I named my band after the title of this episode!
A quite excellent study of Dukat's character at this point in his overall storyline. It sometimes felt to me like the writer's didn't entirely know what they wanted to do with him, but whenever they made a choice they really went at it full force. This resulted in a number of really standout episodes that gave actor Marc Alaimo a lot to work with.
Right now, it seems that Gul Dukat is - kind of - a good guy, or at least he wants to be one. Ziyal suggests that he genuinely regrets all the atrocities he committed during the Bajoran occupation, and from what we see he appears quite genuine. It's quite clear that, no matter what Kira says, her hatred towards him is softening. Then she will suddenly remember and it flares up again. That's Dukat's real strength, he's disarming. He makes you want to like him. From a real-world perspective, it's quite insane that Dukat would be the one assigned to do this work, but from a storytelling perspective its gold.
Also notable for introducing the character of Damar, who is far more agreeable and laid back here than the character we will get to know in subsequent appearances. Some super dialogue between Kira and Dukat make this a pretty great episode all round. I like that the show is confident enough to pretty much ditch the entire regular cast outside of Kira.
Much like the previous season's 'Present Tense', this feels incredibly prescient when watching it today. Especially in relation to living in a post-9/11 world, because this was made in 1995. It asks the questions of how much security is too much, and at what point does it begin to infringe on basic freedoms? Are the security measures even effective or worthwhile? It's also interesting that we see a Federation president who is completely unprepared to rule during wartime.
I like the way it places Sisko right in the middle of this, and has him being the one encouraging the use of stronger measures. So much of what he says make sense, and then you see how it directly affects his home life. Brock Peters as Joseph Sisko is a real highlight of the episode - the guy is pretty much a belligerent ass, and yet he's incredibly endearing. The Sisko family unit as a whole is quite delightful to watch and it's clear where Benjamin got his morals and model of fatherhood from.
The ending is certainly troublesome as military officers begin occupying the streets, but also because it's Sisko who directly asks for it.
My only other thought is how weird the opening parts with Dax are - she's breaking into Odo's quarters to move his furniture around? That's maybe the sort of prank that Dax would play on a close friend of hers like Julian or even Sisko, but Odo? No, that doesn't make sense. It feels very peculiar. She doesn't even apologise when she realises how much it's upsetting him.
Also, Julian and Miles engaging in the Battle of Britain is pretty funny, especially Miles' terrible attempt at a sort-of-Cockney accent.
A massive change in episode format for the show as we spend 99% of the time just with Worf down on the planet (the Data dreaming narrative is gone entirely). There are perfunctory moments on the Enterprise, but they didn't need to be there and feel more like the producers worrying that the other actors would be miffed if they weren't in it.
This is a great exploration of Worf as a character within the confines of a very contrived and atypical Star Trek story. Worf is lucky that the Klingon youths he encounters are so easy to manipulate - to me they just come across as gullible, but it can be explained by their complete isolation from the rest of life in the galaxy. More problematic for me is how quickly he's able to change their minds, especially with Toq who goes very quickly from mocking everything Worf's saying to suddenly dressing up in Klingon armour and being ready to die for him. Somehow, it still kind of works. The actor brings huge enthusiasm to the role, and outside of the cringe worthy singing scene he's really great.
Falling in love with Ba'el is far less excusable. Never mind the fact that she appears to only be a teenager, Worf is apparently smitten with her after a couple of conversations. I could believe it on her part, she's a very impressionable young girl who's never met anyone new in her life, but it comes across as silly from his side.
Looking at the bigger picture, though, there's a fantastic look at the Klingon culture here as well as the inherent racism between them and Romulans. I feel like there's a big thread left hanging in that Worf's father wasn't there, and surely Worf would want to have a chat with Shrek about his misinformation. Great ending in which it's pretty clear that Picard doesn't believe Worf at all, but respects him enough to trust him.
Great fun. Possibly the first episode to go full comedy and really use that side of the franchise to its fullest. It works extremely well as it's been clear all along that tone of the show is suited for exactly this kind of stuff, and that the cast themselves were seemingly well up for it. Even with the comedic tone, this never changes the character's behaviour for laughs, and instead just has them deal with a crazy situation as they would.
Teal'c really does well here, helped by Chris Judge's continually stoic demeanour but also the addition of his wig and clothing. Daniel utters the fantastic line, "I speak 23 languages, pick one" which inspired me years ago to try and dive into learning (with limited results!), plus his fake German scene is great. Meanwhile Carter's scientific side keeps things grounded.
