Reviews (2)

Janeway has to go through a ritual to save a comatose Kes
"Sacred Ground" (Story by Geo Cameron, Script by Lisa Klink, First Aired October 30, 1996) is really Episode 49 of "Star Trek: Voyager," but is on Tape 43 because things are really messed up in this video collection once you get to the start of Season Three. This should come between Episode 48 "Remember" and Episode 50 "Future's End," and that is where you should watch it, especially since Episode 42 was the cliffhanger from the end of Season Two, "The Basics, Part 1," and the last we say Captain Janeway and company, they were stuck on a primitive planet while "Voyager" was in the hands of the Kazon. Anyhow, now on to our episode:

On a visit to the Nechani homeworld Kes (Jennifer Lien) is visiting a shrine when she is struck by a mysterious energey burst that renders her unconscious. The Doctor can do nothing and Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) is told by the Magistrate (Henry Groener, a.k.a. the Mayor on "BtVS") that Kes violated a holy place that only monks can enter after having undergone a purification ritual that protects them from the energy field. A desperate Neelix (Ethan Phillips) discovers a ancient Nechani legend of a king who underwent the ritual to save the life of his unconscious son and Janeway gets permission to make a similar attempt. However, this proves easier said than done and the chief attraction of this episode is the process by which Janeway comes to the realization that even a Starship captain has to take some things on faith.

"Sacred Ground" is a nice little off-track episode, having nothing to do with the quest to get back to the Alpha Quadrant or the various entanglements that have plagued the "Voyager" crew. It also has a nice trio of guest stars in Keene Curtis, Estelle Harris, and Parley Baer as the three old people Janeway meets during the ritual.

Deeply moving
The spiritual (not religious) theme may be foreign to most sci-fi fans; the canned storyline and action sequences found in so much of sci-fi is missing here. "Sacred Ground" is my favorite Voyager episode, and the only one I plan to purchase. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

It is up to Captain Janeway and the Doctor to save "Voyager"
"Star Trek: Voyager," Episode 54, "Macrocasm" (Written by Brannon Braga, Aired December 11, 1996) presents the "Voyager" version of a "Star Trek" plotline that each series gets around to soon or later, where the captain has to retake their vessel all by their lonesome. Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Neelix (Ethan Phillips) return from a trade mission to find "Voyager" drifting in space. Once on board they find no crewmembers and many of the ship's systems off line. As they investigate the deserted ship they are attacked in the turbolift by strange intruders and Neelix gets slimed. The next thing she knows, Janeway is completely on her own, so she gets herself some weapons and goes to the Bridge.

Unfortunately, "Macrocosm" does not become a thrilling episode of Kathryn Janeway, Starfleet Commando as the solution comes down to science rather than the strategic application of force. There are a few moments of her doing the latter, but not as many as the set up has your primed to see. I never thought of it before, but "Voyager" relies on the Doctor (Robert Picardo) too much to play the role of Basil Exposition in episodes like this one, where I did not really appreciate the short cut that he provides. Still, the initial premise of "Macrocosm" is pretty good and Mulgrew has several choice moments of getting down and dirty with the intruders. Not a classic "Voyager," but still pretty good overall.

Blood Fever
When the captain and Neelix return from a trade mission with the Tak Tak, they find Voyager seemingly abandon and adrift, they then encounter flying life forms with three arms or tendrils and armed with a large stinger. One of them sprays Neelix with some kind of slime, the two manage to escape but Neelix becomes increasingly sick. Janeway goes to get an emergency kit, but when she comes back she finds he has disappeared.

Now alone she goes to the bridge to arm herself, but not before another comfrontation with the flying things where one of them stings her. After killing it she goes to explore the ship, she finds all the crew lying in the mess hall incapacitated and unresponsive.

After another attack from the flying things she goes to sick bay where she locates the doctor, he explains that while she and Neelix were away, Voyager was contacted by a mining colony, that had been stricken by a virus.

The virus creates an orifice on the host from which come tiny flying bugs, they grow larger by using the host's growth hormone. Some of the tiny bugs made it back with the doctor when he was beamed back from the colony, and now have infected the entire crew. He has made an antigen, but whenever he ventures out to test it he's attacked by the flying bugs. Luckily since he's a hologram, he can't be infected.

Since the captain is also stricken with the virus she volunteers to test it, it works. And she recommends making the antidote is a gaseous form and puting it in the ship's environmental system, but the system has been damaged. The two then find that Voyager is being fired at by the Tak Tak, who is aware of the virus. The Tak Tak give Janeway one hour to cure the crew and rid of the virus, or Voyager must be destroyed.

Good special effects and interesting story. The captain instructs the doctor to use a humorous way of distracting the flying bugs, by activating Kim & Paris' tropical resort hologram program from episode 52, and setting the bugs loose on the holographic beach goers!

This episode rules!
This episode is my all-time favourite Voyager episode. While the is very similar to Star Trek; The Next Generation episode, "Genesis", where the crew de-evolves, this episode is just as enjoyable, if not better. I don't know why I like this episode so much except for that it has a lot of action, and the alien virus sounds cool. The storyline is neat, how the doctor explains everything halfway through the episode when the Captain meets up with him. While the plot is similar to "Genesis" it takes on a very different, and very enjoyable twist. This is an excellent episode! It is my favourite one!

Kathy goes on a "bug hunt"
While it beared an eerie if not a little too obvious parelell of the movie ALIENS, STV MACROCOSM is one of the shows better episodes.

Returning from a conference with an alien species the Tak Tak, Captain Janeway and Neelix discovers that the Voyager is drifting in space and everybody on board suffering from a deadly virus which as the ships holographic doctor explains was picked up at a mining planet. The virus starts out in the hosts body but grows into a tiny insect being that quickly multiplys and grows to immense and even deadlier sizes.

With little time to spare to save her crew and to prevent the Tak Tak species from destroying Voyager (to prevent furthur contamination of other ships and planets) Janeway, with a phaser rifle and the Doctor's help must survive long enough against the virus to save her ship.

Voyager does have a few better episodes, (Equinox, Death Wish, Scorpion, Year of Hell) but it certainly has worse. With lots of action, some taut pacing, not to mention monster sized viruses to kill, MACROCOSM is a good Trek action piece.

If you can get past it's glaring unoriginality, it's OK.
"Macrocosm" was very interesting to me until I realized one thing about halfway through the episode: It's a blatant ripoff of a Next Generation episode in which the crew of the Enterprise-D begins to de-evolve, and the Captain arrives with phaser in hand to save the day. Here, instead of de-evolving, the crew is subjugated by a macroscopic virus that flies around the ship biting people like it was an insect. The CGI effects are well done, and the story is interesting, if you can get past the fact that once again Braga and Berman have ripped off something better, though this time, it's another Star Trek episode! If you ask me, I'd rather own the Next Generation episode, but if you're intent on buying Voyager, then you could do worse than "Macrocosm" ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Torres and robots who want to procreate AND make war
In Episode 29 "Prototype" (Written by Nicholas Corea, Aired January 15, 1996) "Voyager" beams aboard a deactivated robot floating in space and Torres (Roxann Biggs-Dawson) thinks that activating it would be a good thing. This takes a while, and when she succeeds the robot declares itself to be Automated Personnel Unit 3947 (Rick Worthy), created by the Pralor, a humanoid race now long gone. The robot wants Torres to build a prototype that would allow the construction of additional robots, but Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) cites the Prime Directive as the reasons to decline. But 3947 finds the answer unacceptable and abducts Torres to a Pralor ship, where it turns out he is not alone after all. "Voyager" tries to get her back, but while the robots cannot create new technology they are prety good at working existing weaponry, and Torres agrees to help create the prototype so that her ship is not destroyed.

