(Following in the steps of DEEP SPACE NINE, one is almost immediately struck by a veritable absence of gravity...as though the franchise had been trying to run in concrete shoes, and now has been reborn in lightness and possibility. I hope that's not just about the allure of serial novelty possible aboard a constantly-traveling starship, but rather about the profound flaws in DS9's conception and execution.)
FOUR-STAR EPISODES: 1
AVERAGE EPISODE RATING: 2.6
-Caretaker ***
A Starfleet vessel and the rebel maquis ship it's chasing get yanked to the far side of the galaxy, in this double-length pilot. An alien entity has been pulling ships from all over the galaxy, trying to find a genetically compatible being. With only one vessel left, the two crews must become one. Voyager's first officer, helmsperson, and doctor are killed, to be replaced by a maquis, an ex-con observer, and an emergency medical hologram. The human manifestation of the dying alien is played with crusty pathos by basil langton (MISTER SMITH CARRIES ON, ALMOST A GENTLEMAN). The chemistry between paris and the betazoid pilot (alicia coppola - NCIS, JERICHO) is thoroughly satisfying...underscoring the wrong-turn-to-come in hitching his romantic wagon to b'elanna (tom's chemistry with kes is better, too). Armin shimerman makes a sweet cameo as DS9's quark, trying to fleece a Voyager crewmember. The captain makes a moral choice which strands them all seventy-five years from home. They skedaddle a little unrealistically quickly from the endangered ocampa, but i quibble...
-Parallax ***
The tempestuous torres is considered for chief engineer, despite janeway's reservations. Voyager tries to rescue a vessel caught in a quantum singularity, only to find the ship is their own.
-Time and Again ***
A planet is discovered which suffered a recent cataclysm. Janeway and paris are thrown backward in time, and realize Voyager is responsible.
-Phage **
An away team is ambushed by plague-stricken aliens who harvest organs to keep themselves alive. Neelix's lungs are taken, and the doctor gives him temporary holographic replacements. Unable to leave his sickbed, he becomes jealous over tom's comforting of kes. Attitudes less painfully unenlightened might have saved ethan's character, but four episodes in we're already longing for kes to be free of him.
-The Cloud *
Voyager enters a nebula in search of a power source, as chakotay helps janeway find her spirit animal. The nebula turns out to be a life form. Just a classic episode reworked, but the writer (tom szollosi) treats the 24th century like the 20th. We'll take dwight schulz, A-TEAM, you keep szollosi. All of which is harmlessly flaccid, until the final two lines. To paraphrase - "Are you there, god? It's me, janeway."
-Eye of the Needle ****
-written by bill dial, jeri taylor
-directed by winrich kolbe
A miniature wormhole leading to the alpha quadrant is discovered. They establish communications with a romulan scientist, seamlessly played by vaughn armstrong (ENTERPRISE, THE NET). His skepticism gives way, as the crew formulate a plan to transport home - but the wormhole is found to be a portal into the past. A touching subplot deals with the doctor's reaction to being treated by the crew as an appliance. Kes is the first to believe he's something more, and her advocacy is quite moving. The first episode that grips your heart over the plight of this crew, VOYAGER's first four-star entry is also the first without neelix. Coincidence?
-Ex Post Facto ***
And the first delta quadrant nookie goes to...um...well, no, never mind. It takes paris only seven episodes to lose his "bad boy" image, as he passes on sex with a willing (if duplicitous) alien because it would be, um, "wrong". This kind of sexual repression is neither A) healthy, or B) a glimpse of humanity's future - rather the opposite, as our hormone-awash couple embrace and he proceeds to go all heathcliff & cathy. Aside from that however, this is a pretty brilliant episode. The baneans wrongfully convict tom of murder, and implant him with a device which makes him relive his crime through the victim's eyes once a day for the rest of his life. Even though this punishment is just a lesser degree of barbaric than our own, i admit to initially being struck with admiration for it. It's both more humanistic, and presumably a lot more effective deterrent than prison. And okay, neelix actually made me laugh in this one.
