Rewatching Voyager

[Thomas Eugene]

I guess I'm the only one who liked Spirit Folk

No, you're not. I love both FAIR HAVEN episodes. I've noticed that on these boards there generally seems to be an aversion to the holodeck. As for me, I love it. Probably one of the (large number of) reasons why I love this show so much is the extensive use of the holodeck.
Take HEROES AND DEMONS, for example. Just love it. When I was at university - I was a student of English and German - Beowulf was one of the main set books we had to read. We analysed it, reanalysed it, even learnt Old English from it. So you can imagine the delight I felt when I saw HEROES AND DEMONS for the first time. Same goes for Janeway's Gothic fiction holodeck story. Jane Eyre was again one of the major reads so seeing Janeway in those novels was great, too.
Then came WW2 with the Hirogens and I thought that it was really the top of holodeck eps. But then, I have a soft spot for the Hirogens ... I wish we'd had more stories with them.

Also, is it just me or has Seven of Nine become Naomi's mother. Samantha is nowhere to be found anymore.

I've also noticed this several times as I've watched the show. Although Naomi does mention her mother from time to time, she seems to have found a surrogate mother in Seven. Fine by me - I remember that as a child I always felt flattered if an older boy from our school and if especially an adult devoted more of their time to me than to someone else of my age.

This episode was slightly better, but it doesn't leave very much to scrutiny. I think the episode would have been more meaningful had it been Kes who came back here instead of in Fury.

An interesting idea - and not a bad one at that. Although I hate that FURY nonsense, I would love to have seen Kes come back - and stay for the rest of the show. This episode could have been as good as any for that.
As far as I know, one good thing did come out of this episode. Star Trek Online: Delta Rising features the Kobali (sp.?) heavily - has anyone ever played with that?

Child's Play

Now this episode I really like. Icheb has always been kind of the surrogate leader of the borg kids and I really liked the idea of him returning home and how that affected Seven of Nine. We see Seven really be passionate for Icheb's well being and I loved the scene between her and Janeway when she flat out said how this affected her and having to watch her parents be assimilated. In terms of the ending, that could be a nice debate too. Did the parents have the right to genetically engineer thier son as a weapon against the Borg and did Voyager have the right to interfere. We see at the beginning of the episode how resourceful and carious Icheb is, and how he does have a bright future. It's because of that I actually agree with Voyager rescuing him. He's been allowed to flourish on the ship. Should that be taken away from him again for a society that so willingly wanted to give him up to protect their own?

This is a good episode although psychologically it requires a stretch of the imagination - at least of my imagination. I can't imagine any sensible parents doing this to their child. Icheb's parents didn't seem like they didn't care about anything. They made the impression they were hard-working people who considered freedom for their people a very important matter. Such parents are difficult to imagine sacrificing their own son in such a savage way - nevertheless I enjoy the episode.

Good Shepherd

I'm a fan of lower decks type episodes, and while this is not as good as "Lower Decks", I still really enjoyed it. From the scene where the crewman takes the pad down to section 15 and then it pans out and you see where it is at the very bottom of the ship to Janeway going down there and asking for directions, this was a great episode dealing with some really interesting people. However, this episode really deserved a follow up of some kind. What happened to Telfer and his Hypochondria, or Harmin and his crappy attitude. I also really liked Celes as probably the most interesting of the three lower deck crewmembers. It's a shame we will go back to the regular cast in the next episode, but I really want to see these crew members again. I also wonder if they should have tried to get one of the Maquis from Learning Curve, to at least allow the show some kind of continuity. Maybe Dolby would have been the better Harmin character, since the two in terms of personality are similar.

GOOD SHEPHERD is good, xD! Love the whole thing but this time, it's the scene with Tom and Harren in the mess hall that springs to mind immediately as the most memorable one. And it's good that Celes will soon be seen in another episode.

These episodes were kind of a bump in the road for season 6 tonight. I have to say Child's Play is a bright spot in a sea of mediocrity.

This ... is an interesting observation. Like I mentioned elsewhere, I've always thought of Voyager as a show - as THE ONLY show really - which is high quality for me from CARETAKER to ENDGAME. However, if there ever was a bump in the road, it must have been the end of Season 6 for me. FURY is horrible albeit I must admit that the story itself is interesting. I'm not so keen on LIVE FAST AND PROSPER or MUSE, either - to me they are forgettable episodes. The zenith of tedium is represented by THE HAUNTING OF DECK TWELVE to me - this one almost always sends me sleepy. Whenever I come to the end of Season 6, I can't wait for UNIMATRIX ZERO to start. That always indicates to me the beginning of Season 7, which IMHO is an excellent season with basically good episodes only. Also, it means that the love of my life will be reinstituted to his position as lieutenant and that's like warming the cockles of my heart ...

