1x06 The Cloud

[7.1/10] “The Cloud” is a good episode striving to be a great one. That earns it a fair bit of credit in my book. Voyager hasn’t quite figured itself out as a show yet, and episodes like this one show how it is, poetically enough, still finding its way. But you can tell from the writing that it recognizes what it needs to be doing as a series, even if it’s not great at doing them yet, which is an encouraging sign.

At this stage, the show still feels like TNG-lite, which is natural. The premise of the ship encountering a weird spatial anomaly and having to figure out unique ways to deal with it is a classic setup. The ship barreling through a cloud and discovering that it’s actually a living organism parallels outings like “The Immunity Syndrome” from The Original Series and “Galaxy’s Child” from The Next Generation. But even if the situation isn’t especially novel, the show handles it well enough.

The simple move through a peculiar nebula involves creativity from the production and effects teams. The slow realization that it’s a living organism is a good twist. Janeway’s insistence that they repair the harm they caused is very Picard-esque and in keeping with Federation values on the respect for life. The actual process of doing so shows some creative elements, with the usual “analogize it to something like sutures or distracting a dog that the audience can relate to” method. And the escape and healing process makes for a rollickking climax to the adventure. None of this is groundbreaking, but it is sound and commendable, which isn’t a bad thing to ask for in the early going.

And yet, what I appreciate the most about this one isn't the fact that the episode pulls off a creditable “anomaly of the week” story. It’s that the real focus of the hour is on the characters,is how they’re relating to one another, and adjusting to the creeping realization that they’re going to be in this for the long haul. I don’t love every beat, or every choice, but it’s the kind of episode you need to have to help the audience get to know your characters and show them taking the centralala predicament of the series seriously in terms of their psychology.

Some of that is as simple as watching the crew have to adjust to the fact that they’re running low on energy, without any clear sources to replenish their fuel, and how that affects morale. Janeway’s “There’s coffee in that nebula” line has become a meme. But as someone who often griped that Voyager rarely felt all that challenged by being away from home, I like having an episode founded on the difficulties, however minor, of not having the ship in reliable shape, and the psychological impact that has on the captain and her crew. It’s a theme that runs through every character here.

Obviously the peak of it is the captain. Her opening voiceover puts into relief the tough balance between adhering to protocols and training that suggest the captain should be at a certain remove from the crew, and recognizing that this isn’t a typical situation they’re in, and maybe one that requires a more human touch to put people at ease. The mix between acting your rank and giving folks comfort as someone approachable is a tough one, and manifests in whether or not to use replicator rations for coffee, seeking spiritual comfort with a fellow officer, and joining in the crew’s fun as a peer, not a boss.

It’s that middle part that’s the trickiest though. The advisor on indigenous practices on Voyager was a fraud, so everything that touches on Chakotay’s heritage is a little uneasy. Likewise, Janeway making assumptions about Chakotay’s spirit animal or the whole vision quest sequence is uncomfortable. Still, what I appreciate about it is that Janeway takes Chakotay’s rituals seriously, and is earnestly interested in them as a means to help people cope. For all the bull-in-a-china-shop approach to depicting indigenous culture in the series, the acceptance and genuine enthusiasm of Janeway herself helps smooth things over a bit.

Were that the same could be said for Tom Paris and his holo-recreation of Marseilles. I like the idea at the center of his part of the episode -- that for all Tom plays too cool for school, this is a sign that he too misses home. But on a practical level, it’s odd to see him revving up the holodeck when there’s supposedly an energy shortage going on. And on that elusive likability level, having him inveigle Harry into meeting the equivalent of his favorite, elaborately-themed sex doll in his portable mancave is, shall we say, not an endearing look for the show’s wannabe bad boy.

Harry’s part of this is better though. There’s some irony to his subplot’s focus on the intersection of rank and social interaction given memes about his failure to get a promotion. But I like that he’s suitably weirded out by Tom’s program, and I appreciate that he, more than anyone, opens the door to everyone on board interacting like equals and friends, rather than adhering to strict social protocols. Everything from pushing back on Tom’s “the captain invites ensigns to join, not the other way around” scolding, to his odd whispered combadge convo with Tuvok about senior officers expressing surprise on the bridge, to him being the one to finally invite Janeway to join the party in the holodeck, shows a laudable democratic view from an ensign who’s still wet-behind-the-ears, but may see the situation more clearly than anyone.

Everybody else gets a few nice character moments as well. I love Neelix’s disbelief at how often Starfleet vessels go “exploring” their way into danger, which feels almost meta, but also fairly represents how an outsider might look at Star Trek heroes constantly getting themselves in some interstellar trouble. Janeway reading him the riot act and saying they can’t jettison him every time they hit a bump in the road, followed by him trying to make the best of it by taking responsibility for morale (and snacks) is a good beat for him.

Kes is, of course, at his side and much more ready and understanding about the drive to see the galaxy. The Doctor continues to be a treasure, sharing in Neelix’s disbelief that Janeway is investigating yet another odd phenomenon rather than continually taking them on the straight path home, while using both his grumpy sarcastic wit and his medical knowledge to help solve the crisis du jour. B’Elanna continues to show her talents, by having the insight and the know-how to save the living nebula, with a nice connection with and nudge from The Doctor.

Most of this is too scattershot to land with a ton of force, but Voyager is doing the work. It’s filling in these characters, bouncing them off one another, forcing them to confront the realities of their situation, both practically and emotionally. I’d love a little more focus, some crisper dialogue, and troubles of the week that feel a little more unique. But if Voyager stayed in this mode, and just got better at it, I’d be a happy camper.

You can see the writers trying to break away from what had been done before. In the end of the episode, Janeway joins (read: hustles) her fellow officers in a game of pool. It’s a counterpoint to the end of TNG, where Picard finally joined the senior officer poker game and wondered why he’d waited so long. Despite the fact that the one would often collapse into the other, Voyager is different from The Next Generation. The challenges should be different. The dynamic among the crew should be different. The captain’s willingness to bond with her subordinates should be different. And even if the execution isn’t perfect, episodes like “The Cloud” seem to understand that, and try their darndest to help us see it too.