Time

 DVD, Stargate Universe S1 (Time)

A cliffhanger ending? Or are we to assume they got the second time-travelling kino and thus none of these events happened? Is it a kind of two-parter? I don't remember, that's the fun of seeing these episodes again, and while this wasn't a bad episode, hard sci-fi, time travel shenanigans and all that, it comes across as unfinished and slightly unsatisfactory. I can't say I was overly keen on the device of having the vast majority of the story take place through the eyes of the kino. They really love that, don't they! Ironic then that even the non-kino camerawork is quite similar, the camera loves to sway gently in the wind as if hovering there, and that, more-so with the kino, can be a touch tiresome! It was a story, that's for sure. And it was shocking when people start dying - quite gory when Chloe gets bored by a burrower bug like something out of the 'Alien' film Eli had already mentioned. And it's equally creepy for the characters to be watching what happened to them, or technically, though they didn't know it at the time, what was going to happen. Having the kino record everything and then get sent back due to a solar flare is fine, and it would be horrible to have to witness the deaths, gradual or quick, of your friends and associates, Chloe throwing up, Greer exiting the room, others riveted to the unfolding story. I sort of wish it had been as riveting for me as the audience, but while it's okay, much like that episode of latter 'Atlantis' where they were simply aping zombie horror films, this is just one of those sci-fi horror escapades they clearly wanted to try out.

In saying that what I mean is there aren't as many of the elements of the series that make it of interest over and above a slick production. We do learn things about the characters (such as Eli's Mother is sick from HIV which she got in an accident in her job as a nurse, or Johansen has a sister), but we're never that close to them, either through the kino or the hovering camera style always makes them seem slightly removed. So Eli baring his soul to the dying Chloe, which should be a tremendous moment was not quite the big moment. It doesn't help that I find the pair of them a bit drivelly! As much as I like the characters, they can come across as among the most annoying in a series that does feature the kind of typical 'Stargate' hero types alongside ordinary civilian bods. Chloe's a bit oblivious and self-obsessed, while Eli's her shadow, following her around like a mewling kitten pathetically begging for friendship while jealous of others. Even Young annoyed me a little when he's too soft on Scott who's just heard Chloe's died (for the second time!), when they're soldiers and should be concentrating on their mission, which is to save everyone else. Scott redeems himself by twigging to the idea of sending a kino back once again so they can get a heads-up that it's the water they got from the ice planet that's causing the terminal illness, and the bug venom that can cure them, so it did at least have a good ending.

It's not that it's a bad episode! Again, it's fine, perfectly competent, looks good, though a little desaturated with so much happening through the eyes of the kino. It's just that it's difficult to care that much since it is called 'Time' and we do have time travel and so there's clearly a way out for anyone who died, however many times it happens. And I do know that most of the characters are around till the end, so there's that, I know. There's a deal of chatter or philosophising which decreases the pace of the story even more - odd that it's barely discussed whether anyone believes in life after death (you'd think Scott would be chiming in on that conversation), and then without skipping a beat they're talking about the Ancients and how they learned to 'ascend' to a higher plane, as if that's somehow different. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but there wasn't a lot of depth, either in the story or the lore they had to play with. They still haven't got the balance of a 'modern, dramatic series' with a 'Stargate' show, by trying to be all things to all people. I always love time travel stories, but this was more like using time as a tangent than being used to full potential. As it is there isn't that much to write about. Maybe I should lob my laptop back through the 'gate and it can warn me so I can take notes on next viewing...

**

Earth

 DVD, Stargate Universe S1 (Earth)

Never heard of Janelle Monae (credited as Herself in the end credits), presumably a pop singer included to drum up interest among the 'yoof' audience, though I'm not sure 'Stargate' or indeed sci-fi in general, fit with popular music and trying to fuse the two is a bad idea, though it is interesting to see a stupid idea which had been proposed for 'Enterprise' less than a decade before this episode came out (let's have a band play in the Mess each week!), only this time they actually went for it! It sets the tone for what is a soapy, fairly miserable, and somewhat inappropriate episode, dealing as it does with Young, Eli and Chloe's trip to Earth and their realisations about what they miss or want out of life. The fact they occasionally switch back for brief moments whenever Destiny goes in or out of faster than light travel makes life more difficult, and you'd think once it'd happened the first time they'd have the courtesy to inform the visitors every time it was about to happen, just to give them a warning in case they were, say, naked. In the shower, or whatever. In Young's case he's abusing his position for intimacy with his ex-girlfriend or whatever she was (wife?), while Chloe gets drunk and Eli has fun on the dance floor. You would think there'd be tough restrictions on what is and is not allowed when you're inhabiting someone else's body, so it was quite unappealing to see these people's attitudes, let's just have fun, doesn't matter. Even what they eat should be thoroughly vetted, so going about as if they own the body they're in was extremely unethical.

If only the story had concentrated on the shipboard plot in which Telford leads a mission to dial the Stargate while refuelling in a star since that's when they have the most power. He's playing games with their lives (as are the young scientists involved), but there's a frisson of legitimacy since his orders come from above and are specifically sanctioned by General O'Neill in Richard Dean Anderson's second appearance on the series. Oddly we don't have Stargate Command any more, but 'Homeworld Command' - I can see why they'd drop the Stargate from it since they have a fleet of spacefaring ships that are used as much as the 'gates were, but is this actually some higher up organisation or is it the new name of the SGC? A shame we lose that part of the franchise if so (not that it matters, since this was pretty much the last part of the run). Good to see O'Neill again, of course it is, it always is, and he even mentions Carter, but I'm not sure it was a good enough episode to use him in, as I'd prefer he's the icing on the cake of the best episodes rather than a small role in what I would say is the weakest, in a small way. As I said, the shipboard story is by far the more interesting as Rush tricks Telford into thinking the place is about to explode and is very pleased with himself. Is he holding something back, would the experiment have worked if he'd have got behind it, and will he do everything in his power in order to remain as the brain of power on the ship? Young certainly thinks so, entrusting Eli with the task to find out if he's double-crossing them for his own ends.