"Prototype" is one of those episodes where trying to find an actual principle of consistency behind the Prime Directive gives me a headache. The rationale behind Janeway's decision is not logical, but rather dramatic since it forces 3947 to kidnap Torres and kicks off the rest of the action in the episode. But then, having played off the idea that 3947 should not be alone in the universe we discover that not only are their other robots but actually two warring groups of robots. In the end, the lesson here is that in quest to be more "human" that we invariably attribute to robots, these robots have tragically succeeded. This episodes has lots of twists and turns, but neither the journey nor the destination warrant the trouble, which is why this is a below average "Voyager" episode.

B'Elanna and the robots
I enjoyed this episode of Voyager, but if I have one criticism, it is that I would have liked for the writers to have used this episode to better aquaint us with the character of B'Elanna Torres. Unfortunately however, I didn't learn anything new about Torres through this episode - it was just "more of the same". Torres is smart. Torres is competent. Torres is stubborn. Torres has a temper. Okay...I get it! Now let's get below the surface!

The best thing about this episode, in my opinion, is that it provides a "textbook case" of why the Prime Directive is so necessary. Torres learns this the hard way in "Prototype". Turns out, Janeway is much wiser than Torres originally thought!

automated units
I don't know why, but there's just something a bit cute about these "automated units".

They're the most polite androids you'll ever see in this Star Trek episode or *ANY* episode...

It's pretty shocking to find out that these "automated units" are evil.

I like the design on them too. And the display you see at the beginning of the episode is much more REALISTIC and FUTURISTIC than then "Red display" you see in "Terminator I and II".

There's something I like about these "automated units."

Sort of Bicentenial Man meets Voyager
If you've ever seen this episode, you know what I mean.

This episode starts out from the point of view of Automated Personnel Unit 3947, a damaged robot found by the Voyager crew floating in space.

Torres makes it her personal crusade to save the robots "life." Once reactivated, 3947 kidnaps Torres and takes her to its ship and threatens to destroy Voyager if she doesn't build a prototype so its people can "reproduce." After successfully doing so, she realizes the real reason the robots were made incapable of reproducing, and ends up destroying her creation.

At the end Torres and Janeway have a rather sappy discussion of how good Torres felt creating a new life, and how sad she was at having to destroy it.

There are much better episodes to spend your 14 bucks on. ... Read more

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Original airdate: 10/2/95. Stardate: Unknown. Just as Kes is enjoying a surprise second birthday party inside the "Sandrine's Bar" holodeck program, Voyager is engulfed in spatial distortion rings that disable its primary systems. What's worse, the entire ship is being literally twisted out of shape, so normal movement between decks becomes a frustrating, mazelike ordeal. While the executive staff attempts to counter the distorting effect--which threatens to crush them out of existence--Janeway is rendered unconscious from contact with the distortion's powerful electromagnetic field. This ship-bound episode benefits from the strange sight of Voyager's structure and crew bending out of shape (imagine a fun-house mirror on steroids, achieved via digital image manipulation), and some top-level tension between Chakotay and Tuvok is thrown in to keep things interesting. Still, the distortion gimmick is barely enough to sustain a 45-minute episode, and the resolution of Voyager's crisis (the distortion is actually a benevolent life form) feels tacked on and overly familiar. Not a bad episode at all--especially if you like stories that focus on Voyager's crew--but there's not much happening beyond the basic premise. You will agree, however, that Neelix makes a tasty-looking birthday cake--and he didn't even use the replicators! --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The "Voyager" crew deals with the prospects of being crushed
The "Voyager" crew has a surprise second birthday party for Kes (Jennifer Lien), which is nice since Occampans do not have too many of those. But during the festivities the ship is surrounded by a strange spatial distortion, which not only shuts down most of the systems but also appears to change the structural layout of the starship. The next thing we know Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) cannot find her way back to the Bridge, B'Elanna (Roxann Biggs-Dawson) keeps getting lost on the way to Engineering, and everyone is getting frustrated and confused. Meanwhile, the spatial distortion keeps growing smaller, threatening to crush "Voyager." When Janeway ends up being knocked unconscious it is up to Chakotay (Robert Beltran) to take command and find a way to save the ship and crew. However, this does not sit too well with Tuvok (Tim Russ).

Episode 19, "Twisted" (Story by Arnold Rudnick & Rich Hosek & Arnold Rudnick & Rich Hosek, Teleplay by Kenneth Biller, Aired October 2, 1995) is yet another in a long line of "Star Trek" episodes in which something strange is happening to the ship and the crew has to solve the mystery and save the day. However, it breaks the mold in two significant ways. First, the crew fails to solve the mystery, at least not in time to do anything about what is happening. Admittedly, this is a flip on normal expectations, and when we realize the crew has indeed exhausted its bag of tricks it is something of a minor shock. Second, and more importantly, "Twisted" is an episode where character interaction and development takes on more significance than the solving of the mystery. The key is Janeway being out of action, because this is what allows the simmering tension between Chakotay and Tuvok to boil over. Remember, the "Voyager" Security Chief had infiltrated Chakotay's team when the First Officer was captain of a Maquis raider and just because Janeway trusts them both is no reason for either of them to follow suit.

The payoff comes at the end of the episode when the crew essentially pairs up to face what they think is an inevitable death. Ultimately the mystery was just an interesting contrivance to set up these poignant vignettes. This might seem like the long way around to get to this point, but since it comes as a surprise that the episode reaches this point, you have to agree it works well as a set up. The result is not a classic episode of "Star Trek: Voyager," but certainly well above average.

"Sometimes nothing is a real cool hand."
That phrase was first heard in the classic Paul Newman film "Cool Hand Luke" and it works just as well here. When the Voyager and crew encounter a spatial distortion wave moving through space their attempts to maneuver around it are ineffectual. Since the majority of the bridge officers are gathered in Paris's holodeck recreation of Chez Sandrine to throw a surprise party for Kess who is turning two that day, Tuvok is presently in command on the bridge and he increases the starship's speed in order to travel through the phenomenon as quickly as possible. When Voyager comes into contact with the wave they soon notice that the integrity and shape of the ship is constantly changing. Practically helpless and kept thoroughly confused by the current state of flux, the officers gathered in the holodeck separate into pairs in an attempt to reach different locations to try and solve the ever-increasing emergency situation. This results in Janeway coming into direct contact with the distortion wave that disorients her; she has to be confined to a couch available in the Chez Sandrine where The Doctor can give her no medical aid because of their stranded state. Each effort that the separate teams attempt has no effect and in fact increases the dire straits they find themselves in. Finally Tuvok proposes the only reasonable and foreseeable solution to the problem - but it seems too outrageous and incredible to work...or is it?

