Good look at how far the doctor is willing to go to save lives. What’s his limit before he becomes unethical. I always like the episodes that push character growth. It’s the only way I get through the episodic nature of this show.
The Doctor's program gets stolen, once again. Which leads Voyager on a chase for the alien thief. That part is about as exciting as writing about it.
Thankfully there is some real Star Trek this time about a society, the Doctor ends up with, who treats their patients on the basis of value and not need. That part is really good as it reflects a bit of our own time. One can't deny the fact that even today people are getting differential treatment that is often based on their wallet. Something I myself have experienced.
How the Doctor resolves this situation and how he questions himself in parts for doing so is what saves the episode.
In the end, The Doctor does the exact thing he despises in those who purchased him. He was willing to sacrifice one to save others. They are willing to sacrifice some for the sake of others. Hmm...
This has all the ingredients to be a good episode: the Doctor as the story's focus, some great guest actors, a juicy ethical quandary. But it fails due to how generic and unadventurous it is. It feels like an episode that Trek has done numerous times before, a mish mash of overused ideas being recycled. The end result just has no spark and there is zero thrill in watching it. My favourite part was the final scene with Seven and the Doctor.
I hated the alien designs here, they were bland and obvious. And how come several of the alien doctors and patients looked completely human?
Also: damn it, Jerry! Why couldn't you just tell us where Gar is?!
Shout by Alexander von LimbergBlockedParent2022-07-13T15:12:14Z
Well. It's starring Shmullus. It's classic Star Trek. It's about ethical dilemmas. It discusses a wide range of philosophical and political issues such as segregation, utilarism, medical ethics, democracy and automated decision-making. It features a new and believable alien society and great stage design. Even the B-plot back aboard Voyager has the potential to be interesting. It has all the ingredients to make great television.
To be honest though, I think they squandered all that potential. It's mostly boring and annoying. I don't even know why. The last five minutes are good though (no wonder: the dream couple is reunited by then ⚕:robot:)