Star Trek: Voyager - A Marathon Re-visit.

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Voyager' started by SRFX, Jun 21, 2010.

  1. vas2009

    vas2009 Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2010
    Location:
    Wherever you go, there you are.
    I like it. It's good material, I use it to brighten my boring days. :p
     
  2. You_Will_Fail

    You_Will_Fail Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2010
    Location:
    Trill, Federation World and Proud
    I definitely need to rewatch it, haven't seen it in ages
     
  3. SRFX

    SRFX Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2009
    Location:
    Perth, Australia
    NON-SEQUITUR - 2x05 - 3/5

    There's not much to say about this episode, as there's no real issue here. But it's a fun ride to watch. At no point was I bored with what was going on and it's always good to see 24th century Earth.

    The only issue for me here was trying to decide whether this counts as a horrible experience for Harry Kim, and I feel I have to say yes. He gets inexplicably deposited in an alternate timeline where his life is 'perfect' but he cannot stay and so Libby yells at him a lot and Starfleet chases and shoots at him.

    Definitely a fun, if shallow romp with plenty of stock footage taken from TMP, TVH and TUC. ;)

    Harry Kim Horror Count: 4
     
  4. nethskie

    nethskie Ensign Newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2010
    glad you're enjoying some of the episodes :) nice review
     
  5. SRFX

    SRFX Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2009
    Location:
    Perth, Australia
    TWISTED - 2x06 - 4/5

    I must confess, I've always had a soft spot for this much maligned episode. At least I get the impression it is maligned on TrekBBS. I love this situation and am always entertained by how it plays it out. There's plenty of great inter-character drama and I love how each person fronts up to the impending doom. I love this episode, despite the problem being TOTAL NONSENSE.

    I guess what I like about the episode is that it plays out like a zombie breakout. More and more crew members are disappearing, Janeway's speaking in tongues and the whole problem is so overwhelming, that resistance is merely a futile attempt to delay inevitable slaughter.

    I also like that in a very Star Trekky turn of events, the distortion ring turns out to be a mysterious lifeform, which is a much better twist than making it out to be something evil.

    Things I don't like:

    I never got into Sandrine's as a locale. It just does nothing for me. Vic's in DS9 was passable, largely because they gave Vic and the setting some depth.

    Also, It's either bad characterisation, or Neelix is really just that much of a shithead that he would STILL be jealous of Paris despite Kes stating to Neelix two episodes earlier that she wanted him to be her life partner and assist with conceiving a child. IS THIS NOT ENOUGH PROOF FOR YOU NEELIX YOU IDIOT?! I like character conflict but this feels so forced and one sided and relies totally on Neelix being a moron, which does not encourage the audience to sympathise with his perspective.
     
  6. kimc

    kimc Coffee Mod Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2003
    Location:
    Minneapolis, MN USA
    This is pretty much how I feel about both this episode and "Threshold". :)
     
  7. SRFX

    SRFX Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2009
    Location:
    Perth, Australia
    I don't want to pre-empt my review but I'm afraid I am far less kind to Threshold.
     
  8. ialfan

    ialfan Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2006
    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    I always thought Twisted was a great episode until I came here. I still enjoy it a lot personally.
     
  9. JanewayRulz!

    JanewayRulz! Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2009
    Location:
    North America
    Wouldn't it have been funny, if somewhere in the ton of data downloaded into Voy's computer banks, was the shortcut home?
     
  10. SRFX

    SRFX Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2009
    Location:
    Perth, Australia
    Yeah, but no one finds it until AFTER Voyager gets home. Some poor ensign, slaving away over the databanks (let's pretend it's Harry). Finds the data, and proceeds to cry himself to sleep.
     
  11. zar

    zar Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2010
    ... has a nervous breakdown; devotes the next 20 years of his life to figuring out how to send the data back 30 years into the past.
     
  12. SRFX

    SRFX Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2009
    Location:
    Perth, Australia
    i see what u did there
     
  13. firecrackerrrr

    firecrackerrrr Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2010
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    I love Twisted. It was the very first Voyager episode I saw I think? If not the first, then it was definitely the first one I liked and that got me hooked despite the ridiculousness of the plot, in retrospect (I just recently watched it for the first time in about a decade - as well as the rest of the show! SO glad I'm rewatching it, though I've always been a huge fan of Voy)
     
  14. doubleohfive

    doubleohfive Fleet Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2001
    Location:
    Hollywood, CA
    I've been someone who has been critical of the show in the past, and recently re-watched season one, fully ready to lament and bitch and criticize ... and while I do still have my problems with it, I found the show, on the whole, to be better than I remembered. Granted, it's still no TOS, TNG, or even DS9 ... but all the intervening years between when I originally saw these episodes, coupled with the everpresent hate some people almost get off on spewing, it really surprised me -- the things I used to love that now I don't; whereas the things I missed before or disliked the firs time I find better or more creative this time around.