Rush doesn't want to go back to Earth, he's very happy with the task or puzzle he has before him, and while he got cranky due to caffeine cold turkey in a recent episode, now he's through that he's not going to want to give up his self-imposed life's work, and it could even be that he's responsible for stranding them all there in the first place - you can certainly believe if it was in his power to do that he would have done it, it's more about whether he had that opportunity or if he's simply adapted to the situation and seen it for what it is. I'm not sure we ever found out since the series was prematurely cancelled, so speculation may abound, but he's certainly gone through his share of difficulties and unhappiness so it's not an obvious answer either way. It makes his character more intriguing and because Telford is such a boorish character you enjoy Rush's little triumph, and more so that some of the others, like Brody, appeared to be in on it. For once even Greer doesn't have anything but good feelings towards Rush, especially as we learn Telford was the superior he assaulted and landed him in hot water. In other news Eli wishes Chloe loved him. And that's about the most 'fascinating' thing you can say about that dull plot strand. They can use Eli well - when he visits his Mother but has to pretend to be a coworker is his strongest scene: he can't be completely open and has to remain at a level of boundary that Chloe and Young don't, since their nearest an dearest are in on what's happened.

The series is very much about factions, and who's on whose side, the office politics, the actual politics, and I suppose that is where they draw the majority of their drama from. Perhaps that's also why the series didn't catch on, maybe people still wanted a tight-knit little band of heroes who go off for adventures each week, with semi-recurring plot threads, races and characters to bolster the simple sci-fi. 'Universe' looks the part, it really is nicely shot and lit, the characters have a lot of potential and there's a lot to uncover about this flying mystery that is the Destiny, but naturally it is slow going because they don't want it to be 'used up' too soon. Going back to Earth might sound like a good idea, and I do like that they have some form of contact, they aren't completely alone out there, but at the same time they can easily fall into the trap of soap opera and when I think about it I often wasn't so keen on the Earth-based stories in other 'Stargate' series' anyway, so the fact this one relies on it to some degree isn't a boon. Still, nice to see the ship firing off its weapons for, I think, the first time, nice to see O'Neill, and the double dealing and power struggles are good to watch. But it wasn't quite there, and I wasn't sold on the shock cliffhanger of Telford showing up at Young's lady's place, presumably to fool her into thinking he's her man.

**

Equinox

 DVD, Voyager S5 (Equinox)

A stark contrast between holding to the ideals and principles of Starfleet and abandoning them in the pursuit of success. What did the crew of the Equinox think they were getting back to? That they could just return home and cover up how they got there, or that Earth was the goal and they didn't even consider what was beyond reaching it? Because Starfleet would have found out. Somehow, even if they could have blown up their ship just after rescue, Starfleet isn't stupid! While Ransom was accusing his crew of forgetting what they were playing for, for the sake of a shower and a hot meal it was actually he himself who was forgetting: returning home wasn't as important as acting as Starfleet officers to the best of their ability. They had been through a lot and there may have been mitigating circumstances, but to murder sentient beings and so forget themselves as to ignore the ethical implications of that... let's just say it proves Janeway's rigid way was the right one. Many times she or her crew had been faced with potentially giving up on the dream of a quick and easy return in exchange for years of toil, death, trapped away from their society. And yet, some ships do that by choice, taking on long-range missions that could last many years before ever meeting other Starfleet vessels. That is the nature of the organisation: to explore, to seek out new life. True, making that choice and doing it with consent is a different prospect to being forced into it, but that shouldn't change the essential nature of what these people are made of, and if anything, should only have reinforced their desire to discover new things.

At the same time you could say that Starfleet's mission is ultimately aimless, they could never hope to meet all the alien species out there, to discover all there is to discover, the job never ends, but then that's the point, really. It's a mission of unending discovery, a new challenge in which to test their mettle, training and beliefs around every corner. While Voyager had done that with aplomb, Equinox had a far different attitude, and since that comes from the Captain on down it must be something in Ransom's psyche that allowed him to abandon his principles. We've seen Janeway and her crew lose everything (the Kazon took over Voyager and dumped them on a dangerous planet, for one), we've seen the occasional rebellion, even from those closest to her (Tuvok was involved in the effort to retrieve Sikarian technology which would have solved their problem and got them home much quicker), and not forgetting her personally having to give up command and resolve to live out her days on an alien world with only Chakotay for company ('Resolutions'), but none of this dented her confident sense of belief in what was right or wrong. If they had to give up on going home then the next goal was to find a way to survive and make the most of whatever life they could have. Otherwise it was a dedication to never back down, never give up, a wholehearted resolve to carry on however bleak the odds may be (taking on the Borg or Species 8472)...

That is the strength of this episode, in showing how far Voyager has come, not just in terms of space traversed or lightyears travelled, but in how close they have remained to their principles and what could have happened if they'd left them behind. I can't help but wonder if this story was in some way a response to the arguments that early 'Voyager' should have had more conflict between Maquis and Starfleet crews, that integration was too easy, more drama could have been squeezed out of it. But I've always appreciated that they didn't go down that route - there is plenty of conflict and drama in the first couple of seasons, but it came mostly through the machinations of a Cardassian spy, not the inner trials of living with those who'd been booted out of Starfleet and gone to join the Maquis. It was still supposed to be an optimistic, positive idea of humanity, even if they don't all agree all the time, and just like in 'TNG' they would learn to get along very quickly because that's what people of this fictional time are supposed to excel at. 'DS9' was different because it showed the fallout from a major event in Starfleet's existence (more than one - the Borg, but also Cardassia's withdrawal from Bajor), and how it affected those who survived, but also it had the possibility of non-Starfleet peoples interacting on an ongoing basis with Starfleet.

