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robertjbailey-02302
Reviews
Star Trek: Voyager: Flesh and Blood (2000)
There is a reason for the non interference directive.
Once again, Janeway responds to a distress call and puts everyone in danger. The distress call comes from a Hirogen training facility, which is one giant holodeck. The away team cannot detect the holography so kind of assume that they have beamed into a jungle. Really? It turns out that the Hirogen have all been killed (bar one) by their holographic prey. The Hirogen turn up in response to the distress call and tell Janeway to go away and return their man (who is the engineer who programmed the holograms). But instead of taking the hint, Janeway decides to involve herself and her crew once again in someone else's business. Having given the Hirogen hologram technology, she feels somehow responsible. Didn't they have the Kobyashi Maru command training scenario when Janeway was at the Academy? Had I been the captain, once the Hirogen turned up I would have handed over their man and vacated the scene.
The holograms attack the Hirogen ship and kidnap the Doctor who persuades them that Captain Janeway will help them and so they go back. Janeway refuses so the Doctor gets very ranty and indignant and then commits an act of betrayal, helping the holograms to Kidnap Belanna. The Doctor becomes infected with the holograms' militancy and decides to join them. He is even appointed culture minister but quickly realises that the leader is a megalomaniac who starts killing non photonics. Do me a favour please!
This episode demonstrates clearly the folly of ignoring Star Fleet policy as the Hirogen have modified the technology and created super killer holograms. Of course these holograms are super sentient and so equate to being treated like Roman Gladiator slaves. The holograms are also Social Justice Warriors who are now on a Sacred mission to liberate all holograms everywhere, even if they don't want to be. They're also a bunch of racists who distrust non photonics and so kill anyone who gets in their way. What you have done Katherine?
When Voyager was first stranded in the Delta Quadrant, Janeway refused point blank to share or trade any technology. This policy was first applied to the Kazon, who wanted Replicators, as well as other races that Voyager encountered. It quickly became a theme even though relaxing it could help Voyager in tricky situations. Along with this, Janeway was originally very strict about the Prime Directive and non interference rules.
However, these policies seem to have become optional along the way. In the previous episode (Nightingale) Harry Kim blatantly ignored these rules and involved Voyager in someone else's war. In this episode, both Tuvok and Chakotay admit that they have traded replicator technology with Delta Quadrant species as a matter of necessity. Some episodes ago Janeway gave Holodeck technology to the Hirogen. This was done in an attempt to help them change their society. Non interference policy - BOOM! Now I'm sure that Janeway meant well, but her actions betray a staggering ignorance of the nature of the Hirogen: they're hunters who hunt prey and who accept all of the risks which that entails and sometimes that means getting maimed or killed themselves. Trying to apply one's own moral code by sanitising this experience was never going to work. Isn't this type of situation what the non interference policy was created for in the first place.
Now I think the questions around the sentience and rights of computer AI are interesting but they were done much better in TNG. Here, there is no development or evolution of hologram sentience simply acceptance that (almost) all photonics possess it even though they are simply just sophisticated computer programs. The Voyager universe is invested with this photonic sub class who posses complex character traits that allow them to turn into serial killers (Revulsion) or start an armed rebellion (Body and Soul). Frankly I think this is ridiculous.
In the end the Doctor comes to his senses and saves the day (kind of). The Hirogen Engineer goes off with the surviving holograms and Janeway lets the Doctor off. Paris was demoted for less. Now don't get me wrong, this episode gives Robert Picardo more opportunity to display his acting talent. However, the truly remarkable thing about this episode is that is was a two parter.
Star Trek: Voyager: Fury (2000)
Sloppy seconds anyone?
This is not the worst episode of Season six, but it comes close. First I'll address the way in which Jennifer Lien's character, Kes, is dealt with. Kes is a bit of what we call a Marmite character - you either loved her or you hated her. Kes was written out of the show way back when the producers changed direction and brought in Jeri Ryan to play Seven of Nine. For some reason she makes a final appearance as a wasted, bitter, vengeful old woman whose first actions are to wreak havoc on the ship and then kill Belanna Torres.
Now you may think (because it is not immediately made clear) that she is either under some alien influence, or has lost her mind. However this turns out to be wrong as we discover it's because she blames everyone on the ship for kidnapping her from her home world and kicking her out when they had done with her. Really? That's the best plot device that the writers could invent? So they take a (mostly) popular character who was apparently kicked out to make room for a sexier character and return her for a last hurrah as a mad witch who tries to betray the whole crew to the body snatching Videans. What a dreadful way to end a character.
