The normally action hero characters got, in return, at least one "warm fuzzy"/"sensitive" episode?
I really like both. When I get to it (I'll be doing TNG after DS9/VOY because of how things worked out), I'll probably give "Starship Mine" a similar score. Although I give a slight edge to "Macrocosm" because fighting Macro-Viruses is more sci-fi than fighting Terrorists.I haven't rewatched this episode (or any of VOY) in a very long time, but after re-reading Jammer's review of it (https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s3/macrocosm.php), I think I liked it better when it was "Starship Mine".
To be honest, I wasn't thinking of "Starship Mine" and Die Hard. I was thinking of Alien and First Contact. But now that I think about it, I can see it.
See, I kind of feel the other way around, because the terrorists (some of them, anyway), actually had personalities and some worthwhile interchanges with Picard, while the macroviruses are just CGI objects that the actors can't even physically interact with, much less have any sort of dialog with.
I was amused by Jammer's note that Neelix disappears from the episode and that he was vaguely hopeful that was meaningful in some manner.
I always thought the best way to fix Starship Mine was...
1. Replace Picard with Worf.
2. Triple the number of terrorists.
Regarding Macrocosm, it was an interesting concept, and it was fun to see Janeway having her action hero moment. We know she's the Chuck Norris of Star Trek, after all. Who else could kill Covid with a knife? I'll give it a 7.5, maybe an 8. I need to watch it again.
1. Replace Picard with Worf.
2. Triple the number of terrorists.
Regarding Macrocosm, it was an interesting concept, and it was fun to see Janeway having her action hero moment. We know she's the Chuck Norris of Star Trek, after all. Who else could kill Covid with a knife? I'll give it a 7.5, maybe an 8. I need to watch it again.
"Fair Trade"
An episode focused on Neelix that tackles two main aspects of him head-on: his usefulness to Voyager and his shady past... and then puts them together into one. Voyager reaches the Nekrit Expanse, which is the limit of Neelix's familiarity with the space Voyager's been travelling through. Neelix had to know this would happen eventually. You'd think he would've thought about it, but Neelix has always been a "live in the moment" type, thinking only of the present, except when he gets an uncomfortable reminder of the past.
Wixiban, the other Talaxian in the episode, represents the shady, criminal life that Neelix used to live. Wixiban is stuck in the Nekrit Expanse because his ship was impounded and he has to do whatever he can to get by and to be able to eventually afford to get his ship back. Whatever he has to do is whatever he has to do.
Neelix, rather than admitting to Janeway that he doesn't know anything about the space they'll be in from this point on, wants to find a map. He says Voyager doesn't need a cook. If they're not making full use of the replicators, then they need a cook. He says Janeway doesn't really need an Ambassador. They'll keep running into new aliens, some of them won't be diplomatic but some of them will, and she'll need an Ambassador for those who are. So, this isn't really about need. I think it's about ego. He wants to keep up the image that he knows all about the space they're in. He loves the idea of "I'm your guide!" and doesn't want to let it go.
This season so far, in terms of Neelix, has been about him having to let go. Having to let go of Kes being his girlfriend. Having to let go of being the guide. He probably feels like he's lost his sense of self and sense of purpose, he's lost his sense of feeling wanted or needed, and that's what's made him so desperate to find a map.
Neelix, quite frankly, is the most irrational character on the show, so it makes sense that he would act so irrationally and be willing to go along with whatever Wixiban tells him. All Wixiban ever has to do is threaten to tell Janeway all about him. Whenever Neelix seems too ridiculous to be for real, I think it's because it isn't for real. It's always a front. The cheery front that some tries to put on when they're not really cheery. If he were on Earth, he'd be the Santa Claus at the mall every Christmas Season.
The set design for the station in the Nekrit Expanse and the aliens on there really give the location a sleazy feeling. A back-alley type of vibe.
No surprise that Wixiban was a smuggler, and no surprise that Neelix would keep getting in deeper and deeper rather than let his pride be hurt. I guess getting in deeper and deeper with a criminal like Wixiban is more palatable than telling Janeway the truth.
For all of Neelix and Wixiban's flaws, they're not murderers however, and they cut a deal with Bahrat, who's in charge to law enforcement, to help expose who the real killers in a crime are rather than have Chakotay and Paris framed. That's their out for not being arrested for smuggling. Bahrat and Odo would probably become fast friends.
The truth comes out about what Neelix did, Janeway delivers her "How can I trust you again?" speech, because it's Neelix's turn. And, in my opinion, Neelix got off lightly. Nice for the episode to go deeper into Neelix and his motivations. There's nothing wrong with the episode, other than than things being sorted out a little too neatly, and I think it's fine overall, but I'm not a Neelix fan and it's also not normally an episode I'll go out of my way to watch.
