Amph "Set a Course For Home." Star Trek: Voyager

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VOY 209: Tattoo
-Premise: Chakotay investigates mysterious symbols and visions that are remarkably similar to one of his childhood experiences.

-T2Q Comments: Looks like we're getting some of Chakotay's backstory here, whoch probably explains the title.

"I don't have a life. I have a program."

Captain Sulu, eh?

The way this is structured...have to say it kinda reminds me of Lost, being focused on a particular character's backstory told through flashbacks that (usually) relates to mysteries being encountered in the strange "present" world.

Chakotay ass crack was not on the list of things I was looking forward to in this series.

Was just thinking about sets recreating rainforests...never quite work, yet the artificial lighting flashes have their own appeal, so it's a doubleedged sword.

The makeup on this alien guy seems to stop just before the hairline, in which in looks like you can see the actor's skin inbetween..kinda gives it an unintentional mardi gras or masquerade effect through that flaw.

Not a bad episode- though the native american tale goes on a bit too long, that part of the episode is at least somewhat interesting, and the flashback structure works, still the stuff like the Voyager-in-Vortex stuff kinda pad things out (though it's notable for the brief moment of panic in Janeway just before she believes they'll crash the ship).

Average- though it's pretty decent for Chakotay development.

Trivia: reworked from a Season 1 story pitch. The B-story with the Doctor getting the flu was pitched by Picardo- the first one of his ideas the writers used. This is the second episode of Trek to use on-screen subtitles, after TNG's A Matter of Honor.


Up next: VOY 210: Cold Fire & VOY 211: Maneuvers.

 

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VOY 210: Cold Fire
-Premise: While attempting to make contact with the Caretaker's mate (who may have the ability to send Voyager home), the crew discovers a colony of Ocampa whose representative has an interest in Kes and helping her explore her telepathic powers.

-T2Q Comments: Woah, this is weird- this is the first "Previously On..." we've ever seen that A) Is not a "Part II" and B) Does not begin with "Previously On...". This is almost like a stand-in for a revised title sequence or opening premise narration. Almost makes you wonder if the show might have found more focus if it had it's opening sequence begin with an evolving narration over the nature of their mission as an audience hook and something to build towards/upon...but i suppose at the time it would seem like too much of a B5 thing perhaps?

Worth noting that it's been 10 months since the events of Caretaker.. shouldn't that one crew member have had her baby by now?

"Lots of people but so little life" see that's when you play the "ship runs on bio-tech" card to shut him up.

Seems like the Caretakers have a bit of a Shadow/Vorlon philosophical disagreement.

"Vulcans make the worst patients."

Some of the "Kess join the darkside" training works, some of it is a bit too much and drags some. Having the girl with the deeper voice comes across a bit Corbomite Manuever-esque.

Not a great episode but not bad. with the developing of Kes's abilities and the followup of the female Caretaker plot, I suppose this one is Definitely Essential in what arc progression the series has currently- but since Suspiria doesn't show up or play a factor again it kinda makes the series look bad, or at least the characters- Janeway didn't even take tim to explain what happened to the Caretaker after Suspiria was captured (and no longer attacking them out of anger), so it makes Janway's decision at the end seem even more stupid.

Trivia: Suspiria's concept was included in the pilot as a "get out clause" (a means of changing Voyager's format) for the studio, who were wary of reaction to the lost-in-space concept. The use of Suspiria here without sending Voyager home indicates an increased confidence in the notion since the plot was produced. The director (who had previously worked with guest star Gary Grahm on M.A.N.T.I.S.) felt that both he and Gary could have done better on the episode. Suspiria is never seen again on the series and is only vaguely mentioned once more in the series.


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VOY 211: Maneuvers
-Premise: After Seska steals vital transporter technology from Voyager, Chakotay sets off on his own to recover it.

-T2Q Comments: Being hailed by someone using a Federation signal- first example of someone (seemingly) using Federation tech that didn't come from Voyager?

Ah, it's the Kazon..not a bad trap, really. Tuvok could have taken more than one shot in that situation this is actually a pretty neat scenario- someone doing essentially a smash and grab for a piece of Federation tech.

