VOY: “The 37’s” and “Initiations”

Date: September 15, 2020

Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2

Musical Accompaniment: Instrumental Rock

Interstellar News: I’m finally resuming Charmed and I’m almost done, just started the last season after taking a break for a few months. I better finish before they take it off Netflix on October 1, though.

“The 37’s” in TL;DR: Kim reports that’s there are traces of rust but Janeway is confused because there’s no oxygen in space, so how can there be rust? They find a 1936 Ford floating through space whose AM radio picks up an SOS from a nearby planet. On the planet they find the signal is coming from an old plane with an alien generator attached and there’s a cavern with several cryogenic containment rooms. They find one with eight people and decide to revive them and ask them what happened. The survivors are all from 1937 Earth, including Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred, a Japanese military officer, and a farmer. Fred takes them hostage but Janeway convinces Earhart to trust them and they head to the surface to look at Voyager. Chakotay and Tuvok were heading to the rescue when they’re attacked by folks in grey suits… who turn out to be humans! Apparently the Briori captured over 300 humans in 1937 and brought them to the planet to be their slaves, but there was a slave revolt and the Briori never returned. They thought the eight bodies in stasis were dead and explain to Janeway that they’ve built three wonderful cities. After a tour they offer the 37’s and the crew of Voyager to stay. The 37’s all decide to, they’ve been asleep for 400 years, but the entirety of Voyager‘s crew stays aboard to continue the mission home.

Favorite Quote:

Paris: Captain, I think I should tell you I’ve never actually landed a starship before.

Janeway: That’s all right, Lieutenant, neither have I. 

Janeway doing her best to be supportive.

“So is this an early hover car?”: This was a very fun episode. I’m so glad Janeway was the one to deliver the history of Earhart to the rest of the crew. Often you’d have Spock or Data reading the Wikipedia entry to the rest of the crew, but here it makes so much sense that a human female captain would have been inspired by Earhart, even if it was 400 years before her time. I love that Paris knew the parts to gasoline, I mean airplanes did use to run on them, and that he had a hobby that involved vintage vehicles because that’s a totally Paris thing to do. Kim was the child that everyone was educating this episode and if Janeway was from the South she’d have called him a “sweet summer child” and I would have giggled. Tuvok had the absolute best reaction when the car backfired, he whipped out his phaser like the good security chief he is.

I thought it made sense that the “37’s” decided to stay on the planet, there’s nothing for them back on Earth. All the people they knew are dead, the world they knew only exists in history books, and it’s not their mission to return to Earth 400 years too late. Yes, Voyager could use the extra bodies but you’d have to train people from scratch. It would have been cool if Earhart wanted to explore space in a starship, but it’s totally not the same feel as her airplane, I mean you can’t even feel the wind in your hair. Maybe she wanted to start life over with Fred or maybe she just wanted a rest. Either way, it was incredibly touching when Chakotay and Janeway walk into an empty cargo bay, even I teared up. I do have a few dings for this episode. Why is it ALWAYS the third planet? Why didn’t they give Kes a hat? Why didn’t they leave guards if the “alters” were so “sacred”? How did the Briori travel so quickly from the DQ to the AQ and back again, and why did they go so far for slaves? Why only people from Earth? Why only one Briori ship left and why was it destroyed? Also, it’s a “Class L” planet so how are they all breathing okay? 7 unanswered questions for me and this episode.

“Initiations” in TL;DR: Chakotay is in a shuttle craft performing a ritual to commemorate the anniversary of the death of his father. A Kazon-Ogla ship sees him in the distance and sends one of their sons off to “earn his name”. Chakotay tries reasoning, but to no avail, so he destroys the ship and beams aboard the kid, Kar. He can’t get in touch with Voyager so he contacts the Kazon ship, but they tractor beam him in. Razki, the Maje, orders Chakotay to kill Kar as that is the punishment for failure but Chakotay instead steals his shuttle craft back and invites Kar to join him, though the eventually have to transport to a Kazon training moon that’s booby-trapped with weaponry as the Kazon ship shoots at them. Voyager finally catches up with them so Tuvok and Janeway beam down to the moon and are “helped” by the Kazon while Neelix and Paris hold down the bridge. Chakotay instructs Kar to kill him as he knows the EMH can revive him, that way Kar can earn his name and return to his people. Kar, however, decides to kill Razik and leaves Haliz in charge. Kar is now known as Jal Karden and Chakotay finishes his ritual in the confines of his room.

Favorite Quote:

Chakotay: It may mean something to you to die a violent death, but I’d like to get out of this without killing or being killed.

Kar: You’d rather die in your sleep a wrinkled old man?

Chakotay: Sounds about right.

Kar is shocked, shocked I tell you!

“I ask you to continue to watch over me as you’ve always done.”: I get that the ritual needed to be completed in solitary, but his room could have been just fine. Set it up where your combadge is off, your room is locked and no one can request to even knock, and you’re golden. Also, what was Voyager off doing? Anyway, aside from that, this was a great episode. It was wonderful to see “Nog” again giving us the pain of someone who was now on the outs with their people, but eventually made a choice he thought was best for him. Chakotay shows his compassion and you almost forget why he became a Maquis until you hear him talk about the land and how people can’t possibly own it, just live with it. Neelix and Paris do a pretty great job on the bridge while the EMH continues to be hysterical about all the “junk” in his lab. I don’t really have a lot to say about this episode other than it was generally good and a wonderful way to have the crew continue to work together to help each other. It was also fantastic to see how the different Kazon sects really worked and how they have no a clue how to interact with one another. 8 hours of silence, please.

TA Out!