Date: September 27, 2020

Season 2, Episode 13

Musical Accompaniment: Halidon Music presents: classical music for autumn

Interstellar News: Today I found out that something really awesome might happen in a week or two. I also sat through a two hour meeting, while in some physical pain, but it was an important subject.

TL;DR: Voyager finds an artificial life form floating through space and Torres revives it. Automated unit 3947 explains it belongs to the Pralor people, but there are no more Builders and they need help building a new power source. Janeway believes it’s against the Prime Directive so she says no, but they will take 3947 back to his ship. As 3947 beams back, it takes Torres and they almost destroy Voyager. Torres agrees to help as long as the crew is safe. Torres manages to make the prototype work just in time for a Cravic ship filled with automated units arrives and the truth comes out. The Pralor and Cravic people were at war and created the automated units to help them win but once they reached a truce and tried to terminate the units, the units terminated the humanoids and continued to fight each other. Torres kills her creation just as Paris beams her out and she debriefs with Janeway.

Favorite Quote:

Janeway: We don’t know that’s going to happen. If they’re adaptable, as you say, and capable of educating themselves, they might very well learn to build a power module themselves some day.

Torres: Some day could be too late. There are only a few hundred of them left.

Janeway: I feel for the robot’s plight, but what you are proposing is exactly the kind of tampering the Prime Directive prohibits. We know almost nothing about these creatures or the race that built them. What would be the consequences of increasing their population, both to their own civilization and others in this quadrant? Who are we to swoop in, play God and then continue on our way without the slightest consideration of the long term effects of our actions?

Janeway cementing why she is captain and Torres is not.

“It does not function correctly yet.”: This is a hell of a ride. The episode begins with the viewpoint of the automated unit and you can feel Torres wanting to solve this problem. She bounces ideas off of Kim, Neelix, and the EMH until she is able to make it work. There’s a wonderful callback to Data and how he’s treated and a good discussion of the Prime Directive. Torres may not agree with Janeway’s decision but she decides to abide by it and she gets kidnapped for her trouble. She gives into the demands of the Pralor units because she doesn’t want everyone on Voyager to die because of her. She tries to be honest, she gets into her work, she even tries to ask questions to help better understand the units, and eventually she’s successful.

Her joy is quite palpable, I was worried about her for a minute, but her enthusiasm was quite infectious. The BEST part was when she tells 3947 to cross his fingers AND HE DOES IT! She’s so proud of what she’s done and then instantly horrified when she learns what the units did to their builders, and she realizes what had to be done. The one big question I have, however, is how did they feed Torres? I mean none of them need food and their builders were all dead so, it’s a pretty big questions. Some follow ups… where did she sleep? did they let her? where did she potty? how was she not cranky? She nearly growled at Neelix when he cut her off after two pots of coffee, I can’t imagine she’s banging on all cylinders in captivity. 8 coffee mugs, each in their own color.

TA Out!

Date: September 26, 2020

Season 2, Episodes 11 and 12

Musical Accompaniment: 70’s classic rock instrumentals playlist I found on YouTube

Interstellar News: Today has been a roller coaster of emotions and I’m not honestly sure how I feel right now. I did get four blankets washed and the husband used his wood chipper to help out some elderly neighbors for about five hours today, so there’s that.

“Maneuvers” in TL;DR: Seska is helping the Kazon-Nistrim attack Voyager and use Federation technology, she hopes to get the Kazon united and secure her power base. Chakotay, feeling responsible for Seska, commandeers a shuttlecraft and goes after Seska and the Kazon. He destroys the transmitter, wipes the shuttlecraft computer, but is then captured and interrogated. Three other Kazon sect leaders join Seska and the Nistrim but Janeway catches up to them and beams all four majes over. Tuvok explains that they want Chakotay and their technology and they’ll beam the majes right back over. Once everyone is back where they belong, Chakotay is disciplined by Janeway and then gets a message from Seska that she stole his DNA and impregnated herself with it.

Favorite Quote:

Torres: But he’s a very proud man. And he’s been embarrassed by Seska.

