Workforce, Part II (2)

 DVD, Voyager S7 (Workforce, Part II) (2)

Usually, second parts are slightly inferior, not living up to all the setup of Part I, but in this case I found too much setup in the first episode and this second benefited from the satisfaction of all things being made right again as the net around the corruption ring draws slowly tighter thanks to the various individual parts being played and knowledge gained of both Voyager staff and honest Quarrens. That the conspiracy to capture and alter the memories of aliens in order to use them in the workforce was only a 'select' band is a relief, especially as we see ordinary, good citizens that simply want to do their job well and help others, which really adds a great sense of justice and goodness - the young doctor who questions his twisted superior may have been guileless in his innocence and should've played his cards close to his chest rather than confronting the other on what was going on (almost suffering his own memory adjustment as a result - love that he's offered the temptation to join evil and he clearly chose not to, despite the rewards for compliance and consequences for rejection - inspiring!), but it only serves to emphasise his lack of malevolence and cunning in comparison to the so-called 'superior,' Kadan. His character was best summed up when the other good man of the story, investigator Yerid, tries to get to the bottom of what's going on, has Kadan captive and tells him to get the other medical staff to leave the room: he delicately says to ask them for privacy, and in response the harsh indifference is shown by Kadan simply ordering them dismissed. Simple writing, but so eloquent!

Trek is (was), so great at giving us that strong sense of justice winning out, and this episode has exactly that, with the conspiracy unmasked and everyone happy, all back in order and as it should be - thanks to it being a two-parter we're afforded a little more time for the wrap-up than most individual episodes. Perhaps the cooperation of the Quarren government with Voyager could have been explored a little more, as it is we simply have the investigator and a high-up (I think it's the Ambassador seen in Part I), sitting around the conference table aboard Voyager with the ECH and Harry, but that side of things isn't as important to us as the resuming of the status quo, as Janeway arrives on the Bridge at the very end, Chakotay asking if she regrets losing the life she'd been given to return to her real one. Before that, we see Tom and B'Elanna together again as man and wife, playful banter showing how much this means to B'Elanna in particular. And then of course the tragic goodbye between Janeway and Jaffen after they'd grown so close. I did have a moment when I wondered if he was actually part of the plot, there to keep Janeway from ever guessing the truth, further incentive for her to remain oblivious to her old life: when she looks out at the plant and he's not at the console as the enemies arrive. It would have made it an easier parting if she'd been played, but it's much more dramatic to have an enforced separation as the two are no longer on equal footing thanks to her responsibilities to ship and crew.

I'd go so far as to say it was along the lines of how a 'DS9' episode would have finished: allowing breathing room for the ramifications to the characters, not skipping off merrily to the next adventure. Jaffen's devotion to Janeway stood out as true love since he agrees to go along with helping her and the others even though it looks like it will lead to separation from their newfound idyll - the ability to let go through self-sacrifice for the sake of another must be one of the profound elements of Trek characters, most notably displayed by Spock in saving the Enterprise at the cost of his own life. That isn't the case here, but Jaffen does lose the life he would have had otherwise. Chakotay continually does all that he needs to do to ensure the crew and Captain are saved, really getting to be the heroic First Officer we'd like to see more of, but who is far too often reduced to a 'yes, Captain, no Captain' slumped in his chair on the Bridge in far too many episodes. He was made to be a dynamic character and this story allows him the range he needs. And it's not limited to the characters on the planet - back aboard Voyager who better to rehabilitate the confused and distressed B'Elanna than gentle Neelix, meek and mild. He takes her through the realities of her true life and I was impressed with Roxann Dawson being able to deal with this important part of her character's arc while also having to govern the whole production as Director. Usually an actor will be given a story lighter on their character so they can focus on directing, but she had some key scenes.

I always think actors acting while being Director tend to be more serious than usual in their role as if they can't quite hide the grim determination and heavy responsibility of being in charge of a big budget episode of series' TV, and this was the case again, but it suited the position of the character in this case as she deals with the life she knows turning out to be fake. But there were a lot of moments across the episode when you get this satisfaction of people coming to some kind of realisation that there's more than what they know, always a rich seam to mine, and very sensitively handled much of the time here - a standout for me was the delicate way Chakotay breaks the news to Janeway that she's his Captain, by telling her indirectly while reporting events to Harry on the comm. It still has the force of a snakebite to Janeway who can't cope with the suggestion her ideal life is a mere dream. There are things that were a little too easy, such as Chakotay taking mere seconds to wipe away his alien face (it's unclear if this is supposed to be real skin grown from his own cells so as to avoid detection by medical authorities, or whether it's mere 'makeup,' but the use of a dermal regenerator seems to suggest actual skin manipulation), or the Doctor so quickly finding a way to access the crew's lost memories and fix them up in no time when surely memories being extracted or blocked should be a major issue. But these are minor problems simply solved so we can get on with the story.

The only major story point that I didn't feel had its due was the subplot of the Doctor enjoying command so much (even though he isn't exactly in command - see the review for the previous episode where I discussed this), he wants to remain in that mode once the crisis is over. It didn't make much sense since unless he goes off on his own ship, what can he be in command of, and it wouldn't be fair to other members of the crew that he can simply download these command subroutines to his program and suddenly he's qualified, in the same way that genetic modification gives unfair advantages and why the Federation rightly banned such things. But I still felt there was room for more discussion on the Doctor's ambitions for future career advancement, even if it's largely played as a joke, and is, really, since he is pompous and childish in his wish to do everything. At least the idea of Harry and he competing was nicely settled - while the Doc's idea of dropping a Photon Torpedo between two pursuing ships, then detonating it by shooting it with Phasers wasn't bad, it also seemed more common than they were suggesting, while Harry's solution to dealing with three pursuing vessels by releasing some Escape Pods, masking life signs and then detonating them, really did seem like tactical genius. The important thing is they gained respect for each other through the experience.

I'd completely forgotten Voyager hard-lands in this episode, hiding in the crater of a moon, but that's probably because we didn't see them go down and there wasn't the usual fuss and procedure with Blue Alert sounding and all that - they may have, but we weren't shown it. Just a couple of other notes: I found it interesting Seven had no trouble reading Quarren text which was clearly alien, so I wondered if her memories (and presumably everyone else's since they can all operate the consoles), were altered not just with a new life, but the ability to read the language so as to integrate more efficiently. As we know, language is key in forming the mind, if you control that then you control people's thoughts, as we see in the battle for ever more subtle use of words and wording in today's world to subvert our thinking. And how did Chakotay get wounded so badly his shoulder was bleeding? It could be the Quarren hand weapons, which appeared to emit a Phaser beam, like most energy weapons in Trek, were actually spitting out a Disruptor beam (like Klingons use), but there didn't seem much rupturing at the time in any of the bursts - the alternative would be that Chakotay fell against something during his fight, but either way it was quite dramatic to see blood in Trek! I should also mention this was Tom Virtue's final of four appearances on the series (the crooked supervisor at the plant), and Joseph Will (one of the security officers, though he's not very recognisable), had been in 'Muse' and would go on to be in three episodes of 'Enterprise' as a recurring character, so they must've liked him. It's funny that my previous viewing of this story gave me the opposite impression: that Part I was superior, so it's surprising what difference a few years makes.

***

Workforce (2)

 DVD, Voyager S7 (Workforce) (2)

Was this the best idea for a mid-season event two-parter? I know we'd already had 'Flesh and Blood' as the feature-length event, but this one seems more like a way to amortise the cost of the large sets they built by spreading the story across two episodes. In fairness it's not a bad first part, but I had the impression of not particularly liking it on previous viewings and despite the low expectations I didn't think it was amazing, though pretty good, the opposite of a recent 'TNG' rewatch when I saw 'The Dauphin' thinking it was going to be very average, but was highly impressed. I don't know if the knowledge this was a ripoff of a 'Stargate SG-1' episode, which I wouldn't have caught before as I wasn't as familiar with that series as I am now, may have coloured my perception - it's only fair if so since 'SG-1' was 'inspired' by so much Trek over the years, although in reality I'm not sure if this was a case of the sincerest form of flattery since I believe both series' stories came out the same year, the 2000-2001 TV season, and who knows which was actually written first, both roughly being in the middle of their respective seasons. It's more likely to be a case of two creative groups coming up with the same idea, and it's not a bad one. 'Workforce' comes off the better of the two, perhaps because it made it a big budget extravaganza, presumably so they could create these relatively large sets and significant amounts of CGI establishing shots - CGI was never really one of the series' strong points, it was early days for TV in that regard, but I would say it worked pretty well here.