Seska returns, so I guess that rules out the "nonVoyager Federation tech angle".

Watching this and The Sword of Kahless back-to-back you have the blood rival Klingon houses fighting for an object that would destabilize the balance of power in their society to now the blood rival Kazon/Water-Klingon sects fighting for an object that would destabilize the balance of power in their society- though there are differerent means to how that fight came about in the two examples, it's an interesting synchronicity.

You know, one detail I just thought about now, looking at the exterior shot of Voyager... the blinking running light(s). You never see their flashing visible through viewports/affecting the lighting in the room, eve

 

The only writer's strike to affect a Trek series, AKAIK, was during TNG Season 2 (thus the crappy clip show season finale and abbreviated episode total).

 

I'll be getting there relatively soon, i think- I'm a little further ahead in my viewings than in my reviews, but still have half a season of Voy S2 and DS9 S4 to go before I get to Voy S3.

 

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VOY 212: Resistance
-Premise: In order to free her imprisoned crew members, Janeway accepts the help of a delusional resistance fighter.

-T2Q Comments: It's a curious opening sequence- it's played like it's the end (or, at least, middle) of a big story or movie...it does add some punch, though the tension is kinda lost since the problem is essentially resolved 2 minutes after the audience first experiences it, so the desperate situation never feels that desparate to us (but the characters do convey this at least). Still I think I would have liked to see this concept expanded upon- Big Bad Voyager and it's Federation tech failing it's crew, placing them at the mercy of a lesser race to obtain the material they need to fix it. The idea of potentially stranding them without warp drive certainly has appeal.

Another lazy alien design- even the Bajorans have more nose ridge makeup than these guys!

Though it seems silly at first, the actor playing this unwell man pulls it off in a very sad way.

Aaron From 24.

The smile Janeway gives in response to "I like this strategy" is fun. Isn't it kinda curious for the main pilot of the ship to be leading a strike team? They have 30 seconds to get down there before they fire- yet Paris walks to the transporter room. Shouldn't they be going site to site?

Maybe instead of trying to throw off their sensors you should try MOVING.

This episode was actually a lot better than I thought it would be- the only major flaw is that it requires the crux of this race being practically all human for it to work, which gives it a bit too much of an Alpha Quadrant Story tang...other than that, Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential.

Trivia: The initial pitch of this Don Quixote concept involved Torres and a Kazon. A different writer pitched a very similar story two days after the writers did- had they waited, the other writer would hav gotten the job.



Up next: 213: Prototype & 218: Death Wish (chronological viewing).

 

Shuttle Atlantis rolled in today to the Voyager theme music.

 

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VOY 213: Prototype
-Premise: A sentient robot enlists Torres' help to make it possible for it to construct new members of its race.

-T2Q Comments: The POV shot intro is pretty neat. "This looks like some kind of programming center" you mean the part that is obviously a head and face? nahh...

Wow, this thing looks really cheap- it's like a bad halloween mask. It's like something TOS would have used- though the facial design evokes the protoype C-3PO.

"I shouldn't have to remind you that I'm a doctor-"
"-not an engineer"

Did Tuvok just say "Our Tarkin sensors cannot penetrate it"?

I like the inclusion of the Data references- almost makes you wish such a crossover was possible.

"I'm going to try adjusting the flux capacitors.."

There;'s something about the delivery of "Is it possible we've stumbled into some kind of...robotic war?" thats just a bit too goofy.. add in Torres full-on "My god, what have I done?!" and, yeah... I don't know what to say about this episode... even though the Classic Cylon backstory machines-keep-on-fighting story is overused these days, it's still a good one- and there's a lot to like about this episode (and the battle with the Ha'tak-looking Destiny hybrids is more extensive than one would antiticpate...but the cheese kinda kills it with the cheap costumes and corny cliched lines. Yet there's enough good here that I wouldn't mind watching this one again down the road.

So, I guess Good Episode (barey), But Not Necessarily Essential.

