on us; make sure we don't reactivate our holodecks. The other alternative is we destroy your ship."
- Seven getting pissed at the doctor a second time.
- The waltz.
- Neelix' faux pas with Tuvok.
- Janeway sucker punching her escort and running.
- The doctor saving the life of his captors.
- Seven and the doctor making up at the end.
Review
We have both an interesting plot concerning racism against holograms, as well as the body switching plot in the tradition of TOS: Turnabout Intruder, among others. It goes without saying that Jeri Ryan did an amazing job playing the doctor's character, and the writing for both characters was great. It was more than fitting that the doctor would immediately over indulge and Seven would object to any indulgences whatsoever. The aliens of the week weren't very interesting, but served as successful plot devices. My favorite scene with them was when Janeway arrogantly threatened to destroy her opponent's ship, then later surprise attacked them to make a clean getaway. Rarely have we seen Janeway act so maliciously. Tuvok's Pon Farr was a nice secondary plot. The writers knew this had to come some time, and having the doctor away so Paris had to treat him was very nice writing. All things considered, this is a very intelligently written episode that combines humor with danger and action very successfully. Most impressive.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x08 — Nightingale
Synopsis
Harry Kim takes command of a ship.
Remarkable scenes
- Janeway complaining about the extended maintenance stay.
- Harry saving the alien ship.
- Harry complaining about still being an Ensign.
- Icheb concerned that Torres is attracted to him.
- Icheb confronting Torres about her "attraction."
Review
On the surface, this is an above average episode, but an analysis reveals several weak points. The technical problems which I've outlined in the problems section contribute quite negatively to the plot, seeing as how they do much to ruin the premise. I also was annoyed that the Nightingale was just a reuse of the Maquis raider. There isn't much excuse for that in today's high budget Trek. Finally, I was rather annoyed Janeway didn't put a stop to Harry's mission. It had obvious negative consequences for Voyager, and even considering the actual events of the episode, there's no way to be sure Harry was in fact helping the "right" side. It would have been much smarter for Voyager to stay out of the conflict, complete the trade negotiations, and leave peacefully, rather than being escorted out of the combat zone having not completed repairs and not made any trades. There are several nice details about the episode though which keep me from rating it any lower. I loved the plot concerning Icheb's mistaken romance. I especially love the way it ended. Torres just played along and let Icheb believe whatever he wanted to believe so she didn't have to explain to him what her actual motives were. Seeing Kim complain about his rank and get some time to play captain on another ship was nice too. And to be honest, despite the inherent flaws, I much enjoyed the "smuggle the cloaking device behind the lines" story. In short, this episode is a lot of fun if you don't think about it too much. So I tend to be fairly forgiving.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x09 — Flesh and Blood, Part I
Synopsis
Voyager's holo-technology comes back to haunt them.
Remarkable scenes
- The doctor pressing Chakotay to let him take a shuttle to attend the symposium.
- Seven shutting down the hologrid, revealing the hirogen bodies.
- The doctor: "I'm a doctor, not an engineer." Count 35 for "I'm a doctor, not a (blah)" style lines, which McCoy was famous for.
Review
I was a little annoyed that Voyager seems to be vastly more powerful than Hirogen ships now, a big change since Voy: Hunters. Holographic rights are the center of attention in this episode and Janeway puts forth a remarkably Draconian view on the subject. Finally, the doctor makes an amazingly stupid decision, betraying his crew like that. Flaws notwithstanding, this was a fairly successful action episode. It was nice to see that not all Hirogen are hunters; not all Klingons are warriors likewise. While this is a fun action episode with a fair amount of eye candy spread throughout, the flaws do add up and I can't justify giving it any higher a rating.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x10 — Flesh and Blood, Part II
Synopsis
The renegade Holograms abduct Torres.
Remarkable scenes
- Voyager hiding in the wake of a Hirogen ship.
- Tom regarding following the Hirogen ship's rear end: "Not exactly the scenic route is it?" Chakotay: "We're not here for the view."
- Torres: "It may be the warriors who get the glory but it's the engineers who build societies."
- Iden revealing that he's the center of a religion he created.
- Voyager's sneak attack on the Hirogen.
- The holograms hunting the Hirogen on the surface.