Did it need to be a two-part story, now that's a different question? There are some interesting elements played with, some of which I found more appealing than others. No doubt the female audience were drawn to Janeway getting the chance to let her hair down (literally - she's really grown it out and it suits!), with a male colleague, something she can't ordinarily do since she outranks everyone on her ship, though of course they tried it occasionally with a guest character ('Counterpoint'), or a hologram (in the Irish village holoprogram). More successful from my point of view was the use of the more obscured characters of this season: Chakotay, Neelix, B'Elanna and Harry, allowing them to get a greater share of the spotlight than they had been getting, while Janeway, the Doctor, and especially Seven are bumped 'down' to more equal status, and in Seven's case she's reduced to very few scenes, so there is a much greater sense of the ensemble, even if a lot of them aren't ensembling together! Paris naturally gravitates to a bar, but his concern for the pregnant loner, B'Elanna, is touching and you can see the automatic impulses of reality in action, even while he's shown to be a bit of a womaniser - it's like he can't deny the subconscious urge to help and protect his real life wife and unborn child even if neither of them remember.

Not a lot really happens, it is after all about our characters having jobs on an alien world, mainly at a dull, smoky power plant, with the occasional social period - what's more interesting is when reality breaks through, as with Tuvok, who gets to the stage where he mind melds with Seven to bring her memories to the fore, or events on Voyager itself where the Doctor's changed into the Emergency Command Hologram when the Captain and crew were forced to abandon ship. I thought that was supposed to be a joke, not a real feature of his program, but it's nice to see him doing something different. Especially interesting to me was the command hierarchy in that situation: Janeway transfers command to him, with all her command codes, but then Chakotay, the First Officer, returns. I was wondering if Janeway empowering the Doctor to be ECH meant he outranked anyone other than her, but whether that's true or not, it's not what occurs in the practical situation of Chakotay's return. The Doc even complains about having to do menial repair work when he should be on the Bridge, but it's clear Chakotay is the one in charge - even Kim doesn't exactly recognise the Doctor's status when the pair of them are left for Chakotay to infiltrate Quarren society to find out what's happened to their missing crew - rather than state the hierarchy Chakotay leaves it to them to sort it out amongst themselves, which is an interesting command style! It'll be interesting to see if this ECH rank is further explained in part two, and how Janeway sees it, though I imagine she, too, would see it only as temporary command in an emergency, and once that's over with Chakotay, Neelix and Harry returning to Voyager, that effectively ends the need for it.

When it was just the Doctor, the episode this reminded me of was 'Remember Me' when Dr. Crusher found herself slowly becoming the only occupant of the vast Enterprise-D in 'TNG.' In this case it made a little more sense that a hologram could control a starship usually designed to be operated by an entire crew since he could interface directly with the ship's computer (always nice when Majel Barrett gets a little more to say as the Computer, especially when she's the only company for whoever's talking to her!), but in that case why would he bother with verbal interaction (other than for the benefit of the audience)? There was something quite pleasant about the idea of the four of them, Harry, Neelix, the Doctor and Chakotay all off in different parts of the ship working to get Voyager up to full strength again, or at least working strength. It was a bit of an anomaly that Voyager hadn't been taken by the Quarren until the story makes clear the crew left in escape pods and they tried to find it, but were unable to do so thanks to the actions of the Doctor, earning his keep as he always does, so there weren't any logic holes in the story that I could see. At the same time there isn't all that much to write about because it's mostly setup and the enjoyment of seeing our characters in other lives, the 'what if?' scenario usually reserved for Mirror Universe or other parallel universe stories.

In some ways the trivia of the episode is more interesting than the story, which is mysterious enough the first you come to it (even the first time I watched it I'd have known the twist that they're captives on an alien world with their minds brainwashed to think their jobs are what they should be doing, since I was reading Star Trek Monthly and getting episode synopses well in advance of viewing), since you don't know if Janeway is undercover or what from the teaser. But we not only hear of Neelix' ship, we get to see it again, a rare occurrence for the series, as he and Chakotay use it to go down to Quarra - I had the feeling it didn't exist any more, but maybe it's fate is still coming, or perhaps Neelix leaves with it at the end of the series, I don't recall. The casting is especially of interest - we get good old Tom Virtue back for both parts of the story. He'd been a human crewmember way back in two episodes of the first two seasons. It was a little incongruous seeing him since we know crewmembers have been altered mentally so you might expect Baxter to be seen (assuming he'd survived all the other adventures in the intervening years!), and other than some slight prosthetics to show he's alien, he looked very similar, to the extent it used to take me out of it a bit. The big name is Iona Morris, following her brother, Phil Morris' Trek career with her own entry, though she's also one of the few actors and actresses to have been in both 'TOS' and the later spinoffs, which is quite an exclusive club to be part of (she plays the bar owner where Paris wheedles his way into a job, but she'd been one of the uncredited children in 'Miri' back in the 60s when they simply got the offspring of 'TOS' and 'Mission: Impossible' stars in to play the roles!).

Apparently one of the Security Officers (#1, to be precise!), presumably the one who speaks to Janeway and Jaffen about curfew, would go on to have another small role as an Engineer in 'Enterprise.' Another Security Officer (#2, if you must know), was played by Matt Williamson who'd go on to be a Klingon in the 'Enterprise' pilot. And that's about it, really, it's a perfectly satisfactory story that introduces the situation and characters well, is nicely shot, all smoke and dark tones, so maybe Part II is the disappointment and doesn't live up to the setup, which can often be the case in Trek where it was almost like they couldn't quite stretch out a story beyond an hour, perhaps due to them being so used to condensing things tightly into the forty-five minute structure that worked so well for Trek. My only question is why there are purple Benzites there? Obviously they aren't really Benzites since they'd be blue (the blues are covered by Bolians who clearly must be from Voyager's crew), and it's just a case of the production reusing old masks, which are very good, but I think needed a little more modification than a simple colour change to get past the eagle eyes of Trekkers everywhere! In my previous review, back in 2010, I speculated that the issue of holograms in command would be addressed in any post-'Voyager' timeline production, but it never was, which says a lot about how much the modern writers care about Trek history and internal reality (what, you thought I could go a whole review without at least one dig about modern Trek?).

***

The Void (2)

 DVD, Voyager S7 (The Void) (2)

'Void by name, void by nature' is the impression I had of this episode from memory, and was expecting quite a weak story in consequence, but it's actually one of the purest Treks of the series since it boils down to whether they take the easy, advantageous, and 'realistic' route of behaving as the other ships in this empty region are doing, and pillage anyone weaker to survive. When it comes to survival that's when we're at our weakest in terms of holding to beliefs and ideals: an empty stomach, the quick, but immoral way of filling it, it's a huge temptation, and one Janeway's crew are open to considering. But that doesn't factor in the Captain, the strong-willed, idealistic woman who first stranded them in the Delta Quadrant - she was never going to go back on that attitude for a little comfort and hope. Indeed, she finds hope within the very ideals she strives to uphold, making this a strongly inspirational story. Janeway is not without doubts, we see her expressing the expectations of doubt she expects will come from others, and if Chakotay had forcefully opposed her views and Tuvok had continued putting the boot in about logic dictating a change of strategy (once again showing how ruthless Vulcans can be, and why, despite all their superior skills and abilities, they need the Federation's guidance as much as any race), she might have been persuaded. But that isn't her crew, either, they support her, even if they offer a counter view, no one directly opposes her lead because they're good Starfleet officers, but also they know she's got them through so many trials that they have great faith in her.

