Maneuvers

DVD, Voyager S2 (Maneuvers)

This tale, which brought Seska and her master, Maje Cullah of the Kazon, back into the series is quite good, but unremarkable in terms of what there is to say about it. Chakotay gets to be a hero, there's an exciting attack on Voyager and a daring raid in which transporter technology is stolen, and Torres gives some impassioned (but not beyond the bounds of protocol - she seems more acclimatised to Starfleet working than Chakotay for a change!) defences of her friend and first officer, and the Kazon arc gets going this season with various sects coming into play and mention of the Trabe, the Kazon's first enemies. Deep Space Nine also gets a brief mention when a Federation signal is discovered, and at this relatively early stage certain people still get excited and hopeful about the prospect of Starfleet finding a way to contact them.

Seska appears for the first time in her true Cardassian identity after she was unmasked as a spy in Bajoran disguise last season. She still has concerns for Chakotay, B'Elanna and some of the Maquis, though we might choose to disbelieve what she says, she does go to the trouble of impregnating herself with some stolen DNA of Chakotay, as if in a desperate desire not to lose contact with those on Voyager. And if there is that connection she wishes, it is set to provide more trouble both for Voyager and the Kazon. Chakotay acts more in the vein of the Maquis with his decision to sort out Seska alone, but he stops at destroying the stolen component, handing himself in to Seska. Why didn't he keep moving, attempt to disable the Kazon vessel and steal one of their own shuttles? It might not have got him very far, and if Voyager was alerted that he had a chance they would be more likely to disregard his warning and come after him. He may also have had a long term plan to gain Seska's trust and get her to see that the Kazon would kill her once she was of no more use, perhaps initiating a plan for both of them to escape?

I may be putting more thoughts into Chakotay's head than were there, but Janeway and the crew were there to save him, despite Tuvok's logical advice to follow the first officer's plan and not come after him. This was the logical thing to do, but is it a continuance of the distaste between the two officers that existed at first. Tuvok also points out to Chakotay that while Seska used him thanks to her intimate knowledge, perhaps he could do the same. Chakotay fortunately accepts this with a grim smile, knowing it's true, so he seems to accept Tuvok doesn't really have a personal vendetta against him, whereas at one time he would have done. Another crewmember lets Janeway down in the footsteps of Tuvok and Harry Kim, and others would take that sheepish walk into her ready room for a dressing down at one time or another. Even Janeway herself would let the side down on one or two occasions ('Night'; 'Equinox'). All the characters appear, but only Chakotay, Torres and Janeway feature heavily, although Tuvok gets to take on the Kazon when they board, and the occasional action scenes do keep the momentum going.

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