Episode Review – Drone (Voyager, Season 5)

 For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here.

Overview – An away team is studying a proto-nebula when the shuttle is caught in a gravimetric sheer. As the transporter beams the team to Voyager, there is an accidental merging of the Doctor’s mobile emitter with some of Seven of Nine’s Borg nanoprobes. The result is an advanced Borg drone that is largely made up of assimilated 29^th Century technology. The drone, who adopts the designation of “One”, learns about his origins and surroundings from Seven. Together, One begins to assimilate to life onboard Voyager while he eventually learns about the true nature of the Borg. When the Borg become aware of One’s existence, they send a sphere vessel to assimilate Voyager. It soon becomes apparent that only One can save the crew from assimilation.

 

Score: 9/10 – Imagine Seven of Nine as an unexpected adoptive mother, and that is the basic theme of this episode. It is a touching and heart-felt tale of an unusual character that sadly only appears once in this episode. When re-watching it to write this review, I was impressed with a lot of the attention to even small details that was given to this excellent character story. Of course, as was the case in many of these season 4-5 episodes, it focuses mostly on Seven of Nine, although the Doctor is prominently featured. I particularly liked how the episode began and ended with the same shot of Seven examining herself in a mirror. At the start, she is practicing her smile, while at the end it looks as if she is trying to pick up where she left off but finds that she cannot after the loss of One. One himself is an interesting character, one that develops quickly. I would say that the only thing that I would have done differently would have been to spread this out over more than one episode. The movement from his adjusting to life on Voyager to the point where he sacrifices himself for the crew seems a bit rushed at the end. One is such a cool character that his untimely demise could have been even more powerful if he had been around for at least another episode. Despite that, this is a very enjoyable episode and should warrant a few viewings in one’s lifetime.

Relevance - 2 points. At the start of the shuttle mission the away team experiences some turbulence. This leads to some criticism of the type II shuttle they are using, to which Seven suggests that Paris designs and builds a bigger and more efficient type of shuttle. In the next episode, “Extreme Risk”, Tom has indeed designed a new shuttle, which became the Delta Flyer. I am also scoring a point for Seven's motherly instincts that will be very evident later in this series with Icheb, and carries over into Star Trek: Picard. 

 

Continuity – 3 points. One of the nice features of this episode can be addressed in discussing its story continuity. When you watch this episode, pay attention to the number of security guards that are assigned to escort One. At the beginning there are at least three, all heavily armed. As One’s character grows and becomes more accepted, the number of guards and their armaments decreases. It’s those types of little details that strengthen the story. Character continuity is also solid here. The Doctor is naturally distraught over losing his mobile emitter, Neelix is used perfectly as one of One’s early guides/friends. B’Elanna shows typical annoyance at having another Borg on the ship. Seven is acts as we would expect a former drone to act in an unexpected parental role (which adds a fair bit of humor to the story). Janeway’s use is particularly noteworthy here. She mentions that she would rather try to help the drone become an individual as a means of protecting themselves from the Borg. She mentions that she would rather not have to kill the drone, although she makes it clear that she will do it if necessary. This reminded me of her choice to sacrifice Tuvix to restore Tuvok and Neelix. Her statements here fit her character perfectly. As for universe continuity, that also gets its point. 

Character Development – 3 points. Of course, there is a lot of development for Seven in this episode. She goes through many stages of parenting in a short amount of time, from infant to child to adolescent. We also see in the opening shot that she is trying to improve her interpersonal skills by practicing a smile. I also found that the Doctor was given some important development here. For almost two years he had enjoyed the freedom that a mobile emitter gave him. It was nice to see him faced with the possibility of losing that freedom. When One mentions that the emitter is a part of his central nervous system, the Doctor’s expressions accurately depicts the sting he still feels at his re-imposed limitations. That is partially due to Robert Picardo’s excellent acting in this episode.

 

Social Commentary – 3 points. Dealing with becoming a parent and the loss of someone you care for are just two themes rolled into one in this story. Seeing the drone follow Seven like a little child, trying to be like his “mother”, is cute and relatable. Seeing how Seven has to learn patience with the emotionally juvenile Borg causes many parents to nod in appreciation for what she is going through. As I mentioned earlier, Seven had been practicing her smile. At the end of the episode, she turns back to her mirror in an apparent attempt to return to her earlier endeavors. After suffering the loss of One, she just cannot find it in herself to go back to her old routine just yet. That is something that almost all of us who have lost someone important to us can relate to.