Far from being a void, the episode is rich in optimistic pickings, whether it be that continual desire to do right and not prey on the weak, or whether it's the scientific curiosity to investigate something, or in this case, some-one, who may have only tangential relevance for their dire situation. I was touched, for example, by Seven's unthinking decision to give away a portion of her Replicator rations to the mute alien beamed aboard by mistake - all she knows is that he requires food and so she shares what she has with him, a fine Christian attitude that should be an example to all of us! As Janeway later says to illustrate the situation they're in, it wasn't 'efficient' to give away food that could be better used on a valued member of the crew than an unknown stranger, yet she did it anyway: she saw a need and responded. Similarly, Janeway chooses to emphasise their differences to those living a scavenging, predatory life in the void, building an alliance, putting the precious resources they have on the line to accomplish trust and cooperation together, which is key to both their survival and eventual escape entirely. It shows the values and ideals of the Federation in practical use - of course this is a series about just that, so you'd expect them to succeed rather than it be a bleak examination of how they failed, but I kept thinking about how modern Trek would likely take a different tack and wouldn't allow the idealistic nature of things to be the solution, instead more probable to see them compromise and only succeed with great loss, having to sacrifice ideals to save themselves, which would be just as dramatic, but not good Trek.

It does somewhat make you wonder why Janeway hadn't used the alliance tactic in the series as a whole, other than the obvious reality that it would both change the look of the series to have them part of a flotilla of allies, lessen the sense of isolation and danger to them, and most importantly, from a production standpoint, cost a lot more to show multiple ships every time Voyager was seen externally, not to mention the addition of new sets and regular or recurring characters... You can see why such an idea would be avoided, but it would also have made a lot more sense (even if it might have ended up being more like 'Battlestar Galactica' than Trek!), and could have created ever more drama - as we see with this one foray into the idea of an alliance, it's not enough to have the same goal of protection and eventual escape, different personalities and attitudes come into play - Bosaal is picked out as a particularly objectionable sort for his dismissive and superior attitude towards Fantome's people, not recognising them as a sentient group of beings, but mere vermin. But then he's happy to exterminate even those he knows to be sentient as we hear from the provenance of the essential bit of kit he's contributed to the escape plan and Janeway is forced to send him packing with it, using it would be the same as being accomplice to his killings, as hard a position it was to turn down that technology. I didn't quite understand how they got round it in the end, but they came up with some sort of alternative.

It appeared to be hand-waved over with a montage of scenes of things coming together since we don't really understand how Fantome's gang helped them other than to sabotage their enemies, so it was a little pat in the end. There's also some questionable issues to do with beaming and shields in parts of the episode - how did the attackers beam Voyager's supplies away at the start since the ship still had shields? And later, Tuvok says the enemy vessels' shields had been 'penetrated' and Fantome's gang were able to be beamed aboard, but what does penetrated mean! Usually in Trek you cannot under any circumstances beam through a shield (if you could, it would always be short work to drop a Photon Torpedo directly into an enemy Engine Room and detonate it!), although Trek did fudge it a bit over the years, and we know shields can be modulated which suggests it's possible to beam through the 'gaps,' though it's all rather hazy and contradictory. It didn't take away from the excitement of the story, and in all other respects it came up trumps, from the atmospheric visuals of both the ships travelling in complete, starless blackness on the outside, to the dimmed lighting and almost pitch darkness inside (I've never noticed the wrist beacons they use as torches having lights on the back before, so I wonder if that was a new addition?), to the great alien designs - Fantome himself looked somewhat slimy and not something you'd want to touch, General Valen was very reminiscent of a Cardassian, though with silvery skin, and Bosaal with his bisecting cranial ridge down to the chin, while a design I think they'd done before, was nonetheless very effective, especially seen in profile. Plus the return of the Hierarchy potato heads!

The Doctor taking time to develop a language of music with Fantome was also a standout part of the episode, even if the musical notes didn't have the complexity to convey the level of conversations they were supposedly having (though I'm sure the episode's composer, Jay Chattaway, enjoyed the challenge and uniqueness of the 'language' instead of just cranking out the usual background music!). Above all it was a nice showcase for the cast as a whole, very much an ensemble episode since it was a situation that affected them all and there wasn't anywhere to hide (although even here Harry Kim managed to be quite hidden most of the time as he never had anything integral to do). They continue to get the characters right: Janeway with her unassailable confidence, yet not arrogant and occasionally self-searching; the Doctor with his kindness and interest in Fantome (amusing when it's pointed out he hasn't chosen a name in six years, but gives one to Fantome in days!); Seven, similarly (I'm surprised they never brought out an action figure of Gourmet Chef Seven with the apron!); Tom and B'Elanna both with disappointment on their faces at the setbacks and disappointments, yet neither pipes up and expresses frustration with Janeway's methods; Tuvok and his reminder of Vulcan logic; Chakotay, supportive as always, yet still able to bring an alternative view as is his job as First Officer... It was a good mix, and while the dark was best used as temporary atmosphere, I wouldn't want everywhere like that all the time, the visuals sold the futility and how close they were to despair.

The issue of dying for what you believe came up, questioning his Captain, and she says yes, but she's not ready to give up just yet, but it was a good reminder of Starfleet duty and that you've given over your life to the organisation, and that could mean the ultimate sacrifice if it came to it (like Spock or Data). That Janeway considers the Federation Charter a statement of principals rather than practicalities suggests she doesn't have as much belief in it as good guidance for life, but she proves that it is just that since following it led them to alliances and eventual solving of the problem, which shows that perhaps it is practical after all. The idea of everyone in the group despite their disparate views and beliefs, having to work together, was a good message, because it's not about everyone agreeing to believe the same things and have the same attitudes - Bosaal can see Fantome's people as nothing more than vermin if he wants to, that isn't what gets him booted out, but actual violence is the step that goes too far for Janeway. In other words they don't have to agree, and that's maybe the issue nowadays where we're going down a route where everyone must think the same rather than their actions cooperating in general being enough, but then if there are opposing ideologies it's a question of how far to push the rules in whatever direction to accommodate difference of opinion. Anyway, an interesting jumping off point and the nuance of which I again thought would be missing if this were modern Trek.

Some might point to the lack of actual sacrifice in the episode, nobody from Voyager dies, things work as they should, discipline is upheld, and they want more nastiness, a more 'realistic' view and result (although I would point out that our people don't seem particularly uncomfortable with the Hierarchy representatives coming up with a way to spy on any ship at any time - apparently that isn't outside of their ideals!), but on the contrary I felt this was exactly the kind of thing I like seeing in Trek - yes, it's not realistic that everything goes well for them (and in fact, as we saw with the various issues with Valen or Bosaal, they had their trip-ups along the way), but that's why we like Trek, not for hard-edged realism or brooding cynicism that reinforces how glum the outlook of the world is and reflects 'our' experiences, but something that shines out in the darkness, like little Voyager in the void, and reassures and pleases with its show of successful optimism and goodness winning out. It's what Trek's all about. The image of there being no stars would be done again ('Enterprise' had an episode like that), and had been seen on the series before ('Night' - I wish there'd been some reference to that experience and the contrast in Janeway's behaviour here), but it's always a strong visual, shocking compared to what we're used to in Trek - I loved the sense of despair presented with the depiction of Voyager first trying to escape by travelling 'vertically' up the tunnel until it runs out of steam and drops heartbreakingly back down into the dark pool of the void, selling the situation perfectly. The same with sticking to the principals where you're almost thinking maybe Janeway should just allow them to use Bosaal's technology in order to get out, and then part ways feeling bad about it, and at least they escaped, but that just shows how strong the temptation was. Same with her refusal to steal from the enemy when she has a chance and nobly only takes back her own.

We hear that one of the crews Voyager allied with possessed technology that tripled their Replicator efficiency, and when you consider our ship was top of the line only a short time ago when it launched and must therefore have the best Starfleet could provide, cutting edge tech with the Gel Packs, etc, this must be an amazing race of people to be able to out-efficiency the Federation, maybe a more permanent alliance is in order! At least they should mention how well the Replicators are doing in subsequent episodes as we assume they have the knowledge to keep it going now. I liked the design of Fantome's race but for one thing: their chubby fingers didn't look capable of tapping in anything on the little PADDs they were using to communicate musically! But they were well acted, obviously this would have been Jonathan Del Arco's final role in Trek since he never showed up in 'Enterprise' - best known for the ex-Borg, Hugh, in a couple of 'TNG' episodes, he'd return a couple of decades later for 'Picard' Season 1, only to be nastily killed off. Oh well, at least he could come back as Fantome to this day, but it wouldn't have been any good for the 'Voyager' almost-spinoff, 'Prodigy,' since his character doesn't speak! Del Arco wasn't the only actor to return for a role in the next era of Trek as Scott Lawrence (Garon, the first to join the alliance), was in 'Into Darkness' aboard the USS Vengeance, not much of a credit, but it's something, I suppose. And I got the 'Babylon 5' reference with Valen, having watched the entire series (and everything else in that franchise), since last seeing this episode, but forgot the actor who played him, Robin Sachs, was also in that series. This episode wasn't a classic, but it was far from being null and void.