 

[tomalak301]

Live Fast and Prosper

This episode is kinda dumb. You have these con artists who come across as really superficial and this episode I guess was about outwitting the con artists? The scene with Neelix in the Brig made him look gullible, yet I guess that was part of the plan, even though it seemed like a dumb plan. I’m not sure if they were going for comedy or seriousness but I’m not sure if either worked. I guess if there was a redeeming quality, it was Janeway almost laughing at her doppelganger, but again I’m in this stretch of episodes where it feels like Season 6 is limping to the end rather than finishing strong. I remember Season five finishing with episodes like 11:59, Someone to Watch Over Me, and Relativity. Despite thinking Warhead as an average episode, that was still a really strong finish. I can’t help to think Season 6 is not having a strong finish.


Muse

This episode was interesting and pretty slow but in a good way. If anything I really liked the ending, where Kelis was struggling to find an ending to his play and B’Elanna comes in to save the day and provide him with the inspiration he needs. Also, this episode had Kallie Waymire who passed away so suddenly during Enterprise’s first season. There were some issues I had with the episode, such as the Delta Flyer crashing again or the whole 8 day thing but other than that, it was a reflexive episode which I actually appreciated.


Fury

You know what I said about Spirit Folk. Multiply that by 10 and that’s Fury. The Star Trek Franchise has produced really bad episodes, but this is the all time worst. It could have been good, but as a Kes fan it felt like a slap in the face. I don’t appreciate being slapped in the face.

Life Line

Very nice episode. Really appreciated the follow up to Pathfinder and bringing Troi and Barcley back into the fold. This was more of a comedy than Live fast and Prosper was, mainly because Picardo is such a great actor and we got two for the price of one. Loved Troi's "You're both Jerks" line. This episode could have been riddled with a lot of cliches, such as the father son rekindling relationship, or the Father being convinced at the end, but I still had a great time watching this one. I really also liked Zimmerman being surrounded by his work, especially Leonard, who might be the most underrated pet in Star Trek.

 

[Thomas Eugene]

Live Fast and Prosper

This episode is kinda dumb. You have these con artists who come across as really superficial and this episode I guess was about outwitting the con artists? The scene with Neelix in the Brig made him look gullible, yet I guess that was part of the plan, even though it seemed like a dumb plan. I’m not sure if they were going for comedy or seriousness but I’m not sure if either worked. I guess if there was a redeeming quality, it was Janeway almost laughing at her doppelganger, but again I’m in this stretch of episodes where it feels like Season 6 is limping to the end rather than finishing strong. I remember Season five finishing with episodes like 11:59, Someone to Watch Over Me, and Relativity. Despite thinking Warhead as an average episode, that was still a really strong finish. I can’t help to think Season 6 is not having a strong finish.


Muse

This episode was interesting and pretty slow but in a good way. If anything I really liked the ending, where Kelis was struggling to find an ending to his play and B’Elanna comes in to save the day and provide him with the inspiration he needs. Also, this episode had Kallie Waymire who passed away so suddenly during Enterprise’s first season. There were some issues I had with the episode, such as the Delta Flyer crashing again or the whole 8 day thing but other than that, it was a reflexive episode which I actually appreciated.


Fury

You know what I said about Spirit Folk. Multiply that by 10 and that’s Fury. The Star Trek Franchise has produced really bad episodes, but this is the all time worst. It could have been good, but as a Kes fan it felt like a slap in the face. I don’t appreciate being slapped in the face.

Life Line

Very nice episode. Really appreciated the follow up to Pathfinder and bringing Troi and Barcley back into the fold. This was more of a comedy than Live fast and Prosper was, mainly because Picardo is such a great actor and we got two for the price of one. Loved Troi's "You're both Jerks" line. This episode could have been riddled with a lot of cliches, such as the father son rekindling relationship, or the Father being convinced at the end, but I still had a great time watching this one. I really also liked Zimmerman being surrounded by his work, especially Leonard, who might be the most underrated pet in Star Trek.

This time, all I can do is quote the classics: "Our thoughts are one".

 

[stardream]

Live Fast and Proper had its moments. The fake Tuvok, Tom and Neelix thinking they had 'lost it'.

Still, can't help but think MUSE is making fun of fanfiction writers. As a fanfiction writer, I don't take offense but it does cloud my judgment. Kellis got on my nerves. Why didn't they give B'Elanna episodes that I could enjoy? Right now its just Faces, Day of Honor and Lineage.