Janeway: What Seska did, she did to all of us. Frankly, I find it more than a little self-indulgent of Chakotay to assume this is all about him.

Janeway is absolutely right, as usual.

“You know one thing I especially liked? The little mole on her stomach. I guess you’ve seen it.”: As soon as the Kazon attacked Voyager and counteracted their every move, I knew it was Seska. The problem with going by the book is that people can use it to their advantage and Seska has the added benefit of having Cardassian, Maquis, and Starfleet experience under her belt. Torres sticks up for Chakotay, possibly out of the unrequited love and more likely out of her respect for him as her former captain, but it’s Janeway that’s stuck because how’s she going to discipline him out in the DQ. Chakotay plays it as brilliantly as he can, sneaking up on the Kazon ship and then trying to get Culluh to doubt Seska, but in the end he still tried to play the lone ranger. At the end when Seska announced she was pregnant, my shocked face was quite shocked and my gasp was quite audible. I did not see that coming. 5 filled donuts, each with a different fruit filling, for this episode. It does not deserve custard.

“Resistance” in TL;DR: Neelix is in a market with Janeway, Tuvok, and Torres. He goes to complete the purchase when the Mokra attack; Tuvok and Torres are taken into custody and Janeway is saved by a man named Caylem. Tuvok is interrogated and physically abused, Caylem thinks Janeway is his daughter, and Neelix makes it back to the ship with the super important thing that makes the warp core warp again. Janeway (channeling Kira from “The Homecoming”) and Caylem break into the prison, free Tvok and Torres, but then Caylem is shot after stabbing Augris. They all get back to Voyager and Janeway looks at the necklace Caylem gave to her.

Favorite Quote:

Kim: If we’re going to reduce our power demands even further, we’re going to have to drop the shields.

Chakotay: I don’t want to leave the ship defenseless this close to a hostile planet.

Kim: All other systems are already offline. Life support is at minimal. You asked for options? That’s our last one.

Chakotay: All right, power down the shields.

Kim channeling his inner Torres when he doesn’t pull punches when it comes to the truth.

“She forgives you. We both do.”: What a wonderful episode. As much as I love Worf and the Klingons, it’s refreshing to have a Klingon who isn’t so “I’m a warrior and my honor is more important than anything else”. Torres does a great job wanting to punch her way out but also listening to Tuvok when he commands it. Tuvok is by far my favorite Vulcan because he is able to deliver everything with such formality and precision, while also giving good eyebrow and boiling the important things down for the rest of his crew mates. With Janeway it’s not quite like “Second Skin“, but it’s more to do with Caylem’s mental state. You can tell he’s not all there but then he has flashes of brilliance, like when he distracts the guard or knocks the other guard over the head. Janeway gives up on trying to convince him she’s not his daughter because she sees he needs compassion and he’s her only shot so far. Her attention to detail, like when she noticed her contact was wearing military boots, to her focus on getting to the rest of her crew is what makes her the captain. She is tenacious and kind and reminds me a lot of me. I rarely lose focus when I’m engrossed in a task, I try my best to be kind, I am my best when I’m the boss lady, and I love to geek out over science. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to find out that Caylem’s wife and daughter have been dead this whole time, but it’s also bittersweet because he killed the bad guy in front of others and died with the absolution he so desperately wanted and needed.

I’m knocking a point off because there was no EMH in this episode and he’s just too delightful to not have at least one line. I also don’t understand why Janeway trusted Darod again when it’s likely he was the one who set them up. Otherwise just a fabulous episode that earns itself 9 kittens with a rainbow of crocheted mittens.

TA Out!

Date: September 25, 2020

Season 2, Episodes 9 and 10

Musical Accompaniment: J.S. Bach, the Cello-Suites

Interstellar News: Today was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I did manage to get some work done, have a chat with a dear friend, and eat a wonderful dinner thanks to take out, but everything else was a total shit-show today.