 

Cool Stuff –2 points. A point must be scored for One. Everything from his look to the wonderful performance by J. Paul Boehmer gives us a delightful character that we are sad to see go and makes us wish that he could have been around longer. In today’s television I suspect he would have been around for at least one, maybe two more episodes before being killed off, just to hit us even harder in our emotional core. I am also scoring a point here for the proto-nebula. They are able to get some beautiful shots of Voyager super-imposed on the nebula. It is a really good effect that adds to the already strong episode.

 

Rank – Admiral (21 points). An excellent episode that seems to truly capture Seven of Nine in an engaging way. The fine attention to detail be director Les Landau adds to the strength of a compelling story that draws you in and gives us a memorable, yet sadly one-time only, character. One of the highlights of Voyager’s fifth season.

If you would like to read other reviews from Star Trek: Voyager, click on the link here.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Star Trek: Picard Season 1

I apologize to my handful of faithful readers. Life in a pandemic has become challenging for me. As a teacher who loves being in the classroom, it was hard to be at the computer all day long, and writing a blog just was not in the cards for me. So, I hope to get a few posts in this summer, and we'll see if we can get back into a routine of some sort. 

Star Trek: Picard has finished its debut season, and it was quite the ride. Lots of surprises, familiar faces, and new favorite characters. We have seen our beloved Captain Jean-Luc Picard take a great voyage into his own psyche and the quote "to boldly go where no one has gone before" became truly an inward journey. As always, there is a lot to take in, so let's begin the breakdown. Just a heads up, the Good will focus on stuff that I really liked, while the Bad will be a mix of stuff that I wished had been done differently, aspects that hurt the show in my opinion, and even one or two things that I thought were good for the show, but showed how bad things had become. As for the Ugly, well, we'll wait until we get there.

The Good

• The Right Dose of Nostalgia - Anytime we take a look at where a beloved character from the past has ended up, it is always a temptation to go into full nostalgia mode. If overdone, it can lead to the audience wondering why make a new show if we are just going to rehash old stories, plot lines, and characters. If we leave it out, we risk creating a foreign product that can distance itself from the core fan base. Season 1 found an excellent balance, giving us some Easter Eggs here and there that make us excited for what was while not keeping us stuck in the past. From the banner of Captain Picard Day in the museum archives, to Mr. Mot's Hair Emporium and Quark's Bar being seen in Stardust City, there was just enough of the familiar to help us be excited for what we both had and were receiving. 

• Great New Characters - Star Trek has always benefited from having intriguing characters that allow fans to really invest in the show. In this season, there were some definite standouts for me. In particular, I loved Laris and Zhaban, Picard's Romulan house keepers. They seemed to truly have a strong connection with Picard, and I would love to see their relationship with the good Captain explored further in the future, including the origin. Other new favorites for me included Elnor (more on him in a moment), Soji, and Doctor Altan Inigo Soong, the latest member of the Soong family to be played by Brent Spiner. Each one brought something special to the show, and it will be interesting to see how they each progress. And, in case you are wondering, Number One has now become my favorite animal character (sorry Porthos and Spot).

• Evan Evagora - there wasn't a single new actor that was a substantial part of the cast that didn't impress me, but one that stands out from the rest is the young Evan Evagora. He played Elnor, who quickly became my favorite Romulan of all time (sorry Tomalak). What really has Evan stand out for me is how he interacted with the fans over social media, to the point where I felt like he was one of us and enjoying the ride with us. He had a special energy and charm, and sometimes he was a bit cheeky with us, but that is what endeared himself to me. He reminded my of how Johnathan Frakes would be at conventions, always thinking of ways to make the fans feel a part of the experience. When some fans started making comparisons between Elnor and Elrond of the Lord of the Rings, he embraced it. 

• The Rikers, a Case Study in Bringing Back Familiar Faces - Both Will Riker and Deanna Troi were used perfectly in the show. Both seemed to have retired from Starfleet (although Will is still on the reserve list), and have settled down with their daughter Kestra on a beautiful planet. They were a highlight of the season, and if the plan is to eventually bring back the rest of the crew and other characters, this is how they should do it. Make the characters more equals to Picard (wasn't it cool to see Deanna dress down her former captain?), make their appearance more than a glorified cameo, and weave them into the story with purpose other than fan service. In fact, that is the best way to do fan service. With Guinan being confirmed for Season 2 and others like Geordi La Forge and Voyager's EMH being rumored, it is my hope that we will see all of them back in the fold.