Review
Okay, so Voyager is a bit more careful about fighting Hirogen ships now. They seem to be a little more threatening too. Maybe the ship Voyager defeating last episode was just a weaker model or something. The issues the first part thoroughly failed to deal with are tackled here. Janeway finally realizes that much of this situation is her fault and the doctor realizes the idiocy of his decision. Additionally, part two loses none of the nice action and none of the nice eye candy. As a result of all this, part two is quite a bit more successful. The only negative aspect to the story is Iden, who turned into a megalomaniac. It would have been a much better episode if Iden and his followers weren't so clearly portrayed as bad guys. And the whole "rescuing the mindless holograms" scene was just unnecessary. The two episode as a whole probably would have been better if it were compressed into a single episode, simply removing the bad elements.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x11 — Shattered
Synopsis
Chakotay experiences different eras of Voyager's history.
Remarkable scenes
- Naomi with her LCARS puzzle.
- Janeway taking apart her replicator.
- Janeway: "Once, a long time ago, I called this replicator a glorified toaster. It never forgave me."
- The doctor complaining about his underappreciation and his lack of mobility.
- Janeway and Chakotay stumbling on a future Icheb and Naomi.
- Chakotay walking through the ship, moving through time.
- Janeway: "Sounds like it's going to be one disaster after another on this ship."
- The whole Chaotica scene.
- Chaotica: "Eighth? Everyone knows there are only five dimensions."
- Janeway: "The delta quadrant is a death trap!"
- Rules of Acquisition; ?. A good lie is easier to believe than the truth.
Review
So, what did I think of this episode? Sorry. Can't tell you. Temporal Prime Directive. Has it occurred to anyone that this has got to be the biggest Trek inside joke around? Boy, if I were a kid attending school in the 24th century Federation, I'd use that excuse all the time. "Why's your homework not done?" My response? "I can't tell you. Temporal prime directive." Joking aside, the episode itself is pretty funny. While completely implausible, it's fun to watch Chakotay wander through Voyager's different time periods. This episode was also a nicely clever way to bring back Seska and the Kazon. I am only curious as to why Seven of Nine was so willing to help Voyager. She should have been more like Seska for her behavior to be consistent. In the end, it's just another reset button though. Voyager has done these to death. At least it's a light hearted entertaining one though.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x12 — Lineage
Synopsis
Torres worries about her unborn child.
Remarkable scenes
- Icheb speculating that Torres' pregnancy is in fact a parasitic infection.
- The doctor accidentally revealing the baby's gender.
- Torres desperately trying to get everyone's support in resequencing her baby's DNA so it is no longer any part Klingon.
- The revelation that Torres tampered with the EMH.
- Torres telling the story of why her father left.
Review
A revisit of Torres' personal conflict shown in Voy: Faces, among other episodes. What's interesting about this episode is that it has no secondary plot, and doesn't in fact need one. The issue of racial, or rather species (im)purity is obviously very real in the 24th century Federation, and this episode explores the concept well. I like the way this episode shows us how much the characters and crew have matured over the years. An episode like this couldn't have been done in the first season. I also like how not only did the entire episode focus on a single plot thread, it was something of a bottle show. It's nice to explore the characters every once in a while instead of showing us alien or anomaly of the week. And it's done well here.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x13 — Repentance
Synopsis
Voyager transports prisoners.
Remarkable scenes
- Seven of Nine's valiant escape.
- Tuvok shooting the prisoner through the doctor.
- The doctor: "This is a Federation starship, not the barge of the dead."
- The doctor curing the neurological disorder in Iko's brain which caused him to be violent.
- Iko ending the prisoner revolt, proving he's changed even to the warden.
Review
An episode dealing with prisoner ethics. Is an eye for an eye wrong? Should the death penalty be exacted on murderers? What if it's discovered that the murder was only committed due to mental illness? And what if that mental illness can be cured? The episode doesn't much deal with these issues other than skimming over the obvious. It's obvious Iko should not have been executed. And it's obvious that people like him should be cured. Unfortunately, no attempt is made to check to see if any of the other prisoners suffered from this condition, nor did Voyager share this medical finding with the Nygeans for some reason. Instead we get character drama, some pointless action, and more of Seven feeling guilty about being formerly Borg. I would have preferred an episode less unoriginal, but the one we got wasn't too bad.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x14 — Prophecy
Synopsis
Torres' unborn child may be a Klingon "Savior."