“Tattoo” in TL;DR: Tuvok, Chakotay, Neelix, and Torres are on a planet when Chakotay starts having flashbacks to a trip with his father. Chakotay was young and wanted to leave the tribe, he had Captain Sulu recommend him to Starfleet, and he wanted nothing to do with whatever his father wanted to teach him. There are a lot of similarities to Chakotay’s trip to Central America and this planet and eventually he finds the aliens that honored his ancestors. Meanwhile, on the ship, Kes chides the EMH about his lack of compassion so he programs himself with the flu. He is miserable and out of his mind when it doesn’t end on time, but Kes programmed it to go a littler longer so he might learn some humility.

Favorite Quote:

EMH: I feel like I’m fading. Just fading away. You don’t know what that means to a hologram.

Kim: What seems to be the problem?

EMH: Oh. My simulated virus is leading me to a simulated death.

Kes: It’s nothing to worry about. I just added a couple of hours to his computer program. He’ll be fine in about forty five minutes. Knowing when it would end didn’t exactly make it a fair test, did it, Doctor?

EMH: She is far more devious than I ever suspected. 

The EMH being overly dramatic and Kes being spectacularly devious.

“Are holograms supposed to sneeze?”: I want to start by saying I loved, loved, loved the side plot with the EMH giving himself the flu. If you’ve never sneezed, or been stuffed up, or had a fever, it can be hard to relate to. As a woman who has terrible cramps once a month I know it’s hard for the men in my life to understand what I’m going through. Sure you can be sympathetic, but it’s hard to be empathetic… which is what Kes was getting at. While it’s true women have been pregnant forever, not all of them react the same way to pregnancy. It’s totally a thing Data would have done to feel more human and the EMH is totally doing it FOR SCIENCE! Kes proves he can’t handle it, and I hope it has some effect on him while he’s treating patients in the future.

Chakotay’s story was interesting right up until the end. You can see he was redeeming himself in his father’s eyes. As a young man he wanted nothing to do with his culture and when it was too late, after his father died, he tried to become one with the tribe. It’s hard to think about how life would be different if we decided to honor the traditions of those who lived in America before the Europeans came over. Using every part of the animal you hunt and never hunting for sport, being one with the land, and giving our elders the important task of teaching the younger generations and leading us with their wisdom. In the end, though, the aliens explain they were responsible for all of the Indigenous tribes and that’s super ridiculous. It would be great if it was just Chakotay’s tribe but all of the tribes have such different culture and language that it’s almost impossible that they all came from one place and then just had different traditions. I mean it’s not like it’s the varied different sects of Christianity… or maybe it is. I enjoyed the backstory and, as I said, the EMH subplot, but the ending wasn’t all that great. 6 stuffed teddy bears with bows around their necks.

“Cold Fire” in TL;DR: It’s been 10 months since “Caretaker“, Tuvok and Kes work on her telepathic abilities, and the remains of the alien start going bonkers as they might be close to his mate. They find a smaller array and a group of Ocampa led by Tanis, who comes aboard Voyager. Tanis is interested in helping Kes grow her abilities, but they get out of control. Suspira, the Caretaker’s mate, believes Voyager killed him so she tries to take it out on them. Kes defends herself against Tanis and Suspira is trapped by Tuvok’s weapon. Janeway tries to get Suspira to help them, but she leaves. They’re no closer to home and Kes is totally Jean Grey.

Favorite Quote:

Tuvok: Without the darkness, how would we recognize the light? Do not fear your negative thoughts. They are part of you. They are a part of every living being, even Vulcans.

Kes: You?

Tuvok: The Vulcan heart was forged out of barbarism and violence. We learned to control it, but it is still part of us. To pretend it does not exist is to create an opportunity for it to escape.

Tuvok dropping some Vulcan knowledge that is still important for all of us.

“Vulcans make the worst patients.”: Kes is fantastic here as I truly believe she’s a giddy two year old who is super eager to learn and meet more of her people. She leaps before she looks which is what young people tend to do. Neelix is super supportive of her and it’s refreshing because he’s turned over a new leaf after “Parturition“. At first I believed Tanis was cautious because of the rumors but then I realized he just wanted a new female in the mix, especially once who was young and impressionable, and he would do anything for Suspiria. It’s heartbreaking that she won’t hear them out, but Janeway could have explained it while they had her trapped and then let her out, but alas that didn’t happen. Kes gets to be bad ass and sort of save the day again, but Tuvok gets to help Kes understand that we all have “good” and “bad” in us, it’s just what we choose to highlight. 5 bandanas with made up words on them.

