Episode 56: Alter Ego

Ugh. I would’ve expected better from a Tuvok story, unfortunately half of it is a Harry Kim story.

So many problems with Harry. Well, apart from the fact he falls in love with a hologram which is the main conceit of the episode.. He goes to Tuvok to get rid of all emotions, then when Paris finds him meditating instead of going to a party he blames Tuvok. Of course then he has another hissy fit (see previous episodes) when he sees Tuvok his the hologram in the holodeck. At the end of the episode Tuovk apologises to HIM but doesn’t even get one back?!

The hologram in the end turns out to be a lonely alien. Seriously, how many lonely aliens are there on Star Trek? Don’t they have some kind of dating service between them by now?

Life on Voyager reminds me of regimented “fun” at holiday camps and cruise ships. I’m having fun over here thanks, “NO! You must have fun here with all these other people”. What do you expect though with Neelix as Morale Officer. Tuvok has to turn up of course due to more Vulcan racism from the crew joined in by the First Officer and Captain. It’s all one happy society in Star Fleet, no crime or racism, unless you don’t have emotions and then it’s fine!

Episode 55: Fair Trade

They missed a trick with the beginning of the episode, the cut into the credits has Janeway asking Neelix about the viewscreen which he says is the Nekrid Expanse. Cue ominous shot and credits. If only when it had come back he’d have added “It’s quite nice actually”.

Hey, it’s the contractually obliged Neelix episode, with Neelix worried how the crew will put up with him now that the limit of his knowledge of the Delta Quadrant is being reached. If I were him I’d have been worried a long time before now, but I digress. Neelix meets up with another Talaxian, Wixabin or Weetabix, something like that who he was involved in a smuggling operation with. I thought we’d seen this Talaxian before but then it turns out they all look alike (little bit racist). Neelix ends up drug dealing with this guy on the space station they visit, in order to get a map so he can help the crew of Voyager as normal. Just say no, kids.

And what’s this?! There’s another Vulcan on board who has never been seen before but no-one questions his sudden appearance. This is also known as the Chekhov Effect.

Janeway tells Neelix that he’s one of her most trusted advisers but how can she trust him again? What like Tuvok? Guess they’re all just dropping like flies. Before you know it she’ll be left to just trusting... well, Neelix.

Episode 54: Macrocosm

Janeway and Neelix come back to find Voyager deserted. Very similar teaser to TNG's Genesis, but hardly surprising since they were both written by Braga. Turns out this macro virus has spread throughout the ship which gives Janeway her chance to do her Die Hard In The Delta Quadrant pitch.

This just doesn’t feel like a Star Trek episode and more like a typical summer action blockbuster. Even some of the dialogue feels set about this level. Even the Doctor in this episode doesn’t feel like he’s written as well as he normally is, nice though it is that he gets to go on his first away mission to another planet.

The Tak Tak who feature briefly in this, are the weirdest alien race encountered so far in Voyager with their elaborate gestures, which makes sense since Voyager's so far away from Earth. Of course we only see them for about 5 minutes, so much for that.

This is also the first episode to heavily feature purely computer generated aliens that the crew have to react with, and they act better than some of the regulars. If you turn your brain off for this story (and it’s Voyager why would you have it on?) it’s a pretty passable episode.

Episode 53: The Q And The Gray

Remember how the last time Q appeared on Voyager I was surprised it was actually a very good story? Well, relax everyone because normal service has been resumed.

The episode starts with the bridge crew clapping a supernova. Really? I bet they also applaud when Voyager lands successfully. Q arrives to try and get off with Janeway, for some reason. Something to do with a new Q baby stopping a Q War. Which of course is represented by the American Civil War, because if there’s one thing the Q’s can do while there’s a war on is help Janeway to see it as something she’d understand. That part really didn’t do it for me, especially when Chakotay (or Chuckles as Q called him) and the rest of the Voyager crew arrived as cavalry to rescue Janeway from the Q’s. If there’s one thing they can do, it’s rescue people from omnipotent super beings.

