[7.0/10] I’ll admit, it’s starting to feel like the show is stalling until major story events rather than having individual adventures between arc episodes. But hey, it’s Star Trek; I’m always up for a good holodeck malfunction episode.
This one doesn’t get as creative as it could given the possibilities a holoprogram provides for and the fewer limits one has in animation. Solving a mystery, fighting Tellarite street bikers, going to a 1940s club, and sailing the high seas are all perfectly fine, but there’s not that extra level of creativity to the settings to really put things over the top.
The jumbled holoprograms do reveal something about the characters. Rok-Tahk likes to pretend to be a vet, adding to my theory that her scientific field of choice is going to be a xenozoologist. Jankom wants to prove he’s not a runt and so fights bigger, burlier Tellarites. Gwyn is, naturally, still hung up on her dad. Dal wants to captain a ship where the crew respects him, even if it’s made out of wood. And Zero has an inquisitive mind that enjoys a good old fashioned mystery. Even if the scenarios they dream up, and the fruit salad of different settings and character who populate the malfunctioning program, lack a certain pizzazz, each is at least tied to something meaningful for each character.
That said, I did appreciate the twist that Rok-Tahk’s sparkly smooch thing from her veterinarian game turns out to be the kraken attacking Dal’s schooner. And while a little odd, there’s something charming about Murf singing and dancing in the 1940s club. (Maybe he should track down Dr. Jurati for a sing off.)
Candidly, I don’t know how I feel about the reveal that Holo-Janeway was unknowingly working against them. The fact that she’s programmed to thwart them if they ever try to do anything but make haste toward Starfleet could be an interesting hurdle, but we’ve never seen the slightest hint of it until now, so it plays like a bit of a cheat. The fact that Holo-Janeway didn’t even know about it means it doesn’t really change how we should view the crew’s past interactions with her. It’s essentially just a technical problem, without much in the way of character. I want to reserve judgment, but at first blush, it strikes me as a bit of a cheap twist.
Still, while this episode plays a bit like filler matched with one noteworthy reveal, the material itself is solid enough to stay entertaining for the half hour.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-12-23T06:55:10Z
[7.0/10] I’ll admit, it’s starting to feel like the show is stalling until major story events rather than having individual adventures between arc episodes. But hey, it’s Star Trek; I’m always up for a good holodeck malfunction episode.
This one doesn’t get as creative as it could given the possibilities a holoprogram provides for and the fewer limits one has in animation. Solving a mystery, fighting Tellarite street bikers, going to a 1940s club, and sailing the high seas are all perfectly fine, but there’s not that extra level of creativity to the settings to really put things over the top.
The jumbled holoprograms do reveal something about the characters. Rok-Tahk likes to pretend to be a vet, adding to my theory that her scientific field of choice is going to be a xenozoologist. Jankom wants to prove he’s not a runt and so fights bigger, burlier Tellarites. Gwyn is, naturally, still hung up on her dad. Dal wants to captain a ship where the crew respects him, even if it’s made out of wood. And Zero has an inquisitive mind that enjoys a good old fashioned mystery. Even if the scenarios they dream up, and the fruit salad of different settings and character who populate the malfunctioning program, lack a certain pizzazz, each is at least tied to something meaningful for each character.
That said, I did appreciate the twist that Rok-Tahk’s sparkly smooch thing from her veterinarian game turns out to be the kraken attacking Dal’s schooner. And while a little odd, there’s something charming about Murf singing and dancing in the 1940s club. (Maybe he should track down Dr. Jurati for a sing off.)
Candidly, I don’t know how I feel about the reveal that Holo-Janeway was unknowingly working against them. The fact that she’s programmed to thwart them if they ever try to do anything but make haste toward Starfleet could be an interesting hurdle, but we’ve never seen the slightest hint of it until now, so it plays like a bit of a cheat. The fact that Holo-Janeway didn’t even know about it means it doesn’t really change how we should view the crew’s past interactions with her. It’s essentially just a technical problem, without much in the way of character. I want to reserve judgment, but at first blush, it strikes me as a bit of a cheap twist.
Still, while this episode plays a bit like filler matched with one noteworthy reveal, the material itself is solid enough to stay entertaining for the half hour.