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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Amph To Boldly Trek Where Many Geeks Have Gone Before- VOY: Drive, Repression & Imperfection

Discussion in 'Community' started by The2ndQuest , Jun 25, 2006.

  1. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001
    I like a lot more of both this one and TFF than I do of Nemesis...
     
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  2. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Unless you're making the case that one or both of them is actually worth watching, and have fun with that if you are because I very much disagree, I just don't see the point in worrying about it.
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2018
  3. Jedi Merkurian

    Jedi Merkurian Future Films Rumor Naysayer star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    May 25, 2000
    I saw this in-theatre, and the funny thing was that just before they said this, my date leaned over to me and whispered “I wonder if their boobs will get firm again?” [face_laugh]

    And as far as Worf, the audio literally trailed off mid-explanation [face_plain]

    -Mr. Worf! What are you doing here?
    - We’ll, I...(audio trails off)
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2018
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  4. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2005
    The Camping scenes between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy make The Final Frontier watchable. Sums up the friendship between the three perfectly.
     
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  5. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Nemesis at least gave us an entertaining space battle, a couple decent action sequences, some decent moments of humor and a threatening villain with some complexities (even if that gets sidelined eventually). So, it has, at the very least, one less stage of failure than Insurrection.

    And Riker may have his random Kirk-down with Ron Pearlman, but at least he's not dealing with a cheap flightstick rising out of the floor ;).

    It's not really trailing off, it's covered up by the overlapping dialogue as a joke and as a way for them to covering up the need to provide any real explanation. But the script does have the full line: "I was at the Manzar colony installing a new defense perimeter when I heard the Enterprise was in this sector..."

    Always kinda wished that scene could have been included in TVH between their return home and the court sequence/Enterprise ending.
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2018
  6. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Five minutes of okay characterization amidst 101 minutes of irredeemable garbage do not a watchable movie make, particularly (and I really can’t stress this enough) when there are Star Trek movies that require no such bargains. Even the king of the dung heaps still ends up covered in ****.
     
  7. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I think you've just summed up the guiding principle of the last 12 years of this thread. Now all this just seems so wasteful. ;)
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2018
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  8. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    To Boldly Trek Where Many Geeks Have Gone Before - Maybe Just Stick to the Good Ones, Y'all
     
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  9. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2012
    I like Abraham so much that I quite enjoy his performance in the movie because he's just totally whiny range. Baddies don't always have to be epic and brooding, his guy is just kind of a **** which is totally evil in it's own way.
     
  10. Alpha-Red

    Alpha-Red Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 25, 2004
    Why do we have two Star Trek threads anyway?
     
  11. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2005
    This one's mainly Quest's rewatch project. The other one's the general discussion thread.
     
  12. Samuel Vimes

    Samuel Vimes Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 4, 2012
    Yeah and to me what pushes ST V to the bottom of all trek films, new and old, is the disservice it does to some of the series regulars.
    Some are made to look totally incompetent or very disloyal or both.
    Or they are there to be made fun of.
    And all is done in the service of Shatner's ego.
    His character had to look great and the best and thus all other characters must be pushed down.

    I mean, Shatner wanted Spock and Bones to betray him and join Sybok and the only reason that didn't happen is that both actors flat out refused to do it.

    Bye for now.
    Blackboard Monitor
     
  13. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2012
    to be fair to Shatner, honestly a whole lot of TOS is about what Kirk does / reacts to the situation while everyone provides support or are in danger. The whole "starring this character" really only happened from TNG onward
     
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  14. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Strange New Worlds Week:


    Where No Starship Has Gone Before:


    VOY 508/509: Thirty Days
    -Premise: Tom Paris is demoted to ensign and is sentenced to thirty days in the brig for disobeying orders.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: Paris's letter setup seems a bit overly weighty given that we know he has a limited sentence. You'd think he just got 30 years instead of 30 days. It makes the "I want you to know how I ended up in here, because it’s not what you think." feel kinda empty.

    Chaotica holo returns. Delaney sisters finally appear.

    The ocean-only "planet" is a pretty visual- definitely comes across as something distinct from "water planet”.

    [​IMG]

    "And this is Voyager's Command Center, feel free to have a look around." Well, thank you for that potential security threat, Katie.

    Federation Naval Patrol. Interesting, I don't think we've heard of that branch/service before. Be interesting to see stories involving it- though I suppose you'd have to be careful to avoid coming across as a seaQuest ripoff.

    The Delta Flyer being easily adapted to deep sea diving doesn't strike me as a "fair" idea. It may have been designed to withstand intense pressure, so I get why it’s not entirely a "cheat" here, but converting something designed for aerospace flight to submersible would require something pretty extensive in terms of modifications (plus you should be able to notice the differences in propulsion systems from the outside if they just added such systems onto the existing craft).

    It also makes the Delta Flyer seem a bit too versatile (in a "Oh, the Delta Flyer can do that impossible thing"). However, despite that, Janeway notes that Voyager could be adapted for it after a week of modifications, which seems even stranger given Voyager isn't designed for the high pressures.

    This all then connects to STID's stupid underwater Enterprise sequence, however. So Janeway's comment kinda retroactively justifies STID's action while the Delta Flyer also gives it a further excuse- even though a shuttle is much more plausible for conversion than an entire starship.

    Ironically, it would have been a perfect opportunity to introduce the Aeroshuttle as some kind of specialized submersible craft (despite the name) but i guess they wouldn't want to do that so soon after introducing the Delta Flyer. Still, it'd be a neat way to sort of implement the early concept designs of Voyager being something of a multipurpose, multicraft docking station/ship hybrid.

    The underwater base is gorgeous, however. it does give me nostalgic seaQuest flashbacks.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    "Goober fish! Huuuge o'teeth!"

    It's actually kinda funny how similar this sequence looks to the Bongo scenes with the Colo Claw Fish in TPM, considering this episode aired only a month after the TPM teaser trailer debuted.

    "You have a better idea?" Return to surface, effect repairs, study database, formulate a plan of action, return with preparations to defend against giant goober fish eel while enacting said plan? No wait, you're right, Tom. Just chance it and go for it.

    100,000 year old race moving oceans- a shame they probably won't follow up that detail later on. Wait, wasn't that also the timeframe of the ancient relay stations the Hirogen took over? Probably the same race (Caretaker?).

    A dream sequence inside of a flashback while transitioning to a frame story.
    [​IMG]

    "Is that clear?"
    "As a bell." Is that really a saying?