'Twisted' is one of the more memorable episodes from Voyager's second season, stressing character interaction and new developments between the crewmembers. Neelix's jealousy of Tom Paris first surfaces here; when Janeway and Harry attempt to reach the bridge through a Jefferies tube she tells Harry he's "been one of the bright spots of their challenging mission"; Chakotay and Tuvok clear the air between them and learn to trust each other in the process; The Doctor has a moment in the episodes' finale where he softens a bit, offering uncharacteristic compassion to Kess; Neelix and Chakotay have a brief but notable conversation concerning jealousy. All of these character building oriented scenes aren't wasted as they help to advance the story and are incorporated perfectly into the action that is taking place. The credible, unexpected climax and the revelation about the nature of the distortion wave further add to the success of 'Twisted', making it an exceptional episode well worth purchasing for your collection.

Ok, but not the best
Not the best episode of Voyager, but certainly not the worst either. This episode is sort of confusing, and I remember reading that one of the actors of Voyager really didn't like this episode. However, the premise of doing nothing is an interesting plot twist for Star Trek, and it works. An interesting idea to a confusing episode!

One of My Favorites
This episode opens with a surprise birthday party for Kes in Chez Sandrines, a holographic recreation of Tom's favorite getaway in France. The entire bridge crew is there to celebrate when Voyager is surrounded by a spatial distortion ring that slowly engulfs the ship. As a result, corridors and areas on Voyager are compressed and twisted which continually changes the layout of the ship. This constantly confuses the crew as they get lost attempting to reach their destinations. No matter where they try to go they always end up at their original starting point at Chez Sandrines, in the center of the ship. They realize that the distortion ring is pushing them to this location, the only place that isn't currently effected by the ring. To further complicate matters, Captain Janeway comes into brief contact with the distortion and is semi-conscious and incoherent. The bridge crew's attempts to stop the distortion and escape, fail and they see the distortion coming toward them. Out of options, they know they must accept the inevitable and each makes peace in his or her own way as they surrender to the anomaly.

At the end of the show, we get to see the friendships and bonds of the bridge crew as they "pair up" to meet their supposed death. I thought it was actually quite touching especially when Tuvok reached out to Janeway. A somewhat unique episode in the Star Trek saga, one of my favorites.

Sometimes doing nothing is the best plan
I enjoyed this episode because, for once on Star Trek, we saw that doing nothing is sometimes the best thing we can do. An unusual premise given Star Trek's long and colorful history of action, action, action!

In this episode, the crew with the never ending stream of "brilliant-ideas-in-a-scrape" tried them all and came up empty...and in the end finally had to just sit down and "let it happen", not knowing at all what the outcome would be. Very interesting concept for a Star Trek episode!

I also felt that the last few minutes of the show were very telling...not knowing whether they were going to live or die, we got to see what each of the characters would choose to do in the last moments of life....who they would choose to speak with and what they would say.

Very enjoyable episode. ... Read more

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Original airdate: 9/25/95. Stardate: 49011. Series producer BrannonBraga contributes yet another "alternate reality" episode, contriving an alientime stream to catapult Ensign Kim (Garrett Wang) back home to 24th-century SanFrancisco, where he can find no record of his service on Voyager. As faras everyone else is concerned--including his beautiful girlfriend--Kim is an acedesign specialist, nearly late for an important presentation at Starfleetheadquarters. Unable to comprehend this shift of identity, he locates Tom Parisin France (allowing an obvious dialogue pun), but Paris is also living adifferent role, and to him, his one-time crewmate is now a total stranger. Wheneverything is explained by an alien posing as the proprietor of a San Franciscoespresso stand (no, we're not joking), Kim--now a Starfleet fugitive--must re-create the conditions that caused this jumble of parallel timelines, and restorehimself and Paris to their normal duty aboard Voyager. Not bad aspuzzle-solving goes, and the digital vistas of 24th-century Earth are a welcomed sight.Still, Braga's premise has grown too familiar: toss a Voyager crewmemberinto an alternate reality, and put them through a rat's maze to find their wayhome. It's fun, however, to see Paris as he might have been, had Janeway andVoyager not liberated him from his dubious past. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Harry Kim gets his wish and wakes up back home
Nobody on "Voyager" was more desperate to return home than Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wong), so when he wakes up in San Francisco you would think this would be a good thing. But the strange thing is that his girlfriend Libby (Jennifer Gatti) acts as if he has not been lost in the Delta Quadrant for over a year and neither does his friend Lt. Lasca (Mark Kiely) at the design lab at Starfleet Headquarters. When Kim checks Starfleet records they indicate that "Voyager" did indeed disappear in the Badlands and that he was never assigned to the lost ship-and neither was Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), who is out on parole and now living in Marseilles (What? Are you telling me that you did not know that Paris was in France? What universe are you from?).

Episode 22 of "Star Trek: Voyager", "Non Sequiter" (Written by Brannon Braga, Aired September 25, 1995) is another in a long tradition of "Star Trek" episodes where a crew member wakes up and finds everything is completely different. Of course Kim is desperate to believe this is really happening, but his sense of duty keeps intruding. When Kim tracks down Paris and learns that his best friend has no idea who he is, Paris is still interested in the story. But his questioning gets him arrested as a Maquis spy, which leads Kim closer to the truth. The explanation, of course, is rather confusing, but what makes this a decent "Voyager" episode is how Paris responds to Kim's insistence that they are friends and the idea that in a quadrant far, far away he is not a worthless disgrace that washed out of Starfleet. The ending of "Non Sequiter" plays out along those lines and the episode has some resonance in the series in that it does end up helping Harry Kim get his head straightened a bit regarding how his duty might be more important than his plight.

Boring!
I bought this episode because it sounded interesting. It really fell flat. It's slow-moving, and the solution is confusing. I didn't like how we didn't see the rest of the crew at all until the end. I guess I don't like Harry Kim enough to put up with just him for an entire episode!

