My first voyage with Voyager

[Qutluch]

Bbailey869, TOS is on my list. I actually started with DS9 because there wasn't a waiting list at the library for the DVDs...

[Shatnertage]

Hey Qutluch, glad to see you started a review thread. It'll be great experiencing the episodes again through your eyes.

If you thought Kate Mulgrew's first scene as Captain Janeway was bad, take a look at the first actress they cast:



I like how the look on her face when the director yells "cut" says it all.

And at 4:39, the first documented appearance of my favorite Kate Mulgrew mannerism, the dismissive hand wave!

This scene really says it all:



And if you want to see Nicole Janeway with the music and effects dubbed in, check this out:

[Shatnertage]

Shatnertage wrote:

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I like how the look on her face when the director yells "cut" says it all.

And at 4:39, the first documented appearance of my favorite Kate Mulgrew mannerism, the dismissive hand wave!

This part should have been after the second video. Didn't want to edit it and risk losing the embeds.

[Qutluch]

Kudos to casting for taking her out! She was horrible, and every one else's acting was poorer with her as captain too. She had no facial or verbal emotion; I think they found a new Vulcan!

[You_Will_Fail]

Mulgrew was occasionally good but rarely was she good when she had to convey any kind of deep emotion imo.

[Qutluch]

I haven't watched enough episodes to really have an opinion on Mulgrew yet, but she does convey disdain in her voice really well and can show emotion through her facial features better than the first option in Shatnertage's clips. At this point, I still prefer both Sisko and Picard.

[You_Will_Fail]

Oh yeah she's great at showing disdain but her attempts at emotion in later years are all overly misty eyes and a labored and predictable facial expression - simpering might be the word.

[Shatnertage]

I think Mulgrew's a fine actress, equally good at doing comedy and drama. She's one of VOY's strengths.

And she does the Dismissive Hand Wave.

[You_Will_Fail]

She has screen presence but that doesn't make her a good actress.

[teacake]

She is a very good actress, and she has really wowed me in her more recent comic roles. You see that in VOY too, she is often very much enjoying the scene and the interplay. It's not all about disdain.. sometimes you can just see she is gritting her teeth at certain characters while putting on her patient captain face.

Qutlunch she's known for being very personal in her interactions with the crew, she likes to connect to each one of them.

[Shatnertage]

I'm a huge fan of Kate Mulgrew. I can't speak to her talents relative to Oscar-winners, but I can say without a doubt that she's on the higher end of the spectrum of Trek actors. For example, I think she's a much better actor than Avery Brooks. She really seems to be living in whatever scene she's shooting, not just hitting her mark and reading her lines. It's the little things she does--body language, facial expressions, moving around--that just make her pop more than others.

And maybe the scene with Tuvok isn't a fair comparison, because the finished Mulgrew version has multiple cameras, while the Bujold one only has one camera, but I like how Mulgrew moves around, making Tim Russ also move as he's talking to her. You get a much better feel for the friendship between the two because of little things like that.

Having just watched DS9, I can honestly say that Sisko as a character didn't come alive for me the same way that Janeway did, mostly because of the acting. Yeah, Sisko punched Q, and he did lots of other badass stuff, but most of the time he just stood there reading his lines projecting absolutely no emotion whatsoever. That scene where his girlfriend threatens to break up with him and he just kept on eating his dinner, expressionless, convinced me he was completely lacking in empathy.

Janeway, on the other hand, seems profoundly empathetic, and it's not just because of the dialog, but because of the acting. It's very attuned to the kind of stories they were telling and to the medium. From the start, Mulgrew absolutely nailed what Captain Janeway was about, which I think puts her ahead of everyone but Shatner in that regard. Sir Patrick, of course, is beyond category, but I've got to admit that it took him some time to come to grips with Picard. Mulgrew doesn't seem to have that kind of learning curve--she's not awkward or hesitant in the least here.