Equinox are the Maquis in many ways - they were Starfleet, but they joined their own cause: the one in which getting home at all odds was not only conscionable, but desired and acted upon. There can be various arguments about how they ended up that way, whether it was because they had a smaller, less powerful ship designed for short range planetary missions, they had a smaller crew, or their technology wasn't as powerful. I did like the design of this Nova-Class creation, smaller, weaker, still with an EMH, but in every way not quite as good, again showing they didn't develop like Voyager did, as the Doc's blossoming was a result of how they came to treat him (and it's another episode like the previous one, where we get evil Doc!) - they don't even have Holodecks and rely on alien tech that would be shown in Part II, calling it a poor man's Holodeck! However it's looked at they did go back on what they had promised to be as Starfleet officers. When the crunch came they weren't willing to sacrifice themselves. Even after the first nucleogenic life-form had died in their captivity they could have made diplomatic efforts, but they simply used that as an excuse to move to the next stage and the next. You see early on that they've left Starfleet ways behind: they call each other by first names, even the Captain (it's almost surprising they still wear uniforms except they probably didn't have power to spare to replicate new clothing - it shows that some can look like Starfleet on the outside, but yet not share the values, appearances being deceiving). He claims rank and protocol are luxuries, quizzes Janeway on how far she's gone to save her ship regarding breaking the Prime Directive, and quickly realises she won't be sympathetic to the Equinox' ways. So once again they get themselves in even deeper by actively mutinying against the command structure.

I don't know if it was from this episode I got the quote of when more than one ship is working together command falls to the vessel of tactical superiority, but as soon as Janeway said she can't pull rank on Ransom that immediately came to mind, and of course later in the episode that's exactly what she cited and followed. Perhaps a reminder of her inconsistency as a Captain, just as much as the episode being a reminder of Voyager's origins and how much it's gone through to get to where it is. I wonder if Janeway would have been so quick to abandon her ship if the circumstances had been reversed and a more powerful Starfleet ship overrode their years in the Delta Quadrant and ordered them to abandon Voyager? I suppose they tackled that question to some extent with the previous season's finale, 'Hope and Fear,' but it does seem a little harsh she's so quick to give up on Equinox. At the same time it's a harsh situation, it mean survival and a decision must be made. I would have preferred Voyager to perhaps start to gather the odd ship around them as they got closer to the end of the series and their journey, but then the stock shots of a single ship flying through space would all have to be changed... Cynicism aside, there is something sad and beautiful about this single ship venturing on alone through all these years so I can see that changing the nature of the series like that might have been a step too far (though perhaps they could have added Neelix' ship and the Flyer to this Starfleet vessel to create an instant fleet!), but maybe they could have bent the rules for a few episodes or half a season just to shake it up?

Talking of breaking the rules, when Ransom asks Janeway if she ever broke the Prime Directive and she replied she hadn't, I wondered how accurate her statement was. She mentions bending it, but has she broken it? I don't remember specifics well enough to recall instances when that question came up (Tuvix was technically new life, wasn't he?), but it seems unlikely she never did! Otherwise she's been a great Captain, and while you can see similarities between her and this Ransom in the sense that he has the loyalty of his crew and when he's revived, his first thought is for them, the mark of a caring Captain, they are still poles apart in execution. I don't believe Janeway would ever have acted underhand in the way Ransom did to ensure his position. With the addition of these other Starfleet people it adds a little more connection to the Alpha Quadrant and that can be seen in things like Max Burke reminding B'Elanna of a Klingon insult she used to call him, or mention of the Caretaker. I wanted to hear how Equinox had been swept into the Delta Quadrant, were they near the Badlands? Also, I didn't catch whether they were launched after Voyager - presumably they were out there before since they assumed Voyager had been sent to find them, but were they captured by the Caretaker on his Array, what were their experiences there? It's a shame we couldn't have had a more recent ship that knew about the Dominion War and such, but it wouldn't have been possible because now that I think about it, obviously it had to have been taken before Voyager since they were the ones to end the situation, no one else was kidnapped after them!

One area they could have done more in was having the Equinox crew consist of a few aliens, not just humans. That way we could have had more Alpha Quadrant species again (I'm always looking at how they could add these races into a series that was so far off the beaten track), or even a familiar character who'd been in 'TNG' or 'DS9' would have been nice. But I can see that might have taken some of the focus away from this tight-knit group, and the fact they were all human only made them seem tighter, I suppose. Also, they are the baddies so anyone who'd been there before who we wanted to see again would also have to be a willing accomplice. Still, it could have thrown up even more interesting drama. One race that gets a mention are the Yridians with whom Captain Ransom is said to have made first contact. 'Enterprise' would seem to contradict that since we saw at least one of them in that series, but you can always easily dismiss any problems there since it was so long ago, it was pre-Federation and we don't know what happened to all the NX-01's logs or if they even knew what a Yridian was, so there's no real issue - even if there were a loophole, it's thrown in in the very next line about both Borg and Federation believing them to be extinct, which means they must have known of them before first contact occurred. No harm done, and it shows Ransom does have some diplomatic qualifications, but things don't stay the same, people can be led off the correct path to make bad decisions and who knows where anyone could end up, especially if they give up their beliefs for something that becomes more important to them.

It is enjoyable to see Voyager through fresh eyes, whether that be having a child aboard (Naomi makes a charming cameo - I half expected her to say to Gilmore that she looks like her Mother!), or the delights of clean corridors and plenty of food. It makes you realise how well Voyager has maintained itself, perhaps a little too much considering all they've been through, but then again it is a more advanced ship, at the cutting edge when it was launched five years before. That would be my argument against turning it into a dilapidated hulk - that's part of the pleasure of the series, too, seeing those clean lines and tidy decks. The Equinox in contrast is absolutely mashed internally, and there's that enjoyably creepy start where Voyager's crew explore this dark and flickering environment, especially with the prospect of nightmarish flying creatures that have desiccated the bodies of anyone who came into contact with them. I thought, for the most part, these creatures were well designed, looking like some evil harpies of some evil realm (much like Species 8472), CGI allowing them to do something a bit different that would have been far more challenging to accomplish prior to this point in the development of the technology. The real horror is reserved for what was done to them, and perhaps the story loses some of its power when you already know what's happened and what is going on.

