Repentance

DVD, Voyager S7 (Repentance)

Exceptionally well directed by Mike Vejar this begins energetically, full of hand held cameras and edgy shots, but becomes a strong commentary on the death sentence. For America where many states have the death penalty the punishment is probably acceptable, but in the 24th Century of 'Star Trek' even a few years of incarceration is considered harsh in many cases, and generally criminality is considered a form of mental illness, at least among human offenders. It becomes a different matter when the judicial system is an alien one, and yet again the Prime Directive prohibits involvement.

You could look at the story as being simplistically against execution, but there are subtleties to it. FJ Rio, excellent as Muniz in 'DS9', plays one of the alien prisoners and is a case of appearances being deceiving. He at first seems innocent of the crime (and he may well be, we don't know either way for sure), but when the chance arises he's willing to kill and take advantage as well as any of them, hardly the sign of a penitent man. Iko, however, is portrayed as a victim of his own impulses, in the same way that many criminals have been shown to be, as early as the Original Series' 'Dagger of The Mind'.

That the treatment of the Doctor could cure him was a surprise to them, and I think the moral of the tale was that, while those that commit crime should be punished, the events surrounding them should be examined, and if it was possible to change people like that, then it should be attempted. On the more frivolous observations I really liked the design of the aliens, and particularly their uniforms, with the little lights on the front. The story successfully brings us round to caring about what happens to Iko, just as he is brought round to accepting the punishment for his actions, but running parallel is Seven's own guilt, and to handle the depths of a character while putting out a thoughtful story, well presented, and one in the true spirit of Trek's tradition of social commentary is to be applauded. My only suggestion is that it might have benefited from more of Paris' experiences as an offender, although it does crop up briefly, although then it could have become typical of other episodes that have focused on him.

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