Originally Posted on BondandBeyond on May 28 2011
"Jean-Luc, 94% on Rotten Tomatoes!"
"No!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"They destroy Vulcan, and we fall back."
"They annihilate entire timelines, and we fall back."
"Not this time. The line must be drawn HE-YAH! This FAH, no FAHTHA!"
"Nice speech. No way Orci and Kurtzmann could write that."
Ah, now this is how you make a TREK movie. Action packed and exciting, yet with a strong character drama core and a well developed, intelligent plot. Full of great tidbits for longtime fans -- yet entirely open and understandable to franchise newcomers. Fully embraces and dramatizes Roddenberry's vision -- yet takes a more realistic look at it by making the author of that vision a drunken cynic. FIRST CONTACT is simply a great Star Trek movie, and an example that modern TREK films should really look to. Well directed, well performed, well written, great score, the movie fires on all cylinders. Perhaps its only flaw is that the cuts between the A-B-C plot structure sometimes feel rushed, but then that's also one of the film's strengths: it's lean, it doesn't waste its time getting anywhere; yet clarity and plausibility in the plotline are also maintained. You taking notes, Orci/Kurtzmann?
Standout performances from the TNG cast. Stewart of course rocks the movie, but Spiner is great also, and unlike most of the TNG movies all the crew members get their own moments and things to do. Heck, Deanna is actually all right in this one!
Yeah. FC gets a perfect score. Which surprises even me, since that bumps it above TUC -- which is probably still my fav Trek movie due to a TOS crew bias, but admittedly has flaws.
10/10
1. STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT
2. STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
3. STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN
4. STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME
5. STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE
6. STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK
7. STAR TREK GENERATIONS
8. STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER
9. STAR TREK
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 5 Review
Originally posted on BondandBeyond from May 05 2011 to Jun 27 2011
"Apocalypse Rising"
A great season opener with two really aggravating problems:
1) Worf goes along on the mission, despite the fact that he's persona non grata in Klingon space, and yet no attempt is made to disguise him at all. You can recognize a House of Mogh member by their ridges, and yet no one recognizes Worf. When Changeling-Martok walks by, everyone is worried about him recognizing O'Brien THROUGH the Klingon make-up, but not Worf whose appearance is in no way altered. Grr.
2) Martok-Changeling has only himself to blame for getting caught, since after Odo screams out his identity, he openly uses shapeshifter powers to attack him, drawing down all that Klingon fire. I'm sure if he'd been smarter he could've kept the charade going.
Oh well, it's a pretty good season opener, but those issues bug me.
"The Ship"
This episode is really trying hard, but it falls flat. For one thing, nearly all the acts are the same -- the crew in the ship, getting on each other's nerves, trying to figure out what the Vorta wants, while Muniz dies VERY slowly in the background. Then we find out it was a Founder on the ship, and I start wondering why the Vorta didn't just tell them that. Then the episode takes another act to try and convince me about how shooken up the whole crew is over losing five crewmen, when I've seen the Defiant lose more in battle and no one bats an eyelash. I mean, yeah, it's interesting to show that those guys are real people, but to have Sisko agonizing over it as he does in this episode's finale feels really out of character -- Sisko's the guy who does what it takes to get the job done; his soliloquy about how being the Captain isn't as easy as they make it out at the Academy sounds like something a real rookie would say, not Sisko, and the whole "OMG one of my men is dead, I must be a terrible Captain" is more of a Kirk reaction. So while the episode had good dramatic intentions, it just falls apart.
"Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places"
A charming Trek comedy piece with some fun revelations for the characters. A nice sequel to third season's "The House of Quark", a nice beginning to the long teased Worf/Jadzia relationship, and a very honest probing look at the difficulties Miles is experiencing living with both Keiko and Kira.
"Nor the Battle to the Strong"
Absolutely fantastic episode. Hey, guess what -- war is terrible, not everyone is a hero, and even the guys trained to do it are gonna crack under the pressure. The best Jake material since "The Visitor". Everything works. The beginning of a fine tradition of DS9 showing what real war is like, at least within the confines of Star Trek.
"The Assignment"
Genuinely creepy, full of suspense, with fantastic acting performances, Season 5's "Let's Torture O'Brien" episode also introduces the Pagh-Wraiths. Great show.
"Trials and Tribble-ations"
What can I say? Positively glorious. The perfect tribute show.
"Let He Who is Without Sin..."
So this has a reputation as being one of the worst episodes of the series. And yeah, it's not a great episode, but its not horrendous. Its not even memorably bad, like a "Threshold" (VOY) or "Profit and Lace" next season. It's just sorta there. I agree with the producers that what kills it is that we go to essentially a sex planet but see nothing even vaguely sexual. There's no erotic flavour in this show at all -- even the skimpy bathing suits are pretty tame compared even to TOS's feminine warddrobe (not that I'm complaining about Terry Farrell's outfit). I think Worf is written a little overly stubborn, even for Worf, and I think the Essentialist's arguments are overblown (Risa is a vacation planet, for cryin' out loud! Are you vacations are immoral?) but there is some value to the discussion. I also think the episode has a few good scenes exploring the early nature of the Dax/Worf relationship, essentially clearing the air between two very different characters to allow them to understand one another and be together. The scene where Worf talks about his childhood on Gault almost makes the rest of the show worthwhile. Almost.
"Things Past"
Basically the long overdue follow-up to "Necessary Evil" from season 2, and a very mature observation on the part of the writers that there's no way Odo could've been in charge of security during the Occupation for as long as he was and not gotten his hands dirty. It's always fun to return to Terok Nor and see the darker side of things, especially when the show has been making Dukat so sympathetic lately and seems to have largely forgotten about Bajor and the Occupation. A very good episode. And Kurtwood Smith is always welcome.
"The Ascent"
A fantastic Odo/Quark episode. Really great writing and even better performances. The subplot between Jake and Nog was also well done, addressing how the two have evolved into very different people in the little over a year since Nog left the station. Having Nog take his practicum was a very good excuse to get him back on the show and not have to come up with excuses for him to be away from the Academy (or have the crew visiting) like TNG had to do with Wesley. (And of course the War that's coming up was a good excuse for him to stay on the station long after his practicum was over).
"Rapture"
Ah, new uniforms. Excellent. The final major visual signal that DS9 has become awesome (in order these are, the Defiant, Bald Sisko with Goatee, Worf, Grey Uniforms). And it's announced with a great episode that has Sisko finally coming to terms with his role as the Emissary and synthesizing it with his role as a Starfleet Officer. Meanwhile, Kai Winn, Bajor's admission to the Federation, Sisko's visions, all these pieces on the board get shuffled around and all hold major portents for the future of the series.
