My first voyage with Voyager

[Guy Gardener]

That was also the episode where Janeway claims that if she ever needed lessons in being repulsive to the opposite sex, that she would go to Chakotay for lessons.

[teacake]

You made me read the script of Elogium, gah..

And yes, that's exactly what happened

[Qutluch]

Basics Part 1 & Part 2

I am back. Sorry for the month off…I went back to Michigan to freeze, go to a family wedding, birthday, and I got the flu from my 7 year old nephew!! Overall, a fun, but sick month!

Okay back to the Basics! Unfortunately I watched Part one a week ago so I will not have a too detailed post, but it will do.

In Part 2 when Janeway tells the crew to turn over rocks and eat grubs on her orders, I really wish she would have eaten a handful right there!

I liked the story line with Seska and her ploy to take over Voyager by reeling them in with the idea of hurting “Chakotay’s” baby. I also liked that they revisited a character from a previous episode and actually continued the plot. Suder is back! In the first part he expresses a desire to do something positive for the crew/ship, and in the second part of the episode he gets to save the day! In doing so he dies, but in a way it is kind of a nice wrap up for his character. It is better than having to play with the plot idea of a crew-member-on-lock-down for murder. Plus, his character gets redemption. I was surprised that Seska was killed. She was a great antagonist, and one of the few recurring characters. I wonder who will be the next adversary??

I enjoy two-part episodes. However, if I would have been watching this week-by-week in 1996 I would have been pissed. Although, I have to admit that I can barely stand to read a series of books if the books have not all been published ( I even waited for Book 7 in Harry Potter before starting the series)! Cliff-hangers suck!...That and I have no patience!

Favorite Part: “Trapped on a planet and you are stuck with the only Indian who can’t start a fire by rubbing two sticks together” ~Chakotay. I laughed hysterically!

Least favorite part: The lava scene where Chakotay helped the trapped Native. The rock she was on, surrounded by lava, would have been so hot that it would have burned her flesh just being on it!! I call major B.S.!

[Guy Gardener]

There was a season break between episodes, 6 months? And a complete overhaul of the producers which caused a turnabout on the lineage of Seska's child.


Brad Dourif is one of the biggest actors they had on Voyager, it was ridiculous to kill him off but Jeri Taylor said that irredeemable characters are not interesting, and her word was final back then for a bout 5 minutes.

[GSnail]

I loved that Suder part. It just worked so well for the character.

[R. Star]

Yeah Janeway keeping Suder around is funny on so many levels. You never know when it'll be handy to unleash a serial killer, eh?

The use of Suder was a strong point of this episode. One of the few. I don't like how they chickened out with the Chakotay/Seska baby in the end. That would've been an interesting plot arc to say the least. And some confrontation between Chakotay and Seska would've brought the arc to a closure. Instead she just dies and that's the end.

Oh and Neelix our survival expert leaves Hogan alone and he gets killed, doesn't learn from it and wonders off alone and gets kidnapped, and then proceeds to provoke the natives. Really the whole survival arc just struck me as a filler while the real action happened on the ship. Paris, the EMH, and a serial killer... the Kazon didn't stand a chance.

[Qutluch]

Zombie Redshirt wrote:

---

Yeah Janeway keeping Suder around is funny on so many levels. You never know when it'll be handy to unleash a serial killer, eh?

The use of Suder was a strong point of this episode. One of the few. I don't like how they chickened out with the Chakotay/Seska baby in the end. That would've been an interesting plot arc to say the least. And some confrontation between Chakotay and Seska would've brought the arc to a closure. Instead she just dies and that's the end.

Oh and Neelix our survival expert leaves Hogan alone and he gets killed, doesn't learn from it and wonders off alone and gets kidnapped, and then proceeds to provoke the natives. Really the whole survival arc just struck me as a filler while the real action happened on the ship. Paris, the EMH, and a serial killer... the Kazon didn't stand a chance.

Yeah, I agree. The survival arc was kind of annoying, but the ship part was awesome! I forgot to add in that I really enjoyed the Doctor's part. As for the survival arc, it kind of pissed me off that they, at first, made the Natives appear to be wild savages. I think they were going for the whole Caveman idea, but it was poorly done.

[teacake]

I love Basics, it has everything. And it makes me worry for Seska's baby raised by ferals and never knowing half his heritage.

[Alpha Flyer]

Glad to see you're back! I haven't been around much either; RL (work) was pretty toxic the last few weeks.

Basics is one of my favourites. Brad Dourif -- aka Gimli Wormtongue in Lord of the Ring -- does a fabulous job, especially when he must kill again. Great moment, great casting. (But just wait until Joel Grey shows up and shows everyone around him what an Oscar winner can do!)

As a die-hard Tom Paris fan, of course, I find much to love in this. Tom doing his Top Gun number ("I don't have time for this!"), rallying a fleet, and coming up with the strategy to retake the ship -- this is the episode why I have him going into senior command in my post-Endgame fan fiction.

Incidentally, I wrote a little episode tag to Basics at the request of a friend of mine; it's called "When the Hurly Burly's Done" and you can find it by clicking on the link in my signature.

[R. Star]

Huh, I didn't know Suder's actor was also Wormtongue. He's got a knack at playing creepy characters doesn't he?

[Guy Gardener]

Brad is the academy award nominated evil doll Chucky from the Child's Play franchise.

This lad makes Tony Todd seem like an extra or a hand model.

[teacake]

Did we ever get an explanation for why Suder's irises were completely black?

[Guy Gardener]

That's blood?

Too much blood floating about?

Could be why his Betazoidian telepathy is non-existent.

Why he is consumed with feelings of impotence.

Why he is prone to homicidal inclinations?

[R. Star]

teacock wrote:

---

Did we ever get an explanation for why Suder's irises were completely black?

It's a Betazoid thing. Troi and her mom had the same thing going on. Looks better on the girls really.

[Qutluch]

Alpha Flyer wrote:

---

Glad to see you're back! I haven't been around much either; RL (work) was pretty toxic the last few weeks.

Basics is one of my favourites. Brad Dourif -- aka Gimli Wormtongue in Lord of the Ring -- does a fabulous job, especially when he must kill again. Great moment, great casting. (But just wait until Joel Grey shows up and shows everyone around him what an Oscar winner can do!)

As a die-hard Tom Paris fan, of course, I find much to love in this. Tom doing his Top Gun number ("I don't have time for this!"), rallying a fleet, and coming up with the strategy to retake the ship -- this is the episode why I have him going into senior command in my post-Endgame fan fiction.

Incidentally, I wrote a little episode tag to Basics at the request of a friend of mine; it's called "When the Hurly Burly's Done" and you can find it by clicking on the link in my signature.

Paris was exceptionally good in this episdoe! Love the Top Gun comparison!