The guest stars are also also strong here, with one notable exception. The young version of Hammond does well (a shame that the actor has notably different coloured eyes to Don S. Davis!), and the two hippies are a joy to hang out with. There's a sense of really wanting to know what happened to them at the end. The low point is the unfortunately poor performance from the actress playing the elderly version of Cassandra, who seems to be behaving as if she's a children's TV presenter.
"Nyet."
My favourite episode so far. The world building going on here is being relayed so well with a great "show don't tell" method that's being given to us in bite-size pieces. We're forming a picture of what a disaster the Romulan evacuation/Mars attack really was for both the Federation and for Picard personally. It's all been surprisingly emotional. I really enjoyed Picard's interactions with the Romulan colony and I'm beginning to love the the mix of characters that have now been put together, with the new addition of Elnor being particularly good.
The stuff over on the Borg cube is the weak part, though. It really slows things down and the scenes with Narek and his sister feel overly repetitious too. The writing just isn't working here and I'm feeling very little interest in the characters (interesting to note that I found Isa Briones' portrayal of Dahj very intriguing, but her Soji is quite dull). But I did like the scene with them sliding down the corridor. It had a nice bit of throwaway joy to it.
I love Rios' various holograms who all look like him with different accents. The hungover tactical hologram in particular made me laugh. And that ending moment - I shouted "noooo!" when it finished! A shame that the opening credits spoiled the surprise appearance. This felt like a short episode.
So far, this show is giving us a new side of Star Trek in the best way. I love Discovery but this is better in almost every department.
An action episode that successfully manages to place character moments above the fighting. It also has a nice callback to the Iconians from a very old TNG episode. The Jem'Hadar were already a fascinating enemy, but every time the show reveals more about them to us they become even more intriguing - and we see that they are really, really brutal. While they are extremely disciplined it turns out that they are also highly individual. I particularly enjoyed the almost-friendship that begins between Jadzia and Virak'kara, and the complete opposite aggression between Worf and Toman'torax (played by the excellent Brian Thompson).
Of course, this is notable for being the episode that introduces Weyoun (and finally lets us in on how exactly the Vorta function). Played to perfection by Jeffrey Combs (who was already playing the recurring character of Brunt on the show), this guy is grew to be one of my favourite characters in Trek. From the start here he's manipulative, slimy and devious while always being somehow humble and ever so slightly charming. It's an odd mix that results in the viewer both hating him and feeling joy whenever he's on screen because we know if he's around then sparks are going to fly.
There's some good comedy from other areas, especially when Bashir accidentally sits in Worf's favourite chair. That's followed up very quickly by shock when we see that DS9 has had one of its pylons destroyed (fortunately they replace it super fast due to TV magic).
This episode was always memorable to me because the neck-breaking scene was edited on the UK releases (at least on video/DVD). Sky do broadcast it uncut these days, but I remember searching for the clip online back in the day so I could see what I was missing. Not such a big deal now, and the Netflix UK version is the full uncut one.
EDIT: reading about the episode online, it turns out that it was also heavily cut for violence in the USA prior to broadcast, and that footage has never seen the light of day anywhere worldwide. Interesting!
I have to admit, I find myself quite perplexed at the dislike this episode seems to have received from all over the interwebs. While I was a bit put out when it began by the revelation that we weren't going to be picking up from the massive cliffhanger of the previous episode, I soon settled into what is easily one of the most emotionally powerful and interesting episodes of the season so far. What it lacks in thrills it makes up for with superb character development.
I could understand the hate a little bit more if this were a traditional show and we had to wait a week between episodes, but the series' format negates this entirely in that, at worst, this is a 50 minute diversion before getting back to the Hawkins plot.
Eleven's/Jane's story here was heartbreaking and riveting. The gang of outcasts she falls in with were a lively, interesting bunch and her "sister" is remarkable in that she's evolved along an opposite path to Eleven, having friends but never really being friendly with them in the same way that El has. Once the intercutting back to her friends in Hawkins began, it tied things together in an immensely satisfying way that had huge emotional payoff.
Loved it, and Millie Bobbie Brown was spectacular.
Quite magnificent. This is a gorgeously slow paced and sedate episode that asks big questions - but those questions are not about our world or our own point of view, but rather questions about our characters. Captain Sisko has long been uncomfortable with the role of Emissary, but here the age old addage of not knowing what you've got until it's gone comes into play. He finally is able to embrace it and see it for the honour and pleasure that it has the potential to be.
It's also a deftly clever look at religion that allows for all points of view to be viable. Some of our characters have faith, some don't, and both are absolutely fine because they can live their lives comfortably with those beliefs. I find the notion of the Bajoran caste system quite fascinating (it's explored a bit more in the Terok Nor novels) and the ruling which Akorem makes to bring it back is obviously jarring, to the point where it's scary how many people are willing to accept it.
