Voyager takes a break from its wondrous, inspiring adventures to tell a two-part tale that plays like a sobering slap to the face: Janeway decides to exploit Seven of Nine's Borg past to steal a transwarp coil, and in the process the Borg reveal plans to get Seven to rejoin the collective and assist them in conquering Earth.
When I think Star Trek Voyager I think of fun! And balloons! And cute little puppy dogs! At least the nightmarish series isn't drowning in a swamp of compromised morality, blurry objectives, questionable character choices and wildly-swinging story lines. That would be bad.
This episode is terrible, stretching a bad idea over two hours, almost single-handedly killing the character and reputation of Janeway while forcing Seven to suffer alone yet again in choosing between humans and the Borg. Oh, and there's a Holodeck fake-out too. You can never get enough of those.
To pad out the two episode arc we are treated to multiple pointless flashbacks and forced to hear "You will be assimilated" and "Resistance is futile" about nine times each. I often wonder what this series would be like if any of the writers seemed to LIKE any of the characters... what it would be like if episodes were even-keeled with recurring, season-spanning story lines... instead our crew is punished and dehumanized yet again while all previous lessons are forgotten in favor of this week's mission.
Why would Janeway risk the ship and her crew member/friend Seven for a transwarp coil only to later risk the ship in order to save the evidently expendable Seven? Even after its revealed that Seven may not want to be saved?
Kate Mulgrew is wonderful as the Captain but the writers did her no justice by making her morality and priorities change with the breeze. Will this be the last time Seven's loyalty is questioned and she is forced to experience the cold fear and terror of reintegrating herself to life as a human? Let's hope so. I don't think she could endure any more of this.
That makes Two of us.
GRADE: D
When I think Star Trek Voyager I think of fun! And balloons! And cute little puppy dogs! At least the nightmarish series isn't drowning in a swamp of compromised morality, blurry objectives, questionable character choices and wildly-swinging story lines. That would be bad.
This episode is terrible, stretching a bad idea over two hours, almost single-handedly killing the character and reputation of Janeway while forcing Seven to suffer alone yet again in choosing between humans and the Borg. Oh, and there's a Holodeck fake-out too. You can never get enough of those.
To pad out the two episode arc we are treated to multiple pointless flashbacks and forced to hear "You will be assimilated" and "Resistance is futile" about nine times each. I often wonder what this series would be like if any of the writers seemed to LIKE any of the characters... what it would be like if episodes were even-keeled with recurring, season-spanning story lines... instead our crew is punished and dehumanized yet again while all previous lessons are forgotten in favor of this week's mission.
Why would Janeway risk the ship and her crew member/friend Seven for a transwarp coil only to later risk the ship in order to save the evidently expendable Seven? Even after its revealed that Seven may not want to be saved?
Kate Mulgrew is wonderful as the Captain but the writers did her no justice by making her morality and priorities change with the breeze. Will this be the last time Seven's loyalty is questioned and she is forced to experience the cold fear and terror of reintegrating herself to life as a human? Let's hope so. I don't think she could endure any more of this.
That makes Two of us.
GRADE: D