    Weird, that.
     
  15. SRFX

    SRFX Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2009
    Location:
    Perth, Australia
    PARTURITION - 2x07 - 3/5

    Two things come to mind in the early minutes of the episode. Janeway's changed her hair and Neelix continues to be idiot. I am a fan of neither of these facts.

    Fortunately both these elements of the episode take a turn for the improvement as this is a Paris/Neelix character episode which serves to finally dispose of the rivalry between these two. And because this is a Paris/Neelix episode, Janeway's new do gets little screen time.

    The dialogue between Paris and Kim at the start of the episode flows quite naturally and the actors appear like they're starting to feel at home with their characters, rather than just announcing their lines on cue.

    There's not too much else to comment on in this episode and it's largely by the numbers (something I will comment on in a moment). It's enjoyable to watch, Paris and Neelix get some drama and growth and FINALLY bury the god damn hatchet. I was sick of the rivalry episodes ago, and it only seemed fueled by Neelix's stupidity. The episode does come off as a bit cornball at times but overall, no major problems here.

    Now, in regards to being a 'by the numbers' episode. I am okay with average episodes early in a series' development. TNG and DS9 didn't really hit their strides until season 3-ish where the quality of those respective shows continued to grow and rarely faltered like they did in their first seasons (TNG more so than DS9). After a while though, run of the mill episodes become quite tiresome and is not the sort of thing I want to see beyond a series' foundation season(s). I am going to become harsher and harsher on unremarkable episodes as Voyager progresses, simply because I see it as an indicator of whether the writing teams are pulling their weight or not.

    In summation, I don't watch Star Trek to see the result of someone doing the bare minimum to earn their paycheque. It's better than that, and I will be critical of it when it falls short.
     
  16. JanewayRulz!

    JanewayRulz! Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2009
    Location:
    North America
    I absolutely love the way she walks around these two, and takes in the hair pasta on their clothes.

    JANEWAY: Would anyone care to explain?
    PARIS: It might be too long to go into right now, Captain.
    JANEWAY: Very well. I have a mission for the two of you. We have reason to believe that there are food sources on this planet, but we can't transport to the surface. You're going to take a shuttle down and do a little scouting.
    NEELIX: Me? And him?
    JANEWAY: He's our best pilot, and you're our expert on edible plant species in this quadrant.
    PARIS: Uh, Captain, I'm not one to pass up a mission, but in this circumstance, maybe Ensign Baytart who is a fine pilot
    JANEWAY: There are electromagnetic anomalies in the atmosphere and I would rather have you at the helm. Am I discerning a personal problem here, gentlemen?
    NEELIX: Frankly, yes, Captain.
    JANEWAY: Solve it. You leave at fourteen hundred hours.

    I also love the fact that here in season 2, we are still hearing about shortages of resources, and see the crew trying to fend for themselves, rather than rely "on the kindness of strangers".
     
  17. vas2009

    vas2009 Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2010
    Location:
    Wherever you go, there you are.
    ^^ :vulcan: This is also proof to the "haters" that they did restock supplies. Errr that argument just erks me. Also there is character conflict (that voyager has none of) and relationship development... also lacks in the series...:wtf:

    Ooops sorry I don't mean to paick a fight ;)

    This is a great Ep.
     
  18. SRFX

    SRFX Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 12, 2009
    Location:
    Perth, Australia
    I probably should've touched on this in my review, but yes I like the fact that resource dilemmas are being discussed.

    Oh, and I can't believe I forgot to mention the PASTA FIGHT. I wrote it in my notes for the episode but I forgot to mention it entirely. The PASTA FIGHT probably bumped this up from a 2 to a 3 on that basis alone.

    As for the character conflict. Yes, I love it but as I said the problem with it between Neelix and Paris is that it entirely relies on Neelix being a total moron, making their conflict feel forced rather than a natural result of their personalities.

    What I really want more of is Janeway and Chakotay arguing and we haven't had any of that for a while. :(
     
  19. You_Will_Fail

    You_Will_Fail Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2010
    Location:
    Trill, Federation World and Proud
    Someone can have something without having enough.
     
  20. Wolfslice

    Wolfslice Lieutenant Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2007
    enjoying your reviews, please keep them coming! :bolian: