Episode 16: Learning Curve

This might be the worst start to an episode of Voyager so far.  We're back on Janeway's Edwardian “holonovel” where she's a Governess to a couple of children, one of whom is the most horrible brat in all of Star Trek... well so far.  He also grew up to be John Connor in the short lived Terminator TV series, so at least he was in a better Sci-Fi series, well I say "better".

So anyway, back to the story proper, such as it is.  It can be summed up as Voyager does Full Metal Jacket or maybe Half Empty Metal Jacket.  Tuvok takes on the R Lee Ermey role but unfortunately doesn't go on to say "Only two things come from Bajor..."

There are a number of problems with this type story, for one it's horribly clichéd unless it's done really well and unsurprisingly it isn't and even more unsurprisingly they all learned an important lesson at the end.  Indeed, it's so unsubtle I wouldn't have blinked if He-Man had come on at the end to tell me what I've learned.

Another annoying thing was the annoying maquis, if I was supposed to feel any kind of sympathy of them at any point I didn't.  In fact if Tuvok had shoved them out of an air lock I think it would've been a good thing for the show.

So that was season one, though four episodes were held over to season two for some reason, so it's not going to improve any time soon, if at all.

This episode also has the "distinction" of being the story to feature the line "Get the cheese to sickbay".  So there's that.

(This review brought to you by the quotation mark and the word "spite".)