"The Darkness and the Light"
A classic "old-school" style DS9 episode that recalls "Duet" in first season with its discussion of the morality of the occupation. Even if Kira's captor had some good points, I like that she stands her ground and says "fuck you" instead of coming to some kind of sympathetic understanding (like a TNG character would). Very good episode from Ron Moore.
"The Begotten"
Kira gives birth and Odo gets his powers back. The best part of this episode is its analysis of parenting, while dealing with your own parent. The whole theme of "I'm going to do it differently". Very strongly written.
"In Purgatory's Shadow"
Aka "Improbable Cause, Part III". Where the REAL DS9 begins. Aka a flat-out GREAT episode. Amongst everything else the best scene in the whole show is the Garak/Tain scene.
"Elim, do you remember that day in the country?"
"How could I forget? It was the only day."
"By Inferno's Light"
Absolutely AWESOME. In 40 minutes the entire status quo of the series is flipped around. The Cardassians go from a civillian government under siege to a Dominion dictatorship ruled by Gul Dukat, formerly an anti-Klingon freedom fighter. The Klingons go from our enemies to our allies. Turns out Julian's been a Changeling for the past five episodes. And now we have a full Starfleet and Klingon task force on the station, with the real, one-eyed Martok. Gowron sums it up best,
"Think of it. Five years ago no one had ever heard of Bajor or Deep Space 9. Now all our hopes rest here. Where the tides of fortune take us, no man can know."
"Doctor Bashir, I Presume?"
And just after you've digested that for the past five episodes Bashir has been a Changeling, turns out for the past five years he was also Superman. I seem to be one of the few people who like this episode -- I like Robert Picardo, I like the LMH idea, I like the Rom/Leeta subplot, I think the characterization of Bashir's parents and their backstory fits with everything we've been told about Bashir over the years, I like bringing genetic engineering into the Trek fold and mentioning its illegality in light of Khan, and I like that it's made clear that mainly only Bashir's mind was enhanced. I like the conflict that parents with a mentally retarded child would face in a world where genetic enhancement was a possibility, even if just a black market one. I like the episode. But apparently most people, Siddig included, hated it, and felt this development came out of the blue and wasn't good for Bashir's character.
"A Simple Investigation"
A classic sort of noir story with Odo falling in love with the woman he's protecting. Very well done on all fronts.
"Business as Usual"
A great Quark episode featuring his cousin Gaila and the ethics of weapons dealing. Very well done -- I often feel that Quark, as a comedic character, works better in these kinds of dramatic stories (like Season 4's "Body Parts") than the full-on comedies he is often placed in. Superb episode.
"Ties of Blood and Water"
An excellent follow up to Season 3's "Second Skin", while also continuing threads such as the Dominionized Cardassia, Dukat's new position, and the debut of Weyoun 5. A great moving episode that really hits home so far as the death of a loved one is concerned. Just fantastic.
"Ferengi Love Songs"
There's some good stuff here and there, but for the most part this is a pretty weak, predictable, cliched Ferengi outing that's more important for the events portrayed (beginning of Ishka/Zek, Rom and Leeta's engagement, Quark getting his licence back) then the actual telling of them.
"Soldiers of the Empire"
A somewhat cliched, but still very well done Klingon outing, showcasing Jadiza, Worf and Martok very well respectively. It was nice to see some "Klingon outcasts", see some diversity in the look of Klingons, etc. A well done episode.
"Children of Time"
One of the all-time greatest Trek time travel stories -- great bizzaro paradox, fantastic character drama, heart-renching plot twists, superb moral dilemma, and finally Kira knows how Odo feels about him. An amazingly well written show.
"Blaze of Glory"
And so the Maquis, at least in the Alpha Quadrant, meet their end, along with their morally ambiguous Canadian leader Michael Eddington. The Eddington/Sisko feud was fun, and the Maquis were always great for throwing a dark reflection up against Federation values, but I suppose the show had to start ending some of these ongoing plot threads. It's another great hour of DS9.
"Empok Nor"
An exciting, eerie, well shot episode that just goes a little too far off the rails at the end. Garak becomes too much of a villain for me to be comfortable with the show continuing on as if nothing happened.
"In the Cards"
Perhaps the greatest comic episode of DS9. But with a solid human core. It's like the anti-DS9 episode: Lighthearted A-story, Important B-story, and a message of hope amidst darkness. It's also fantastically written and wonderfully performed.
"Call to Arms"
Ranks with "Best of Both Worlds" as one of the greatest season finales in all of Trek's history. Except this episode has a way better pay-off, with the pure balls to not resolve all its plot points in the next hour. This is an exciting, daring hour of DS9 that's less concerned with ratings grabber cliffhangers and more with pushing the boundaries of Trek and setting up the fantastic opening arc of season 6. Amidst all of the big moments and galactic cliffhangers, it also finds time for great human moments with Rom, Leeta, Jadzia, Worf, Jake, Quark, etc. Can't wait for season 6.
"Apocalypse Rising"
A great season opener with two really aggravating problems:
1) Worf goes along on the mission, despite the fact that he's persona non grata in Klingon space, and yet no attempt is made to disguise him at all. You can recognize a House of Mogh member by their ridges, and yet no one recognizes Worf. When Changeling-Martok walks by, everyone is worried about him recognizing O'Brien THROUGH the Klingon make-up, but not Worf whose appearance is in no way altered. Grr.
2) Martok-Changeling has only himself to blame for getting caught, since after Odo screams out his identity, he openly uses shapeshifter powers to attack him, drawing down all that Klingon fire. I'm sure if he'd been smarter he could've kept the charade going.
Oh well, it's a pretty good season opener, but those issues bug me.
"The Ship"
This episode is really trying hard, but it falls flat. For one thing, nearly all the acts are the same -- the crew in the ship, getting on each other's nerves, trying to figure out what the Vorta wants, while Muniz dies VERY slowly in the background. Then we find out it was a Founder on the ship, and I start wondering why the Vorta didn't just tell them that. Then the episode takes another act to try and convince me about how shooken up the whole crew is over losing five crewmen, when I've seen the Defiant lose more in battle and no one bats an eyelash. I mean, yeah, it's interesting to show that those guys are real people, but to have Sisko agonizing over it as he does in this episode's finale feels really out of character -- Sisko's the guy who does what it takes to get the job done; his soliloquy about how being the Captain isn't as easy as they make it out at the Academy sounds like something a real rookie would say, not Sisko, and the whole "OMG one of my men is dead, I must be a terrible Captain" is more of a Kirk reaction. So while the episode had good dramatic intentions, it just falls apart.
"Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places"
A charming Trek comedy piece with some fun revelations for the characters. A nice sequel to third season's "The House of Quark", a nice beginning to the long teased Worf/Jadzia relationship, and a very honest probing look at the difficulties Miles is experiencing living with both Keiko and Kira.
"Nor the Battle to the Strong"
Absolutely fantastic episode. Hey, guess what -- war is terrible, not everyone is a hero, and even the guys trained to do it are gonna crack under the pressure. The best Jake material since "The Visitor". Everything works. The beginning of a fine tradition of DS9 showing what real war is like, at least within the confines of Star Trek.
"The Assignment"
Genuinely creepy, full of suspense, with fantastic acting performances, Season 5's "Let's Torture O'Brien" episode also introduces the Pagh-Wraiths. Great show.
"Trials and Tribble-ations"
What can I say? Positively glorious. The perfect tribute show.
"Let He Who is Without Sin..."
So this has a reputation as being one of the worst episodes of the series. And yeah, it's not a great episode, but its not horrendous. Its not even memorably bad, like a "Threshold" (VOY) or "Profit and Lace" next season. It's just sorta there. I agree with the producers that what kills it is that we go to essentially a sex planet but see nothing even vaguely sexual. There's no erotic flavour in this show at all -- even the skimpy bathing suits are pretty tame compared even to TOS's feminine warddrobe (not that I'm complaining about Terry Farrell's outfit). I think Worf is written a little overly stubborn, even for Worf, and I think the Essentialist's arguments are overblown (Risa is a vacation planet, for cryin' out loud! Are you vacations are immoral?) but there is some value to the discussion. I also think the episode has a few good scenes exploring the early nature of the Dax/Worf relationship, essentially clearing the air between two very different characters to allow them to understand one another and be together. The scene where Worf talks about his childhood on Gault almost makes the rest of the show worthwhile. Almost.
"Things Past"
Basically the long overdue follow-up to "Necessary Evil" from season 2, and a very mature observation on the part of the writers that there's no way Odo could've been in charge of security during the Occupation for as long as he was and not gotten his hands dirty. It's always fun to return to Terok Nor and see the darker side of things, especially when the show has been making Dukat so sympathetic lately and seems to have largely forgotten about Bajor and the Occupation. A very good episode. And Kurtwood Smith is always welcome.
"The Ascent"
A fantastic Odo/Quark episode. Really great writing and even better performances. The subplot between Jake and Nog was also well done, addressing how the two have evolved into very different people in the little over a year since Nog left the station. Having Nog take his practicum was a very good excuse to get him back on the show and not have to come up with excuses for him to be away from the Academy (or have the crew visiting) like TNG had to do with Wesley. (And of course the War that's coming up was a good excuse for him to stay on the station long after his practicum was over).
"Rapture"
Ah, new uniforms. Excellent. The final major visual signal that DS9 has become awesome (in order these are, the Defiant, Bald Sisko with Goatee, Worf, Grey Uniforms). And it's announced with a great episode that has Sisko finally coming to terms with his role as the Emissary and synthesizing it with his role as a Starfleet Officer. Meanwhile, Kai Winn, Bajor's admission to the Federation, Sisko's visions, all these pieces on the board get shuffled around and all hold major portents for the future of the series.
"The Darkness and the Light"
A classic "old-school" style DS9 episode that recalls "Duet" in first season with its discussion of the morality of the occupation. Even if Kira's captor had some good points, I like that she stands her ground and says "fuck you" instead of coming to some kind of sympathetic understanding (like a TNG character would). Very good episode from Ron Moore.
"The Begotten"
Kira gives birth and Odo gets his powers back. The best part of this episode is its analysis of parenting, while dealing with your own parent. The whole theme of "I'm going to do it differently". Very strongly written.
"In Purgatory's Shadow"
Aka "Improbable Cause, Part III". Where the REAL DS9 begins. Aka a flat-out GREAT episode. Amongst everything else the best scene in the whole show is the Garak/Tain scene.
"Elim, do you remember that day in the country?"
"How could I forget? It was the only day."
"By Inferno's Light"
Absolutely AWESOME. In 40 minutes the entire status quo of the series is flipped around. The Cardassians go from a civillian government under siege to a Dominion dictatorship ruled by Gul Dukat, formerly an anti-Klingon freedom fighter. The Klingons go from our enemies to our allies. Turns out Julian's been a Changeling for the past five episodes. And now we have a full Starfleet and Klingon task force on the station, with the real, one-eyed Martok. Gowron sums it up best,
"Think of it. Five years ago no one had ever heard of Bajor or Deep Space 9. Now all our hopes rest here. Where the tides of fortune take us, no man can know."
"Doctor Bashir, I Presume?"
And just after you've digested that for the past five episodes Bashir has been a Changeling, turns out for the past five years he was also Superman. I seem to be one of the few people who like this episode -- I like Robert Picardo, I like the LMH idea, I like the Rom/Leeta subplot, I think the characterization of Bashir's parents and their backstory fits with everything we've been told about Bashir over the years, I like bringing genetic engineering into the Trek fold and mentioning its illegality in light of Khan, and I like that it's made clear that mainly only Bashir's mind was enhanced. I like the conflict that parents with a mentally retarded child would face in a world where genetic enhancement was a possibility, even if just a black market one. I like the episode. But apparently most people, Siddig included, hated it, and felt this development came out of the blue and wasn't good for Bashir's character.
"A Simple Investigation"
A classic sort of noir story with Odo falling in love with the woman he's protecting. Very well done on all fronts.
"Business as Usual"
A great Quark episode featuring his cousin Gaila and the ethics of weapons dealing. Very well done -- I often feel that Quark, as a comedic character, works better in these kinds of dramatic stories (like Season 4's "Body Parts") than the full-on comedies he is often placed in. Superb episode.
"Ties of Blood and Water"
An excellent follow up to Season 3's "Second Skin", while also continuing threads such as the Dominionized Cardassia, Dukat's new position, and the debut of Weyoun 5. A great moving episode that really hits home so far as the death of a loved one is concerned. Just fantastic.
"Ferengi Love Songs"
There's some good stuff here and there, but for the most part this is a pretty weak, predictable, cliched Ferengi outing that's more important for the events portrayed (beginning of Ishka/Zek, Rom and Leeta's engagement, Quark getting his licence back) then the actual telling of them.
"Soldiers of the Empire"
A somewhat cliched, but still very well done Klingon outing, showcasing Jadiza, Worf and Martok very well respectively. It was nice to see some "Klingon outcasts", see some diversity in the look of Klingons, etc. A well done episode.