    Paris suggests shutting down the refineries and the other guy jumps to "they would have to be rebuilt" woah, woah, we seemed to have jumped over the meaning of "shutting down" here...

    "And transmit when we're within range of Earth" so (spoiler) technically that happened in the background of the final moments of the series.

    Not a bad episode- I think it's actually pretty good, if straight forward, but undercut by the flashback structure. There's no great twist in a "it's not what you think" when in fact Paris violated an order, which is pretty much exactly what we thought. Telling the story linearly would have been better, IMO, and the removal of some of the letter frame story interludes (and random dream sequence) would have allowed them to better flesh out the conflict.

    Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential.

    Trivia: The story under-ran by 10 minutes which resulted in the solitary confinement subplot being added to the story (well, that explains a lot).

    This is the first and only appearance of the Delaney sisters. However, a deleted reception scene with them in science division uniforms was also shot.



    DS9 711: Prodigal Daughter
    -Premise: Ezri returns to her home to ask her family's help in finding O'Brien, who disappeared while searching for the widow of a dead friend.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: Plot is following up on O'Brien undercover episode. I think this is the first time we've learned Ezri's pre-joined last name of Tigan.

    "Do I have to take a sonic shower before i get a hug?" What, you didn't mean SPACE shower, did you? Sci-fi!

    It's actually kind of interesting hearing Ezri talk about some of the confusions of being joined- much like her brothers, I wish she hadn't been interrupted there.

    [​IMG]

    Wait, this is a residential home, not a military compound, space station or starship- why do they have sliding bulkhead doors? I mean, I get it, sci-fi, but it really never occurred to me that Trek has auto-sliding doors in a lot of situations where they logically would be unlikely to be. I kinda wish I had kept an eye open for that throughout this entire project.

    It's interesting how this started off seeming like it would be an O'Brien story but quickly became an Ezri story- so much so that we're halfway through the episode and have barely even begun to followup on the O'Brien subplot. Not that that's a bad thing. And as soon as I observe that, boom! Miles enters.

    Even though the family conflict is, well, familiar, they still manage to pull off a sense of slow horror at the eventual revelation- even if its somewhat obvious in retrospect given the archetypal roles the family members play. Probably the result of effectively putting the viewer into Ezri's position so we share her reaction.

    Ultimately, while this does flesh out Ezi's character considerably and has a minor followup on a previous Miles story, this doesn't strike me as essential. It's also not an absolute recommendation either but I'd still suggest watching it. Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential.

    Trivia: The original idea for this episode involved Sisko traveling to the future only to be warned by his future self about the consequences of his actions. However, they had difficulty rounding the story out and, with a deadline approaching, swapped it out for a story about Ezri's backstory.

    The first version of the story with Ezri was to have been inspired by The Godfather, with Ezri in the Michael Corleone role. This version involved the revelation that the Orion Syndicate, via their family, had arranged for Ezri to be given the Dax symbiont. That idea was dropped because they didn't want to suggest that the Orions could manipulate Starfleet in such a way.

    Apparently, this episode was universally regarded as the weakest of the season, to the point that Ira Behr apologized to Nicole de Boer afterwards. I guess I'm really out of sync with this one, heh (or the rest of the season is just really, really strong by comparison ;)).



    Borg on Board Week:


    A Special Voyager:


    VOY 509/507 (really 507): Infinite Regress
    -Premise: The discovery of a compromised Borg vinculum causes Seven to develop multiple personality disorder.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: The director of this episode reallllly loves his single-take steadicam shots.

    [​IMG]

    "Naomi Wildman, sub-unit of Ensign Samantha Wildman, state your intentions."

    Ok, I know they're playing it off as a kid joke here but I think this Wildman kid just realized she's going to outlive everyone else onboard this ship (except for maybe Tuvok?) and has a significant head start on any other potential Voyager offspring- and, thus, has an almost guaranteed chance of becoming Captain of Voyager **by default**.

    I feel one could very easily mess around with someone by describing this episode to them as "The episode where Seven of Nine tries to mate with Torres".

    [​IMG]

    "You've been unconscious for nearly 2 hours. We believe you're experiencing a neurological disorder." Also, we shot you.

    So they discuss disabling it by bringing it aboard or doing so remotely. Uh, why not just blast the bloody thing? It's already damaged.

    "We haven't had the best of luck with the Borg" uh, yeah, you have. You've survived more cubes than the rest of the entire Federation combined by several magnitudes.

    Wait, you bring the Borg CPU aboard into the middle of Engineering?! How stupid are you?

    This episode was clearly meant as a showcase for Ryan- given the large variety of characters and species she has to portray on top of Seven's damaged self.

    Even though it was a smaller part of DS9: Prodigal Daughter, watching these two episodes back to back does bring up an interesting connection in that we have two characters dealing with the minds of multiple people inside their head (or stomach) with Ezri and Seven.

    [​IMG]

    This species are almost Tron cosplayers. I'm not sure how to take the resolution here- it's not clear whether Tuvok's efforts really accomplished anything other than provide the Trek cosplayer rave sequences.

    [​IMG]

    Overall, a pretty good episode. I don't know if it actually accomplishes anything (other than establishing Alternate Universe Naomi as the long-game mastermind that she is), though there's some further development of Seven's humanity. I'll go with Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential- but key if you're making a Seven playlist.

    Trivia: The original concept for this episode involved someone trying to extract a specific personality that Seven had assimilated but this was discarded for seeming too far fetched and so the basic idea of the assimilated personalities was combined with another script idea that introduced the viniculum.

    Though she enjoyed performing in it and liked the result, Ryan found the episode to be a struggle, mostly because she was not familiar with Star Trek and had never encountered a Klingon or Ferengi. She was provided tapes of episodes to use as reference but her prep time was very short.

    The Ferengi being designated as Species 180 (a 3 digit number like Delta Quadrant species instead of 4 digits like other Alpha Quadrant races) is an oddity that could imply they've either been around for a very long time or once traveled to the Delta Quadrant long before the wormhole duo got stuck out there.

    But, seriously, watch out for this one:

    [​IMG]

    She’s waiting for you to die.
     
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  15. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000

    DS9 712: The Emperor's New Cloak
    -Premise: When Grand Nagus Zek is kidnapped by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance while on a business trip into the "mirror universe", Quark and Rom follow him there.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: Seems like we're in for this season's Ferengi episode. I have to admit- it'd be kinda fun to have a Ferengi bank like that- if money came in bars/strips, at least.

