Voyager 7x24 "Renaissance Man"

rating: *

the story: The Doctor is forced to work against the crew.

what it's all about: At its heart, "Renaissance Man" is a throwaway screwball adventure, playing fast and loose with Voyager conventions.  And it's not really meant to be anything else, just a fun way to experience the penultimate, final regular episode of the series.  Briefly, you get a sense that it's also intended to take the Doctor down a peg, in a lighthearted manner, one last chance to see him stick his foot in his mouth, as he does when he makes a grand confession in front of the crew when he thinks his program will be lost forever...

Of course that doesn't happen!  But it's also a kind of cheap way to say goodbye to arguably Voyager's best character, in total humiliation.  I realize the series gave him plenty of opportunities to grow, and they were among the best episodes the show ever produced, and you don't need to take this particular one seriously, that it's designed not to be, but...

Anyway, the episode also features the "Potatoheads," as some fans affectionately named them, aliens otherwise known as the Hierarchy, of all the memorable species to appear in Voyager perhaps the ones only the true fans are going to appreciate.  So it's also fitting that they enjoy a final spotlight here.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - This is the kind of episode that won't necessarily convert someone into a fan of Voyager.
• series - Although it might almost be considered a classic romp.  Or pure nonsense.
• character - The most definitive thing that can be said about it is that it's a Doctor spotlight, and it doesn't, like all his episodes, make light of the opportunity.
• essential - Although it doesn't necessarily take him seriously, either.  Which again, is something that's open to interpretation.

notable guest-stars:
Alexander Enberg (Vorik)

Voyager 5x21 "Juggernaut"

rating: **

the story: B'Elanna tries to control her anger while dealing with repair work on a Malon ship.

what it's all about: The Malon, in the fifth season, became the second-most unlikely recurring aliens of the series (the sixth season had the "Potato Heads").  Debuting in "Night," the season premiere, they were basically galactic polluters.  Yet in "Juggernaut," it's not really polluting that defines them so much as their generally disagreeable nature.  Enter: B'Elanna.

And duck for cover!  The episode is basically an excuse to illustrate her poor temper, and how she tries to get it under control.  There are plenty of episodes that explain why she has a poor temper, but this isn't one of them; instead, we just get to see her angry for the sake of being angry, and it's actually a refreshing change of pace.  Maybe those who can't fathom having such a bad attitude won't get it, but seeing someone grapple with this as the whole point of an episode...it's cathartic. 

And, as you'll see under the guest-stars listing, there are plenty of otherwise familiar faces hiding beneath the lumpy Malon makeup, so that's certainly one of the episode's pleasures, too.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - Casual fans might be baffled by the Malon phenomenon.
• series - But it's nice continuity all the same.
• character - B'Elanna Torres is one of the most fascinating characters in the whole franchise.  Here's an episode that doesn't even try to prove why, and she's still fascinating.
• essential - Sure it doesn't try to resolve anything, but that doesn't mean it's not worth watching.

notable guest-stars:
Ron Canada
Lee Arenberg
Alexander Enberg

Voyager 5x10 "Counterpoint"

rating: ****

the story: The ship faces a series of inspections as Janeway develops an interesting relationship with the man tasked with carrying them out.

what it's all about: "Counterpoint" is one of those episodes that doesn't seem important but somehow draws attention to itself anyway, a clear example of the strength of episodic storytelling.  And yet it actually is important, the more you think about it.

Nothing that happens here has long-term ramifications.  If you never saw it you'd still understand the gist of what happens during the course of the series.  The aliens don't appear again.  No character has a major turning point or breakthrough.

And yet...It's kind of Voyager, as envisioned, in a nutshell, a ship stranded far from home forced to endure things no other Starfleet vessel is likely to experience from alien cultures it happens across, and still upholding its ideals.  In this case, shepherding embattled peoples to safety.  This was a crew constantly at the mercy of the cultures it came across, and space it couldn't easily decide to avoid if there proved to be a problem with those cultures.  The crew sought the shortest route home.  Sure, it made plenty of stops along the way, but in the grand scheme of things, if it had to take the whole original projected length of time to get home, those detours mean nothing.  They add to the crew's morale, which has infinite worth.  They get to pretend they're still an ordinary Starfleet crew.  But with complications, obviously.  Not going around problem space is justified in the same way investigating stuff is justified: if they can negotiate their way through the problems, they still uphold their Starfleet ideals, which again is the whole point of the series.