One thing I really enjoyed, which was understated, was the fact that Akorem accepts that he was wrong without kicking up a fuss. He was never a bad person, just of a different time.
The Miles/Julian bromance is a pleasant backdrop to all of this, again resonating with the main story by showing what our characters want or need to make them comfortable with their lives. I'd also forgotten that Keiko's pregnancy was going to start this early!
Lots of sad stuff here! Hopper lets down Eleven, Nancy and Steve appear to end things, and Will and Mike bond over their mutual bad situations. Out of the two, I'd say that Will has things much worse as he jumps over to the Upside Down and sees a colossal monster who appears to want to eat him. I loved that we got some of the missing year with Eleven filled in, but I find myself surprised that she came back almost immediately.
There were also a number of charming things, notably the gang wearing their Ghostbusters costumes to school and being the only kids dressed up for Halloween, only cementing their status even moreso as outsiders and weirdos. Sometimes that can be a good thing, though, because it appears they manage to impress Max enough for her to hang out with them. It's interesting that Mike feels so put out by the introduction of a girl to the their group, whereas in season 1 he was the one who brought Eleven in and alienated the others.
It still feels a bit like we're in the introductory phase, though, and there's a lot going on to take in. I'm still feeling wary about Bob and whether or not he really is the super good guy that he appears to be.
Quite a change in tone from the two-episode "prologue" that we saw last week, and I really like it. This introduces us to the main characters we didn't get to meet previously, and especially the titular starship. Discovery is definitely an odd place and overflowing with secrets. My initial thoughts went in the direction of Section 31, but this could equally be something completely different given its scientific leanings.
It's delightful, at least for me, to see Star Trek finally being able to be an adult show. Of course this is never going to approach the level of Game of Thrones, etc., and it probably shouldn't, but there's no reason we can't have violence and natural vulgar language. The gore was actually quite restrained and gave us just enough to get an impression of how nastily these people had been killed, so I found it very effective. There was also a great atmosphere of dread across that whole sequence, and of all things to be reminded of it actually made me think of Doom 3 ...the creature itself was very reminiscent of the "pinky" demon.
Also, the fight in the mess hall may be the most realistic and well choreographed fist fight in Trek history. No more palm punches and double-fist thumps! It finally feels like people are actually hurting each other.
Cadet Tilly is adorable. I immediately love her nervousness and positive outlook. She brought levity to what was otherwise quite a moody episode and it was very welcome. Not to mention that she looks like Merida from Brave with her hair down! Lt. Stamets is a bit harder to like given how aggressively confrontational he was with Burham the whole way through, but he made the sarcastic Beatles joke, and I can always appreciate a good bit of sarcasm. I was also really pleased to see that Saru is still a part of the crew, as he was probably my favourite character from the opening episodes.
Captain Lorca is an interesting one. He's referred to as a "warmonger" and it's difficult to get a read on him through the episode. It would be easy to dismiss him as a shady captain with an evil agenda, but the end of the episode turns that around quite nicely and reveals him to be in the pursuit of science, not weapons, and wants a quick end to the war. I still get the impression that he may be willing to go to extreme means to reach that end, but I'm glad to see that the show hasn't pigeonholed him into a preset and obvious role.
I felt like we didn't get anywhere near enough of an explanation of exactly what is going on onboard the Discovery, though. The dialogue was fleeting and at times difficult to understand (thank you, subtitles). Something to do with spores being used to jump anywhere in the galaxy in an instant? Very reminiscent of the Iconian gateways. I didn't quite follow that, nor the strange floating-water effect of the black alert situation.
I'm not sure if I was supposed to, but I laughed when the shuttle pilot flew past the window. I think it was meant to be dark humour, of which there was a fair bit in this one (especially likes the shushing Klingon).
Again, this shows the potential that Voyager had. The divide between the Starfleet and Maquis crews should have been a big issue throughout the entire series, because it lead to really enjoyable stories like this.
To be fair, there's a lot going on here. And it also makes a big difference that the story is centred around a character as good as Seska. She's been more interesting than any of the main characters since she first appeared, and the reveal we get about her here is a real knockout that feels like its been earned. I'm almost sad that I remembered this was coming because I think it would have really taken me by surprise. My only real complaint is that maybe it came a bit too early in the season.
It's a shame that the Kazon are such crap bad guys. I wondered if I had missed something when both Janeway and Tuvok recognised the Kazon-Nistrim ship, since we haven't seen them since the pilot, but I guess that Neelix gave them some information since then. It also really highlights what a weak character Chakotay is; he goes through this horrible emotional crisis and has his self-belief shaken but barely any of it comes through. It's so hard to care about him. He's Commander Bland. He also gets the award for most cliched line delivery with, "the only thing I don't understand is... [dramatic pause] why?"