Trivia: Final Trek episode directed by Frakes, who shot scenes in ways that would make the eye slits in the robot masks unnoticeable. One of the robot arms seen on the table is that of Johnny Five. The Pralor internal comm beep uses the same sound used in the Terran campaign briefings in Starcraft.


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VOY 216 (214): Death Wish
-Premise: A member of the Q Continuum comes aboard Voyager, seeking asylum so he can commit suicide. Q arrives onboard to stop him, leaving Captain Janeway to mediate a moral dilemma.

-T2Q Comments: NOTE: Stardate indicates this takes place after 213: Prototype.

Another Q- a dysfunctional one at that. Janeway thinking he's "the" Q is a nice touch, and I like Q2's non-chalant "oh well" attitude to wiping out Voyager's male crew members by accident and being unable to remember how to undo it. Real Q arrives (though wearing the Voyager uniform- would have been nice if he had the old style).

"Oh, well I guess that's what we get for having a woman in the Captain's seat. You know, I was betting that Riker would get this command."

"Did anyone ever tell you angry when you're beautiful?"

Oh, wait-crap, I just realized this is turning into a Starfleet trial episode... my spidey sense is tingling... but then Q calling himself to the witness stand is hilarious ("Vulcans.."), so I'm at ease for the moment.

Riker brought in among others..though he seems all too calm about the notion of Q wiping his memory.

"Without Q there would have been no Wlliam T Riker at all. And I would have lost at least a dozen REALLY good opportunities to insu

 

Chronologically, I've finished watching all of TOS & TNG so far.

 

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VOY 214 (215): Alliances
-Premise: Janeway tries to form an alliance with the Kazon.

-T2Q Comments: It would have been nice if we had gotten to know this crewmember or seen his friendship with Chakotay prior to this episode so that his death would have more impact. It's good that they're exploring Federation principles in more depth... that's not something I was anticipating anything outside of DS9 doing much of, and the comparison to the Klingon/Federation alliance is valid to some degree (and amusing, given the Water Klingon nickname).

Seska returns. Another nose/forehead alien race- could have just given them a cool visor or eyewear to achieve a similar, if not superior, effect. One thing about this episode, though- they went awfully quickly from "we have only thrusters and will be lucky to get warp drive working again" to "business as usual".

The (re)introduction of the Trabe puts a new spin on the Kazon...but the Trabe seem to be pretty well known, at least to Neelix...so why didn't he make a big deal about the "Kazon stole from the Trabe" angle before?

Kinda funny, given their shared "trying to get to Earth" plotlines, that Janeway's initial proposal would sorta make Voyager the equivalent of Galactica (albeit amongst a more heavily armed convoy). Also interesting that the Trabe potentially suggest a new Federation of sorts.

Would be nice if the Trabe's betrayal, as witnessed by the Kazon that Janeway saved by warning them, actually led to some Kazon tribes being more lenient towards Voyager.

Janeway's speech about Federation principles and alliances is all well and good..until you start thinking about the eventual Borg "alliances" of sorts to come (and the speech is kinda preechy and comes across as a tacked-on lesson too).

So this episode was pretty major, I think- besides the Seska subplot (and the apparently recurring crewmember traitor linked to her) and overall Kazon material, this is one of the first episodes where you get the feeling things could have a major, major impact and plausibly change the status quo by building something meaningful. In that regards, the Trabe betrayal, though portrayed well, feels conceptually cheapening- as if they had to force a reset button in there, no matter how much the show would have trmendously benefitted from the script succeeding.

So, one of the few Voyager episodes to seize upon something great- and though it sadly pulls back at the end from achieving that greatness out of necessity (presumably), to it's credit they pull things off in a way that success seems actually plausible (as opposd to one of those pre-ordained "of course you know this'll all go away/not happen by episode's end" vibe similar situations in Trek tend to have)

Definitely Essential.

Trivia: Originally, Culluh was to die in this episode.



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VOY 215 (216): Threshold
-Premise: A specially-outfitted warp-capable shuttlecraft piloted by Tom Paris successfully reaches Warp 10, breaking the transwarp barrier. But the side effects of breaking the barrier may cost the crew of Voyager their best helmsman.