• Patrick Stewart's Acting (sometimes) - Patrick Steward is an excellent actor, and while I am not always a fan of his projects and some of his roles, his acting ability is often polished and powerful. There were many times when he was on superb in this show. In particular, his interview scene in the pilot episode is likely going to have me re-rank my Top Ten list of Picard's Best Speeches. He showed such emotion and conviction in that scene that I wish the Emmys treated acting in Trek more seriously. However, I cannot say that his acting was consistent, but that is for another category.

• Data's Story - I am one of the fans that enjoyed Star Trek: Nemesis, but I get why many fans were disappointed in it. One of the reasons behind the dissatisfaction was the abrupt death of Data, and the seemingly lack of closure. While I had held out hope that B4 would somehow become the reboot of Data (I couldn't resist that term), they at least addressed the fate of B4 and gave Data a far more appropriate send off. The hard thing about a character that has the potential to be immortal is that the actor ages, and I just cannot see anyone other than Brent Spiner playing that role. While I miss Data, I think it was time that his character was laid to rest for good, and the way that it was done gave Picard (and us) some much needed closure. 

The Bad

• Bad Starfleet - Oh Starfleet, how far you have fallen. From being the peacekeepers of the galaxy, defeating the likes of the Borg and the Dominion by forming unlikely alliances, to see you become isolationist and thick with prejudice saddens me. This is one of the "bad" aspects that I think fit well within the show, but I just felt so bad that the producers went in this direction. I get it, and I don't disagree with it, but it does upset me to see a noble organization be a shell of its former glory. Star Trek has always held up a mirror to ourselves and our society, and I feel that with where Starfleet is currently the reflection is rightfully uncomfortable.

• Patrick Stewart's Acting (sometimes) - OK, this one is going to pain me a lot, but I have to be fair in my opinion. While there were some times where Sir Patrick Stewart knocked this out of the proverbial ballpark, there were a handful of times where he struck out. There were a couple episodes where I thought that he was just going through some motions, and there were a couple of times that I think he made some poor choices. I remember many years ago where Patrick Stewart was asked why he didn't try to do a French accent for Picard, and he responded along the lines of not wanting to make the character too comical and stereotypical. Yet, in the episode Stardust City Rag, that is exactly what he does. He goes over the top with the "evil Frenchman" trope that I just couldn't help but cringe over it. Still, I will stand by the overwhelming excellence in Stewart's performances. I just had to be honest with some of his choices in a few scenes and/or episodes.

• xBs, a.k.a. the New Red Shirts - I loved how the former Borg were being featured prominently in Picard, from the return of Hugh to seeing that there were many who were being rehabilitated, it was a great new angle on one of Trek's most intriguing adversary species. Yet as the season progressed, they were the sacrificial lambs again and again on the altar of the story. First it was Icheb (which depressed me too much), then many dozens on the cube that the Romulans were occupying, and finally Hugh. I had a hard time with Hugh being killed off, and here is where I believe that the Powers That Be made a mistake. Dozens of xBs being killed by the Romulans was enough to make Seven mad enough to kill Narissa, and I think Hugh could have had a great story himself in the show moving forward. Let's hope that Mezoti and the other former Borg children from Voyager are not brought back into the story if this is going to be typical of their fate.

• Seven and Another Forced Relationship - At the end of the last episode, when the ship La Sirena is preparing to warp away, we see various members of its crew engaged in a variety of activities. Seven and Raffi are seen playing kal-toh, and their hands are definitely showing us that there is more than the game at play here. Now, before you break out the pitchforks and torches and hunt down another homophobe, let me be clear. I have no problem with Seven's or Raffi's sexual orientation. That is not what has placed this on the Bad list. Instead, I see it as yet another example of forcing a relationship onto Seven's character that just did not get enough build-up in my opinion. There was very little interaction between the two characters, and yet all of a sudden they are actively flirting with each other in a very familiar way. We saw Seven thrust into a relationship with Chakotay near the end of Voyager, and it just didn't feel authentic. As I researched this, I learned that actors of the two character and the writers requested this, to build upon something that was supposedly established in a moment on Stardust City Rag, but it really felt like it was tossed in last minute with hardly anything more than an afterthought to the story. Sorry, but I like relationships to build, not be tossed in on a spur of the moment. My hopes for this relationship is that it is either ends quickly the way it started, or that it is given a good deal of explanation (possibly in a flashback).