Exclusively Harry Kim Episode
Harry Kim is on a damaged shuttlecraft on his way back to Voyager when he encounters a temporal anomaly that sends him to Earth. But it is not the Earth he knows. Instead, he finds himself on an altered-reality Earth where he and Tom Paris were never assigned to Voyager. In this reality, Harry is a starship design specialist in the Starfleet Engineering Corp in San Francisco, and Tom Paris is a drunk who never accomplished anything in life except to be regarded as a member of the Maquis. Harry's attempts to unravel the mystery of his altered life leads to trouble with Starfleet. They think he is a spy for the Maquis because of his dealings with Tom and the admiral places a security anklet on Harry's leg to monitor his movements while the investigation proceeds. The questions regarding Harry's new life are answered when a friendly coffee shop owner, Cosimo, comes to his aid and explains the temporal anomaly mishap that led to his altered life. Cosimo explains that he was sent to keep an eye on Harry; that his species exist in a temporal inversion fold in the space-time matrix. He goes on to say that Harry entered one of their time streams and, as a result, history and events were scrambled. Unfortunately, Harry learns that there is only one possible way back to his own reality, but there is no guarantee that he will survive the trip. He decides that he must make the attempt so that he can set things right with his life and with Tom's as well. The scene where Tom and Harry are on the stolen shuttlecraft (right before it explodes) entering the time stream is a good one as we witness that their friendship has transcended time and alternate reality.

This is my second favorite Garrett Wang episode; the first being "Timeless." Throughout the seven years Voyager was on the air, I couldn't count the number of times Harry Kim saved someone's life or saved Voyager. However, he was still an ensign when the show ended. That never made sense to me. In "Timeless" we got to see a guilt ridden, troubled side of Harry; in "Non Sequitur" we get to witness his strong values and beliefs. In both episodes he displays his loyalty to Voyager and her crew.

Kim in Alternative Timeline
I liked this episode since I like the character of Harry Kim...but I wouldn't say that this episode is a "must see" in terms of understanding the overall story arc of the show.

I give it four stars because it was an enjoyable episode and I felt that Garrett Wang did an excellent job developing his character. But I held back on five stars because this particular episode didn't really contribute much to the overall epic storyline of Voyager.

A very good Star Trek: Voyager episode
This is a very good Star Trek : Voyager episode. Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) suddenly wakes up in San Fransico with his long lost girlfriend Libby (Jenifer Gattie). He is unaware how he got back to the Alpha quatrant and Earth at the sametime. Afterwondering around the town he meets Casimo, Coffee shop owner. He tells him he is proud of him for designing the ship the Runabout,Yellowstone. Kim askes his questions about his life here on Earth because he just found out from Libby he is in present day Starfleet command. Casimo assures him everything will be fine and that he and Libby are engaged. Kim encounters more Starfleet officers and Starfleet officials and gets more confused about how got to Earth. At some point Harry Kim decides he doesn't belong in this reality and finds who else from Voyager is here on Earth. He locates Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeil) and finds out that his reality was changed as well. He never left on Voyager with Captin Janeway and others. Instead, He was send to the Brig on DS9. After many explanations Kim tells him they are both not from this reality and askes him to fly shuttle simulation to figure out how they got here and how they can get back. Because of the altered reality Paris doesn't reconize his duties to Voyager and tells Kim to leave him alone. Kim not understanding what is going on must find away to get back to Voyager and to the Delta Quatrant because he feels he doesn't belong here on Earth. He is also in toruble with Star Fleet who suspects Kim of Being a Maqui Spy! Can Harry find away to convice Paris to help them get back to Voyager, even if it means he can not be with the love his life Libby? Findout! Buy this video! What is true identity of Casimo the coffee shop owner who has been watching Kim through his time on Earth? This is my one of my Personal favorite Star Trek: Voyager episodes ever!!! Buy it! ... Read more

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Original airdate: 10/9/95. Stardate: 49068.5. Tormented by jealousy, Neelix is enraged by Tom Paris's crush on his beloved Kes, and it's not long before the Voyager crewmates are having a food fight in the ship's mess hall. Kes is confused by this jealous rivalry (Ocampans mate for life, she explains, prompting the Doctor to observe "your literature must be very dry"). The diplomatic Janeway--who needs to replenish dwindling food supplies--sends Paris and Neelix on a shuttle mission to investigate nutrient sources on a nearby planet. A crash landing forces the battling crewmates to settle their differences, especially when they discover a humanoid/reptilian hatchling in a cave, slowly dying because Paris and Neelix have inadvertently cut off its source of nutrients from the planet's "trigemic vapor" atmosphere. Meanwhile, Voyager battles an alien ship, ultimately discovering the reason for its aggression. The outcome casts Paris and Neelix as proud (albeit temporary) godparents, and while the plot's a bit flimsy, "Parturition" allows for some buoyant character development, and that little lizard is awfully cute, if you can ignore the low-budget animatronics. Sharp dialogue saves the day, and kudos to series regulars Ethan Phillips and Robert Duncan McNeill for making the Paris-Neelix feud so enjoyably juvenile. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An overly contrived episode about Paris and Neelix
One of the key elements of Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeil) during the early seasons of "Star Trek: Voyager" was that he was trying to redeem himself from being a hot head always in the dog house. However, Paris started to lose points with me in this episode when he started putting the moves on Kes (Jennifer Lien) despite the fact she came aboard with Neelix (Ethan Phillips). In Episode 23, "Parturition" (Written by Tom Szollosi, Aired October 9, 1995) Kes wants to take flying lessons from Paris and immediately becomes interested in her. Neelix figures this out before Kes and attacks Paris in the mess hall. Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) decides that for some reason it would be good to send Paris and Neelix off together to find some new food supplies. They head for the nearest planet, encounter electromagnetic disturbances, and make an emergency landing. "Voyager" is aware of this (a nice twist for once) and Janeway sends off a Search & Rescue mission. Unfortunately the planet has dangerous vapors that force the two stranded crewmates to seal themselves into a cave while "Voyager" has an inconvenient attack from an alien vessel.

The situation on "Parturition" is about as contrived as you can get, but Szollosi does come up with a rather unexpected way of making Paris and Neelix reconsider their situation on multiple levels. However at that point the episode gets rather contrived and when the main plot line and the sub plot come together you are surprised, but not in a good way. On the one hand the idea that Paris would step out of line with regards to Kes makes a certain amount of sense, but this episode over traumatizes the experience. I can appreciate why Neelix would be upset that Paris would be casting eyes at Kes, but turning to physical violence is really too much to buy. So while Paris might be acting in character, Neelix's over reaction is just another in a long series of contrivances; after all, Kes considers herself mated to Nelix and anythign Paris is doing does not even come up on her Ocampan radar. There are some nice moments in the cave between the two when they find a common cause for which to work together, but the set up is just too much to really see it as being anything significant. Consequently, "Parturition" is a below average episode of "Voyager" for me. There had to be better ways of getting to this point without overloading the contrivances.

Turns out Tom Paris has character!
I thought that this was a great episode, and it did alot to develop the characters of Tom Paris and Neelix. I was very pleased when Tom stood the test and did what was right instead of simply taking what he desired. Tom shows us here once and for all that he does have a tremendous amount of integrity...something that was in question at the beginning of the series.

I also thought the alien baby was pretty cute....I don't remember any other ST episodes that used an alien baby in quite this way, and I thought that Berman & Co did an effective job of combining plot lines in this episode.

Neelix vs Tom
This is one of my very favorite episodes ever! It's like one laugh after another. I quote: #1

Tom: Can I make a suggestion?

