VOY: "Mortal Coil"

[Fianna]

Ritualism doesn't equal religion.

Speaking as a student of anthropology, I feel like if you state that a religion has to have gods, that you have invalidated half the religions on Earth.

Then you have to define gods.

A religion doesn't have to have gods, but it does have to have some beliefs about the metaphysics of the universe.

Meditation is a ritual. Someone who meditates because they want to achieve a different level of consciousness that will (in time) let them transcend ordinary reality: they're practicing a religion. Someone who meditates because it relieves stress and improves their concentration: they are not.

[Frustration]

I wonder if the writers were trying to give some depth to the shallowly-annoying character of Neelix. I note that the other Voyager character who had a near-death experience that caused them to think about religion was B'Elanna Torres, and she was a pricky and combative character that I think many found difficult to like.

[McAvoy]

I wonder if the writers were trying to give some depth to the shallowly-annoying character of Neelix. I note that the other Voyager character who had a near-death experience that caused them to think about religion was B'Elanna Torres, and she was a pricky and combative character that I think many found difficult to like.

Problem with Torres is that she seemed to be stuck at the same level when it came to character development. What I mean by this is that from Season 1 to Season 7 she has the same issues. So each episode that dives into her issues with the Klingon culture or her half breed nature is constantly repeated.

You would think by Season 7 when she finds out that her unborn child may have some Klingon ridges she would be OK with it. Assuming her character went through something to settle that issue she had. But no. Every Torres episode talks about it but hits that reset button when the next Torres episode happens.

That and she did come off as unlikable when it came to Seven of Nine too.

[Thebestoftherest]

I find the very idea that people in the universe of Star Trek would take the idea of an afterlife seriously. They always seem to be the relatively ignorant and unsophisticated aliens to explore the concept, or in the example of B'Elanna, a person struggling with vicious impulses.

I think they would, I mean most of starfleet wouldn't believe in it themselves, but if means that much to another race I believe they be open minded enough to try to help even if they don't believe in it.

[pilight]

Problem with Torres is that she seemed to be stuck at the same level when it came to character development. What I mean by this is that from Season 1 to Season 7 she has the same issues. So each episode that dives into her issues with the Klingon culture or her half breed nature is constantly repeated.

That's the most realistic thing about Voyager. IRL people often spend many, many years trying to resolve personal issues with little to no progress. Issues involving race/family/genetics don't generally have easy answers that can be resolved quickly.

[Frustration]

Yes, but there's no progress. Torres never gets past page one of her issues, she just repeats the same thing.

[pilight]

Yes, but there's no progress. Torres never gets past page one of her issues, she just repeats the same thing.

This is also very true to life. Lots of people fail to progress when dealing with personal issues.

[Frustration]

This isn't reality, this is fiction. Which has to have interesting development and make sense.

[Madner Kami]

True, both of the previous posts. I feel there's room for characters who can't progress beyond their current state as well though. But then that needs to be the point, not like with Torres, who seems to go through her issues in the span of an episode and then is suddenly back to last week, just like the ship. One of the most obvious moments is, when she's initially hostile to Seven, but then there's that one moment of mutual understanding in one of the episodes, where she calmly explains and relates to Seven. And then next episode she yells again at "the Borg". It's like someone didn't get the memo. We joke about it with calling it "The Reset Button", but ultimately, that's the ultimate failing of the entire show. A show that's otherwise good. Has a good premise, has good actors, good writers, good episodes even. It just doesn't go anywhere and keeps treading water in the same spot and after a while, this gets frustrating and impossible to ignore.

[Frustration]

It violates the suspension of belief if there are never any lasting consequences to events that occur.