• The Fleet of Boring Ships - I like Trek ships. Each design is bold, signatory, and is identifiable. We have the Galaxy-class Federation ship like the Enterprise-D on TNG, the USS Defiant on DS9, and Voyager's own Interpid-class vessel. True Trek fans know the difference between a Bird of Prey and a Vorcha cruiser. The Romulan warbird, the Cardassian Galor vessel, and the ominous Borg Cube all bring up familiar pictures. Lately, with the exception of the USS Discovery is Star Trek: Discovery, the ships are not really being given a chance to shine. I am not sure if it is the angle that is being used, the lighting, or just if the ships are becoming too generic, but I have been severely underwhelmed by ship design in Picard. Nothing in Picard, except for the familiar designs, made me go wow. In each show so far, the main ship has become an integral part of the show, but PIC just seems to put minimal effort into ship building.

The Ugly

• Cursed Hubris - If I could change one thing in how Star Trek has been portrayed in Picard, and only one thing, I would take out the use of the f-word. I know some people are going to ridicule me or argue with me, but so be it. I get that with on-demand TV that censorship of language is a thing of the past, but that does not mean that I agree with the idea that all bets are off. Many have argued that if it wasn't for censorship in the 60s, 80s, and 90s, that all of Trek would have f-bombs dropped all over the place. Well, that may be true, but I will tell you that if that had been the case, I likely would not have been allowed to watch it as a child and would be less likely to be as big of a fan today. Star Trek, to me, has always been something that I could watch with both my parents and with my children. Plus, to be honest, the way that word was used reminded me of young children when they first start to use the word. They look for little places to drop it in that make no logical sense. Never was there a single scene where it was used where I said "Wow! The scene was so much better with that profanity!" Instead, it always left me going "Why did they put that in there? It served no purpose." While I get that some people will disagree with me on this, I respect that this is the way it is (for now, at least), but I hope those that disagree will at least respect my opinion as I respect theirs. Oh, and for those who would argue that my children will hear that type of language at school, I know that. I also know that as long as we live in as city they will be exposed to air pollution. That does not mean that I make them put their mouths over the exhaust pipe when I turn the car on.

• Icheb's Torturous Demise - Again, here is an example of Trek pushing an envelope that really doesn't need to be pushed. Icheb being killed off was bad enough, and it does explain Seven's character development, but the level of gore that they showed was unnecessary and could have been equally as powerful if done differently. I can't help but wonder if this point and the previous one connect to the success of some shows like Game of Thrones, who absolutely do not shy away from gore and profanity. I would hope that Trek is not doing a "everyone else is doing it so we should too in order to be relevant" approach, but I cannot help but wonder. I would like to think that Trek can be great without resorting to such scenes, but then we did have the TNG episode "Conspiracy" where a character's head explodes. Let's just hope that unlike the f-bombs, the writers use this trope far more sparingly.

• Here a Troll, There a Troll, Everywhere a Troll Troll - If you have read my GB&U for the two season of Discovery, this should come as no surprise. Once again, in the age of social media, there is no shortage of people who are so triggered by a new show that they must take every possible chance to tell everyone how much they hate it, and then denigrate anyone who has the opposite opinion. I will confess that there are some things that have been talked about happening that if they come to pass, I may leave the fan-train. I think that after fifty years there is enough of Trek to keep all kinds of good people happy without having to impede upon anyone's enjoyment. Let's say that the f-bombs and gore are both ramped up and joined by hardcore nudity, giving us truly R-rated Trek. Some will love that. I will not, and that is where I will draw my line and stick with that which makes me happy. I will not, however, demand that others join me, nor will I try to spread false rumors that "Trek is dead" or "Abrams and/or Kurtzman want to kill Trek". So, until these "fans" truly allow IDIC in the fan base and allow people to enjoy what they enjoy, Trolls will likely be a permanent fixture of my GB&U series. 

Now, all things considered, Season 1 of Picard was...OK. Some was outstanding, and some left me disappointed. As we look forward to Season 2, I hope for more of the good, less of the bad, and the trolls to leave for good. Well, two out of three are possible.

Episode Review – Code of Honor (Next Generation, Season 2)

 For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here.

Overview – The Enterprise arrives at Ligon II to negotiate a treaty with the Ligonians. They hope to obtain a rare vaccine that is only found on this planet. After meeting with Lutan, the leader of this proud people, he becomes enamoured with Picard’s chief of security, Tasha Yar. Lutan abducts Yar, and makes known his intentions to marry Yar, which draws the ire of his current wife Yareena. She challenges Yar to a fight to the death.