    Looks like my initial assumption wasn't entirely correct- this seems like it will, in fact, be a Ferengi episode, but it will also be a Mirror Universe episode. Here we have Mirror Ezri (who is not joined, which suggests Ezri and Jadzia both still exist in the Mirror Universe).

    They cloaked the cloaking device, heh. So, Mirror Vic is a flesh and blood person instead of a hologram. Wouldn't that suggest that, somehow, Vic has found a living form in the Prime reality?

    "No wonder they call it the 'ALTERNATE universe'." Ugh.

    Well, Mirror Jadzia did die, bummer. Mirror Garrak! Huzzah!

    [​IMG]

    Ha, so with the chronological viewing order I've been doing, we have the previous episode, Voyager: Infinite Regress, where Seven tries to mate with Torres, followed by this episode, where Mirror Kira is mackin' on Mirror Ezri.

    Super angry-and-frustrated Mirror Garrak is rather amusing. So Mirror Worf surrenders because the Defiant has them dead to rights- and then Mirror Miles informs them to prepare to be boarded. But... that's still a freaking huge ship compared to the Defiant. How in the hell do they plan to overrun a flagship full of Klingons with the small crew of the Defiant?

    Oh, geez, Mirror Lyta and Mirror Ezri's last exchange is like a bad porno or James Bond quip.

    So, overall, enjoyable. It's a Mirror Universe episode- and, i'm assuming, the last one, so I'd say Definitely Essential.

    Trivia: The tenth and final DS9 episode directed by LeVar Burton. The dedication to Jerome Bixby was due to his passing shortly before the episode aired and for his having written the original Mirror, Mirror TOS episode.

    This episode originated from a desire to do a Quark/Rom story before things got into the final arc of the season. Behr commented on the Mirror Universe setting and treating it in a sillier fashion this go around:

    "We all felt the need, with a small 'n', to revisit the alternate universe one last time. Let's face it, the alternate universe is such a wacky idea, and I don't care what anyone says, "Mirror, Mirror" was a wacky, silly show.

    Though we tried in many ways to play it with a straight face, at first, in Deep Space Nine, as time went on it just became tougher for us to not see it as what it was, which was kind of a rather flakey alternative to what we had been doing. So who better to have to have Rom and Quark? Rom is trying to figure out the alternative universe. I just thought Rom stood in for all the fans who want logic and who want it to make sense, and want it to be taken seriously, something that is inherently not that serious. He cracked me up every time he tried to label it, or tried to find a definition of it.

    To me it spoke a lot about the fans and Star Trek, his little arc in that show, the need for it all to make sense in the most obvious way. To really enjoy the alternate universe episodes, you just have to let go, you have to relax your sphincter a little bit and not be so anal about it, and just try to have some fun. We all love, obviously, the Intendant, and we just had a lot of fun with the characters. It was not an easy show to do, because it is tough to get the tone right. The whole thing was pretty funny”.

    Concept illustrator John Eaves designed the cloaking device and handed in two final drawings: one of the cloaking device and one of the cloaking device cloaked.

    Nicole de Boer really enjoyed playing Mirror Ezri, asking "Can I play this character all the time?”. Jeffrey Combs described Mirror Brunt: "I just decided to be in a good mood. He was this guy who's willing to help out in a pinch and not out to hurt anybody.”. Nana Visitor didn't like the assumption that Mirror Kira was bisexual after mistaken her narcissism over Prime Kira in Crossover for sexual attraction. Andrew J Robinson was happy that Mirror Garak was killed as he never liked the character and his lack of subtext.

    The death of Mirror Brunt in this episode continues the tradition of killing a Ferengi every time we visit the Mirror Universe (Quark in Crossover, Rom in Through the Looking Glass and Nog in Shattered Mirror).

    This episode's premise surrounding the lack of cloaking technology is inconsistent with other Mirror Universe episodes- Alliance ships decloak in Through the Looking Glass and the ISS NX-01 will later (er, um, was previously be) shown to have a Sulliban cloaking device in A Mirror Darkly.

    Mirror Kira/The Intendant is the only mirror character to appear in all five DS9 mirror-related episodes.



    Sleep With the Enemy:

    (note: "He came as a terrorist", not true)

    Did He Come As a Threat?:

    VOY 510: Counterpoint
    -Premise: Voyager smuggles telepathic refugees through Devore space.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: It strikes me how much better Voyager looks from above than other angles. Throwback reference to Suder. Looks like we also have a throwback to the transporter suspension technique that, presumably, Scotty used. Always thought that was something that should have been implemented more frequently somehow. It kinda adds to the "next-next generation" idea the early Voyager episodes conveyed.

    This guy's name is Kashyyk? Yes! Spelled with one less Y! That's how I used to pronounce it...

    "I'm having a problem with the injectors" because those things are less reliable than the ejectors.

    This is an awful risk they're running letting this guy go with the information he has. Wait, why would they leave Tuvok on the bridge if they don't want to raise suspicions?

    1 torpedo fired and a second via the shuttle (which had to come from Voyager- shuttles aren't usually armed with torps. And then two shuttles are given away to allow telepaths to escape through the wormhole

    Glad to see Janeway wasn't an idiot for just letting him go without a backup plan (though Tuvok's presence and the fate of the other telepathic crew members going unaddressed seem like big plotholes).

    So, I liked this episode. The romantic subplot seemed a bit rushed (but hey, it’s only one episode) but the interaction between Janeway and Kashyk remained playful and kept the trust and loyalties somewhat ambiguous so it plays pretty well. Plus, it did manage to play on expectations of the cliched betrayal. Funny enough, Kashyk probably would have made for a good addition to the crew. Good Episode, But But Necessarily Essential.

    Trivia: The original pitch for this episode focused on Seven risking her life to shuttle refugees hiding in Voyager's landing struts to neutral space. Eventually the story shifted to Janeway's romance and the refugee plot was pitched as "The Diary of Anne Frank on Voyager”.

    Series bookending continuity errors with the telepath crew list presented here: it confirms Tuvok & Vorik as the only Vulcans aboard despite a plurality of Vulcans besides Tuvok being mentioned as being aboard in Endgame plus it fails to mention Betazoid and Vulcan crew members killed in Caretaker, nor Kes.


    Up Next: DS9 713: Field of Fire, VOY 511/513: Gravity & DS9 714: Chimera.

    Voyager Resources:

    Torpedoes: (Starting with 38, as of The Cloud)
    -1 fired in The Cloud (37 remain)
    -3 fired in Alliances (34 remain)
    -7 fired in Dreadnought (27 remain)
    -3 fired in Resolutions (24 remain)
    -3 fired + 1 "Dispersal Pattern Sierra" (5 torpedos according to Yesterday's Enterprise, but we'll assume a minimum of 2) in Basics, Part I (between 16 to 19 remain)
    -1 fired in Future's End, Part II (between 15 to 18 remain)
    -1 fired in Rise (between 14 to 17 remain)
    -4 fired in Scorpion, Part II (between 10 to 13 remain) (complement claimed to be 32, which would leave 28 if that were correct)
    -5 fired in Hope and Fear (between 5 to 8 remain) (23 if Scorpion claims were correct)
    -1 fired as flare + 4 fired in 1st volley + 5 fired in 2nd volley + 3 deployed to collapse vortex in Night (between -8 to -5 remain (10 if Scorpion claims were correct)
    -1 fired as depth charge in Thirty Days ((between -9 to -6 remain) (9 if Scorpion claims were correct)
    -2 fired in Counterpoint (between -11 to -8 remain) (7 if Scorpion claims were correct)


    Shuttles: (Unknown Starting Value)
    -1 destroyed by Chakotay/Kazon in Initiations, unnamed.
    -1 destroyed by Kim in Non Sequitur, Drake.
    -1 destroyed by Paris in Partuition, unnamed.
    -1 dismantled by ex-Borg Raiders in Unity, unnamed.
    -1 lost to Kes's evolution in The Gift, unnamed.
    -1 destroyed by Chakotay in Nemesis, unnamed.
    -1 destroyed by the Caatati in Day of Honor, Cochrane.
    -1 abandoned by Seven in The Raven, unnamed.
    -1 captured by Hirogen, destroyed by Janeway's actions in Hunters, unnamed (actually, Cochrane, again).
    -1 destroyed/abandoned by away team in Drone, unnamed.
    -1 created by Voyager crew in Extreme Risk, Delta Flyer.
    -2 given away for wormhole escape in Counterpoint, unnamed.


    Alternate Universe Log:

    -TOS: The Alternative Factor (Anti-Matter Universe)
    -TOS: Mirror, Mirror (Mirror Universe)
    -TOS: The Tholian Web (Mirror Universe & "Solo-Kirk" Universe)
    -TNG: We'll Always Have Paris (Simultaneous Continuum universes, "Manheim Dimension")
    -TNG: Yesterday's Enterprise (Federation-Klingon War universe)
    -TNG: Remember Me (Beverly Crusher-created Warp Bubble Reality)
    -TNG: Cause and Effect (failed timeloop occurances)
    -TNG: Timescape (aliens from alternate timeline, alternate outcome of Enterise's destruction)
    -TNG: Parallels ("Original" universe, "Surprise Party w/Chocolate Cake" universe, "Surprise Party w/Yellow Cake" universe, "9th place Concussion" universe, "Blue Dress/Moved Battle Painting" universe, "Blue Uniform/Moved Starship Painting"; "Married w/no kids" universe, "First Officer Worf/Married with Children" universe; "Borg-Controlled" universe, "Altered Original" universe)
    -DS9: Crossover (Mirror Universe)
    -TNG: All Good Things... (alternate 3.5 Billion Years Ago, alternate 2364, alternate-2370 & alternate 2395)
    -DS9: Past Tense, Parts I & II (Alternate Federationless 2371)
    -DS9: Visionary (Alternate 2371 outcomes including the destruction of DS9; resulting from Miles' timeflashes)
    -DS9: Through the Looking Glass (Mirror Universe)
    -VOY: Emanations (Vhnori dimension)
    -ST7: Generations (alternate "Destructon of Veridian III" timeline)
    -VOY: Non Sequitur (alternate Kim Earth)
    -DS9: The Visitor (alternate death-of-Sisko timeline)
    -DS9: Shattered Mirror (Mirror Universe)
    -VOY: Future's End, Part I (Alternate 29th Century)
    -VOY: Before and After (Alternate 2369, 2370, 2371, 2374, 2378 & 2379)
    -DS9: DS9: Children of Time (alternate 2173 through 2373 for energy barrier-encased planet)
    -VOY: Year of Hell, Parts I & II (Alternate 2374s)
    -DS9: Resurrection (Mirror Universe)
    -VOY: Timeless (Alternate 2375 "original crash" & "repeat crash" timelines, Alternate 2390)
    -DS9: The Emperor's New Cloak (Mirror Universe)
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2018
  16. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000

    DS9 713: Field of Fire
    -Premise: After several crew members are murdered, Ezri summons the memories and personality of Joran Dax to help her find the murderer.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: Well, talking up how this Lt. survived battle means he is definitely going to die this episode. I like how the alarm alert voice has clearly been set to "hangover mode”.

    Called it.

    "What happened?"
    "Lt. Alario has been killed." Well, no **** sherlock

    Ezri-centric episodes have been dealing with a lot of murder investigations lately, haven't they?

    "Starfleet Officers do not go around murdering other officers."
    "Not usually, anyways" Ah, clearly Odo has watched Star Trek.

    The Jorann memories are jumping to a conclusion that they know how the killer thinks when they have no idea the motivation or person behind the killings yet. Obviously, Jorann is being self-serving here, but still.

    A rifle with wall-bypassing transporter silencer? That's... a pretty scary weapon.

    The "am I being followed" threat is somewhat diminished by the fact that this gun can be fired from anywhere in the station and, thus, wouldn't require any stalking of a target.

    Ezri wears the targeting sensor on the opposite eye that Miles did. While it makes sense that it would be reversible, I can't help but think one of them just put it on upside down (and, looking at the concept art, I think it was Miles). Also, clearly Ezri does not care about privacy or surveillance issues here.

    The laughing picture link seems like a big jump in logic- like, it's far too broad of a detail to jump out as the likely connection without ruling out other connections first (like "have picture of people", etc), not to mention "anti-laughter = Vulcan" is also a big leap (as that mental issue could happen to almost any species and, thus, kinda racial profiling).

    I imagine it is the result of runtime constraints but just happening to bump into the murderer is a bit too coincidental/expedient. I kinda feel like we're missing a debriefing/confession/interrogation scene (or an after-summary of one) where the Vulcan explains why "logic demanded it”. Other than that, Good Episode, But not Necessarily Essential.

