Child's Play

DVD, Voyager S6 (Child's Play)

Seven goes all mother hen on the Borg children, quite a change from her initial discomfort with the role. The story is quite a shocking one; discovering your existence was simply to be a weapon, that your life was created to end, is horrifying, but somehow I don't think it came across as powerfully as it should and this lessens the impact of the revelation.

I always hoped Voyager would increase continuity, but I never really warmed to the Borg children as it made the ship seem a bit like a creche. Icheb was hard to like in many ways too, being a bit staid, and personality-less in some ways. Also these sorts of episodes take away from the main characters, without a strong enough secondary world, so successfully crafted on DS9. There were some really nice effects however, such as the escape from the Borg sphere, but again this takes away from the threat of the Borg, another example of an easy getaway, albeit inspired. The colony on the planet made a really good visual contrast too, with stark outdoor lighting making every detail stand out, right down to Tuvok's ears! There are nice scenes, such as Mezoti waking Seven up from her regeneration station, but I think Icheb's parents weren't quite as strong characters as was needed.

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