That said, it does still remain a strong story, whether that's down to some good camera work (the shots pulling away from or pushing in to Ransom in his command chair, across the Bridge, were memorable), or the intrigue of these new characters, the psychological implications of what they've been through, and perhaps more precisely what they've allowed themselves to become party to. It all adds up to a good finale to the season, this time ending on a cliffhanger as none other than Captain Janeway herself is attacked by the flying devils on her Bridge and that's the final shot... I'd have liked to see Equinox warp off and maybe more damage done to Voyager to make it look more serious, but the episode is more than its cliffhanger and that's really only nitpicking ways it could have been better. Good use is made of our crew's willingness to stick to their guns and yet they've still managed to get to this point where Equinox meets them, and that's a good lesson to draw from: the tortoise and the hare perhaps, or doing their job of exploring, gathering as much information as they could while also looking for shortcuts, but not indulging in those options they can't agree with. Winning at all costs is less important than being true, don't give up, persevere, even if you're forced to become resigned to a fate don't use it as an excuse to throw out your belief system and act as others would who haven't had your training or preparation... Yes, there's lots to take, and there's even a recall to 'Insurrection' and its crooked Admiral, when Janeway asks how many lives it takes before it's unacceptable to murder - in the film it was the Ba'ku, in this it's these life forms, but the comparison is there, especially when this came out only a few months after the film.

Rick Worthy had a small role in the film and appears as Lessing here, but had also been in this series prior ('Prototype'), plus 'DS9,' and would return in 'Enterprise' in a recurring Xindi role. Otherwise, the Ankari Captain (which was a good design, though they could just as well have been called 'donk-ari' as they looked a bit donkey-like!), was played by Eric Steinberg (Porter in the film 'First Contact'), and as mentioned in my previous review, Steve Dennis, in two episodes this season, including the previous, was credited as Crewmember, though I don't know which he was. Does Season 5 live up to the idea I've long had of it being the high watermark of the series? I'm not sure. It's difficult to judge when so much time has passed (especially with myself watching the series again so slowly over so many years in between other reviews). I think perhaps it is, but maybe I don't have quite as strong a position, it's not unqualified, Season 4 impressed a lot, but perhaps in relation to 6 and 7 when I felt the series grew a little staid and failed to live up to its billing as the only Trek series now that 'DS9' was no longer serving up new stories, it retains its crown. But it's also possible I'll reevaluate Season 6 as I come to review that and see it's not as much of a drop as I have in memory or impression. I'll soon find out as I intend to keep going with the following season rather than take a break as I usually would, since this is now the only season of old Trek I haven't made reviews for all the episodes.

****

Water

 DVD, Stargate Universe S1 (Water)

Return of the sand creature. And yet there isn't that much to write about, for some reason. The same tensions resurface between Colonel Young and Dr. Rush, with Eli caught in the middle wanting the Colonel to be told the truth as it happens, while Rush and TJ (left in charge when Young and Scott venture onto an icy planet in order to procure pure ice to save their depleting water supplies), keep some of the truth back about what's happening so as not to concern him. There's also the tension between Scott's former girlfriend (if you can call James that), and his current one (Chloe). And the tension with some of the civilians unhappy about various things and suspicious of the military. Yes, it's another bitty episode. Not a bad one, and certainly after forcing myself through the first several episodes of 'Strange New Worlds' it is head and shoulders above it, just for being all round better executed (you wouldn't think I'd be saying that about a 'Stargate' compared to a Trek, but that's the weird world we're in where Trek has shifted in its quality so much to become quite a drag to watch - 'DSC,' 'Picard' and 'SNW,' anyway). It is good to see a competently put together space series without yoofy chatter and smug 'sass' (okay, so there is some of that with Eli, but he's the exception, everyone else speaks like adults!). There's a hierarchy and following of orders, and while there is dissent, it's not in the military camp.

Other than Spencer, the powder keg waiting to blow who is accused of stealing supplies, although he does claim he had the ration packs when he came to the ship (I'm sure they'd have asked everyone to pool all resources, however, so even if true, he was hoarding for himself), but it doesn't explain how he comes to have a jerry can full of water. I'm not sure if he did steal it or not because we find out the sand creature(s), is/are using up water supplies. I loved the swirling particle design of this entity, as I did when I first saw it in 'Air,' but I was somewhat disappointed they were never able, nor did they even make efforts to, communicate with it/them. It seemed to be able to recognise faces as it recreates them (like the embodiment of the Matrix AI in 'The Matrix Revolutions'), but nothing further was forthcoming and this was one area where 'Stargate' is more apt to fall down compared with (some) Trek, where the latter is much more likely to work to make contact than go all out to destroy the 'enemy.' I also felt like Young should have been more resourceful in rescuing Scott from the crevasse, but instead he relies on brute strength to carry him through, and that's not what I got from the character before - he did seem to be a thoughtful type that could revolve situations around in his mind to find solutions. When he looked over at the makeshift kino sled I thought he was going to jury-rig that into something that could pull Scott up, but in the end he is simply fortunate that the place is so unstable a tremor frees the unconscious soldier's form and allows him to be lifted out.

No one really excels themselves in this episode, perhaps that's one reason I didn't like it quite as much, and it's more about stumbling around happening upon solutions than really great teamwork. Saying that, Johansen is brave to choose to stand outside the door where the sand critters are trapped behind, baiting them into the barrel of water and securing the lid, especially after what happened to the other guy - his being injured was her fault for failing to advise at least all the military personnel about the likelihood of these creatures appearing, as then perhaps the guy wouldn't have futilely opened fire on them: did he really think that was going to do anything? It's difficult to judge what the right course of action was there, however, since the pattern the sand was moving in looked like the kind of mesmeric display that a predator might use to freeze its prey before striking. In this case we'd already seen the benevolent side of the entity, once when it helped Scott find water in 'Air' and then in this episode when it duplicates TJ's face, so the likelihood was that it would have been benign. Even then, unless they found a way to speak to it, it would have been a threat to their water supply, so the situation was a bit of a quandary. I wonder if the ship would have sought out a planet rich in water if it dropped below a certain level, as suggested by someone?