Janeway, on the other hand, is really intimidating throughout.
The Orville is back (finally) and gave us what may be my favourite episode so far. That's odd, because nothing really happened in it as such. This was a pure character piece that juggled a lot of different plots and did it well. It's mostly made me realise how much I enjoy these people, and how fun just spending time in their lives is.
This was definitely a drama first, with comedy in the background. I like that arrangement, and I hope that the show continues in a similar fashion. I'm sure there are going to be mysteries, space battles and all sorts of thrills in later episodes, but for now this was a great re-introduction.
I'm really becoming a fan of the Claire/Isaac interactions.
I am a little surprised at the direction that Captain Mercer is going, he's not exactly presenting a good role model for the commander of a ship! I'm also disappointed that the Ed/Kelly relationship is still such a thing. It hasn't worked for me since the first episode, and I was hopeful that it was done with given the way season 1 ended.
Leave it to me to often find "filler" episodes the most enjoyable.
Your own enjoyment of this new show might depend on your own love for 1990s Star Trek, and whether or not you find Seth MacFarlane funny. Fortunately for me, I'm a big fan of both and the first episode of The Orville was delightful fun. It's an homage to The Next Generation's style and storytelling, with an added comedy element (which isn't as overpowering as the trailers made it seem). The jokes were all pretty funny, too, but I'd probably have laughed more if the trailer hadn't spoiled all of them beforehand.
I like pretty much all of the characters, and it seems well cast - at this point we don't really know much about anyone beyond the captain, his ex-wife and his helmsman friend (I'm still learning names!), but I can see a lot of potential.
It looks great - if oddly empty - with some lovely special effects and an attention to visual details (views through windows, engine damage) that was never seen in Star Trek, most likely because the technical capabilities and budget wouldn't really have allowed for it back then.
It's even got the fade-to-black advert breaks at dramatic moments! It feels like years since I've seen that. I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going, and I think it's got a lot of heart. Unfortunately, this is a Fox sci-fi show and I'm completely expecting it to be cancelled.
Lots of fun to be had as we reconnect with old characters, but this is very much a setup episode just putting things in place and letting us know what the new status quo is. There's some intriguing new pieces of information and certainly questions, such as what the new scientists are doing with the gateway and what Will is seeing when he gets glimpses of the Upside Down - that's a huuuuge monster! The major question is of course that ending with Hopper and his guest, and what's he up to? I'd guess it's related to the unknown deal he made at the end of season 1.
The opening car chase was both exciting and distracting in how displaced it felt from the story we're here for. Seems like there's others out there with powers similar to Eleven and they are not using them for good. As an introduction, they don't particularly seem like a bunch of people I'm very eager to know.
I used to play Dragon's Lair! The boys being obsessed with new classmate Max was really funny - she's going to be difficult to get along with by the looks of things. Happy to see that Joyce has found a boyfriend in Samwise Gamgee! What's the betting that there will be more to him than meets the eye?
The scene with Barb's parents was heartbreaking, and there's no way that Nancy can reveal what she knows about her fate.
If I can put aside my dislike for Neelix and all Neelix-centric stories, I can sift through this and see that it's a pretty decent episode. But it's due to the other characters that it shines. Janeway in particular is very strong and decisive here, and the scene in which she confronts the Vidiians really lets her inner conflict show.
The Doctor also gets a lot to do and reveals a lot about his irascible personality - which is seemingly hiding a very vulnerable and fragile person. Quite odd for a hologram, really, but it adds a lot to the character. A good scene in which he slaps Paris to demonstrate a point, and he gets to deliver the immortal line, "his lungs have been removed!".
The Vidiians themselves are a fantastic alien design. They manage to be hideous, creepy and quite sympathetic. The stuff inside the asteroid with all the reflections is pretty cool and creative, too. Aside from Neelix's quite unbearable freak-out moment (to be fair, what he has done to him is horrific), I quite enjoyed this one.
(I couldn't quite resist my inner cynic coming out, though: when Neelix asks, "how long will I have to stay like this?" I couldn't help but think, "just until the end of this episode.")
Compelling stuff and a great showcase for Robert Picardo, who remains the best character on the show. Jeri Ryan also gets some good material. It's quite a flawed episode, though, because in so many ways none of it makes sense.
