Unimatrix Zero, part I

DVD, Voyager S6 (Unimatrix Zero, part I)

Most of the Borg episodes of Voyager have an added energy and urgency compared to most, and this is no exception, although all out action is sacrificed for a more thoughtful story. What if Borg could dream? It appears a very small percentage of drones have a gene that brings them to the dream state of the title, and we get a chance to see what Seven could become eventually. The idea of a Borg revolution from within is a fantastic new direction for a race that were becoming a little boring. At the same time you can't keep a villain terrifying if you know too much about them, so each time the race appear their impact is lessened. The revolution idea helps to draw attention away from this, and provides a reason for Janeway to once again battle the feared cybernetic beings, in what could be called a second part of the Borg Queen trilogy.

Susanna Thompson never had the depth of Alice Krige's film original, coming across like a more conventional megalomaniac villainness who has a personal vendetta with our Captain. Arguably the Borg were scarier when they didn't have an obvious leader to interact with, but the film 'First Contact' felt it needed an opposing face to confront, so the Queen was introduced. As she's here and she's not going away you have to make the best of it, and they came up with a reasonable entrance, amid some exciting CGI in this episode. One factor I would cite as something to change would be the fact she speaks verbally to her drones, when the point of the Borg is that they are interconnected. These scenes would work better if we hear her voice, but it's disembodied. If she merely showed the emotions on her face it would be more powerful and spooky.

But the episode gives us a chance for more Borg battling, both hand to hand, and ship to ship, with some nice moments for some of the cast (except Neelix who only appears in one scene looking shocked in the background), such as Paris' reinstatement to Lieutenant, which he lost in Season Five, or Tuvok's mind 'bridge'. Knowing the events of Part II, the ending loses a lot of its shock value, but I can never remember being that concerned about the three Starfleet officers who end up assimilated. You knew they'd be back for the next season. Probably.

There are chances to see Borg attacking, Klingon Bat'leth fighting and hope for some of those assimilated. It's a well rounded episode. When I first saw it I felt the humanising of some of the drones in their dream world lessened the Borg as a threat, but the truth is, that had already happened, as Voyager chipped away their threat level each time they encountered them. Now I see the potential, and feel excited by the prospect of emancipation for the Borg, and the undermining of their relentless power has intriguing possibilities.

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