I'm not sure on the ethics of leaving a seemingly sentient creature from a desert planet to die on an ice world, but then, once again, 'Stargate' isn't known for its ethics, it's more about gung-ho soldiery, shooty stuff, one reason it has less depth than the Treks of old. But what 'Universe' does have is that mystery of what could happen next. If even their smallest needs are at risk it makes for a different dramatic setting than the traditional 'SG-1' or even 'Atlantis' style of story where they have a problem to resolve. It's still about a problem to resolve, but in this case (much like 'DS9'), they're stuck with whatever course of action they take, they can't swan off to the next mission the day after, these issues have to be worked out permanently, or at least until they can buy more time. One thing they could have done was use the resource of the communications stones to bring in a fully qualified surgeon to give the injured soldier his best chance of survival. And when I think about it, shouldn't they be regularly using the stones to send individuals back to learn survival skills, or TJ could be getting taught advanced medicine to enhance her range and abilities? Perhaps they don't like to rely on Earth too much in the stories, but they should realistically be using every avenue and resource at their disposal. The next episode's called 'Earth' so maybe that will play a much bigger part next time? Finally, I'm not sure why Young and Scott couldn't head right through the 'gate instead of it being deactivated when the sand creatures were sent through. Unless it was to prevent them from going back through.

**

Warhead

DVD, Voyager S5 (Warhead)

The EMH makes friends with a WMD. The Doctor tends to be an advocate for any artificial sentience he encounters - you wonder what he'd have done with Moriarty or the Exocomps on the Enterprise-D. Probably would have gotten the ship into trouble as he does here. But it's not just his fault, there seems to be a general naivety on display. Granted, Harry Kim isn't the most experienced officer, though he's no longer green thanks to his variety of experiences aboard Voyager. Still, a device that looks like a torpedo lodged in a rocky wall does appear suspicious without even having to think too hard about it, and while it may be hindsight, knowing what the episode was about, it's not like the crew haven't dealt with this sort of thing before! 'Warhead' is one of those episodes difficult to pin down as a Season 5 story simply because it has the feel of late Season 4 (Seven's involved), and could just as easily have taken place in an early season (she's not in it that much) - it's actually an amalgamation of various previous stories, which is why it seems so out of place here in The Best Season of 'Voyager' as I'm calling it (though Season 4 can be argued for). The way I came to think of it was in the same vein as the 'DS9' episode 'In The Cards,' a delightful nostalgia romp for Jake and Nog, revisiting the style of adventures they used to have in Season 1, thoroughly and unashamedly a throwback. Weirdly, 'Warhead' is in exactly the same position: the penultimate episode of Season 5.

It could be that this stage of the season and series meant the writers wanted to kick back a little and reminisce about the old days, it could be complete coincidence, or it could simply be a budget-saving initiative (after all, you have to have the 'Transfigurations' to get 'The Best of Both Worlds'!). The latter is most likely because this isn't really a nostalgia trip like 'In The Cards,' it just happens to share many elements of Seasons 2 and 3: 'Darkling' is an obvious link since in that the Doc was taken over by the evil sides of various holo-characters. 'Dreadnought' is the most strongly associated story for me, where B'Elanna was dealing with a sentient bomb, only on a larger scale. Even the title is similar! 'Prototype' is yet another early episode where we can see connections, in which an alien war that is now over is being continued by the robot weapons they built... There's also the sight of Kim and Torres working together, something you just don't see so much these days, but was a common pairing early on (beginning with 'Caretaker'). Then there's 'Lifesigns' in which a living consciousness is housed in a holographic body. Not to mention 'Drone,' which pretty much gave them the ending, and which, while not remembering anything about this episode, I guessed would end the same way, the character of the week sacrificing itself against the enemy. Perhaps my imagining of this being a latter Season 4 episode is because it uses the same cave set with glowing yellow lighting as the location of the weapon as that seen as the planet in 'Demon.'

All told then, this isn't the most original story and smacks of trying to knock one more out before the season finale rather than being especially memorable in its own right. And yet, this mashup of so many things that had gone before does have that nostalgic element to it. At the same time it does have some problems - why would you beam up a torpedo-shaped device and put it right next to the Warp Core! That was the single most dunderheaded move of the whole thing - perhaps because all these modern Treks have such vast sets, endless rooms of empty space, that more realistic Trek of old looks comparatively claustrophobic, but even without ginormo-sets there must be a Science Lab free where they could house this thing which wouldn't make it a direct threat to the Core! Of course if it had blown itself up it wouldn't have mattered where, it would still have taken out the ship in its entirety. Another big issue is how these warheads can travel at warp. It's certainly a sight to see thirty-plus of them warp off into space, but don't you need at least a couple of nacelles to create a warp field? Unless these are miniature ones housed within the casing like the USS Defiant? I enjoyed Neelix getting yet another role as Chief Cosmetic Surgeon, but could a Dermal Regenerator really be used to make someone's skin looked burned as he does to Seven? Surely it's a healing device, and though I don't think it's ever been explained exactly how it works, you'd think applying prosthetics would be outside of its capabilities from what we've seen.

While I'm pointing out the flaws, there's also the big issue of the weapon being a little too easy to talk down. It's not like Captain Kirk exploiting the logic of a machine to make it blow steam out of its 'ears,' Harry isn't really the kind of guy to have that ability. Tuvok, yes, but Harry's much more of an emotional young man whose passion is his strength, not robot-turning argument. He has shown to be argumentative at times in the past, whether with Janeway or Tuvok, or maybe Chakotay or Paris. He's learned to go for it when he thinks he's right, but that also means he can push for things when he's wrong. Somehow this machine is swayed by that nature into accepting the reality of the situation. It goes a big step further by coming up with the idea of a suicide run to take out its mistaken brethren and I didn't see how it would go from staunchly defending its mission and purpose, to standing down, and then proactively forcing the others to do so, too. It was a bit of a turnaround not entirely earned. Still, it was a better ending than that of 'Drone,' since instead of a guest character it's our Doc who voices the confusion and concerns, and that was the best scene where he's trying to come to terms with the likelihood that he's going against the wishes of those who sent him, for all the lack of especially well constructed argument it's very well played.

