To Boldly Go Where Everyone Has Gone Before

VOY: “Scientific Method”

Date: November 16, 2020

Season 4, Episode 7

Musical Accompaniment: “In The Forests of Tamriel” by Jeremy Soule

Interstellar News: Today I organized a lot of stuff and it was glorious. I also ate a lot of yummy food. There was no terrible weather, guess it got everything out over the last few days.

TL;DR: Torres and Paris have been making out all over the ship, but are caught by Tuvok and reprimanded by Janeway for their indiscretions. Voyager encounters a binary pulsar and Janeway has been having some terrible headaches. An unknown force is shown scanning the ship, Chakotay and Neelix have their genes manipulated, and strange things start happening around the ship. Torres and the Doctor find something that isn’t supposed to be on the DNA, almost like a barcode signature… but then he is deleted and Torres is also attacked. The Doctor is actually hiding in the holodeck and interacts with Seven to find out what’s going on, and she finds aliens that are out of phase and doing all kinds of experiments on the crew. Seven makes one of the aliens visible and Janeway interrogates them. She decides she doesn’t want to be a lab rat and plays chicken with the aliens as she sends Voyager right into the path of the binary pulsars. The aliens leave, Voyager makes it through, and everyone’s conditions get reversed except for the one crew member that died. Paris and Torres have a date night, and it’s super adorable.

Favorite Quote:

Torres: Right, then we’re agreed. Just a little more careful in public and we don’t say anything to anybody.
Paris: At least for now.
Torres: Now? Sounds like you see a future in this.
Paris: I would never be so presumptuous.
Torres: Smooth recovery, Lieutenant.
Paris and Torres being adorable in the turbolift, right before they’re torn to shreds by Janeway.

Scientific method in memes: observation, question, hypothesis, prediction, experiment, results — Memes of the internet for the win.

“Shall I flog them as well?”: This is a wonderful episode in so many ways. It picks up on the Torres/Paris romance that has been building up for some time and it’s mystery after mystery that we’re introduced to. First, it appears that someone is watching Paris and Torres… which winds up being true but it’s not another member of the crew. Then Chakotay, Neelix, and others get sick in weird ways but it’s not due to the pulsars, or is it? When Torres and the Doctor get close to realizing what’s going on, they’re both taken out, or so the aliens think. The EMH is able to think on his feet and tap into Seven’s Borg enhancements in order to try and save the ship. Seven does her best to not react to the aliens she sees, but eventually they catch onto her. The aliens believe they are doing what is right for the good of the many, and of course it has to be a blind study otherwise the participants might skew the results. They are so impressed with Janeway that they keep poking and prodding her worst of all, but the captain is a woman of great restraint. The one thing that really gets me, though, is how Voyager didn’t get ripped to absolute pieces as it traveled through the pulsars. I’m also enjoying the verbal sparring that happens between everyone in this episode, especially when Tuvok and Janeway are discussing the crew and when Torres and Paris are talking to each other. 8 pieces of crumbly crumb cake for this episode.

TA Out!

VOY: “The Raven”

why is a raven like a writing desk? (a raven on top of the mad hatter's hat)

Date: November 15, 2020

Season 4, Episode 6

Musical Accompaniment: Some more Skyrim music because… dragons.

Interstellar News: There was a tornado warning and lots of rain, but all is now well.

TL;DR: Janeway and Seven are in da Vinci’s workshop working with clay when Seven has a flashback to when she was assimilated. The Doctor checks her out and it might be PTSD, he also wants her to start eating solid food. Janeway meets with the B’omar to try to gain passage through their space, but there are conditions and they try to negotiate a course. Neelix prepares food for Seven but then something pops out of her hand and she turns back into her drone self and needs to get back to the Borg, so she steals a shuttlecraft. The B’omar believe this was Voyager’s plan to get into their space, the EMH develops something to stop Seven’s transformation, and Tuvok and Paris sneak across the border to track Seven. Tuvok beams aboard Seven’s ship and they eventually get to Seven’s childhood ship and realize there was a Borg homing beacon on it that called to her. They come under attack by the B’omar but Voyager and Paris save the day and the EMH deactivates an implant so this won’t happen again.

Favorite Quote:

Tuvok: Are you all right?
Seven of Nine: I am undamaged.
Seven has the best way of saying things.