-Emanations **
Scans of a new element lead the ship to an asteroid which seems to be an alien burial ground. Harry accidentally gets switched with an incoming corpse, ending up on a planet which thinks death is but the doorway to corporeal existence in another dimension. They're ignorant of what actually happens to the people who enter their death portals, and suddenly the stability of an entire culture is threatened. There was tremendous potential here, but the resolution is too easy, and the philosophical dialogue falls short of brilliant.
-Prime Factors ***
A compelling meditation on being on the other side of the prime directive, when a culture that could send Voyager halfway home refuses on ethical grounds. This episode could only have happened in the first season, when the crew relationships are embryonic. The carrot of home sparks an escalation of disobeyed orders, as b'elanna allows herself to be convinced that this opportunity can't be thrown away. Her growing respect for janeway (and a life of self-respect and greater purpose that suddenly seems open to her), collides with a dire ethical dilemma, and the conflict is palpable. The even bigger surprise is the officer who ultimately takes all credit for the mutinous behavior - tuvok. Thinking that janeway's principles have locked her into a corner from which she desperately wants to escape, he takes the responsibility off her hands, fully ready to sacrifice his career. This is the kind of situation employing logic (and its potential for messy, divisive results) which the TREK writers should have captured more often. Janeway's dissection of vulcan logic is perhaps the most compelling such argument ever offered. The scenes involving these three actors are searing. The only things keeping this from four stars are guest chemistry that doesn't quite gel, and a casual dismissal of a hedonistic, living-in-the-moment culture - the writing lacks fair-handed subtlety.
-State of Flux **
A kazon ship is found, which was destroyed trying to incorporate Federation technology. Seska, a surgically-altered cardassian who was a spy (and chakotay's lover) with the maquis, is uncovered. A juicy premise for martha hackett's (NEVER BEEN KISSED, KISS KISS BANG BANG) thirteen-episode arc, but one that never bears much fruit. She escapes, to join the kazon.
-Heroes and Demons ***
Kim, tuvok, and chakotay disappear inside a malfunctioning Beowulf holonovel. Because he can't be similarly hurt (as he's already a hologram), the doctor is sent on his first "away" mission. Kes gets him to acknowledge his fears. He discovers an aggrieved photonic life form, saves the day, and gets his first kiss, from a warrior maiden (marjorie monaghan - SPACE RANGERS, REGARDING HENRY). Flawed but fun, with the first intimations of the greatness that lies ahead for the doc.
-Cathexis **
Chakotay's spirit is displaced from his body by vampiric energy aliens.
-Faces ***
Captured by vidiians, b'elanna is genetically split into two selves, one klingon and one human. What does it say about me that i find her unattractive as a hybrid, yet damned sexy as both domineering klingon and simpering human? There are plot holes big enough for a gas giant, roxann's klingon voice is stilted, and the writing is simplistic, but fun can cover many flaws. Also notable is how chakotay chooses silence over cookie cutter wisdom - it's unclear whether that's a writing, directing, or acting choice.
-Jetrel **
Neelix is (falsely) diagnosed with a fatal disease by a haakonian doctor...who, it turns out, developed a weapon that killed 250,000 talaxians, including his family. Neelix's first episode as central character was probably doomed anyway, but the writing is pretty shabby. A shame, too...having him deal with the guilt of avoiding military service is a powerful choice. The better resolution would have been for him to expose jetrel's deceit by confessing that he couldn't possibly have been infected, as he lied about being on the moon, because only military personnel were allowed in after the cataclysm.
-Learning Curve ***
I would simply be remiss if i didn't alert you to the fact that, after facing off against klingons, romulans, big ol' lizards, omnipotent beings, cybernetic hive creatures, and that mel guy from ALICE, TREK now goes toe to toe with...stinky cheese. No, really. And they almost get their ass kicked (i suspect a sneaky vegan on the writing staff). The A plot's pretty fine too, as tuvok trains four maquis hard cases in Starfleet ways. Guest armand schultz (VANILLA SKY, BURN AFTER READING) is given wonderful material...and nails it. Chakotay's "gentle" disciplinary hand is revealed.
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