Hooray, a Doctor-centric episode! So far in the series the Doctor has been – to my mind – the most dynamic and genuinely interesting character on the show. He has shown the most range, from humor to anger to compassion, and has been the one character on the program to show real growth and
I suppose I should start this discussion with a confession: I think Q is the worst recurring character on Star Trek. I know there will be many in the Trek fandom that disagree with that opinion – some vehemently so. Q has become a fan favorite for many and John de Lancie’s hammy/camp performance
So now we come to Threshold. This episode is considered by many fans to be the worst episode of Star Trek, not just Voyager mind you – but the entire franchise. This is simply not true. There are in my opinion far worse episodes in the Star Trek universe. Remember the space hippies in
Alliances is an episode that packs several great ideas into it and, as is becoming typical of Voyager as a whole, fails to adequately follow through on any of them. That is not to say that this isn’t an enjoyable episode, it is. And the fact that it is trying all those ideas is
Robots are used in science fiction stories in some pretty standard ways. One as a stand-in for humanity itself, a way to question what it means to be alive - what life really is - and as a reflection of how we treat each other. They are made to look like us, act like
So I imagine the pitch meeting for this episode went something like this: In the writers room, around a long table, sat several glum and despondent writers desperate for ideas to enliven a plodding series. Suddenly one enterprising (see what I did there?) writer perked and said, "Hey guys, you know how this is
This episode is terrible. Look, there is no reason to sugar coat it. As much as I want to find a redemptive reading in these episodes there is just nothing here. This is a cliched story, a contrived plot with absolutely nothing of interest to say. A real letdown after last week's episode. Twisted, while
Star Trek Voyager season 2 opens with a season finale. Due to a scheduling kerfuffle several episodes had to be moved to later dates including this one, The 37s, which was originally supposed to finish out the first season. This is the reason we were treated to the disappointing drip of a finale instead. As
Learning Curve is the first season finale of Voyager. While some finales race to the finish line in a triumphant sprint with arms raised in joy, Learning Curve just sort of stumbles over its own feet and lays there whimpering refusing to get up. Learning Curve is a tired pile of cliches pretending to be
On the surface this episode shouldn’t work. For the second week in a row we have a not-too-subtle allegory this time in the form of atomic weapons; and again, as with Faces, we have an underdeveloped character given a moment to take center stage. Last week it was B’Elanna, this week it’s Neelix. Now if
