My first voyage with Voyager

[exodus]

You Will Fail: Mulgrew said in an interview that it was a constant challenge for her to play Janeway. Every day, she told herself she'd crack it, and every day she didn't.

I can't see anyone doing better than her, though. Her character was written with some very unique mannerisms which one couldn't duplicate naturally unless they had those mannerisms themselves. I think just about any actor would have struggled with it.

I agree.
Lots of folks say Avery Brooks and Kate Mulgrew sucked but has anyone ever seen Patrick Stewart in character and do a scene that involved crying? He's terrible. Picard was nearly Vulcan at times he was so introverted emotionally. I found Brooks and Mulgrew IMO brought color to their characters by giving them more vibrant personalities.

Didn't see a problem with Picard being more introverted emotionally as you put it. But then again perhaps that could be down to the fact that being a Brit we usually frown upon showing too much emotion.

Understood.
I guess what Im really trying to get across was maybe not our perception of the character but rather how that character relates to others in their universe. Sisko and Janeway while moody under stress, always came off as approachable to all on their staff. Picard was very distant. Everybody other than the senior staff were terrified to even be next to him.

 

[Qutluch]

I am new to Trek BBS. Actually, I am fairly new to TV and movies in general (despite the fact that I am nearly 30). I never grew up watching TV or movies and my pop culture knowledge is atrocious. My husband decided that he was going to acculturate me starting with Star Trek. I have watched DS9 and TNG. However, since it was my first introduction to Star Trek I feel like I missed a lot of the humor in DS9 and intend to re-watch both DS9 and TNG once I finish the other series. For my first thread, I am going to make a post about each episode that I watch in Voyager. This is my first time viewing Voyager so please feel free to fill me in on any back-stories or information that I am missing.

I'm coming to this thread a bit late, and I know I don't post here as often as I'd like, but welcome to Trek BBS and Trek in general. I love Star Trek and Voyager's my favorite series out of all of them. You'll love it.

Thank you. I am really excited about VOY! Why is it your favorite?

 

[JanewayRulz!]

You Will Fail: Mulgrew said in an interview that it was a constant challenge for her to play Janeway. Every day, she told herself she'd crack it, and every day she didn't.

I can't see anyone doing better than her, though. Her character was written with some very unique mannerisms which one couldn't duplicate naturally unless they had those mannerisms themselves. I think just about any actor would have struggled with it.

I agree.
Lots of folks say Avery Brooks and Kate Mulgrew sucked but has anyone ever seen Patrick Stewart in character and do a scene that involved crying? He's terrible. Picard was nearly Vulcan at times he was so introverted emotionally. I found Brooks and Mulgrew IMO brought color to their characters by giving them more vibrant personalities.

Didn't see a problem with Picard being more introverted emotionally as you put it. But then again perhaps that could be down to the fact that being a Brit we usually frown upon showing too much emotion.

But he was FRENCH, supposedly full of emotion.

 

[exodus]

Fans make comments about how weak Voyager was but eps. like "Deathwish", "Tuvix", "Equinox" & "Endgame" are still being debated to this day, more so than any other eps. in Trek. Voyager gave us all something to come here and talk about. Voyager also introduced Trek to a new audience, new fans bring in new ideas and opinions. I see that as a plus, not a minus.

 

[Shatnertage]

I just got done watching DS9 for the first time, and frankly I think both shows are on the same level quality-wise. DS9 has some great, great episodes. Off the top of my head, I'll mention ITPL, "Duet," "The Visitor," and definitely a lot more. It had a secondary cast that usually provided some good material in the bad episodes. But it also had a lot of rushed, bad television.

Voyager can be accused of the same (and there are a lot of episodes I won't rewatch), but it also has some great, great episodes. In addition to what exodus said, I'd add "Counterpoint," which is one of my favorite SeriousTrek episodes of all time, and "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy," which is one of my favorite comedic ones. I won't talk specifics for fear of spoilering Qutluch (and I'd kindly ask the rest of you not to as well), but you know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, sometimes they missed the mark, but I find the criticism of Voyager to be really overstated.