    Trivia: Originally, Joran was realized as a hologram before being changed to the "Trill mumbo-jumbo route”. They chose a Vulcan as the killer as it would be more surprising than a Bajoran, Cardassian or Romulan. It also went to underline how the strain of the war has become so great that it has made even a Vulcan crack. The original actor of Joran was unavailable for Field of Fire, thus the recasting. The "drunk/beautiful" exchange between Ilario and Ezri is likely a reference to a misattributed Churchhill conversation.




    The Key to Their Survival:


    One Way In, No Way Out:

    VOY 511/513: Gravity
    -Premise: Tom Paris, Tuvok, and The Doctor's shuttle crashes on a deserted planet within a temporally-distorted area of space, stranding the two with an alien woman who falls in love with Tuvok.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations". Well, I guess someone had to say it out loud in a show eventually.

    Young Tuvok. I kinda feel like flashbacks are usually the best way for this series to scratch its Alpha Quadrant itch. Another shuttle goes down- they don't even bother naming them on the hull at this point.

    And so we're introduced to Rey, who never left Jakku- and she's played by Tank Girl!

    Tuvok insists they take the Doctor offline to conserve resources. But they leave him running up through the night still. Tuvok cites 152 crew aboard Voyager.

    I like how Janeway's background with tech and science gives her a more proactive role in these types of situations. She's not just sitting around awaiting results and recommendations from others, she's actually working on part of the problem much more directly than Kirk, Picard or Sisko usually do.

    "You ready for the bad news?"
    "You're kidding."

    "How long has it been since I was last activated?"
    "Almost two months."
    "Two months?! ... so, what's new?"

    The romance angle feels a little typical for a Vulcan story but its not distracting and has its moments. I would have preferred a little more focus on Tuvok's training flashback, though. I’ll say Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential.

    Trivia: The idea for the story began with the phrase "Emotion creates its own logic”. The mind meld at the end was Tim Russ's suggestion. Tuvok's flashbacks here likely take place between TMP & TWOK. The Vulcan Master here is played by Joseph Ruskin, who is the only actor to appear on-screen in TOS, DS9, VOY & ENT (and though he didn't appear on TNG, he did appear in Insurrection).

    The prop used for the force field generator was previously used as the cloaking device in The Pegasus. This is the final appearance of the Type 6 shuttlecraft on the series.




    DS9 714: Chimera
    -Premise: Odo meets another of the hundred Changelings who were sent out to explore the galaxy.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: The visual of the creature "swimming" beside the runabout is pretty neat- its a different visual than one we normally get.

    [​IMG]

    Huh. Didn't expect the Changeling.

    "He has bumps on his forehead. She has a wrinkled nose." a lot of them do, actually. Budgets and whatnot.

    I wonder how some of this kinda-not-but-kinda-sex-because-aliens and the "closeted" angles were taken back when this aired. It's not a direct metaphor (as there's also a racism/prejudice angle in play as well) but it seems to be a uniquely Star Trek way of exploring the notion.

    it took me until now but I just picked up on Laas being played by Martok's actor, J.G. Herzler.

    They do veer things back more directly to the species/racial angle by the end. One thing I think this does achieve is it makes us reexamine something we take for granted as the viewer- that Odo is an actor in makeup, but to these characters, there's a level of alien perception to his state of form and natural state that could be offputting. Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential.

    Trivia: The story's inspiration was based on the desire to explore Odo's conflicted opinion about the Founders and to be with his own people by presenting a Changeling who wasn't evil. This in turn was to help setup where he would be going by the end of the series;
    [​IMG]

    Rene Auberjonois was on set when they filmed Nana Visitor's final scene of the episode where Odo envelops her. Afterwards he told her, "God, you make me look like such a great lover!"

    J.G. Hertzler is credited here under the name Garman Hertzler and previously appeared in Emissary as John Noah Hertzler. His real name is John Garman Hertzler. Not liking the name "John" he eventually started going by his initials like J.T. Walsh. While filming this episode he started the rumor that Garman was his reclusive brother from New York- a rumor that some fans and websites still claim is true.

    After auditions failed to find an actor that could stand up to Rene while portraying a complex character, they began to look at casting a recurring actor in the role. First considering, and then dismissing, Jeffrey Combs (already playing two characters) and Andrew J. Robinson (whose voice would be too recognizable).

    Laas' manner of speaking was partially based on William Shatner. Odo's transformation at the end was based on the Aurora Borealis, though it initially was going to instead involve Odo turning to gelatinous form on the couch and Kira snuggling into it- an idea that was discarded for seeming gross (oddly enough, that reaction certainly fits the episode's themes).

    In Greek mythology, the Chimera was slain by Bellerophon. The next episode features the USS Bellerophon.

    Future episodes would reveal that Odo is actually infected with the morphogenic virus and, thus, would have infected Laas in this episode. The producers were aware of this and had considered bringing Laas back for an episode or two of the final block of episodes to address this but ultimately proved unfeasible.

    Up Next: VOY 512/511: Latent Image, DS9 715/716: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges, VOY 513/512: Bride of Chaotica, DS9 716/715: Badda-Bing Badda-Bang & VOY 514/519: The Fight.

    Voyager Resources:

    Shuttles: (Unknown Starting Value)
    -1 destroyed by Chakotay/Kazon in Initiations, unnamed.
    -1 destroyed by Kim in Non Sequitur, Drake.
    -1 destroyed by Paris in Partuition, unnamed.
    -1 dismantled by ex-Borg Raiders in Unity, unnamed.
    -1 lost to Kes's evolution in The Gift, unnamed.
    -1 destroyed by Chakotay in Nemesis, unnamed.
    -1 destroyed by the Caatati in Day of Honor, Cochrane.
    -1 abandoned by Seven in The Raven, unnamed.
    -1 captured by Hirogen, destroyed by Janeway's actions in Hunters, unnamed (actually, Cochrane, again).
    -1 destroyed/abandoned by away team in Drone, unnamed.
    -1 created by Voyager crew in Extreme Risk, Delta Flyer.
    -2 given away for wormhole escape in Counterpoint, unnamed.
    -1 destroyed by Paris & Tuvok in Gravity, unnamed.