All that being said, "Counterpoint" is also an excellent examination of Janeway herself, demonstrating her cleverness in much the same way Kirk used to bluff his way through problems.  Except, Janeway's bluffing is a lot more elaborate than coming up with a fake weapon.  Again, if Voyager was all about proving the worth of Gene Roddenberry's original vision, then its solutions would necessarily mirror the kinds we'd seen before.  Kirk is an inescapable precedent; theoretically every captain that followed him would at some point have to demonstrate the same kind of cleverness he used. 

And all that aside, it's just a well-put-together episode, fully in command of itself, which is exactly what you want from a classic.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - A great way to sell Voyager to a casual fan.
• series - It demonstrates what the premise looks like on a routine basis.
• character - Janeway shines as she outwits a man who thinks he's outsmarted her.
• essential - This is how episodic storytelling is done.

notable guest-stars:
Mark Harelik
Randy Oglesby
Alexander Enberg (Vorik)

Voyager 5x3 "Extreme Risk"

rating: ****

the story: Devastated by the fate of the Maquis, B'Elanna becomes suicidal.

what it's all about: A funny thing happened along the way to the Maquis.  Created in separate adventures across Next Generation and Deep Space Nine with the express purpose of helping set up Voyager, these Federation rebels eventually collapsed into a contentious existence among fans when that setup resulted in...an integrated Starfleet crew that forsook the "Maquis way."  Though wearing different insignia, the former Maquis in Voyager, including Chakotay and B'Elanna Torres, became more or less standard officers aboard Janeway's ship.  It was in Deep Space Nine where a more epic fate awaited the Maquis when Michael Eddington effected one last dramatic betrayal and launched one last great crusade in "For the Uniform" and "Blaze of Glory." 

It's these two final adventures that "Extreme Risk" draws from, thus making it a sort of Maquis coda.  Regardless of whether or not Voyager mishandled the Maquis concept, by this episode it was a moot point.  Communications with the Alpha Quadrant had opened in the previous season, and the crew learned of what had become of the Maquis thanks to the new Cardassian involvement in the emerging Dominion War.  The character most likely to be dramatically affected by the news, was.  That's what this episode is all about.

In a lot of ways, it's the completion of a character arc begun in "Parallax," the first regular episode of the series following the pilot ("Caretaker"), in which B'Elanna struggles to integrate with the crew, putting her Maquis differences aside in order to win the position of chief engineer.  In effect, it illustrated that B'Elanna and not Chakotay most represented the so-called "Maquis way," the idea that these were people who didn't handle conflict as well as Starfleet officers.  As I said above, the news about the Maquis severely affects B'Elanna, and it's one of her best episodes, which is saying something for a character perennially responsible for some of the series' best material.

"Extreme Risk" also follows "Night" as an early fifth season episode acknowledging the evolution of the characters in this series.  Janeway underwent a personal crisis in "Night," and obviously B'Elanna to a much greater extent in "Risk," both of them struggling to come to terms with their pasts, things fans had actually seen, which is rare in the franchise. 

The episode also sees the debut of a signature shuttlecraft for Voyager, the Delta Flyer, finally something to settle all the criticism of the seemingly endless supply of such mission craft the series routinely faced from fans.  It also helps settle the romantic future of B'Elanna and Tom Paris.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - The last word on the fate of the Maquis.
• series - Settles a key point of the original premise (see the above) and how it had evolved elsewhere.
• character - One of the definitive B'Elanna Torres spotlights.
• essential - Anyone still clinging to the notion that this was a totally clueless series owes it to themselves to watch this one.

notable guest-stars:
Alexander Enberg (Vorik)

Voyager 3x16 "Blood Fever"

rating: ****

the story: B'Elanna gets to enjoy pon farr.

what it's all about: One of the most irrational fears Star Trek fans have exhibited over the years is revisiting familiar territory.  This fear has some basis from franchise creators themselves, including Gene Roddenberry, who initially wanted to distance Next Generation from the original series.  Then, of course, Worf became a signature character of the new series, and as a result the Klingons underwent an incredible renaissance.

