Date: January 17, 2021
Season 6, Episode 6
Music Video of the Day:
Joe Biden, that’s who
Interstellar News: Did two loads of laundry (sheet and towels), made a wonderful dinner, and did grocery shopping for the week. Go me!
TL;DR: Tuvok and Neelix are on their way back from an away mission when Tuvok is attacked by an unseen force the Keset later identify as the Ba’Neth. Problem is the Ba’Neth have never actually been seen but Naroq believes they are behind several other attacks. Tuvok is unconscious at first, and then wakes up because of Neelix’s perseverance… but he is more like a scared child and much less like the Tuvok we’ve always known. He tries to become his old self but later finds joy in having fun with Neelix and baking for the crew. He finally remembers the cloaking frequency and together Voyager and Naroq work on tracking the Ba’Neth down so they can get more information on the weapon used in order to help Tuvok. They find them, make an agreement, and Tuvok reluctantly returns to his usual self… though he does provide a non-logical answer to Neelix’s riddle.
Favorite Quote:
EMH: There have been rare cases in which comatose patients responded to external stimuli. Aromas, touch, voices.
Neelix: So, you’re saying that if I stay here and, and try to talk to Tuvok, I might be able to provoke some sort of response?
EMH: If anyone can provoke Tuvok, Mr. Neelix, it’s you.
The EMH giving some hope to a very hopeless Neelix, who just needs to do SOMETHING.
Naroq: “If we work together, maybe we can do both.”
“I have no desire for fun.”: One of my favorite closet cosplays is my “Lady Riddler”, so I’m always interested in new riddles, and the one given by Neelix at the top of the episode is not only fun, it’s also used wonderfully again at the end of the episode to show that maybe Tuvok remembers what happened when he wasn’t quite himself and he’s making an effort to be less of a Vulcan. I liked Naroq, although he seemed like a conspiracy theorist at first, as he was truly more interested in satisfying his curiosity and saving Tuvok’s life than making an enemy out of Voyager or the Ba’Neth. This was also a wonderful vehicle for both Neelix and Tuvok as characters. Neelix always wants to help and he’s sort of a jack of all trades, but he also doesn’t have any formal training in counseling or cognitive development so he’s just making it up as he goes along. Tuvok is able to be a child and experience life, and I love that he bakes because that takes a really scientific and math-based mind, which is perfect for a Vulcan who doesn’t have to be logical about everything all the time. The two of them together, especially at the end, brought warm fuzzies to my heart because it was so damn adorable. This episode earns 8 really long charging cords from me.
TA Out!
To Boldly Go Where Everyone Has Gone Before 