The Doctor entering some weird feedback loop because he had to choose between two patients doesn't have a satisfactory explanation. It's something that he must have already done before by this point, and I don't see why it makes him go loopy. I'm happy that the issue of whether a he is a sentient being with rights or not is addressed, but that it's only just happening in the fifth season is nuts. It should have come up much MUCH earlier, and Janeway dismissing him as being no different from a replicator is frankly obscene given what she knows about him by this point. I'm fairly sure she's defended his rights in the past. A further demonstration of her inconsistent character and general disregard for individuality among the crew.
It's also really stupid that the Ensign who died was a character that we as an audience had never seen before.
But it's an easy episode to get wrapped up in, and having the Doctor take the lead usually leads to fun. The mystery is never particularly mysterious, I can't be the only one who immediately figured out that the crew were the ones erasing his memories. It's more about the character, and there's an additional strong scene for Seven when she rightly confronts Janeway about her decision.
The mirror universe, established in The Original Series, is a place that really makes no sense, but I always looked forward to these crazy episodes. The cast get to play with their characters in extreme ways, sometimes being the complete opposite of what they usually are.
If you stop and think too much, then it seems ridiculous that the counterparts of all these people are in the same places doing similar things. It doesn't really make sense that any of them would have been born at all. But these episodes are meant to be fun, so just go with it.
DS9's first trip to the other side very briefly fills us in on some details. Kirk influenced Mirror Spock who eventually rose to take command of the Terran Empire and preached a message of peace. That allowed the Empire's enemies to destroy them and a Klingon-Cardassian Alliance has now enslaved humanity.
This would actually be nothing more than an okay episode if not for Nana Visitor. Her performance as the Intendent is irresistible, she dials everything up to 11 and just steals the show (her delivery of the line "QUI-ET!" to Bashir is a total joy), and the special effects in scenes with the two of her are a big step up from similar stuff seen on TNG, it's near flawless. Mirror Odo gets to be evil and happy, Sisko is a crazy but depressed pirate and O'Brien is... pretty much himself but just downtrodden.
Quark is one of the real surprises, he seems to be brave and kind of heart. The mirror universe also allows for main characters to be killed off, so he doesn't stick around too long. The opening scene seems to undo all the maturing that Doctor Bashir has done over the past season as he's arrogant and oblivious again, but it's funny.
A good return to this world, though a bit restrained and unimaginative.
It's nice to see TNG do something that is so character-based. And even with that, there are a huge amount of things getting set up here which will affect not only this show, but DS9 and Voyager. This episode establishes the Cardassian demilitarised zone and is responsible for sowing the seeds that will become the Maquis. The Native American colony is also supposed to be the home of Chakotay, so just pretend that he was in the background somewhere there.
But the heart of this episode is Wesley. Your own enjoyment is going to be completely based on whether or not you actually like his character, and I'm one of the few who does. Maybe it's because I like Wil Wheaton's geeky real life persona now, but I think ultimately that Wesley is the character I can relate to most easily. He's just a kid, surrounded by people who expected things of him and as it turns out he struggles. He had the added extra of being something of a genius, which I never will.
So, I find this a pretty great end for him. There's no denying that Wes is different here. It's strange to see him so sullen and aggressive towards others, but we can imagine that the events of 'The First Duty' really took a toll on him. I like the continuity of having the same actor reprise the role of his father, and I like that Wes is able to finally find the courage to say "no" to everyone around him and start figuring out what's best for him.
Surrounding this is a pretty decent story with the Cardassians and the Native Americans. It gets tense, and Gul Evek is a strong presence who will be used multiple times across the shows. I also found myself really loving the scene with Picard trying to make Admiral Nechayev feel welcome, and her appreciation of it. That's been a long time coming.
I still think that the Traveller is quite creepy.
I remember watching this episode in the '90s and being stunned that they actually referenced minor events from previous episodes. At this point I was just used to the Star Trek style of storytelling which was generally very self-contained. But Stargate embraced continuity, and this episode brings back completely unimportant characters from not one but two previous adventures! Just for single, throwaway scenes! Crazy! The fact that the show rewarded you for watching like this was one of the things which made me fall in love with it.
An episode with a lot of heart that does flounder a bit, but manages to come out pretty good. Tim Russ is, of course, the main attraction here as he plays a very different version of Tuvok. It's quite a startling change, but also really charming. I'm sure I'm not alone in preferring the childlike, emotional Tuvok we meet here instead of the usual one.
This is also a strong Neelix episode, a character that I typically dislike. However, it's episodes like this which really let us see what's going on underneath his cheerful, over-exuberant exterior that make me warm to him more. Neelix cares deeply about his friends (or in the case of Tuvok, "colleague") and his affection and attention towards people is not an act. For once, I really enjoyed spending time with him.