Neelix: Your the commander of this mission, you can make any suggestion you want. And if you make it an order, I'll even have to obey it. #2

Tom: Harry, I'm in trouble.

Harry: So what's new?

Tom: I think I'm in love.

Harry: So what's new?

Tom: With Kes.

Harry: Kes! #3(while physically fighting in the mess hall)

Neelix: I'll kill you!

Tom: Too late. I'm betting your hair pasta already did the trick.

He he! You've got to see this episode!

A new member of the family
This is a great episode of voyager. It was made back when Neelix and Paris weren't the best of friends and there's some good ole bickering between the two of them. I highly recommend this episode for its character developments. Many new friendships form in this episode. If you're a fan don't miss out. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

SuperForce true 1980's action
This was a very fun show when I was 13 to 15. This show was right after Superboy the live TV show. The one thing that made this show good that alot of new shows do not have. Is fun idea for stories. As today ever thing has to much CGI and no story any more. This show had CGI but not very good. But I like fun stories better then good cgi and a bad story. I really wish this show would have a come back on TV or DVD. I'm giving this movie a five star from what I remember when I was 13 and its a very fun B movie.

Great B Sci-Fi
This film was the start of the short lived TV show. Reminiscent of shows like Knight Rider, the A Team, Street Hawk, and Airwolf this film is the one-man-makes-a-difference-we-have-the-technology type of show. Shot on the Universal Studio backlot(just take the tour and you'll see it all) this low budget, lame computer effects extravaganza will appeal to lovers of B-flix all over the world. I liked it! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Just as Voyager is about to encounter an inhospitable race calledthe Botha, the Doctor orders Captain Janeway to get some much-needed R&R. Butwhen Janeway is startled to find her favorite holonovel characters appearingoutside of the holodeck, it's eventually discovered that someone or something isplaying tricks on the entire crew, resulting in shipwide hallucinations based ondeep-rooted fears and desires. Only Kes is resistant to these nefarious visions,due to her emerging use of telepathic abilities, but the rest of the crew isvirtually immobilized. That leaves only Kes and the Doctor to devise a plan toeliminate the psionic field that surrounds Voyager, generated by atelepathic alien that has been playing mind games with Voyager for thesheer malicious fun of it. This is pretty thin plotting, to be sure, and the bigrevelation is only marginally climactic, but this episode does offer someintriguing glimpses inside the space-worn psyches of Voyager's executivestaff, including Janeway's melancholy longing for her husband on Earth, andTorres's heretofore hidden lust for Chakotay! Hot stuff, if only for a fleetingmoment, and a teasing hint of fantasy for Trek romantics. --JeffShannon ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Playing those mind games with the "Voyager" crew
Sooner of later all "Star Trek" series have an episode where the characters have to confront their subconscious fears as an encounter with something alien forces hidden thoughts to the surface. For "Star Trek: Voyager" that moment comes in Episode 24, "Persistence of Vision" (Written by Jeri Taylor, Aired October 30, 1995). As they work there way across the Delta Quadrant "Voyager" is about to encounter the Botha. This meeting is fraught with peril, danger, etc., and the Doctor (Robert Picardo) orders Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) to relax. The Captain tries to enjoy her favorite holonovel, but before things get too interesting with Lord Burleigh (Michael Cumpsty) she is called to the Bridge for first contact with the Bothan representative (Patrick Kerr). The reception is far less than cordial, but a rendezvous is set up where the decision will be made whether or not to allow "Voyager" safe passage through Bothan space. Then things start getting weird.

Janeway sees the little girl from her holodeck in the novel. It could be a glitch from the crew's work on expanding the ship's holographic system (to help the EMH wander free), but that is quickly ruled out. By the time Kes (Jennifer Lein) sees the little girl too Janeway has heard her fiancé Mark and been attacked by another holonovel character. Again, it is Kes who is able to confirm what is happening to Janeway, but the Captain turns over the negotiations to the Botha to Chakotay and submits to medical tests. However, this time the encounter turns hostile and again Janeway has to run to the bridge where new surprises await for both her and the "Voyager" crew.

On the one hand the explanation behind these bizarre manifestations has a certain logic, but if "Voyager" is going to go to the repressed emotions route there should be something more significant to the payoff for the trip. The biggest upside to the episode is that Kes has something substantial to do away from Sick Bay, even if it still involves the Doctor. But mind games on "Star Trek" should be serious stuff and not involve a few minor jolts and simple mind games. Besides, I think Janeway needs to find herself a better holonovel (I have a strong preference for Da Vinci over Lord Burleigh).

Voyage-less
A largely forgettable outing with only one memorable twist: Torres has the hots for Chakotay? Perhaps the episode, at best, demonstrates the fundamental flaw behind the entire series ... great ideas (a Torres/Chakotay relationship) was hinted at and NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER explored, teased, or even mentioned again. Some nice detective work by the EMH -- the show's most increasingly annoying character -- and Kes -- the show's most underwritten character -- are wasted in what could've risen above the level of formulaic adventure into real psychological tension.

Note to Rick Berman: resign while you've still a shred of dignity.

Seeing things?
While traveling, Voyager enters a part of space that is less than welcoming. While negotiating across it, the crew begin seeing people from home and fantasies about eachother. Is this a natural phenomena? Is the crew going crazy? Or is there more going on here? ... Read more

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Original airdate: 4/24/95. Stardate: 48693.2. The Emergency Medical Hologram (Robert Picardo, a.k.a. "the Doctor") gets his first "away mission" when assigned to rescue Chakotay, Tuvok, and Kim from a holodeck version of the epic poem Beowulf, in which Kim had been playing the hero's role. The holodeck has been corrupted by a life form made of photonic energy from a nearby protostar, and only the Doctor can safely confront the creature, which has assumed the role of Beowulf's demonic nemesis, Grendel. As the Doctor grows fond of his heroic duty--even enjoying the advances of the ill-fated Viking heroine Freya (nicely played by Marjorie Monaghan)--Janeway, Torres, and Paris devise a "prisoner exchange" that will return their lost shipmates to safety. A hokey premise with familiar plotting, but enjoyable for its expansion of the Doctor's character and Picardo's reliably nuanced performance. And while the Beowulf setting offers a welcomed detour for fans of ancient fantasy, the sword and sorcery is almost tongue-in-cheek in its gruff, Wagnerian theatricality. Still, an invigorating episode, worthy of its two Emmy nominations for cinematography and music score. Worth a look, for more open-minded Voyager loyalists. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Doctor goes after Grendel on the Holodeck
The hook on "Heroes & Demons," Episode 12 of "Star Trek: Voyager" (Written by Naren Shankar, Aired April 24, 1995) is that the Doctor (Robert Picardo) goes on his first Away Mission. The trick is that he does this without ever leaving "Voyager." It seems Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) is (wasting limited energy resources) playing the hero in the "Beowulf" program in the ship's holodeck when he disappears. Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Tuvok (Tim Russ) enter the Holodeck and find the "Beowful" program still running, but no sign of Kim. When they join in the fight against Grendel they disappear as well. Tired of losing crewmembers, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) sends the EMH off to do battle on the holodeck. The Doctor is apprehensive but willing to do honor to the new name he has adopted: Schwitzer. However once there he discovers he not only has to deal with Vikings and a monster, but the affections of the lovely Freya (Marjorie Monaghan).

