Resolutions

DVD, Voyager S2 (Resolutions)

A bold beginning gives us Janeway and Chakotay abandoned to their fate on an alien world, suffering from a fatal virus only staved off by the planet itself, meaning they must spend the rest of their lives there while Voyager continues home under the captaincy of Tuvok. I've always thought a Vulcan Captain would be fascinating. We've seen the like before of course - in the pilot of 'DS9' Sisko serves under a Vulcan Captain, and Spock made it to that rank in the films, but we've never had a series with a Vulcan in the Captain's chair. They are so in command anyway and able to make the big decisions with equanimity, and the conflict with a crew of emotional beings is a big draw for the concept. I notice Tuvok doesn't change into a Captain's uniform and pips, almost as if he hasn't yet come to terms with leaving his Captain and First Officer behind.

It's a reassuring thought to have Tuvok aboard, as his lifetime of experience, calm detachment and ability to step into the place of the Captain is a bonus for the ship. They know that if anything does happen to their leaders there is at least one man competent and able to step into those shoes. Not that the crew gave him an easy time of it! Harry Kim in particular makes his strong feelings known, but then he's always had a special attachment to Janeway, a surrogate mother, a firm, but guiding hand at the start of his career, much as she is a friendly voice for Kes. 'The Galileo Seven' from 'The Original Series' is a possible inspiration - in that story Spock is in command of the titular shuttlecraft which crashes on a dangerous planet and he must keep his more emotional crew mates under control when they become mutinous at his seeming lack of regard for their lives. People used to showing emotions themselves find it difficult to accept those that don't, especially when they are telling them what to do, as both Spock and Tuvok discovered.

Though Tuvok doesn't display the loss of his friend and Captain he feels it keenly, but knows his duty is to carry out her last orders. I empathised much more with him than the crew - Kim and the others think him uncaring because of the lack of response for them to relate to, which is, in a way, racist, since they aren't allowing for his people's ways and beliefs, allowing their own anger and helplessness to cloud their judgement. The scene Tuvok seems most like a Captain to me is when Kim comes to his dark quarters as he relaxes late at night in a Vulcan robe, appearing very regal and removed. The crew's best experience of his captaincy is when he takes up the idea to rendezvous with the Vidiians and when he reacts to the deception with aplomb. Far from being 'strong-armed' into the decision in the way Kim went about it, it is Kes' gentle persuasion that opens his eyes to the need to take his crew's ideas into account, and when he does that he goes for it completely, accepting all the responsibility - though the crew think he doesn't care about them, his whole reasoning is to act in their best interests, and he comes to see that the reward is worth the risk.

Tuvok has often had to temper Ensign Kim's enthusiasm and the young man's anger is what must be dealt with this time. It's funny that it should be Tom Paris who warns Harry when he's stepping over the line on the bridge in a role reversal for their characters. B'Elanna on the other hand goes into denial, wanting to put what's happened into the past and move on. Chakotay is much the same, but in his case it isn't out of turmoil, but out of peace that he accepts the reality of their situation. This shows that being with Janeway herself is what has given him peace, and not just joining his and her 'tribes' together as he puts it so eloquently in his story. He is one of the best people to be stranded, though as we know from 'Tattoo' he hated living the outdoor life when his Father made him as a teen. But he picked up a lot of survival and living experiences from the wild, from his own people and from Starfleet training (as would be seen in the next episode...).

He very quickly relaxes into their new life, teasing Janeway when she calls it the wild, since they have so much technology to aid them. The episode is strange in that he and Janeway seem to embrace life as if it's a holiday away from the responsibilities of command, and in a way it is. It frees them for a short time and shows them new possibilities, but it's also quite sad because they learn to accept what has happened and plan a long life together and then suffer the wrench of having to return to their old lives and the professional distance appropriate to their ranks - the scene on the bridge where they don't even look at each other, she just gives out orders and he acknowledges them, says it all.

We don't see the build up to the episode where they first find out they're bitten, the Doctor struggles to find a cure and they go through all the crises of thought about what it means for them, so perhaps that's why it seems they settle to it a little too quickly. Some opportunity for really powerful acting might have been missed, but the episode is still an all-rounder, a good story with scenes for all the characters and a bit of action thrown in at the end in what could be the last proper encounter with the Vidiians. It allows us to see a returning non-Starfleet character in Dr. Denara Pel, which is difficult to do due to Voyager's direction of travel away from places they've been.

Like 'Tuvix' it suggests the idea of two people being forced to live together and makes us ponder how other combinations would have fared - had it been Tuvok and Kim stranded I'm sure the Vulcan would have retained the command structure, for example. One of the saddest unresolved issues in the series is that of Janeway and Chakotay, and ironically the episode title seems to suggest the writer's thoughts on the matter, but Voyager's unique situation of travelling alone, a microcosm of the Federation, could have made a husband and wife leadership an acceptable proposition. Instead it did at least show that Chakotay had found what he couldn't in other parts of his life in serving Janeway, and that she equally needed him in their great journey home.

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