Star Trek 467: Eye of the Needle

467. Eye of the Needle

FORMULA: The Price + Destiny + The Defector + The Sound of Her Voice

WHY WE LIKE IT: The tiny wormhole. A sympathetic Romulan.

WHY WE DON'T: A legacy species already?

REVIEW: If there's something disappointing about Eye of the Needle, it's the over-familiar premise. We're six episodes in, and this is the third temporal anomaly Voyager has encountered. It's the second instance of Gilligan's Island Syndrome. And it seems like it only took six episodes to bring back an Alpha Quadrant (i.e. "cool") species, despite the series' mission statement. So as far as premise goes, this episode seems cheap.

But it's all in the execution this time. The investigation and slow reveal of information makes this a compelling scientific mystery that doesn't overdo it on technobabble. When at first only messages might be transmitted, there's the natural reflection on family left behind, and as it becomes possible to beam back to the Alpha Quadrant, the episode picks up speed. The twist isn't unpredictable, but it plays well, though one wonders if the crew's spirits needed to be crushed to this point. Ok, they can't go back, but do they also need to know their messages never got there either? Can't they live in a little more hope than this? As for the Romulan they meet, Telek R'Mor is more sympathetic than most, letting himself be moved by Voyager's situation. He must be convinced, but is reasonable, all part of this well thought-out procedural story.

The subplot deals with the EMH's evolving nature. Kes, nurse in training, will obviously be the catalyst since she's the only one to think of him as a person. And she calls Janeway on it too. It's interesting to note that the Doctor isn't really bothered by his third-class status (second-class means Maquis on this ship), merely annoyed by the way he's being used. But he is a tool by his own admittance. It's Kes who makes him start thinking of himself as perhaps more, and Janeway who explicitly orders he consider himself more than a supplement, offering to give him a certain autonomy. It's hard not to side with Kes after the melancholy scene where the EMH says his goodbyes. And so the quest for a name begins...

LESSON: Global village or not, it's still called long distance.

REWATCHABILITY - Medium-High: The first true chance to get home since the pilot, it's quite well thought-out even if it takes the time travel route once again (that makes it half of all aired episodes to date).