It's a relief to finally have an episode that I can say really positive things about! It's become something of a joy in this show to see the main plot be moved along, as it's something that happens so rarely. In that regard, this is a real treat.
In many ways, the crossover elements turn this almost into more of an episode of The Next Generation, especially given how little we actually see of the Voyager crew. Lt. Barclay (great to see him again) takes up the main focus along with Counsellor Troi providing quite a bit of a supporting role. Most of the time when are with the Voyager crew it's not actually them, but rather a holographic simulation.
The set up of the episode is a little bit weird. Barclay announcing that he's become obsessed with Voyager feels a bit forced and unnatural, and the flashback format is rarely something I fall in love with. It's especially a bit trite that Barclay is unloading all this in the form of a counselling session. I can forgive that, though, because I like that it meant Marina Sirtis could get involved.
I really like the fact that Starfleet HAVE been searching for Voyager and putting in quite a bit of effort. We've had vague hints that they hadn't forgotten about them, but nothing to really say that there is a massive ongoing project. Once they establish direct contact and we switch back to the real Voyager crew, it all becomes surprisingly emotional. The show had strengths and a powerful hidden core as this clearly demonstrates, so why did it so rarely elect to use them?
A few little things I noticed: - The photo of Tom on his father's desk is actually from the actor's appearance as Locarno from the TNG episode he appeared in (a nice way of using it). - The Golden Gate bridge appears to have been completely rebuilt since it was destroyed by the Breen a few months earlier. Nice work (either that or Voyager forgets once again that continuity is a thing). - I was also a little confused that the Doctor didn't appear to recognise Barclay, since he had quite a memorable interaction with a version of him previously.
Review by LeftHandedGuitaristBlockedParent2018-09-14T11:52:30Z
It's a relief to finally have an episode that I can say really positive things about! It's become something of a joy in this show to see the main plot be moved along, as it's something that happens so rarely. In that regard, this is a real treat.
In many ways, the crossover elements turn this almost into more of an episode of The Next Generation, especially given how little we actually see of the Voyager crew. Lt. Barclay (great to see him again) takes up the main focus along with Counsellor Troi providing quite a bit of a supporting role. Most of the time when are with the Voyager crew it's not actually them, but rather a holographic simulation.
The set up of the episode is a little bit weird. Barclay announcing that he's become obsessed with Voyager feels a bit forced and unnatural, and the flashback format is rarely something I fall in love with. It's especially a bit trite that Barclay is unloading all this in the form of a counselling session. I can forgive that, though, because I like that it meant Marina Sirtis could get involved.
I really like the fact that Starfleet HAVE been searching for Voyager and putting in quite a bit of effort. We've had vague hints that they hadn't forgotten about them, but nothing to really say that there is a massive ongoing project. Once they establish direct contact and we switch back to the real Voyager crew, it all becomes surprisingly emotional. The show had strengths and a powerful hidden core as this clearly demonstrates, so why did it so rarely elect to use them?
A few little things I noticed:
- The photo of Tom on his father's desk is actually from the actor's appearance as Locarno from the TNG episode he appeared in (a nice way of using it).
- The Golden Gate bridge appears to have been completely rebuilt since it was destroyed by the Breen a few months earlier. Nice work (either that or Voyager forgets once again that continuity is a thing).
- I was also a little confused that the Doctor didn't appear to recognise Barclay, since he had quite a memorable interaction with a version of him previously.