However this is not my only criticism of the episode. The whole affair feels sloppy and lacking real energy. Jennifer Lien mostly sleep walks her character through the action and seems to lack conviction. Past Janeway wears a really bad version of her Season one wig and didn't the script supervisor realise that past Tuvok was wearing Lt Commander rank (three pips) on his collar?
Finally, since when was Tuvok possessed of the ability to hallucinate future events? There was no logical explanation provided for this at all, other than the particle emissions which were recorded when he was experiencing them. Sloppy all round.
Star Trek: Voyager: Fair Haven (2000)
What if Captain Picard did this?
Fair Haven is an episode about Janeway and her frustrated romantic nature. I won't bother commenting in detail about the not atypical crass sterotyping of Irish folk often seen in Star Trek. Others have covered this in detail. My issue is with the way Janeway behaves. Look, in reality the holodecks would be used as an outlet for, let's say, the crews' more base instincts. In fact we often see characters in this and the other series creating holodeck fantasy programs for e.g. Indulging their need for fighting either as training or just for the fun of it. The more erotic types of fantasy are hinted at in Deep Space 9, where Quark runs the holo suites and this is what I mean - a crew lost in space would use the holodeck for sexual encounters as Janeway does here. My point though is that had Picard been portrayed creating a sex toy in the shape of a female character as Janeway does when altering the barman's character and attributes, I suspect there would have been a greater moral outcry.
Star Trek: Voyager: Equinox, Part II (1999)
A game of two halves!
There is such a contrast between Janeway's attitude, actions and character in these two episodes that either she has had her ethical subroutines deleted like the doctor or new writers were brought in and told not to watch episode 1. It's such a shame because we were set up for a classic conflict of ethics between Ransom and Janeway.
Instead of turning into a version of Ransom, Janeway should have been allowed to demonstrate the superiority of her ethics over those of Ransom and his crew. At least then the viewer could have judged who was right and who was wrong.
If this was a real situation I doubt that Janeway could continue in command: both her most senior officers strongly questioned her actions and one was relieved of duty. But at the end all was "forgiven and forgotten" like the few crew who survived the Equinox never to be seen again.
I won't bother to comment on how a Nova class rowing boat barely held together with temporary repairs was able to take on Voyager and nearly wreck it. Others have already done so.
Star Trek: Voyager: Juggernaut (1999)
Somewhat inconsistent character portrayal.
This episode is so inconsistent it's ridiculous. Voyager answers a distress call from a long, long way away, so naturally they alter course to offer aid, because, why try to get home right?
On arriving they find a lot of theta radiation and a bunch of escape pods. It's the Malon, whose ship has suffered catastrophic failure while dumping waste. I won't bother commenting on why the Malon are soo far from home suddenly as others have already done so. The Malon freighter will blow up in six hours.
However, these Malon appear to have acquired some ethics and we learn that their world is soo beautiful, full of artists and sculptors who bravely volunteer to risk everything to dump waste. Didn't the writers see Night and the other episodes? What about Janeway's offer to give them the technology to clean up their waste?
Because Voyager can't escape the explosion our intrepid gang beams aboard the Malon freighter with the Malon Captain and the other Vulcan guy (playing a Malon called Pelk) in order to stop the explosion. Instead of donning environmental suits they get a jab from the Doc, because the shots in Star Trek protect from all the gas they inhale. Oh and there's a scene with Neelix, conveniently now a theta radiation dumping expert, cooking up some green anti radiation goop. Yuk!
So it turns out that there is an "alien" aboard the freighter who is responsible for sabotaging the ship. Janeway plans to divert the freighter into a nearby star and orders the away team to leave. No mention of trying to contact the alien or even rescue him, even when he turns out to be a Core Worker damaged through years of service. When the away team leave he's left behind to die.
There is also a back story about trying to control Belanna's angry Klingon side (suddenly a problem) through anger management. Why don't they just resequence her DNA and solve the problem that way? So much for respecting other cultures.
Star Trek: Voyager: Counterpoint (1998)
Am I the only one?
As good as this episode is, I have an observation about Janeway's actions here. I refer to her decision to pursue and kidnap an individual because he may have information about a wormhole which they are searching for. They find him and attempt to open a dialogue. He rebuffs them and tells them to leave him alone. He is then beamed aboard against his will. Surely this is kidnapping and a blatant disregard of Star Fleet protocol?
Again, Janeway gives aid to a bunch of refugees, telepaths this time, who are outlawed in this system. She blatantly breaks the local law, another breach of protocol. The law is wrong, so I guess that justifies the action but it puts the ship in danger because now they have to get the refugees to a rendezvous. Her opponents are not stupid and know about the refugees and also know all of the tricks so why risk all again?
At least Janeway doesn't blithely fall for Kashik's obvious deception. Or does she?