Remarkable scenes
- The battle with the Klingons.
- the Klingons blowing up their own ship.
- Neelix and Tuvok becoming bunk mates.
- Neelix: "Good! Because I promise you we're going to have fun, Mr. Vulcan. I learned some Klingon drinking songs."
- Torres meeting with the Klingons.
- Kohlar: "Where are the images of Kahless? Where is your family crest?" Torres: "They clashed with the carpet."
- The doctor authorizing Kim to have sexual relations with the Klingon females. Nice connection with Voy: The Disease ;)
- Tom accepting the Klingon challenge.
- Neelix taking Harry's woman. ;)
- The fight on the bridge.
- The aftermath of Neelix' relationship with the Klingon woman in Tuvok's quarters.
Review
A smart episode. The timing is right, Voyager is over half way home, close enough to encounter a Klingon generational ship. I am just disappointed that they are eliminated at the end of this episode. They're guided to a new home and never seen again. This episode suffers from the same problem that Equinox did in this respect. It would have been nice to keep the Equinox and her crew around. Likewise it would have been nice to keep the Klingon ship and her crew around. The episode bears nice continuity with Voy: Lineage, just two episodes ago. I'm glad the writers found a way to do something with Torres' pregnancy beyond the initial episode. Overall, I thought this episode ended up being much better than and not as silly as it could have been. Sure, it does seem the writers are pouring too much alpha quadrant into the writing lately, but they're being very careful about it.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x15 — The Void
Synopsis
Voyager is pulled into a void.
Remarkable scenes
- Seven chiding Chakotay for wanting to change his wine and Paris for wanting some salt regarding the meal she prepared.
- Seven: "In six years you haven't chosen a name for yourself but you've given Fantôme one in a few days." The doctor: "Choosing the right name for myself is extremely difficult. I'm a complex individual." Seven: "And Fantôme isn't?"
- Seven of Nine teaching Fantôme to communicate.
- Janeway forming an alliance.
- The native void species communicating through music.
- The alliance making it through the vortex.
Review
Rarely do we ever see such brilliant displays of the spirit of Star Trek. This episode could have been just another boring anomaly of the week episode, but instead we're given a character driven drama depicting the struggles many groups of people trying to survive in a barren environment. Indeed, survival is impossible unless you prey off of the other prisoners. Janeway's idealism is exactly the kind of thinking which made the Federation so great in the first place. Pooling the resources of many ships in the void was exactly what was necessary for a long term survival plan. I most enjoyed Janeway's dedication to her principles even when things seemed grim. In the end, we had five alien cultures (including the Hierarchy) cooperating toward their common goal of escape. Probably the most impressive aspect of the show are the native aliens of the void. Initially regarded as vermin, or parasites by the other aliens, and an unintelligent burden to some of the Starfleet crew, Seven and the doctor devise a way to communicate with them, and they repay Voyager for their kindness. The message there is to never discriminate. All things considered, this episode is kind of like a much improved version of TAS: The Time Trap. I wonder if the author was inspired by that episode.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x16 — Workforce, Part I
Synopsis
The crew works on an unknown world.
Remarkable scenes
- The sight of the impressive Quarren city.
- Janeway to her supervisor: "I can already tell it's going to be much better than my last job."
- Seven the "efficiency monitor."
- Tom having discipline problems
- Tuvok, the funny man, a joke teller.
- The doctor as the Emergency Command Hologram. Nice reference to Voy: Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy.
- The sight of Neelix' ship leaving the shuttle bay.
- Neelix and Chakotay "abducting" Torres.
Review
Impressive. Voyager has been abusing two part episodes lately, squandering time. But this is a case where the two part episode is used well. Part one is sufficiently complex, giving us many sets and many problems. I was very pleased to see the doctor get to play Emergency Command Hologram for real, fantastic continuity with Voy: Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy. The way he and eventually Chakotay, Harry, and Neelix all deal with the problem was very professional and a lot of fun to watch. Part one has thus far made great use of Voyager's diverse elements and continuity. Besides the ECH, we see the return of Neelix' shuttle, Torres' pregnancy is used in the story again, Tom's delinquency is made an issue, Janeway's desire for a relationship shows up again, and even Seven of Nine's efficiency fetish plays a role. It's remarkable how the characters were selectively brainwashed so the essence of who they were remained, even if their memories were tampered with. The episode's climax is exciting, leaving us with a (most literal) cliffhanger after Chakotay had been discovered and Torres "abducted." Finally, the graphics in this episode were spectacular, some of the best ever shown.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x17 — Workforce, Part II
Synopsis
Chakotay tries to rescue his lost comrades.
