VOY: Mortal Coil Review

[Rocketboy1313]

This was part of a handful of the first episodes I saw from the series.
I credited the show at the time that I had not seen these characters in action prior and just saw Neelix as the kindly ship's cook going thru a personal crisis. I saw Chakote as a spiritual guy in a leadership position trying to help.

I thought it was really good and it sold me on the show a lot. I found the early episodes with Neelix to be unrecognizable when I went back to watch them years later.

[SpacePaladin]

I like to think Neelix's lack of memory stems from the fact that he went to the Talaxian equivalent of Hell. Either he suffered from trauma so horrific he blocked it out, or as a lying, manipulative, abusive, egomaniacal asshole, he got the void.

[Yukaphile]

Again, I do wanna bring this up. Neelix can't cook pizza? Something so mainstream it's one of the most American foods that's part of the fast-food industry?

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Neelix dropped a bunch of food on the floor and just put it on the plate. Looked like he organised it and everything for entre design, for someone to eat. This has got to me every time I see it.

Or are voyager floors and crewmember shoes pretty much just sterile since they hardly ever go outside and probably change their shoes anyway?

[Veggietrekker]

Not the worst episode but TNG’s suicide guy and OBrian on DS9 were a bit more interesting. As Chuck was going on and on about how much Neelix is shown to be loved I kept thinking “just like Michael Burnham” and then with Chuck’s statement after realized why she doesn’t bother him so much. She will later on rewatch after a few years but unlike Neelix her character hasn’t really seeped in for him yet.

[MixedDrops]

Well, Pizza is an alien food to him, how mainstream it is shouldn't really be relevant. It is a pretty simple dish in the end though, I don't see how he would have more problem with it than most other Earth dishes after 3 years of serving on an Earth vessel.

Anyway, I don't think I can ever empathize with Chuck's (or some other viewers') seething hatred of Neelix or any other fictional character, even with that stepbrother explanation. Neelix can't put his feet up on my dinner table or spill coffee on my priceless autographed book.

Like, when I first saw A Night In Sickbay, I just spent the whole time thinking about how the writer was stupid enough to think it was a good idea to make Archer act the way he does. But I couldn't really direct my hate at Archer because ultimately fictional characters are at the mercy of their writers (and the other creative staff). I dislike some fictional characters to be sure, but I don't think I've ever had a strong emotional reaction to one in that way before.

[clearspira]

It is bleak, but I took the message of the episode as- you find what you need to to keep going.

I never really considered this reality bleak. On the contrary, I find that the realization that this is all there is rather invigoration. If this is all there is, then I have all the more reason to enjoy it while it lasts and explore all there is, because I will not get a second go around. Nothing ever matters, except for what I do now and everything I do now is going to matter to someone else down the line, because the only thing of us that persists after our death is, what we leave behind. Be it a comment in a forum or the people we met and influenced or, for some of us, our children and their children.

What makes me depressed at times though is, how much of my time I wasted and keep wasting with procrastination.

The one episode that's bleaker than this is Fuller's episode from the next season- Course: Oblivion. I'd say it's the most nihilistic episode of the franchise, and easily one of Trek's darkest. I can't find any silver lining in that one.

Oh dear, that is one episode that is easy to overlook, but boy is the darkness of Course: Oblivion black holes levels of dark.

Nihilism is the natural end of atheism though that's the thing. The moment you disregard the existence of God and with it design, then you are admitting you also believe that this is all there is. People like to argue against this fact because it is so bleak and it depresses them.

I vehemently disagree with the assessment of your first sentence. It's neither the natural end of atheism, nor a particularly sensible conclusion though. I would accept argueing, that people who are depressed, be that temporarly or permanently, and who loose their foundation in this world, naturally gravitate towards nihilism. The natural end of atheism though is, that when there is no greater meaning in Life, then it is left to the individual to give Life a meaning.

I'm not going to argue, I will just lay out what I think: There is no God, therefore no designed purpose, no designated meaning. Life is just a random set of chances and nothing more. There is no afterlife. Therefore, in addition to being a random set of chances, this right here is all there is. There is nothing waiting for you. No family members, no divine wisdom, no peace or punishment. You merely rot in the ground.

How is the endpoint of pure atheism not the futility of existence that is nihilism?

Personally, that is why I often see ''God replacements'' come from atheists that have just as little evidence to them as God and require just as much baseless faith. Ancient aliens that are waiting for us, VR simulations, reincarnation, spirits. They all have the same basic root: ''I cannot accept that this is all there is and it depresses me to think otherwise - therefore, look at this vast network of other fantasies that I have developed.''

[Yukaphile]

@Veggietrekker So that's the reason he won't give STD the thrashing it deserves? It's the "new suck," and hasn't been absorbed into him over two decades now?

[MixedDrops]

Chuck pretty unambiguously was disappointed with Voyager from the moment it came out, and his dislike for Neelix was clear from the start. If Chuck straight up disliked Discovery, I'm pretty sure we'd know. Thus far I get the impression he doesn't like or hate it, just mostly ambivalent.

Of course that might change over time, he was actually neutral leaning on positive on Into Darkness when it first came out. But I wouldn't project your own opinions onto him because you feel like he wasn't hard enough on a show you don't like.

[Yukaphile]

He asked on Enterprise... why did you give the Andorians bumpy foreheads? Citing it as pointless. Would he do the same for STD? Arguing... "Guys, why did you give the Klingons twin junk?" Literally, what is the point past juvenile male fantasies as bad as Enterprise at its most puerile? I don't think those calling him biased hate him, I just think they tend to sometimes spot his contradictions (that all human beings have, yes, me included, don't think I'm giving myself special treatment) and try and point it out to him. It's the manner of delivery that determines whether he'll listen or not, though, because if they act like stupid fanboys, he won't take them seriously - naturally. And don't think this is me hating on him, btw. I think for all of us, life is about learning and growing, even if you're in your fucking eighties, lol. If you can be polite and kind and intelligent about it, someone should walk away having learned something about the world or themselves.