For example, it's my crackpot theory that one of the things DS9 was hailed for, "conflict," turns up a lot more on Voyager. Again, not spoiling anything, but especially in the first two seasons there was quite a bit of conflict between main cast members. With all of the Trek shows under my belt, Voyager has more than its fair share of episodes in the rewatch column.

 

[Qutluch]

Cathexis

I really do like the holodeck. It is so much fun to watch the actors/actress’ do something new/play around a bit. The guy in the holonovel looks and sounds familiar. Does anyone know who he is, or what else he is in?

Janeway has to leave the holonovel rather quickly when the shuttle with Tuvok and Chakotay returns and Chakotay is essentially brain dead after an energy discharge was fired at their ship and penetrated into it.

We get to see a little Native American/Chakotay’s culture! I was beginning to wonder if we would see more of it any time soon. B’Elanna sets up a medicine wheel in sick bay to help Chakotay find his way back. The Doctor tells her that it will not help, but does correct a placement on the stone wheel for her.

Kes is in her quarters and feels a presence near here and goes to tell Neelix in the kitchen. He brushes it off as her telepathic “stuff”. Meanwhile, on the bridge the ship is being turned away from a Nebula, but no one can figure out how/why. The only explanation is that each time it happens it occurs at Paris’ stations. Paris is sent to sickbay only to find out that nothing is wrong. Then the warp core is shut down and B’Elanna looks to be responsible. Janeway, Paris, Tuvok, and B’Elanna are talking with the Doctor and they figure out that an alien is present and keeps taking over an individual to make the changes that they need. (This reminds me of the movie Fallen, and now I can’t stop singing, “Tiiiiii-iiiiiiiiii-Ayiiiiimmmmmeeee… is on my side! Yes it is!”). I like the idea that a temporal alien can go in and out of the crew at their leisure. I was kind of sad when Kes went into a coma. Although, it is absolutely hysterical when Neelix freaks out, even though I also feel the doctor doesn’t get enough hugs! He does leave sick bay in an awful hurry and I kind of doubt that he would do that. He would probably sit next to Kes the whole time, or go cook her some strange concoction of his...

Anybody could be the bad guy. How exciting! What a fun way to have several antagonists, yet only one! I like the scene where the alien bounces into a few different people, all trying to attack Tuvok, who then knocks everybody out. When Janeway puts it together that Tuvok is the alien that keeps trying to make them enter the Nebula, he then hijacks the bridge. It has been Chakotay’s disembodied spirit that keeps trying to counter-act the alien’s wishes. The Nebula aliens want to drain the crews’ neural energy. Chakotay inhabits Neelix in order to move the stones on the medicine wheel and re-arranges them to act as a map for the ship to maneuver out of the Nebula, which they do. The aliens stop following them and the Doctor is able to get Chakotay’s energy back into his body. In the end, Janeway is hovering over a bare-chested Chakotay in sickbay with both of her hands on his chest/upper shoulder; I kind of thought that was a little odd. I wonder if I am going to see a little sexual tension between them….

Least favorite part: At one point Janeway gives Kim control of the bridge….WHY? Also, I would have liked to have seen Neelix and Kes when she woke up from her coma.

Favorite part: The Doctor’s explanation of what B’Elanna was doing wrong on the medicine wheel. I am on a bake-a-thon and covered in sugar right now or I would have rewound the scene and written the exact quote. Something about elk women and Chakotay not wanting to find his way back….

 

[AdmiralSteven]

I am new to Trek BBS. Actually, I am fairly new to TV and movies in general (despite the fact that I am nearly 30). I never grew up watching TV or movies and my pop culture knowledge is atrocious. My husband decided that he was going to acculturate me starting with Star Trek. I have watched DS9 and TNG. However, since it was my first introduction to Star Trek I feel like I missed a lot of the humor in DS9 and intend to re-watch both DS9 and TNG once I finish the other series. For my first thread, I am going to make a post about each episode that I watch in Voyager. This is my first time viewing Voyager so please feel free to fill me in on any back-stories or information that I am missing.

