but yes not really sure about the holo deck program xD
). However, this episode - as well as any other episode about the gel packs - always confuses me a little. Sometimes I have the impression that you really have to be careful with them because if they are down, there's no replacement. On other occasions it seems that if they are down, you just go where they are and you can replace them easily.Finished Season 1 tonight.
Jetrel
When people bash Neelix for being forced comedy or annoying, I get a little sad inside because while the comedic episodes were not all that great, his serious episodes are some of the best Voyager ever got. Jetrel is the first in a long line of Neelix serious arc that really defines the character and delves into his psyche and background. I loved the interplay here because Phillips and Sloyan (Seriously, while I love someone like Jeffrey Combs, James Sloyan is one of Trek's under appreciated actors). I think if I only had one complaint, it was Jetrel's desperation plan had no possible success of working and I kind of wish he had gotten a little better redemption. Maybe he didn't deserve it because to the Talaxians, he was a Monster, but maybe all that was needed for Neelix to forgive him. Still, it might have been nice to have something that had some kind of chance of working.
Learning Curve
When it comes to the Cheese line, I always confuse this episode with The Cloud. Not sure why but maybe because if I don't see these episodes for a while, Learning Curve is one of the more forgettable episodes. I wonder what the real season 1 finale was because this episode is good for the middle of the season, not the end. Considering we're past TNG and in the third season of DS9 at this point of 90s Trek, I wish Voyager's first season had ended with more of a bang. Heck, maybe Jetrel would have been a better finale, even though it's a character show. As for this one, I loved the stuff with Tuvok and the Maquis, and I wish these same Maquis would have shown up again. Dolby could have been an interesting guest character on occasion and Chell reminds me of every other bolian. I think we did see Garrin again and I already forgot the girls name. She was maybe a little too Janeway like.
these things bug me, very very few crew members that aren't main cast get repeated into story's and some of them are fantastic actors that make for great episodes. You spent a whole episode devolvping these Maquis to never really bring them up again. I know Chell becomes cook at rhe end but I mean you never actually see him cooking As far as I know, certain episodes from Season 2 were meant to be part of Season 1 but later they changed the order of the episodes. That's why Season 1 finishes with LEARNING CURVE.
Chell can be seen here and there later on. I think in the end, he'll be the new cook. He even compiles a funny list of dishes.
I would also like to have seen more of these Maquis guys later on. I don't know if they even get a mention in any of the relaunch books. (Same goes for the Equinox crew - it would have been nice to meet them again - although at least they do come up here and there in the books.)
I enjoy LEARNING CURVE tremendously every time I get to it (I'm watching VOY for the 34th time now - I know I am crazy
This might be just me, of course ... Still, I really don't know which is the case with them.
Thanks. It is my favourite show of all time so no matter what else I watch, I always watch VOY as well. Like over the past few months I've had a DS9 marathon but every time I watched like 2 or 3 episodes I felt I needed to close the day by watching an ep of VOY. (I always watch VOY in order and never skip episodes - not even that horrible FURY
.) (I'm about to finish the pictures for RANDOM THOUGHTS and going to move on to DEADLOCK.)Thanks. It is my favourite show of all time so no matter what else I watch, I always watch VOY as well. Like over the past few months I've had a DS9 marathon but every time I watched like 2 or 3 episodes I felt I needed to close the day by watching an ep of VOY. (I always watch VOY in order and never skip episodes - not even that horrible FURY
Of course, the fact that I keep making these VOY desktop wallpapers in my free time helps a lot with remembering details I would otherwise never notice (like Chakotay's ears and stuff like that). Which also means I know Seasons 1 and 4 the best because I have the most wallpapers for those two seasons. But I keep making them on a continual basis so I hope one day I'll have images for every single episode.
the only one I've never watched DS9 I've been thinking about it you think it's worth it? And your wallpapers are really good I've seen quite a few of them. And I know what you mean I first watched Voyager when I was young, and I only watched it round my nans so never saw every episode. I then saw it on Sci-Fi and watched it from the very begining again and it was the highlight of my day going back to watch it. I'm now on my thrid watching and I'm starting to see the finer details. Although I'm not quite near 34 times yet!