There are things about this which I didn't really like, though. The nature of the show means that Tuvok was always going to revert to his former self by the end, and even though there's a tease that he may have retained some of the "fun" Tuvok, I feel quite sure that it will never be mentioned again. Nor will his secret affection towards Neelix. It's a shame, it could have made for a really interesting premise to keep Tuvok this way and have him relearn what it means to be Vulcan over the course of time. Or even reject that entirely.
There was also a real missed opportunity to refer back to the events of the episode 'Tuvix', which this episode mirrors in many ways. That was also a strong Neelix/Tuvok pairing (literally) and ended with an unwanted surgical procedure. I'm amazed that the two characters didn't bring that shared experience up at any point. But that's what Voyager is: past events have little bearing on each episode, no matter how important they were, and I think the writers were always happy to stick to the assumption that viewers had never watched the show before.
Anyway, this was sweet and charming. The subplot with the invisible aliens was quite boring, and the deputy investigator was a really irritating character.
One thing I can say about this, is that when DS9 decides to do something strange then it fully commits to it. This episode is one that almost fails but pulls through due to its charm and the rich history of the characters and relationships on screen. The pairing of Kira and Odo is one that I've read a lot of viewers discontent with, but I actually found it to work despite the somewhat manufactured nature of it.
A lot of the odds are stacked against this one. We are introduced to Vic Fontaine who I have to admit is a character that I never quite clicked with, but he somehow manages to not grate too badly with me (once I get past his annoying use of dialogue). The 1960s swing music is a a bit too much - and we have to sit through complete songs - but the whole setting somehow seems to nestle comfortably into the show. I'll feel similarly annoyed when he makes future appearances, but I'll also warm to him as the episodes continue.
It's also a far more natural holodeck environment than anything Voyager has done by this point in time. I can understand why the crew would come here to relax.
I remember watching this episode when it first aired and feeling a bit sideswiped by the whole thing. I think that's just because I wasn't expecting it, and I've found myself warming more to it with subsequent rewatches. It's due to the journey we've been on with both Odo and Kira that I feel very invested in what happens between them, but the show could have done a bit more to build up to this naturally.
The dinner between Kira and Odo is genuinely tense and exciting stuff due to the way it's arranged, with Odo not realising he's speaking with the real Kira. We as an audience are waiting for everything to crash and burn in ruins, but simultaneously delighting in seeing Odo really doing well and wanting it to work out. The final moments between them on the promenade manage to be both silly and gorgeous, and I can't help smiling. I'm happy they finally get together.
There is a truly awkward moment during the dinner scene where Vic randomly begins singing and is just staring at Kira and Odo. It's weird and creepy.
A really strong performance from Colm Meaney helps elevate an already strong story. Interestingly, I'd always thought of O'Brien as a man who was always on the edge of losing his temper, so the scenes of him getting angry at Quark and then Molly is both in keeping with his character and also horrifically disturbing. Very well done. I also like that he addresses the notion that humans are supposed to now be an "evolved" species who put petty thoughts of hatred and anger behind them, and this demonstrates that it's pretty much nonsense.
The other part of the story which works well is Ee'char who is played wonderfully and creates a very sympathetic foil for Miles to play against. But once again, it's the Miles/Julian bromance which really pays dividends. The show has earned the moment in which Julian is able to save his friend from suicide through everything we've seen them go through up to this point.
The big problem that I have with this, though, is the lack of repercussions for O'Brien. DS9 is an episodic show more often than not, but it allowed it's characters to grow and feel the effects of the events they go through. Not so here, as Miles never refers to any of this again and doesn't seem to have any recurring emotional issues. I guess maybe mental health has been really sorted out in the 24th century? One can hope.
Creepy friendly alien race is creepy!
This is an example of how much better Voyager could have been, as it demonstrates many elements that make for compelling television. It's all about the characters and their choices, and we see how much having decisions made for them by others is affecting them.
The potential mutiny here is the real spark of the episode, and it's important to note that it begins with a mixture of the Maquis and Starfleet crews. Seska is the one who keeps pushing, but it doesn't take much for others to be willing. And once it all really begins to play out, it's Tuvok of all people who sees it as the logical course of action.
Janeway's decision is the part that speaks most to me. I have to admit, I think she was wrong. Her primary duty to her crew is to get them home and she denies them that because she's worried about upsetting another culture, and betraying her principles. That would be all well and fine until Harry is offered another way to get the technology they need. That was a loophole on a platter.
The final scene with Tuvok is heartfelt and lays bare a lot about each character's way of thinking. I think he did the right thing even if it was for the wrong reasons, but it can't be overlooked that he probably averted a ship-wide mutiny.