Fury? Sorry. I don't remember that episode.

LOVE Lifeline. Anything with Barclay I like.

 

[locutus101]

Live Fast and Proper had its moments. The fake Tuvok, Tom and Neelix thinking they had 'lost it'.

The doctor being out of breath is a little out there, though.

He's a HOLOGRAM!!!

LOVE Lifeline. Anything with Barclay I like.

I really like Barclay. They should have made him a regular instead of... harry kim for instance.

 

[tomalak301]

Still, can't help but think MUSE is making fun of fanfiction writers. As a fanfiction writer, I don't take offense but it does cloud my judgment. Kellis got on my nerves. Why didn't they give B'Elanna episodes that I could enjoy? Right now its just Faces, Day of Honor and Lineage.

I was reading that this was Joe Menosky's last episode as a writer for Voyager. Understanding that makes me see where he was coming from here, even though the bit about Chakotay and Janeway being together might have felt like a jab towards the J/C shippers and fan fiction writers.

 

[tomalak301]

The Haunting of Deck 12

This was a fun episode. It's better than some other holloween type episodes I've seen (Catspaw) and I loved the way that story turned out. We never find out why the ship had to shut down but in the long run it wasn't important. Watching the series quickly, I am amazed at how many episodes featured the Borg children in the latter part of season 6, but I still really liked them, especially their quick wit and smarts towards Neelix when he's saying something absurd during the story. I will say my only issue with it was the end where Janeway was nearly suffocating and speaking loudly towards the computer/alien, but other than that, this was a fun watch.

Unimatrix Zero

I'm almost thinking about seperating these episodes unlike the other times when I review two parters because the finale and the premiere are so vastly different. The finale was actually a very interesting concept, and I've already said how much I appreciated Jeri Ryan actually getting to be Jeri Ryan and not Seven of Nine. I loved Annika with the casual look and the hair down. In terms of the concept, the idea of a Borg sactuary where you go when you're regenerating is neat, and the idea of Unimatrix Zero is a really good one. It adds an element to a species that's already being watered down (And we are at the point where the Borg are watered down) and I really wanted to spend more time there.

That brings me to part two, which is really disappointing and in hindsight, even magnified to the point of missed opportunity. We know Voyager loves it's two hour action shows, but these episodes could have been a lot more introspective, focusing on the relationship between Axum and Annika and even the other characters. I don't like the idea of sending the Captain, Engineer, and Security on an undercover mission where they wanted to be assimilated, and even in part two, we don't see Tuvok or B'Elanna at all for the most part. How interesting would it have been had Torres and Tuvok been made part of the collective, and they are a big part of what is happening inside Unimatrix Zero. Also, why I say these episodes were disappointing in hindsight is because we don't hear about the Borg Civil War again. We don't see Kurok, we don't bring back Species 8472 as an ally against the queen, and these episodes are somewhat forgotten. I know I'm getting ahead of myself towards Endgame, but this premiere could have been so much more. Heck, maybe even have a second part to really focus on the Borg civil war and end them right then and there. At least we got to see Annika one more time, or as I like to say, Jeri Ryan playing Jeri Ryan.

Can't believe I'm on Season 7 now. I've been going at this fast but mainly because I'm seeing the finish line of my rewatch. This has been fun and I'm really excited to finish this rewatch strong. In terms of episodes I'm looking forward to seeing again:

Lineage
Drive
Prophecy
The Void
Workforce I and II
Critical Care
Body and Soul

 

[tomalak301]

Imperfection

It's episodes like Imperfection that is really making this Voyager rewatch rewarding. I forgot how excellent this episode was, and how great of a job Manu Intiraymi is doing in the role of Icheb. Yes it's another Seven episode, and yes after Unimatrix Zero, one can say this was another Borg episode, but this is really more about facing death via terminal illness. We get two great scenes, the first with Seven and B'Elanna (I wanted a Barge of the Dead reference though) talking about what happens when one dies and the other was with Janeway talking about the crewmembers that have been lost. Both these scenes have shown how much Seven has grown as an individual and how far she's come since she was severed from the collective. We also get some great stuff with Icheb, who has really had a great character arc so far leading up to wanting to sacrifice himself to save Seven. That scene where he deactivates the Node was some great acting. We also find out that Icheb wants to go to Starfleet academy. I guess every series needs a character who wants to go to the Academy so Voyager's not surprising.

Also, the F/X was great too, especially when they take the new delta flyer (Man they build those ships fast) to the Borg debris field. Loved that flying scene. If U0 was disappointing, Imperfection might be one of the most underrated episodes of the series.

