I could do a countdown and drop a ball in Times Square, but instead I'll just tell you how I felt about...
"11:59"
Neelix is curious about Earth history, so Janeway shares a little inside knowledge about her ancestor, Shannon O'Donnell, who was instrumental in building something called the Millennium Gate. And also colonized Mars.
We're then transported to Shannon herself, who looks remarkably like Janeway, driving a beat-up station wagon. She conks out in Portage Creek, Indiana, where they don't have gas, food, or lodging...but they do have their own television station!
The concept was a good one--ENT did something very similar in "Carbon Creek" that worked really well--and it's good to see Kate Mulgrew get out of the Starfleet uniform.
The problem is that the plot doesn't make a ton of sense. If the Millennium Gate is an enclosed habitat, how can it also be a shopping mall? And why would they put it out in the middle of nowhere? And what kind of company is doing business around midnight on New Year's Eve?
The bigger problem, though, is Henry Janeway. Simply put, he's a reactionary--he just violently opposes any kind of progress, even using a computer. And having never been outside of Indiana is nothing to be proud of. It's very difficult to see what Shannon finds so attractive in him. Plus, he looks to be about 20 years older than Shannon. I've seen the actor who plays him in other stuff, and he's fine, but I don't buy him as a romantic lead opposite Kate Mulgrew.
And what kind of TV station would have a round-the-clock live feed of a bookstore that hasn't even had a phone call in three days? It's definitely not sweeps.
So from that aspect the episode doesn't work for me, but that doesn't mean I didn't like it. Like I said, it was nice seeing Kate Mulgrew in a more down-to-Earth setting (literally).
But Captain Janeway should stop bad-mouthing history. It's like the writers only stayed away for the "death of objectivism" lecture and didn't retain anything else from their history classes. Her notion that there are different "kinds' of history--Bolian history, Ferengi history, etc, is another endorsement of historical relativism that, when you think about it, is intellectually bankrupt.
On the whole, though, I liked the episode's atmosphere. It's nice having these lower-key episodes.
"11:59"
Neelix is curious about Earth history, so Janeway shares a little inside knowledge about her ancestor, Shannon O'Donnell, who was instrumental in building something called the Millennium Gate. And also colonized Mars.
We're then transported to Shannon herself, who looks remarkably like Janeway, driving a beat-up station wagon. She conks out in Portage Creek, Indiana, where they don't have gas, food, or lodging...but they do have their own television station!
The concept was a good one--ENT did something very similar in "Carbon Creek" that worked really well--and it's good to see Kate Mulgrew get out of the Starfleet uniform.
The problem is that the plot doesn't make a ton of sense. If the Millennium Gate is an enclosed habitat, how can it also be a shopping mall? And why would they put it out in the middle of nowhere? And what kind of company is doing business around midnight on New Year's Eve?
The bigger problem, though, is Henry Janeway. Simply put, he's a reactionary--he just violently opposes any kind of progress, even using a computer. And having never been outside of Indiana is nothing to be proud of. It's very difficult to see what Shannon finds so attractive in him. Plus, he looks to be about 20 years older than Shannon. I've seen the actor who plays him in other stuff, and he's fine, but I don't buy him as a romantic lead opposite Kate Mulgrew.
And what kind of TV station would have a round-the-clock live feed of a bookstore that hasn't even had a phone call in three days? It's definitely not sweeps.
So from that aspect the episode doesn't work for me, but that doesn't mean I didn't like it. Like I said, it was nice seeing Kate Mulgrew in a more down-to-Earth setting (literally).
But Captain Janeway should stop bad-mouthing history. It's like the writers only stayed away for the "death of objectivism" lecture and didn't retain anything else from their history classes. Her notion that there are different "kinds' of history--Bolian history, Ferengi history, etc, is another endorsement of historical relativism that, when you think about it, is intellectually bankrupt.
On the whole, though, I liked the episode's atmosphere. It's nice having these lower-key episodes.
I enjoyed the episode, but I had a lot of trouble seeing what someone like Shannon would see in Henry Janeway. She was a woman of science and exploration, as well as adventure, obviously. Henry was an obstinate old Luddite, who could clearly match wits with Shannon and was undoubtedly well-read, but...and then what? 
(But we'll save him for our Kathryn)