Remarkable scenes
- The doctor outwitting the Quarren ships.
- Remarkable technobabble: "Triaxialating frequency on a covariant subspace band."
- Seven: "More than a hundred skilled employees, most of them the same species, acquired in a single day during a labor shortage?"
- Yerid investigating the conspiracy.
- Ravoc uncovering the conspiracy.
- Voyager coming under attack when they tried to rescue their crew.
- Kim outwitting the Quarren ships.
Review
Not quite as exciting as the first part as we by now well knew exactly what was going on. Watching Ravoc so slowly (ad nauseam) uncover the source of the conspiracy was the weakest use of time yet displayed in the episode. However, the extensive guest character involvement was also still quite to the episode's advantage. I felt we really got to know Qurren well, and it was nice to see the crew's efforts to rescue their comrades finally begin to show some progress after much trial and error. And like part one, part two manages to display more spectacular graphics. Workforce was an unusual episode on any scale, but definitely a surprisingly nice treat and a gem of season seven.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x18 — Human Error
Synopsis
Seven experiences more emotions.
Remarkable scenes
- Seven's opening piano performance.
- The doctor: "Rock-a-bye baby, in the spacedock. When the core blows, the shuttle will rock. When the hull breaks, the shuttle will fall. And down will come baby, shuttle and all."
- Seven discussing hairstyles with Torres...
- Seven: "Slice these vegetables transversely in five millimeter increments."
- The metronome scene.
- Seven's medical emergency and the doctor stumbling on her fantasy.
- Seven disarming the alien weapon.
Review
Great continuity with Voy: Unimatrix Zero. I was wondering if they'd pick up on Seven's behavioral changes whilst within Unimatrix Zero and thankfully they did. Unfortunately this episode ends with the biggest anticlimax in Voyager history for which I subtract points. I couldn't believe the way the episode just ended well before it began. I was totally enthralled in the story of Seven of Nine finally becoming truly human, jumping over that last hurdle to humanity. But instead of letting the doctor treat her and instead of picking up on the real Chakotay's advances, she dismisses them both right out of hand so she could remain a workaholic. How sad. This episode parallels TNG: Lessons in that it features some more extremely beautiful piano music. I'll never forget the Moonlight Sonata scene in the Jeffries Tubes in that episode. Likewise I'll never forget the metronome scene between Seven and holographic Chakotay here. With only eight episodes left, the plot thread left wide open in this episode is at the top of my list for loose threads to resolve. Never end a story this way!
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x19 — Q2
Synopsis
Q and his son visit Voyager.
Remarkable scenes
- Janeway: "How many more chapters are there?" Icheb: "Thirty four." Janeway: This was supposed to be a twenty minute presentation." Icheb: "I was trying to be thorough."
- Q and Q2 appearing.
- Q2: "I've been through every deck on this ship. And do you know what I've seen? Bipeds pushing buttons. Bipeds replacing relays. Bipeds running diagnostics."
- Q2 removing Seven of Nine's cloths...
- Janeway: "Coffee. Black." Computer: "Make it yourself."
- Q2 having 3 Borg cubes attack Voyager.
- Q getting advice from Janeway.
- Q2: "What was that for?" Q: "What's wrong? You didn't enjoy life as an Oprelian amoeba?" Q2: "No! I was shapeless and slimy. The only thing to eat was paramecia!"
- Q2 asking Seven if he can see her naked again...
- Chakotay making Q2 solve a diplomatic problem.
- Q: "Potential isn't going to be enough for the Continuum." Janeway: "Then what will be enough?" Q: "The boy needs to display nothing less than exemplary Qness." Janeway: "And what exactly is Qness?" Q: "Oh it's impossible for your minuscule mind to comprehend."
- Q2 stealing the Delta flyer and blowing up the door on the shuttle bay.
- The alien Q2 fired upon revealing himself to actually be Q.