It's not a BIG story, it's pretty much the Doc/Warhead, Harry and B'Elanna in Sickbay while the whole ship is held hostage, and it's whether they can trick this thing into releasing control or do something drastic to stop it. But it's not a team episode, it's really down to Kim to keep bashing away at it, and from his perspective it is a good episode since we see he's risen to being in command of the night shift, gains the respect of the lower deckers, and even leads his own Away Mission. These are all important parts of the Ensign's growth, and while other characters in modern Trek go from even lower ranks to higher in a much shorter time (Cadet Sylvia Tilly and Kelvin Timeline Kirk from Cadet to command are two obvious examples, and Michael Burnham and probably others, too), giving those series' a lack of believability for Starfleet's strict protocols and progression, Kim's very gradual progression is pleasant to watch. He probably should have advanced in rank in the following season, but they really lost momentum after this season, as I recall, and though he had his moments (captaining a ship in Season 7's 'Nightingale'), he still ended the series as he began. Voyager's case is a little different in that they don't have much room for ranking up (aside from Paris being demoted and the occasional loss of a crew-member), so Kim is probably doing as much as he could in that regard and it was nice to see some fulfilment, though that kind of continuity needed to be seen more often and worked at.

Kim's overseeing of these lower deckers, represented by Ensign Jenkins at helm (played by Makeup Head Michael Westmore's own daughter, McKenzie Westmore! She'd had minor roles as far back as 'TNG' Season 1 ('When The Bough Breaks'), 'Insurrection' as one of the Ba'ku women, and even recently in 'Picard,' though uncredited), was quite nice since he was in much the same position when he started so it shows he has some ambition to stand out from this crowd. I would have liked a little more of that, perhaps scenes with Jenkins or introducing other lower deckers so that there could be a little core of recurring characters, but the series was very bad at doing this sort of thing after the first two or three seasons and it really took away from so much potential in the series that they were too scared to take time away from main cast or to define more of the crew - it's not like the cast got a fair shake every episode anyway. I think Tuvok had about one line in this one when he's Head of Security and should be seen at the forefront of dealing with this internal threat to the ship. B'Elanna's engineering expertise is again sidelined, as although she's alongside Harry in Sickbay there doesn't seem to be anything much she can do so she doesn't have a compelling contribution as has happened occasionally this season (though I liked her story about leading her first mission and getting stuck in a cave. I thought she probably meant in the Maquis rather than Starfleet, and it made me think of Kira and the kind of scrapes she got into in the resistance). It wouldn't have hurt if Jenkins had been the one with Harry and maybe they could have developed a friendship there, anything to add to the drama rather than merely having characters there because they should be used.

Other than Jenkins there weren't many guest characters (another money-saver), but the one alien they had, Onquanii, was played by Steve Dennis who had also been the night alien at the start of this season, in 'Night' and would appear as a crew-member in the following episode. I don't know if this is the same actor credited as 'Steven' Dennis, who also played a role this season (Fennim in 'Think Tank,' though uncredited), and would go on to be the Andorian Tholos in two episodes of 'Enterprise.' They could be the same guy, but it's difficult to tell as he's usually under so much makeup, so I'll have to look out for him in 'Equinox' to see if he resembles Tholos... Onquanii was another reason this felt like an early season episode since Neelix makes the introductions and he proves not to be very helpful to our crew! Even more obscure was another uncredited guy, David Keith Anderson, who played 'Ashmore,' apparently - he'd had uncredited roles in various Trek films but would appear in an episode the following season, too ('Memorial').

The concept of the night shift was interesting because I hadn't really thought of what happened after the main shift was over. Obviously we know there are different shift rotations and we've seen the crew interact outside of working hours, but it's not something to think about much when it comes to the less important part of the 'day.' There isn't really a day anyway since they're travelling through space and so they're only going by their own internal clock (and Stardates). There have to be times when the main cast are sleeping and the ship carries on under other people. Again, they could have really done something with this concept and built up the Voyager B-team that we could have seen occasionally over time, but they didn't care enough to do that. As it is, the episode isn't one of the most substantial, but somehow, like plenty of episodes of predecessors 'TNG' and 'DS9' sometimes it's enough to merely be on the ship with these characters, it doesn't have to be big, bold and brassy. It could have been a Kim episode, then it could have been a Doctor episode, but in the end it curls round to being a Kim story since the Doc isn't even conscious of all that happened when his holomatrix was being used. They still managed to get some nice attention to detail in there, as old Trek was good at: the Doc says the warhead is speaking in Duotronics, which is the type of computers Starfleet uses in its ships, or did do (there was the whole thing about Multitronics in 'The Ultimate Computer' on 'TOS'), so that was an obscure but appreciated reference. And I was wondering why the Doc asked for the containment field to be deactivated so he could get closer to the machine in Engineering as he usually walks right through, but then I saw he was wearing his holo-emitter which obviously can't phase its matter as the Doc can. Well done!

***

Relativity

 DVD, Voyager S5 (Relativity)

Amid watching the new Treks it's so comforting to go back to the old, there's a reassurance there, a familiarity that has been lost from the tone and style of what's made now. Relatively, this episode is one of the best of the season - time travel stories can almost do no wrong. It takes you back to when anything shown beyond the 24th Century was a view of hope: hope that Trek would continue beyond this season, beyond this series, beyond further series' and films. That the story wouldn't end with this segment of history. Now, of course, we don't have that pleasure thanks to 'DSC' Season 3 travelling further than anyone had ever been before to show what the Federation was like in the 32nd Century. Turns out it was very different, but humans were the same as those depicted as far back as the 23rd Century (their version) - lack of discipline, lack of sense, lack, lack, lack... At least at this time in the 'Voyager' history going outward in time could still excite. Now they have time Transporters that can pinpoint place you in any time and place with accuracy! They have a ship that looks very different, but on the inside is still recognisably Starfleet. It was a glimpse of what things could be like five hundred years later. But before we got all that we were treated to what things were like in the past, the none too distant past: Janeway's first tour of her ship, beaming aboard, stepping out onto the Bridge, sitting in the Captan's Chair, walking through the Ready Room and Briefing Room... It's a slice of bliss for those who care about the reality of this world and its characters.