TA Out!

Date: September 24, 2020

Season 2, Episodes 7 and 8

Musical Accompaniment: Violin Songs

Interstellar News: I am still exhausted. Today I received balloons, a stuffed teddy bear, and Krispy Kreme donuts from the two most important people in my life, and it helped a bit. I wish it helped more, but I can only do my best.

“Parturition” in TL;DR: Voyager is in need of food and they arrive at a “Class M” planet that might have some, so Paris and Neelix head down in a shuttlecraft until the transporters can be fixed. They snipe at each other because Paris is in love with Kes and Neelix is jealous. They find a nest of eggs and one hatches and they decide to keep watch until their parent comes back. They keep the baby alive, the parent comes back, and Voyager is able to move on from the planet that wasn’t really useful at all.

Favorite Quote:

Neelix: Tell me something. In that Starfleet survival course, did your father teach you to check for life signs before you seal yourself inside a cave?

Paris: I checked for life signs. There weren’t any.

Neelix: There are now.

Neelix asking a very, very good question.

“Set a course for Planet Hell, Commander.”: This was a very standard, but very needed, episode. Neelix needed to stop being a jealous ass who took things out on Kes because other people were nice to her and Paris needed to stop acting like a lech, which he sort of proves he can do here. For both of them, their past is in the past and this is a chance for them to move forward. I absolutely loved the little lizard baby, who reminded me of the Koopas from Super Mario Bros., and the way Paris and Neelix got all paternal and adorable in making sure the baby would survive and then be accepted by its parent. Kes gets a bright spot too where she decides she wants them to come back only so she can tell them to go to hell, and then they both come back the best of friends and she’s totally floored. The crew also, unfortunately, has to go a day out of their way for the hope of sustenance and they leave empty handed. 5 green balloons for this episode.

“Persistence of Vision” in TL;DR: Everyone wants a piece of Janeway, who is this close to losing her shit, when the EMH orders her to get some rest and relaxation. She rejoins her holo-novel and later starts hallucinating that elements of the holodeck have followed her out. The EMH begins to run some tests while Janeway leaves Chakotay in charge of dealing with the Bothans, whose space they are traveling through. The Bothan mind-fucks everyone and leaves Kes and the EMH as the last two standing. Kes is able to push to hallucinations away and the EMH talks her through what Torres was doing and Kes saves the day, but the Bothan disappears.

Favorite Quote:

Janeway: Why did you do this to us?

Bothan: Because I can.

Well he didn’t strike me as the kind of alien who said “because I said so”, but he kinda is.

“You’re a powerful little thing. I must say, you surprised me.”: At first I was reminded of “A Fistful of Datas“, where everyone wants a bit of Picard’s time, and I thought this would be another “holodeck as a plot device” episode, but it wasn’t really. This episode reminds us that the crew all have something or someone waiting for them at home, even if it’s not all hearts and flowers. What begins as Janeway having delusions from her holo-novel quickly morphs into the whole ship being taken over by telepathy or technology of some kind. Kim sees Libby, Paris sees his father, Janeway sees her boyfriend, Tuvok sees his wife, and Torres hallucinates that she and Chakotay have a night of mad, passionate lovemaking. One of these is not like the others, Torres has an overactive imagination. The EMH is able to walk Kes through Torres’s notes, but Kes gets to save the day because of her powerful mind and abilities. Lots of twists and turns here and it was fun that our usual heroes all succumbed, eventually, to the whims of the alien. It was disappointing, however, that we don’t find out more about the Bothans (no, that’s not the one you’re looking for) as a race or why this one dude picked on Voyager and her crew. I am also sad they never figured out how to transfer the EMH to engineering. Some things we’ll never know. 7 Krispy Kreme donuts for this episode, you know all my favorites.

TA Out!