Human Error (2)

 DVD, Voyager S7 (Human Error) (2)

'Hollow Pursuits' by any other name, would smell as sweet... How's that for quotations, Icheb? I believe this episode came about due to a bet Robert Beltran made to Brannon Braga who was attached to Jeri Ryan at the time, that he wouldn't write an episode in which the character his girlfriend played kissed Chakotay, and this was Braga's response. A canny move, it lives up to the challenge while sneakily bypassing it at the same time, and yet it remains unresolved by story's end and allowed for planted seeds to have the potential to sprout and grow, showing Braga's qualities as a writer. Of course he wasn't the only one credited for it, but I think he had a strong hand in its execution. It may all be an apocryphal story, I'm sure I've read interviews, but can't think of a specific quote. Either way it makes a good tale, and the tale it led to itself isn't bad. It marks a firm line in the sand as to the direction of Seven's arc, a natural progression following her experiences in 'Unimatrix Zero' which she refers to as inspiration for her exploration of emotional connection and a greater integration into humanity. It was something the modern writers of 'Picard' entirely rejected, ruining Trek's inspirational, optimistic style and instead turning Seven into a bruised, battered and broken person who'd all but left her Voyager lifetime and learnings behind for the sake of cheap drama, amid other obvious agendas, one of the horrors of that horrible series (minus Season 3 to a large extent).

But it can't take away from the hopefulness of this new direction in Seven's life, that she no longer finds mere duty to be fulfilling enough. Yes, she ends the episode believing her emotions must be put back under lock and key for the sake of her physical survival, a big step backward, but a necessary one for the time being, yet it also hints at a possible future for her where she is able to reduce her reliance on her Borg implants and gradually make the full transition back to the humanity that was ripped away from her as a child, and you'd expect nothing less. Data was content to realise a certain level of aping humanity, but though he was built to resemble his creator, he was still a machine, and his ultimate sacrifice to 'complete' his journey as far as he could go, was unsatisfying, dying in 'Nemesis.' Yet one good thing about 'Picard' (after they reinforced the original death by wiping out the last vestiges of his consciousness!), was finding a way to bring him back and make him more human than ever, the opposite of what they did with Seven, and while there's still hope for her in the 25th Century, of a return in some new series, and getting back on track, in the sense that she's still alive, it's a small and diminishing one, to the extent I'd rather not see her again after what that series did to her - if Ryan had trouble remembering how she played the character in the past she had only to watch such an episode as this to see exactly what the character could have become.

At the same time, and at the time this episode was made, they were naturally wary of tinkering too much with a popular and established character - Spock is the closest analogy to Seven, not least as I've always said she's the closest to a female Vulcan regular we ever got (even T'Pol is more emotional than her!). Both characters were wildly popular and arguably made the series they were on, but Spock had the advantage of developing beyond his series across all those films, in the same way Data's progress was a key part of the 'TNG' films, and I expect if 'Voyager' had been awarded its own continuation in this fashion (as I always imagined at the time), she and her direction towards being fully human would have been a central part of that endeavour. Instead we were denied, but that didn't prevent the series' writers from taking her a little further along the path in these last few episodes, laying down the direction of travel for the future if only Trek hadn't been taken over by those that had their own agendas and a twisted view of Trek, its lore and its characters, not the least its positive style. For that reason I'm glad such an episode as this exists to refute the misguided decisions of later 'creatives' and stands as a testament to Ryan's greatness in the role, even if she did forget it later.

It's funny that someone such as herself could be so identified with Reg Barclay, the man who started this idea of recreating his shipmates in holo-form in order to live out his fantasies. As some people would no doubt say about it, 'it was wrong then and it's wrong now,' and for once, in this case, that attitude seems correct! How can anyone be allowed to recreate the physical form of a real person, not just an abstract person, but someone they work with on a daily basis? Not only that, but take it a stage further towards actual intimacy! It's all quite bizarre, if mostly implied in the episode, but once again I say there must be strict rules governing the use of images in that context, surely they'd have worked all this stuff out when Holodecks were first introduced? As a viewer it's great seeing alternate versions of those we know, but surely the Doctor would be obligated to caution Seven against creating such a holoprogram, simply for ship's morale and the safety of its crew? At the same time I quite liked the fact that, other than him, her 'research' remains private - Janeway may have suspicions about what was going on in all that Holodeck time, but she doesn't pry, doesn't order Seven to show her. Partly that must be because she's come to trust Seven, and rightly so when you see how mature she's grown in only these few years aboard Voyager, going from frightened child, angry, rebellious adolescent, to a functioning member of the crew, and now, as shown, an integral and essential part of the ship's safety - where not being at her post is shown to compromise the running of the ship!