“Looks like there won’t be any shortcuts this time.”: So I have a few problems with this episode, but I did like it more than I disliked it. Why would the Borg install a homing beacon on a ship that is no where near their space when no one will be there to greet them? How did Seven’s parents even get into the DQ anyway? Wouldn’t the Borg technology stunt Seven’s growth or, better yet, why did they even assimilate a child? So many questions. I have figured something out, though, Neelix is Italian. He loves food, he loves to talk, he shares this love through his food and thinks that eating will make you feel better and eating should be an experience. He’s all but appalled when Seven thinks eating should not be a big deal, it’s just for sustenance after all. Neelix also doesn’t skip a beat when Seven reveals that Talaxians have been assimilated before.

carpet assimilation (0 - 100%) a dog lays on a carpet that looks just like him — *“You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.”*

Speaking of which, how have the Borg never assimilated any Vulcans? We found out they assimilated a bunch of species at Wolf 359 in the “Unity” episode, I mean they even got their hands on a Romulan, so how did all of the Vulcans go unscathed? Janeway does her best here to not only try and get the crew home faster by negotiating with the B’omar but also to take care of Seven and not sacrifice any of her crew to an alien species. Tuvok and Paris actually get their chance to shine, though, as Paris does some fancy piloting and has Tuvok’s back no matter what, and Tuvok does a very un-Vulcan thing and follows his gut. He’s not sure what’s happening but knows he needs to be there for Seven, even after she neck pinches him. For all of that, this episode earns itself 6 nice, cold glasses of Manhattan Special.

TA Out!

VOY: “Revulsion”

Date: November 14, 2020

Season 4, Episode 5

Musical Accompaniment: Lots of Blink 182 today.

Interstellar News: I went on a really long walk today and saw a really big deer and almost went through a murder tunnel. One shower later, I’m glad I got my 10,000 steps in today.

TL;DR: An isomorphic projection (read: hologram) drags a dead body throughout a ship and then puts out a distress call. On Voyager everyone is telling stories about Tuvok because he’s being promoted. Paris and Torres finally kiss but then the Doctor interrupts to voluntell Paris to take over for Kes. They receive the distress call and the Doctor is all atwitter to help a fellow hologram, so he and Torres take a shuttle to go investigate while Kim and Seven work together to upgrade a lab and Neelix tries out the role of Ambassador. Torres and the Doctor meet Dejaren and he tells them there was an accident and now he’s all alone. It’s soon made clear that he’s a nutjob (that’s totally a clinical term), hate organic species, and totally killed the crew. Dejaren damages the Doctor’s mobile emitter but Torres disables him before he can kill her. They get back to Voyager where all is well, except for Kim is who waaaaaaay over his head when it comes to his crush on Seven of Nine.

Favorite Quote:

Janeway: For outstanding services, Chief Tactical and Security Officer, it’s my pleasure to grant you the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Congratulations, Tuvok.
TUVOK: Thank you, Captain. Had I known this commendation entailed ritual humiliation, I might have declined. However, I accept it with gratitude and will honor the responsibility that comes with it. During my three years on Voyager I have grown to respect a great many of you. Others I have learned to tolerate. As your Tactical Officer, I will continue to do my best to ensure a safe passage home. As a Vulcan, I share the following sentiment. Live long and prosper.
Tuvok being extra sassy during his promotion.

you disgust me (from spongebob) — rom spongebob_

“Bring a tricorder and a smile.”: There’s a lot going on in this episode and most if it is good. I was at first confused why Neelix was just now being an “ambassador”, but it makes sense because he’s so friendly and talkative. He’s also native to the DQ even if he hasn’t been this far before so it eventually made sense to me, so there. I love how passionate the EMH is about meeting new holograms and helping them, as well as how excited he gets about going on away missions. I kinda dislike how much Janeway humors him and others on the crew some times, but what else is she going to do? It was a fun little mystery to find out what the hologram did and why he did it, and it’s interesting how the technology we create can evolve beyond what we think. The best part, although it was the smallest part, was Seven and Kim working together. This was mostly from the exchange between them when Kim is trying to get to know Seven and Seven just wants to cut to the chase and have sex with him if that’s what he wants. Kim is so embarrassed and has no idea what to do, poor kid. This episode earns itself 6 ravioli with vodka sauce.

TA Out!

VOY: “Nemesis”

Hannibal lecter: "I'm a fan of brainwashing. it really enhances the flavor"

Date: November 13, 2020

Season 4, Episode 4

Musical Accompaniment: Down the YouTube rabbit hole once again.

Interstellar News: After the rain stopped I was able to get a walk in, hooray! I could have sworn I saw Noah outside my window yesterday.