I'm coming to this thread a bit late, and I know I don't post here as often as I'd like, but welcome to Trek BBS and Trek in general. I love Star Trek and Voyager's my favorite series out of all of them. You'll love it.

Thank you. I am really excited about VOY! Why is it your favorite?

I like Voyager for the simple reason that they are lost in space and having to deal with new aliens and new situations. I love to travel, and my wife and I went to Germany last year to visit my brother, who's currently living there for work. One day my wife and I were on our on in the local city where my brother lives and wound up getting lost. I had more fun trying to find my way back to my brothers place. We found all kinds of neat little nooks and crannies just by being lost. So that's kind of way I like Voyager, because they're lost and having to find their way back.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I love Voyager because of the characters.

 

[Shatnertage]

I love it because of the Flotter doll.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Oh I do remember how you loved that little blue fella Shatnertage..

 

[Qutluch]

I'm coming to this thread a bit late, and I know I don't post here as often as I'd like, but welcome to Trek BBS and Trek in general. I love Star Trek and Voyager's my favorite series out of all of them. You'll love it.

Thank you. I am really excited about VOY! Why is it your favorite?

I like Voyager for the simple reason that they are lost in space and having to deal with new aliens and new situations. I love to travel, and my wife and I went to Germany last year to visit my brother, who's currently living there for work. One day my wife and I were on our on in the local city where my brother lives and wound up getting lost. I had more fun trying to find my way back to my brothers place. We found all kinds of neat little nooks and crannies just by being lost. So that's kind of way I like Voyager, because they're lost and having to find their way back.

That's a great explanation! I too have been lost while on vacation (in downtown Haifa in Israel) and making it back has become one of my favorite stories. It is a unique way to think about VOY, thanks for pointing it out!

 

[exodus]

Oh I do remember how you loved that little blue fella Shatnertage..

Harry Kim's best line in the series: "I forgot how ugly this thing was."

 

[Qutluch]

Faces

This was an excellent episode. Very well-written and acted!

Neelix makes Tuvok a bowl of Plomeek soup, or Plomeek soup a la Neelix. Luckily, Tuvok gets called to the bridge and doesn’t have to eat it! He is called to the bridge because the away team has not returned. B’Elanna has had her DNA re-sequenced by the Vidiian so only her Klingon side is visible. The Vidiian surgeon Sulan believes that B’Elanna is resistant to their disease the Phage. He infects B’Elanna with it in order to test his theory. Paris and a new character named Pete and being held captive. B’Elanna’s body is fighting off the Phage.

A twist: now B’Elanna is thrown into the cell with Paris as her pure Human form. The Vidiian completely extracted her Klingon DNA. She is much more emotional as just a human. Watching her as both a pure Human with more emotion and fear and as a Klingon, brave and slightly angry makes me appreciate how well written her character is as a bi-species Klingon/Human. Her character has both the right amount of wrath and positive emotion. She does make a few comments about what it was like growing up as a part of two different worlds. It is interesting to note that negative race/species relations are still prevalent in the future and that one does not necessarily feel whole if they are a part of two different races. B’Elanna spoke about how out of place she felt as a partial Klingon and that she felt that her father left her and her mother because she looked Klingon.

B’Elanna, the Klingon, tries to seduce Sulan in order to be set free. She makes note of the veracious Klingon sexual appetite! When B’Elanna saw Sulan with Pete’s face transplanted onto her own she was able to get away easy enough and choked Sulan until he passes out. Meanwhile, Chakotay is made to look like a Vidiian by the Doctor so he can infiltrate the Vidiian society. The human B’Elanna admits to Paris that she has become emotional weak with the transformation she has undergone. She is afraid that they made her a coward. She does try to contact the ship though when she thinks that the Vidiian guards are not paying attention. They catch her though and begin to rough her up when Klingon B’Elanna saves her and tosses her over her shoulder when the Human B’Elanna faints.

