Scorpion Part 2
Janeway is on the cube and has Tuvok come over to help. They have formed an alliance, tricky as it may be. The Borg tries to force a neural link onto Tuvok and Janeway in order to make them communicate more efficiently. Janeway threatens to back out of the agreement if they do that and she suggests that they choose a representative from the Borg to work with them and I finally meet 7 of 9!
Janeway tries to talk with 7 of 9, but she refuses to discuss anything that is not relevant to the creation of a weapon. The new aliens attack the cube, but Janeway, Tuvok, and a few Borg were beamed onto VOY before the cube was destroyed. Janeway was unfortunately injured and hands over her command to Chakotay with the insistence that he make the alliance with the Borg work in order to get the crew home. Eventually the other aliens….I forget their number designation….attack, a few Borg, Janeway, and Tuvok are beamed back onto VOY and the cube destroys the alien ship and itself in the process in order to keep the weapon that VOY is creating safe.
Based on a few discussions with the Borg they figure out that the Borg started the war, not the other species. However, Janeway still wants to keep her peace with the Borg and tells Chakotay to stay the course (when she was in sickbay after being injured in the previous attack). Chakotay disagrees with Janeway’s decision and after the Borg demand he turn back, five days into Borg space, and meet with another cube he takes his own course of action and decides to leave the Borg at the next planet they encounter. In the meantime, Janeway miraculously gets better and awakens with perfect hair and makeup. Janeway and Chakotay have a bit of a disagreement and their discussion is left off unsettled.
Janeway meets with 7 of 9 again and tells her that she put Chakotay in the brig for his disobedience...(at this point I thought one of three things: 1. Somehow Janeway was corrupted by the Borg and that may have led to her increased brain trauma, 2. Her and Chakotay were plotting, or 3. She did not really put him in the brig, but had him stay in his quarters in order to appease the Borg and make it look like she was punishing him).
In the end, 7 of 9 is left on the ship by herself and she tries to assimilate the ship and Janeway tells Chakotay the word Scorpion through the com link and their back up plan goes into effect. Chakotay links with 7 of 9 and tries to convince her that she was once human and that her humanity is still there. It is just a decoy to stall her until B’Elanna has a chance to overload her circuits and separate her link from the rest of the Borg.
Favorite parts: I appreciate it that Janeway and Chakotay finished the 2-part episode by banning together. I did not like it when she barked at him in the previous episode for having a different idea. I also decided I ultimately like the title (even though I loathe, and I mean loathe, scorpions). The parable Chakotay offered was actually quite significant. I enjoy that aspect of his character. He does not share his Native American history and background often, but when he does it really is quite insightful and relevant to the episode. I am happy to see a new crew member too!
(Possible) Least favorite part: I know people love 7 of 9, but I am concerned that they have started her character with extreme limits. She has spent more time as a Borg than a human, and I feel like it is going to be a long road to recovery, and I question whether she will even be able to cope with her human emotions and instincts as her human physiology takes over. I just hope that her personality is not too limited, and that she does not bounce back too quickly, which I feel would probably be unrealistic.