The Continuity and Serialization of Voyager
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well, we certainly couldn't let B'Elanna mature.
Even with her human DNA slowing her down, she's going to live twice as long as Tom.
I think if she was a full Klingon on a Klingon vessel you wouldn't even notice what is seen as inappropriate anger on Voyager.
Janeway thought it was out of character because she showed concern about the odd behavior, and Chakotay was so concerned that he ordered her to meditate with Tuvok. So yes, all of the focus on her apparently unusually excessive anger in this episode and the attempts to fix it, in a season 5 episode, sorry but I'm expecting some explanation other than "she's half Klingon." Otherwise, if she was so prone to frequent outbursts of uncontrollable anger, Chakotay wouldn't have waited until season 5 to order the meditations. That's why, for me at least, this feels out of place and it should be a season 1 or 2 episode. I thought she had grown to control her anger enough to at least show respect when expected. If something unusual happens like, you know, a borg biting her on the cheek, then yeah I expect yelling and punches from her. But since season 1 or 2-ish, I don't recall anything so excessive that she would need to take Vulcan anger management classes to get herself under control. That's an unusual step this late in the game, which to me calls for an unusual explanation.
She should have had Vulcan neuro pressure classes. That is much more relaxing.
I still think any claim of 'serialization' in Voyager is inaccurate. Character continuity, yes, to some degree. But not serialization.
Voyager's character continuity was not demonstrably any different to that seen in both TOS and TNG. All three shows demonstrate just about the same level of character continuity, where the growth and development of certain characters is not forgotten even if it is sometimes ignored for story purposes.
DS9 wasn't a wholesale serialized series either, but it was closer to the mark than any other Trek apart perhaps from Enterprise during it's third season, which truly was Trek's only real serialized format.
Voyager's character continuity was not demonstrably any different to that seen in both TOS and TNG. All three shows demonstrate just about the same level of character continuity, where the growth and development of certain characters is not forgotten even if it is sometimes ignored for story purposes.
DS9 wasn't a wholesale serialized series either, but it was closer to the mark than any other Trek apart perhaps from Enterprise during it's third season, which truly was Trek's only real serialized format.
Imagine you lived in a 60 year old apartment complex built in the Ukraine.
The serialization in Voyager isn't manifested just in character continuity; it's also manifested in recurring story arcs and episode and event continuity (which is itself manifested by prevalent references , both direct and indirect).... which, BTW, is exactly how serialization is and was manifested in Bones and The X-Files, two of the equivalent examples I've cited as being of the same format genre as Voyager.
Unless you count the "we're going home" theme as serialization... it's really not there. Some character arcs that span episodes, some mini-arcs until we move on to the next alien bad guy, but nothing really substantive enough to be called an overall serialization.
... and Cullah's bumbling villainy ...
Would you guys be making the same argument against Bones and The X-Files? Because, like I said, they and Voyager all handle serialization in the exact same way.
Next Time=Continuity and Serialization, no?
I watch neither show, so my opinion of either is irrelevant. Indeed, continuity and serialization don't guarantee the quality of a series, but they might be pointers to how well the characters are being developed over the course of the series.
For a Serialized Drama (i.e. BtVS, BSG, B5, DS9), yes.
For a Serialized Procedural (i.e. Bones, Elementary, The X-Files), not necessarily.
Voyager is very much of the Serialized Procedural genre, as is, for the most part, Enterprise.
^So the fact that the Joker showed up a dozen times made Batman serialized?
^ I misinterpreted what you were saying.
You and others seem to be looking at serialization as it would be handled and manifested in a Serialized Drama (i.e. BtVS, BSG, B5) - which is entirely different to how serialization is handled and manifested in a Serialized Procedural (i.e. Elementary, Bones, The X-Files) - and trying to apply it to Voyager, which can't be done.
A Serialized Drama establishes a continuous narrative story and one or more recurring villains who are featured in nearly every episode in some capacity over the course of a season or the overall series, and continues to add new continuous narrative stories and recurring villains as things progress.
A Serialized Procedural, on the other hand, establishes more sporadic story elements and recurring villains that might not be featured in every episode but are revisited periodically throughout the course of a season or the overall series, and will generally move on from a particular set of story elements and recurring villains by introducing new ones from season to season and may or may not revisit previously utilized story elements and/or villains depending on the story elements currently being utilized.
You and others seem to be looking at serialization as it would be handled and manifested in a Serialized Drama (i.e. BtVS, BSG, B5) - which is entirely different to how serialization is handled and manifested in a Serialized Procedural (i.e. Elementary, Bones, The X-Files) - and trying to apply it to Voyager, which can't be done.
A Serialized Drama establishes a continuous narrative story and one or more recurring villains who are featured in nearly every episode in some capacity over the course of a season or the overall series, and continues to add new continuous narrative stories and recurring villains as things progress.
A Serialized Procedural, on the other hand, establishes more sporadic story elements and recurring villains that might not be featured in every episode but are revisited periodically throughout the course of a season or the overall series, and will generally move on from a particular set of story elements and recurring villains by introducing new ones from season to season and may or may not revisit previously utilized story elements and/or villains depending on the story elements currently being utilized.
You're absolutely right. Culluh was the best example in Voyager of a plot arc and reoccurring villain given he lasted most of season 2. Now... are you calling this a good thing?
Not whatsoever. This "continuity" based on peripheral details and recurring outside threats makes for weak development. Culluh's recurring presence did not make for a force that pushed the characters to mature or reconsider their behavior, and I'd say they were largely unchanged by him.
