Chakotay: I need to go on a vision quest.
Me: -turns off episode-
I hate the way that whenever Voyager needs to show weird aliens trying to communicate, they just copy DS9's Prophet visions.
It was nice that the actor playing Chakotay's grandfather was the same actor from the TNG episode 'Journey's End'.
NOTE: Reviewing both parts as a feature-length TV movie.
"It is the unknown that defines our existence."
I have to confess to a bit of excitement here, as I begin a re-watch of not only my favourite Star Trek series, but my favourite television series of all time. And it's been quite a while since I last saw it. Deep Space Nine was a show that did not fit into the presets established by what had come before, and while it began as a companion show to The Next Generation, it nevertheless forges its own identity from the very start.
This is defined almost immediately by a stunning opening sequence that Trek had never attempted before. The Battle of Wolf 359 is shown and the special effects are such a step up in quality over what we'd been seeing on TNG. As things continue, the visual identity of the show is clearly going in a very different direction with harsher lighting and dark shadows, a smoky atmosphere and a general sense of gritty damage all around.
It's more than just the way the show looks, though, because the characters reflect much of the same qualities. These are misfits, and in many cases damaged people who might not get along that well with each other. There's more conflict here than we could ever get on another Star Trek show, and along with that comes a lot more emotion. Commander Ben Sisko is a broken man who has lost his wife and is trying to raise a son by himself, and as we find out he simply can't move on from the pain of his past. Add to this Avery Brooks fairly quirky acting style (I came to love it) which relies far more on emotional reaction than Trek usually allows and I find myself instantly able to connect to the character. It was a bold move to include a scene in which Sisko confronts Picard with barely restrained anger, because at the point this show was broadcast viewers absolutely LOVE Picard. Seeing a new character bringing him down by reminded him of the worst experience of his life was a risky move, because we could begin to hate Sisko from the off. Fortunately, the writing is good enough to help steer us on a journey with this new commander.
It's an episode with far more depth in its ideas than TNG was doing at this point. These feel like real people, reacting to their situations with real feelings. Even Chief O'Brien seems more relaxed and natural as he curses and kicks the equipment around him. Yes, you could argue that Alexander Siddig is hamming it up a bit much right now, but it's a small complaint. Gul Dukat swaggers on to the scene feeling like in instantly formed character (and knowing what comes later for him, it's quite amazing how much of the character's essence is already present here). For the first time we see a Ferengi who isn't a ridiculous caricature of silliness in Quark, a first step in making them a far more interesting species.
The sequences with the wormhole aliens are masterfully written and constructed pieces that are edited together wonderfully, and again feel far more creative and fluid than the rigid structure of TNG would have allowed for. It's a genuinely heartbreaking moment as we see Sikso confront the past he's been refusing to let go of. It's also interesting that the sequences help define a major theme for the show, and that is that ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. With Star Trek being an episodic franchise, this is something that has literally rarely had any meaning to it; you watch an episode and the story is wrapped up in 45 minutes, never to be referred to again. While DS9 won't kick in with heavy serialisation for a while, the characters are going to be shaped by their experiences throughout and actions will certainly have consequences.
While not a perfect episode (it's restrained, but there's still a bit too much technobabble at points), this remains the only good pilot for a Trek series and I'm pleased at how well it still holds up by today's standards - we will see if Discovery can challenge it later this year!
I thought for sure O'Brien was hustling Quark.
O'Brien must suffer! The brutal Cardassian justice system we've heard mention of in recent episodes is shown to us in all its glory, and it's quite terrifying. The accused is always guilty and the trial is just there to demonstrate what they are guilty of. Leave it to Chief O'Brien to be the one caught up in all of it.
The episode is tense and uncomfortable and gives us our first look at Cardassia Prime, a totalitarian world in which propaganda broadcasts are relayed throughout the streets. The trial that Miles has to endure is almost funny in its ridiculousness, but serves as a stark reminder that things like this have happened on Earth, and indeed still do happen.
The episode builds up with very little light at the end of the tunnel and then ends abruptly and nonsensically. Sisko and co. just march in with their prisoner and that's the end of that. It's not satisfying and derails what could have been a stellar show. How did Sisko get in there? Why was fake Boone's plan so flawed as to just use a doctored recording of O'Brien's voice that was discovered almost instantly? Odo does very little but delay proceedings until just the right moment and doesn't inspire much confidence as a lawyer.
I can't help but feel a bit sorry for Kovat, who seems to think he'll now be executed!
I get that this was probably a lot of fun for the writers and actors. It's not any fun to watch, though. It took all my strength not to just turn it off half way through and pretend it never happened. It disregards any character continuity for the sake of comedy (and it's not even funny, just cheesy and actually very boring). For some reason the show keeps insisting that Tom Paris is a geeky boy scout instead of the ex-con with authority issues. I don't get it, and I hate it.
Why does Janeway continue to stay in character even after the mission is over? Why don't we find out anything about the photonic aliens? Why doesn't the crew even bother to learn about them? No, it's more important to do the holodeck fantasy - which conveniently can't be shut down because reasons. I can't believe people got paid to write this.
It's interesting to compare this to DS9's 'Take Me Out To The Holosuite', which aired fairly close to this one and which is similarly bizarre but managed to succeed.
I knew that Voyager would be a struggle for me to get through, but I don't think I expected it to get as bad as this.
Almost unwatchable. I watch children's TV with my nephews and it's nowhere near as painful as what is portrayed here. On the plus side, the show managed to grab a decent child actress for Naomi and there was really nice Tuvok moment.
I only continue watching this series for 2 reasons. I'm a completionist, and the amazing performances of picardo and ryan