How are there two B’Elanna’s from a DNA extraction? How are there two bodies? This would require an identical replication of DNA pairings to have the 46 required chromosomes, which would leave both hosts vulnerable to recessive genetic deficiencies (although each would have 2 Xs as they’re women). I do love the fight she has with herself. She even acknowledges how ridiculous it is that she is arguing with herself.

Chakotay takes Paris to organ donation. The B’Elannas are already there trying to override the force field. The Klingon B’Elanna takes a hit to protect the Human B’Elanna at the last moment when Sulan fires on her. Back in sickbay, the Doctor has to add the Klingon genes back into the Human B so her body can function properly. (which shows the short-comings of too many recessive anomalies in a person…)

Favorite part: I love how this episode shows the difference between Klingons and Humans and the constant internal struggle that B’Elanna has with her two heritages.

Least favorite part: They weren’t able to free the other Talaxian prisoner who had been there for 6 years. They just left him to be eventually killed by the Vidiian. Seeing how they killed off Pete, it would have been nice to have him replaced with a new character. Plus, it just seems damn cruel to leave him.

On a side note, I type my reviews on MS Word and copy and paste them onto this site. However, at the beginning and end of each paragraph I get this: [/SIZE]

Is there a way to get rid of that? I end up previewing the post and manually deleting each of them...














[/SIZE]

 

[Qutluch]

Jetrel


Another decent episode. It looks at war and the negative impacts it has on society, from both sides. Not as good as “Faces” though…


Awesome! We get to see a brief glimpse of the pimped-out holodeck pool hall program created by Paris. (I do like the trench-coat-Gigolo in the background)!! It’s nice to see Neelix fraternizing with the crew. Well, the happy part did not last long. Next thing we know Neelix, the moral officer, is shaking with anger when a Doctor named Jetrel asks to speak with him. According to Neelix he is a mass-murderer. Apparently, Jetrel led a team on the moon Neelix and his family lived on, and exposed a weapon of mass destruction that killed all of Neelix’s family. (Neelix was off-moon). On a side note, Neelix has whimsical clothing that makes me smile.


Dr. Jetrel wants to screen Neelix for a disease that occurs because of the exposure from Jetrel’s weapon. Janeway tries to talk Neelix into letting Jetrel screen the doctor for the possible disease. Neelix retorts, “I would rather be immersed in a pit of Krallinian eels than be examined by him!” What is a Krallinian eel? Do they filet nicely?

Under the strong-arm of Kes and Janeway Neelix agrees to see Jetrel. Jetrel and Neelix banter back and forth about who killed who and who has a bad conscious. Neelix eventually undergoes the tests to find out that he has Metreon poisoning. Neelix tries to make Kes feel better by explaining that he has looked death in the face many times, and goes on about how he was successful in battle many times. Then he and Kes talk about her short-lived life and how they need to cherish each other.

Jetrel wants to use the transporter system on VOY to try and get a sample of Metreon so they could possibly synthesize it and make a cure. (I looked at my husband at this point and remarked, “Ha, Ha, he has Metreon poisoning too”~and I was right)!


Neelix and Jetrel go back and forth about what each one has lost due to the war. Jetrel’s wife took their kids and left him and Neelix’s family died a painful death because of Jetrel’s weapon. Neelix admits to Kes that he was not a war hero, and that he was hiding from the Talaxian “Army” when his home planet was devastated. Jetrel gets the sample that he needed, but when Neelix walks in on him he is doing a strange experiment. He wants to bring back the victims. He thinks he has found a way to biologically re-build the atomic structure of the victims. He admits that Neelix does not have a disease and that he just wanted to get to the moon to get the samples so he could try and undo the wrongs he committed. Ultimately, it does not work and Jetrel dies from the poisoning. While he is dying Neelix goes to him and tells him that he forgives him. This seems to both hurt and comfort Jetrel.


(On another side note, Neelix’s nose kind of looks like a butt. It seems that one species in each of the Trek series has an arse-faced character). Also, do they do laundry on the ship, or just use the replicator to clean/replace their clothes?


