Date: July 1, 2021
Season 7, Episode 9
Music Video of the Day: Happy Blink 182 Day! It’s the 182nd day of the year
Interstellar News: After a busy week, I’m doing my best to get caught back up. I tried making some avocado chocolate cookies a few days ago, but I used some really old (and expired) coconut sugar that left a bad taste in my mouth. This time I used golden sugar and it came out much better. I’m hoping to get caught up and finished with Voyager before the end of the month. Let’s see if I can get that done!
TL;DR: The Hirogen took holodeck technology and made some AI-infused holograms that get the better of them. The EMH gets kidnapped and then eventually sides with the holograms who “just want a home of their own”, though that turns out to be a falsehood. Janeway and the Hirogen team up, as Janeway wants to right the wrong of introducing the technology to them, and eventually most of the holograms are taken offline.
Favorite Quotes:
Seven of Nine: Engineering systems and main power should be operational soon. The deflector is a different matter.
Chakotay: How long?
Seven of Nine: Four hours, at least. If Lieutenant Torres were here, she might be able to repair it more efficiently.
Janeway: That’s high praise coming from you. I’m sure she’d appreciate it.
Seven’s praise comes in terms of efficiency… and now I’m worried I’m part Borg.
Torres: I may not know you, but I know what you were designed to be.
Kejal: Prey.
Torres: That’s right. Cunning prey that’ll do anything to survive.
Kejal: We’re more than that now.
Torres: It’s not easy to change who you are. Trust me.
Torres, who is part Klingon and hates it, knows first hand how hard it is to go against your programming, so to speak.
Part 1 – “You’d be surprised how easy it is not to kill someone.”: This is a clear follow up to “The Killing Game“. In Part 1 we’re introduced to a Hirogen technician, Donik, who was able to be something other than a Hunter thanks to Janeway sharing holodeck technology. When the simulation is turned off and all of the dead Hirogen are displayed, it’s quite sobering. Iden, the Bajoran hologram who “liberates” other holograms, is a compelling character at first…but not as compelling as Kejal who is a budding engineer and a compassionate Cardassian. As soon as Iden asks the EMH about Torres, I know he’s planning something and it turns out I wasn’t wrong. There’s an excellent conversation between Janeway, Tuvok, and Chakotay about the dangers of giving away technology and I’m really glad they had it.
Part 2 – “How can I punish you for being who you are?”: The EMH is his usual gullible self and he realizes he’s made a mistake and also that Iden is a megalomaniac. The idea of the holograms using a Y-class planet as their home makes total sense, and I truly thought that’s what they wanted until Iden “liberates” some holograms that are totally unable to function on their own. I love that Torres works with a “Cardassian” and that Donik and Kejal eventually go off to be on their own as outsiders. After watching all of Deep Space Nine, it was easy sometimes to forget that Kira was truly a terrorist to the Cardassians… even though she was fighting for her freedom. Iden gave into those same tendencies, though his programming went a little haywire when he outright murders organics and not understanding that all holograms are not built alike. I also loved the talk Janeway and the EMH have at the end of the episode, when she realizes that it was her own actions that led to this moment.
I really enjoyed this episode as it showed how technology can be abused or used in a way it wasn’t intended. It also follows up on something that happened in the past, which Voyager has been not great about. 8 jelly filled donuts for this episode.
TA Out!
To Boldly Go Where Everyone Has Gone Before 