And the harsh truth is that Neelix can only be trusted if what he thinks he's doing benefits him. If I were Janeway, I'd always take that into consideration. And she probably does. Too bad none of what I just said was vocalized because the writers didn't want to go all the way. As a result, still a good episode despite my not being a fan of Neelix, but I can only rate it so high. So, I give it a 7.
Scene of the Episode: Neelix asking Paris about his shady past. When Neelix leaves, Paris' facial reaction makes me think Paris figured out something was up. He just didn't know what.
One Other Thing: Shout out to Vorik! This is his first episode, and they did a very good job of making Vorik seem like a very different type of Vulcan than Tuvok. Logical but somehow more personable and, unlike Tuvok, no remote. It's tricky to navigate giving Vulcans different personalities, since they repress their emotions, but they pulled it off with Vorik.
An episode focused on Neelix that tackles two main aspects of him head-on: his usefulness to Voyager and his shady past... and then puts them together into one. Voyager reaches the Nekrit Expanse, which is the limit of Neelix's familiarity with the space Voyager's been travelling through. Neelix had to know this would happen eventually. You'd think he would've thought about it, but Neelix has always been a "live in the moment" type, thinking only of the present, except when he gets an uncomfortable reminder of the past.
Wixiban, the other Talaxian in the episode, represents the shady, criminal life that Neelix used to live. Wixiban is stuck in the Nekrit Expanse because his ship was impounded and he has to do whatever he can to get by and to be able to eventually afford to get his ship back. Whatever he has to do is whatever he has to do.
Neelix, rather than admitting to Janeway that he doesn't know anything about the space they'll be in from this point on, wants to find a map. He says Voyager doesn't need a cook. If they're not making full use of the replicators, then they need a cook. He says Janeway doesn't really need an Ambassador. They'll keep running into new aliens, some of them won't be diplomatic but some of them will, and she'll need an Ambassador for those who are. So, this isn't really about need. I think it's about ego. He wants to keep up the image that he knows all about the space they're in. He loves the idea of "I'm your guide!" and doesn't want to let it go.
This season so far, in terms of Neelix, has been about him having to let go. Having to let go of Kes being his girlfriend. Having to let go of being the guide. He probably feels like he's lost his sense of self and sense of purpose, he's lost his sense of feeling wanted or needed, and that's what's made him so desperate to find a map.
Neelix, quite frankly, is the most irrational character on the show, so it makes sense that he would act so irrationally and be willing to go along with whatever Wixiban tells him. All Wixiban ever has to do is threaten to tell Janeway all about him. Whenever Neelix seems too ridiculous to be for real, I think it's because it isn't for real. It's always a front. The cheery front that some tries to put on when they're not really cheery. If he were on Earth, he'd be the Santa Claus at the mall every Christmas Season.
The set design for the station in the Nekrit Expanse and the aliens on there really give the location a sleazy feeling. A back-alley type of vibe.
No surprise that Wixiban was a smuggler, and no surprise that Neelix would keep getting in deeper and deeper rather than let his pride be hurt. I guess getting in deeper and deeper with a criminal like Wixiban is more palatable than telling Janeway the truth.
For all of Neelix and Wixiban's flaws, they're not murderers however, and they cut a deal with Bahrat, who's in charge to law enforcement, to help expose who the real killers in a crime are rather than have Chakotay and Paris framed. That's their out for not being arrested for smuggling. Bahrat and Odo would probably become fast friends.
The truth comes out about what Neelix did, Janeway delivers her "How can I trust you again?" speech, because it's Neelix's turn. And, in my opinion, Neelix got off lightly. Nice for the episode to go deeper into Neelix and his motivations. There's nothing wrong with the episode, other than than things being sorted out a little too neatly, and I think it's fine overall, but I'm not a Neelix fan and it's also not normally an episode I'll go out of my way to watch.
And the harsh truth is that Neelix can only be trusted if what he thinks he's doing benefits him. If I were Janeway, I'd always take that into consideration. And she probably does. Too bad none of what I just said was vocalized because the writers didn't want to go all the way. As a result, still a good episode despite my not being a fan of Neelix, but I can only rate it so high. So, I give it a 7.
Scene of the Episode: Neelix asking Paris about his shady past. When Neelix leaves, Paris' facial reaction makes me think Paris figured out something was up. He just didn't know what.
One Other Thing: Shout out to Vorik! This is his first episode, and they did a very good job of making Vorik seem like a very different type of Vulcan than Tuvok. Logical but somehow more personable and, unlike Tuvok, no remote. It's tricky to navigate giving Vulcans different personalities, since they repress their emotions, but they pulled it off with Vorik.
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"MORTAL COIL" was an excellent Neelix episode, too.