The thing which really brings the episode down are the terrible aliens and their terrible planet, with Gath being particularly hard to watch.
If the internet had been as prevalent in 1993 as it is now, I feel sure that the phrase "I am Tosk" would have become a meme. This is a strong episode when taken within the context of DS9's first season, and an excellent exploration of O'Brien's character. This may be the first episode in the entire franchise that's been fully focused on him as a person and really lets us into his personality (I'd argue that various TNG episodes only ever gave us hints).
Turns out he's quite willing to throw away the Prime Directive and even his career for what he believes in, and he seemingly does it with a smile on his face. Maybe it's a bit too much to believe that the Chief has no hesitation or internal debate whatsoever to breaking the rules like this, but it makes for a decent episode. He gets annoyed pretty easily, as the scene with Quark demonstrates (as well as the previous 'Babel'); I think this is the first utterance of "hew-mon". We also get the first indication that he doesn't like Julian that much! But it also shows how kind and open he is quite beautifully.
Special mention does need to be given to the pretty amazing design job for Tosk. He looks amazing even to this day.
I like it when episodes start off by setting something up, but then go off in a direction you don't expect. This one presents the mystery of a virus that appears to have wiped out a local population, but it leaves that behind quickly to become much more about the bond between Carter and Cassandra and then the realisation off the trap that SG-1 have unknowingly sprung. It manages to get emotional and that feels earned by the end. The episode is fairly tame overall, but it works.
"I've studied their log entries long enough to realise that as brilliant as the Hansens were, they made a fatal mistake," Chakotay said as Janeway headed towards the door. "They became overconfident."
"We won't make the same mistake," Janeway said over-confidently.
This is a weird one, because it's epic scope and focus on the ever growing relationship between Seven and Janeway makes it quite an entertaining watch. It's also a terribly written piece of nonsense. Very little of it comes across as sensible and it's bewildering as you try to figure out exactly why things are happening.
First up, the return of the Borg Queen is a big draw, but there isn't a hint of explanation as to why or how she's there. As far as we know the Queen was killed a year earlier in Star Trek: First Contact, so... is this the same Queen or a different one? Did she just transmit and download her consciousness into a new body? Are there several Queens all working separately? We don't get any of those answers. It bugged me. It's also worth noting that the crew of Voyager have no idea that the Borg attacked Earth or that they are controlled by a Queen, so I was expecting a bit more of a reaction on their end.
The Borg themselves have become a very weak enemy by this point in the show. The rot began to set in with later TNG episodes, and between First Contact and their appearances in Voyager, they've really lost their edge. The crew are able to wander around on Borg ships with their weapons drawn and plant explosives all over the place, but apparently it's okay because the Borg don't see them as a threat and will ignore them (even AFTER they set off the explosives). As it turns out, the Borg don't seem to see them at all because if the crew dampen their life signs the Borg's eyes don't work anymore.
That aside, this is a good story for Seven. Jeri Ryan continues to be great in the role and while her mannerisms and performance hasn't altered drastically from when she first came aboard, her story certainly has. She states that she sees the Voyager crew as her family now and shows angry resentment to her parent's decisions that caused her life to go the way it did.
But, the whole situation with the Borg Queen trying to entice her back to the Collective is very odd. I'm not sure what the Queen was hoping to gain, and her methods of "seduction" certainly go nowhere. Her whole approach is along the lines of "come back to us Seven. It's horrible and you'll hate it, but you might as well". She continually praises and admires Seven's uniqueness, and then berates her for being individual. What was supposed to be happening here? Did the Queen genuinely expect Seven to side with her over Janeway? Then, just to add insult to injury, the Queen show's Seven her father turned into a drone. Yes, that will get her to change her mind. It's just another case of bad writing that the show is famous for, going for things that look cool over trying to tell coherent or sensible character stories.
The Queen says no Borg drone has regained its individuality before, so clearly the writer's had forgotten about Hugh, Locutus, all of Lore's Borg from 'Descent' and the previous Voyager episode 'Unity'. Janeway also makes a strange comment about preferring to suffocate rather than vaporise. Wouldn't her choice be much more drawn out and unpleasant? Vaporising is instant.
But, I had fun. The flashbacks to the Hansen's are quite good and I even got a season 1 TNG vibe from the visual side of it. Plus, there is a really intriguing suggestion that Seven was planted on Voyager purposely all along. I hope we get some follow up on that.
However much I dislike Neelix, whenever actor Ethan Philips is able to do something really complex with the role he often makes the character so much more interesting. That's exactly what happens in this episode.
