Craggus’ Trek Trek:
Now, Voyager! Vol 17
Craggus’ Trek Trek Now Voyager Vol 17 brings us a generally solid run of episodes absolutely ruined by two of the worst holodeck-gone-wrong stories in Star Trek history.
Star Trek Voyager S6E11: Fair Haven
Fair Haven sees Star Trek aim for that coveted Sunday evening TV audience with a twee, patronising and entirely misjudged holodeck story that’s as authentically Oirish and entertaining as an episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys. Like 11:59, it’s a parochial drama which doesn’t really fit inside the Star Trek mould, no matter how much it tries to pretend the drama is about the ion storm, its only focus is the tedious romance between Janeway and a holocharacter, a relationship which is treated very differently for Janeway than it’s ever been treated for any other characters. Once again, though, it raises some serious questions around Janeway’s ethical principles when they stand between her and what she wants.
Star Trek Voyager S6E12: Blink Of An Eye
Time differentials have been the subject of Star Trek episodes before but never quite as thoughtfully as they are here where the hard science of relativity makes for some compelling drama and an unprecedented and entirely inadvertent breach of the Prime Directive. There’s poignancy in the moment when the two timeframes finally manage to meet and how wonder turns to hostility and, eventually, understanding. Any way you look at it, it’s top tier Trek.
Star Trek Voyager S6E13: Virtuoso
Although the idea of a super-advanced civilisation that has never experienced music (and possibly any artistic expression) is a bit of a reach, it’s also the kind of broad ‘what if’ concept that Star Trek was built on. Here it’s used as a jumping-off point for another Doctor’s-Ego-Run-Amok as his musical subroutines pique the interest of the condescending, yet amiable Qomar and he becomes an overnight singing sensation. The fame, of course, goes immediately to the hologram’s head and he has to learn the hard way what every winner of The X-Factor has learned: one day you’re the dog’s bollocks, the next day you’re just plain bollocks. Just how many bridges can a hologram burn before he can’t get back across the river? And while we’re on the subject, why does the idea of simply copying the Doctor’s program never come up? Still, Picardo – as ever – makes it fun and you can’t underestimate his innate charm and ability to make a decidedly unlikeable character both sympathetic and appealing.
Star Trek Voyager S6E14: Memorial
Time to put some characters through the emotional mill again, so who else do the writers turn to but Neelix, this time dragging in Tom Paris, Chakotay and Harry Kim for good measure. In concept, it’s a lot like the previous forgotten atrocity story Remember (where Torres bore the burden of knowledge) but in execution and staging it’s got more than a whiff of The Original Series about it, both thematically and in terms of the honking great monolith standing in a field. Sincere and earnest, this isn’t innovative in any way, but it’s well-crafted and solidly delivered.
Star Trek Voyager S6E15: Tsunkatse
An ugly example of corporate synergy overriding any artistic sensibilities, Paramount kicked its cash cow right in the udders with this crass and colourless attempt to merge the audiences of two of its flagship brands, WWE and Star Trek. While the overlap between to the two audiences is surprisingly sizeable, both fanbases found themselves united in not wanting to see the overlap play out on screen. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson makes a flat cameo appearance which belies his soon-to-explode movie star charisma and the choice to centre the adventure on Seven of Nine rather than Tuvok smacks of a desperate attempt to sex things up in an otherwise flaccid episode. No wonder Janeway opts out of most of the episode’s run time.
Star Trek Voyager S6E16: Collective
Seven of Nine + children = Star Trek Voyager gold, so it’s hardly a surprise that the writers decide to tap that well permanently by bringing on board a whole flock of lambs for Seven to care for. It’s also a kick-ass Borg story which, against all odds, finds another new angle to explore the race from by riffing on the Collective’s version of “Home Alone“. The kid cast are great and the drama balancing the tense hostage scenario with an altogether more long-term rescue story makes the episode fly by.
Star Trek Voyager S6E17: Spirit Folk
I guess having paid to rent the backlot, the writers were determined to get their money’s worth from the Fairhaven set and so we’re treated to another trip down Oirish Stereotype Lane. It’s an episode littered with needless stupidity and contrived cuteness, not least of all Harry “poor romantic life choices” Kim wasting replicator resources (which are repeatedly established to be finite and rationed) to create a real bouquet of flowers to give to his holographic would-be girlfriend. Emmy award-nominated music can’t compensate for a tired and twee holodeck gone wrong story, especially when the idea of holo-character self-awareness has, though the character of The Doctor, moved far beyond the retrograde shillelagh-infused shenanigans on offer here.
Star Trek Voyager S6E18: Ashes To Ashes
Harry “Dating Disaster” Kim’s luckless run continues as one of his exes comes back from the dead as an alien, on the run from a species who reproduce by using the deceased bodies of other races, kind of like Necro-Wombles: just making good use of the things left behind. It’s a good idea poorly explored as it can’t quite seem to make up its mind where to focus. Strong moments such as exploring Janeway’s guilt over the death of crewmembers under her command aren’t quite enough to give the story the emotional heft it’s looking for and there’s too little exploration of the Kobali, a race who see every corpse as a fixer-upper. Instead of delving deeper, the episode allocates its spare time to an amusing but ultimately awkwardly juxtaposed subplot of Seven learning how to be a parent to her gaggle of Borg foundlings, something that would have fit in much better with the following episode.
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