Voyager 3x2 "Flashback"

rating: ****

the story: Tuvok suffers visions that lead him and Janeway to his experiences aboard Sulu's Excelsior.

what it's all about: As celebrations of the franchise's 30th anniversary go, Deep Space Nine's "Trials and Tribble-ations" usually steals the thunder.  "Tribble-ations" incorporates actual footage from the classic "Trouble with Tribbles."  It's really hard to beat.  But "Flashback" is a more than worthy contender.  Like "Tribble-ations" it draws direct inspiration from previous material; in this case it's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, which in 1996 was a mere five years ago.  (Enterprise's "Judgment" later drew from the Klingon penal customs as seen in the movie, by the way.)  George Takei and his admirers had been vocal about a Sulu TV series; they would have to settle for one last TV appearance, the same most of his original series colleagues (except for Nichelle Nichols, who unlike Walter Koenig didn't even get a plush cameo in something like Star Trek Generations) enjoyed in years previous.

The episode, as suggested in my brief summary, draws on Sulu's scenes aboard the Excelsior in Undiscovered Country, when the ship monitors the destruction of Praxis.  We get to spend a little more time with familiar faces glimpsed in the movie, plus Takei and Grace Lee Whitney (Rand), as well as a bonus from Michael Ansara's Kang, last seen in Deep Space Nine's "Crossover," retroactively his first chronological appearance in full Klingon prosthetics. 

But putting all that aside, it's a fascinating glimpse at Tuvok's backstory.  Apparently he'd left a previous term of service in Starfleet before returning many decades later in an era that better suited him (ironically).  It's also, after "Meld," his best chance to exhibit the classic Vulcan mind-bridging technique, which seems appropriate for the occasion.

If there's a sour note in the episode, it's the rough child performance that's kind of at the heart of the story, which recurs horribly at the end.  Still, easy to sidestep given the rich window dressing.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - Casual fans will appreciate the look back at Sulu's command.
• series - A rare look into the past of a main character.
• character - Which is of course Tuvok.
• essential - Like its better-known counterpart, "Trials and Tribble-ations," "Flashback" is a wonderful nod at the history of the franchise.

notable guest-stars:
George Takei (Sulu)
Grace Lee Whitney (Rand)
Michael Ansara (Kang)   

The Animated Series 2x1 "The Pirates of Orion"

rating***

Memory Alpha summary

via Star Trek; we're not just green, you know

If it's the start of a new season from a series featuring Kirk as captain, you can bet it's an episode featuring some trauma happening to Spock.  Yeah, the second season of the original series kicked off with the classic "Amok Time," while the third with the infamous "Spock's Brain."  This time it's "The Pirates of Orion."

The problem this time is a little like condensing "Amok" and "Brain" into one, Spock in a straight-up medical emergency that sends the crew scrambling to save him.  I shouldn't need to point out that this is the third episode to focus primarily on Spock (after "Yesteryear" and "The Infinite Vulcan"), demonstrating a clear series preference for the character.

Beyond Spock, as the title suggests "Pirates" also features the enigmatic Orions, usually at that point best known for their green-skinned "slave girls," or for that surprise element of "Journey to Babel" in which they were saboteurs.  In Deep Space Nine, two episodes ("Honor Among Thieves" and "Prodigal Daughter") focus on the Orion Syndicate, which might be considered an update of the eponymous pirates, how the culture in general tends to act when not dominated by their women (as revealed in one of several Enterprise appearances, "Bound").

As the image suggests, the episode features Orions who are not, in fact, green-skinned.  This is commonly considered a production mistake.  But obviously humans feature diverse pigmentation, and so do Klingons and Vulcans.  If this series is to be considered canon at all, "Pirates" might as well be considered canon establishment of the same for Orions. 

It's a fine episode that stays away from the weirder inclinations of the series and a strong link to the rest of the franchise, in various and surprising ways.

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

George Takei

Majel Roddenberry

James Doohan

The Animated Series 1x12 "The Time Trap"

rating: *

Memory Alpha summary

via Agony Booth (ouch!)

The Voyager episode "The Void," Enterprise's Xindi Council, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Next Generation's "Birthright Part II," and indeed the whole concept of the Federation all feature elements viewers of "The Time Trap" will find familiar.

It's the idea of an interspecies coalition.  As in "The Void," "Time Trap" features a reluctant one intended to make the best of a bad situation, and the featured crew looking for a way out of the unique circumstances that have forced everyone together, a given region of space that is the true trap of the story.  The other trap, the one concerning time, is an unnecessary layer that is basically irrelevant except as an element of added danger.

More significantly, perhaps, is that "Time Trap features Kor, one of the major Klingons of the franchise, usually portrayed by John Colicos but here voiced by Jimmy Doohan.  Kor debuted in the original series episode "Errand of Mercy" and was one of three Klingons from that time to later appear in Deep Space Nine ("Blood Oath"), ending up the longest-tenured in that regard with two additional appearances ("Sword of Kahless," "Once More Unto the Breach").

Which of course also makes this a Klingon episode.  As with Klingon appearances in the preceding live action series, the famed warrior race to this point has perhaps a far greater reputation than actual presence.  It isn't until the next Klingons appear in the franchise, with newly-revised appearances, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, four major roles in subsequent sequels, and the figure of Worf, that they're actually as prominent as they seem to be all along.  Without any of these later appearances, Klingons would have gone the way of Harry Mudd.

Thankfully they don't.  "Time Trap" is in some ways a rehash of previous Klingons episodes, a forced alliance and stab at peace, that sort of thing.

Perhaps the most significant element is a far harder one to recognize: this is the first time George Takei is allowed to join the voice actor talent pool outside of his most familiar role (Sulu), something Doohan and Nichelle Nichols, along with Majel Roddenberry, have been during throughout the series already.

The interspecies alliance features cameos from a number of familiar aliens, from Romulans and Orions to some that are unique to the series.  But this is not a particularly notable showcase for any of them.

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

George Takei

Nichelle Nichols

James Doohan