 

[Catarina]

They sure do. [build them fast]

I really liked this episode. My only complaint was believing Janeway, Tuvok, and Torres would have some sign of their consequences of assimilation. including a working cortical node. But glad to see Manu shine

 

[tomalak301]

They sure do. [build them fast]

I really liked this episode. My only complaint was believing Janeway, Tuvok, and Torres would have some sign of their consequences of assimilation. including a working cortical node. But glad to see Manu shine

I basically thought it's been some time since U0. I mean didn't it take them a week to build the first flyer, and that was supposed to be rushed.

 

[Catarina]

I believe so. But since they switched the airing order maybe it only feels that way because it wasn't suppose to be that way. UPN switched airing slots.

 

[locutus101]

The Haunting of Deck 12

This was a fun episode. It's better than some other holloween type episodes I've seen (Catspaw) and I loved the way that story turned out. We never find out why the ship had to shut down but in the long run it wasn't important. Watching the series quickly, I am amazed at how many episodes featured the Borg children in the latter part of season 6, but I still really liked them, especially their quick wit and smarts towards Neelix when he's saying something absurd during the story. I will say my only issue with it was the end where Janeway was nearly suffocating and speaking loudly towards the computer/alien, but other than that, this was a fun watch.
....

What I find hard to believe is that the ship would deteriorate so fast without constant maintenance. It seems they don't know how to make things that last anymore.

 

[stardream]

Yeah...Drive was supposed to come before Imperfection. If you look closely during the operation scenes in Imperfection you can see Paris is wearing a wedding ring. What I liked about this episode is we see Seven and Torres have finally become...friends. Took them long enough.

I wish they had gone with the original idea for Unimatrix Zero. The original intent was Seven's father survived and he was the instigator of the Civil War. We still would have seen Seven as Anika and perhaps even brought some closure to her issues with what her parents did but instead, they had to go with what I considered a silly love story and to me silly fake assimilation (they risked getting a limb cut off or an eye put out) all for the sake of a fake place. This is my least favorite of all the two parters.

The Haunting of Deck 12 was fine. I have no problems with it.

 

[locutus101]

Yeah...Drive was supposed to come before Imperfection. If you look closely during the operation scenes in Imperfection you can see Paris is wearing a wedding ring. What I liked about this episode is we see Seven and Torres have finally become...friends. Took them long enough.

I wish they had gone with the original idea for Unimatrix Zero. The original intent was Seven's father survived and he was the instigator of the Civil War. We still would have seen Seven as Anika and perhaps even brought some closure to her issues with what her parents did but instead, they had to go with what I considered a silly love story and to me silly fake assimilation (they risked getting a limb cut off or an eye put out) all for the sake of a fake place. This is my least favorite of all the two parters.

The Haunting of Deck 12 was fine. I have no problems with it.

Plus they have viruses that spread through the communication system. One would think it was some kind of computer virus but NO it seems it's an actual virus. What the...?

 

[tomalak301]

I wish they had gone with the original idea for Unimatrix Zero. The original intent was Seven's father survived and he was the instigator of the Civil War. We still would have seen Seven as Anika and perhaps even brought some closure to her issues with what her parents did but instead, they had to go with what I considered a silly love story and to me silly fake assimilation (they risked getting a limb cut off or an eye put out) all for the sake of a fake place. This is my least favorite of all the two parters.

I did not know that fact. That would have much much more interesting and maybe would have allowed seven to really become human in the real world.

 

[locutus101]

I did not know that fact. That would have much much more interesting and maybe would have allowed seven to really become human in the real world.

I think they should have used another actor to play her father , the first one was a bit too young to be credible in that role.

 

[tomalak301]

I think they should have used another actor to play her father , the first one was a bit too young to be credible in that role.

But that was 18 years prior. You didn't want the father to be too old.

 

[locutus101]

But that was 18 years prior. You didn't want the father to be too old.

I think too old is less of a problem than being too young. After all people can have children late in life.

 

[Thomas Eugene]

The Haunting of Deck 12

This was a fun episode.

Our thoughts are NOT one - this time. I think this is the most boring episode of ST VOY and I have really no idea what the creators of the show wanted with it. Did it happen in the first place? Even episodes with a reset button at the end are much more appealing to me since I at least find out that the story only happened in someone's imagination/on the holodeck/on an alternate timeline ... etc.
But what was this episode about? That Neelix is good at storytelling? That's the only conclusion I can draw from this episode.
Still, Manu Intiraymi's story about Ethan Philips's cat that farts is a good one. Albeit that's not enough from where I'm standing. I appreciate all the fun that surrounds the shooting of an episode if I like the episode. There are hardly any that I'm not in love with on VOY. This is one of them.