But fans still fear revisiting familiar territory.  They became obsessive about it with Voyager and Enterprise, and they're threatening to do it all over again with Discovery.  They insist that the only true Star Trek is the stuff that explores the further future.  They seem to have conveniently ignored what Star Trek itself has said about the further future, in sometimes exquisite detail.  But I digress.  Somewhat.

"Blood Fever" calls this to mind as it's basically an update of the classic "Amok Time," in which a Vulcan (originally Spock, this time the recurring Vorik) experiences pon farr, which temporarily drives them crazy.  The big difference with "Blood Fever" is that Vorik was created for this specific purpose.  He makes a few appearances before it and a few appearances later, but basically his only purpose is to tell a story that would otherwise have involved Tuvok (he later experiences pon farr, too, by the way), an inevitability in the premise of a series where the crew is stranded for an extended period of time away from home. 

The benefits are legion.  First, the existence of Vorik confirms that since Spock served in Starfleet, Vulcan presence has increased, so that two Vulcans serving on the same ship happens.  Second, a Vulcan with whom audiences are not emotionally attached is allowed to get even crazier than Spock did.  Third, it further contrasts Tuvok with what we've seen from other Vulcans.  He turned out to be even more cerebral (as chief of security he undertook criminal investigations on a routine basis) and spiritual than Spock, who tended to focus almost exclusively on logic and the contrasts he noticed with humans like Bones McCoy. 

Fourth, and this is actually the big one, has nothing to do with Vulcans at all, because this is actually a B'Elanna episode.  I still have no idea how she never became one of the show's most beloved characters, because arguably she was consistently the best in the series, from the very start, a trailblazer who took what Ro Laren and Major Kira began before her and managed to be a fierce, independent woman who rarely compromised.  Except being the one out of the three to find lasting happiness with someone, an arc that begins in "Blood Fever," with Tom Paris.

Paris was the Starfleet rebel who had the most in common with the former Maquis crew, had actually tried joining the Maquis, but had never shared much screen time with B'Elanna.  But from this point onward, they would develop a romance where their personalities, their sometimes-alienating instincts, would come together at last, culminating in a marriage and a daughter in the final season.

Wait, and fifth: this episode also marks the beginning of the Borg in the series.  Arguably Voyager did more than Next Generation (second only to First Contact) in fleshing out the Collective beyond the bogeymen who once assimilated Picard and launched an epic invasion into the Alpha Quadrant.  It marks the slow burn to the season finale, "Scorpion," in which the Borg make their official debut, Voyager updating and improving on the approach Next Generation originally took to the Collective.

I know, a lot of that is blasphemy.  But I don't fear Star Trek fans.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - Between pon farr and the Borg, this one speaks to the heart of Star Trek mythology.
• series - The pon farr was inevitable in the long journey home, and so were the Borg.
• character - B'Elanna in another stellar spotlight, a nearly unblemished record.
• essential - In a lot of ways the beginning of a bold new era.

notable guest-stars:
Alexander Enberg (Vorik)

Voyager 3x14 "Alter Ego"

rating: ***

the story: Tuvok becomes entangled in an unlikely relationship with an apparent holographic character.

what it's all about: "Alter Ego" has a lot going for it.  One is the unusual pairing of Harry Kim and Tuvok, who otherwise really don't have any other shared experiences in the series.  Harry is having one of his romantic problems, this time with a holodeck character, or so he thinks.  It's intriguing, since that means the episode is kind of a precursor to the controversial sixth season entry "Fair Haven," in which Janeway really does have such a relationship.  For a crew faced with limited romantic options, it's a good idea to mine for material, and sort of flips on its head part of Barclay's problem in  Next Generation's "Hollow Pursuits," where we first met the nebbish engineer destined to make a significant impact on Voyager. 

He turns to Tuvok for advice, but that only makes things worse, because Tuvok investigates the holodeck character, who decides she's interested in Tuvok instead of Harry, which makes Harry jealous.  This development is two-fold.  Harry usually seems like the quintessential Starfleet officer, fresh out of the Academy and as gung ho about his job as anyone could be.  The question of why such a consummate professional would have a hard time being promoted on a ship lost in the Delta Quadrant even though he's one of the best hands of the crew can thusly be explained by his lack of maturity, with experiences like "Alter Ego" spelling it out.

