A Semi-Hater Revisits Voyager

[Lynx]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

Before And After

One of my top 10 favorite episodes. OK, the story is actually very weird but it's interesting to see the flashbacks of Kes's earlier life and also what could have been if Kes had stayed (no, I don't think that the future had become exactly as it was described) and also for what "Year of Hell" could have been if they had kept Kes and the original concept.

I have to agree with GodBen about Kes's past. I would also have liked to see more of it.

As for the change of hairstyle, it wasn't actually planned. It happened because Jennifer Lien had an allergic reaction to the glue which was used to attach the Ocampa ears on her head. While letting her have long hair, the Ocampa ears could be omitted. That was the reason for the quick change of hairstyle and why it never was explained in the series. In the episode "Worst Case Scenario", Kes has short hair again but look closely and you'll see that there are no Ocampa ears.

As for the long hair, what I know it was a wig too!

Personally I must admit that I prefer Kes with short hair. It's more of a trademark fr the character. She looks great in long hair too but more like an average character, one of those we've seen in so many series and movies.

As for the catsuit, that was probably because of Braga's obsession with such clothes. I prefer Kes with her normal Ocampa clothes.

As for the episode itself, I'll give it 5 points out of 5!

Still Life
Now why do I always mix the title of the episode up with an Iron Maiden song with that name? Sorry for that, of course the name for the episode is:

Real Life
I have to admit that this episode doesn't work for me and I don't understand why they came up with it in the first place. Lack of inspiration?

Because this isn't a Voyager story, more a syrupy soap-opera episode and the whole "hologram wants to become human" gone too far.

I'll give it 1 point out of 5.

 

[startrekwatcher]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

re" Kes' hair and outfit.

From what I understand it was her long hair and the reason they adopted it were two-fold. One was the fact that Lien was having allergic reactions to the ears and so her hair covering them up was the solution. And the second reason is she was growing up. So they wanted to make her look less like a waif and more adult. It also explains why Kes wore the tighter fitting costume. It was because like most teenagers.young adults, she was coming into her own.

 

[Lynx]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

re" Kes' hair and outfit.

From what I understand it was her long hair and the reason they adopted it were two-fold. One was the fact that Lien was having allergic reactions to the ears and so her hair covering them up was the solution. And the second reason is she was growing up. So they wanted to make her look less like a waif and more adult. It also explains why Kes wore the tighter fitting costume. It was because like most teenagers.young adults, she was coming into her own.

I don't think it was the purpose with the long hair. If it had been, then it would have been explained better and not just showed up as quick and unexpected as it did. I've never seen any statements from anyone in charge or explanations at all from anyone that this change was made to make Kes look more adult or so.

 

[neogothboy74]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

Real Life (***½)

I liked this episode when it aired, though I did think it was slightly manipulitive. My roomie heard about this episode after I saw it, but I didn't have a copy of it until the dvds came out years later - and he still remembered and wanted to watch this one. I think it's ok on it's own. But this episode could have led to a great followup in my opinion, and it didn't. Which is too bad. I'd rate the episode ***.

 

[Jaespol]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

you have an episode whose only interesting contribution to the series was Torres' neat one-time hair braid.

I loved that hair-braid.
But I think it really scream "Voyager" that they don't even have continuity when it comes to a hair braid

 

[neogothboy74]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

you have an episode whose only interesting contribution to the series was Torres' neat one-time hair braid.

I loved that hair-braid.
But I think it really scream "Voyager" that they don't even have continuity when it comes to a hair braid

Well, to be fair, Dax had that freaky hairstyle in "The Search, Parts I & II" that we had never seen before or (thankfully) ever saw again after the 3rd Season opener. And I think it's fairly common for people to try something new once in awhile and not keep it.

But I liked the hair-braid too.

 

[Jaespol]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

It made her look a lot more feminine but also a little more wild, it was good.
There was a lot of good hair going on at that dinner table!

 

[Jaespol]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

Before And After

One of my top 10 favorite episodes.

I'm surprised you don't rate this one higher, I mean how can you rate "Cold Fire" above this? Suspiria took the form of a little girl with a scary voice! HEllo!??

