Reviews (4)

Harry Kim and Tom Paris trapped in an alien prison
Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) and Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) are enjoying shore leave on Akritiri when they are falsely accused of a terrorist bombing that killed 47 people and sent to prison in "Star Trek: Voyager," Episode 47, "The Chute" (Story by Clayton C. Harris, Teleplay by Kenneth Biller, Aired: September 18, 1996). The chute refers to the long metal chute by which Kim arrives in the alien prison, where he already finds Tom, who shows him the "clamp" worn by every prisoner. It cannot be removed without playing with the nervous system of the prisoner wearing it. Meanwhile, back on "Voyager," Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) is informed by Liria (Robert Pine), the Akitirian ambassador, that Kim and Paris have been imprisoned because of the bombing. However, it seems the proof of the pair's guilt is that traces of trilithium were found on their clothes. Janeway then sets off to prove her crewmembers are innocent and to find the real terrorists.

The question, of course, is whether Janeway can get Harry and Tom out of their hellhole while they are still in one piece. The boys are doing their best to escape on their own, trying to figure out a way of getting past the force field in the chute so they can use it as a way of getting out. However, Harry is not meant for the harsh prison life and things get pretty bad for both of the "Voyager" officers. "The Chute" is another one of those episodes focusing on the education of young Harry Kim, although a strong subplot of the episode is that the Akritiri provide another one of those alien civilizations with a really stupid justice system. Of course, this implicitly makes the Federation, with its Earth based justice system, look every so much better and continuing the "Star Trek" tradition of making human beings look like the noblest creatures in the entire universe. But the chief attraction here is putting young Harry Kim through the wringer and having the kid on the "Voyager" bridge get another short course in growing up in the Delta Quadrant.

Garrett Wang at his best
"The Chute" is one of the grittier episodes of Voyager, and a good change of pace - especially for the characters of Harry Kim and Tom Paris.

In this episode, Tom and Harry find themselves in a prison where inmates are "received" when they slide down a chute into the inmate population...where they are received with violence. There is no way out of this prison - the inmates are essentially left there, with "clamps" installed on their skulls that work to activate the hostile impulses in their personalities. Essentially, the situation faced by the inmates is reduced to the old "survival of the fittest" game...and it is *rough*. This is NOT the "prettiest" episode of Voyager around - but it is a solid effort.

The interaction between Tom and Harry in this episode is outstanding, and in my opinion, this is one of Garrett Wang's best performances in the Voyager series. I give it 4 stars, with a "must see" for Harry Kim fans.

Heartbreaking Episode
"The Chute" is where Tom and Harry get thrown into a prison, but Tom arrives there first, and is then under the control of "The Clamp". However, if I remember correctly, Harry isn't affected that much, only like 2-3 times, most likely more. But what really affects him is when Tom gets stabbed and then the episode takes a dramatic change. But you'll have to see the rest for yourself. Enjoy, but be ready for anything!

Down the chute. . .
The episode is one of the "darkest" of the Voyager series. Harry & Tom are in a prison where no one escapes and the inmates are left to administer their own punishments to each other. This is one of my least favorite although I like the interplay between Harry and Tom. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Q asks Janeway to be the mother of his child (No, really)
Q caused a lot of problems in his many misadventures on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," but at least Jean-Luc Picard never received the proposition that the captain of "Voyager" receives in this episode. "Star Trek: Voyager," Episode 53, "The Q and the Grey" (Story by Shawn Piller, Teleplay by Kenneth Biller, Aired November 27, 1996) begins with the crew trying to enjoy watching a supernova when Q (John de Lancie) shows up in the quarters of Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) with a startling proposition: he wants her to be the mother of his child. Of course, Janeway says no, but Q keeps bothering her about the topic. Janeway admits that some day she would like to have a child, but not by mating with Q. This is a good thing, not only because it is the obvious response, but also because a very jealous female Q (Suzie Plakson) who pops up as well. Meanwhile, "Voyager" has witnessed three supernovas in three days and they are suddenly suspicious of Q for yet another reason. Janeway makes the mistake of asking Q for help and suddenly she is visiting the Q Continuum. This is where things become even stranger.