The episode then becomes about Tuvok himself.  Tuvok spotlights were always few and far between, the series no doubt concerned that someone might worry he was trying to replace Spock.  Tuvok, of course, is full Vulcan, unlike the half-human Spock, so he was always going to present a unique portrait.  As a Vulcan, his relationships rarely involved emotion, except when concerning Neelix (but more on that in the forthcoming "Rise"), even his close bond with Janeway, one of the most neglected in the series (even their experiences in "Flashback" were somewhat caustic). 

The problem was really Tuvok's sense of isolation, which dovetails nicely with the further developments of this episode.  (Chakotay, it might be argued, also suffered from isolation the longer the series continued, which is why it was nice for him to end up in a relationship with Seven.  It was kind of like finally replacing the toxic Seska.)  The holographic character turns out to be a real person, who's hacked the ship (hacking a Starfleet ship is a brilliant idea, by the way, and a rare phenomenon) because she's got a job that keeps her, y'know, in isolation.  She finds Tuvok fascinating.  He's an enigma, someone who manages to remain functional even while keeping a distance from those around him. 

Anyway, I like how the episode progresses.  It's always been one of my favorites from the season.  Enterprise's "Exile" is a similar story, which doesn't really evolve as organically, so the merits of "Alter Ego" becomes all the easier to admire.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - The original premise of the episode revolves around holographic characters, long a Star Trek staple.
• series - Not hugely connected to the premise.
• character - But it becomes hugely significant to not only Harry but Tuvok as the story progresses.
• essential - It's an episode that helps explain both of them.

notable guest-stars:
Alexander Enberg (Vorik)

Voyager 3x13 "Fair Trade"

rating: ***

the story: In an attempt to prove his further usefulness, Neelix finds himself in an awful mess.

what it's all about: In hindsight, the biggest missed opportunity of Voyager was the chance to tell Talaxian stories when the series was still in Talaxian space.  Instead the first two seasons focused on the Kazon, which was certainly not a bad thing, but no one seemed to realize that there was ample creative room for Neelix to explore at the same time, until it was too late.  In a lot of ways, the third season was an opportunity for the producers to take a last look at what had been overlooked previously, and it was ample fodder for rich material, like "Fair Trade."

Now, as most fans didn't really care for Neelix, this is hardly an episode they're going to appreciate one way or another.  It's just skippable material to them.  It's a shame, because Neelix was one of the best-developed and best-used characters of the series, and it's thanks to material like this.  As one of two Delta Quadrant natives to become passengers of the ship, he was always in a unique position to contextualize the crew's journey in unfamiliar territory.  But "Trade" sees him reach the last of the territory he himself has explored.  It also features the rare fellow Talaxian, another reason why the episode stands out.  The whole thing becomes an exercise, like "False Profits" earlier in the season, of contrasting Neelix and Talaxians as a whole with their Ferengi counterparts.  Quark had many similar experiences in Deep Space Nine, but they played out differently because Quark was always focused mostly on himself whereas Neelix cared about the crew around him.

"Trade" is another in a series of existential crises for him, and that's really the key to understanding both the character and the episode.  He worries here that he still hasn't done enough to justify himself as a permanent passenger, that they're going to kick him off the ship.  What he's craved so desperately since before he came aboard was a new family.  He never dared dream that he had actually found one.  In a way, that impulse fans have to loathe him is broadcast by Neelix himself, because in his doubts he's always trying too hard to please, and for people like Tuvok it's immediately off-putting.  Little wonder that a Vulcan represents the interests of the fans.  But more on these two in "Rise" six episodes hence...

criteria analysis:

• franchise - I suspect you have to be a fan of the series to truly appreciate it, even though the material resonates well with experiences across Star Trek.
• series - It wonderfully explains what happens to Neelix as originally conceived.
• character - A definitive turning point for ship's morale officer.
• essential - For this series it really is.

notable guest-stars:
Alexander Enberg (Vorik)
James Horan

The Next Generation 7x15 "Lower Decks"

rating: ****

the story: Junior officers are uncomfortable awaiting performance reviews.

what it's all about: One of the most necessary episodes ever, in which we finally have a look at what it's like to be one of the ordinary personnel of Picard's ship.  (Voyager had a slightly similar one with "Good Shepherd," but that was more in line with its early work of exploring members of Janeway's crew that didn't fit in with the Starfleet/Maquis mishmash that was the backbone of that series.) 

