VOY: Extreme Risk Review

[Fianna]

"It's been a problem for months, but apparently it wasn't a problem for months last week" is indeed a great line. Though, with how much monkeying about with time travel Voyager does, that sentence could be the very literal truth.

[Sir Will]

''This has been a problem for months, but it wasn't a problem for months last week.''

And in one line, Voyager summed up.

Yeah, Voyager does have issues with that. But that said, I wouldn't knock the episode too much for it. I still think it's overall a really good episode, even if fairly self-contained.

Yeah, honestly would have given this a 7 or 8, instead. While it has the typical Voyager problems of, as pointed out, "This has been a problem for months but it wasn't a problem for months last week," the exploration of such a topic is rare for them to tackle with any semblance of competence and I felt they did handle it as well as could be expected given Voyager's track record. The fact that they're willing to handle the impact at ALL is damn impressive - Voyager is usually so against having character development and it reflects on something that was unique to it - the Maquis background of so many characters.

I also felt that Neelix was better handled here and acting in a role they SHOULD have been developing for him - as basically a quasi ship's counselor... which Voyager desperately needs given its situation.

Agreed, on all fronts.

[9ansean]

''This has been a problem for months, but it wasn't a problem for months last week.''

And in one line, Voyager summed up.

Yeah, Voyager does have issues with that. But that said, I wouldn't knock the episode too much for it. I still think it's overall a really good episode, even if fairly self-contained.

Yeah, honestly would have given this a 7 or 8, instead. While it has the typical Voyager problems of, as pointed out, "This has been a problem for months but it wasn't a problem for months last week," the exploration of such a topic is rare for them to tackle with any semblance of competence and I felt they did handle it as well as could be expected given Voyager's track record. The fact that they're willing to handle the impact at ALL is damn impressive - Voyager is usually so against having character development and it reflects on something that was unique to it - the Maquis background of so many characters.

I also felt that Neelix was better handled here and acting in a role they SHOULD have been developing for him - as basically a quasi ship's counselor... which Voyager desperately needs given its situation.

Agreed, on all fronts.

Me also.

Though 2b fair, Voyager is certainly not the first ST series to retroactively establish a character had undergone a major change months before without even the cast knowing till now. Less we forget that revel in season 5 of DS9 Dr. Bashair had been a changeling for several episodes during which he was somehow able to deliver a baby even changeling have no reproductive system to speck of!

The big difference of course is that revel played into a larger storyline and was not so easily resolved. Were as Voyager had by now made a standard of setting up conflict and resolving at with all the tightly weaving of a standard sitcom plot. So of course this ordeal was done in one even though something like depression is a long on going process.

Still, given so little role the Maquis played in the Voyager I am glad they at least acknowledge the survivors guilt combined with long time abandonment issues had to have some effect on Torres. Even if it did take have a season after the grim news to do so and as Chuck said that probably would have holding to pull while Dawson was pregnant (as Torres does have a tendency to deal most here problem physical). As FaxModem1 wrote, there is something of loosely structure arc for character that kind of develops over several episodes.

[Darth Wedgius]

I like that they touched on news from home in this way. As far as the difference between self-harm and suicidal tendencies, I could sweep that under the rug by saying Klingons are different in that regard... but they didn't establish that in the episode.

It would have been nice if they had a quick bit from the Doctor, along the lines of, "In a human, suicidal tendencies and self-harm are typically distinct phenomena, but in Torres her Klingon half seems to be calling the shots." Quick, patches the hole, and gives people real-world useful information without "The more you know" flashing up right after.

[9ansean]

I like that they touched on news from home in this way. As far as the difference between self-harm and suicidal tendencies, I could sweep that under the rug by saying Klingons are different in that regard... but they didn't establish that in the episode.

It would have been nice if they had a quick bit from the Doctor, along the lines of, "In a human, suicidal tendencies and self-harm are typically distinct phenomena, but in Torres her Klingon half seems to be calling the shots." Quick, patches the hole, and gives people real-world useful information without "The more you know" flashing up right after.

That could have worked...if it seemed like the doctor understood mental health as well as anatomy Unfortunately we so in two previous episode Chuck reviewed this year, his attempts in dealing with the mind have mostly lead disasters built on hubris. My theory for we he couldn't understand the appeal of competitive fighting in later episodes is that he's been programed this see the fragile body as something that must be preserved and does deliberating subjecting yourself to potentially fatal or crippling effects seems like madness. Plus given his own body is depended in on light sources, he can't fully grasp how emotional problems motive physical behavior that can alter ones behavior beyond mere observation and possibly brain scans.

[9ansean]

Just a minor nitpick, the whole "everyone's afraid of Nelix's cooking" gag felt a little forced in this one. The alternative interpretation jokes (like Picard being afraid of children) really only work if the scenes support them. I'm fine with Nelix getting hammered, but only we he deserves it.

For whatever reason it's clear that meaning like his cooking and that would be especially true when the episode ends with Torres happily eating a childhood favorite that he probably never grow up with. When he tries to give the crew a feel of home their usual fine. It's when he tries to experiment with Delta Quadrant ingredients just for the heck of it that things get scary. That and the sheer disregard for basic health and safety.

Still it is bizarre that in all that time hardly anyone else tired to learn any recipes. Especially anyone who really does hate the food that much or just grows tired of so many surprises.

[Fianna]

Torres choosing this specific form of self-harm makes sense if she's trying to rationalize her behavior to herself. By putting herself in dangerous holodeck simulations with the safeties turned off, she can tell herself that she's not deliberately causing harm to her body; she's just increasing the risk that such harm might occur. That way she can convince herself that her behavior is still mostly normal and healthy, and not something that needs correcting.

When you add in her being half-Klingon, and remember that Klingons are all about risking life and limb at the slightest provocation, that rationalization makes sense.

[TheStarWarsTrek]

Though 2b fair, Voyager is certainly not the first ST series to retroactively establish a character had undergone a major change months before without even the cast knowing till now. Less we forget that revel in season 5 of DS9 Dr. Bashair had been a changeling for several episodes during which he was somehow able to deliver a baby even changeling have no reproductive system to speck of!

I don't really get the amazement here. I mean, changelings don't have a circulatory system or digestive system either. Yet if someone on the station had a heart attack, or heck even something as low key as wanting diet advice on how to lose weight, it would look pretty damn suspicious for Changeling Bashir to know nothing.

If they can infiltrate and manipulate the great political powers of the Alpha Quadrant, I'm sure they can crack open a medical textbook.

[TheStarWarsTrek]

So Chuck pokes fun at how Janeway's "Space Race" is more about sticking it to the Malon in a pissing contest and less about scientific discovery. But . . . wasn't at least part of the Space Race about beating the USSR? Sounds like it may be more similar to our space race than we'd like to admit.

[Fianna]

The Space Race between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. was at least about actual scientific development; creating whole new technologies in order to reach new milestones of human achievement first. Here, Voyager's not inventing anything. None of the tech they put into the Delta Flyer isn't anything that couldn't already be mass produced back in the Federation.

So it's less NASA building Apollo 11, and more some kid in the backwoods of Appalachia building an Apollo 11 model rocket. Like, good for him if he can get it to work, but it's not really the same thing.