To Janeway's "little" mind the Q Continuum looks like the antebellum South (i.e., "Gone With the Wind"), which is appropriate because the Q are in the middle of a civil war. What does this have to do with Janeway? Well, it has to do with the other Q who came to Janeway and wanted to commit suicide in Episode 30 "Death Wish" during Season 2. It seems his death has caused a split in the Continuum between those who believe in individualism and the traditionalists, and, believe it or not, Q's proposition to Janeway is an attempt to solve the problem.

Now, I certainly appreciate the idea to follow up on the consequences of what happened in the earlier episode, and I certainly appreciate the idea that the Q Continuum is so far beyond Janeway's understanding that her mind has to translate it into the recognizable images of the Civil War South. But the visuals just end up striking me as being a bit too silly. Besides, it is hard to really think of the Q as super beings the more of them you meet. I know that with great power there is no guarantee of intelligence, but with eternal life you would think experience would teach a few lessons here and there. I do like the way Janeway is always so reasonable with the Q, treating him like a child, which contrasts nicely with Picard's perpetual exasperation.

Note: For those who are intrigued by the idea of Q as a father, check out Peter David's "Star Trek" novel "Q-Squared," which posits that Q was, in point of fact, the father of Trelane, the "Squire of Gothos" from the original series. The parallels between the two characters, in terms of how they both first appeared to the captains of their respective Enterprises, is enough to suggest a strong similarity. But David also does a nice job of putting Q behind most of the time travel paradoxes that have confronted various Star Trek crews.

Great Episode
After Voyager's dismal first few episodes I rarely watched it until the sixth season. A handful of wonderful, dazzling episodes in between persuaded me to start watching again, and The Q and the Grey was top among them. The plot twists in Star Trek never fail to amaze me... And what they did with Q's spawn later on was inspired as well.

Ugh, what a mess!!
This is a classic example of a lame "Lameager" episode. Taking something from the Next Generation and messing it up, the hallmark of a dismal Voyagaer episode. And the plot! What a disgrace. The whole "Q" thing is kind of like playing with dynamite for the Star Trek writing staff: Do it right and it is a thing of beauty to behold. Do it wrong and there is is a big bloody mess stuck to the walls. This is an example of a "Q" story blowing up!!

funny Q & Janeway episode
The plot is driven by the idea that Q has to save his race. New blood is needed, and human blood would be the best. In fact: Janeway is selected to mate with Q for her genetic make-up, and abilities to take care of the baby. Needless to sat Janeway is less then thrilled by Q's avances. Things get woorse when Q's omnipotent girlfriend-for-millennia showes up.

This episode has some very comical scenes, and witty bantering.

Q to Janeway: "I know you're probably asking yourself: 'Why would a brilliant, handsome, dashingly omnipotent being like Q want to mate with a scrawny little bipedal specimen like me?'" --- Janeway: "Let me guess: no one else in the universe will have you."

One of the best Voyager episodes
Kate Mulgrew and John de Lancie are great together and this is one of the best Voyager episodes ever. Q wants Kathryn Janeway to have his baby and I found myself thinking "YEAH Kathryn, do it. DO IT!" A very funny and entertaining episode. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Paris and the mystery of the Maquis muntiny holodeck novel
When Janeway and Paris take off on an away mission, Chakotay, Torres, and the rest of Maquis take over "Voyager." It seems they are fed up with the ship taking its time to get through the Delta Quadrant by constantly stopping to help in the name of the Federation's glorious principles. Just as things are getting really interesting, Paris walks in and asks Torres what she is up to. By way of a response she freezes the program: it is all a holodeck novel.

"Star Trek: Voyager," Episode 67, "Worst Case Scenario" (Written by Kenneth Biller, Aired May 7, 1997) combines the idea of the holodeck with computer games. However, there is another twist to this tale, because the identity of the author of this holo-novel is unknown, and this raises some interesting questions. Is this program just fun and games or is it something more subversive? The holo-novel becomes the talk of the ship and an addicted Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) keeps playing around with different scenarios in the game with various plot twists to see how the mutiny plays out. Eventually he discovers the author of the holo-novel and the reason it was created. But then the pair discovers that there is something in the holo-novel that not even the author knew about.