    Crew: (152 People, as of The 37's)
    -Death Wish: Quinn/Q2 joins the crew (153 remain), then commits suicide. (152 remain)
    -Alliances: Kurt Bandera, dead. (151 remain)
    -Meld: Darwin, dead. (150 remain)
    -Investigations: Michael Jonas, dead. (149 remain)
    -Deadlock: Wildman baby born. (150 remain)
    -Innocence: Ensign Bennet, dead. (149 remain)
    -Basics, Part I: Bridge crewmember shot, presumed dead (148 remain)
    -Basics, Part II: Hogan, Suder & blue uniform crewmember, dead (145 remain)
    -Warlord: Martin, dead. (144 remain)
    -Unity: Ensign Marie Kaplan, dead. (143 remain)
    -Distant Origin: Five unknown people potentially added to crew, as crew is stated to be 148. (143 or 148 remain)
    -Scorpion, part II: Seven of Nine joins the crew (144 or 149 remain)
    -Scientific Method: Ensign Roberta Luke, dead. (143 or 148 remain)
    -(Ashes to Ashes & Imperfection; between Hunters & Prey): Lynsay Ballard, dead (142 or 147 remain)*
    -The Killing Game, Part I: Unidentified crew member, dead. (141 or 146 remain)
    -Living Witness: 3 unidentified crew members killed by the Kyrian incursion. (138 or 143 remain)
    -In the Flesh: Doctor totals 128 crew members ("2 down" + "125 to go" + the Doctor)- so either 10-15 people have died since (or offscreen during) The Killing Game or 10-15 people didn't need to be treated). (128, 138 or 143 remain)
    -Gravity; Tuvok cites 152 crew members aboard Voyager. (128, 138, 143 or 152 remain)

    *Season 6 & 7 episodes, listed here in advance for proper tally moving forward
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2018
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  17. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2012
    I like Field of Fire mostly because I like how Ezri is being driven Batty by the evil Trill personality she had to bring up and the Vulcan killer is an awesome hook.

    Bride of Chaotica! up next, honestly, top 3 Voyager for me. Easy. It's so great.
     
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  18. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    A Doctor on the Edge:


    The Mad Doctor:


    VOY 512/511: Latent Image
    -Premise: When The Doctor discovers evidence that his memory files may have been tampered with, it sets in motion a chain of events that lead to the recollection of the death of a crew member, one The Doctor believes he was responsible for.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: Unless it popped up in the past and i didn't notice it, the Doctor's shutterbug habit seems to be something that came out of nowhere. Seems this episode is leaning towards being a companion piece to Measure of a Man, only this time with a hologram instead of an android.

    "Starships and holodecks and chicken soup" should be a leading contender for Picardo's eventual autobiography.

    Interesting episode- I think I'd put it up as one of the better episodes, even if it isn't strictly essential. Good Episode But Not Necessarily Essential. Recommended, however.

    Trivia: The original ending to this episode involved Janeway drifting off to sleep instead of leaving. Braga was uncomfortable with this and restructured the ending. Mulgrew and others voiced their support for the original version and so Braga relented and allowed them to film both versions. However, only Braga's version ended up being filmed as shooting had run late that night.

    The quote the Doctor reads from the poem is a reworking of the poem to be more moving as a stand-alone quote. Some websites have attributed the Doctor's version to the original author.

    Janeway recites a line also used by Kirk in TWOK: "We come here today to pay final respects to our honored dead.”.



    DS9 715/716: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
    -Premise: Attending a medical conference on Romulus, Dr. Bashir becomes embroiled in an elaborate scheme devised by Section 31 as a way to ensure the Romulans remain on the side of the Federation Alliance.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments:Am I bad for wanting an entire episode of Romulan/Federation/Klingon war logistic table discussions?. Section 31 returns.

    [​IMG]

    SLOAN: Your mission is to gather data on the Romulan leadership. In essence, we want you to take the pulse of their government. No pun intended.
    BASHIR: You want me to spy on an ally.
    SLOAN: To evaluate an ally. And a temporary ally at that. I say that because when the war is over, the following will happen in short order. The Dominion will be forced back to the Gamma Quadrant, the Cardassian Empire will be occupied, the Klingon Empire will spend the next ten years recovering from the war and won't pose a serious threat to anyone. That leaves two powers to vie for control of the quadrant, the Federation and the Romulans.
    BASHIR: This war isn't over and you're already planning for the next.
    SLOAN: Well put. I hope your report is equally succinct.

    Woah, I never expected to see another Intrepid-class. I mean, it makes sense from a production resource angle, as well as in-universe that there'd be more than one that you'd naturally encounter eventually. But given how possessive they tend to be about hero ships, it's a pleasant surprise to see another.

    Lifting of trade embargo on Romulan Ale. So this Intrepid-class actually went to Romulus? I'm surprised they didn't make a point of that visual. IIRC, Nemesis did. This kinda undercuts that moment.

    [​IMG]

    Ah, there we go- it took seven minutes but we finally get that visual- a single Intrepid over Romulus, a ring of Warbirds around them. That's a lot of firepower when you consider each of them is equal to or greater than a Galaxy-class.

    A lot of good spy back and forth stuff going on here. I hope we get more Sloan/Section 31 before the series is over.

    Dealing with the Romulan alliance within the war as well as furthering the Section 31 subplot. Definitely Essential.

    Trivia: This is one of 8 Trek episodes with latin titles. The working title was "Untitled Bashir”. Moore arrived at the final title after stumbling across it in a bookstore on a book jacket dealing with the suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War. Though Moore was satisfied with the title, others bugged him about its meaning ("The Voyager guys looked at me like I was crazy, and nobody knew how to pronounce the title, but we were going to stick with it.”).

    Since Voyager's sets were reused for the USS Bellerophon, Neelix's alterations to the mess hall to install a galley are present on the Bellerophon instead of the stock replicator wall and Captain's dining room an Intrepid-class should have (I guess after hearing from Voyager, they thought it was a good idea and added their own). This is the only appearance of an actual Intrepid-class outside of Voyager.

    This was shot before Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang but aired afterwards. This is the only episode to feature the new dress uniforms introduced in Insurrection. This is the first of only 4 times Romulus is seen from orbit. The Quickening, from Season 4, is referenced here.

    Though Romulan Ale is said to be legal now, it will be illegal again by the time of Nemesis. Praetor Neral previously appeared in Unification I & II as a proconsul- but played by a different actor. Senator Cretak's actress was not available for this episode and was also recast. The actor playing Koval previously played characters on TNG and DS9 and would go on to play another character on VOY before being cast as Silik on ENT.