-T2Q Comments: Ah, this episode. Heh.

As far as the initial conception goes, I like the idea of them trying to implement new propulsion tech ideas to try and accelerate (literally) their journey home. Afterall, why wouldn't they? Super-Barclay showed it's possible (albeit currently beyond Fed tech to master),

 

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VOY 216 (217): Meld
-Premise: Tuvok is plagued by the senselessness of a murder aboard Voyager.

-T2Q Comments: "I will not rest until I see you smile."
"Then you will not rest."

Wait...the dead body guy's name was "Mr. Darwin"? For real?

Interesting- watching this back to back with Sons of Mogh, an episode that dealt with a mindwipe, here we have the guest actor, Brad Douriff, who underwent death of personality/mindwipe on B5.

Not unexpectedly, going by the title of the episode, here comes a mind meld.

"Try your luck again- tommorow you could be a winner"

God, please punch Neelix in the face, just one little omniscient jawcracker is all I ask. That'll do, Vulcan, that'll do.

So, this ends up being a pretty decent episode- though more on the strength of the guest actor than Tim Russ (who isn't bad either) or the plot, though the Paris gambling subplot doesn't really go anywhere, even though they hinted at something between Paris and Chakotay. Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential/Potentially Essential (it's final state will depend on Brad's character's recurring appearances).

Trivia: The original pitch from a writing intern involved Tuvok melding with a racist alien serial killer, which would lead to Tuvok venting repressed feelings regarding humans. At this point in the production they were under a "great time crunch" and were writing shows as quickly as possible to get them "up on their feet" because they were unsure what the next show was going to be.

A psychiartrist was hired as a consultant on the script and Tim Russ consulted with two doctors for insights into the criminal mind. A cut scene involved Chakotay "dressing down" Tuvok for not knowing about Paris's gambling operation. This was Braga's favorite episode from Season 2. The scene where Tuvok loses control in Sickbay was included in a performance reel Tim Russ showed when seeking acting work.



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VOY 217 (218): Dreadnought
-Premise: Voyager encounters Dreadnought, a Cardassian missile that B'Elanna Torres reprogrammed during her time in the Maquis. Even though lost in the Delta Quadrant, the missile still believes it is on a Maquis mission in the Alpha Quadrant, setting an intercept course with an inhabited world.

-T2Q Comments: Shouldn't this chick have popped by now? They've been in the Delta Quadrant for well over 9 months now.

"Enough to destroy a small moon" Death Star, all you gotta say is "this could blow up the Death Star" .

This thing sorta sounds like a Cardassian missile version of the Doomsday Machine. See, now why couldn't they have used these alien designs for the Trabe?

Woah! that vaporizing shockwave bubble seems mighty handy.

"What can be done in 41 minutes?" well, Voyager could beam a crap load of people to a different continent, for starters. Also, you could watch an episode of Star Trek Voyager .

Self-destruct attempt #1. You'd think Torres would be smart enough to not waste air responding to the computer.

"Doctor, I forgot about you."
"How flattering."

So, besides Janeway using a hella of a lot of torpedos here, pretty decent episode..not sure it quite clicks into "awesome" territory but it is pulled off pretty well and is a better Torres episode, than, say, Protoype was. The traitor subplot continues running here in the background too- though it's not adding up to much given that almost everything that guy has given the Kazon/Seska information on has been destroyed or invalidated by the end of almost every episode it seems.

Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential.

Trivia: Directed by Levar Burton. A male voice was used instead of the regular Cardassian computer voice actress so that it would be more easily distinguishable from the Torres computer voice. Kes's mention of "a boy named Tarrik" refers to stand-in and background extra Tarik Ergin who plays Lt Ayala

 

I'll try- but I hope you like waiting, it'll be awhile .

 

Could be, the files I view require me to max out my speakers to get a normal volume- but I don't lose out on dialogue comprhension (at least, not like watching, say, a BBC show like Doctor Who).