VOY - Retrospect

[Zoinksberg]

I'll leave the other topics to those that have discussed them, and touch on one neither Chuck or anyone here so far has.

Voyager is finally doing (well only tried to in the end) a deal that would improve a key ship system that would have real meaning in their long trip. The downsides are it's over 3 seasons too late, and much like Alliances the concept is boxed forever after one go.

One of the reasons why there's so little tension in the show, they should have been looking to improve all their systems (especially tactical ones) from day 1, instead it's only plot needed stuff, or some food here, or stuff for the delfector there.

Couldn't agree more. The concept of purchasing an energy weapon that could be a reasonable replacement for their (allegedly) limited torpedo supply would seem like an important moment for this show. Instead it's used to set up an interesting but ultimately inconsequential episode. The weapon is never mentioned again, the incident is never directly brought up again, and if the next episode wasn't The Killing Game it would have been right back to business as usual next week.

[Madner Kami]

Not being able to replicate their own torps is dumb anyways. The stuff they use as explosives is readily available to the ship anyways, as it's the same ingridients as what their fuel is made up of, namely anti-matter and matter, more specfically, hydrogen and anti-hydrogen. They can find the former literally everywhere, no matter how much the writers fuck that important detail up and they have facilities to create the later on board. Building some torpedo-housings and the necessary electronics should be first grade class-stuff for the engineers. It just makes no sense to limit their torpedo supply.

[Sir Will]

Not being able to replicate their own torps is dumb anyways. The stuff they use as explosives is readily available to the ship anyways, as it's the same ingridients as what their fuel is made up of, namely anti-matter and matter, more specfically, hydrogen and anti-hydrogen. They can find the former literally everywhere, no matter how much the writers fuck that important detail up and they have facilities to create the later on board. Building some torpedo-housings and the necessary electronics should be first grade class-stuff for the engineers. It just makes no sense to limit their torpedo supply.

Which is why it was never brought up again and they used plenty far more than their initial supply of torpedoes during the show.

[Yukaphile]

Just checked the timeline. Had no idea this took place right after "Prey." That's a Voyager episode I really loved - save the Stupid Neelix Moment.

[Worffan101]

This seemed to be an episode criticizing the '90s wave of cases of dubious repressed-memory "evidence" used in child-abuse cases. I get WHY they constructed the strawman society, and WHY they structured it the way they did, but like Batman vs. Superman, the result is a mess.

I have no doubt that the current sociopolitical context hurts this episode in retrospect, but that doesn't change the fact that its approach is messy and muddled.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I'd think that the doctor getting as animated as he did would be a critical aspect to touch up and make that aspect be grounded as much as it can be. That is if it's even possible to make this come off as respectable to today's mantra of believing victims.

[Yukaphile]

The "not believing rape victims" charge - on the one hand, I can see why it gets people upset, as Chuck himself mentioned in the episode, but on the other hand, I've done that myself, when hearing their accounts and finding it wanting, when the woman or women in question are not behaving in a realistic manner, and so I wonder how accurate said accounts are. What does that make me?

[Artabax]

This seemed to be an episode criticizing the '90s wave of cases of dubious repressed-memory "evidence" used in child-abuse cases. I get WHY they constructed the strawman society, and WHY they structured it the way they did, but like Batman vs. Superman, the result is a mess.

I have no doubt that the current sociopolitical context hurts this episode in retrospect, but that doesn't change the fact that its approach is messy and muddled.

Indeed. I saw the episode as Retrieved memory Syndrome NOT as disbelieving the rape victim. It was broadcast when "retrieved memory" was very fashionable in Britain, so the message was very obvious.

British fashion lags a couple of years behind USA fashion. Maybe when the episode was broadcast in USA, there was some other big fashionable dogma.

[clearspira]

The "not believing rape victims" charge - on the one hand, I can see why it gets people upset, as Chuck himself mentioned in the episode, but on the other hand, I've done that myself, when hearing their accounts and finding it wanting, when the woman or women in question are not behaving in a realistic manner, and so I wonder how accurate said accounts are. What does that make me?

Makes you someone who believes in innocent until proven guilty and facts over feelings?

[Yukaphile]

Very true. Especially since, again, in these cases, the victims weren't behaving realistically. So, I wasn't inclined to believe them when they seemed more like... political mouthpieces than "real fucking people," to quote SF Debris.