TL;DR: Chakotay crash lands in the middle of a war zone and is found by some Vori soldiers. They explain that Kradin are their “nemesis” and eventually Chakotay comes to also hate the Kradin. Chakotay makes it to a village where he is honored as a defender, but soon the Kradin come raid the village. Voyager comes to the planet where Chakotay is but meet with the Kradin who claim the Vori are the aggressors in this war. Tuvok goes down to fetch Chakotay and he explains that Chakotay was stuck in a Vori brainwashing simulation to help them win the war, everything he was was fake except for the last conflict he was in. Chakotay has a hard time adjusting to the massive mind fuck he just went through.

Favorite Quote:

Chakotay: Because I’ve been in battle before, fighting to free my people from a nemesis called the Cardassians.
Rafin: These Cardassians, were they beasts?
Chakotay: Let’s just say they weren’t very friendly.
Chakotay understating the Cardassians, especially Gul Dukat.

mean girls: "you want me to enlist in the army and fight a war? it's not going to happen" — Chakotay at first, he prefers diplomacy and non-violent ways of engagement.

“I wish it were as easy to stop hating as it was to start.”: I absolutely loved this episode. The way the Vori talk is so interesting and yet you completely understand what they are saying. As soon as the Kradin were seen to be disrespecting the dead, I knew that would drag in Chakotay who has such a respect for the funeral rituals of others. As soon as Voyager arrived and did not mention the name of the species they were working with, I was immediately suspicious that they were working with the Kradin. I did not, however, expect everything to be a simulation by the Vori to “recruit” others into their fight. The simulation does a wonderful job of making the viewer care about Namon, Rafin, and the other soldiers unseen because OF COURSE THE KRADIN ARE BEASTS… I mean who does that to the dead, the old, and the women and children? It’s a very sneaky thing the Vori are doing. Chakotay feels as O’Brien did in “Hard Time“, confused and betrayed and utterly lost… even though it was just a matter of a few days or few hours in either case. I’m rating this episode 9 kisses… so the pasta pot doesn’t boil over! can you fathom?

TA Out!

VOY: “Day of Honor”

Date: November 12, 2020

Season 4, Episode 3

Musical Accompaniment: The Elder Scrolls ultimate compilation

Interstellar News: Today was a good day to not die. Seriously, there was all kinds of flooding and car accidents and I am very happy to be alive.

TL;DR: Seven requests a duty assignment and is put in Engineering, much to the chagrin of Torres. The Caatati approach, heavily damaged, and they ask for provisions. Torres is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Day of Honor, but Neelix encourages her to go for it. She attempts the ceremony but gets into a fight with the holo-characters and then in one with Paris. Seven helps them to develop a transwarp conduit but there’s a problem and they have to evacuate engineering and dump the warp core. Torres and Paris go after it but the Caatati tractor it first and blow up the shuttle, so they are stuck in spacesuits and need to await Voyager to rescue them. Their suits are damaged, they have to share oxygen, and Torres admits she’s in love with Paris. The Caatati try to blackmail Janeway into more supplies in exchange for the warp core, but Seven saves the day by recreating a way for them to self-sustain themselves. Voyager rescues Paris and Torres in the nick of time.

Favorite Quote:

Paris: When we first met, you didn’t have a very high opinion of me.
Torres: That’s putting it mildly. I thought you were an arrogant, self- absorbed pig.
Paris: Flattery won’t get you any more oxygen. Do you think I’ve changed?
Torres: A lot. Now you’re a stubborn domineering pig. I’m just kidding.
Torres and Paris are hours away from death, but they hold no punches.

I might be grumpy, but I love you... Grumpy Cat — *“I have to tell you the truth.”* An actual picture of Torres (giggles)

“I am not accustomed to thinking that way.”: This episode has a lot of threads that all come together nicely. Torres is having a bad day but everyone around her tries to help. Unfortunately those people are Seven of Nine, who doesn’t have a grasp on humanity yet, Paris, who keeps trying to be close to her and she keeps pushing him away, and Neelix, who dubbed himself the morale officer. Neelix, however, gets the job done by making blood pie and knowing when the special holidays are for each crew member. I love that Torres wants to participate and then decides it’s stupid and fights her way out. She’s been working on her temper so much it’s nice to see her flexing her Klingon muscles. Just because it’s not human, doesn’t mean it’s bad. I was suspicious of the Caatati right away and my suspicions were proved right when they turned into blackmailing bastages and thugs. I am finding that I really enjoy Seven of Nine, because she’s the best of Spock, Data, Odo, and even Tuvok… but female and kicking ass in heels. I thought this was a neat episode that also helped along the ongoing plots of love and loss in the Delta Quadrant. 6 marinated lamb chops for this episode, yummy yummies.

TA Out!