- Q rewarding Janeway by taking two years off her journey.
Review
Marvelously hilarious. It is slightly annoying that the Q are being used for nothing more than comic relief, and this likely being the final Q episode is hardly a good send off. For some reason on TNG Q felt the need to be profound, and on Voyager he felt the need to be funny. With the exception of his first appearance on Voyager in Voy: Death Wish, which was one of Voyager's best episodes, all his appearances on Voyager have been little silly. This episode being absolutely no exception. And even Voy: Death Wish was quite silly compared to some of Q's TNG appearances. (Okay, I guess Q was trivialized on TNG a bit too.) That said, I don't mind it so much, it's just worth pointing out. It was a nice idea to have Keegan de Lancie play as Q's son, seeing as how he's the son of the actor playing Q. It made their interactions that much more realistic. It's interesting to compare and contrast this episode with the last one. Voy: Human Error was a profound character analysis of Seven of Nine. This episode is nothing more than cheap humor with a rather basic lesson in morality. Nevertheless, as fond as I was for Voy: Human Error's basic plot, the ending was quite lacking. Voy: Human Error was a better story for the most part, but this episode was much more entertaining, and lacked the fatal flaw of an anticlimax. Besides, it's fun to laugh, and this episode has lots of humor.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x20 — Author, Author
Synopsis
The Doctor works on his new holo-novel.
Remarkable scenes
- The intro to the doctor's holonovel is a nice bit of special effects.
- Tom playing in the doctor's inflammatory holonovel.
- Torres playing in the doctor's holonovel, complete with the mobile emitter backpack.
- Harry finding out his character is a hypochondriac.
- Janeway watching her character condemn the doctor.
- The doctor trying to justify his story to the crew.
- Harry explaining to his parents why promotions are in short supply when there is only one ship in the delta quadrant.
- The doctor experiencing Paris' sabotaged version of the doctor's holonovel.
- The doctor: "My publisher assures me he won't distribute the program until he receives the revised version." Torres: "That must be the one where we assimilate the Borg and take over the quadrant."
- Torres talking to her father.
- Broht legally stealing the rights to the doctor's holonovel, which satires the lack of holographic rights in the Federation, because the author (the doctor), as a hologram, has no legal rights in the Federation.
- The arbitrator contending that the doctor is not a real person.
- Annika meeting her aunt Irene Hansen.
- The doctor winning the case gaining the right to control his own work.
- The scene on the dilithium refinery.
Review
Lots of mud gets thrown at this episode for being mindless entertainment and in some ways downright offensive. But I personally enjoyed the doctor's absurd recreation. I also think that it's important that the doctor learned not to use such a provocative tone in his writing so as not to offend his friends. The absurd recreation while a fine plot in and of itself is expanded into an episode with a much more serious tone though, which is why I ended up liking it so much. Voy: Author, Author becomes for holograms what TNG: The Measure of a Man was for androids. Granted this episode lacks the level of profoundness the TNG episode had, it retains quite a bit of it. The ending of the episode more than peaked my interest, and I thought it was handled well. What better irony is there than Broht stealing the doctor's work, which satires the lack of holographic rights in the Federation, because the author, the doctor is a hologram and has no legal rights in the Federation! The timing is perfect too. We've seen so many episodes already dealing with holographic persecution, such as Voy: Flesh and Blood, among others. I was waiting for an episode that would spearhead the issue, tackling it once and for all. I'm annoyed that the arbitrator would not declare the doctor a person, closing the issue once and for all, but then again for the sake of the plot I'm kind of glad he didn't. You don't want to do too much in a single episode, now do you? ;) Overall, I think this episode is quite underrated.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x21 — Friendship One
Synopsis
Starfleet orders Voyager to locate the titular probe.
Remarkable scenes
- Janeway discussing the Voth with Admiral Hendricks.
- Carey's death.
