My VOY reviews

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

I surprised myself the other day by starting watching Voyager again. It has been many years since I did that, but I do have the complete DVD collection. And since I've reviewed other Trek shows (even if I haven't finished reviewing, except for DS9) I decided to review VOY as well. So here goes, for how long I'll manage to keep it up this time.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Season One


1-01-02 Caretaker

I normally rank Star Trek: Voyager lowest among the different Trek shows. It comes of as a tired re-tread of stories we've seen many times before, with mostly boring characters and a total waste of the stranded on the other side of the galaxy concept. However, it's been quite a while since I watched it and now that I've embarked on a re-watch it will be interesting to see if that original assessment holds up, especially in view of how disappointed I've become with The Next Generation. Could it be that I'll actually rank Voyager above it when all is watched and done? We'll see after seven seasons, I guess.

At any rate Voyager's pilot episode is better than that of The Next Generation, but that is almost a given. Caretaker is however definitely not better than the pilots of Deep Space Nine or Enterprise. The first half is actually pretty good, before they get to the Delta quadrant. It sets up the crew rather nicely. But once they get to the Caretaker array and the Ocampa planet things fizzles quickly. It's like the writers knew that they wanted these people over there but was unable to give it an interesting reason.

Why should we care about the Caretaker, let alone why Janeway et al. should? And why should we be invested in the Ocampa? They're just convenient plot devices. Why even sympathise with the Caretaker after all he's done, and eventually fulfil his wish of having the array destroyed?

That last part really bugs me. Another and smarter Captain would have come up with a way to destroy the array, save the Ocampa and get themselves back to the Alpha quadrant. For instance they could have destroyed the Kazon vessels with those magic high-yield explosives (tricobalt), used the array to get home and then set off the array's timed self-destruct mechanism. I understand the plot reasons for them not doing so, but it makes them look stupid. So why not use an altogether different reason for them to be stranded 70,000 light-years away without questioning the sanity and competence of the new Trek Captain?

I was also disappointed with the main villains (or at least main for as long as it takes the ship to traverse the territory they're active in). The Kazons didn't come off as particularly scary and certainly not clever. They're like rival biker gangs with bad hair. They fail as Ersatz-Klingons as they have none of the things, like honour and culture, which make Klingons interesting.

Summing up, I give Caretaker a slightly below average grade of 4+ out of 10.




1-03 Parallax

This was a really wasted second episode opportunity. Instead of showing how the crew dealt with the shocking realisation that they're stranded at least 75 years from home, we're treated to an anomaly-of-the-week™ story which, quite frankly, could have been on any other Trek show.

The only thing that reminds us about their predicament is Torres proving to Janeway that she has what it takes to be Chief Engineer despite being a Maquis prone to nose-breaking temper tantrums. At least that part of the episode is interesting, and even a bit moving, especially when Janeway tells Torres about how her former Academy teachers actually appreciated her before she dropped out.

I also liked how Chakotay clashed with Janeway over, specifically, Torres and, generally, the Maquis place on the ship. Too bad that won't last long. We also see the possibility of an even more serious conflict between Starfleet and Maquis crew members, something that was inherent in the premise of the show, but that was squandered early on. Why even introduce it if you're not even going to bother doing anything about it? But, like most of Voyager, it was a wasted opportunity. But they did introduce the character of Seska here, and I like her, even if she became a bit cartoonish later on.

The story about the ship being trapped inside an event horizon was shock full of obnoxious technobabble, another thing that Voyager has in spades. Apparently the writers thought you can hang most of a story on that, but it turns out you can't.

So I will give Parallax a grade of 4- which is probably one point more than it deserves.

[CoffeeCat]

Hi KTR.

I just started re watching Voyager a few months ago and it's a lot funnier than I remember it. I still don't agree with Janeway's original decision to treat the Maquis like Starfleet. Tuvok should have been first officer and Tom Paris should have been made an Ensign as a reward for helping her. He also should not have been allowed to touch the helm until she was certain the EMH had trained him into being a competent medic (because an Ocampan who was only going to live 8 more years wouldn't be much help after her time was up).

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Hi, CoffeeCat! Long time no see!

Well, if Janeway was intent on integrating the Maquis, then making Chakotay the first officer makes sense. Otherwise Tuvok would have been the obvious choice.

To continue...

*****

1-04 Time And Again

So we have Paris goading Kim to go on a double date with the Delaney sisters while they pass by a pre-warp planet. And that's it! Seriously, nothing more really happens in this episode. Everything else depicted becomes null and void once the dreaded reset button™ is pushed.

This is also a story that might as well have taken place on another Trek show, and it is a big failing for Voyager to have two such mundane stories in their first two regular outings, and this episode especially since it means squat. No one remembers anything about what happened, except maybe Kes who at least has a vague memory of an irradiated planet. But the time travelling paradox is such a tired concept by now.