***

Prophecy (2)

 DVD, Voyager S7 (Prophecy) (2)

Theeeeeeere's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow, there's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, cap'n... This is a chance to see what the series might have been like had it been set in the Alpha Quadrant, and there is something appealing about a herd of the warrior race descending on our little ship, especially as at this point in Trek's production there weren't many more of those traditional stories about familiar races due to 'DS9' ending and 'Enterprise' being barely a twinkle in its Daddies' eyes, so for all we knew this could be the only proper Klingon tale we'd ever see, and that gave it added weight and increased its delight. And it is all very Klingon, right from the assured mind of longtime Trek boffin and details enthusiast Larry Nemecek (among others), whose mark you can clearly see in both how well Trek lore is adhered to, and how minor issues were dealt with, leading to a satisfying conclusion that comes down on neither one side or the other in a debate about the efficacy of prophecy. Being a very secular series it of course throws up a lot of scepticism about the realities of faith, belief and tradition, showing up such things, at least in the specific context of this sect, but which can easily be interpreted as an examination of the dangers of such beliefs to upend a society, yet at the same time allow plenty of room for interpretation from a perspective of believers in faith in their own lives, a subtle and balanced approach that means it can be taken various ways.

As we see with the main Klingon sceptic, T'Greth (most of Grethor in his name, meaning Klingon Hell, maybe not a coincidence?), who constantly challenges his leader's assertions about B'Elanna Torres' unborn daughter being the long-sought saviour of their people, the Kuvah'magh. Interestingly, T'Greth was played by Sherman Howard, notable as Captain Endar in 'TNG' ('Suddenly Human'), and another role in 'DS9' ('Shakaar'), while his fellow plotter, Morak (Paul Eckstein), who numbered Jem'Hadar and Hirogen among his roles on both 'DS9' and this, marked his fourth role on 'Voyager.' As the story progresses we find Captain Kohlar is actually leading his people astray, having tired of their generational journey and wishing to put down roots and end the endless search begun so long ago - he's jumped at the unlikely opportunity presented to him in the form of B'Elanna (as she and Tom discussed, the odds of them stumbling on the only ship in the Quadrant with a Klingon aboard were as likely as the odds of the pair of them getting married and having a child in the first place, which appears to me that such odds are an almost impossibility, they were so great, lending credence to the prophecy in the first place), and as Klingons do, burns his bridges at first chance - in this case literally burning his Bridge (and the rest of his ship), by initiating self-destruct, causing Voyager to have no choice but to take them all aboard.

At this point we have to talk about the beauty of the old D7 ships, the class seen in 'TOS,' since this episode is an example in how to update something without losing its essence - it's not ten times bigger than it should be, it actually looks fairly small compared to the broad length of such battlecruisers we'd seen in previous iterations of 24th Century Trek, but it has a little more texture to it. We don't get a really good look at it, partly because it cloaks a lot during its battle with Voyager, and it doesn't last very long, but it just looks right and was a wonderful idea to bring it in, showing the right thinking behind the episode in contrast to that seen in modern Trek where it's all about making things BIGGER and flashier and... less true to the history. At the same time you could complain that the scene where all two hundred Klingons are beamed aboard Voyager was pushing it a little in what Federation tech is capable of. I'm not sure if we'd been in a situation where this ship in particular had needed to beam that many at one time and it did seem a little too convenient, but true to form, the episode comes back around to this unspoken concern many a true 'faithful' may well have had floating around in their heads while watching, and not only clears it up, but makes a virtue of it by turning it into part of the plot! A Klingon looking to take over Voyager craftily comments on how much superior its Transporters are compared to his old vessel allowing Kim to explain they don't usually beam so many due to safety concerns, so bravo for deftness of writing.

I'm not sure it was wise to beam all these Klingons into the Shuttlebay, it could have been dangerous: they might steal the Shuttles to exit the ship, or even blast their way through the doors, and while unlikely, it was a major security concern. I don't think we saw any actual vehicles in that space, so it could be they were beamed to a Cargo Bay or possibly even out into space to accompany the mothership (though we never see any in shots of Voyager, so that's not very plausible). Speaking of security concerns, though, you'd think Tuvok would keep the door to his Quarters locked, especially at a time when unknown Klingons are aboard in large numbers, yet Neelix breezes in while the Vulcan's relaxing in either a robe or his pyjamas with not even a door chime to warn him of the Talaxian's intent, but then I suppose that was the point - if Neelix had been at the door it would have been easier for Tuvok to deny him entry rather than him settling down and emptying his stuff on the floor as he did. I would say this somewhat B-plot was the missing piece of the episode, as having Tuvok and Neelix share Quarters sounds like a great episode idea on its own (I can imagine it happening somehow in ordinary day-to-day operations if there was some kind of radiation leak and no other alternative than for him to come and stay for a few days), harking back to the early days in much the same way as Odo and Quark on 'DS9,' both pairings which weren't explored as much as you might think from the success of their scenes together.

The real B-story is another entry in Harry Kim's difficult path with the opposite sex, this time a statuesque Klingon warrior woman taking a liking to him so that he's reduced to crawling through the Jefferies Tubes to avoid her until Neelix happily takes her off his hands. A questionable side to the story, but then Klingons, especially the female ones, have often been shown to be aggressive in their pursuits, so it's hardly out of character. Klingons aren't supposed to be something we look up to (other than literally), they represent the violence of humanity, but here they also represent the deception of false religion when Kohlar prefers to mislead his people, interpret the ancient scrolls to achieve his end, and all because he wants them to settle on a planet instead of continuing to wander. It doesn't do much for B'Elanna's faith in her Klingon heritage, even though it appears to provide a nostalgic aside when he gets her to join him in praying to Kahless for their ancestors. Some interesting points raised here, since Kohlar wouldn't know that Kahless 'returned' to his people, although I think it was known that he was a clone of the original, or was it, it's been a while since I watched 'Rightful Heir'? Either way, this sect's been out of contact with their culture (might have been fun to have them all be flat-forehead 'TOS' versions of the race to further tie to the 23rd Century from which they came, but I suppose the genetic virus was already active and would have mutated them along with most of the Empire wherever they went), so wouldn't know anything about that, unless they took time to read up on recent Klingon history in Starfleet databases - possible, but not very likely.

The other notion I took from the scene was that Sto-Vo-Kor isn't up to much if the dead can't rest there unless the living honour their memory! You live an honourable life, you die an honourable death and head off to honourable Klingon Heaven, and yet there's still no peace unless someone back home cares enough to pray for you? Tough system! Unless this is yet another interpretation designed to reinforce traditions and faith rather being something of substance - Kohlar's behaviour calls into question Klingon ethics where it concerns their beliefs, and although he's only one man, he's also the leader of this sect that has been travelling for four generations, apparently. There was a slight issue with the timing of it all, since Kohlar claims more than a hundred years ago his Great-Grandfather was part of this sect, but since the race live for two hundred-plus years this guy could still have been around and I'm not sure it adds up that there would be so relatively few after all that time when they can live so long. At the same time they provide an out for this, besides the Klingon predilection for battling anyone that stands in their way: this disease that afflicts them and can come at any time, or so I read it, though it's also referred to like old age. It was a touch convenient that T'Greth would fall victim to it right in the middle of the Bat'leth fight with Paris, and it almost seems like they should either have gone for a battle to the death, or have Tom somehow beat him fair and square, though it's a bit much to believe a human who can barely have picked up the weapon would be trained to proficiency in the little time he had before the fight.

