Coda (Should be named SpaceHogs Day or Death Becomes Her…or something similar)
Neelix arranged a talent show for the ship, and they make fun of Tuvok’s poetry reading. (I imagine it would be quite dull seeing how poetry often contains some element of emotion ((I kind of wish they would have begun the teaser with the last few lines of him reciting the poem))). Chakotay and Janeway take off on a shuttle, which experiences turbulence and Janeway is knocked out on the floor at the end of the teaser.
It was kind of a romantic scene when Chakotay saved Janeway’s life. When he held her chin after he saved her I thought he might go in for a kiss. Turns out the Vidiians shot them down, and they capture and kill Janeway….back to the shuttle craft. (I would like to have seen Janeway super pissed off that they killed her…since she remembers everything that happened on the planet anyway). After the second time loop Janeway and Chakotay are back on VOY, and the Doc tells Janeway she has the Phage, and then he euthanizes her…back to the ship.
Janeway’s “father” visits her and tells her that she is dead. He makes a comment about her being a spirit or ghost, or whatever you want to call it. He then goes on to say that they never believed those old stories and it turns out they are true. I think this is the closest to a religious comment (pertaining to Earth’s religions) that I have seen on Star Trek.
In the end, Janeway realizes her “father” is really an alien trying to trick her into dying. After she is safe she makes some rubbish comment that it will take a while to work through the experience emotionally…(if it does we will never see it). I kind of liked the very end when Janeway asks Chakotay to go boating with her to celebrate her being alive. I kind of felt that there was a little flirting going on between them; with Chakotay’s performance when she was dying, their time together on the shuttle craft when Janeway was so laid back and relaxed, and that finally boating invitation…more likely they are just developing a closer relationship as friends….
Favorite part: Chakotay and Janeway seemed to bond in this episode. They seemed like “real” characters with emotions and humor.
Least favorite part: Janeway’s comment about working through the experience emotionally. I know these are generally stand-alone episodes, but some continuity would be nice.