"Children of Time"
One of the all-time greatest Trek time travel stories -- great bizzaro paradox, fantastic character drama, heart-renching plot twists, superb moral dilemma, and finally Kira knows how Odo feels about him. An amazingly well written show.
"Blaze of Glory"
And so the Maquis, at least in the Alpha Quadrant, meet their end, along with their morally ambiguous Canadian leader Michael Eddington. The Eddington/Sisko feud was fun, and the Maquis were always great for throwing a dark reflection up against Federation values, but I suppose the show had to start ending some of these ongoing plot threads. It's another great hour of DS9.
"Empok Nor"
An exciting, eerie, well shot episode that just goes a little too far off the rails at the end. Garak becomes too much of a villain for me to be comfortable with the show continuing on as if nothing happened.
"In the Cards"
Perhaps the greatest comic episode of DS9. But with a solid human core. It's like the anti-DS9 episode: Lighthearted A-story, Important B-story, and a message of hope amidst darkness. It's also fantastically written and wonderfully performed.
"Call to Arms"
Ranks with "Best of Both Worlds" as one of the greatest season finales in all of Trek's history. Except this episode has a way better pay-off, with the pure balls to not resolve all its plot points in the next hour. This is an exciting, daring hour of DS9 that's less concerned with ratings grabber cliffhangers and more with pushing the boundaries of Trek and setting up the fantastic opening arc of season 6. Amidst all of the big moments and galactic cliffhangers, it also finds time for great human moments with Rom, Leeta, Jadzia, Worf, Jake, Quark, etc. Can't wait for season 6.
Star Trek: Voyager Season 3 Review
Originally posted on BondandBeyond from May 02 2011 to Jun 23 2011
"Basics, Part II"
A fun, mindless action-packed follow up to the season 2 cliffhanger. It basically kills off every loose end from Season 2, setting us on our way to Season 3 free of any plot related burdens. I do think it was an annoying cop-out to have the child be Culluh's though, because that doesn't really match up with Season 2 episodes and it certainly wasn't the original intent. It's just a cheap way to get rid of the kid and not deal with him or Chakotay's feelings -- despite that being one of the main themes of Part I. Originally the idea was that the kid would die and Seska would suffer from the loss -- but that left Seska and Culluh around and Taylor and Berman wanted to be free of the Kazons. So they killed Seska and had Culluh take the kid that was now suddenly his, just to be free of all of Piller's characters and storylines, since this was the last episode he wrote. I think it would have been more interesting if the kid had died, and the crew captured Seska and flew away from the Kazons, and had to figure out how to bring Seska to justice -- all of which was I believe Piller's original intent.
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,267.1 lightyears
"Sacred Ground"
And people claim that DS9 went against Roddenberry's principles? For fuck's sake! This episode was frustrating, trite, and stupid. It's message seems to be either 1) If you encounter something you can't explain, why bother? Aren't mysteries wonderful? or 2) If you believe hard enough, you can avoid death. Who needs technology?
Fuuuuuuuuck.
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,236.3 lightyears
"False Profits"
While following up a strand from a third season TNG episode is cool, the fact that the problem was solved in the first act ruined the show. Literally Janeway had the Ferengi in custody and a stable, open wormhole to the Alpha Quadrant to fly through, and she LET herself get talked into ruining everything by said Ferengi, and spent the rest of the episode trying to trick her way back to where she had already gotten by way of a serious of tiresome scenes. The entire final act made me want to tear my hair out -- once again we've got the Ferengi in custody and can fly home, yet somehow they overpower the guards, somehow get into their shuttle, somehow exit the shuttlebay and evade the tractor beam, and for some reason them going through the wormhole F***S it for us. Way to go, Janeway! Fuuuuuck!!
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,225.1 lightyears
"Flashback"
VOY's celebration episode of the 30th anniversary of Trek has 3 massive problems:
1) Tuvok's repressed memory turns out to be a virus, which means the experience has no meaning for him, no personal growth, there is no drama, we learn nothing about Tuvok we didn't already know.
2) Our protagonists (Janeway and Tuvok) do not actually solve the problem through any of their mucking about on the Excelsior, the Doctor solves it just fine from the confines of the Holodeck.
3) The Excelsior sequences, partially due to the above 2 points, actually have nothing to do with the story. They are there to fit the 30th anniversary theme, but the story isn't about that. So they seem superfluous. On that note, a lot of lip service is paid to nostalgia for the past and having fun with the maverick early Starfleet officers, but the audience never actually feels any of that because the entire Tuvok/virus story, which has nothing to do with the Excelsior, is hanging over all of it.
Basically, this episode is great because we get to see more of Captain Sulu in action, which is cool. But it totally fails in comparison to "Trials and Tribble-ations" [DS9].
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,205.8 lightyears
"The Chute"
Okay, this episode is pretty good, except for all the cutaways to Janeway and the ship, which were terrible. As cool as it was for Janeway to come down the Chute with a phaser rifle blazing, this is ANOTHER case o the protagonists (Kim and Paris) not actually solving the problem. Although it's at least nice to see Kim DOING something for once. Have I mentioned that I officially HATE Janeway now?? Somewhere in season 2 the effects of being stranded in the Delta Quadrant got to her and she's split into her 2 personalities and is now crazy, irresponsible, and a terrible captain. I fucking hate her.
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,194 lightyears
"Remember"
Ever notice how the only way VOY can tell interesting stories is when they AREN'T happening to our people? But seriously, this episode has good intentions, with its Holocaust allegory, but confuses the entire issue by making Jews into Amish people, and not giving the Nazis a reason to exterminate them. It would actually be EASIER and less costly to re-settle them (the cover story) than kill all of them. It's an imperfect allegory because it doesn't fully understand why the Holocaust happened. But I suppose it's an okay episode. Although, Torres uses Janeway's exact reasoning from "False Profits" on why they should interfere, but THIS time Janeway will absolutely not do so. FUCK.
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,175.7 lightyears
"The Swarm"
The parts where Holo-Zimmerman interacted with Holo-Doc (aka Robert Picard playing opposite himself) were GENIUS. And the idea that the Doc being active for 2 years and fillling his program with making friends and learning opera is degrading his memory is great, logical, and makes sense at this point in the show. Which makes it all the worse that the entire rest of this episode was FUCKING TERRIBLE. It was like the entire crew took RETARDED PILLS this morning. Janeway was insufferable, especially. She gives a speech where she justifies her actions (which endanger the entire crew needlessly) by saying that they are a long way from the Alpha Quadrant and Starfleet rules don't apply in their situation. AKA THE EXACT FUCKING OPPOSITE OF HER POSITION THROUGH THE ENTIRE SECOND SEASON where we had to follow Starfleet principles despite everything, lest we forget who we are or something like that. FOR FUCK'S SAKE! And then the ending, which says the Doc has forgotten everything, but has a hope of remembering things. Why the hell would you write that ending when you have NO intention of following it up? It's like what happened to Uhura in "The Changeling" [TOS] but I forgive that because it was the 60s. Goddamnit!!
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,156.4 lightyears
While seasons 1 and 2 of VOY were frustrating, or subpar, they were at least mediocre. Okay. Following the premise, however loosely. But so far season 3 has tossed the baby out with the bathwater and been fucking terrible. I trace it to the departure of Michael Piller. "Basics, Part II" was a farewell to all his storylines, characters, and concepts, and now we're just doing stories week by week, hit and miss, mostly miss. It feels like the writers of DS9 do what they do because they love the show, and the writers of VOY do it because it's a job and they want to get paid. There's no passion. And it shows onscreen.
"Future's End, Parts I & II"
Time travel is confusing. The plot is a little more than an excuse for the fun here. But in times it feels like the fun is padded to make this a two parter. And it doesn't help that all of the "lol, it's the characters from Star Trek in the present day!" gags were for the most done before, and better, by the Original Series in two episodes and a very popular movie. This episode is fun, but it's light and meaningless (and derivative) fun. Ratings grab.
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,027.1 lightyears
"Warlord"
This episode goes down as the point where I officially became fed up with Neelix. We are done professionally. Meanwhile, the best part of this episode is Jennifer Lien's performance. You can tell she's having a lot of fun, and I love the dominating, sexy, arrogant portrayal she created for Tieran. It's a damn shame her career went nowhere after being fired for Seven of Boob. Meanwhile, she kind've breaks up with Neelix while under Tieran's control, which is hilarious because it's never addressed again. And the final scene is even better, when Tuvok tells Kes how this experience will change her outlook on life and how she behaves as a person and how she'll have to live with the consequences. Does he think he's on DS9 or something?
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,996.3 lightyears
"The Q and the Grey"
A wasted opportunity. First third of the show spent on the laborious Q-after-Janeway jokes, then we finally get to the meat of the story, the Q Civil War. Nice to see that "Death Wish" had consequences, but fourthings really bugged me:
1) Q's rebel faction wearing Union colours. Yeah, I know that it's so we'll sympathize more with him, but a more accurate metaphor would've been Q's faction as the Confederates.
2) The Voyager crew intervening turns the tide?? Puh-leez. The worst was when they showed Tom sneaking up behind the Q General. How do you sneak up behind an omnipotent being?
3) No Q has ever procreated? I direct you to "True Q" [TNG]
4) All of Janeway's high and mighty Roddenberry-esque speeches about how humanity has evolved beyond using violence to solve its problems so why not the Q? First off, the whole premise of VOYAGER is that 13/143 of the crew are terrorists. Janeway was on a mission to capture terrorists. Secondly, the whole premise of the Q on TNG was that they judged humanity for being a barbarous race who had to proove their worth to be in space. So this all felt really hollow. The idea of a Q Civil War after the events of "Death Wish" is interesting, but this episode doesn't really explore it -- it just uses it for action setpieces and wastes most of its time on dumb jokes.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,959.9 lightyears
"Macrocosm"
Someone really wanted to do ALIEN on VOYAGER, I guess, with Janeway as Ripley. It almost works, but the entire drama of the episode is killed by an act-long flashback that has the same atmosphere as just any ol' VOY episode, rather than the dramatic, tension filled episode up to that point. From then on, it's all downhill.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,943.8 lightyears
"Alter Ego"
Yaaaaawn. Everything in this episode has been done before on Trek, and better. Falling in love with a holo-character, a holo-character achieving sentience, a determined woman trying to seduce a Vulcan, the ancient alien wracked with lonliness, on and on.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,907.4 lightyears
"Fair Trade"
A surprisingly great VOY episode, largely because it falls into the rare "we're acknowledging the premise" category of stories. Neelix is featured in an effective character examination as he realizes that now that Voyager has entered space he is unfamiliar with, he has essentially no use on the ship. It's a great episode with some great thematic material.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,896.5 lightyears
"Coda"
Ugh. What the frak was this supposed to be? Was it supposed to be deep? Meaningful? Tell us something about Janeway? It did none of that. It mucked around for the first few acts pretending it was "Cause and Effect" [TNG], before aping "The Next Phase" [TNG], "The Tholian Web" [TOS], and even STAR TREK V. It's all ultimately meaningless and very stupid. If the answer to the mystery is an alien is trying to suck Janeway's lifeforce as she dies, then what's the explanation for endless near-death loop cycle at the start? They act like this creature might be back at the end, but he never returns, leaving a ton of vague unanswered bullshit. Terrible show.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 6
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,888.2 lightyears
"Blood Fever"
Ah, here's a good show. It's basically "Amok Time" [TOS] in the Delta Quadrant, and explains why they brought Vorik onto the show about four or five episodes previous. A little silly as to why they didn't just use the Vulcan they already had, but then I could never see Tuvok acting the way Vorik does here. This is a fun show that also ignites the Paris/Torres relationship. And, of course, omg the borg.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 6
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,880.7 lightyears
I think the number one problem with the Trek spin-offs is that by this point there are basically three kinds of Trek episode: one that advances the premise/plot of the show as a whole, one that develops a main character, and a standalone. And by now the standalones suck, because after seven years of TNG and three years of TOS, all of the interesting sci-fi tales that can be done in one hour of TV within Trek's premise have been done -- so any standalone adventures on VOY or DS9 are repeitive of what's gone before. The only thing making DS9 and VOY unique are their individual premises and casts, and DS9 utilizes those brilliantly. Most DS9 episodes are either advancing the story or bringing a character to a new place -- which VOY doesn't do enough of, content to merely tell episodic stories that are all derivative and thus boring by now. It really is TNG Lite --- same kind of stories, but solved with gimmicks and phaser fire than intelligence and drama.
"Unity"
In following up on the promise of "Blood Fever" and setting up the excitement of "Scorpion", this episode does a great job. With the way things are done here it almost feels like the VOY writers knew that they were going to have to make the Borg interesting and different to validate doing them. This is a very well written and interesting little episode. I kinda really hate that our crew is somewhat responsible for the Borg Co-Operative gaining control of that planet, for all we know the guys battering down their door to come kill them were screaming "For Liberty!" as they did it. But other than that, I think this episode probes into a very interesting topic -- namely, how something like the Borg came about in the first place. Of course it would've started innocuously, as it does here. The Borg probably started as hippies with Apple technology. But as VOY Borg episodes go, this is a good one. Very smart.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 5
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,849.5 lightyears
"Darkling"
At first it seems like this is gonna be a "Kes is like a teenage girl now" episode, with Doc and Janeway as the parental figures. Then it suddenly turns into Jekyll/Hyde on VOY with good Doc and evil Doc. It's basically just Robert Picardo having fun hamming it up for an episode. It's a fun watch, for sure, but there's nothing else here of import.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 5
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,768.2 lightyears
"Rise"
I've seen a lot of shows steal the basic plot of "Flight of the Phoenix", including Trek a few times, but never this blatantly. This is a fun show, it's got some good Neelix/Tuvok characterization, but other than that there's nothing to recommend.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,751.4 lightyears
"Favorite Son"
Ugh, so TAS did this episode and called it "The Lorolei Signal" -- and the episode itself admits its ripping off The Odyssey. Yaaawn. Not terrible, but pretty darn mediocre. Did I think for a second the aliens were going to be just as friendly as they seemed? They never are. Did I think for a second Harry was going to stay behind with them? I wish. Foregone conclusion, tired premise, weak hour.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,729 lightyears
"Before and After"
A fairly good time paradox story that utilizes Kes and her character's unique lifespan very well. It also does a great (and clever) job foreshadowing the Year of Hell storyline, which at this point was apparently planned as the S3 finale cliffhanger and was actually going to happen as opposed to just be a reset button story (notice the damage dealt the ship here isn't as severe as when the writers knew they were just going to undo it all). All in all, a good VOY episode. So, y'know, a rarity.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,678.5 lightyears
"Real Life"
An interesting episode for the Doctor (Kenneth Schmullus!), even if his holo-family essentially swings from one extreme stereotype to the other, while the sci-fi subplot of the week is the dullest its ever been. A memorable, if just okay, episode.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,619.6 lightyears
"Distant Origin"
This is a very intelligent, well written, well produced episode, worthy of the name Star Trek. Too bad it was essentially all done before and called PLANET OF THE APES. All kidding aside, it's a good show, even if its central concept (that a genus of dinosaur developed spaceflight and left Earth before the extinction event) is a little farfetched. I wish VOY took this more intelligent path more often -- when it does (like in last season's "Death Wish") it pays off.
Also, the crew complement is given as 148 here. Learn math, writers -- it's 142.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,586 lightyears
"Displaced"
OMG, aliens have abducted our characters, placing them in an idyllic prison. They are confused when we want to leave, because the prison is paradiscal and after all they are only doing what they need to survive.
This plot should be banned from Trek. Mainly because it was the plot of the GORRAM FIRST EPISODE EVER!
Ugh. Yawn.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,566.9 lightyears
"Worst Case Scenario"'
Best season 1 episode of VOY I've ever seen. But all kidding aside, a really well done, fun, compelling show, even after it's clearly just a holoprogram. The only part that doesn't really work as well is the third act jeopardy angle with Seska, but even then it's still a good time. Good stuff, VOY.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,547.8 lightyears
"Scorpion"
Wow. The first genuinely exciting, tension-filled episode of VOY. Ever. After three years we finally get a good balance of action, excitement, tension, plot, character and drama. A fantastic finale, even if the actual cliffhanger itself is pretty darned lame. But the idea of the Borg/8472 war is compelling. As is everything else in this show. Certainly leaves one excited for VOY. About time.
Fun fact -- this plotline was in development as far back as "Unity" -- the cube there was meant to be destroyed by 8472 -- but this episode was decided on as the cliffhanger instead of "Year of Hell" AFTER the decision to bring on Seven of Boob had been made. What HADN'T been decided yet, was who was leaving the show -- that's why Kes seems to have a pretty big role in the link to 8472 while Harry is lying on a biobed in sickbay dying -- because Garret Wang was originally supposed to leave instead of Jennifer Lien. If only.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,539.8 lightyears
In three seasons, we've gotten about 3.3% of the way home. Way to go, Captain Janeway.
"Basics, Part II"
A fun, mindless action-packed follow up to the season 2 cliffhanger. It basically kills off every loose end from Season 2, setting us on our way to Season 3 free of any plot related burdens. I do think it was an annoying cop-out to have the child be Culluh's though, because that doesn't really match up with Season 2 episodes and it certainly wasn't the original intent. It's just a cheap way to get rid of the kid and not deal with him or Chakotay's feelings -- despite that being one of the main themes of Part I. Originally the idea was that the kid would die and Seska would suffer from the loss -- but that left Seska and Culluh around and Taylor and Berman wanted to be free of the Kazons. So they killed Seska and had Culluh take the kid that was now suddenly his, just to be free of all of Piller's characters and storylines, since this was the last episode he wrote. I think it would have been more interesting if the kid had died, and the crew captured Seska and flew away from the Kazons, and had to figure out how to bring Seska to justice -- all of which was I believe Piller's original intent.
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,267.1 lightyears
"Sacred Ground"
And people claim that DS9 went against Roddenberry's principles? For fuck's sake! This episode was frustrating, trite, and stupid. It's message seems to be either 1) If you encounter something you can't explain, why bother? Aren't mysteries wonderful? or 2) If you believe hard enough, you can avoid death. Who needs technology?
Fuuuuuuuuck.
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,236.3 lightyears
"False Profits"
While following up a strand from a third season TNG episode is cool, the fact that the problem was solved in the first act ruined the show. Literally Janeway had the Ferengi in custody and a stable, open wormhole to the Alpha Quadrant to fly through, and she LET herself get talked into ruining everything by said Ferengi, and spent the rest of the episode trying to trick her way back to where she had already gotten by way of a serious of tiresome scenes. The entire final act made me want to tear my hair out -- once again we've got the Ferengi in custody and can fly home, yet somehow they overpower the guards, somehow get into their shuttle, somehow exit the shuttlebay and evade the tractor beam, and for some reason them going through the wormhole F***S it for us. Way to go, Janeway! Fuuuuuck!!
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,225.1 lightyears
"Flashback"
VOY's celebration episode of the 30th anniversary of Trek has 3 massive problems:
1) Tuvok's repressed memory turns out to be a virus, which means the experience has no meaning for him, no personal growth, there is no drama, we learn nothing about Tuvok we didn't already know.
2) Our protagonists (Janeway and Tuvok) do not actually solve the problem through any of their mucking about on the Excelsior, the Doctor solves it just fine from the confines of the Holodeck.