In this episode, Neelix sort of reminds me of the adopted kid who's uncertain about his status in his adoptive family. He seriously messed up, and winds up getting severely lectured and then majorly grounded... but in the process, he realizes that his status in the family is rock-solid. So even though he has an unpleasant experience to deal with, it's tempered by the end of his anxiety.
Not top-tier, but a worthy episode, and a more serious look at the character Neelix could and should have been. 8/10.
Not top-tier, but a worthy episode, and a more serious look at the character Neelix could and should have been. 8/10.
"Mortal Coil" is my favorite Neelix Episode. "Jetrel" is good, don't get me wrong, but Neelix is grating on my nerves in that episode even if justified. I've only seen "Homestead" twice. I thought it was good, just not my favorite.
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IIRC the major issue with "Homestead" for me, besides the sheer coincidence of Our Heroes finding a colony of Talaxians in the penultimate episode (not really their fault in-universe, of course) is the question of how the colony just happened to be there in the first place.
It was a good ending for Neelix; it just felt contrived.
Still infinitely better than the deleted future replaced by nothing that everyone else got.
"Alter Ego"
I've always wanted to go to Hawaii, ever since I was a kid. I don't know if I ever will, but I imagine it as a nice place to get away from things. Total escapism. So, an episode where the Resort Program is an integral part feels like an escape. But there's escape on other levels as well. Kim wants to escape romantic feelings for what he thinks is a holodeck character. Marayna, who it turns out isn't a holodeck character, wants escape from her solitude and seeks companionship. Caught in the middle of this is Tuvok.
Kim wants Tuvok to help him purge the romantic feelings he has for Marayna. Marayna, who was interested in Kim, ends up finding Tuvok far more interesting. Tuvok is as much of an outsider as she is. And it's not just because he's a Vulcan. Vorik, who's also Vulcan, is willing to go along with the luau at the Resort Program. Tuvok isn't. Even though he was pressured into going to the luau, he still wants to set himself apart as Marayna notes. Tuvok is surprised by Marayna, and then even more surprised when she's able to keep up with him in a game of Kal-To.
All I can say about Kal-To is that if Kal-To is to Chess as Chess is to Tik-Tak-Toe, then what does this say about Spock, who prided himself as a Chess Master? Anyway, he can see Tuvok being interested in someone who can intellectually keep up with him. I can understand Marayna taking it as romantic interest. And I can see how Kim would become jealous after Tuvok tried his best to encourage Kim to say away from her, and how Kim would unintentionally warp that in his mind to mean something else.
Earlier on in the episode, it was amusing to see Kim try to use Vulcan techniques to try to get Marayna out of his mind. Except Marayna's always on his mind in this episode. And everyone call tell. From Paris to Torres to anyone else. Kim delivers the line of the episode: "I'm Ensign Harry 'Read Me Like a Book' Kim!" The best scene when it comes to the Kim side of the story actually comes from Paris when he tells Torres, "Harry and I will meet you and Vorik there!" Paris isn't going to let Kim hide under any Vulcan technique that isn't working anyway.
I like the misdirect where for much of the episode, you're led to think Marayna's a hologram. In a Briefing Room scene, Moriarty from TNG is even brought up. But then it turns out not to be a hologram. It turns out to be catfish! Marayna's not what she appears to be at all. An alien alone at her post inside the nebula. She's like a fangirl pining for Spock; except she's a fangirl pining for Tuvok. I can't say I blame her. Tuvok's my favorite character of Voyager, pre-Seven of Nine.
Interesting that when Tuvok explains to Marayna why he can't stay with her, the first thing he mentions is his spouse and then he mentions duty to his ship. He's making it clear that he's going to be faithful to his wife and that he wants to return to her. Tuvok says Marayna will let him and Voyager go if she truly cares about him. And I think she does, otherwise she wouldn't have agreed to let him go. Tuvok recommends she find someone so she isn't alone and then, in a masterstroke, Tuvok is beamed back to Voyager from Marayna's location before he can answer if he'll always be alone. If left some mystery. And the shot where Tuvok doesn't answer as he's beamed back is striking.
Overall, I'd say this a very good quiet episode. I give it an 8.
I've always wanted to go to Hawaii, ever since I was a kid. I don't know if I ever will, but I imagine it as a nice place to get away from things. Total escapism. So, an episode where the Resort Program is an integral part feels like an escape. But there's escape on other levels as well. Kim wants to escape romantic feelings for what he thinks is a holodeck character. Marayna, who it turns out isn't a holodeck character, wants escape from her solitude and seeks companionship. Caught in the middle of this is Tuvok.
