Repentance (2)

 DVD, Voyager S7 (Repentance) (2)

If anyone ever says 'Voyager' couldn't do complex stories or deal with morality this is a great example to hold up in response. Watching it, you experience the conflict of struggling to believe the change of heart (or more specifically, mind), that has overtaken the convicted murderer, Iko, while simultaneously wanting it to be true. And yet also feeling the need for justice and punishment. It could make Trek look rather soft and naive if his was the only story of the episode, that this horrible criminal, intent only on unloosing pain on a hostile universe, should be so easily 'cured,' if behaviour can be seen as something to be cured, and then go on to live a productive life that we'd never know about because the ship is always moving on. If Seven had had her way perhaps Iko could have become a recurring character and shown rehabilitation in action, week to week, but this wasn't really the series for that, and it doesn't end all pat and a nicey-nice showing that remorse and resolve to live right works, happy ending and all (even though life goes on, so it wouldn't have been an ending). But we don't have that reward, Iko has changed, we can be sure through both the medical evidence and with his reaction to a chance to exact revenge on the hardbitten gaoler who is so frosty through experience with these violent men that he won't even admit the chance of a change. It's a harsh lesson, one that Iko won't be able to benefit either himself or his society from, since where he comes from they give all power of sentencing to the victims.

Victimhood was the key point that I took away from this, because it is unpleasant to think that anyone could get away with the full stop on a life of these heinous crimes, no way back, and you don't want to identify and sympathise - there's a good chance the sly, evil man is playing with you, manipulating any way he can. I felt this was a good episode for today's times because for one it's against capital punishment and reminds us of the Federation position, while also spelling out the arguments for such justice when Seven argues with the Doctor who is entirely uneasy about transporting these murderers to execution, perhaps the biggest reason being the chance for redemption. But a society controlled by victims is a society without objective reasoning and without mercy, and it's frightening that we seem to be heading toward that dystopia where every little emotional distress caused someone can be viewed as a crime, whether it was the victim's sensitivity or way of life that caused them to be more susceptible to such distress, or not - the idea of offence being an offence in law. It also means to be a victim is to be in a position of power, a source of recompense for perceived wrongs, rather than strict, objective justice, and shows the result when Iko has no second chance despite all the evidence stating that he should, even if it was to live to make recompense to the victims of his crimes.

But the episode isn't one-sided, it shows the leering face of those who would escape true justice by throwing up excuses, by manipulation of those who would try to help them as Neelix is taken in by Joleg, the self-styled victim of racial profiling - his people are given stiffer sentences, are viewed more suspiciously, are the real victims of society, and while Neelix sees that much of this appears to be true, we're still dealing with a crafty individual who will use whatever means he can to avoid his guilt and sentence. In contrast to Iko, Joleg is charming, polite, good company, but is shown to be just as ruthless when his brother arrives in a tough little ship to break him out, and almost succeeds. While it was necessary for the story and was an exciting part of the episode, none of that made much sense: Voyager is up against one tiny ship, yet somehow it causes enough damage that the forcefields in the Cargo Bay go down! How could that happen with the limited damage it was even able to do, let alone the necessity of such key systems needing to be the last to fail (what about emergency bulkheads sealed by forcefields?). It also makes Starfleet Security look useless that they're unable to prevent a rush of these criminals when they have the weapons (wide-angle stun setting?), and are so easily overpowered. The one other mistake in that sequence was the Phaser Joleg hands to Iko to finish off gaoler Yediq was surely on kill setting, but when Iko instead gives it to Yediq, he shoots the others and it seemed more like a stun (certainly we aren't told, but if Joleg had set it, then he'd have put it on the highest setting and completely vaporised his enemy).

I saw a lot of good Christian values in the willingness of Seven and Neelix to visit those in prison, to dole out civility and respect for them as people rather than merely holding strictly to duty, even if Neelix uses the excuse of protocols in how prisoners are treated - it was going above and beyond for him to play Kadis-kot with Joleg, or to agree to send off the transmission to his brother, and it's not like Neelix to be so easily played, but being aboard Voyager did emphasise the softer aspects of his nature to the extent it was like he'd found a loving family and had let go of the rough edges he'd needed for survival, so it does show that even too much safety and comfort can weaken the instincts, though I'm sure he'd rather it was that way than the alternative of being a drifter who doesn't trust anyone. Seven being willing to assist the Doctor in treating Iko was another great example of the being Janeway had helped to create through her tough love and support - even though Iko had threatened to kill her and held her hostage, or later, the Doctor asking for her help, she remains matter-of-fact and has no strong feelings either way. She doesn't wish to spend any more time in his presence than she needs to, but she's neither frightened nor horrified by him. Part of that must be due to the parallel Seven can't help but see between them, and this is another key element of the plot that raises it above basic action or drama.

