The funny thing about this episode is that you all seem to like it. Seriously. There's nothing surprising about me loving all VOY episodes (all except FURY) but the fact that you are all in unison when it comes to forming an opinion about this ep is a pleasant surprise to me. The reason for this is the fact that when Voyager gets bashed - and it DOES get bashed to a stupefying extent -, this is one of the episodes that people love to cite as a negative example. Their problem with this episode is that Seven resurrects Neelix but she never does that to any other crew members for the rest of the show.
I think that Seven is simply great (on this episode as well as on any other episode). She brings Neelix back to life, then sees the negative consequences - after all, her efforts nearly led to suicide - and draws the necessary conclusion: playing with death is a dangerous thing and not something done easily and carelessly. Hence why she never attempts it again IMHO. Well done, Seven!
There are so many memorable scenes in this episode - just like in any other eps. Neelix's conversation with Alixia, e.g. Or that scene in the mess hall when he looks rather embarrassed by the fact how many people love him. And then, of course, his interaction with Chakotay. He acts for Neelix as a kind of spiritual counsellor - a role soon to be reversed in UNFORGETTABLE.
All in all, an excellent Neelix episode, probably the best if you discount the Tuvok-Neelix ones. Although of course, I must say I also like HOMESTEAD very much, even though the idea to throw out a main character two episodes before the end of the show is mind-boggling.
As for Tuvok and Neelix, RIDDLES totally rocks in my book.
Voyager does inception? Isn't it the other way round? This episode had existed long before they even thought about the idea of INCEPTION. This one actually might have led to the concept of that film. Or not.
But the possibility exists.
In any case, this episode was a brilliant one, too. It's a pity things are resolved very easily at the end. But the idea of a collective subconscious was a very good one - since we have had our borg lady aboard, her knowledge has proved invaluable for the umpteenth time. Well done, Seven! (Am I saying this again? Incredible. And she isn't even my favourite character. Oh well, I'm sure you'd never have guessed but I just love all VOY characters,
).
I also really liked the scene with Chakotay going hunting. The transformation of the deer into the alien was kind of cool.
Archimago, does this episode get incorporated into any of the VOY relaunch novels? I'm not that keen on them (it seems to me I'm the only person who doesn't swoon when Kirsten Beyer comes out with a new book
) and I haven't read anything VOY since THE ETERNAL TIDE.
Tomalak, your second sentence is spot-on! It seems to me that ever since Seven came aboard, Voyager hasn't really been interested in going home. This is also true for the rest of the show. In the first three seasons, this seemed to be their main goal. Now it seems Janeway is a lot more interested in reintegrating Seven into human society than going home.
Not that I mind, of course. Actually, I can perfectly imagine that having survived three years on a ship lost in space has made everyone a lot stronger. Perhaps they have accepted the reality of their situation and although they haven't given up on their plans to go home, other things have taken priority.
I can relate to that perfectly. I mean if your prospect of ever getting home is minimal, you could perhaps make the most of your time aboard that ship. Or you could try it at least. Perhaps a life filled with meaning is better than a life spent trying to reach a goal that you most probably can't. Perhaps, as we know from Harry in ENDGAME, it is, after all, the journey that matters and not the destination. If you lead a meaningful life, then it is better than wasting it feeling sorry for your loss all the time.
Of course, the fact that the Voyager seems to provide our crew with everything (including entertainment) helps a lot. Had those circumstances been slighly different, the whole journey might have turned into a big survival show. This is one of the main things that is criticized about Voyager: the producers didn't put the crew in perilous enough situations. We don't see them fight for food, water, oxygen, etc. We don't see them having power problems - even if we do (NIGHT), these things are sorted out too easily.
As for me, I'm happy to see that the producers decided to do with Voyager what they did. There are quite a lot of sci-fi shows out there that have this dark tone to them (StarGate Universe, e.g.). It is nice to see one that took a different approach. JMO, of course.
On a different note, my very favourite villains are the Hirogen - I wish we'd got more of them. They are excellent in Season 4 and although they do appear here and there in the rest of the show, they lose their significance (and their height
) over the long term. It's a shame, really - in any case I enjoy what we have of them.
What I find even more puzzling is that no VOY author has given us a good Hirogen-based novel yet. Or at least, not that I know. But I'd love to be counterproved by you ("counterprove"? is this an English word?).
Well, I haven't read too much Voyager (except for the relaunch books) but of all the VOY books I've read I've always liked the DARK MATTERS TRILOGY the best. Have you read that one?
B'Elanna is a " role model" for Seven ...
Just think about how in a few episodes she is going to break Kovin's nose (RETROSPECT) ...
On a more serious note, there is something similar about the two of them. Something that I can't quite place but their temper can be similar at times. And although technically speaking they'll never become friends, they share a certain "unity", which will be demonstrated in IMPERFECTION when B'Elanna is harbouring Seven so that she doesn't have to go back to Sickbay.
) do have great chemistry on screen, and their scenes was just delightful. I also really liked the stuff with B'Elanna and Seven, especially the scene where Torres is impressed by what Seven did to the Hirogen. I also loved the end and the call back to Scorpion about Janeway being alone, with the message that Starfleet will not rest until Voyager comes home. Nice way to set up the Pathfinder storyline, but that really doesn't happen until Season 6. Still, I'm in the middle of the series now and I can see how things here are setting up things down the road. 
Of course, we have to keep in mind at the time she was probably still mad at the idea of being the Delta Quadrant against her will to begin with.