Also, having the aliens essentially looking like humans (and speaking English even after the comm badges/universal translators have been removed) was a bad idea if you want viewers to get excited about this new and unexplored area of space.

And don't get me started on Janeway's lecture about the virtues of the Prime Directive, which she then promptly breaks herself, even if it means condemning a civilization to extinction. I will never accept that such an interpretation is a good one, and not a single Trek episode that has depicted this dilemma has convinced me. "Because we say so" isn't an argument.

I cannot give Time and Again anything more than a 2- grade.




1-05 Phage

Finally a good Voyager episode that introduces us to a new and fascinating, if horrendous, species. The Vidiians are both terrifying and pitiful with their flesh-eating affliction, the Phage, which makes them hunt down other species and harvesting their organs for survival. That was an interesting and novel concept. But even if you can have some sympathy for their plight, their behaviour is inexcusable and I cannot understand why Janeway didn't punish them for doing what they did, instead letting them go with a stern warning through her misty eyes.

Also, making Neelix the victim wasn't a good choice since I can imagine a lot of viewers thinking that the annoying Talaxian might as well die. Still, his banter with the Doctor while he was immobilised using the holographic lung was amusing. They also played up the relationship between Neelix and Kes, but it doesn't feel natural, even if she gave up one of her lungs for him. But making her a nurse for the Doctor was a good move. Now she'll be useful besides growing vegetables.

Overall I quite liked the episode though, and will give Phage a generous grade of 6+ out of 10.




1-06 The Cloud

Here we have another episode that might as well have been on any of the other Treks, but I will just have to get used to the fact that Voyager, far from being a unique show, is more of TNG-lite. The plot is a staple of by now tired clichés about misunderstood space creatures, in this case a literal space creature, as in space-dwelling. And we have seen all this before.

While I can applaud the writers for acknowledging that the ship's resources are limited it would be nice to see more of it besides Neelix having to cook now that they have to ration replicator usage. But I cannot for the life of me understand why they have energy for an elaborate holodeck program but not for replicating coffee. That's a serious design flaw if ever I saw one. But I must admit to chuckle at Janeway's "there's coffee in that nebula!"

I was pleasantly surprised by Neelix at first when he pointed out that they'll never get home if they stop to investigate every little thing, and calling them a bunch of idiots with a death wish. Too bad that didn't last long, as he appointed himself the ship's morale officer. How good can a morale officer you'd want to strangle, especially for being overtly cheerful, really be?

I thought Chakotay taking Janeway on a vision trip to find her animal guide was somewhat embarrassing. Already he's tempered from being a decisive rebel leader into becoming Janeway's lapdog. A-koo-chee-moya, my indigenous ass, as I read in someone's signature line once.

So I can only give a grade of 3+ to The Cloud.

[Alelou]

I have almost no memory of this series at this point. I barely even remember the episode I made money off of. And your reviews are reminding me why my interest just petered out. Janeway's misty-eyed earnestness was incredibly irritating to me throughout that series (or at least the three or four seasons I watched). I liked the actress when she had any comic material, but that was really just about it. I enjoyed Torres and the doctor, and Chakotay was pleasant eye candy, and 7 of 9 was mildly intriguing, but none of it was enough to keep me watching.

[CoffeeCat]

KTR, your reviews always nail what I think of the same episodes. I've always enjoyed reading them. Completely agree that the Phage was one of the best early episodes and I've always wondered why the most annoying character got to star in it. They should've used Harry instead.

Kes and Neelix always made me angry, but I wonder if they made Neelix a control freak on purpose.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

I have almost no memory of this series at this point. I barely even remember the episode I made money off of. And your reviews are reminding me why my interest just petered out. Janeway's misty-eyed earnestness was incredibly irritating to me throughout that series (or at least the three or four seasons I watched). I liked the actress when she had any comic material, but that was really just about it. I enjoyed Torres and the doctor, and Chakotay was pleasant eye candy, and 7 of 9 was mildly intriguing, but none of it was enough to keep me watching.

Well, I did watch all of it (barring the odd episode or two) when it was on TV here, mainly because it was Star Trek after all, and there weren't much else, if anything, else sci-fi like to watch.

But I was never hooked, and the entire series is rather a blur. I can hardly distinguish the seasons, except for before and after 7of9. There was not much that set them apart from each other.

BTW, Alelou, which episode was that (so I may sing its praises)?

KTR, your reviews always nail what I think of the same episodes. I've always enjoyed reading them.

Why, thank you!

Completely agree that the Phage was one of the best early episodes and I've always wondered why the most annoying character got to star in it. They should've used Harry instead.

Yeah, Harry would've been a much better choice. He's pretty bland and uninteresting, but he's a nice guy.

Kes and Neelix always made me angry, but I wonder if they made Neelix a control freak on purpose.

So he could be even more annoying...?

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

1-07 Eye of the Needle

While it was a bit early in Voyager's run to have this kind of we-may-be-able-to-get-home episode, Eye of the Needle works very well and packs a lot of emotional punch, even though the outcome is rather predictable. But the crew's reactions feel real and that is what sells the story.

