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.