For those of you who enjoy watching the propsect of the Doctor engaging in good old fashioned swordplay, this is the episode you want to watch. There are also some tentative movements for the Doctor in terms of honest emotions as clearly the producers are trying to set up the character for future developments. Since "Heroes & Demons" begins with "Voyager" taking samples of photonic energy from a protostar (and there is a breach in the transporter's containment field) you know that somehow this has something to do with what is happening on the holodeck. But "Heroes & Demons" is not so much a mystery episode as it is character development in the Doctor's journey to becoming "real," so the scientific explanation takes a back seat to the Doctor fighting the good fight and learning some valuable lessons from his first Away Mission.

The Doctor's first away mission
When Harry, Chakotey and Tuvok disappear on the holodeck the Doctor is the only one who can be send to rescue them. It will be his first away mission: a special occacion, and not without hazard, since the safety limits are offline. The episode takes place in the time of Beowulf, with Vikings, desperate Kings,. monsters and fighting maidens. The Doctor has ample opportunity to show his poetic, romantic and valiant sides. Some scenes are very funny. Especially those where the Doctor,with his dry comments, intellect en photons interacts with the medieval supersticious Vikings. This is surely one of the better episodes for the Doctor.

Oldest English Epic Given Fresh Life
Ensign Harry Kim disappears from the holodeck while taking part in a holonovel based on the oldest English epic, Beowulf. Tuvok and T'chokote enter the holodeck, but computer controls and safety measures have been disabled. They follow in the footsteps of Beowulf and bravely agree to stay and confront Grendel, hoping to learn what happened to Kim. But Grendel takes them, as well. It's up to the holographic Doctor to go on his first away mission and succeed where the heroes have failed. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Original airdate: 11/6/95. Stardate: Unknown. Did you ever wonder whyCommander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) wears that funky tattoo on the left side ofhis forehead? You'll find the answer in this interesting episode, in whichflashbacks to Chakotay's youth in Earth's Central American rain forest aredirectly connected to the commander's present-day discovery of familiar symbolson a mysterious M-class moon. As it turns out, the "Sky Spirits" that therecalcitrant 15-year-old Chakotay had learned about from his father are the samerace, called "the Inheritors," that have now appeared on the seeminglyuninhabited moon--in essence, a bloodline reunion between Chakotay and thedescendants of his ancient tribal ancestors. Out of a seeming need forself-defense, the Inheritors have been subjecting Voyager to life-threateningstorms, but their discovery of Chakotay--and the telling evidence of hisancestral tattoo--is all that's needed to forge a happy alliance. Through this,Chakotay is spiritually reconciled with his long-dead father, and Trekfans are treated to the intriguing backstory of Voyager's second-in- command. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (4)

At long last we learn the story behind Chakotay's tattoo
The actual universe is infinite in size; however, the "Star Trek" universe is a much smaller place, as amply proven by Episode 25, "Tattoo" (Story by Larry Brody, Teleplay by Michael Piller, Aired November 6, 1995). Chakotay (Robert Beltran) is stunned to see symbols on an alien moon that remind him of those he saw in the Central American rainforest when he was younger (Douglas Spain) when he was on a journey with his father, Kolopak (Henry Darrow), to learn about their ancestors. Chakotay is given permission to lead an Away Team to the supposedly uninhabited planet and the episode keeps flashing back to the young Chakotay disappointing his father by not embracing the traditions of their tribe. But then Neelix (Ethan Phillips) is injured by a hawk and Tuvok (Tim Russ) finds an abandoned village. Chakotay thinks they maybe they have frightened off the villagers, he has the Away Team lay down their weapons as a gesture of peace, but the only response is a storm and when the Away Team beams back up to "Voyagers" Chakotay is knocked unconscious and left behind.

"Tattoo" is the episode that reveals the significance of Chakotay's facial markings and while finally getting around to that particular back story this episode does make things a little too contrived to set up the revelation. But the Inheritors have been the standard "Star Trek" justification for the "Earth" races scattered around the galaxy, so it is hard to blame the episode for paying that card. Still, it strikes me as a bit of an overreach: the parallels were strong enough to evoke the response in Chakotay before coincidences starting raining down on him. However, "Tattoo" does its best to keep this a very personal episode for Chakotay and that is one of the episode's strengths.

Essential Chakotay
This is one of the most important Voyager episodes in terms of development of the character of Chakotay. If you are a fan of this series, I'd highly recommed this episode as it reveals much about Chakotay's background and character and gives us insights into the soul of one of the more complex characters on Voyager.

This episode is perhaps one of my favorites from the second season of the show. Certainly it is not the most "action packed", but it does allow us to know Chakotay much better...and that knowledge enhances our appreciation of many subsequent episodes.

Tattoo
In this episode Chakotay discovers an ancient symbol of his people on an M class planet. We get to discover more about the commanders past as he recalls memories from his childhood. As Chakotay gets stranded on a planet we also get a quick glimpse of Chakotay in the buff. (Too quick). But hey you can always put the Video on freeze. Chakotay shows us his sensitive earth loving side as he finds out the truth behind an Indian legend.

Chakotay discover his heritage
In search of supplies Voyager crew comes to a planet only to discover that the inhabitants may have a connection with Earth's history as Chakotay discovers that the symbols sketched in sand are similar to those he learned in his youth. So begins Chakotay's journey of rediscovery as he and the crew of the Voyager follow the trail of the "Sky People".

This episode provides a great deal of background information on Chakotay, his father, and his heritage and it provides for some solid character development. We learn that Chakotay did not always revere his ancestors or their customs as flash backs introduce us to a young, rebellious Chakotay who has little tolerance for the ways of his father.

A secondary story which also provides for some character development is one involving our favorite Holodoc. When the doctor fails to demonstrate any appropriate bed side manner Kes lets him have it and tells him he best acquire some or else. To prove the that the crew are all a bunch of whiners, the doctor programs a mild case of the flu for himself to demonstrate that he is made of sterner stuff and to set an example for the crew. The results are hilarious.