It's possible he regularly trained with a Bat'leth in a Klingon holoprogram to impress B'Elanna, but then again Klingon stuff doesn't tend to impress her and Tom usually prefers more old-fashioned programs. Odd we don't see any kind of training montage with Kohlar coaching him, but I assume time constraints put paid to that. My first thought when T'Greth collapsed was another deception from the master, Kohlar, ensuring victory for the Father of the Kuvah'magh at all costs by poisoning his friend - I do like that they appear to be friends and at least Kohlar calls him that, but there's also so much animosity from T'Greth, while Kohlar barely bats an eyelid, not offended at all. Very Klingon. The episode succeeds in its opening of the eyes of T'Greth to become a full believer in what Kohlar was only using as a useful circumstance, since the Kuvah'magh did save them. I'm not sure if this Klingon prophecy was meant to be for it saving the whole race or just this specific sect, in which case it could be called a self-fulfilling prophecy since if they'd never set out to fulfil it, they'd never have met the Kuvah'magh (unless it was when she's finally born and back in home space, but then certain things couldn't have fallen into place in that scenario). Kohlar came across as a bit of a bad leader in the sense that this group has been on this mission for so long and yet now he wants to sabotage it, even though it's for good reasons and the care of his people that motivates him. There's a good sense of the mysterious nature of prophecy finding a way to come true despite scepticism, but at the same time Kohlar's one of those negative stereotypes of a manipulator - interpret the scrolls to make them consistent with B'Elanna's life, his answer!

There's probably a word for an ordinary character who becomes the significant figure of their race, it's a bit of a trope of sci-fi and fantasy, especially in Trek where we have Sisko the key man in Bajoran religion, Worf (and Picard), integral to Klingon politics, Odo the bridge to his entire people, etc, and now Torres is to be Mother to a Messiah figure (again, unclear whether meant for this one sect or for all Klingons since it doesn't seem like they particularly need a change, being at peace with the Federation, for example). And of course modern Trek is full of 'superheroes' that are super-special - at least it wasn't Torres herself, but her child, and something that could have been picked up on in future had they ever wanted to play with Klingon politics and religion again. As is often the case with Trek, faith is often shown as being blind: what evidence did their ancestors have when beginning their journey, only their faith! But faith in what, why should they give up everything to follow some scrolls without any other kind of proof or motivation? I suppose Klingons are quite stubborn and once they get an idea in their heads they simply follow it to its conclusion, or death, so it's not going against type for them to act this way. In fact the only real fault I can find in the episode is Harry Kim claiming he cut himself shaving, since however they shave, I can't imagine it would be with a naked blade (they are not Klingons!), it would be some super-safe and super-effective technology doing the trimming. But even there, he was just making up stories to hide the fact he'd been bitten by Ch'Rega, so no real problems there other than if the Doc had been taken in, which he wasn't. Qapla'! pItlh!

***

Repentance (2)

 DVD, Voyager S7 (Repentance) (2)

If anyone ever says 'Voyager' couldn't do complex stories or deal with morality this is a great example to hold up in response. Watching it, you experience the conflict of struggling to believe the change of heart (or more specifically, mind), that has overtaken the convicted murderer, Iko, while simultaneously wanting it to be true. And yet also feeling the need for justice and punishment. It could make Trek look rather soft and naive if his was the only story of the episode, that this horrible criminal, intent only on unloosing pain on a hostile universe, should be so easily 'cured,' if behaviour can be seen as something to be cured, and then go on to live a productive life that we'd never know about because the ship is always moving on. If Seven had had her way perhaps Iko could have become a recurring character and shown rehabilitation in action, week to week, but this wasn't really the series for that, and it doesn't end all pat and a nicey-nice showing that remorse and resolve to live right works, happy ending and all (even though life goes on, so it wouldn't have been an ending). But we don't have that reward, Iko has changed, we can be sure through both the medical evidence and with his reaction to a chance to exact revenge on the hardbitten gaoler who is so frosty through experience with these violent men that he won't even admit the chance of a change. It's a harsh lesson, one that Iko won't be able to benefit either himself or his society from, since where he comes from they give all power of sentencing to the victims.

Victimhood was the key point that I took away from this, because it is unpleasant to think that anyone could get away with the full stop on a life of these heinous crimes, no way back, and you don't want to identify and sympathise - there's a good chance the sly, evil man is playing with you, manipulating any way he can. I felt this was a good episode for today's times because for one it's against capital punishment and reminds us of the Federation position, while also spelling out the arguments for such justice when Seven argues with the Doctor who is entirely uneasy about transporting these murderers to execution, perhaps the biggest reason being the chance for redemption. But a society controlled by victims is a society without objective reasoning and without mercy, and it's frightening that we seem to be heading toward that dystopia where every little emotional distress caused someone can be viewed as a crime, whether it was the victim's sensitivity or way of life that caused them to be more susceptible to such distress, or not - the idea of offence being an offence in law. It also means to be a victim is to be in a position of power, a source of recompense for perceived wrongs, rather than strict, objective justice, and shows the result when Iko has no second chance despite all the evidence stating that he should, even if it was to live to make recompense to the victims of his crimes.

But the episode isn't one-sided, it shows the leering face of those who would escape true justice by throwing up excuses, by manipulation of those who would try to help them as Neelix is taken in by Joleg, the self-styled victim of racial profiling - his people are given stiffer sentences, are viewed more suspiciously, are the real victims of society, and while Neelix sees that much of this appears to be true, we're still dealing with a crafty individual who will use whatever means he can to avoid his guilt and sentence. In contrast to Iko, Joleg is charming, polite, good company, but is shown to be just as ruthless when his brother arrives in a tough little ship to break him out, and almost succeeds. While it was necessary for the story and was an exciting part of the episode, none of that made much sense: Voyager is up against one tiny ship, yet somehow it causes enough damage that the forcefields in the Cargo Bay go down! How could that happen with the limited damage it was even able to do, let alone the necessity of such key systems needing to be the last to fail (what about emergency bulkheads sealed by forcefields?). It also makes Starfleet Security look useless that they're unable to prevent a rush of these criminals when they have the weapons (wide-angle stun setting?), and are so easily overpowered. The one other mistake in that sequence was the Phaser Joleg hands to Iko to finish off gaoler Yediq was surely on kill setting, but when Iko instead gives it to Yediq, he shoots the others and it seemed more like a stun (certainly we aren't told, but if Joleg had set it, then he'd have put it on the highest setting and completely vaporised his enemy).

I saw a lot of good Christian values in the willingness of Seven and Neelix to visit those in prison, to dole out civility and respect for them as people rather than merely holding strictly to duty, even if Neelix uses the excuse of protocols in how prisoners are treated - it was going above and beyond for him to play Kadis-kot with Joleg, or to agree to send off the transmission to his brother, and it's not like Neelix to be so easily played, but being aboard Voyager did emphasise the softer aspects of his nature to the extent it was like he'd found a loving family and had let go of the rough edges he'd needed for survival, so it does show that even too much safety and comfort can weaken the instincts, though I'm sure he'd rather it was that way than the alternative of being a drifter who doesn't trust anyone. Seven being willing to assist the Doctor in treating Iko was another great example of the being Janeway had helped to create through her tough love and support - even though Iko had threatened to kill her and held her hostage, or later, the Doctor asking for her help, she remains matter-of-fact and has no strong feelings either way. She doesn't wish to spend any more time in his presence than she needs to, but she's neither frightened nor horrified by him. Part of that must be due to the parallel Seven can't help but see between them, and this is another key element of the plot that raises it above basic action or drama.

She still feels the guilt of what she was made to do as a Borg and showing what mentorship can do for someone, she strives to give Iko the support she received from Janeway when his apparent conversion has become irrefutable. The truth of it is clear in the way he no longer gains pleasure from hurting others and simply wants to die for his sins until Seven helps to show him that there could be a future for him - another strong Christian lesson in the idea of one person being killed for their crimes, and yet Seven has found redemption, despite the unfairness of what she did in the past. Without intending it, the writers created a strong illustration of God's grace, shown in how Seven was treated, rehabilitated and now lives productively having learned how to live, even though she still struggles with feelings of guilt for her past, all very inspiring. It's still perhaps a little too easy to suggest major crime is the result of a 'neurological defect' rather than a choice someone makes, and that Iko was in no way responsible, but that's all part of the moral complexity of the story and would provide ample discussion, as the most interesting Treks do, something we don't really see any more as moral positions are increasingly confused in today's world.