Review
Weak. Lt. Carey appeared in season one, then was remarkably absent from future episodes. They brought him back for episodes that dealt with "Voyager's past" connoting that he was lost some time in season one. Now it's revealed that he's always been around and that he never died... only so they could kill him off here! His death was utterly pointless and Janeway's speech about how exploration at the cost of loss of life being unacceptable is just downright offensive. Every starship we've seen on Star Trek has lost life in the name of exploration. That's what makes it so "bold" when they go "where no one has gone before." It's not unrealistic that Janeway, who has just lost a friend (okay, maybe that's a stretch seeing as how he was already a ghost) might be feeling shaky about her convictions but such feelings could have been expressed better. On the other hand, the idea of having Voyager go on a mission to retrieve Friendship One was a good one. I did indeed like the premise of the episode. It's just a shame that instead of getting a discussion about this being the reason the Prime Directive exists, all we got was a dumb hostage story instead.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x22 — Natural Law
Synopsis
Seven and Chakotay are stranded.
Remarkable scenes
- Tom getting stuck with piloting lessons.
- The Ledosians attacking Voyager.
- Tom diverting from his "training" to go on Janeway's "mission."
Review
Another disappointment. I expected since the teaser that this episode would make Seven begin to pursue the real Chakotay, but it never happened. Additionally, I'm disappointed at the unprecedented level of arrogance displayed in this episode. What right did Voyager have to make decisions for the Ventu? If I were Janeway, yes, I would have wanted my deflector back. But I would have shared with the Ledosians how to defeat the barrier. It just made no sense that the Ventu should be shielded from "medicine, infrastructure, and education" based on some misguided belief that their primitive culture should be preserved. The Ledosians had every right to be angry.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x23 — Homestead
Synopsis
Voyager discovers a Talaxian settlement.
Remarkable scenes
- Tuvok's "hypothetical" advice to Neelix.
- Neelix leaving Voyager with his shuttle.
- Naomi: "Thanks, Neelix. But I can put myself to bed. I'm not a little girl anymore."
- Neelix' send off.
Review
My first reaction to this episode... wow. Naomi looks a lot older since the last time we saw her. Funny how those kids just shoot right up in size. Well, the episode is adequate as a send off for Neelix, but unremarkable as an episode. I just felt that Neelix' character never got used to its full potential, so his send off didn't feel very meaningful. To be honest, I would have rather seen Neelix return to Earth with Voyager. But what's done is done. In a way, I'm glad the writers decided to give Neelix some closure. But it's always sad to see a long time character go. First Kes, now Neelix. It's not like he's really going anywhere though. With only three episodes of Voyager left, I'm sure he'll pop up again on long range communications. So again, the send off didn't feel very meaningful.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x24 — Renaissance Man
Synopsis
Janeway is held hostage.
Remarkable scenes
- The doctor: "I'd never admit this to anyone else, but there was a time when I would have given anything to be flesh and blood. But I've come to realize that being a hologram is far superior."
- Janeway's freakishly weird behavior.
- Chakotay discovering Janeway is an impostor.
- The doctor pretending to be Torres.
- The doctor jumping through the wall and grabbing his mobile emitter. Nice!
- The doctor hiding in a sea of copies within the holodeck.
- The doctor as Torres defeating Tuvok.
- The doctor as a Hierarchy member.
- The doctor's program destabilizing.
- Tuvok and Tom retaking the Delta Flyer.
- The doctor's confessions.
- Torres casually explaining that she's fixed the doctor.
Review
A lot of nice details in this episode. I was fond to see the return of the Hierarchy. Probably most amusing was the doctor's clever use of holographic technology. We get to see the Emergency Command Hologram again too. And we get some incredible special effects as well. I am particularly fond of all of the doctor's athletic maneuvers. There's no doubt that just about everything the doctor did in this episode was one blunder after another, but it made for such wonderful story. Like Voy: Workforce, this episode makes great use of Voyager's continuity. Voy: Renaissance Man remains one of my favorites of the season. Maybe one of the best performances of the doctor ever.
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x25 — Endgame, Part I
Synopsis
Admiral Janeway travels back in time.
Remarkable scenes
- Seeing Voyager flying over San Francisco.
- The doctor finally chose a name... Joe. I agree with Mr. Paris. Not the greatest choice!
- The doctor: "You're going to have a very healthy baby. But not tonight." Torres: "Tell me you're joking. You're experiencing false labor, lieutenant." Tom: "Again?" The doctor: "As I explained the last time, it's a common occurrence. Especially among Klingons." Torres: "I want this thing out of me! Now!" The doctor: "Misdirected rage. Another common occurrence among Klingons."
- Icheb defeating Tuvok at Kalto.