A 4 out of 5 ... Read more

Amazon.com

Original airdate: 9/11/95. Stardate: 48892.1. This is one of those "What is reality?" episodes that have become a staple in the Star Trek universe--not surprising, since it was written by Brannon Braga and directed by Next Generation veteran Jonathan Frakes, who covered similar territory in the memorable NextGen episode "Frame of Mind." In this case it's the Doctor (Robert Picardo) whose perception of reality is called into question, beginning when the Doc's EMH program is activated just after Voyager had been attacked by a Kazon warship. But the attack is a holographic simulation, and the Doctor's confusion intensifies when he learns he is actually Lewis Zimmerman, the scientist who created Voyager's EMH program in his own image! Now seemingly human, and capable of being injured, the Doctor then encounters Reg Barclay (series semiregular Dwight Schultz), whose explanation of the situation, while not entirely consistent, twists "Projections" into yet another layer of reality, forcing the Doctor to make an anguished decision that could end Voyager's existence altogether. Or could it? Consider the potential repercussions of holograms within holograms, and this mind-bending episode takes on an intriguing puzzle-box perspective that may or may not make sense, but it's fun while it lasts. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The EMH discovers he is a real Doctor after all...
On a "Star Trek" series the most interesting character for the writers ends up being the least human member of the crew, and on "Star Trek: Voyager" that would be the Doctor since everybody else is organic. In Episode 17 "Projections" (Written by Brannon Braga, Aired September 11, 1995) the Emergency Medical Hologram project is activated because of an emergency. The Doctor (Robert Picardo) discovers that most of the crew has abandoned the ship. Torres explains that "Voyager" was attacked by the Kazon and that she and the Captain stayed aboard to stop a warp core breach. Janeway has been injured and by using the newly installed holo-emitters the Doctor is sent to the Bridge. But it is while helping Neelix fight a Kazon that the Doctor is stunned to find that he is bleeding and is informed by the computer that he is not an EMH but its creator, the real Dr. Lewis Zimmerman. When the Doctor orders the computer to shut down the holographic system, everyone disappears-except the Doctor. Then Reg Barclay (Dwight Schultz) shows up, says he is Zimmerman's assistant, and things get really weird.

The main problem with "mystery" episodes like "Projections" is that you have no chance to figure out what is really going on with the protagonist. You just watch and wait, knowing that eventually somebody will show up and explain the situation. The Doctor will agonize over the decision and in the end will either do the right thing or effectively eliminate himself from most future episodes (hey, Tasha Yar had her best episode after she died on "STNG"). My other complaint is that the episode seems like it is coming up with something significant reagarding the Doctor, but it is really just a holographic mind game. There are much better episodes down the road dealing with this character which further serve to make this one look hollow in retrospect.

Not Voyager's best outing
This episode was okay, but I wouldn't call it a significant contribution to Season Two of Vogager.

In this episode, which involves principally the character of The Doctor, we begin to question what's real and what's hologram...interesting premise, since we thought we had all of this settled!

We arrive that this confused state through the workings of none other than Reg Barclay of "Star Trek The Next Generation" fame! It turns out that Reg is back at Jupiter Station running a holodeck program that has gone terribly wrong...and informs the doctor that his next decisions will be crucial to his own holo-survival!

Robert Picardo, as ususal, does a good job with his part. But I was not overly impressed with the way this episode was written - somewhat confusing in parts, and didn't do much to get Voyager Season Two off to a running start!

Holograms gone mad
The doctor materializes in sickbay to discover the entire ship has been abandoned and heavily damaged. In his attempt to figure out what happened he runs into Torres who with the captain stayed behind to try to save the ship from a warp core breach. Janeway is on the bridge unconscious so B'elanna transfers him there to assist. Later on he is approached by Barclay who says he is a real person who is suffering from kenoplasmic radiation exposure and can't be freed. The only way he can save his life is to destroy the ship!!!!!

An okay Episode
This is a bit boring, and kind of a whos real and who is not real. Basically the doctor is told by the computer that he is real, and everyone else is a hologram and that he is really on a holodeck testing long field assignements and will die if he does not get off the holodekck. Now he is accompanied by Barcley from TNG. He uses his new holodeck control by going back and forth throough time, as proof that is it not a dream. Until he gets a message from Chakotay saying it is........ ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Seska returns to cause problems for "Voyager" and Chakotay
In "Tattoo," two episodes before this particular "Star Trek: Voyager," Chakotay (Robert Beltran) confronted his past in terms of his relationship with his father and the heritage of his people. Chakotay made peace with certain aspects of his past, which is a good think because in Episode 27, "Maneuvers" (Written by Kenneth Biller, Aired November 20, 1995), a more recent part of his past history comes back and messes with both his present and his future. When the crew of "Voyager" picks up a Federation signal, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) follows the trail to the source only to be attacked by a Kazon vessel, which has no problems penetrating the ship's shields. A party beams aboard, grabs a transporter module, and beams away. Janeway tells the Kazon leader that the module can be used only with Federation technology, but that is not a problem since one of the members of his crewmembers is Seska (Martha Hackett), the Cardassian spy who was part of Chakotay's Maquis before they were forced to join "Voyager" in the Delta Quadrant.

The Kazon leader intends to use the stolen module to build alliances with other sects in attacking "Voyager" and getting his hands on even more Federation technology. But Janeway is more worried about Seska aiding the Kazon since she has experience with the Cardassians, Maquis, and Starfleet. Chakotay feels responsible for Seska since he recruited her in the first place, so he beams aboard the Kazon ship intending to destroy the transporter module. However, he is captured, and now Seska has a new toy with which to play. The situation is a bit contrived, but Biller does create a situation, which brings Chakotay and Seska together to rehash old differences in a pretty good scene between Beltran and Hackett. However, "Maneuvers" is not a coda to their troubled relationship but a key transitional episode where the denouement offers up some significant implications for Chakotay down the road, which is why this ends up being an above average "Voyager."

Seska - the woman we love to hate
I really enjoyed this episode of Voyager and think that it is one of the key episodes of season two.

In this episode, former Voyager crew member and "all-around evil one" Seska reappears with the Kazon - and they are bent on taking over Voyager and stealing the Starfleet technology contained therein. Of course, Janeway and crew go through some action-packed moments during their ensuing struggle with the Kazon...but another plot layer involves the personal betrayal felt by Commander Chakotay, who had recruited Seska and been her captain during her time in the Maquis.

I like the way the writers juiced up this episode: in 46 minutes, this episode develops a major second season storyline, gives us lots of action, and gives us some excellent insight into the character of Chakotay. Plus, it gave us about a million reasons to develop a healthy hatred of Seska - the primary "villan" of season two. Not bad for a single episode!

I give this episode 5 stars and consider it a "must see" among season two Voyager episodes.

The return of Seska
Kazon forces attack Voyager capturing a vital piece of technology that unites the sects and who is master mind behind this strategy?????

You guessed it, our favorite traitor, Seska. You know...... the ex Voyager crew member who was a former Maquis, disguised as a Bajoran , who really is Cardassian spy...Yeah, Seska and she is EVIL...Oh yes.... A great villain. Did I mention she's Chakotay's ex flame???? She's back.

Chakotay takes all of this very personally and sets out to recover the technology, alone and soon he finds himself in the hands of the enemy.

The action is great and tensions are high. A plot driven episode with plenty of "maneuvering" going on.