Star Trek: Voyager: Hope and Fear (1998)
Advantage: The writers. Spoilers!
The episode begins with Janeway playing phaser tennis with Seven. Despite her physical and Borg advantages, Seven is frustrated by Janeway's experience and loses, badly. Advantage Janeway.
We are then tracked back to the problem with the encrypted Starfleet message from the earlier episode when Voyager received a data stream from home via an alien array. This was not completely recovered due to the intervention of the Hirogen hunters who owned the array: Advantage Hirogen.
In the intervening months both Seven and Janeway have attempted and failed to decrypt the message, which everyone believes contains the key to their getting home. They have so far failed. I now come to my first real criticism of this dramatic thread: why would Starfleet encrypt a message that could not be easily decrypted by the recipient? Even if it contained some sensitive information (which it does in fact not) they would presumably use an encryption protocol available to Voyager. Instead they make it so hard to decipher that not even Borg decryption algorithms work. Advantage: Plot Device.
Now there comes serendipitously to their aid an Alien called Arturis who happens to be on hand during some trading activities when the universal translator fails. He is (like most strange aliens) taken on board and given free rein of the ship. He turns out to be a linguistic expert who proceeds to quickly start decoding the message. Advantage Arturis.
After decrypting a small amount of the message the crew are directed to a nearby system which has an unmanned experimental Startship parked ready and waiting. This has more orders from Starfleet, an experimental Slipstream drive which can get them home quickly and instructions to abandon Voyager. As Paris says "they came through for us". Advantage: Starfleet.
However, Janeway smells a rat and quickly Mr Kim discovers anomalies which lead them to realise that this is one gift horse worth getting to a dentist. Advantage: The Voyager Crew.
Janeway and Seven then attempt to decrypt more of the message, declared by Arturis to be irrecoverable, during which they argue about Seven leaving and not going home. Their argument is quite explosive but is interrupted when the computer starts playing the message. This is another convenient development as it reveals the real information from Starfleet and shows Arturis to be responsible for an elaborate deception. Arturis presumably gave Janeway the means to decrypt this by not removing his decryption algorithm (foolish). Foot fault against Arturis.
On the fake ship, Janeway confronts Arturis about his deception. Turns out he set an elaborate trap for Voyager to punish them for helping the Borg which led to the wipeout of his race. He is the only one left. There is no explanation of how he found out about the message. Arturis evades attempts to arrest him and captures Janeway and Seven before they can beam out. He powers up the fake ship (his ship disguised) to flee to Borg space so that he, Janeway and Seven can all be assimilated. Advantage Arturis.
Meanwhile back on Voyager, Chakotee and Paris get Slipstream working on the ship and pursue Arturis and his two captives. Janeway and Seven work on escaping and discover that Seven's reluctance to return home is simply fear. They bury the hatchet. Then Voyager overtakes them just as the ship enters Borg space and rescue the Captain and Seven. Advantage Chakotee.
They use the Slipstream drive to get a bit nearer home before it conks out, never to be repaired or resurrected, conveniently. Advantage The Writers.
I'm not sure what the moral of this story is. Clearly there is one about the consequences of actions (Janeway's collaboration with the Borg). It is sad to see Arturis, the last of his civilisation cruising to assimilation and the end of him. He expended a great deal of effort on a revenge plan which completely failed.
Star Trek: Voyager: Retrospect (1998)
Sinister messaging. Should contain a trigger warning. Spoilers ahead.
This episode attempts to deal with the consequences of accusing someone of a crime. In this context the crime is abuse. However the message it delivers is that the real victim is the accused, not the accuser. I will not go into more detail about that, as the other low reviews here cover it better than I can.
However I want to convey how disturbing this episode could potentially be to someone who may have experienced something similar to that of Jeri Ryan's character, Seven of Nine.
We are shown that she has behavioural issues, that her behaviour is linked to suppressed memories of an assault and that to her the assault was real. She is initially believed, but then despite not being able to prove or disprove the facts, she is ultimately blamed for the death of the person she accused.
If this resonates with you I suggest that you do not watch it.
Star Trek: Voyager: Future's End, Part II (1996)
The other reviews are correct.
Many reviewers have observed that often the writers introduce convenient technology failures to support plots. In this case, the ship's transporters are not functioning properly except from very low orbit.
However Voyager possesses a number of shuttlecraft and in many previous episodes the crew have used the transporters aboard these smaller craft successfully from high orbit.
In one episode Paris even remotely transported a bunch of Talaxians to Voyager to recapture it from the Kason. So why couldn't they transport from shuttlecraft?
I won't even bother commenting on the ridiculous idea that a hippy from the sixties could understand technology from 900 years in the future. So that would be like a person from the year 1096 understanding computers made in the 1990s. Really?