    Alien Paradox Week:


    We Interrupt This Voyager Promo:


    VOY 513/512: Bride of Chaotica!
    -Premise: Trans-dimensional photonic lifeforms on an exploratory mission become entangled in a war with the characters from Tom Paris' "Captain Proton" program after mistaking Voyager's holodeck for reality.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: Just thinking this holoprogram through- I get how the environment would be generated in B&W- and even how a false image of other people could be projected in front of them so you wouldn't see them in color, but how would you get yourself to look in B&W? I guess your skin would be a holo projected, uh, skin?

    Janeway has them evacuate the deck that the distortions are appearing on in the holodeck. Maybe its implied but I'd evacuate the areas above and below as well. Then again, maybe everyone has the common sense not to have their quarters above a holodeck. Because, boy, the nightmares you would get.

    I could be wrong but this might be the first mention of a limited number of toilets aboard a starship...

    Still unable to shutdown holodeck. I mean, at this point we have to acknowledge that the only piece of technology that is more unreliable than the holodeck is the warp core ejection system.

    "Let me get this straight: transdimensional aliens have mistaken your 'Captain proton' simulation for reality."
    "Yes, ma'am."
    "And now an armed conflict has broken out between these aliens and Chaotica's holographic army?"
    "Yes, ma'am. His army of evil."

    A fun episode to see play out with the whole retro serial concept. However, I feel like the photonic lifeforms are literally just left behind when a more developed understanding between them and the crew could have been reached. Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential

    Trivia: This episode was designed to spend as little amount of action as possible on the bridge, due to damage from a set fire and resulting sprinklers. The starfield backdrop curtain also caught on fire. The fire happened when Rick Berman arrived on the set for a publicity photo shoot. Some joked that "the lightning missed".

    The comment about Planet X looking like the Mines of Mercury is a joking reference to the Planet Hell set used since TNG- including that scene.
     
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  19. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000

    DS9 716/715: Badda-Bing Badda-Bang
    -Premise: When holographic mobsters assume control of Vic Fontaine's lounge, Bashir, O'Brien, and others plot to run Vic's rival out of business and restore the program to normal.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments:
    Interesting that we're seemingly getting two holodeck/suite stories back to back across shows here

    "So, where you from again?"
    "Bajor."
    "It's in Jersey, right?"
    "Right."

    The interjection of racial issues midway through the episode is interesting, though it seems to get moved past pretty quickly.

    I guess this setup would be Ocean's Nine? Even when its a holodeck episode not starring him, O’Brien Must Suffer.

    So, fun little stand-alone that avoids doing a normal holodeck problem story. Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential.

    Trivia: A long-time pet project of Behr's that came down to a "now or never" moment in terms of getting it produced before the final story arc. When viewed in production order, "The Best is Yet to Come" refers to "The Final Chapter" mega-arc that began after this episode.

    The airing switch of Inter and Badda was a result of Paramount wanting to air Badda during February Sweeps since they had spent so much money on it.

    The replacement accountant was played by the same actor who plays Gowron, but he is billed as Bobby Reilly- the name he went by in the early 60's when the episode is set. He had suggested a "goodbye" name like Cy O'Nara but Behr convinced him not to since the actor would probably be back as Gowron. Bashir makes a vodka martini "stirred, not shaken" reference here, as a throwback to his James Bond holosuite interests.


    Who Will Go the Distance? And WHo WIll Be Destroyed?:


    Chakotay vs the Alien:

    VOY 514/519: The Fight
    -Premise: When Voyager is caught in "chaotic space," an area where the laws of physics are in a state of flux, Chakotay begins hearing and seeing things, apparently caused by the aliens living inside it who are trying to contact the ship.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: Quick teaser that throws a lot at you.

    "How's the headache"
    "It hurts"

    Clearly there wasn't a lot of boxing holos on S1 TNG. Q should have brought that over to Picard instead of Sisko!

    Janeway calls Chakotay to the bridge after hearing an impact to the ship- yet he still manages to find enough time to change into uniform. One would think an emergency like that might put off that formality. I'll be honest, my attention to this episode really kinda checked-out after 15-20 minutes. Not unwatchable but I think it's ultimately Forgettable.

    Trivia: The sickbay frame story was added after the episode ran short. The derelict ship found in Chaotic Space would later be reused a couple times- most notably as the Romulan Drone Ships on Enterprise.

    NOTE: At this point I'll be briefly breaking from the strict chronological order I've been following, as I intend to cover the DS9 finale arc episodes consecutively, so the next couple VOY episodes are episodes set concurrent to the those events, and the DS9 arc will be followed by VOY episodes that likely aired during those episodes. Once DS9 and this season concludes, things will resume to the chronological order for the remainder of VOY.


    Up Next: VOY 515/514: Bliss & VOY 516/517: The Disease.


    Voyager Resources:

    Crew: (152 People, as of The 37's)
    -Death Wish: Quinn/Q2 joins the crew (153 remain), then commits suicide. (152 remain)
    -Alliances: Kurt Bandera, dead. (151 remain)
    -Meld: Darwin, dead. (150 remain)
    -Investigations: Michael Jonas, dead. (149 remain)
    -Deadlock: Wildman baby born. (150 remain)
    -Innocence: Ensign Bennet, dead. (149 remain)
    -Basics, Part I: Bridge crewmember shot, presumed dead (148 remain)
    -Basics, Part II: Hogan, Suder & blue uniform crewmember, dead (145 remain)
    -Warlord: Martin, dead. (144 remain)
    -Unity: Ensign Marie Kaplan, dead. (143 remain)
    -Distant Origin: Five unknown people potentially added to crew, as crew is stated to be 148. (143 or 148 remain)
    -(Latent Image; between Worst Case Scenario & Scorpion): Ahni Jetal, dead. (142 or 147 remain)*
    -Scorpion, part II: Seven of Nine joins the crew (143 or 148 remain)
    -Scientific Method: Ensign Roberta Luke, dead. (142 or 147 remain)
    -(Ashes to Ashes & Imperfection; between Hunters & Prey): Lyndsay Ballard, dead (141 or 146 remain)**
    -The Killing Game, Part I: Unidentified crew member, dead. (140 or 145 remain)
    -Living Witness: 3 unidentified crew members killed by the Kyrian incursion. (137 or 142 remain)
    -In the Flesh: Doctor totals 128 crew members ("2 down" + "125 to go" + the Doctor)- so either 9-14 people have died since (or offscreen during) The Killing Game or 9-14 people didn't need to be treated). (128, 137 or 142 remain)
    -Gravity; Tuvok cites 152 crew members aboard Voyager. (128, 137, 142 or 152 remain)

    *Season 5 episode affecting chronologically earlier events,
    **Season 6 & 7 episodes, listed here in advance for proper tally moving forward
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2018
  20. Alpha-Red

    Alpha-Red Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 25, 2004
    Well, now I need to go over to the Star Trek wiki and find out what happens because I don't remember jack squat and I don't have the time to re-watch these episodes.
     