- Future Tuvok freaking out about Janeway leaving.
- Janeway arriving at the house of Korath.
- Voyager's near miss colliding with a Borg cube.
- Seven having the doctor eliminate Seven of Nine's emotion blocker first discovered in Voy: Human Error.
- Korath: "You question my honor?" Janeway: "If you were honorable, you wouldn't have changed the terms of our agreement."
- Janeway's heist. That's some shuttle!
- Admiral Janeway traveling back in time.
- Admiral Janeway giving captain Janeway orders.
Review
Well, in the tradition of TNG: All Good Things and DS9: What You Leave Behind, another relationship between characters is made up on the spot. First it was Troi and Worf, then it was Ezri and Bashir, and now Seven and Chakotay. Granted, they've hinted at this relationship between Seven and Chakotay in Voy: Human Error and almost in Voy: Natural Law. Anyway, Endgame, Part I was a sufficiently entertaining episode. I am only slightly annoyed that Admiral Janeway seems to have no problem breaking all kinds of laws just to get her crew home a little faster. Though it seemed obvious Voyager was going to need some kind of major speed boost to make it home before in time for the finale. The 30,000 light years have to come from somewhere! ;)
Star Trek: Voyager — 7x26 — Endgame, Part II
Synopsis
Janeway tries to change Voyager's history.
Remarkable scenes
- Admiral Janeway boarding Voyager.
- Admiral Janeway spilling details about Voyager's future to captain Janeway.
- Janeway: "Though I've had some strange experiences in my career, nothing quite compares to the sight of my future self briefing my officers on technology that hasn't been invented yet."
- Voyager deploying their new armor.
- Voyager shrugging off attacks by three Borg cube.
- Voyager destroying two Borg cubes.
- Voyager discovering the transwarp hub.
- Admiral Janeway spilling the beans to captain Janeway about all the bad stuff that'll happen to her crew.
- Admiral Janeway showing up in Unimatrix One.
- The Borg Queen assimilating admiral Janeway.
- Admiral Janeway infecting the Borg Collective with a neurolytic pathogen.
- Unimatrix One's destruction.
- The transwarp network's destruction.
- The Federation ships battling the Borg sphere.
- Voyager reaching the alpha quadrant.
- Janeway: "Set a course for home." Final line spoken on the show.
Review
Why oh why didn't captain Janeway just stroll right on through the transwarp hub? We seriously didn't need this whole "have your cake and eat it too" crap. I would have much preferred that admiral Janeway had told captain Janeway about the hub first and had the argument over whether or not to destroy it or use it before entering the nebula. The admiral could then have convinced the captain to use it instead of destroy it, correcting the mistake she made in Voy: Caretaker. Yes, Janeway made a mistake. It would have been a massively awesome humbling experience to see her truly admit it by making the right choice. But no. The writers wanted more than that. The writers not only wanted Janeway to a deliver a major blow to the Borg, but to reach Earth while doing it. (You'll note that they did much the same thing in Voy: Night that they did in this episode.) Hell, the writers even almost saved it by having admiral Janeway "betray" captain Janeway. But again, nope. It was a farce! So in the end, a lot of time in the finale is wasted on this pointless contention between the Janeways and almost zero time is spent on Voyager's homecoming. I was profoundly disappointed that we didn't get to see family reunions, or even Voyager landing on Earth. We're not even told just what exactly happened to the Borg. The way its shown they could have been either extremely wounded or totally and utterly destroyed. They really should have clarified this. Not only that, but captain Janeway brought loads of technology from the future to Earth and we're not shown the repercussions of that at all! I've wanted to know since Voy: Future's End what the repercussions of the mobile emitter would be once Voyager reached Earth. Now we have futuristic stealth technology (which is banned in the Federation as far as I know since TNG: The Pegasus), some really kick ass armor technology, and "transphasic" torpedoes to contend with too! Don't get me wrong. I really liked Voy: Endgame. Maybe if we substituted Voy: Unimatrix Zero with Voy: Endgame and gave us a season of Voyager in the alpha quadrant, it would have been more fitting. But as I always say, what's done is done. We don't quite get the closure I hoped for like in DS9: What You Leave Behind, and the episode wasn't quite as good as TNG: All Good Things, but it was still a damn fine episode and a mostly fitting end for Star Trek Voyager.