I could probably take this synopsis a bit further, but this one is too much fun to give away too much. "Worst Case Scenario" might not be a classic "Voyager" episode, but it is still a great episode, mainly because it comes up with a good idea and then throws on some more good ideas on top of the first one. If you get one good twist in a "Star Trek" episode, you are doing okay, and this one has three such twists, which is pretty hard to beat. Granted, the ending might not be as strong as the rest of the episode, but it is pretty hard to top the multi-level set up. Which, appropriately, is the way things work out with most video games.

What if?
I really enjoyed this episode. It was a lot of fun. It's about a Maquis take-over (or is it? You decide). It has you constantly questioning, "is this real or a fantasy?" The events keep you guessing. Enjoy!

A Voyager EPISODE
It was a nice episode. I like how they include Seska when she's already dead. It was a great one with the holodeck. It was also very commpeling. A fun thing to watch.

Worst Case Scenario review by: Jeroen Marbus
The Video is VERY GOOD you can see this video a lot of times because you going to fantasy about it ! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good initial premise but then back to standard ST fare
Sometimes we forget that the most alien characters in the Delta Quadrant are those on the starship "Voyager," a point of which we are reminded in Episode 65, "Distant Origin" (Teleplay by Brannon Braga & Joe Menosky, Aired April 30, 1997). We begin on a planet where Professor Gegen (Henry Woronicz) and his assistant find the remains of a Starfleet office. Gegen believes the remains are evidence of the real origins of his race, the Voth, a saurian species. However his "Distant Origin" theory for the Voth goes against the beliefs of Chief Minister Odala (Concetta Tomei) and the other elders, which holds the Voth were the first intelligent beings in the entire quadrant.

But when Gegen discovers the remains came from a vessel called "Voyager," he is able to figure out the ship's path and it down. With their superior cloaking technology the Voth ship remains undetected, as do Gegen and his assistant when they beam aboard "Voyager." Eventually the ship's sensors get a clue and the Gegen is forced to transport back to their vessel with an unconscious Chakotay (Robert Beltran), while leaving his assistant behind. Of course Gegen turns out to be more right than he knows (apparently his race is descended from dinosaurs on Earth), but the truth has never stopped a good heresy trial, which is what we end up with in this episode.

By the end of "Distant Origin" you should know exactly what hersey trial on earth you are supposed to be thinking of (although I realize most people only know about one heresy trial in earth history). I was actually disappointed with this episode because the crew from "Voyager" showed up because I was totally intrigued by a notion of what "alien" scientists would make of the evidence left behind by the crew. I especially liked the idea that this episode took place centuries or millennium later. But by the time the children of "Jurassic Park" idea was introduced it was clear "Distant Origin" was going to tread the familiar ground of previous "Star Trek" episodes with regards to the heresy of the truth. Clearly there are some things the Voth were not meant to know.

Origin
This episode is very thought provoking in that it deals with a race encountered by the Voyager crew which supposedly evolved from dinosaurs and traveled thousands of light-years from Earth to the Delta quadrant. A scientist from this very advanced species is trying to prove to his people what he calls the "distant origin theory" with the help of Chakotay. His belief is rejected by his people and he is imprisoned along with the Voyager Crew, will they ever escape?

Preaching scientific theory
This episode came across as simply preaching the theory of evolution. I realize that it is the premise that Star Trek stands upon, but who needs to be preached at in an episode. I found this episode boring, and to be a big attack at any religion. So much for being tolerant like Star Trek supposedly is!

A Chakotay episode
In a Chakotay filled 45 minutes we learn that the second in command has been kidnapped by an alien scientist who wants to use Chakotay to prove his theory about the origin of his species. You see this alien is a member of a very proud race that believe it is the first being to be created on their planet and that they are the most important creation in the Universe. But this maverick scientist believes that their race, the Voth, originated on Earth and that the human's onboard Voyager are his distant ancestors... well apparently he was once a dinosaur so they must be VERY distant ancestors.

This is a strange episode that explores the religion vs. science war and that it is often best to lie to people then give them groundbreaking news that they can't handle. ... Read more