The 37's

DVD, Voyager S2 (The 37's)

For the beginning of a season this isn't immediately obvious as a suitable way to start. It begins with the incongruous discovery of a 1930s pickup truck floating in space and encompasses the first ever landing of a Starship on a planet, a colony of humans abducted by aliens and some people from 1937 stored in cryostasis. Nothing is heavily reliant on previous knowledge, but at the same time you have to keep up rather than the characters and situation being gradually reintroduced as you might expect. It's not that strange when you realise it wasn't exactly meant to be the season opener. It and three other episodes were filmed at the end of Season One and kept over for Season Two, perhaps to save money. On the DVD it's used as the opener and actually it's a fine example of a 'Voyager' episode and by the end does reinforce the isolation they're in compared to the other Trek series'.

If it hadn't been for watching 'The Next Generation' episode 'The Neutral Zone' recently it probably would have played better, but immediate comparisons can't be helped as they both centre around a group of people in cryostasis that come from the 20th Century and must learn to live in their new surroudings. Similarities end there (and inter-series continuity is upheld as it's the same method used in both cases) and this one becomes as much about the other humans on the planet - those that came from other 37's who were not held in stasis and were used as slaves by unknown aliens. When Trek tidies up some plot holes from the past (alien abductions and the disappearance of Amelia Earhart) it helps to ground the series in our reality, just as the crew were grounded in their own reality of a home they've left behind thanks to the cities these humans have built.

I wonder if the 37's were never unfrozen because of the uprising by their fellow captives and the Briori were keeping a few people hidden away from contamination in case they needed breeding stock. Whatever the reason the other humans left them alone, although it's strange they managed to learn to use the alien technology, but never worked out the cryostasis units. It may be that they were venerated as being the only pure humans that had only ever known Earth and so the humans assumed they were dead and they were never disturbed. (as confirmed by Evansville - what a name! They should have called the planey that: "Welcome to Evansville, I'm Evansville"). Gene Roddenberry would have been pleased that the humans showed the same promise as his Earth people - they also are the architects of a thriving, positive civilisation without war and poverty and all done without Starfleet and the Federation.

The heart of the story is what the crew will do next, though it comes near the end of the episode. Much wistful talk of staying and building a new life on the planet ensues, almost enough to convince us that quite a few might stay. When Janeway and Chakotay walk into the cargo bay and there's no one there, it fires up the family spirit as every person aboard has decided to stick to their duty and their Captain, their mission to get home the highest priority. The episode also has novelty value in the ship landing (blue alert a logical progression from red and yellow), and seeing the monument to their travels perched majestically on the surface was quite a thrill the first time I ever saw it. Quite fun to see sky and clouds out of the windows where darkness and the pinpoint light of stars is the usual panorama.

In speculation I wonder if the series could have done something dramatic and actually stayed on the planet for a few episodes or a season. I've always thought a colony series could be fantastic as whenever we see Starfleet types surviving in the wilderness it shows off their skills and training better than ever. They could still have travelled around the system in the ship, gathering resources for the planet, and eventually going back to exploration and the journey home as would be inevitable. I expect such a detour would have been considered a waste of time, but look at the Klingons in 'DS9' Season Four - that was a detour from the way the series panned out, but it was great!

I would also have welcomed one or two of the 37's staying aboard Voyager, but again, it might have taken away from the main characters, although I think that adding recurring characters actually enhances the regulars and their environment, making it a more real place (plus it gives you someone to kill off dramatically without pulling the cast apart!). So a good start for the season, even if it really was only a continuation. You'll get the hang of that cliffhanger idea eventually, Mr. Voyager!

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