Live Fast and Prosper

DVD, Star Trek: Voyager S6 (Live Fast and Prosper)

A kind of comedy episode, or as close as the series comes. To begin with, once you get over the initial surprise of seeing impersonators of Janeway, Tuvok and Chakotay, the episode seemed okay, but nothing special, with some nice character scenes spattered throughout. It's only towards the end as bluffs and double-crosses mount that you see the true quality, and very clever it was too. Mix that with a side-story about Paris and Neelix, the worldly-wise pair, dealing with being conned (and trying to fox the Doc), with the fun portrayals of the aliens, some good-looking new alien faces, and the way Mobar develops a real fannish appreciation of Tuvok so that he always stays in character, and the episode adds up to a great time!

Mobar is funny when he finally meets Tuvok and gets a bit starstruck, and the suspicion between the aliens makes for a bit more drama. Most of the crew are part of the story, and it's nice to see Paris and Neelix working together, something I don't really recall since about Season Two, although that jealousy story was better than what they deal with here. Some of the DS9-like character tensions have been pretty much lost, and it's become much more like the happy TNG family, which I'm not sure is a good thing, in the balance. I was hovering between Dala's redemption and the fact she must have noticed Neelix' fairly prominent phaser, so it had me in circles for a while until she took the escape route... just as Janeway intended. I was also fooled by the Doc's disguise!

I think this season has been a rounded one for some of the characters that have been left behind in previous seasons, such as Neelix, so it's good to have him in these sorts of episode, though, as he talks of the way he used to be, I kind of wish he hadn't become quite as cuddly as he has. A small complaint, and this episode stands well, proving Voyager can carry comedy if they want to. Of note is Kaitlin Hopkins, who had previously played an even better showcase of her talents in the female Vorta Kilana in DS9's 'The Ship'. And it's rare for Voyager to have such an amazing title that references familiar Trek, but runs with it, suiting the mood of the episode perfectly!

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