[Qutluch]

Time and Again

This episode had some great one-liners! Janeway and Paris are trapped in the fracture the day before the explosion occurs. My favorite part of this is when Paris was trying to get rid of the kid that was following them around and he told the kid that they were demons that ate the kid that supposedly came over with on the Continental Transport! Awesome, nothing better than a little cannibalism to scare a kid! Oh, how did they buy clothing on the planet if they didn’t have any money though?

Speaking of clothes, where did Kes get the awesome uniform? I thought the replicators were broken. I like it that Kes has telepathic capabilities. I like the role that telepaths can play; they can strengthen both dramatic and humorous roles (like Lwaxana Troi)!

I find myself looking forward to people getting sick because the doctor is hysterical. When Kes went to see him because of her headaches/visions he wasn’t concerned with Kes’ visions, but he did care that he did not have their medical files and that nobody told him that there were new members aboard who didn’t have up-to-date medical records. You have got to love this quote by the doctor: “Seems I have found myself on the voyage of the damned.” Best part, he said it with a smile

Wow, we actually see Janeway with her hair down. I like it. She seems friendlier, more human. Although, as a woman with long hair I call bull that she is able to keep her hair up as much as she does. Her hair is too thick and her neck would be killing her!

Tuvok played a larger role in this episode than previous ones. However, he made a very illogical conclusion. When they found the destroyed com badges he claimed that it meant that Paris’ and Janeway’s com badges were trapped in the fracture, but that did not mean that Paris and Janeway were…really? Is this optimism from a Vulcan

I like the storyline in Time and Again. I think it was a great way to introduce the topic of the Prime Directive. Thinking about it made me wonder how it wasn’t directly violated in the first episode when Janeway blew up the Array in order to save the Ocampa though.

Least favorite part: That Harry Kim actually thinks his girlfriend is going to wait for him

Favorite part: The doctor’s quote: “Seems I have found myself on the voyage of the damned.”

[Tiberius]

Qutluch wrote:

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I do have a question that someone can hopefully answer for me: how many people are left on the Voyager?

As many as the plot requires there be.

[Qutluch]

I'm on a roll tonight. Here's another one.

Phage

I love that it started with Janeway fantasizing about eggs benedict and asparagus. Plus, we get to see Neelix cooking! He kind of reminds me of the crazy uncle that no one can possibly get mad at!

The whole episode was a little odd, but fun. We were introduced to a new culture, and learned about the capabilities of the ship’s doctor. (Is he ever going to give himself a name, or was the first episode just teasing us?) The title Phage was well-chosen considering it is a real virus that infects bacteria.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Hannibal Lector throughout the whole episode! Especially, when they find the underground cavern with the harvested organs! Apparently roofies are not needed in the future for black market organs… The musical score is quite fitting, especially when the crew was pursuing the Vidiian in the tunnels.

The holographic lungs discussion with the doctor was awesome. I love it that the doctor turned around and slapped Paris! Neelix is a peculiar fellow. He is told that he may not be able to move again, and his response is that the ceiling is hideous and a few tapestries would be nice. He then goes on a rant about Paris being one big walking hormone trying to move in on Kes. Kes assures him he is wrong, kisses him, and leaves when the doctor boots her out. The doctor than turned around and bent over to fix Neelix’s settings, while assuring him that he would not kiss him too! When Neelix started hyperventilating I kind of hoped the doctor would start singing, “You Are My Sunshine” to calm him down! I love how the Vidiians criticize the doctor for being so primitive; it was a good reinforcement to the doctor’s earlier conversation with Kes.

Favorite part: Kes slamming the doctor for not keeping up with the ship’s situation (the doctor having to act as the full-time doctor rather than emergency backup). She asks him if he has the capability of learning and insists that he begin to.

Least favorite part: Janeway decided to let the Vidiian leave. She should have sent them to the doctor to see if the doctor could do something for them, and hopefully get Neelix’s lungs back. Luckily, the Vidiian basically offered it themselves.

[Shatnertage]

To me, "Phage" proved that the VOY writers could create an original, disturbing species.

The Doctor's name...well, I wouldn't hold my breath.