Prime Factors appreciation

[Dane_Whitman]

Just Wow!

I'm rewatching the series, having just completed the first season. Overall it was very hit-and-miss. I saw some neat episodes (Caretaker, Faces, Eye of the Needle) and some bland episodes (Cathexis, Ex Post Facto). The overall impression is that the writing in the early seasons is more consistent than in the later seasons, but the show is also quite static and could use a more adventurous spirit. One of the episodes that stood out for me is Prime Factors. I wish Voyager could have explored stuff like this a lot more in its early seasons.

One of the complaints about Voyager is that the Maquis integrated too easy into the Voyager crew. Though most problems were solved after the one-hour episode, stuff like Parallax, Prime Factors and Learning Curve did some interesting things with Voyager's unique situation. Prime Factors in particular had some dynamite stuff. B'Elanna, Joe Carrey and Seska going behind the Captain's back! Tuvok assisting them against the captain's wishes! That dressing down Janeway gives Torres, and the emotion she shows when she explains to Tuvok that "next time, bring your logic to me".

Such a thing would have been even greater if it had been developed over a story arc that ran a few episodes. But hell, after all these years I'm quite done complaining about VOY's shortcomings. It's my least favourite Trek series and rewatching it reminds me why. But it also reminds me that VOY can be a heck of a lot of fun and sometimes they delivered just what I wanted to see, if only for a short moment.

Anyone else a fan of this episode?

 

[Tachyon]

For me Prime Factors is okay episode. I absolutely loved Tuvok's decision and how it affected on Janeway. I find Parallax and Learning Curve better, though. I love both of those episodes! And I absolutely love State Of Flux - that's also one of the season highlights for me.

Season 1 is good, but Season 2 is one of my favourite seasons along side Season 5. IMO, second season is very consistent. Writing is to the point in many episodes.

 

[Dane_Whitman]

Ah, yes I like State of Flux. Another early VOY episodes that took all the advantage from the series' premisse.

I loved this line from Seska:

"Do you realize that if this were a Cardassian ship we could have been home by now!"

 

[Tachyon]

I loved this line from Seska:

"Do you realize that if this were a Cardassian ship we could have been home by now!"

Exactly! While you knew she had no business befriending with the Kazon, you still understood her reasoning, her logic behind her decision to do so.

I just watched State Of Flux few days ago. It will never get old for me.

 

[Tachyon]

But this dude was the creep! He made me wanna yell to Janeway to run away as far as she could.

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/en/images/8/8b/Gathorel_Labin.jpg

 

[Lynx]

I like season 1. Definitely one of my all time Star Trek favorite seasons (only season 2 of Voyager is better). As for "Prime Factors", it's a good episode. And yes, that guy Gathorel Labin was a slimy character. How many times did he utter the word "pleasure"?

My ratings for the season 1 episodes (5 is the highest ratings):

Caretaker 5 points out of 5
Parallax 3
Time And Again 5
Phage 3
The Cloud 3
Eye Of The Needle 4
Ex Post Facto 5
Emanations 1
Prime Factors 3
State Of Flux 4
Heroes And Demons 2
Cathexis 4
Faces 3
Jetrel 5
Learning Curve 3

Since there were 4 episodes who was filmed as season 1 episodes but were aired in the US in season 2 I often consioder them as season 1 episodes (due to stardates and such).

Projections 5
Elogium 1
Twisted 4
The 37's 3

 

[Tachyon]

A mod can edit my post above to remove the hot link. I had not read the rules about the principles of posting pics during the time of the posting.

And yes - the word pleasure was quite common in that creep's vocabulary! And the sound of his voice when he was speaking - slimy! He could have made a good door-to-door salesman in some alien world.

 

[Dane_Whitman]

My ratings for the season 1 episodes (5 is the highest ratings):

Caretaker 5 points out of 5
Parallax 3
Time And Again 5
Phage 3
The Cloud 3
Eye Of The Needle 4
Ex Post Facto 5
Emanations 1
Prime Factors 3
State Of Flux 4
Heroes And Demons 2
Cathexis 4
Faces 3
Jetrel 5
Learning Curve 3

Since there were 4 episodes who was filmed as season 1 episodes but were aired in the US in season 2 I often consioder them as season 1 episodes (due to stardates and such).

Projections 5
Elogium 1
Twisted 4
The 37's 3

Interesting! What's your beef with Elogium? I thought that as a Kes fan you would like that one.

Here are my ratings for season 1:

Caretaker *****
Parallax ***
Time And Again **
Phage ***
The Cloud **1/2
Eye Of The Needle ****
Ex Post Facto *
Emanations *
Prime Factors ***1/2
State Of Flux ****
Heroes And Demons **1/2
Cathexis **
Faces ***
Jetrel ***
Learning Curve **1/2

I actually bought the VHS releases back in the day and the following were included as part of season 1:

Projections ***
Elogium **1/2
Twisted **1/2
The 37's ***1/2

 

[neogothboy74]

Anyone else a fan of this episode?

Prime Factors was a standout for me from the start. It had Seska in it, who I loved to hate the minute she was brought in (in Parallax). It had a neat premise. Good character development. And for me, in the first season of Voyager I loved anything to do with Janeway....so this episode - the confrontation between Janeway and Tuvok was a highpoint of the season, and remains a very powerful scene from the entire series.

"You can justify(?) anything with logic. That's it's power. And that's it's flaw." - Janeway.

I was blown away by how she turned that last line. And it's stuck in my head all these years later. Maybe not exactly right, but I don't have the energy to look it up. You get the point. lol

And 'State of Flux' coming right after it - like a 1 2 Punch. At this point in the first season I was loving Voyager more than any other Trek. The writers soon killed that for me though.

 

[TheGodBen]

Prime Factors really stood out on my rewatch of the first season, it is the only episode I gave 5/5. That final scene between Janeway and Tuvok is the best part of the season, I wish we could have seen more scenes like that throughout the show.