The equivalence of what Neelix' game board might be worth to him as opposed to a detached judge, was another point of interest: to the judge it's merely a board, to Neelix it could be a priceless family heirloom, but you'd also think that such circumstances would be taken into consideration since there's a definite value judgement to be made, if proof could be given. I liked that Tom Paris, Voyager's resident ex-con, mentioned his time in the Federation penal colony and his experience of everyone convicted having a 'story' and not to take them too seriously, but perhaps he could have been more involved in the plot due to his background. Then again, maybe that would have been too obvious, Neelix and Seven's interactions with the prisoners were full of potential, but you could do the same story with each of the series' characters and come up with different approaches each time, the hallmark of a great collection of characters. There's even a new way of looking at the Doctor when he succinctly explains to Iko that he's made of light, which is why Tuvok's Phaser left him unhurt, to which Iko responds wistfully that he wishes he was made of light - a poetic idea that is more than the mere science of holograms can express since it says so much about Iko, not to mention the Doctor. There was one thing about that, though, as the Doc says Tuvok's friendly fire may have caused a feedback loop in his emitters, but surely the emitters are separate so the beam only went through his visible form (for that matter, we know he can lose solidity when he chooses, so it might have been easier to simply walk away from his captor!), if he meant THE emitter it'd have made more sense, but being in Sickbay he wasn't wearing it.

If there're nitpicks to be had, I'd also cite the idea of setting aside the Cargo Bay and building a whole new set of cells! I can understand the Brig might be too small, but can they really afford to expend all that Replicator energy on a temporary building project? It was necessary for the story, and you can tell story is king, and it certainly doesn't affect what is a powerful drama, but with only a few tweaks here and there they could have had a watertight episode that only adds another layer of satisfaction for viewers. I'm also unsure about the Prime Directive being cited since surely that doesn't apply when dealing with a warp-capable species, which these appeared to be, but then the PD tends to be there as a buffer whenever there's some issue to deal with.

Casting added much to the story with Tim De Zarn (whom I'd confused in my mind with Francis Guinan - Zar in 'Live Fast and Prosper'!), who goes all the way back to 'TNG' ('Starship Mine'), in his fourth and final Trek role (to date!), as Yediq, the gaoler who finds himself shocked at the realisation of Iko's genuine reform. Jeff Kober who was so strong as Iko would return in a less memorable role on 'Enterprise' ('Shadows of P'Jem'), Greg Poland (presumably the Security Officer that yells at Yediq to stop beating Iko), had played an Elloran in 'Insurrection,' and the familiar face of FJ Rio was in his fourth of five Trek roles, most notably as semi-recurring Muniz on 'DS9,' whom I best remember him as, but would have one more Trek role in 'Enterprise' (to date!), with very similar alien makeup, perhaps a reuse or modification? If 'Voyager' had had more successes with its morality plays like this one it may have gained a better reputation in those stakes like 'DS9' and 'TNG' (perhaps even 'TOS'), but it's not what I tend to think of the series for, especially as Janeway is so inconsistent across the years, and while at one time the action would have been enough, the way things were shot or the effects work eventually looks basic or of a time, but the power of story never fades. It's almost up there with 'Duet' on 'DS9' as an examination of crime and justice and is something Trek has done so well in the past. The only equivalent I can think of nowadays is the 'SNW' story 'Ad Astra Per Aspera,' a thoroughly boring and wrongheaded courtroom 'drama,' and it's clear Trek's current shape doesn't have much room for anything beyond the action and effects - I imagine in time that will show itself up, while a classic like this one will, and has, stood the test of time.

****

Lineage (2)

 DVD, Voyager S7 (Lineage) (2)

It's so refreshing to see a B'Elanna story this season, she's one of the characters to have been pushed to the back, much like husband Tom, so it was very pleasant to get an episode devoted to them. Of course if this were 'DS9' we'd have had such things ongoing, woven in between the larger plots, but in this case the Paris' baby troubles are the A-plot and there is no B. That's a shame as these things can sometimes benefit from shifting attention away only to hit you smack in the face when we return to it, but B'Elanna's underhand tactics are quite shocking enough when she goes to the extent of forcing the Doctor to perform an operation to 'correct' the DNA in her unborn baby so it doesn't have to go through the trials of being an outsider in the way B'Elanna did. It's actually a very touching story that shows even someone as intelligent and developed as her can still have deep emotional issues related to the past, to the extent she genuinely believes her Father left her and her Mother because in a fit of pique, her child self told him to! What a burden to carry through into adulthood, and may explain a lot about how she ended up in the Maquis (though fortunately it being Trek, it's led to a happy ending with a fulfilled life aboard Voyager). Her Dad was right, though: you have to learn to be a little less sensitive. It's a great lesson, especially for today as every little difference that isn't immediately accepted is now basically a crime and the pursuit of some kind of mythical perfect mental health is overturning reality and the safety net of democracy to become an ideological dictatorship.

Such a world where no one ever gets teased is also a world where no one ever grows a thick skin and every little feeling is magnified and deified into being something we all must bow down to, so I suppose it's just another form of idolatry, but all because of a simple inability to stop taking ourselves so seriously and relax! The perils are shown starkly here because while B'Elanna is developed and accomplished, she's been dragging around emotional turmoil her whole life, a guilt she didn't need. It probably is hard enough to be Klingon in a more 'genteel' human setting as it is, let alone to be living with the lie that you're responsible for the splitting up of your parents. Usually Klingons are the life and soul of everything, no compunction about cutting loose and saying or doing whatever they feel like, though also with a strict honour code governing their ways and society. At least in theory - as Worf showed, trying to live a truly honourable life has great pitfalls and troubles, and rather than take on such an approach, B'Elanna's always had the opposite view: to avoid Klingon nature as much as possible. No doubt Starfleet of old Trek would be considered restrictive to alien natures by the fact that they have their own strict code of discipline and obedience to structure that Klingons would find distasteful and 'soft,' and if aliens in modern Trek weren't exactly the same as humans, there'd be outcry that their alien needs are being ignored, and this just goes to show the strength of how old Trek did things, and the real lessons and values that can be learned from it in consequence of that.

Inclusion is one of the things that worked best about this episode as all the main cast have something - Neelix is still the most underused of the crew, but we know now that Ethan Phillips was suffering from the makeup so they deliberately used him less, which was a sad development as he was one of my favourites in the earlier seasons. But it's Tuvok, the Father of four, who Tom gravitates toward for advice, while of course the Doctor eagerly and immediately puts together a ninety-point plan (or whatever), to cover training and preparation for every aspect of the birth and parenthood, something the couple should have foreseen! I loved that Tom goes to see Seven and Icheb whom he trusts, to question the Doctor's change of mind, and it's the young man who realises the errors in the hologram's data - as an aside, I thought B'Elanna was joking when she sternly tells Icheb she didn't give him permission to work on the upper level of Engineering after she'd been all sweetness and light prior to that, and maybe she was just putting on a playful remonstrance, but later you realise she's suffering mood swings as a result of pregnancy so it all makes sense. I'd forgotten all about the baby coming, and it's for the best that Neelix didn't get awarded Godfatherhood status since he'd not even be aboard the ship when the little tyke was born in the finale! It makes you realise how extreme his decision to leave the ship would be since we're reminded here that he's the Godfather of Naomi Wildman, and he wasn't going to be much use in that role separated from her by so much! (Makes you wonder if the Doc becomes Godfather to each generation of Paris descendants now we know he's still active a thousand years later in 'Starfleet Academy'!).

