VOY - Virtuoso

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

http://sfdebris.com/videos/startrek/v934.php

Not the worst episode by my standards. Definitely amusing taking on the doctor.

[Darth Wedgius]

I think the holograms' rights angle of the story was a misfire. If he were an Emergency Operations Officer, doing Harry's job, he could be let go. If he were a human CMO resigning, I don't know that the resignation would be accepted because they need a doctor. The skills are irreplaceable and vital.

But ironically enough, this episode does convince me that he deserves rights as a sentient, sapient being. Up to now I can't think of any action of his that couldn't be explained by a program thinking it had to act more like a sentient to be a better CMO. Even complaining about not being treated with enough respect. But this time he went against his programmed purpose.

[clearspira]

I think the holograms' rights angle of the story was a misfire. If he were an Emergency Operations Officer, doing Harry's job, he could be let go. If he were a human CMO resigning, I don't know that the resignation would be accepted because they need a doctor. The skills are irreplaceable and vital.

But ironically enough, this episode does convince me that he deserves rights as a sentient, sapient being. Up to now I can't think of any action of his that couldn't be explained by a program thinking it had to act more like a sentient to be a better CMO. Even complaining about not being treated with enough respect. But this time he went against his programmed purpose.

Agreed, this was the first time we see him as potentially being a true AI. I think ''going against what we want you to do'' would be a good measure of sapience for AI in real life. No ordinary computer can decide to just stop serving you after all. This does raise a question: By this measure, Moriarty is alive as he decided to not be Moriarty. All he wanted was to cruise the universe with his wife. Vic Fontaine on the other hand never became anything more than a singer. Oh, they tried to CLAIM that he was more than that, but I do not agree. I think that he is far below them in terms of free will.

Data is an interesting case because he is a robot designed to act like a man - so we could say that his desire to want to be a man is perhaps not a sign that he is alive. And he never really moves beyond this. Lore on the other hand has shown more individuality than Data ever did.

[clearspira]

As for my review, this is a very meh episode. You can definitely tell that we are into the end times for Trek reviews on this site as we are left with the real forgettable bottom of the barrel stuff now. Stuff that you've probably only watched once and then never have again. Chuck makes talking about it far more fun than actually watching it.
TBH, part of me is kind of looking forward to him running out of episodes just so we can get to the weekly Dr Who or Stargate reviews (the most likely candidates for when he runs out of Trek).

[Fianna]

I don't get why the Doctor staying on the planet would require him leaving Voyager. He's a computer program; surely they can make a backup copy of him?

Actually, that'd make for a neat episode. The Doctor is believed lost or destroyed while down on some planet, but after several weeks/months manages to get off the planet and make his way back to Voyager . . . only to find no one's really missed him, because they just rebooted him from his last save point, and now he's got to contend with what he sees as an "imposter" taking his place.

[Yukaphile]

Actually, I don't agree, clearspira. Still lots of interesting DS9 and TNG left. For Voyager and Enterprise? Yeah, there's no saving them.

[Sir Will]

I don't get why the Doctor staying on the planet would require him leaving Voyager. He's a computer program; surely they can make a backup copy of him?

Actually, that'd make for a neat episode. The Doctor is believed lost or destroyed while down on some planet, but after several weeks/months manages to get off the planet and make his way back to Voyager . . . only to find no one's really missed him, because they just rebooted him from his last save point, and now he's got to contend with what he sees as an "imposter" taking his place.

I mean, they mention a backup device for the museum episode no other time because drama. And even if you made a copy, both would want to leave, only one would get to. As a sentient being, duplicating him kinda raises ethical questions.

And forcing him to stay is understandable, but also not ethical. The necessary thing but not the moral thing. I mean, he didn't even join Starfleet by his own will, he was just programmed to be in it.

[Yukaphile]

Well, given how often Starfleet and in particular Janeway has masturbated (there's a word that does NOT go well with Captain Frozen Bitch!) about morality and staying true to your values, they really should have let him go as a sentient being with the right to choose. At the same time, I agree with SF Debris, that people would have died without him on the ship, so it was the smart thing to keep him on board. It doesn't help that Janeway has put her foot down with him many times before and after, often with the same tone of smug condescension and with a note of implied prejudice. I think that's the problem.

[Fianna]

The Doctor only became a self-aware being after being kept on for so long onboard Voyager, right? Theoretically, the original Emergency Medical Hologram program, without all of the Doctor's acquired experience, could always be re-uploaded.

[PerrySimm]

"Virtuoso" felt like Star Trek's answer to GalaxyQuest, a commentary on fandom done in miniature. With the possible exception of Gideon Seyetik, basically nobody else in Star Trek has ever been this famous and let it go to their head.

Also, Math Nerd Homeworld has to be just about the most Futurama idea that's made it into Voyager.

But yeah, some continuity would be nice, as Chuck pointed out, this episode's HR drama makes basically zero sense. In particular, this episode is after "Living Witness", which established that Voyager found a way to keep regular backups of The Doctor, but it's never brought up again despite any number of times this would have been terribly helpful.