It was so good they'd do it again in 'Fury' (when Kes travels back to an earlier time on the ship), and to some degree in 'Shattered' (the ship's divided into various time periods), so it shows what a great idea it was that they could continue to mine it for the last two seasons to come. Not only that, this is also a direct sequel to one of the exciting early-ish two-parters, 'Future's End,' the same character they dealt with in that, reappearing. It's a shame they couldn't get the original actor back to reprise Captain Braxton as that would have been better, but the guy here does a fine job. It's not like recasting a major character so it's not essential, but it would have been better if they could have got him. But still, we do see old faces on the crew, mostly the main characters as they were back then, but also Lieutenant Carey who would go on to have difficulties accepting B'Elanna in the role he should have had, and it was great to have him meet Seven since we'd never seen them interact as Carey's role was fairly redundant once B'Elanna took over, but he was one of those faces that came back now and again, ultimately being killed off right near the end of the series, a cruel fate to mete out. Just as I'd have preferred them bringing back original Braxton, I'd have liked to see some of the other minor characters established in 'Caretaker,' like Rollins or Cavit, maybe Stadi, though I suppose most viewers wouldn't remember these bit parts well enough for it to be worth it.

Still, they cram in all kinds of wonderful nostalgia moments, from the attack by the Kazon (did they reuse footage of the ships or was it new - I'm guessing they probably saved the money!), to the EMH first being activated and meeting Janeway, the old bun hairstyle, mention of the Maquis and Tuvok's role on Chakotay's ship, as well as the Badlands, the first mission the ship went on (not to mention a fun exchange where it's suggested the Federation owes its existence to the Borg thanks to the events of 'First Contact'!). So it's full of delights, but not in the way modern Trek shovels in as many references and characters as they can get just to try and appear authentic. 'Voyager' didn't need to try, it was authentic, it didn't rely on past glories to sell itself as Trek, yet also managed to boldly go into its own legendary status, true to the tone and ethos of its forebears. When they did choose to look back it had all the more resonance and while I can nitpick that characters didn't quite look and sound as they should to be convincing as their past selves from a few years before (in other words, why doesn't Chakotay have any grey in his hair?), there was enough of a similarity to note the difference - the EMH isn't quite as brusque and deadpan as I'd have liked, but it's still a thrill to witness him meet his Captain for the first time. I loved the little moment in the corridor when Janeway of now runs into B'Elanna of then during the Kazon attack, and just in general the conceit was lovingly played out. Wasn't the Doctor first activated in 'Caretaker'? I don't remember, and either way it would have only been hours' or days' difference.

It makes it more fun that it should be someone who wasn't around on the ship at that time who carries out the missions initially - seeing Seven in a Starfleet uniform was great (as it was when T'Pol did the same on rare occasions in 'Enterprise'), and interacting with the environment. There did seem to be a point when things didn't quite hang together, however: namely when Janeway goes back in time to finish Seven's task. Earlier, she remembered seeing the chroniton readings on her first day on Voyager, recognising them, but doesn't mention it happening again during the Kazon attack, but when she goes back we see the version of her at that time remembers the readings from her first day, so surely our current Janeway would have remembered both instances, or she shouldn't remember any instances, from Drydock or Kazon attack. It's not a flaw, maybe the second memory was less distinct amid more pressing matters, while her first day on the ship would be more solidified in her mind. Or it could simply be put down to the vagaries of time travel and it hadn't happened originally. (I can also say carrying around a 29th Century Phaser wouldn't help one to blend in...).

There were so many things that were a delight to see or hear about Janeway's first boarding of Voyager. For one thing we get to see Utopia Planitia Shipyards, and it's all happening in space, there's none of that later stupidity of ships being built within gravity on the ground! Just as we'd seen before with a holoprogram of the Enterprise-D being constructed, it adds so much weight to the history and sense of place, one of those things that remind you of the days when Trek took itself seriously where it mattered, true to its history. And the Admiral reminding Janeway she's a scientist first, then a Captain since it can be easy to forget that aspect of the character. Or Janeway setting up the release of Tom Paris from detention, saying everyone deserves a second chance. It's all so nicely put together. It's not merely dry nostalgia fodder either, there's real drama from the fact that Seven has only limited jumps before she's damaged or killed, and most importantly, the sense of finality and sober defeat when the order to abandon ship is given. It doesn't matter what series or film it occurs in, it's always one of those dramatic moments that resonates so deeply because the ship is also a home, it's the vehicle that takes us to these adventures, and to go to that last resort is always spine-tingling and chilling in equal measure (even the ugly Kelvin Timeline Enterprise's evacuation and destruction was a high, and point of connection in 'Beyond' generally missing from that film series).

Again, I can wish for other things to improve the drama, such as seeing the internal destruction of various parts of the ship happening on screen, but it doesn't hurt the episode and it's one of those rare times you see the ship explode (last season's 'Year of Hell' was the previous time). Braxton mentions Janeway's made three temporal incursions he had to fix, but I'm not sure which ones he'd have been referring to, other than 'Future's End.' Maybe 'Year of Hell,' possibly 'Time and Again' or 'Timeless,' but I'm not sure. You'd think he'd have cited a few more, too, especially considering how the series ended with a direct temporal violation from Janeway! But since it isn't real time travel the writers didn't know they were going to do that then! One factor in the episode that could have added a whole other dimension to the story and might have made it more compelling in a different way is only touched on briefly: the idea that your past self could be held accountable for your future self's actions. That opens up a whole thorny issue of whether we're the same person throughout our life (in spite of changing all the cells in the body every seven years I think it is), and if we did have the ability to see the future would that be enough to hold someone in order to prevent the crime. And if the crime therefore never takes place, why are you holding the person... There's also the issue that we see different Braxtons (and I don't mean the actor who played him). At the end of 'Future's End' he claims he never experienced the timeline of being stuck on Earth for thirty years, in which case he'd have less of a reason to wish Janeway harm.