The only real bright spot in this episode were the Q’s. That is, John DeLancie and Suzie Plakson as the female Q (and also played K’Ehleyr in TNG (Yes, I looked up how to spell that (Whoops, too many brackets))). As fun as it was to have Q insulting Neelix with “bar rodent” I have to say the female Q was better in her limited screen time.

Also why didn’t Janeway just procreate with Q in return for getting the ship back to Earth? And more to the point, why did he want Janeway?

Episode 52: Warlord

 
This one’s teaser starts off with Paris, Kim and Neelix in a gaudy Hawaiian style resort, (but it’s from another planet, go figure) and finishes on a close-up of Neelix’s feet. Thankfully though, things get better from there, well they’d have to, wouldn’t they?

So in this episode Kes is possessed by a Warlord from another planet (See where they got the title from?) and as I’m sure I’ve said before Jennifer Lien can act. She’s just hardly ever given the opportunity to since the vast majority of her scenes involve Neelix who, under the influence of the Warlord, she broke up with!
Since we’ve only ever seen her as Kes it was quite refreshing to see her as this Tieran character (unfortunately not Tyrion from Game of Thrones, I’m not THAT lucky) and take relish in death and sexual deviancy. The sexual deviancy being that Tieran (male) not minding who he went with to get power, of course his wife wasn’t as pleased...

Another good thing about the episode is we spent most of it on the planet with Tieran in Kes’ body and the world down there. The Voyager crew were hardly in this by contrast, with the exception of Tuvok who attempted a rescue. Incidentally Tuvok actor Tim Russ is apparently a big Star Trek fan and would be the one on set keeping things right continuity wise. Well, when they listened, that is.

Episode 51: Future's End Part II

I can pretty much explain what happens in this episode in a sentence.  People get caught, then escape, then caught and escape again (it's almost like old Doctor Who) before the time line reverts to normal (and back to Voyager).  It seemed like a series of short episodes all stuck together rather than the conclusion to anything.

The best thing about the entire episode of course was the Doctor.  Now that he can actually leave the sickbay into the real world now that can only make things better.  There was a nice moment when he’s outside and he stops to smell a tree. Plus of course his usual sardonic wit.
 

At one point, Torres and Chakotay (who were on their way to rescue Paris) are captured by an anti-government militia in Arizona, presumably just to appear topical for a 24th century show.  I’m assuming the scene where they play Mortal Kombat against the cast of Friends was cancelled.
 

Okay, I promise I won’t mention the fact that the eugenics war should be happening, who says I khan’t.... dammit.  Still I don’t understand Jeri Taylor’s logic that “those of us who entered into the Nineties realize the Eugenics Wars simply aren't happening.”  Well that’s because we’re not in Star Trek.... it’s a TV show.  They could have have easily had one line saying that the time travel paradox stuff altered the war so it happened later.  Not that I’m mentioning it of course.

Episode 50: Future's End Part I

It’s a Thursday so we must be due for another time travel episode, and we are.
 

So a bunch of time travel type paradox stuff happens and Voyager ends up on Earth in 1996 where they have to find a pair of humpbacked whales... no wait, that was the better one.  This crew have to prevent a paradox and Ed Begley Jr using his smarm to destroy the Solar System.  There’s also a homeless man in LA  in 1996 who was from the 29th century and was a Star Fleet Captain of a Timeship until Voyager happened.  I know how he feels.  Oh yes, and Sarah Silverman is also there to help Voyager.  Was this sweeps week or something?
 

Of course this couldn’t be a Voyager episode without cliche, and there’s nothing that springs forth cliches better than computers in TV/movies.  I loved how Janeway didn’t really know how to use the 1996 computer but within seconds was typing, changing screens, and all without using a mouse.  Did ‘The Net’ teach them nothing?

Not a bad episode but it did suffer a bit too much in the ‘fish out of water’ syndrome with saying how different things are every five seconds, like Neelix and Kes watching soap operas or Paris calling things ‘groovy’..  Plus it was done with more aplomb in Star Trek IV.  Though to give credit where it’s due, there was a funny bit when Janeway’s communicator went off on Earth, the contemporary humans in the background all checked their phones.  Still there’s the hope of more than one scene with the Doctor in Part II.