Haha nice
In my case, DS9 is the only ST series (apart from VOY) of which I've seen all the episodes. Actually, I've seen the whole thing twice already. It's a very different show from VOY (almost totally devoid of humour e.g.) and it has a dark tone to it. When I was first watching it, I found it boring. However, even on first watching I enjoyed it more than other Star Trek shows. I liked it more for the second time - probably because I knew what I was letting myself in for. If an avid VOY fan like me (or perhaps your good self) can resist the temptation of constantly comparing it to VOY, then I'd say it's not a bad show. The characters for me are not as likeable as on VOY and compared to VOY there's an almost complete lack of family feeling on DS9 (with the exception of the two Siskos - but they are family anyway). Not to mention the Captain - it seems that the only communication form which Mr. Sisko is familiar with is shouting ... and shouting ... and shouting ... 
(Compare that to Janeway's eloquent expression - there is a stark contrast between the two leaders!)
It's an absolutely lovely show in my book and with fantastic characters in it. That includes everyone, even Neelix, Chakotay, Harry - I love them all. (Of course, no one compares to Janeway, I think.) I really have to be in the mood to want to watch DS9 (or Stargate or CSI or anything else really) - but Voyager is more than welcome any time, 
! As for my pictures, you can see them all here in my thread, plus they are available on Pinterest, too.
This is getting funnier and funnier ...
All in all, you have to see it through different eyes. If you can do that, then there are quite a few interesting stories. I really liked the Bajoran-Cardassian plot - I didn't really like the Dominion. For me, the best part of DS9 was the father-son relationship between the two Siskos, which was excellent. That alone would make watching it worthwhile for me.
Well, keep enjoying Voyager and you'll get to the 34th viewing one day, LOL!
And it's time to watch Voyager now ... what's on today's menu? Oh yes, it's the much debated TUVIX tonight - which will be fun, LOL! "We've created a monster ..." ... in Tom's words ...
Finished Season 1 tonight.
Jetrel
When people bash Neelix for being forced comedy or annoying, I get a little sad inside because while the comedic episodes were not all that great, his serious episodes are some of the best Voyager ever got. Jetrel is the first in a long line of Neelix serious arc that really defines the character and delves into his psyche and background. I loved the interplay here because Phillips and Sloyan (Seriously, while I love someone like Jeffrey Combs, James Sloyan is one of Trek's under appreciated actors). I think if I only had one complaint, it was Jetrel's desperation plan had no possible success of working and I kind of wish he had gotten a little better redemption. Maybe he didn't deserve it because to the Talaxians, he was a Monster, but maybe all that was needed for Neelix to forgive him. Still, it might have been nice to have something that had some kind of chance of working.
Learning Curve
When it comes to the Cheese line, I always confuse this episode with The Cloud. Not sure why but maybe because if I don't see these episodes for a while, Learning Curve is one of the more forgettable episodes. I wonder what the real season 1 finale was because this episode is good for the middle of the season, not the end. Considering we're past TNG and in the third season of DS9 at this point of 90s Trek, I wish Voyager's first season had ended with more of a bang. Heck, maybe Jetrel would have been a better finale, even though it's a character show. As for this one, I loved the stuff with Tuvok and the Maquis, and I wish these same Maquis would have shown up again. Dolby could have been an interesting guest character on occasion and Chell reminds me of every other bolian. I think we did see Garrin again and I already forgot the girls name. She was maybe a little too Janeway like.
As for TNG, I find it boring. I'd seen most of it and then I decided to work my way through it from the beginning. I gave up in Season 4. With DS9 at least the only boring season was the first one. After that it got better. It never reached the level of VOY but there was a definite improvement.
Of course, the winner of "Competition for boredom" is ENT in my book. That one is unwatchable, I think. I gave up on it in the middle of Season 2. I thought that nothing, literally NOTHING was happening on that show. And I'd had such high expectations for it knowing that the galaxy's sexiest guy and his love (=Tom and B'Elanna) had directed a lot of episodes. It was a big disappointment, even worse than StarGate Universe.
My name on PINTEREST in VOYBOY1971.
Oh don't mind those people who hate Janeway. Just ignore them. I've never been able to figure out all the hate - but what is even worse is the fact that those people come to these fora with the explicit aim of bashing her and her show. So it seems at least. What's the point of that? I mean the idea of joining a TNG forum in order to tell people how much I don't like Picard would never enter my mind. I don't find such things entertaining - but it seems a lot of people enjoy that. Instead, I find gratification by making those wallpapers. Doing something creative with a show I love is a lot more fun than bashing the ones that I don't like.