 

Score: 1/10 – Ah, “Code of Honor”, likely one of the worst episodes of all of Star Trek. It is one of the few episodes where almost every person involved in it, including the cast, felt it was anywhere from embarrassing to sub-par to, as Johnathan Frakes so delicately put it, “a racist piece of s@#*”. The story is fairly straight forward in itself, but the way it was pulled off just does not sit well. The Ligonians were cast by entirely black actors and were made to heavily resemble the stereotypical African tribesmen. There is also a heavy dose of sexism as the women of Ligon II are treated like objects by some of the men, especially Lutan. Add to that a script that is clunky and characters that are so brand new (depending on where you were in the world, this was either the first or second episode to be released after “Encounter at Farpoint”) that the actors were largely still trying to find themselves, and you have a very awkward episode. There are some elements of the episode that were not bad (the fight sequence between Yareena and Yar was fairly intense at times) and the score is very well done, but the weaknesses of the episode were largely responsible for the collective bad taste left behind after viewing.

                      

Relevance – 1 point. Very little that is established here is actually relevant later on in the series. Data’s attempts to understand humor is brought up multiple times before and since, so his continuation of that here does not seem to be very relevant. Having said that, there is one point for relevance that I can give this episode. Wesley mans a bridge console for the first time, as he is asked by Picard to man Ops for a while, and at the end of the episode the good captain suggests that young Wesley will have other opportunities in the future.

 

Continuity - 1 point. Character continuity takes a hit. Yar accuses Troi of tricking her into admitting that she has some base attraction towards Lutan. First of all, I really find the whole sequence to be forced, and Yar describes Troi as her friend. To be honest, there is little that has been established to suggest that the two are friends. Colleagues and crewmates, yes, but friends? Not so much. I think that line could have been better written. I also found it hard to believe that Yar needed to know she had a base physical attraction. I am surprised that she found herself attracted to Lutan at all, as his sexist attitude would completely turn off a woman of Yar’s mettle. I found the story continuity a bit lacking. They talk about this vaccine that will save millions of lives with more people becoming infected as the episode progresses. So why is the Enterprise only receiving reports on the number of people contracting the Anchilles fever? Surely if the plague is as serious as it is portrayed to be they would be receiving casualty reports that include deaths. Sorry, there are too many plot holes to keep the point here. Universe continuity, on the other hand, does appear to be intact here, so not a total waste.

 

Character Development – 1 point. This is one of the very few Yar-centered episodes, and yet her character does not move along or progress here. She is the same at the end as she was at the beginning. In the previous episode “The Naked Now” we learn far more about her and see so many different sides of her. In this episode, she is a good little soldier who wins a fight while being the object of lust by a tribal lord. However, I do give a point for Wesley’s development. This ties in with the section on Relevance, but the fact that he is allowed to man a bridge station is a big step forward for him and his relationship with Picard, so that should be noted.

 

Social Commentary – 0 points. I keep scratching my head here and I really cannot think of anything truly meaningful here. Maybe this is my bias against the episode talking, but what do we really learn? To fake a death to trick a misogynistic culture? Admit when you are attracted to a misogynistic tyrant? No, there is really nothing here about societal commentary that I can identify in this episode. If anything, this episode serves as a reminder that we must be diligent in not allowing crude, sexist, and racial stereotypes to be shown.

 

Cool Stuff – 0 points. Nothing stands out as “cool” in this episode. When I look at the parts that weren’t bad or offensive, such as the battle between Yar and Yareena, I must admit that not being bad isn’t enough to be considered as excellent or cool. So no points for this section either.

 

Rank – Crewman (4 points). The first season of any show is bound to have some missteps as writers, actors, and producers are all trying to find their footing. Here is a big one for TNG. I will say that there is a historical reason to watch this episode, though. Garrett Wang, who would go on to play Ensign Harry Kim in Star Trek: Voyager, has said that this was the first episode of TNG that he ever saw. He hated it so much that he chose not to watch any others. A few years later he thought he would give the show another chance and found it on TV. It was this episode again, so he wrote off the entire show. When he went to audition for Voyager, he had no real connection to Star Trek, even though he was a big sci-fi fan. It was after getting cast that he started to watch TNG and DS9 and became a fan of the shows. He has admitted that if he had been such a fan before the audition, he likely would have been really nervous and would have blown the audition. So, I guess that redeems “Code of Honor” to an extent. Right?

 

 If you would like to read other reviews from the Next Generation, click this link.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.