It's also a sequel to "The First Duty," in which the focus is shifted from Wesley Crusher to Sito Jaxa, from whom we learn a new perspective of Picard's eagerness to discover the true moral caliber of those below him.  In that sense, "Lower Decks" also functions as a quasi-sequel to the earlier "Pegasus."

It's also the closest to a Nurse Ogawa episode the series ever got.  Ogawa appeared in many episodes as a member of Crusher's staff, but her significance rarely seemed much more than the likes of Riley in the original series; you really have to be a Next Generation fan to even know she exists.  Casual fans might recognize her, but I bet they wouldn't know her name.  In a way, this is her "Data's Day," the episode where we first meet Keiko, who'd marry O'Brien at the end of that one, because we learn all about Ogawa's romantic life in addition to her career.  Along with Sito, she's one of several junior officers up for promotion, including a Vulcan and a sort of younger version of Riker (a comparison that leads to one of the episode's best scenes, and most awkward!).

But with apologies to Ogawa, this is really Sito's episode.  Her relation with Worf follows a pattern that in "Lower Decks" is finally perfected: Worf's interest in passing on what he's learned.  Strangely, the recipient ends up being a Bajoran and not, say, a little boy or his own son.  But among the best scenes, and you know it's a classic when you can point to numerous scenes that stand out, is a combat lesson that turns out to be a moral one, which leads to Sito standing up for herself in front of Picard...and volunteering for a heartbreaking mission.  This is the extremely rare episode where what amounts to slice-of-life scenes merge with a b-story that totally complements and augments them.  Most of the time, that b-story, meant to please angsty producers who think some excitement is needed, spoils the fun.  Not this time.

The end result is one of the most genuinely affecting episodes of the whole franchise.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - a fruitful glimpse into how the other half lives.
• series - speaks volumes for the series' depth.
• character - works for Worf, Picard, Sito...
• essential - this is the humanity of Star Trek personified.

notable guest-stars:
Shannon Fill (Sito)
Patti Yasutake (Ogawa)
Alexander Enberg

The Next Generation 5x26 "Time's Arrow, Part 1"

rating: ****

the story: Data's head is unexpectedly discovered in a cavern below San Francisco.

similar to: "Storm Front" (Enterprise)

my thoughts: Well.  Here we go: the secret origin of Guinan and Picard's relationship.  Was it worth the wait?  It's complicated...but yeah, it really is.  It just needs some special insight.

Remember Enterprise's Temporal Cold War?  That was an arc that lasted the span of the series, but ended on an incredibly ambiguous note in the fourth season two-part opener "Storm Front," in which we never find out who Future Guy is, one of the central riddles of the series.  Or do we?  I have my theories.  I believe that the alien who collaborates with the Nazis is Future Guy.  But without confirmation, it's just speculation.

"Time's Arrow" is a little like that.  Guinan is one of the trickiest characters in franchise lore.  Steeped heavily in mystery in her earliest appearances, the more we learn, the more we must decide if all that mystery was really worth it.  This is the central question of just how much was lost from the creative transition from the second to third seasons.  And it entirely hinges on "Time's Arrow."  Clearly the entire season had been leading toward it, just as Worf's in "Sins of the Father" inevitably led to "Redemption" (which itself served as a sequel to "Yesterday's Enterprise," which is what led to "Time's Arrow"...), so again, the question must be asked, Was it worth it?

Before we even get there, we have to examine what the bulk of the episode is actually about, which is an improved version of the previous "Next Phase," in which the crew once again deals with matters of mortality.  It's odd that the episode is so heavily centered on that (actually, two-part Star Trek episodes often work like that) without a lot of fan memory making much of it, but there you go, and as Data episodes go, it's a pretty good one, worthy of the finest tradition ("The Measure of a Man," for instance).

But in order to solve the mystery of what happened to him, and possibly prevent it (or cause and remedy it), the crew has to journey to the past, and at Guinan's insistence. 

...And in order to find out the answer to the question I keep posing, you will have to wait until the second part of this episode...(Hint: it's totally worth it.)

criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)

notable guest-stars:
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Jerry Hardin
Marc Alaimo
Alexander Enberg