One other big problem is why Braxton runs around the ship with his bomb when he could have simply set it off anywhere. I suppose he was trying to find a location where it wouldn't be detected and he wasn't suicidal, he wasn't going to set it off wherever he was. There was some hope for him since he did plead for leniency by giving them the point at which he could be stopped, but it's all very confusing over what version of Braxton there is at any one time. If he's later contrite does that mean that his criminal past self should be treated better because he went on to change his mind. Or was he simply playing the system and knew the jig was up, he could do nothing so may as well do what he could for himself. I must say I loved his uniform with the same logo Chronowerx appropriated in the 20th Century, and we obviously get a chunk more of life in the 29th Century (though I'd love to know more about the alien we see), compared with the tiny timeship and single character of Braxton in the earlier story, even if it it's still minimal since they always wanted to leave as much speculation and room for manoeuvre for future stories as they could. Unfortunately that means lesser minds have come along with their own agendas and corrupted Trek or muddled it and because not enough was tied down had free rein, so it's a two-edged sword. All we can do is be grateful Trek lasted at the top or near the top of its game for so long and we can always time travel back via those old episodes. It doesn't stop it from being tainted by newer visions (I struggle to get through most current Trek, forcing myself week by week), but it can still be loved and enjoyed, even without the hope of more great Trek in the future.

****

Light

DVD, Stargate Universe S1 (Light)

Doesn't end quite as triumphantly as I was expecting, in fact it ends on a note of suspicion and distrust: did Dr. Rush know Destiny would survive her entry into a star, or not...? If he knew then he was playing some weird game with the people, perhaps to see how they'd react, or to see how well Young's authority would survive. I don't remember the answer, but Rush is a complicated man. It plants a seed of uncertainty where the animosity and strained relations had previously thawed. I don't think he knew, I think he really would have preferred to die than live out whatever remaining years he might have on an unknown planet with 'strangers,' as he calls them. That was the fascinating thing about this life and death situation: seeing how individuals react. Young comes up with a very equitable way to decide who will go on the escape shuttle with Scott and Johansen, we see some threaten, some plead, others just accept his decision, but everyone has a stake. I was coming to the episode knowing how Destiny recharges itself in a star's corona in a majestic, incredible display of power and engineering, so I knew they'd survive, but I really wasn't in any more privileged position than when I first watched since it is a TV show set on this ship, clearly they aren't going to destroy it or it'd all be over. What I did like was that the stakes change from the fate of Destiny to the fate of the shuttle and all those aboard.

I like that the situation from the start is treated with gravity and dignity. The only public display of insubordination comes from wildcard Spencer (did Young call him Telford when he was later discussing what happened with Greer, or did I imagine that?), who we've seen is a boiling pot that's due to overheat any time now, but this time he comes up against his volatile mirror in Greer who's quick to knock him down (and out), when he tries to stir up the crowd in his fear and anger. Otherwise the idea of a lottery and people sombrely taking their places, one by one, was all very real and horrible from both groups' perspectives: for those left behind they have no hope, but for those given hope it's an uncertain one with a harvest of survivor guilt to confront. Young easily could have agonised over fifteen people best qualified to survive, as Camille wanted, and narrowed down the list that way, but he is a just man, he made a decision, as any commanding officer should do, based on how he believes things should be, then stuck with it despite any argument to the contrary. The only thing missing was input from Earth as you'd think Young would be checking in with them before they lost contact forever. This above all things should highlight that it isn't really going to be game over.

It crossed my mind what if they could select a group of people, say those on death row or who don't wish to live - could they have exchanged all the people aboard Destiny through those communication stones so they could live out their lives back on Earth in someone else's body? It's a chilling thought, and extremely immoral from every angle, and I don't even know if the stones would work like that, but it wasn't anything anyone ever even brought up. Amid all this serious stuff Eli's feeling a little disappointed when Chloe goes off with Scott - clearly he's not her kind of material, and as for Scott he once again makes me wonder what form of Christianity he practices because he's still happy to be quite loose with women. I know it was a tough moment, but even so you'd think that would make him call a halt to any untoward behaviour, or maybe he doesn't really believe in the sacrament of marriage? Either way, Chloe really isn't worth it, Eli, always happy to run off, then of course when she's got no one else she gets all touchy-feely with Eli! We see those left behind deal with their impending doom in different ways: some settle down for a card game, others prefer solitude, some attend a service in which they recite The Lord's Prayer as a group, and others just sit and watch the glowing fireball they're heading for. One point that could sway towards Colonel Young's suspicion of Rush's foreknowledge is that he's content to wait it out alone with a book, but more than that, that's he's very calm and not frustrated at all, in worryingly good humour, accepting of his doom.

One thing I had never thought of was that our intrepid gang had never actually seen the beauty of Destiny from the outside. This is achieved thanks to Eli's idea to turn the documentary he'd been recording of various people saying who they are and what they do, into a message in a bottle, hopeful that one day this infinitesimally small device will be found in the vastness of space - not just our Galaxy, remember, but the entire Universe itself (hey, that would make a great title!). My concern would be that it's most likely going to be dragged into the star since they're so close, and was consequently a pointless exercise, but then it did give them their sight of the ship, so perhaps it was all worth it for that? As ever, the visuals are a feast, the orange glow permeating most indoor scenes, and the external graphics are stunningly realised. The ship powering up all systems is a high point, lights coming up all over these gloomy interiors as if to emphasise the success they've had, bringing light into every dark place. That the situation becomes about rescuing the shuttle adds danger and tension because they don't 'need' that for the series to continue (but there were so many main cast members aboard that they weren't going to destroy that either, let's be honest!), and there's some great thinking to retrieve the shuttle just in time - teamwork, skill, stakes... this is what Trek should be (and used to be), so good work 'Stargate,' showing us how it should be done, this is the first I could truly say was a strong episode.

***