A 5 out of 5 ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Two Ferengi have set themselves up as gods on a planet
"Star Trek Voyager," Episode 44, "False Profits" (Story by George A. Brozak, Teleplay by Joe Menosky, Aired October 2, 1996) is where the crew discovers that even in the Delta Quadrant they cannot get away from the scourge of the galaxy: the Ferengi. "Voyager" is investigating an unstable wormhole when their sensors pick up evidence that an Alpha Quadrant replicator is being used on a nearby planet. Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) head off to investigate and discover a pair of Ferengi, Arridor (Dan Shor) and Koll (Leslie Jordan), who are being worships as gods by the Takarians because of their advanced technology. Apparently they had tried to claim the wormhole, ended up stuck in the Delta Quadrant, and decided to make the best of their situation, which involved a local prophecy regarding the arrival of "holy sages."

Of course Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) is not happy with the situation, and almost buys the Ferengi's argument that depriving these people of their "gods" would not be a good thing. But you know the Ferengi cannot leave well enough alone and there is something to be said for the idea that two wrongs make a right when it comes to the Prime Directive, even a couple of quadrants over. However, the Ferengi have a few tricks up their sleeves and the "Voyager" crew is going to have to go a way to get the best of this pair. "False Profits" is a nice little change of pace comic episode, although there is a bit of pathos in the end when the Ferengi get the last laugh.

Tying TNG to Voyager
When Voyager first started I thought of two things for the Delta Quadrant; The Borg, and the stranded Ferangi. For those of you who don't know, the Ferangi of this episode of Voyager became stuck in the Delta Quadrant in an episode of The Next Generation.
I assumed Voyager would forget about these Ferangi and move on to the Borg, but its good they paid homage to Star Trek history. Though the episode itself isn't Voyager's best (see Caretaker, Scorpion, Think Tank, Year of Hell, and Equinox), I find it thrilling that the Voyager writers took the time to remember what was such a trivial episode of TNG, involving the Federation and others (including the Ferangi) bargaining for the rights of what they thought was a stable wormhole.

Voyager takes a stab at the Ferengi
Well, if you just LOVE the Ferengi, I'd say jump right on this episode of Voyager. But I certainly wouldn't call it among the best Ferengi episodes in Trek (those reside in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series), nor would I call it a particularly strong Voyager outing.

In this episode, the crew of Voyager comes across a couple of Ferengi who have been in the Delta Quadrant for some time, scamming an entire civilization by posing as gods. As in all Ferengi episodes, there are some humorous moments...but I honestly feel that at times, the episode drags. The ending was pretty good, but that does not make up for the silliness during the mid-section of the script.

If you want Ferengi, go check out one of several DS9 episodes. If you want outstanding Star Trek Voyager, look to one of the other episodes.

Bet you'll remember these guys
I don't want to get into this episode too much because it's better to see it. I will say that it involves money, exploitation, and the Ferengi! The ear necklaces are quite amusing. Voyager has to help free a race before they go bankrupt. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Setting up the new series, "Star Trek: Desolate Planet"...
"Star Trek: Voyager," Episode 42, "The Basics, Part 1" (Written by Michael Piller, Aired May 20, 1996) offers up the second season cliffhanger. Seska (Martha Hackett) sends a signal telling Chakotay (Robert Beltran) that she has given birth to their son but that First Maje Culluh (Anthony De Longis) has designs on the child. Of course, this is just the opening move in a gambit for the Kazon-Nistrum to finally gain control of "Voyager." The episode consists of a series of such moves, each bringing Culluh and Seska closer to their goal, as unbelievable as that might sound. In what seems to be an unrelated subplot (there are no such things in the Star Trek universe), Tuvok (Tim Russ) is trying to rehabilitate Ensign Suder (Brad Dourif), an unstable killer confined to his quarters. "The Basics" is an above average cliffhanger for a "Star Trek" series, no where near "The Best of Both of Both Worlds, Part 1," but nothing is going to top that one. This is one where it is not so much what is going to happen next as the fact that you cannot believe this is happening in the first place. The moves and countermoves by the Kazon and Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) are actually pretty good, so when the payoff for the episode comes you have to admit it makes sense (okay, except for the Kazon quality of mercy).

Season Two Cliffhanger
I enjoyed this episode of Star Trek Voyager and certainly think that it is one of the more important episodes from Season Two of the show.

In this episode, arch-enemy Seska returns, and with the help of the Kazon Nistrem, takes over the ship and leaves the Voyager crew on a remote and dangerous planet. Only problem is, two of Voyager's crew members escape initial detection by the Kazon!!!

This episode leaves us with Janeway and company stranded on the planet and the ship firmly in the hands of the Kazon - and so for this reason, it is an excellent Season Two cliffhanger! Some fine writing combines with some fine acting by all members of the ensemble cast to make this a strong episode.

Please note that the continuation of "Basics" is *not* episode 43, but episode 46. So if you want to see the end of the story, make sure you purchase episode 46 as well!

One of the many great star trek two part episodes
Chakotay is tricked by Seska into believing that she has a child which belongs to him. So the Intrepid Class Voyager helps Chakotay to rescue his baby son. But unfortunately they all were tricked by the evil Seska and her Kazon friends; Voyager was surrounded by 8 Kazon ships and eventually overtaken by the Kazon. They left the Voyager crew on a remote planet and took the highly advanced Federation ship with them...

This is one of the most tempting two part series in the whole of Voyager and one of the many great episodes in the entire Series. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Double the "Voyagers" in double the trouble
Episode 37, "Deadlock" (Written by Written by Brannon Braga, Aired March 18, 1996) is the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode where a space anomaly generates a duplicate Voyager (sooner or later in the Star Trek universe there has to be more than one captain). Pursued by Vidiian ships, "Voyager" enters a plasma cloud just as Ensign Wildman (Nancy Hower) gives birth to Naomi. But when the ship comes out of the cloud the ship starts falling apart, several crew members are lost when the hull breaches, and Wildman's baby dies. When the bridge is evacuated Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) thinks she sees herself and when she goes to sickbay she admires Wildman's healthy new baby girl. It is only when "Voyager" beams aboard an unconscious woman who looks just like Kes (Jennifer Lien) that Janeway begins to suspect what is happening and that there is another "Voyager." Meanwhile, the Phage ravaged Vidiians are closing in, eager to make the crews of both "Voyagers" part of their organ donor program.

"Deadlock" is one of the better "Star Trek" episodes dealing with doubles, mainly because both Janeways cut through the nonsense and get to the heart of the problem quickly. The episode is more about the search for a solution than it is about catching on to what is happening. The other strength is that it manages to kill off some characters and still have them survive in a way that is both effective and affective. "Deadlock" also shows once again that "Voyager" had a clear conception of Captain Janeway's character from start to finish with her peculiar but compelling combination of pragmatism and idealism. Does this have something to do with her gender or simply because she was written in a way that would make her clearly different from Kirk, Picard, and Sisko? You decide. This is an episode where the long range impliactions end up being primarily the birth of Naomi Wildman, although it should send Harry Kim (Garret Wang) to talk to the EMH's psychoanalysis program for a while. An excellent episode that might not be part of the classic canon but definitely a personal favorite.