As a fan, I was able to relate to most of Janeway's decisions. In fact, I thought she did the right thing on several occasions where other people condemned her actions. I didn't like what old Janeway did on ENDGAME but apart from that I understood her decisions perfectly. Of course, I might have decided on a different course of action in certain cases but it still meant that I could relate to her.
And no matter what she did, there was always a certain elegance and eloquence about her. To me she is a very well educated person (both in humanities and science) with a varied taste for literature, history and music in addition to medicine, microbiology, etc. She is a strong woman with a big heart who was the most important catalyst for the family feeling that Voyager gave us on a regular basis. Her relationships with any member of her crew were heartwarming even if she was a bit too strict with them sometimes. She managed to be the mother of the crew at the same time when she had to be their captain as well.
And her eloquence always captivated me. Think of her speech at the end of CARETAKER, e.g. Or any other time when the crew discuss the ethical/moral implications of an episode. She was well versed in literature, which could often be felt by the way she expressed herself.
"Welcome to Le Coeur de Lion! I'm Katrine. The first round is with my compliments, on one condition. You leave the war outside." (THE KILLING GAME)
"Oh, you're wrong. It's much more than that. This ship has been our home. It's kept us together. It's been part of our family. As illogical as this might sound, I feel as close to Voyager as I do to any other member of my crew. It's carried us, Tuvok, even nurtured us. And right now it needs one of us." (YEAR OF HELL)
"You are one of my most valued officers and you are my friend. It is vital that you understand me here. I need you, but I also need to know that I can count on you. You are my counsel, the one I turn to when I need my moral compass checked. We have forged this relationship for years and I depend on it. I realise you made a sacrifice for me, but it's not one I would have allowed you to make. You can use logic to justify almost anything. That's it's power, and it's flaw. From now on, bring your logic to me. Don't act on it behind my back." (PRIME FACTORS)
"I've tried to find some way to reconcile all the conflicting emotions I've felt during this hearing. My own aversion to suicide, my compassion for your situation, Q. It hasn't been easy. I've tried to tell myself that this is not about suicide, but about granting asylum. That I am not personally being asked to perform euthanasia. And as technically true as that may be, I cannot escape the moral implications of my choices. I've also had to consider that a decision to grant asylum, and the subsequent suicide of a Q, might have a significant impact on the Continuum. That such a decision could change the nature of an entire society, whether it be a favourable or unfavourable change, disturbs me greatly. But then there are the rights of the individual in this matter. I don't believe that you are mentally unbalanced. And I do believe that you are suffering intolerably. Under these conditions, I find it impossible to support immortality forced on an individual by the state. The unforeseen disruption that may occur in the Continuum is not enough, in my opinion, to justify any additional suffering by this individual. So, I hereby grant you asylum." (DEATH WISH)
"Space. Literally it means nothing, a vacuum between stars and planets, but by the same token it means everything. It's what connects all our worlds, Vulcan, Kronos, Talax, Earth. Centuries ago, mankind sent its first wave of explorers into that void. Astronauts like Mister Kelly. They paved the way for the first colonies, the first starships, for those of us who've made space our home. We commend the spirit and the bravery of Lieutenant John Mark Kelly as we commit his body to space. He will not be forgotten." (ONE SMALL STEP)
I could go on and on. In my reading she always said these lines with a lot of emotion and she really meant what she was saying. She kept on encouraging her crew no matter what the odds were and she always found the right things to say. In addition, she had a good sense of humour which not only made her relationships with the rest of her crew stronger but it also helped viewers identify with the story of the episode in question.
Plus she lost so much by being in the Delta Quadrant but she put a brave face on her losses and this included both losses of her crew members as well as personal losses (like finding out that Mark had broken up with her). She even decided to subordinate her private life to the needs of the crew even though the two things weren't necessarily mutually exclusive. She tried to find diplomatic solutions to the conflicts and if they didn't work out, she was never afraid to put up a good fight. She did all this in spite of unforeseeable odds and in contrast to other captains she couldn't afford the luxury to just crash her ship taking for granted that Starfleet would send another one.
But I'd better stop ... I could go on and on. These are just a few of the things why I really like her. I'm really not sure I could have done a better job had I been in her place.
And after all this narrative it's time to watch RESOLUTIONS. One of the highs of VOY.
And I'm sorry if my comment was a little too long ...
