Glaring Omission From "Threshold"

[Bry_Sinclair]

Ok, I know that "Threshold" is a pretty dire episode by anyone's standards, and it has been years since I last suffered through it, however one thing has always bothered me about it that I don't think was ever answered.

Going to Warp 10 causes humans to "evolve" as was evident from Paris and Janeway, but at the end of the episode the EMH had them back to their normal selves without any side effects, they then went on to live perfectly normal lives after the experience. So what was the problem with using Warp 10 to get the whole ship home?

If a hologram can easily restore two people with what limited resources are available on a ship lost in the DQ, cut off from all support, then the full force of Starfleet Medical could cure a crew of 150-ish without batting an eyelid. Or better yet put the crew into stasis, the effects of the transformation might not occur in that case. There is also no evidence to suggest that the non-humans would suffer the same fate.

 

[stardream]

Ok, I know that "Threshold" is a pretty dire episode by anyone's standards, and it has been years since I last suffered through it, however one thing has always bothered me about it that I don't think was ever answered.

Going to Warp 10 causes humans to "evolve" as was evident from Paris and Janeway, but at the end of the episode the EMH had them back to their normal selves without any side effects, they then went on to live perfectly normal lives after the experience. So what was the problem with using Warp 10 to get the whole ship home?

If a hologram can easily restore two people with what limited resources are available on a ship lost in the DQ, cut off from all support, then the full force of Starfleet Medical could cure a crew of 150-ish without batting an eyelid. Or better yet put the crew into stasis, the effects of the transformation might not occur in that case. There is also no evidence to suggest that the non-humans would suffer the same fate.

A question for the ages.

 

[A Chimpanzee & 2 Trainees]

I hear you.

http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/threshold.280122/

That's about all I can say....

 

[Triskelion]

Or how you can be at infinite mass in the same universe where there are infinite multiple universes.

Or how you can ever care about humans again after seeing what they become. Ha ha, not beings of energy and light - gila monsters! Frikkin' gila monsters!

Or how the omnipotent Q aren't able to be omnipresent, but a guy with a camaro can figure it out.

 

[Lynx]

Ok, I know that "Threshold" is a pretty dire episode by anyone's standards, and it has been years since I last suffered through it, however one thing has always bothered me about it that I don't think was ever answered.

Going to Warp 10 causes humans to "evolve" as was evident from Paris and Janeway, but at the end of the episode the EMH had them back to their normal selves without any side effects, they then went on to live perfectly normal lives after the experience. So what was the problem with using Warp 10 to get the whole ship home?

If a hologram can easily restore two people with what limited resources are available on a ship lost in the DQ, cut off from all support, then the full force of Starfleet Medical could cure a crew of 150-ish without batting an eyelid. Or better yet put the crew into stasis, the effects of the transformation might not occur in that case. There is also no evidence to suggest that the non-humans would suffer the same fate.

There's only one answer to your questions:

The events in "Threshold" never happened!

It was just a nightmare Paris had after eating too much Leola Root stew or drinking too much of Neelix’s coffee.

Almost like The Doctor's hallucinations in "Projections" (which in fact was amuch better and exciting episode)

The best evidence for this episode being nothing but a nightmare is the fact that no one ever mentioned the events in the episode in later episodes. I mean, Paris breaks the warp 10 threshold, almost dies, turns into a lizard, abducts Janeway who is also turned into a lizard and they have lizard “children” and no one talks about it or jokes about it later!

 

[Capn Nick]

I think they took a vote and nobody thought it was worth getting home quickly if they had to pull out their own tongues.

But yeah, of course your right. I try not to think of that episode because of those poor super advanced lizard babies they leave on the planet. These are highly evolved little lizards and their parents just ditch them. Then Tom goes and has some little simpleton baby and loves it. Not cool.

 

[Ghislaine H. B. BRAEME]

Do you know what really bothered me in "Threshold" is:

1) that fact that Chakotay made the decision to abandon 3 animal babies knowing that they carried in them human DNA belonging to Janeway's & Paris!
-> was Chakotay's decision totally innoncent or did he take it because the youngs werent HIS and Janeway's? (I asked myself the same question with the episode "Workforce", in which he forced Janeway to come back on Voyager even though, he knew that she had met a man with whom she envisaged a more classic and happy existence...)
Plus, how is made that Tuvok didn't intervene to defend the interests of his friend aka Janeway.

2) how neither Janeway or Paris (for whom we know their desire to have children) didn't react as soon as they knew that they had 3 offsprings together - whatever were the conditions in which they make them, besides -, in asking firstly, that the Voyager turns back to get back their youngs and secondly, that The Doctor makes them undergo the same medical treatment which worked so well on the parents. I mean, the worst which would have been occurred, would have been that the youngs didn't survive to the treatment, right?
Plus, none of the two spoke again about this adventure afterward, .as if it had never arrived while Chakotay and Tuvok had to mention it in the log.

What an very strange episode!

 

[trekyourself]

They may not have had trekbbs in mind when they wrote that episode. But it would serve the new show well to have a few Mega fans as advisors on hand to ask questions about whether trekkies were going to pull their hair out trying to figure out and justify the science and continuity issues with what they're writing and how to fix it.

 

[Triskelion]

Gila monsters!

 

[Lynx]

They may not have had trekbbs in mind when they wrote that episode.