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  21. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I think, casually, the later seasons of DS9 and VOY are more difficult to recall outside of a few key episodes. And the reverse goes for TNG. Mostly because you have that franchise peak in the middle with seasons 3-7 of TNG where they overlap or hand the baton over. Then you get Way of the Warrior and Seven of Nine up to the First Contact era getting the most exposure. But with DS9 off in syndication and VOY not sticking the landing, on top of Insurrection being of no help either, things tapered off. And even if you didn't experience them them during their original runs, there's been a lasting effect as a result of that.
     
  22. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2012
    DS9's ultimate final confrontation of Ultimate Destiny is .... not my favourite way for the show to go out.
     
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  23. Darth Invictus

    Darth Invictus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 8, 2016
    Latent Image is a personal favorite of mine from Voyager, I think this is the episode where the doctor achieves true sentience.
     
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  24. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Seeing is Not Believing:


    Get Ready To Be Sucked In:


    VOY 515/514: Bliss
    -Premise: Voyager finds a wormhole that leads directly back to Earth, but Seven of Nine suspects that it may not be what it appears.
    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: Same actor that played the Klingon in charge of Rura Penthe in ST6. Also played a Narn leader on B5.

    I kinda like that they're suspicious/cynical of potential ways home at this point, like, they’ve gotten screwed enough times to be wary. Of course, they're too optimistic about it in the very next scene they appear in, so, I guess, so much for that.

    so, the removal of one isolinear chip bypasses or disables file access restrictions? That... seems like a big security flaw there...

    So, obvious deception aside, even if the crew were under the influence of something, wouldn't the plethora of jumping-the-gun letters/promotions/etc before they even get back be setting off red flags? Ok, they address this concern indirectly during the exchange between Tuvok and Seven and the subsequent scenes of the crew obviously being directed in their actions to counter Seven's efforts.

    A nice touch that Neelix's hallucination involves Starfleet officials wearing the pre-FC uniforms, but wouldn't he/they have been made aware of the new uniforms via Message in a Bottle, even if they were not in a position to implement them given their limited resources?

    Wait, how did Tuvok and co end up in the hallway around the corner when they were in Engineering before when the ship entered the "wormhole"?

    I'm surprised Seven didn't reraise the force field after Naomi entered- it seemed like that was what the actress's actions were doing but the effect was never added, only the dropping effect.

    "My mom says two heads are better than one. Isn't that the Borg philosophy too?"
    "Simplistic, but accurate.”

    Is it really, though? The expression suggests that two different perspectives/minds/individuals can solve a problem a single one could not- and wouldn't the Collective be considered a single mind in such a scenario? Given that individuality (the asset the expression leverages) is suppressed in the Collective.

    Their casual exit suggests there was not an intention to raise the force field again, though at the time it would have still made sense as she wasn't yet aware of the crew's status.

    This alien's plan for destroying the beast isn't much different than Decker's plan in The Doomsday Machine.

    "I'm a doctor, not a dragonslayer."

    [​IMG]

    So, on the plus side, this is a pretty good episode- one I wouldn't mind watching again, for sure. On the downside (kinda), one could argue that we're full-on into the "The Seven of Nine Show" phase of the series with episodes like this and Dark Frontier on the horizon. But, character shift focus critique aside (which may not even be a negative to people to begin with, given that Seven is a great character), Good Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential. Recommended, though.

    Trivia: The episode had a botanical inspiration with the pitcher plant concept. The creature of this episode is similar to one Worf describes in TNG: Where Silence Has Lease.

    [​IMG]



    How Much WIll One Man Sacrifice For True Love?:


    LUST in Space:


    VOY 516/517: The Disease
    -Premise: Harry Kim breaks Starfleet regulations when he falls in love with an alien woman.

    [​IMG]

    -T2Q Comments: Kim apparently getting into something a little freaky, heh. The repair mission is an interesting idea- and, at the very least, an interesting visual. The way the Doctor reacts to Kim getting it on with a new species without medical clearance makes one think about how much he would just LOVE dealing with Kirk's antics.

    No matter what he might be being affected by, one cannot help but actively dislike Harry throughout this episode. They might try to play his bad decisions off as a fool in love, but that quickly just becomes a string of stupidity that could knowingly be endangering both ships/crews. Though this episode is dragging for the most part, I will say that Janeway's fury at Kim's disobedience is awesome.

    A shame they seem to have invested a lot of FX work into this episode. The final scene with Seven and Kim isn't bad either. I find myself more interested in the trappings of the story than in the main story they chose to tell- there was some interesting potential, albeit it as another Seven-centric story, to contrast this generational ship's internal struggles with the Collective, as well as their xenophobic views, or even diving deeper into the whole Starfleet dating regulations thing and showing more consequences to breaking that rule- as it stands it otherwise makes this episode seem strange for trying to enforce the notion when Trek is widely known for a promiscuous Captain or two.

    Outside of the dislike I had for Kim's actions, the overall execution isn't bad for everything else- it just doesn't feel like it goes anywhere, despite the weight on Kim's shoulders at the end. OK Episode, But Not Necessarily Essential.

    Trivia: the CGI model for the opening shot was the most complex model Foundation Imaging had ever made for TV and was one of the longest shots staffers had ever worked on. The model itself had to be stripped down to be able to be rendered within a reasonable time by removing any parts of the ships that wouldn't be visible in the shot. The interior room of the opening shot is actually a digital set before they cut to the physical set;

    [​IMG]

    Up Next: VOY 517-518/515-516: Dark Frontier.
     
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2018
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  25. Chancellor_Ewok

    Chancellor_Ewok Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2004
    @The2ndQuest, funny that you think this episode makes Harry sort of unlikeable, as that’s what I thought about Janeway when she unloads on Harry for sleeping with Tal and I generally like Janeway. I felt like this was one of the few instances where she genuinely over reacted.
     
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