Favorite part: This episode looks at war (both sides) in a very rational and thought provoking way. Also, it was a Neelix episode and I do like Neelix! It’s quite the contrast to get to see him be serious and outraged rather than upbeat, optimistic, and inadvertently funny! It is a different side of the character, and it is very well acted.


Least favorite part: Kes tries to tell Neelix that Jetrel was just a convenient target to get angry at rather than admitting his deficiencies and cowardice during the war. Seriously, the dude was partly responsible for killing all of his loved ones. I think Neelix has a good reason to be pissed off at Jetrel! Also, I didn’t like it that the Talaxians being restored didn’t have any realistic hope. Knowing that the purpose of the VOY plot line is to trek home, it would not do if magically Neelix had his whole family back. He would have presumably left the ship to be with them, and the VOY cannot lose too many characters since it already has so few main characters.

 

[exodus]

^^I think instead it shows how Kes coming from a closed society is clueless to the complexities of Neelix' situation. She has no idea about war or the emotional impact of survivor guilt.

 

[Qutluch]

Learning Curve

I like Janeway’s hair in her holodeck scene. It is a different variation of her bun, but better. The kid in the holodeck scene is awesome! Way to scold Janeway on her Latin little man! I don’t understand Janeway’s choice of holodeck novels. Why would you want to be a teacher? You would think she would want a break from being in charge; relax a little…. I guess that’s just part of Janeway’s character.

Tuvok gets to be a bad ass in this episode. It is his responsibility to train the Maquis in order to get them closer to Star Fleet standards. During his first lesson Tuvok gives a brief reason of why the various Maquis were chosen to “participate”. They argue that they didn’t ask to be on the ship and that they have already done the best they can and that they do not want to be in the training. (I like Chell, he’s prett—I hope we see more of him)! The four Maquis leave during the training without permission. It makes sense that the Maquis need training. I would like to have had all Maquis receive some training (unless they were Starfleet previously). They have never had to serve in such a firm rule-enforced environment before. I am surprised we didn’t see this episode a few before now.

Chakotay sits down with the four group members in the mess hall. Crewman Dalby argues that there is the Starfleet way and the Maquis way. In response, Chakotay punches him and says that that is the Maquis way and he can keep on hitting him until they report to Tuvok. (I had to re-wind this scene and watch it again. It is kind of hot when he punches Dalby; his whole demeanor is tough and tuff)!

The next day everyone reports to Tuvok. He lines them up and dress codes all of them like they were Middle school kids! I kind of hoped Dalby would have had a black eye…no such luck. At the same time the Gel packs are going bad and there is a limited amount and they cannot be replicated (why?). B’Elanna has a great idea to bring the gel packs to the doctor because they are bio-neural. The doctor finds that they are sick and contagious. They have to turn off part of the ships functions, including the replicators until the Doctor can find out what is wrong with them.

Back to my favorite part; Tuvok torturing the Maquis. He brings them on a cat and mouse hunt through Jeffries tubes and then on a 10 kilometer run. Chell has some fantastic facial expressions. I really hope we see more of him! War games! Dalby is in charge. He fails to retreat when he should and remarks to Tuvok that they are just not Starfleet material. Dalby seems a little angry and his acting a little forced. Henley is a little bland too. She just stands around in the background and her facial expressions/gestures are void. Garon seems alright. He is quiet and shy, but I like his disillusioned angry face. He always looks smug in the background.

While getting great advice from the ship’s pseudo-counselor/moral officer (Neelix) Tuvok finds that Neelix’s cheese-making bacteria is what caused the contagion in the gel packs. (Neelix looks so sad that he caused harm: he is so kind-hearted)!

While getting to know the Maquis he brings them to Paris’ sultry holodeck program in the Pool Hall. Dalby gives Tuvok a little bio on himself (hate, hard-life, love, lost love (killed and raped) which led to his entry into the Maquis. They talk about Garon; his weaknesses and the hardship that he is facing being stranded on the VOY. (Hey, the holodeck program had a computer screen in the background----the rest of the program is not technological advanced---I call an error!)

