EPISODES 41-39
# 41. RELATIVITY
 Voyager, Season 5 |
| Episode Number 118 |
| - |
| Info and General Credits |
| Directed by Allan Eastman |
| Teleplay by Bryan Fuller, Nick Sagan and Michael Taylor |
| Story by Nick Sagan |
| Aired December 1999 |
| Stardate 52861.2 |
| Guest Cast |
| Bruce McGill Captain Braxton |
| Dakin Matthews Ad. Patterson |
| Jay Karnes Lt. Ducane |
| Josh Clarke Lt. Carey |
Premise
Seven of Nine travels back and forth through
time, from the present, the 29th century and the time of Voyager's launch in an attempt to
track down a bomb that threatens Voyager and the integrity of the timeline. Although
Captain Braxton is in charge of the mission to find the bomb before it goes off, it soon
becomes apparent that he is more involved than anyone knows, including himself....
Comments
The episode opens with a shockingly
brilliant teaser: Seven somehow wandering around the bridge of Voyager at
Utopia Planitia, prior to the vessel's launch. And this sets up a fascinating and engrossing episode.
Time travels shows, and all the paradoxes that go with them are tough to write,
so it's stuffed full of holes. The first thing one notices though is Braxton himself, looking nothing like the Braxton we know
(Bruce McGill filling Allan Royal's shoes). But biggest of all, to this Trekker's mind,
was the fact that in 'Future's End' we see the outcome of Voyager's efforts to thwart
Starling, which ultimately changed history so that Braxton never did experience those 30
years on post-industrial Earth. Yet here he is here complaining of the psychological
trauma this had caused him, which in turn led him to implement a plan to wipe Voyager
from the timeline - in hope of preventing his 20th century exile. Phew. Too confusing to figure out the
logic of temporal science, but that's how it seemed to me, so there does appear to be a
teensy little incontinuity error here. This kind of spoils it a bit, but it's still a great
fun episode, and I especially enjoyed getting the first look at Utopia Planitia Fleet
Yards....
TrekMania Image Archive:
# 40. PATHFINDER
| Voyager, Season 6 |
| Episode Number 130 |
| - |
| Info and General Credits |
| Directed by Mike Vejar |
| Story by David Zabel |
| Teleplay by David Zabel and Kenneth Biller |
| Aired December 1999 |
| Stardate unknown |
| Guest Cast |
| Reg Barclay Dwight Schultz |
| Deanna Troi Marina Sirtis |
| Ad. Paris Richard Herd |
| Comm. Pete Harkins Richard McGonagle |
Premise
Using a holographic simulation of the Voyager
crew, Barclay becomes more and more obsessed with the stranded ship. Seeking the
help of former shipmate Deanna Troi to deal with his problems, Barclay runs into serious
red tape after formulating an idea to use a pulsar to initiate direct contact with Voyager
in the Delta Quadrant.
Comments
I think all will agree that it was
good to see Barclay back again, and Troi too. Not that he's recovered much from
a lot his social and psychological frailties. But without these shortcomings it
wouldn't be Barclay.
Image Archive:
(Due to me accientally taping over this episode, lol, I have these here kindly on loan from Star Trek in Sound and Vision)
# 39. WHO WATCHES THE WATCHERS ?
| The Next Generation, Season 3 |
| Episode Number 52 |
| - |
| Info and General Credits |
| Directed by Robert Wiemer |
| Written by Richard Manning and Hans Beimler |
| Aired 1989 |
| Stardate 43173.5 |
| Guest Cast |
| Nuria Kathryn Leigh |
| Liko Ray Wise |
| Dr. Barron James Greene |
| Oji Pamela Segall |
| Fento John McLiam |
| Hali James McIntire |
| Dr. Warren Lois Hall |
Premise
A group of Federation exosociologists are
accidentally exposed to a group of primitive Mintakans. Cultural pollution is unavoidable
when an injured and unconscious Mintakan is taken aboard the Enterprise for
medical attention, where he catches a glimpse of the Captain, and things he shouldn't be
seeing. Treatment to block the short-term memory of what he witnessed aboard the ship
fails, and gradually, as his remarkable news filters through to local Mintakan society, it
becomes apparent that they're beginning to perceive Captain Picard as a God.
Comments
This was a fascinating commentary on primitive
sociology and acquired monotheism. The concept of how a bronze age culture would interpret
the reality of extraterrestrial civilizations is skillfully, and tactfully handled. Due to
their technological state, one cannot help but believe the Starfleet/Federation presence
would be viewed as a Deity, as is what happens here. Such subject matter is not easy to
transfer to the screen, and indeed, how would you write the role of the Mintakans? They
didn't appear shell-shocked in any way, they assimilated it fairly comfortably in the end.
This was deliberately crafted to reduce the effect of things going overboard. So,
purposefully they were Vulcanoid by design, their genetic makeup being on the whole logical
and analytical. Ultimately, throughout the episode we get completely engaged in a
thoughtful and important play, detailing ethics, cultural psychology and theology, all of
which surrounds the Federation's somewhat fragile Prime Directive.
TrekMania Image Archive:
Soundbites:
| Like Sisko, Picard doesn't want to be a religious icon: |
Dr. Barron: "The Mintakans wish to please the overseer, but they can only guess what he wants. They need a sign." |
Picard: "Are you suggesting....." |
| Dr. Barron: "You must go down to Mintaka Three." |
| Riker: "...Masquerading as a God!" |
| Picard: "Absolutely out of the question! The Prime Directive...." |
| Dr. Barron: "....Has already been violated. The damage is done. All we can do now is minimise it." |
| Picard continues to quantify his sudden Godhood: |
| Dr. Barron: "Like it not, we have rekindled the Mintakans' belief in the Overseer." |
| Riker: "And are you saying this belief will eventually become a religion !?" |
| Dr. Barron: "And without guidance that religion could degenerate into inquisitions, holy wars, chaos !" |
| Picard: "Horrifying." |
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