3) The Excelsior sequences, partially due to the above 2 points, actually have nothing to do with the story. They are there to fit the 30th anniversary theme, but the story isn't about that. So they seem superfluous. On that note, a lot of lip service is paid to nostalgia for the past and having fun with the maverick early Starfleet officers, but the audience never actually feels any of that because the entire Tuvok/virus story, which has nothing to do with the Excelsior, is hanging over all of it.
Basically, this episode is great because we get to see more of Captain Sulu in action, which is cool. But it totally fails in comparison to "Trials and Tribble-ations" [DS9].
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,205.8 lightyears
"The Chute"
Okay, this episode is pretty good, except for all the cutaways to Janeway and the ship, which were terrible. As cool as it was for Janeway to come down the Chute with a phaser rifle blazing, this is ANOTHER case o the protagonists (Kim and Paris) not actually solving the problem. Although it's at least nice to see Kim DOING something for once. Have I mentioned that I officially HATE Janeway now?? Somewhere in season 2 the effects of being stranded in the Delta Quadrant got to her and she's split into her 2 personalities and is now crazy, irresponsible, and a terrible captain. I fucking hate her.
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,194 lightyears
"Remember"
Ever notice how the only way VOY can tell interesting stories is when they AREN'T happening to our people? But seriously, this episode has good intentions, with its Holocaust allegory, but confuses the entire issue by making Jews into Amish people, and not giving the Nazis a reason to exterminate them. It would actually be EASIER and less costly to re-settle them (the cover story) than kill all of them. It's an imperfect allegory because it doesn't fully understand why the Holocaust happened. But I suppose it's an okay episode. Although, Torres uses Janeway's exact reasoning from "False Profits" on why they should interfere, but THIS time Janeway will absolutely not do so. FUCK.
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,175.7 lightyears
"The Swarm"
The parts where Holo-Zimmerman interacted with Holo-Doc (aka Robert Picard playing opposite himself) were GENIUS. And the idea that the Doc being active for 2 years and fillling his program with making friends and learning opera is degrading his memory is great, logical, and makes sense at this point in the show. Which makes it all the worse that the entire rest of this episode was FUCKING TERRIBLE. It was like the entire crew took RETARDED PILLS this morning. Janeway was insufferable, especially. She gives a speech where she justifies her actions (which endanger the entire crew needlessly) by saying that they are a long way from the Alpha Quadrant and Starfleet rules don't apply in their situation. AKA THE EXACT FUCKING OPPOSITE OF HER POSITION THROUGH THE ENTIRE SECOND SEASON where we had to follow Starfleet principles despite everything, lest we forget who we are or something like that. FOR FUCK'S SAKE! And then the ending, which says the Doc has forgotten everything, but has a hope of remembering things. Why the hell would you write that ending when you have NO intention of following it up? It's like what happened to Uhura in "The Changeling" [TOS] but I forgive that because it was the 60s. Goddamnit!!
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 18
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,156.4 lightyears
While seasons 1 and 2 of VOY were frustrating, or subpar, they were at least mediocre. Okay. Following the premise, however loosely. But so far season 3 has tossed the baby out with the bathwater and been fucking terrible. I trace it to the departure of Michael Piller. "Basics, Part II" was a farewell to all his storylines, characters, and concepts, and now we're just doing stories week by week, hit and miss, mostly miss. It feels like the writers of DS9 do what they do because they love the show, and the writers of VOY do it because it's a job and they want to get paid. There's no passion. And it shows onscreen.
"Future's End, Parts I & II"
Time travel is confusing. The plot is a little more than an excuse for the fun here. But in times it feels like the fun is padded to make this a two parter. And it doesn't help that all of the "lol, it's the characters from Star Trek in the present day!" gags were for the most done before, and better, by the Original Series in two episodes and a very popular movie. This episode is fun, but it's light and meaningless (and derivative) fun. Ratings grab.
# of Crew: 144 Total -- 128 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 73,027.1 lightyears
"Warlord"
This episode goes down as the point where I officially became fed up with Neelix. We are done professionally. Meanwhile, the best part of this episode is Jennifer Lien's performance. You can tell she's having a lot of fun, and I love the dominating, sexy, arrogant portrayal she created for Tieran. It's a damn shame her career went nowhere after being fired for Seven of Boob. Meanwhile, she kind've breaks up with Neelix while under Tieran's control, which is hilarious because it's never addressed again. And the final scene is even better, when Tuvok tells Kes how this experience will change her outlook on life and how she behaves as a person and how she'll have to live with the consequences. Does he think he's on DS9 or something?
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,996.3 lightyears
"The Q and the Grey"
A wasted opportunity. First third of the show spent on the laborious Q-after-Janeway jokes, then we finally get to the meat of the story, the Q Civil War. Nice to see that "Death Wish" had consequences, but fourthings really bugged me:
1) Q's rebel faction wearing Union colours. Yeah, I know that it's so we'll sympathize more with him, but a more accurate metaphor would've been Q's faction as the Confederates.
2) The Voyager crew intervening turns the tide?? Puh-leez. The worst was when they showed Tom sneaking up behind the Q General. How do you sneak up behind an omnipotent being?
3) No Q has ever procreated? I direct you to "True Q" [TNG]
4) All of Janeway's high and mighty Roddenberry-esque speeches about how humanity has evolved beyond using violence to solve its problems so why not the Q? First off, the whole premise of VOYAGER is that 13/143 of the crew are terrorists. Janeway was on a mission to capture terrorists. Secondly, the whole premise of the Q on TNG was that they judged humanity for being a barbarous race who had to proove their worth to be in space. So this all felt really hollow. The idea of a Q Civil War after the events of "Death Wish" is interesting, but this episode doesn't really explore it -- it just uses it for action setpieces and wastes most of its time on dumb jokes.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,959.9 lightyears
"Macrocosm"
Someone really wanted to do ALIEN on VOYAGER, I guess, with Janeway as Ripley. It almost works, but the entire drama of the episode is killed by an act-long flashback that has the same atmosphere as just any ol' VOY episode, rather than the dramatic, tension filled episode up to that point. From then on, it's all downhill.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,943.8 lightyears
"Alter Ego"
Yaaaaawn. Everything in this episode has been done before on Trek, and better. Falling in love with a holo-character, a holo-character achieving sentience, a determined woman trying to seduce a Vulcan, the ancient alien wracked with lonliness, on and on.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,907.4 lightyears
"Fair Trade"
A surprisingly great VOY episode, largely because it falls into the rare "we're acknowledging the premise" category of stories. Neelix is featured in an effective character examination as he realizes that now that Voyager has entered space he is unfamiliar with, he has essentially no use on the ship. It's a great episode with some great thematic material.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 7
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,896.5 lightyears
"Coda"
Ugh. What the frak was this supposed to be? Was it supposed to be deep? Meaningful? Tell us something about Janeway? It did none of that. It mucked around for the first few acts pretending it was "Cause and Effect" [TNG], before aping "The Next Phase" [TNG], "The Tholian Web" [TOS], and even STAR TREK V. It's all ultimately meaningless and very stupid. If the answer to the mystery is an alien is trying to suck Janeway's lifeforce as she dies, then what's the explanation for endless near-death loop cycle at the start? They act like this creature might be back at the end, but he never returns, leaving a ton of vague unanswered bullshit. Terrible show.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 6
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,888.2 lightyears
"Blood Fever"
Ah, here's a good show. It's basically "Amok Time" [TOS] in the Delta Quadrant, and explains why they brought Vorik onto the show about four or five episodes previous. A little silly as to why they didn't just use the Vulcan they already had, but then I could never see Tuvok acting the way Vorik does here. This is a fun show that also ignites the Paris/Torres relationship. And, of course, omg the borg.