Unimatrix Zero

I'm almost thinking about seperating these episodes unlike the other times when I review two parters because the finale and the premiere are so vastly different. The finale was actually a very interesting concept, and I've already said how much I appreciated Jeri Ryan actually getting to be Jeri Ryan and not Seven of Nine. I loved Annika with the casual look and the hair down. In terms of the concept, the idea of a Borg sactuary where you go when you're regenerating is neat, and the idea of Unimatrix Zero is a really good one. It adds an element to a species that's already being watered down (And we are at the point where the Borg are watered down) and I really wanted to spend more time there.

That brings me to part two, which is really disappointing and in hindsight, even magnified to the point of missed opportunity. We know Voyager loves it's two hour action shows, but these episodes could have been a lot more introspective, focusing on the relationship between Axum and Annika and even the other characters. I don't like the idea of sending the Captain, Engineer, and Security on an undercover mission where they wanted to be assimilated, and even in part two, we don't see Tuvok or B'Elanna at all for the most part. How interesting would it have been had Torres and Tuvok been made part of the collective, and they are a big part of what is happening inside Unimatrix Zero. Also, why I say these episodes were disappointing in hindsight is because we don't hear about the Borg Civil War again. We don't see Kurok, we don't bring back Species 8472 as an ally against the queen, and these episodes are somewhat forgotten. I know I'm getting ahead of myself towards Endgame, but this premiere could have been so much more. Heck, maybe even have a second part to really focus on the Borg civil war and end them right then and there. At least we got to see Annika one more time, or as I like to say, Jeri Ryan playing Jeri Ryan.

For a change I am in the minority - for the umpteenth time. I love UNIMATRIX ZERO, this was a fascinating story - like all the others with the borg on VOY (no idea about the borg on TNG, I only know the two stories when Q throws the Enterprise in front of the borg cube as well as when Picard is turned into Locutus - both stories send me sleepy). Here on VOY they are all fun, starting with UNITY until ENDGAME and although I like ENDGAME a bit less than most stories, this has nothing to do with the borg. I think it's a fascinating enemy (or do I say "they" in English???) and I wish more stories had been made with the borg. I also wish we had learned about the Hirogens in as much detail as about the borg (again, a language question: are "Hirogen", "Klingon", "Vulcan", etc written with capital letters but "borg" isn't???)

So yes, a very exciting two-parter. And Tommyboy is lieutenant again!

Imperfection

It's episodes like Imperfection that is really making this Voyager rewatch rewarding. I forgot how excellent this episode was, and how great of a job Manu Intiraymi is doing in the role of Icheb. Yes it's another Seven episode, and yes after Unimatrix Zero, one can say this was another Borg episode, but this is really more about facing death via terminal illness. We get two great scenes, the first with Seven and B'Elanna (I wanted a Barge of the Dead reference though) talking about what happens when one dies and the other was with Janeway talking about the crewmembers that have been lost. Both these scenes have shown how much Seven has grown as an individual and how far she's come since she was severed from the collective. We also get some great stuff with Icheb, who has really had a great character arc so far leading up to wanting to sacrifice himself to save Seven. That scene where he deactivates the Node was some great acting. We also find out that Icheb wants to go to Starfleet academy. I guess every series needs a character who wants to go to the Academy so Voyager's not surprising.

Also, the F/X was great too, especially when they take the new delta flyer (Man they build those ships fast) to the Borg debris field. Loved that flying scene. If U0 was disappointing, Imperfection might be one of the most underrated episodes of the series.

A few wallpapers for this one:

Can't believe I'm on Season 7 now. I've been going at this fast but mainly because I'm seeing the finish line of my rewatch. This has been fun and I'm really excited to finish this rewatch strong. In terms of episodes I'm looking forward to seeing again:

Lineage
Drive
Prophecy
The Void
Workforce I and II
Critical Care
Body and Soul

Now here at last we agree. I love all these episodes. But then I think that Season 7 is a very strong season with a lot of elements from the first three seasons (Q, Seska, Q2, Maquis, Talaxians ... etc.). I practically like all the stories in Season 7, ENDGAME a bit less than all the others. But otherwise a very enjoyable season after the bump in the road at the end of Season 6.

 

[Catarina]

Yeah...Drive was supposed to come before Imperfection. If you look closely during the operation scenes in Imperfection you can see Paris is wearing a wedding ring.

The first time this aired, I thought Mcneil forgot to take off his. hehe.