Kim wants Tuvok to help him purge the romantic feelings he has for Marayna. Marayna, who was interested in Kim, ends up finding Tuvok far more interesting. Tuvok is as much of an outsider as she is. And it's not just because he's a Vulcan. Vorik, who's also Vulcan, is willing to go along with the luau at the Resort Program. Tuvok isn't. Even though he was pressured into going to the luau, he still wants to set himself apart as Marayna notes. Tuvok is surprised by Marayna, and then even more surprised when she's able to keep up with him in a game of Kal-To.
All I can say about Kal-To is that if Kal-To is to Chess as Chess is to Tik-Tak-Toe, then what does this say about Spock, who prided himself as a Chess Master? Anyway, he can see Tuvok being interested in someone who can intellectually keep up with him. I can understand Marayna taking it as romantic interest. And I can see how Kim would become jealous after Tuvok tried his best to encourage Kim to say away from her, and how Kim would unintentionally warp that in his mind to mean something else.
Earlier on in the episode, it was amusing to see Kim try to use Vulcan techniques to try to get Marayna out of his mind. Except Marayna's always on his mind in this episode. And everyone call tell. From Paris to Torres to anyone else. Kim delivers the line of the episode: "I'm Ensign Harry 'Read Me Like a Book' Kim!" The best scene when it comes to the Kim side of the story actually comes from Paris when he tells Torres, "Harry and I will meet you and Vorik there!" Paris isn't going to let Kim hide under any Vulcan technique that isn't working anyway.
I like the misdirect where for much of the episode, you're led to think Marayna's a hologram. In a Briefing Room scene, Moriarty from TNG is even brought up. But then it turns out not to be a hologram. It turns out to be catfish! Marayna's not what she appears to be at all. An alien alone at her post inside the nebula. She's like a fangirl pining for Spock; except she's a fangirl pining for Tuvok. I can't say I blame her. Tuvok's my favorite character of Voyager, pre-Seven of Nine.
Interesting that when Tuvok explains to Marayna why he can't stay with her, the first thing he mentions is his spouse and then he mentions duty to his ship. He's making it clear that he's going to be faithful to his wife and that he wants to return to her. Tuvok says Marayna will let him and Voyager go if she truly cares about him. And I think she does, otherwise she wouldn't have agreed to let him go. Tuvok recommends she find someone so she isn't alone and then, in a masterstroke, Tuvok is beamed back to Voyager from Marayna's location before he can answer if he'll always be alone. If left some mystery. And the shot where Tuvok doesn't answer as he's beamed back is striking.
Overall, I'd say this a very good quiet episode. I give it an 8.
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Also the first of two episodes directed by Robert Picardo.
(Side note: this was produced directly before "FAIR TRADE", with "BLOOD FEVER" being done right after it. The Vorik trilogy appearances of season 3. Also not a coincidence that Alexander Enberg is Jeri Taylor's son, and the one season she was fully in charge, he had as many appearances as seasons 5-7 combined.)
(Side note: this was produced directly before "FAIR TRADE", with "BLOOD FEVER" being done right after it. The Vorik trilogy appearances of season 3. Also not a coincidence that Alexander Enberg is Jeri Taylor's son, and the one season she was fully in charge, he had as many appearances as seasons 5-7 combined.)
What I found most memorable about Altar Ego was that it almost epitomized Voyager's apparently conscious decision to absolutely trash Harry Kim across the board (physically, romantically, and career-wise). This is one of his many painful romantic misadventures. Once Tuvok shows up, Marayna wastes no time in dumping him like yesterday's kitty litter and pursuing the Vulcan instead.
Not as bad as Bashir getting swapped out for a Ferengi, but still. Ouch.
Overall episode score, 6.5/10, maybe 7... it's decent but fairly forgettable.
Not as bad as Bashir getting swapped out for a Ferengi, but still. Ouch.
Overall episode score, 6.5/10, maybe 7... it's decent but fairly forgettable.
TBF, the Ferengi later became Grand Nagus.
I consider DSC, SNW, and SFA to be a Third Timeline, but setting that aside... I think Harry Kim should've been promoted to Lieutenant JG by the beginning of the (produced) third season at the latest.
EDITED TO ADD: Looks like the first episode produced during the third season (as opposed to being held over) was "The Chute". So, I'm imaging a scene like...
Janeway: "It sounds like you went through Hell. So, in recognition of the torture you had to go through, I hereby promote to Lieutenant. Congratulations, Harry. You've arrived!"
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Best way to promote Harry?
Do it the same way Worf, Geordi (twice), Bashir, and Jadzia got theirs... off screen in between seasons.
"NIGHT" was the perfect opportunity... nothing mentioned, we just see him with that extra hollow pip.
Do it the same way Worf, Geordi (twice), Bashir, and Jadzia got theirs... off screen in between seasons.
"NIGHT" was the perfect opportunity... nothing mentioned, we just see him with that extra hollow pip.
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