Deadlock

DVD, Voyager S2 (Deadlock)

There is a tension early on in the episode, despite the deceptively calm opening scene in which a heavily-pregnant Ensign Wildman helps Neelix with various problems in the mess (he mentions using replicators as the airponics yield has been low - I wonder if that's because Kes burned up the plants in 'Cold Fire'?). I don't know whether it was because I knew Wildman would give birth in this episode, but I was just waiting for the moment when she needs to be rushed to sickbay. From that moment the action grips and doesn't let go for a good ten or fifteen minutes, like a Bourne film. Its pace jabs along like a boxer on the run, the teaser goes on for quite some time, only breaking off for the opening credits just at the moment you most want to see more, as the problems on Voyager escalate and wounded crewmembers stagger into sickbay.

Knowing this to be the best Vidiian episode of the series I had forgotten how little the organ-harvesting aliens appear. Though I thought the initial damage was being caused by them, it isn't, and they don't actually cause any trouble until near the end, when we get to see what a Vidiian attack from a full-sized warship could be like - people being chased through corridors like cattle; anyone they find mercilessly shot down and coldly evaluated for their worth, measured in healthy body parts. They are only there at the end, but the shadow of the Vidiians is cast early on, causing the ship to seek refuge in a plasma storm, its green, shimmering space-wonder beauty belying a deadly trap.

The irony of the story is that Voyager is destroying itself without any outside assistance - two versions of the ship occupy the same location in time and space, which is as difficult to get your head around as time-travel and alternate universes! Trust Brannon Braga to come up with a mind-bending sci-fi spectacular with oodles of action, suspense and what may be the most dramatic and exciting tale since the pilot, and one of my favourites from the entire series. He cut his teeth on 'TNG', but it wasn't until 'Voyager' that he began to create these blockbuster action-thrillers heavily dosed with threat and ideas. There is some evidence to suggest he might have had some quiet inspiration from the 'DS9' episode 'Visionary' which had been produced only the previous year. Both episodes have a character going from one 'reality' to another and ending up replacing their dead counterpart (O'Brien in that, Kim in this), and both see the central vehicle obliterated (DS9 is blown up by the Romulans, Voyager self-destructs - that was done so well as the hulking Vidiian ship yawns over the smaller victim and they attack it just as they do individuals on board, by boring in!).

Minor characters such as Wildman and Hogan are nicely used, slotting into the jigsaw like useful pieces, in a way that later seasons tended to shy away from. But it really enhances the episode to show more characters we care about being injured or in distress. All the main characters give excellent support for the story, and not one outshines the others so that the episode could be said to be a true ensemble. So many aspects of the episode I wish could be in every episode because they show what the series is capable of achieving. The EMH proves heroic (he is programmed to be so when the situation requires it, after all!), performing a foetal transport (cool concept), saving the baby so it can go with Kim to the surviving version of the ship, and generally proving an excellent professional. Likewise B'Elanna, who carries on despite having seen her friend Kim sucked into space. Janeway on more than one occasion has to concede defeat, though which of her does it more I can't keep track of - abandoning the bridge as it collapses around her, and taking the grave decision to self-destruct Voyager, twice over. All this and she gets flipped out of her command chair, oh the indignity of it all!

The 'small' fact of Voyager's first birth, the beginning of it's possible future as a generational ship is only a footnote in all the mayhem, yet of course it would go on to be more important as the series continued. At this stage the poor, half-Ktarian creature (cute little forehead horns included) doesn't even have a name. I like the way they find time to reference series continuity and running jokes such as the Doc asking Kim if the EMH on his version of the ship had a name! Kim replies he didn't have time to ask, which some have highlighted as a blooper since Kim was part of that Voyager as long as the dead Kim was on the 'real' Voyager, but I surmise that he meant he had never got around to asking if the EMH had come up with a name, and that would probably be true of the deceased Kim too, since it's extremely rare to see him in sickbay and he probably shares the least number of scenes with the Doctor. The ensign gets to show off his heroics just like Tom did against the Kazon in the last episode, this time bursting into sickbay, phasering a Vidiian, rolling under a console to avoid an enemy blast and popping up to fire at the second Vidiian!

To add to the fun we get two Kes' and then two Janeway's - captain's always seem to meet each other at some point: in Kirk's it happened many times, and Picard too. I don't recall Sisko meeting himself much, but with such an explosive personality the universe would probably have imploded! This wouldn't be the last time Janeway met herself either, it seems to be something most captain's make a habit of. One thing that stood out to me that Janeway does and that I can't imagine any other captain would do, is making a blanket for the new baby. She is able to keep her motherly side, yet also exudes command and can make the tough decisions, shown to great effect in this episode. I enjoyed hearing her mention walking home from a tennis match in a storm as that comes from Jeri Taylor's semi-canon book 'Mosaic'.

All in all this is not just a well-judged action story (I hesitate to say perfectly-judged as there are a few scenes in the middle in which eyes may glaze over for a few seconds as the tech-speak takes over, but not for long), not just the best use of a villain to this point, not just the chance for all the characters to display their professional qualities, not just a chance to see Voyager all mangled and messed up (let me guess - like me you thought the clean, pristine Voyager was going to be the one to survive?), not just an allowance for the ongoing story and personalities to be dipped into (Janeway exhorting her counterpart to get her crew home was brilliant), and not just a rollicking science fiction concept to addle your brain. No, this is all that, mixed up in a blender with a touch of weird for flavouring. And just remember: weird is part of the job.

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