# of Crew: 143 Total -- 127 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 6
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,880.7 lightyears
I think the number one problem with the Trek spin-offs is that by this point there are basically three kinds of Trek episode: one that advances the premise/plot of the show as a whole, one that develops a main character, and a standalone. And by now the standalones suck, because after seven years of TNG and three years of TOS, all of the interesting sci-fi tales that can be done in one hour of TV within Trek's premise have been done -- so any standalone adventures on VOY or DS9 are repeitive of what's gone before. The only thing making DS9 and VOY unique are their individual premises and casts, and DS9 utilizes those brilliantly. Most DS9 episodes are either advancing the story or bringing a character to a new place -- which VOY doesn't do enough of, content to merely tell episodic stories that are all derivative and thus boring by now. It really is TNG Lite --- same kind of stories, but solved with gimmicks and phaser fire than intelligence and drama.
"Unity"
In following up on the promise of "Blood Fever" and setting up the excitement of "Scorpion", this episode does a great job. With the way things are done here it almost feels like the VOY writers knew that they were going to have to make the Borg interesting and different to validate doing them. This is a very well written and interesting little episode. I kinda really hate that our crew is somewhat responsible for the Borg Co-Operative gaining control of that planet, for all we know the guys battering down their door to come kill them were screaming "For Liberty!" as they did it. But other than that, I think this episode probes into a very interesting topic -- namely, how something like the Borg came about in the first place. Of course it would've started innocuously, as it does here. The Borg probably started as hippies with Apple technology. But as VOY Borg episodes go, this is a good one. Very smart.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 5
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,849.5 lightyears
"Darkling"
At first it seems like this is gonna be a "Kes is like a teenage girl now" episode, with Doc and Janeway as the parental figures. Then it suddenly turns into Jekyll/Hyde on VOY with good Doc and evil Doc. It's basically just Robert Picardo having fun hamming it up for an episode. It's a fun watch, for sure, but there's nothing else here of import.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 5
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 17
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,768.2 lightyears
"Rise"
I've seen a lot of shows steal the basic plot of "Flight of the Phoenix", including Trek a few times, but never this blatantly. This is a fun show, it's got some good Neelix/Tuvok characterization, but other than that there's nothing to recommend.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,751.4 lightyears
"Favorite Son"
Ugh, so TAS did this episode and called it "The Lorolei Signal" -- and the episode itself admits its ripping off The Odyssey. Yaaawn. Not terrible, but pretty darn mediocre. Did I think for a second the aliens were going to be just as friendly as they seemed? They never are. Did I think for a second Harry was going to stay behind with them? I wish. Foregone conclusion, tired premise, weak hour.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,729 lightyears
"Before and After"
A fairly good time paradox story that utilizes Kes and her character's unique lifespan very well. It also does a great (and clever) job foreshadowing the Year of Hell storyline, which at this point was apparently planned as the S3 finale cliffhanger and was actually going to happen as opposed to just be a reset button story (notice the damage dealt the ship here isn't as severe as when the writers knew they were just going to undo it all). All in all, a good VOY episode. So, y'know, a rarity.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,678.5 lightyears
"Real Life"
An interesting episode for the Doctor (Kenneth Schmullus!), even if his holo-family essentially swings from one extreme stereotype to the other, while the sci-fi subplot of the week is the dullest its ever been. A memorable, if just okay, episode.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,619.6 lightyears
"Distant Origin"
This is a very intelligent, well written, well produced episode, worthy of the name Star Trek. Too bad it was essentially all done before and called PLANET OF THE APES. All kidding aside, it's a good show, even if its central concept (that a genus of dinosaur developed spaceflight and left Earth before the extinction event) is a little farfetched. I wish VOY took this more intelligent path more often -- when it does (like in last season's "Death Wish") it pays off.
Also, the crew complement is given as 148 here. Learn math, writers -- it's 142.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,586 lightyears
"Displaced"
OMG, aliens have abducted our characters, placing them in an idyllic prison. They are confused when we want to leave, because the prison is paradiscal and after all they are only doing what they need to survive.
This plot should be banned from Trek. Mainly because it was the plot of the GORRAM FIRST EPISODE EVER!
Ugh. Yawn.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,566.9 lightyears
"Worst Case Scenario"'
Best season 1 episode of VOY I've ever seen. But all kidding aside, a really well done, fun, compelling show, even after it's clearly just a holoprogram. The only part that doesn't really work as well is the third act jeopardy angle with Seska, but even then it's still a good time. Good stuff, VOY.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,547.8 lightyears
"Scorpion"
Wow. The first genuinely exciting, tension-filled episode of VOY. Ever. After three years we finally get a good balance of action, excitement, tension, plot, character and drama. A fantastic finale, even if the actual cliffhanger itself is pretty darned lame. But the idea of the Borg/8472 war is compelling. As is everything else in this show. Certainly leaves one excited for VOY. About time.
Fun fact -- this plotline was in development as far back as "Unity" -- the cube there was meant to be destroyed by 8472 -- but this episode was decided on as the cliffhanger instead of "Year of Hell" AFTER the decision to bring on Seven of Boob had been made. What HADN'T been decided yet, was who was leaving the show -- that's why Kes seems to have a pretty big role in the link to 8472 while Harry is lying on a biobed in sickbay dying -- because Garret Wang was originally supposed to leave instead of Jennifer Lien. If only.
# of Crew: 142 Total -- 126 Starfleet, 13 Maquis, 3 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 4
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 16
# of Gel Packs: 46
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 72,539.8 lightyears
In three seasons, we've gotten about 3.3% of the way home. Way to go, Captain Janeway.
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