It was a foregone conclusion that they wouldn't be able to transport themselves through the wormhole, but it was rather clever to have the reason being that they would in doing so also be going 20 years back in time, something that would be out of the question. So close and yet so far away…

I really liked the Romulan scientist, Telek (played by the always reliable Vaughn Armstrong). He showed sympathy for them and that not all Romulans are bad people. In fact he's a family man, something Janeway uses to persuade him to help them. A pity he wasn't able to even deliver their messages, seeing as he died four years before the launch of Voyager.

The b-plot involving the Doctor was also good. Kes picked up on how dissatisfied he was at how he was treated by the crew members. He has already exceeded the narrow confines of his programming as an emergency medical hologram. He is becoming a real person and Kes convinces Janeway to do something to ease his situation. This is the start of one of the most interesting character developments on this show. So what if the EMH basically fulfils the role of the "stranger seeking humanity" that was previously held by the likes of Spock and Data. I like the Doctor, probably my favourite character on Voyager, and Robert Picardo does a great job playing him.

Eye of the Needle is easily the best episode so far, and I give it a grade of 7 out of 10.




1-08 Ex Post Facto

This episode was really a yawner. Nothing original to see and it even fails as a run-of-the-mill murder mystery. That's because most good detective stories must allow for the viewer, if he's paying attention, to solve the crime along with the detective. Here, we're not privy to all the information that Detective Tuvok uses to exonerate Paris.

I also cannot understand why the culprits would go to such elaborate lengths to pass on information to the enemy when there ought to have been a lot more easy alternatives that wouldn't hinge on a lot of coincidences and luck.

And the less said about those stupid-looking alien headpieces the better.

2 is all I can muster up for Ex Post Facto.




1-09 Emanations

The writers obviously tried to make a meaningful episode about what happens when we die, but they failed. It comes off as a statement in favour of the notion that there is no life after death, but somehow they don't go all the way. At least those aliens' beliefs are wrong since their bodies end up inside some asteroids.

Also, Janeway (and by extension the writers) in the end mistakes the afterlife for something that might be proven physically, what with her revelation about some neural energy emissions from the bodies into the energy field surrounding the planet. I think most people who do believe in some kind of afterlife (myself included) don't think it is something that can be proven in a physical and scientific way.

But it was interesting that the episode also dealt with voluntary euthanasia that in effect isn't so voluntary after all. I do think that if euthanasia would be made legal then we would indeed have to come to terms with the fact that there would eventually be enormous pressure on the sick, the disabled and old people to get themselves killed because of the perceived strain they put on family and society in terms of care and costs. I for one wouldn't want to live in such a horrid place.

As for Emanations, I can give it no more than a grade of 2+.

[CoffeeCat]

Ever wonder why they gave a character with the depth of Tom Paris such shitty episodes (Ex Post Facto, Threshold(same lvl as ANIS), and fraking VisAVis)? That always annoyed me.

You're posting these pretty quick KTR. You might catch up with me. I'm right at the Nasty!Nazi!Aliens in season 4. (we need a smiley for that)

[panyasan]

Hello CoffeeCat, nice to hear from you! Did you finish that cross over story of VOY en ST ENT? I loved the idea.

[CoffeeCat]

Ah yes, "The Secret of the Amethyst". I liked the idea behind it, but I don't think I'm quite ready to continue it. I can post what I have of it on google docs if you want to read it.

However, I did continue working on that silly Tom!Gets!PonFarr(tm) fic I started years ago that was based off Samantha Quinn's "Consequences". I picked that one up where it left off because it made me LMAO when I read it again after all this time.

[CoffeeCat]

KTR, you should really get a 7of9 bum for your ratings. Really!

[Alelou]

LOL. Yes, I vote for the 7 of 9 bum rating system, too.

My ep was "Revulsion." Holocaptain who's gone insane from being on alone for too long was turned into janitor with a homicidal bug up his ass about dirt from being on alone for too long ... because it was cheaper to film than battles between the two ships (or so I was told). Sigh. I honestly liked the B plot that I had nothing to do with a lot better. I also liked my paycheck, though, so I can't complain too much.

I'm with you on the afterlife, but I'm not convinced a method could NEVER be invented to measure such things, if physicists were able to come up with the right theory to test. I'd rather ST not even go there, though. (It would also be anti-canonical of them to suggest there's no such thing when they give Vulcans katras.)

[panyasan]

Ah yes, "The Secret of the Amethyst". I liked the idea behind it, but I don't think I'm quite ready to continue it. I can post what I have of it on google docs if you want to read it.

That would be great!

[Weeble]

Yummmm

Bum ratings

I forsee a bunch of icons of increasingly better bums, perhaps with a T'Pol bum as the 10 of 10. Crap this is Voyager. We'd never see the T'Pol.......

Still.......