#s5e09: thirty days

[dalesramblingsblog]

Between Frank Welker in Nothing Human and now Willie Garson (RIP) I'm glad Star Trek: Voyager is finally including representation for the "Guys Who Are In Literally Everything" community. Hopefully Counterpoint has a guest spot from Jim Broadbent or something so we can get the trifecta.

[blue-mint-winter]

ST Voy s5e08 Nothing Human - Voyager picks up a strange, injured alien they can’t communicate with and it attaches itself to B’Elanna to survive. Doctor creates a hologram of a Cardassian specialist that can help him save B’Elanna. The two holograms gets along swimmingly, but it turns out that Bajoran ensign recognizes that Cardassian as a genocidal butcher. This ep discusses the moral dilemma of unethical research in medicine and whether it should be used to treat patients. Both sides of the argument are well represented. It is a very much moral grey area and I think the conclusion is really that it’s up to individual choice. Janeway chose practicality in this case, saving B’Elanna’s life was more important than how they got the knowledge to do it and it’s hard not to agree, but I am glad the Doctor deleted the hologram in the end. Though there is some dissonance I feel about it, because the hologram didn’t commit these crimes, it’s just a recreation of the real massmurderer, so I wonder if it couldn’t be programmed. Besides, weren’t there any great exobiologist in the database? I fail to see how the guy who experimented on Bajorans who are humanoids is in possession of the knowledge to deal with some weird non-humanoid alien. But aside from that, the conflict in this ep was well done. Good that the aliens took their guy and left without any fuss, so that was another successful first contact for Janeway.

s5e09 Thirty Days - Alright, I enjoyed this ep quite a bit, because it’s sea adventure time! It’s Paris-centered, it starts at the end of the adventure, Paris is in jail and writes a letter to his father explaining what happened. Voyager found an ocean floating in space and decides to help the current inhabitants. The ep touches on the topic of environmental problems. Paris gets really passionate about saving the ocean so he tries to destroy the facilities that slowly destroy when local authorities act very uncaring about the catastrophe coming fast their way. Janeway has to stop him, even though it’s obvious she agrees with him. But this time she decides to follow the non-interference. I can’t help but agree with her stance. It’s true that something has to be done to save the ocean, but it’s the locals that have to do it, since it’s their home and their lives at stake. Paris had good intentions, but it was not his fight. This ep furthers his character and has good pacing. I also enjoyed the Verne references :)

s5e10 Counterpoint - This time Janeway decides to meddle in other’s affairs by smuggling telepaths through a star Empire that really hates them and puts them in detention camps. The Voyager has to undergo frequent inspections on the way and it’s infuriating but she’s bearing with it. Inspector Kashyk unexpectedly defects and helps them with inside info on the Empire. He builds rapport with Janeway and they get quite close and sparks fly. For a moment I was fooled he might be a good guy after all, but the doubt remained. Turns out that he was just playing Janeway. I love that she was prepared for that eventuality :) and his deception didn’t work out. Though the happy ending with the telepaths escaping and Inspector leaving the incident off record because he failed was too convenient. What about Tuvok and others? They were also telepaths and wanted by that Empire but the inspector let them go?

s5e11 Latent Image - Doctor is taking some advanced pictures of everyone and finds evidence of losing his own memory. He catches Janeway is the one who deleted it but she doesn’t want to tell him why so he doesn’t fall apart again. Seven of Nine argues for the Doctor, that he evolves just like she did and deserves to know. I like that Seven still challenges Janeway, but this is less heated, they’re actually debating the issue and she’s able to change the captain’s mind. Janeway has to treat the Doctor as a person, not a simple hologram she can adjust when it malfunctions. The issue Doctor faced was about choosing who to save when he has two equally critically injured patients. This ethical dilemma is causing him some real trouble to compute. The ep doesn’t show if he came to solution, it’s apparently going to be a longer process. All in all, it was an interesting ep.

[startrekships]

The Delta Flyer visits a water world, Star Trek: Voyager, “Thirty Days” S5E09″

gifs by startrekships

[dalesramblingsblog]

Oh shit somehow I still haven't posted my favourite moment from watching Thirty Days with my parents.

Tuvok: "We might try reinforcing the field with a deflector beam."

Me: God, is there anything the deflector *can't* do?

Chakotay, as if on cue: "Nothing."

Best laugh we've had in a non-comedy episode since the infamous ion pod button.

[dalesramblingsblog]

More seriously, man Thirty Days had so much potential that was simply not capitalised on. Obviously it's a bold move to try the whole "Framing device with main character reciting log entry/letter" thing so soon after In the Pale Moonlight, but I also just find the casual acceptance of Janeway's use of solitary confinement to be extremely troubling.

To be clear, it's not that I have a problem with Star Trek having leads who might do bad things occasionally. Again, In the Pale Moonlight is incredible, as is most of DS9, and that show's first officer is an unrepentant terrorist.

But, like... *are* we supposed to entirely read Janeway's use of an extraordinarily carceral form of punishment that has frequently been labelled "torture" as a negative thing? I certainly don't know that we're meant to read it as a "good" thing, but there's a troubling sense that Kenneth Biller's understanding of why it would be bad to put Tom Paris in solitary is just that it would be a bit mean. Tune in next week for groundbreaking takes on how Guantanamo Bay is bad because you're not lettin' 'em properly enjoy their Cuban vacation, I guess.

IDK man, a lot like the EDAs, I really want to like Voyager - honestly I think the two series are kind of equivalent to one another within their respective franchises - but it's that constant strain of conservatism that really does it in for me. At least Counterpoint's supposed to be good.

[dalesramblingsblog]

Hmm does Randy Oglesby count? Yeaaaah I'm gonna say Randy Oglesby counts.

Between Frank Welker in Nothing Human and now Willie Garson (RIP) I'm glad Star Trek: Voyager is finally including representation for the "Guys Who Are In Literally Everything" community. Hopefully Counterpoint has a guest spot from Jim Broadbent or something so we can get the trifecta.

[dalesramblingsblog]

OK well W. Morgan Sheppard definitely counts!

Between Frank Welker in Nothing Human and now Willie Garson (RIP) I'm glad Star Trek: Voyager is finally including representation for the "Guys Who Are In Literally Everything" community. Hopefully Counterpoint has a guest spot from Jim Broadbent or something so we can get the trifecta.