 

[Praetor]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

I liked 'Real Life' for what it was, but the fact that there was never any reappearance or re-reference back to it de-emphasizes the importance of it. I found the emotional scene poignant, but overall, it feels more like a stepping stone in the Doc's 'growth.'

(Trivia: the actress who plays the Doc's wife, Wendy Schaal, also plays the voice of Francine, the wife on 'American Dad.')

 

[Michael]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

I really like Real Life. Once again the gratuitous technobabble B-plot doesn't go anywhere (although in the end they at least tried to combine it with the A-plot; unsatisfactory, if you ask me), but the story about K-Shmully's holographic family is rather nice. I must admit, I also groaned when K-Shmully spent like what seemed a full minute scanning his daughter's dead body, but I also shed a tear during the scene where K-Shmully learns of his daughter's accident and ends the program because he can't bear it anymore. (Honestly, I did shed a tear.)

One big downside of this episode, though, is the circumstance described by Praetor here:

I liked 'Real Life' for what it was, but the fact that there was never any reappearance or re-reference back to it de-emphasizes the importance of it.

 

[Jaespol]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

Let us all sit back and admire B'Ellana's braid

 

[The Grim Ghost]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

I loved the main story of Real Life. Kind of tells you a little about B'Ellana's view of home life to see how she changed things up doesn't it?

 

[Tachyon]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

Real Life was a borefest for me.

 

[Praetor]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

Let us all sit back and admire B'Ellana's braid

Even Kes finds the braid funny.

 

[Lynx]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

^^
It is funny actually.

However, I'm glad that this was the only episode we did see it in.

 

[NumberSix]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

I think best B'Elanna hair was during season six with her curly semi-Klingon style.

I liked Before & After as it explored what may have happened between Tom and Kes if they had been given a chance (I always hated Neelix & Kes together), and I genuinely felt sorry for her when she kept disappearing after finally getting someone to believe her story and help her.

Real Life was funny. I liked the Doctor trying to bring order to B'Elanna's improved version of a "real" family. Like NCC-1701, I too shed a tear during the Doctor's pain, but I agree what ultimately ruined its impact was the Doctor's tricorder scanning. I did want to smack his son over the head for being annoying though...

 

[Jaespol]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

I think Real Life would have been a much better episode if we hadn't had the daughter die on us.

And I liked the hair braid!

 

[TheGodBen]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

Distant Origin (****)

Dinosaurs in space with big-ass guns? What's not to love?!

I know that some people hate the dinosaur angle of this episode, but that never truly bothered me because 64 million years is an eternity and there wouldn't be any remnants of a dinosaur civilization to find after that much time. The only thing I have a problem with is the idea that these guys have been around for 64 million years and yet their technology is only about a century or two more advanced than the Federation. I know this is meant to be explained away by the idea that their doctrine was holding them back, but holding them back for 64 million years? That's a bit hard to swallow.

And it is ironic that an episode which is obviously an allegory for legal battles between science and religion, and the teaching of evolution in particular, that Brannon Braga would once again show his complete lack of understanding of evolutionary biology. The computer would not be able to determine what a dinosaur would look like after 64 million years, especially when there is absolutely no reference as to what sort of environment it inhabited. This doesn't damage the episode too much because it is only used as a tool to fill the audience in on what is going on, but it still irritates me.

The story is good, and I really enjoyed the final scenes as Gegen is forced to retract his claims for the greater good. Probably my favourite episode so far this season.

 

[apenpaap]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

Distant Origin is one of my favourites. I agree that the Voth were too close to Federation technology level for a 60 million year old civilization, but can anyone really even imagine the technology of a 60 million year old civilization?

 

[Jaespol]

Re: A Hater Revisits Voyager

I think the Voth were more advanced than 200 years beyond Federation technology, they were able to beam the whole damned ship! Besides, we never got to see that much.
There were certainly a lot of implausabilities in this episode but overall it was a well directed and well written episode with an interesting concept.

However if they had evolved on our planet it is likely we would have found remnants, we've found dinosaur fossils haven't we?