Chakotay has some nice moments and shows his tact, just when B'Elanna needs a friendly face, or when it's difficult for her and Tom to talk. And Janeway is similarly wise and Motherly in her approach to the various situations, staying out of the marital discord rather than taking a side. But it seems to me there was a very clear side to take in Trek lore since we know genetic modification is banned in the Federation, and while they aren't technically in the Federation, at the same time they are, because like an embassy in a foreign country, they carry the Federation with them, their ship representing it in this far-flung Quadrant of the Galaxy. I suppose it's never been minutely spelled out exactly what is and isn't deemed acceptable under law - we know eugenics is off the table and enhancements are also a big no-no, but it makes sense there's some allowance for genetic adjustment for a clear defect as in the case with mini-B'Elanna's curvature of the spine which will have a detrimental effect on mobility, etc. But surely erasing racial DNA from a baby would be more than merely frowned upon, that seems entirely wrong since, as Tom argues, they'd be changing who she is, it would no longer be simply adjusting a problem, but taking an ideological stance, like Nazi's demanding blue eyes and blonde hair, and that's quite horrible and creepy to think. Yet Janeway is willing to go with the Doctor's recommendation and he, even before the modifications to himself, is merely 'dubious' rather than outraged as Tom rightfully is, so it seems they hadn't quite tied down how Trek should deal with such things, which is obviously a much greater issue in our modern times.

Genetic modification in Trek has become yet another 'minority rights issue,' which means we're supposed to have sympathy and support for those who have been enhanced, despite the fact they've been given an unfair advantage in life, simply because it's a mirror of other minority groups that have come about because scientists can do a thing, so they don't stop to consider whether they should. Fortunately, the kind of political twisting seen in modern Trek (most obviously in Number One's court case in 'SNW'), isn't really an issue here, so it retains it's strong anti-tampering stance and remains a good, positive lesson for today. You could accuse it of being almost a soap storyline, except that while messing about with a baby's genetics was still sci-fi back then, it's all too possible now and will only become more common as sense goes out the window. And it is a powerful story, mainly thanks to showing flashbacks to B'Elanna's childhood, meeting her Father, and discovering more about the place she was in at the time her parents separated, and repercussions of some casual words dropped in confidence that she overhears. It's a showcase to, and warning of, the damage the tongue can do to a person's psyche. We'd already seen B'Elanna's Mother in Season 6 so it was a nice symmetry that we got to see her Dad, John Torres, too (especially good that we'd see him once more before end of season), and he comes across as a sensible, sympathetic guy with family troubles given a Trekky twist since it's about living with a Klingon wife when you're human.

Trek lore continues to be added to, and it makes sense: the Doctor says Klingon traits remain dominant for several generations, which is exactly what you'd expect from such a forceful race, and we also get discussion of their redundant organs and how this can be an advantage, not something you'd willingly take away. Then we get a return to the old buddy-buddy scenes between Paris and Kim, when the former goes to stay in his Quarters after the falling out with B'Elanna - Harry's suggestion that perhaps pregnancy taking so long has its purpose in giving you time to let it sink in, was quite profound, although I think it's also about anticipation and looking forward to an event in the future where you're forced to wait rather than having everything now, as in today's culture. I liked that there's never even a mention about the possibility of not having the baby, something I feel certain in today's world we'd be forced to consider, but here life is simply to be celebrated and when I watched it in the past I'd never have even thought of such a thing, which shows yet again how ideological our times have become. It's amazing that this is only the second baby on Voyager (not counting the Borg baby), you'd think there'd be quite a contingent by now, but I suppose they had to be careful from both an in-universe perspective (can't have too many crewmembers off or the ship won't run), and production side (babies are difficult to film with), so I suppose it's somewhat unsurprising.

It's a very singular story, there isn't much going on beyond B'Elanna's inability to handle what's happening, and in consequence not a lot to write about, but while I wouldn't quite say it's a classic episode, I do think it's quite a strong one, and the fact they were able to bring in such a characterful story this late in the series is something to applaud, though as I mentioned, the series would have been improved if they'd managed to weave in their everyday lives more with the big, sci-fi plots, as they used to do much more in earlier seasons. Instead, it tends to be either/or when it comes to development which makes the tone of the season less consistent and loses that extra layer that it could have had. Flashbacks weren't something common to Trek, so it was a useful device to be able to show how things were for B'Elanna rather than merely tell us, as it brings her past alive and fills in some gaps. That it has a satisfyingly happy ending (even though it's not the end, but it is the end of this 'segment' of their life that we see), only improves the episode and makes it a joyful experience.

***

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

 Blu-ray, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025) film

Long, bloated, comfortable stunt-mush was what I expected, and that's pretty much what I got, they aren't going to change the formula at this stage and at least by 'M:I4' they'd settled into a repetitive rut that was enjoyable enough, but not very different film after film. This one bucks the trend in some ways: yes, he still has long hair this time, it's even commented on, and the gang's all here (with one exception), there's gadgetry and stuntery, but it's a lot less wisecracking, there's a much more serious tone. I appreciated that, but where was the thrill and excitement of those early entries in what became such a long-running series. It chugs along like a behemoth as if it's got the weight of the seven previous films dragging it down, but it's not like it's crucial to have seen them - even the previous film of which this is a direct sequel is summed up at the start, as you'd expect for newcomers, and while it's fun to see the series tie in to some of what came before, like the film as a whole, it's rather heavy-handed. I was relieved they didn't try and make every film and villain lead to this moment, although there was some of that with the Rabbit's Foot, or the 'Anti-God' device, somehow connected to the Entity (maybe - I didn't quite catch all the details), and Jim Phelps' son, Jim Phelps, showing up (I've watched every episode of the series from the 60s and 70s in recent years, but it took them revealing police detective, or whatever he was, 'Dan Briggs' to be Phelps, Jr., for me to remember Briggs was the name of the original IMF leader!). It was nice in some ways to see clips from the other films, but I dreaded the retroactive turn into some major plot of interconnectivity that would push even the bounds of this series' believability! But it didn't.

The other thing that gave me pause early on was this cult of the Entity that was given a quasi-Christian feel with the adherents talking about Noah and the Ark and the flood wiping everyone out, but again, fortunately that side of things got about as much development and depth as most plot points (though someone does mention Noah again later, saying something about he must have wondered what it was all for - destroying the wickedness of the time and restarting, but fortunately, if anyone knew their Bible they'd know a second worldwide flood was promised never to happen, sealed with the sign of the rainbow when the atmosphere of the planet was changed forever), and it all settled down into a reasonably inoffensive trudge. What we're all waiting for, and it seems the film is, too, is the Big Stunt, the one Tom Cruise gets to do for real. I first thought it might just be the vehicle rolling over earlier in the underground car chase, but that was too small fry to be 'it' and then I remembered the Blu-ray case and its image of an upside-down biplane, so I knew what was coming, and it was almost worth seeing the film for, but my advice for the curious but uninvested would be to skip straight to that and bypass all the needless wild goose chase - a goose chase makes it sound more exciting than it was! It really was a stodgy mass of grind up to the big moment, and I sometimes found it hard to fathom characters' motivations. I suppose Gabriel, the big villain, whom we never learned any more about, simply wanted to control the entire planet and remake it in his own image, but he wasn't the most interesting opponent (if not the worst we've seen, either - that award still retained by the old guy in 'M:I4' who... pretty much wanted to do the same thing).

The big early 'shock' was Luther Sloan, the loyal computer whizz who's been in every film to lesser or greater extent since the beginning, the only one to be alongside Ethan all the way across this thirty year series, is killed, and setting the style, it's in a bit of a needless, pointless way as if merely to up the jeopardy, but I can imagine the actor didn't fancy running around at his age any more. His role was largely taken over by Benji (to the extent this supposed 'Q Branch'-style boffin is first involved in an actual fight, albeit one that ends with a bookcase on top of him, and later given team leader status when Ethan isn't sure he's going to make it back, which is patently ridiculous!). All the way through I was expecting Luther's demise to be a blind and really he'll show up at the end, alive and well, 'surprise!' It was purely due to the moment of death not being shown on screen. I was almost as equally surprised that Rebecca Ferguson didn't return as I'd thought it had been confirmed that she wasn't really dead in the last film and she'd be a part of this one somewhere, so right to the last scene I was expecting her to appear. I wasn't surprised they didn't kill off Ethan, ever since they almost did at the end of 'M:I3' and then Jeremy Renner seemed to be coached to be the action man to take his place, and then wasn't, Hunt's been certain to survive, though I'm at a loss where he got both a parachute and a backup, since it seemed like, as Gabriel said, there's only one, and he's got it. I expected Ethan to leap out after the villain's dead body, free-fall down to where he was dropping and recover the parachute, but no, although having seen the behind-the-scenes extras on the disc I was impressed Cruise did an actual drop with a burning parachute himself. Insane!