It's a big development, and it's been a quieter one this season as some of the other characters have been granted a little more of the limelight and Seven has been a touch more in the background throughout, so it's nice that they've generated a new direction, or pushed her further along it, even if what holo-Chakotay said about how she holds herself back is true, preferring the comfort of the 'metronome,' an apt metaphor for her entire existence of rigidity and order, keeping chaotic emotion and risk at bay. One question I do have is about how accurate was her (or the computer's), extrapolation of B'Elanna and Tom's baby shower - did Kim really replicate nappies with the Starfleet logo on them? Actually that should set up a good joke about modern Trek: nappies, poo, their insistence on plastering the Starfleet logo on everything... I just can't think of it right now. Fortunately... If personal privacy in terms of holoprograms was an issue nicely dealt with here, another issue came up regarding all those giant windows surrounding everyone's Quarters - holo-Neelix suggested curtains were needed, you never know when you're going to dock at a busy spaceport, and for that matter, with high-powered telescopes or sensors it could be possible for any old alien to be peering in across the vastness of space and I'm surprised this has never been addressed before. The closest I can think of is in one of the later 'Lower Decks' episodes Boimler moves into Quarters where the glare of the Bussard Collectors sends in a piercing red light, and I think it was dealt with by adjusting the transparency of the window itself, something that makes perfect sense.

The story did make me wish for more scenes between Seven and Barclay - both had emotional and social problems that led to their unorthodox use of the Holodeck, and it's interesting that Barclay had so much to do with the ship, especially that the majority of his appearances on the series were during Seven's tenure aboard. Their similarities should have given them more screen time together, although I'm not sure Seven especially would be in a place where she could confide in him as she's eventually forced to do with the Doctor. I was wondering, as she called for help and I noticed he wasn't wearing his holoemitter, whether he would put it on before going to her, or simply beam her to Sickbay, but of course she was in a Holodeck so he could easily transfer himself there! I must say the teaser itself confused me a bit, even though I knew what the story was about - I didn't see the significance of Seven playing the piano. Yes, she had her hair down in uncharacteristic style, but it wasn't until the episode opened and she's without implants, which is discussed, that I realised that was meant to be the big surprise! She's delightful as ever in the endearing way she has of talking so formally even about everyday niceties, my favourites being her dinner invitation to holo-Chakotay, expressed in the suggestion he could attend a meal to evaluate her work in preparing it. Or when she asks B'Elanna about her 'grooming regimen'! But the absolute best was about making her Quarters more personal (she could replicate some items and disperse them throughout the room!). It's funny, yet so true to the way she thinks, once again in stark contrast to the below-par writing in modern Trek when so much is done so lazily and thoughtlessly as if it doesn't even matter.

Even Seven's look is softer for her time in the Holodeck, she wears her hair in a more relaxed way, the clothes she sports, whether the extreme for her dinner engagement, or the uniform (which always suits her very well), are actually holographic covers over the top of her existing regeneration suit, which was a great touch, as was the ability to cloak her implants to appear more fully human, despite her rarely seeing herself in the programs. That she wishes to be able to sleep instead of regenerate, socialise one-on-one, and be seen without the Borg connection are all natural and believable desires for the character. And this fantasy of hers goes so deep that she even feels the need to return to the holoprogram to tell her version of Chakotay that it must end, when she's already got into trouble for leaving her post to go to the Holodeck, and when she could just as easily switch it off and never go back. But it's so real to her, as is this Chakotay (though I'm somewhat grateful the expected 'His Way' side didn't appear). Icheb didn't have much play in the episode, but he was so enjoyable as the even more inexperienced person coming along that doesn't understand her moods or reactions, saying the wrong thing and giving Seven the chance to express so many minor emotions, from irritation to resignation, switching to masking her feelings, and often leaving the guy baffled. It adds amusement and impresses even more with how subtly Ryan is able to communicate complex thoughts and feelings. I wouldn't say it's one of her best episodes, there have been plenty that have challenged her ability more, but as a late shift in direction or speed up of that goal, it works, and works well, living as an eternal reminder of what should have been done with the character when she was eventually brought back.

***