The ship is falling apart. The Doctor is in a rush to find the cure and Tuvok is locked in his room with the four Maquis. A gas is being leaked and they have to get in a Jeffries tube in order to be saved, but Garon is knocked out on the second deck. Dalby tries to save him, but Tuvok orders him into the Jeffries tube and forcibly puts him in it and goes to save Garon himself. (And then he drops him from half-way down the ladder---they definitely have some bruising). The Maquis then save Tuvok and Garon.

Favorite part: There were some great lines in this episode:

Chell, “Maybe he [Tuvok] will slip and plunge to his death”!

Neelix and Tuvok:
Neelix: Come with me. I want to show you something. These are Keela flowers. They're beautiful and remarkably strong. The stem is flexible. It's impossible to break. But, occasionally, on the same plant, there's a bloom whose stem is not so flexible. Ah, here's one, see? And when the stem is brittle, it breaks.
Tuvok: "You're saying that the Maquis crew is rigid and inflexible, that they will never adjust to Starfleet rules."
Neelix: "No, Mr. Vulcan. I'm saying that you are rigid and inflexible. But maybe if you learn to bend a little, you might have better luck with your class."
I love it that Neelix actually calls him Mr. Vulcan. Neelix gives him great advice: find out what they are like and change your teaching style to match.

Dalby: “Lieutenant [Tuvok] if you can learn to bend the rules we can definitely learn to follow them”.

Least favorite part: Dalby didn’t have a black eye after he was punched by Chakotay…..I also felt that this episode could have been aired a little sooner. The misunderstandings and confusions that the Maquis have are natural because most were never trained in Starfleet. It makes sense to having “training” and the ship would function better due to it.

 

[exodus]

^^Go back to "Caretaker" and all you've seen in modern Trek medical tech.
Kes had a black eye from the Kazon, the EMH using Starfleet medical technology healed it in a matter of seconds.

 

[Qutluch]

^^Go back to "Caretaker" and all you've seen in modern Trek medical tech.
Kes had a black eye from the Kazon, the EMH using Starfleet medical technology healed it in a matter of seconds.

My husband pointed that out to me right away too. They could have at least shown the Doctor fixing him so I had the satisfaction of seeing him with a bruise!

 

[JanewayRulz!]

Learning Curve

I Favorite part: There were some great lines in this episode:

Chell, “Maybe he [Tuvok] will slip and plunge to his death”!

Neelix and Tuvok:
Neelix: Come with me. I want to show you something. These are Keela flowers. They're beautiful and remarkably strong. The stem is flexible. It's impossible to break. But, occasionally, on the same plant, there's a bloom whose stem is not so flexible. Ah, here's one, see? And when the stem is brittle, it breaks.
Tuvok: "You're saying that the Maquis crew is rigid and inflexible, that they will never adjust to Starfleet rules."
Neelix: "No, Mr. Vulcan. I'm saying that you are rigid and inflexible. But maybe if you learn to bend a little, you might have better luck with your class."
I love it that Neelix actually calls him Mr. Vulcan. Neelix gives him great advice: find out what they are like and change your teaching style to match.

Dalby: “Lieutenant [Tuvok] if you can learn to bend the rules we can definitely learn to follow them”.

Least favorite part: Dalby didn’t have a black eye after he was punched by Chakotay…..I also felt that this episode could have been aired a little sooner. The misunderstandings and confusions that the Maquis have are natural because most were never trained in Starfleet. It makes sense to having “training” and the ship would function better due to it.

This wasn't supposed to be the season 1 finale. IIRC that would have been "The 37's", which for some reason was moved to be the premiere of season 2.

When you watch it, you will understand why it works better as an ender than a beginning.

In the same vein, I think season 2's Elogium was supposed to be in season 1.

 

[exodus]

^^Go back to "Caretaker" and all you've seen in modern Trek medical tech.
Kes had a black eye from the Kazon, the EMH using Starfleet medical technology healed it in a matter of seconds.

My husband pointed that out to me right away too. They could have at least shown the Doctor fixing him so I had the satisfaction of seeing him with a bruise!

Understood.
I can only assume they figured: we already showed it once, why show it again?