Enterprise: Doctor's Orders (2004)
Glaring plot hole
I gave this a 4 because I enjoy watching John Billingsley as Dr Phlox and T'Pol is one of my favourite characters. Otherwise it has little to recommend it. In the first place, this is a rehash of ST:Voyager episode 25 of Season 4 ("One"). In that episode the entire crew is placed in stasis so that the ship can traverse a toxic nebula.
Like "Doctor's Orders" two of the cast (Seven and the Doctor) interact as Seven struggles with mental issues caused by her month long isolation plus the radiation from the nebula. Like Phlox, this causes her to hallucinate but that is where this episode falls down.
In Seven of Nine's case she interacts with a third party in the guise of a solo traveller whom she is ultimately revealed to have imagined. Phlox however interacts with T'Pol and here I come to the problem. Why didn't Phlox remember placing T'Pol in a coma with the rest of the crew? Why didn't he remember being told by the Captain that he trusted him to look after the ship? Why didn't he remember the training he received from Travis about piloting the ship and why did Trip spend time briefing him on monitoring the engines? None of this would have been necessary if T'Pol had been left awake. Duh!
I appreciate that Phlox may have been affected by the trans-dimensional space, or by his enforced isolation. But if so the affect is oddly selective. Surely he would have expected TkPol to attend movie night? He at least should have observed her failing to eat the food he prepared.
In all honesty I think this is lazy writing.
Downton Abbey: Episode #5.3 (2014)
Does anyone else find Miss Bunting to be very rude?
This is a lively episode in which Robert is placed on the wrong foot in almost every situation. This is largely due to the presence of Mr Bricker, who really is after Cora though she is too blind to see it. Then there is the business about Mrs Patmore's nephew Archy who cannot be included in the War Memorial. I really do not believe that at this time there were many people who would have defended a man shot for cowardice. That said I really enjoy watching Downton Abbey, despite its occasional foray into historical revisionism.
I find one or two of the characters grate on me from time to time, none more so than Miss Bunting (ably played by Daisy Lewis). I find it odd that no-one seems to call her out for this. She turns up to various social events at the Abbey and without fail delivers a barbed comment normally calculated to start a fist fight. However, it seems her quite modern social views somehow excuse her complete lack of manners.
I really don't believe that people would behave like this when a guest in someone else's home. Often the "lower classes" are portrayed as completely ignorant of social norms - take Tom's brother for example in the Christening episode, wanting to have his dinner with the staff. This is done I suspect to highlight how out of touch the aristocracy are in the modern world. However, the fact is that while Tom's brother may not have known which fork to use he would most certainly have been bought up to at least be polite in someone else's home.
Miss Bunting however appears to have not been taught anything of the sort which makes me wonder how on earth she became a teacher. I am not entirely sure why she was written this way. Was it to demonstrate how far Tom has changed from his first days as a member of the family? Was it to introduce a long term love interest for him? If so I am not sure Miss Bunting is the right character choice. She is just too patronising and controlling and I couldn't see him really falling for her at all.
Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019)
What the actual !!!?
The writers must have really hated the fans to end this series like this. What is it with these series? Battlestar Galactica did more or less the same thing. Surely they could have come up with a better ending than this. Why didn't they just kill Jon Snow and have done with it? That would have been better. And I see rumours of a spin off with his character. What would he be doing exactly? Perhaps he could return and help the small council looking into the problems with the sewers in King's Landing, or tackle the monumental problems of the cabbage shortage! It's such a disappointment and a waste of a good story. I was going to buy the books but I don't think I'll bother now.?
The Fourth Arm: Episode #1.1 (1983)
Surprisingly good, even following Secret Army.
We came upon this series as Secret Army / Kessler fans. If you know Secret Army you will remember Major Nick Bradley played by Paul Shelley. Sadly the character only appeared in a few episodes of Season three and was killed off before the end. Paul Shelley plays a very similar character in The Fourth Arm (Major Hugh Ghallager) who builds and leads a team of misfit volunteers to attack a secret Nazi V1 installation in France. The tension builds as he selects and helps train the team at a training camp run by Lt. Colonel Tim Squires (played brilliantly by Neil Stacey).
The attack on the base in the final two episodes kept us riveted with shades of Operation Crossbow (George Peppard, Anthony Quale, Jeremy Kemp) in the action sequences.
A cast of supporting characters fronted by Mess Corporal Moffat (Leonard Fenton), Major Ghallager's boss Colonel Gwillim (Philip Latham) and the German guard commander O. Lt. Krupper (Christopher Ravenscroft) add flavour and depth to the drama. I really recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Secret Army. Available only on YouTube at present though.