They certainly didn't!

However, I will stand up for my beliefs that the event in "Threshold" never happened, That it was a nightmare Tom had.

But if I didn't, then I would immediately launch a campaign: "Justice for the lizard kids!" in which I would demand that Voyager immediately went back to pick up those innocent victims for human stupidity (to which I count both the insane Threshold project plus the fact that the lizard babies were left behind) and demand that the lizards would be brought on board Voyager and treated like crewmembers.

I could even write a story about it!

 

[TonyLeung82]

However, I will stand up for my beliefs that the event in "Threshold" never happened, That it was a nightmare Tom had.

make it two, I have the same opinion. If you think about the episode this way, the episode is really entertaining and funny. And even makes a little sense at the end (as a dream). But if this episode is not a dream.....oh lord, forget it :-)

 

[Archimago]

Ngl I think a Lynx's theory about the dream seems the most viable xD

 

[Terok Nor]

I'm not saying Star Trek always makes sense but this episode makes no sense. I'll go with Lynx's theory. It was all a dream. Tom was probably doing crystal meth at the time.

 

[Lynx]

I'm not saying Star Trek always makes sense but this episode makes no sense. I'll go with Lynx's theory. It was all a dream. Tom was probably doing crystal meth at the time.

No, I think it was Rhuludian crystals.

According to the book "Pathways" written by Jeri Taylor, Neelix was using Rhuludian crystals after the tragic events when his family was killed. He and Wixiban used those crystals for a while. But Neelix became addicted to them and only with the help of Wixiban he could go through the horrible withdrawal and be free from the addiction.

Since then, Neelix has hardly touched Rhuludian crystals, at least never used them.

However, he did keep a small stash for many years, just in case.

When Neelix did find out that Tom had invited Kes to a picknick on the holodeck, despite Tom's promises in "Parturition" that he wouldn't try to steal Kes from Neelix, then Neelix's old jealousy and paranoia came back.

So the next dinner, he poured his remaining stash of Rhuludian crystals into Tom's food.

The result was Tom's hallucinations which are clearly described in "Threshold".

 

[Helpfulbob]

Assume it's not a dream the writers hung a lantern see stargate for ref. Reconfiguring the shuttle took simulation after simulation testing it out on Voyager would be too dangerous. Plus they never figured out how to come out just a vague reference to I saw you were worried. The turning into a lizard and 2% chance of Tom dying was simply the writers failure to imagine. The doctor could have said there is danger in attempting this as we have no reference. Tom can have his say did Cochrane worry about the risk when making his first flight. Tom does it comes back but the radiation starts to kill him only near the end does he realise that another trip is his only hope. He survives in typical star trek manner but the technology is too dangerous for now...

 

[Heghta]

To answer the OP question, because then the show would have ended then and there. But yes I am being a bit facetious. To be perfectly blunt, yes they goofed up, it's as simple as that. It was an ill-conceived episode and story but it happens.

 

[Jonny]

There's only one answer to your questions:

The events in "Threshold" never happened!

It was just a nightmare Paris had after eating too much Leola Root stew or drinking too much of Neelix’s coffee.

Almost like The Doctor's hallucinations in "Projections" (which in fact was amuch better and exciting episode)

The best evidence for this episode being nothing but a nightmare is the fact that no one ever mentioned the events in the episode in later episodes. I mean, Paris breaks the warp 10 threshold, almost dies, turns into a lizard, abducts Janeway who is also turned into a lizard and they have lizard “children” and no one talks about it or jokes about it later!

Yeah you know it's a bad idea when no-one even teases Paris about it afterwards (Or Janeway behind her back). I think even the makers of the show knew it was a bad episode.

I'm not saying Star Trek always makes sense but this episode makes no sense. I'll go with Lynx's theory. It was all a dream. Tom was probably doing crystal meth at the time.

Who knew ''Threshold'' was actually a ''Don't Do Drugs Kids!'' episode?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Imagine they discovered how bad oil was for the environment 20 minutes into inventing internal combustion.

They didn't know how to steer while impelling at Transwarp speed.

It's a ridiculous modification to the...

JANEWAY IS TOM'S MOTHER!!!!



Warp 10 does not cause uniform mutation, or any mutation at all unless you have a specific quirk common to one in a trillion human beings at any one point in time. (Science!)

It would be an unrealistic coincidence for Janeway and Paris to have the same genetic quirk without being very, very close blood relatives!

(I'd always assumed that it was Tom's love bite that turned the lady into a lizard, which would pass on his junk DNA as a virus, y'know like zombies or vampires... But if it was the jaunt and not the hicky that made Kathryn identically susceptible to transwarp mutation, then he's probably a relative. Tom's baby with/from Rain gets bizzy with one of Shannon O'Donnel's kids?)

 

[JirinPanthosa]

And, why not go warp 9.99999?

 

[Paul Weaver]

They may not have had trekbbs in mind when they wrote that episode. But it would serve the new show well to have a few Mega fans as advisors on hand to ask questions about whether trekkies were going to pull their hair out trying to figure out and justify the science and continuity issues with what they're writing and how to fix it.

No, trekbbs came about in 1999, however before we had this board we had usenet (I hung out on umtss personally, although perhaps not until 1), where people would poke holes in episodes. This was the place that invented the group alt.wesley.crusher.die.die.die for example. Poor Wil Wheaton.