She still feels the guilt of what she was made to do as a Borg and showing what mentorship can do for someone, she strives to give Iko the support she received from Janeway when his apparent conversion has become irrefutable. The truth of it is clear in the way he no longer gains pleasure from hurting others and simply wants to die for his sins until Seven helps to show him that there could be a future for him - another strong Christian lesson in the idea of one person being killed for their crimes, and yet Seven has found redemption, despite the unfairness of what she did in the past. Without intending it, the writers created a strong illustration of God's grace, shown in how Seven was treated, rehabilitated and now lives productively having learned how to live, even though she still struggles with feelings of guilt for her past, all very inspiring. It's still perhaps a little too easy to suggest major crime is the result of a 'neurological defect' rather than a choice someone makes, and that Iko was in no way responsible, but that's all part of the moral complexity of the story and would provide ample discussion, as the most interesting Treks do, something we don't really see any more as moral positions are increasingly confused in today's world.

The equivalence of what Neelix' game board might be worth to him as opposed to a detached judge, was another point of interest: to the judge it's merely a board, to Neelix it could be a priceless family heirloom, but you'd also think that such circumstances would be taken into consideration since there's a definite value judgement to be made, if proof could be given. I liked that Tom Paris, Voyager's resident ex-con, mentioned his time in the Federation penal colony and his experience of everyone convicted having a 'story' and not to take them too seriously, but perhaps he could have been more involved in the plot due to his background. Then again, maybe that would have been too obvious, Neelix and Seven's interactions with the prisoners were full of potential, but you could do the same story with each of the series' characters and come up with different approaches each time, the hallmark of a great collection of characters. There's even a new way of looking at the Doctor when he succinctly explains to Iko that he's made of light, which is why Tuvok's Phaser left him unhurt, to which Iko responds wistfully that he wishes he was made of light - a poetic idea that is more than the mere science of holograms can express since it says so much about Iko, not to mention the Doctor. There was one thing about that, though, as the Doc says Tuvok's friendly fire may have caused a feedback loop in his emitters, but surely the emitters are separate so the beam only went through his visible form (for that matter, we know he can lose solidity when he chooses, so it might have been easier to simply walk away from his captor!), if he meant THE emitter it'd have made more sense, but being in Sickbay he wasn't wearing it.

If there're nitpicks to be had, I'd also cite the idea of setting aside the Cargo Bay and building a whole new set of cells! I can understand the Brig might be too small, but can they really afford to expend all that Replicator energy on a temporary building project? It was necessary for the story, and you can tell story is king, and it certainly doesn't affect what is a powerful drama, but with only a few tweaks here and there they could have had a watertight episode that only adds another layer of satisfaction for viewers. I'm also unsure about the Prime Directive being cited since surely that doesn't apply when dealing with a warp-capable species, which these appeared to be, but then the PD tends to be there as a buffer whenever there's some issue to deal with.

Casting added much to the story with Tim De Zarn (whom I'd confused in my mind with Francis Guinan - Zar in 'Live Fast and Prosper'!), who goes all the way back to 'TNG' ('Starship Mine'), in his fourth and final Trek role (to date!), as Yediq, the gaoler who finds himself shocked at the realisation of Iko's genuine reform. Jeff Kober who was so strong as Iko would return in a less memorable role on 'Enterprise' ('Shadows of P'Jem'), Greg Poland (presumably the Security Officer that yells at Yediq to stop beating Iko), had played an Elloran in 'Insurrection,' and the familiar face of FJ Rio was in his fourth of five Trek roles, most notably as semi-recurring Muniz on 'DS9,' whom I best remember him as, but would have one more Trek role in 'Enterprise' (to date!), with very similar alien makeup, perhaps a reuse or modification? If 'Voyager' had had more successes with its morality plays like this one it may have gained a better reputation in those stakes like 'DS9' and 'TNG' (perhaps even 'TOS'), but it's not what I tend to think of the series for, especially as Janeway is so inconsistent across the years, and while at one time the action would have been enough, the way things were shot or the effects work eventually looks basic or of a time, but the power of story never fades. It's almost up there with 'Duet' on 'DS9' as an examination of crime and justice and is something Trek has done so well in the past. The only equivalent I can think of nowadays is the 'SNW' story 'Ad Astra Per Aspera,' a thoroughly boring and wrongheaded courtroom 'drama,' and it's clear Trek's current shape doesn't have much room for anything beyond the action and effects - I imagine in time that will show itself up, while a classic like this one will, and has, stood the test of time.

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