The real star of the show was William Donloe, the surprising breakout character that began the series as a hapless victim of Hunt's necessary deeds, a comical character only really there for amusement at his baffled gormlessness - I knew he'd be coming back, but was expecting a minor cameo, so it was nice that he got a proper happy ending to his story, one I kept expecting to go badly (at least twice it seemed he was about to die - in the fire at his house and then with the bomb in the tunnel), but it definitely seemed they wanted to redeem this guy from the Purgatory he'd been exiled to in the first film, and they gave him an understanding wife (very understanding, apparently, since she never even batted an eyelid at the fact their home of thirty years had been burned down - unless William never got around to telling her that bit since she was off on dogsled adventure when that happened...), and a happy, fulfilled life, which again, I kept expecting to end since he is an expendable character, but he gets to be the hero not once, but twice! Delightful, and redresses the balance of the past in a neat little bow. Who'd have thought he'd end up being part of the IMF team Ethan assembles, haphazardly as it is, joining Benji (whom we just can't seem to shake from the series!), and Paris, Degas and Grace from the previous film. I especially enjoyed having characters return, particularly Paris and Briggs: the former gets to continue her redemption as former 'Mayday'-like bad-gal, the latter revealed as Phelps' son whom Ethan has to impress by succeeding at the end. Disappointed no one else from the old films showed up, other than Angela Bassett as the President (!), and Kitridge there to cause trouble again, but considering this is supposed to be the final film (dependent on Paramount's need for dollars, I suspect), it would have been nice to have assembled more characters from past escapades.

No one else on the team dies so they could easily continue the series, but as far as I know this was meant to be the last, at least until they reboot it or do something different with it in the same continuity. But then that could be a marketing ploy - I almost went to see it in the cinema for sentimental reasons, even though the first one in the series I saw 'live' was 'M:I2' and the last was 'M:I5,' so I haven't been enamoured enough with the direction of the last four to make the effort and I was glad I didn't: it was fine as it was, but it's far too 'fate of the world'-level to really care, when you go that far it's too far beyond the personal and so you get confusing plot points like the President has to decide whether to blow up an American city for some reason (which seemed ripped right out of 'The Dark Knight' and its two ships with a button to blow up the other on each). I don't know, to prove they won't use their arsenal against Russia and China, maybe? For such a momentous part of the plot, it didn't come across very clearly. In reality, on realising their Cold War enemy no longer had the means to defend itself the other two countries would immediately demand the US capitulate to any and all demands, but the whole set up was so plotty: the Entity is going to blow up the world, but only after sealing itself in a vault, but that's also when it'll be at its most vulnerable and they can trap it. But Gabriel wants to control it... And everyone's second-guessing what they're doing because it could all be an elaborate ruse by the artificial intelligence to get them to comply... I can imagine a far better film full of paranoia and only the true friends sticking together can pull victory through, and anyone could be someone they're not - even in the older films they had the face masks, but now the Entity can digitally recreate anyone, but that never got explored.

Plotty, that's just the word for it. Maybe they were trying to squeeze in too much because a popcorn thriller doesn't need to be almost three hours long, it's supposed to move deftly and efficiently, not trundle and bump along like a jalopy. The characters have never been developed enough for it to be an enjoyable experience merely to be in their presence, and as much as I like most of them, it was quite hard work in the first two-thirds of the film. There wasn't even that much to note or nitpick because the story was progressing so glacially. It became more of a man on his own mission, so there's not a lot of interplay or split-second teamwork. So what else to say? It showed that it's time to put the series to bed, Cruise can't hide his ageing any more, not that I mind seeing people older than me still repeating their greatest hits, and I seeing how they accomplished some of the plane stunts only adds to their glory, but as an entertainment experience it's far too weighed down. They try to throw in some positive messages about working together, and only by trusting each other can we defeat entities that are out to divide us, but it's all very simplistic and shallow. Would I really choose to wade through this and the last few films if I was after something good to watch? Probably not, they've become more of a mere accompaniment to life, continuing something that's been around these last four decades and is familiar and comfortable, but nothing more than that, where when I was younger I was blown away by the excitement, ideas and execution.

Part of the fault must lie with Director Christopher McQuarrie who I take it is someone malleable for Cruise to collaborate with, but I feel a director needs their own definitive vision (for that matter, why doesn't Cruise simply take on the full reins of directing himself?), and for the first two-and-a-half they had that with well-established action directors giving each film in the series its own very unique style and approach. Once that formula misfired with the fourth in the series, they settled on McQuarrie for these last four instead of branching out and having a James Cameron, a George Lucas, or a Spielberg, a Nolan, whoever, but someone that brings something visually entirely different. McQuarrie's fine, but I liked the idea of each film having its own strict identity. Having seen the entire TV series in the years since, however, I do understand that all the stories start to blur together and if you keep trying to top the stakes of the previous one you get, well, 'Fast & Furious.' I assume it's all about money and Cruise control, because the music was another area that doesn't stand out at all and I discovered the two composers are people I've never even heard of before so it seems they're trying to go cheaper to keep the profits high. Not to say all these people don't need to break out and find success, and maybe that's the reason (I assume), no one's particularly excited to make an 'M:I' film since it's been around so long and is just more of the same.

One thing about this film in particular is that it's no longer escapist, they're trying to hit on current themes, supposedly to hit the 'zeitgeist,' but what was great about the older films was you didn't have to think about modern problems, it was just expert, cunning precision plotting and action. Granted, I'm now older and harder to impress, I've seen it all before in this and other films, and I suppose that's why these things tend to be aimed at teens or twenty-somethings, because they don't have either the life experience or film-watching experience to be as unimpressed (though I did enjoy the references back to 8-inch floppy disks, the kind used by the Commodore 64 in the 80s - although I'm not sure it made sense for the data to be on such an old medium in the late-90s...). I didn't have many actual nitpicks for the film because it didn't seem all that detail-oriented, although I did baulk at the President of the US directly contacting Ethan until we later find out it's Bassett's character who obviously has history with him. I did find myself surprised he doesn't seem to have the same aversion to killing that he used to - I know when he ordered 'zero body count' in the first film it was because they were breaking into the CIA, but he's generally been quite a moral hero regarding such things, only killing when necessary, but here he violently goes after the goons that were threatening Grace and himself when all that was required was to knock them unconscious. At least we didn't see it all, happening off-camera in a semi-humorous way with the violence portrayed in shock on Grace's face. In fact this was one of the more restrained films in the series, especially considering it's the most recent one and films tend to be increasingly graphic, always have to use their quotient of one really nasty swearword, etc, but there was very little bad language and the violence wasn't extreme, so I appreciated that side of their decision-making.

Hunt/Cruise loves to run, so there's always got to be scenes of him pounding through streets or whatever, but it does make you wonder why he didn't simply borrow a car, hot-wire it and be on his way? I also did not buy Luther's reassuring words about being right where he wanted to be, born to be there, etc: what, strapped to a bomb that's about to go off? For all the series' reliance on gadgets and intelligence, they're beaten by a metal gate? Come on! Hunt would have found a bulldozer and smashed through the wall to save his friend. Occasionally there's a spot of realism to appreciate, like when Donloe's Inuit wife whacks a Russian soldier with a shovel and he merely looks at her! But then shortly after that is when you see Benji in a fight, which stretches credibility... It's hard to sum up a series I first loved and has been going for thirty long years, even though I wasn't there right from the beginning. I'm glad it exists, and to be honest, wouldn't be shocked it keeps going with a ninth and a tenth instalment if Cruise's appetite for stunts entices him back, but you can't keep putting your body on the line year after year in your 60s, so maybe he has retired for good. I can imagine a limited TV series being a suitable alternative with Cruise either absent or the boss giving out the orders, but at the same time that just doesn't seem his style. Where next for the IMF? I don't know, but let's have some serious editing next time, it really doesn't need to be as long as 'The Fellowship of The Ring'!

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