I noticed that this one was written by Bryan Fuller, and would have been early in his Star Trek writing career. He's often able to make stories about characters, and that's something Voyager is sorely lacking, so this feels like a breath of fresh air. Neelix gets to go on a journey of emotional distress and shows us all sorts of different sides of the character. His decision to die at the end actually feels like a perfectly natural conclusion to the events he's gone through rather than a crazy split second decision for dramatic effect.
The episode isn't perfect by any means, though. It's quite predictable on many occasions (as soon as Neelix is revived, it's so obvious that he's freaking out about not experiencing any afterlife). Seven's ability to magically revive anyone who's died could have been used numerous times before, and I'm not expecting it to be utilised again (we shall see). And worst of all, we have to sit through a pan-flute filled Chakotay vision quest ritual again. Just stop, please.
(Speaking of which, the vision quest sure did rip off DS9's celestial temple/prophet sequences. The use of main characters randomly speaking in deadpan sentences works there, here it feels like pure copycat work.)
This episode has some emotional heft that feels earned and works well. I quite enjoyed it.
First of all, the gorgeous smoke-filled Klingon atmosphere of this episode only goes to show how desperately DS9 needs a hi-def remaster, because it's a murky mess to watch this one.
I enjoy Klingon episodes, and this is a pretty big one. Now that Martok is a recurring character we are going to get to spend more time with him, and that's great because he is awesome. We also meet a motley crew of Klingon dregs and that makes them all the more interesting too, because they have no enthusiasm in the usual way. Particularly, David Graf (famous for playing Tackleberry in the Police Academy films) makes an absolutely fantastic sarcastic and drunk Klingon. I always enjoy seeing Rick Worthy, too.
Dax fits right in on the Klingon ship - as we would expect from her - but Worf struggles more. It's been established back in TNG that he has a lot to learn when it comes to taking command, and he takes a while to figure out what to do here. His final solution is pretty badass, though.
My only complaint is that the whole plot is kind of formulaic and ends up pretty much exactly where you would expect it to.
It's a shame we don't get to see this crew again on screen (although their adventures continue in books).
Bringing things back to the "normal" universe feels a little boring after all the fun we've had. But this is still a strong episode that settles down and let's characters do their thing. Plus, Empress Georgiou is still here and she's just magnificent - creepy, intriguing and manipulative. Burnham's decision to bring her over with her was moronic to say the least, but it's going to make for some fun storytelling. Especially now that she's posing as the original Captain.
The episode was dragged down for me by the Michael/Ash stuff. From the moment he appeared, Ash has been an incredibly uninteresting character for me and doesn't seem to have a sensible place within the story (outside of the fact that he turned out to be Voq - but that's over now). The two characters have no chemistry together, and Michael's dialogue when with him becomes unbearably bad.
But I'm intrigued as to the story with the Klingons here and the plan to attack Qo'noS. I was expecting a time travel reset and it looks like things are going in a new direction. It does beg the question of why they don't do that, though, given that they've conveniently and easily replenished their spore supply.
Nice mention of Captain Archer and the Enterprise, too, even though it was super exposition-y. I can't help it, I like winks at the camera like that.
Voyager can land! That's pretty cool, and something I only vaguely had in the back of my memory. I thought that the sequence was done pretty effectively here.
While this riffs on similar ideas done in the TNG episode 'The Neutral Zone', it makes it more about the Voyager's crew than the people they find, which was a good decision. It does feel like quite a big moment when Janeway and Chakotay walk into the cargo bay to see how many people want to leave. Honestly, I was a bit surprised that everyone wanted to stay because the show hasn't really managed to sell the idea that everyone there is working towards the same goal at all.
It's also nice for them to encounter something that isn't a spacial anomaly. I quite like that the people they find include Amelia Earhart (dodgy wig aside) and how Janeway bonds with her. The rest of the 37's are a bit flat, though - at least, the ones who are actually allowed to talk. It's particularly annoying the way Fred goes all-American and immediately becomes hostile. Nice to see Tackleberry from Police Academy, though!
Overall, this is a fun episode. A few things bugged me: finding the car floating in space and it works - wouldn't all liquids inside be extremely frozen? Also, having Paris be a geek for 1930s automobiles certainly detracts (again) from his bad boy image, but in this case it does serve the character better because he needs to move away from that. On the flip side, I thought that the way the rest of the crew talk about the car was quite realistic, and kind of charming. Once we meet the humans living on the planet, it feels like a massive cop out that we don't see these incredible cities they are talking about; yeah, I get that it would have been a huge and expensive undertaking to put them on screen, but the dialogue around them feels so awkward and could have been handled so much better: "I'd love to see your amazing cities!" "Oh wow, weren't those cities amazing!" just doesn't cut it.
