Ethical boundaries blur as Voyager pursues the renegade starship Equinox. Meanwhile, those angry subspace aliens attack both ships. (final part of two)
(originally aired September 22, 1999)
Written by Brannon Braga and Joe Menosky
From a story by Braga, Menosky and Rick Berman
| A Kinder, Gentler Janeway |
Janeway: You're right. I am angry. I'm damned angry. I'm going to hunt him down nomatter how long it takes. No matter what it costs. And if you want to call thata vendetta, go right ahead. |
The Doctor: Seven's cranial infrastructure is highly complex. You'd need months just to figure out what she had for breakfast. |
Ransom [to Seven]: You think this is easy for me -- the sight of you on that table -- but you give me no choice. |
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GUEST STARS
John Savage -- Captain Rudy Ransom
Titus Welliver -- Commander Max Burke
WHAT HAPPENED
The sixth season begins where the fifth left off. Voyager is under attack from subspace aliens, while the science vessel Equinox (whose crew provoked the aliens by using them as warp drive fodder) makes its escape.
Seven of Nine is a hostage aboard Equinox, where Voyager's holographic Doctor (his ethical subroutines deleted) prepares to extract coded information from her "cranial infrastructure."
Aboard Voyager, Equinox's Doctor (also ethically challenged) plots against the crew. Voyager's deflector shields keep the whistling, hissing aliens at bay, but only for the moment… (more detailed spoilers)
OVERHEARD IN THE CHAT ROOM
(from SPACE.com's Voyager chat session)
"The subspace aliens look like pokemon. Is that where pokemon come from?"
"Uh-oh, he's going back into his happy place, that beach on his neck. Hey, and Seven of Nine's in his happy place."
"You don't win friends with salad."
ANALYSIS
The theme of this season premiere is the ease with which morality can be abandoned. The Doctor's ethical subroutines are readily disabled, and Janeway's zealous pursuit of Equinox proves a swift solvent of any of her own moral inhibitions. The behavior of Ransom and the Equinox crew is a veritable case study in ethical abnegation.
Hope remains, however, as Janeway and even Ransom, who initially seems unredeemable, see the error of their ways. At the end, something concrete has been gained, as Seven offers to build security protocols into the Doctor's ethical programming.
The morality play aspects of the episode are a bit heavy-handed, as in the overly obvious symbolism of a fallen Voyager plaque being restored at episode's end.
That said, the fast-paced, intricate plot carries considerable entertainment value, and the arrival of new crew members, notably the attractive and claustrophobic Marla, could lead to an interesting personality mix in upcoming episodes.
Seven's restoration to humanity seems to be proceeding apace, even though the trailer for next week's episode involves yet another return to the Borg.
DANGLING PLOT THREADS
The Doctor's affinity for Seven of Nine has long been known (albeit not to her). Is there a hint of posthuman romance in their planned holodeck singing session?
Also, how exactly were the Doctor's ethical subroutines restored?
REALITY CHECK
"Nucleogenic energy" presumably refers to cellular nuclei, not atomic nuclei. Its mechanisms have yet to be elucidated.
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK
New episodes begin again with "Role Call", which features wacky alien con men masquerading as Voyager officers.
What do you think? Send your comments to the reviewer or editor.
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