588. The Voyager ConspiracyFORMULA: The Drumhead + A Matter of Perspective + The Adversary + Caretaker x3 + Infinite Regress
WHY WE LIKE IT: The possibility of a Voyager Conspiracy.
WHY WE DON'T: So obviously not true.
REVIEW: An intriguing idea - what if Janeway or someone else had stranded Voyager in the Delta Quadrant on purpose? - is mismanaged by making every one of Seven's theories completely unreasonable. Though she raises a few very good questions, the fact that she puts into question incidents we know the truth of from onscreen evidence (for example, we KNOW that the Federation and the Cardassians were not in cahoots). In short, the tension and paranoia is not believable given how far-fetched and actually erroneous the theories are.
All the episode manages to do is salt the pilot's plot holes like so many open sores. There's no good explanation for the tri-cobalt device, or Janeway's short-sighted "let's get stranded" plan, or in this very episode, for the tractor beam image Seven found. Seven's just trying to win a no-prize and not doing a very good job with it. There's some comedy to be gotten from Seven's ever changing story, but we're supposed to believe that Janeway and Chakotay both think she makes "compelling" arguments, enough that they would almost pull phasers on each other? Nah, I don't buy it. Nor do I understand why they would want to prevent one another from shaving three years off their journey, no matter what secret mission was involved.
In the end, any potential ambiguity is erased by making the entire adventure a result of alcove madness, and Seven learns a lesson about trust. Sit back and enjoy Janeway's self-serving version of events. I might've said before how little I care for the Janeway-Seven, mother-daughter thing, so I won't do so again.
Other notes: The episode further pollutes itself with nonsense words, like explosive yield being measured in cochranes (a function of warp) and a treaty that prevents the Alpha Quadrant powers from expanding into another quadrant (ridiculous, especially since half of them spill over into the Beta Quadrant). Nice catapult though.
LESSON: Some of the Voyager writers are members of the Nitpickers' Guild.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: Watchable as a "malfunctioning drone" episode, but the premise will let you down. Hard.
Comments
Considering the preceding paragraph of your lesson, they're not Nitpicky enough.
On this... apart from the very, very vague comments by Sulu in The Undiscovered Country, has any televised Trek ever actually said that the Klingons and Romulans are partially in the Beta Quadrant? The impression that DS9 gives is that all the Alpha Quadrant races are just that: Alpha Quadrant races. If the behind the scenes maps didn't show it, would we have any idea?