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TO BOLDLY REVIEW #15 – STAR TREK: VOYAGER (1995 -2001) – SEASONS 1 – 7

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TO BOLDLY REVIEW #15 – STAR TREK: VOYAGER (1995 -2001) – SEASONS 1 – 7

Created by: Rick Berman, Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor

Based on Star Trek: by Gene Roddenberry

Main Cast: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Jeri Ryan etc.

Notable guest stars: Kurtwood Smith, Marina Sirkis, Dwight Schultz, Joel Grey, Sarah Silverman, John De Lancie, The Rock, Michael McKean, Jason Alexander, Virginia Madsen, Tom Morello etc.

Theme music composer: Jerry Goldsmith

It’s been over a year since I reviewed the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine here. Thus, much of 2023 was spent watching the seven series of Star Trek: Voyager. The main concern with this cultural project of watching every Star Trek show and film released is that I could get serious franchise fatigue. However, Voyager was a fantastic series with some of my favourite ever Trek episodes experienced within the seven seasons.

Paramount Pictures commissioned the series after the cancellation of Star Trek: The Next Generation to run alongside Deep Space Nine in the schedules and launch their new UPN network. Created and developed by Rick Berman, Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor, Voyager uses the template of a Federation crew exploring new worlds and making contact with unknown species, but with a serious goal in place – to return home.

Because in the first episode, The Caretaker, Voyager is enveloped by a powerful energy wave that strands it in the galaxy’s Delta Quadrant, more than 70,000 light-years from Earth. I think this critical narrative drive raises the stakes and sense of jeopardy throughout the series and also gave the writers the opportunity to introduce alien species as recurring characters, namely the Kazon, Vidiians, Hirogen, and Species 8472. Having said that, the main nemesis ultimately ended up being the Borg.

Voyager was the first Star Trek series to feature a female commanding officer, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), as the lead. Mulgrew is a terrific actor and provided formidable characterisation throughout. Interestingly, Geneviève Bujold, was originally cast as Janeway, but quit a day and a half into shooting the pilot and was replaced. Mulgrew is notably supported in the ensemble cast by Robert Beltrani, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, and the later introduction of fan favourite, Borg designation ‘Seven-of-Nine’ portrayed by Jeri Ryan. Robert Picardo as the hologram Doctor was also especially entertaining with many fine storylines.

I enjoyed the dynamic set-up of Starfleet officers having to work with rebels such as the Maquis, and that conflict provided much drama, pathos and joy throughout the series as their relationships developed. Further, important new Trek discoveries were introduced during the show such as: holo-emitters (so the doctor leave the ship and participate in more episodes), a tachyon core, trans-warp coil, Astrometrics lab, detailed information on the Borg and Delta Quadrant inhabitants, quantum slipstream drive, nano-viruses and access to the Borg’s Transwarp hub.

So, to end this summary I’d like to pick SEVEN of my favourite episodes – one from each season. They represent some of the best examples of Voyager, an often brilliantly written, well acted, funny and moving science fiction series.

** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS **

VOYAGER – SEVEN GREAT EPISODES (FROM EACH SEASON)

SEASON 1 – CARETAKER

The opening two hour pilot is a terrific introduction to the players and storylines which will inhabit the next seven seasons. On the hunt for Maquis rebels finds the Voyager crew dragged into the Delta Quadrant, where they lock horns with the omnipotent power that is the ‘Caretaker.’ As well as establishing all the main players from Starfleet, the show successfully welcomes series mainstays Kes and Neelix.

SEASON 2 – TUVIX

What is essentially a version of The Fly (1989) in space, Neelix and Tuvok get combined at a molecular level to create a new character called Tuvix (Tom Wright.) What initially seems quite goofy is in fact a heartfelt exploration of morality and ethics. Janeway has an almost impossible decision to make with character actor, Wright, excelling and imposing pathos as the tragic Tuvix.

SEASON 3 – SCORPION – PART 1 and 2

Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for Voyager they meet a foe even the Borg are fearful of, namely Species 8472. In this brilliant two-parter, Janeway and her intrepid crew find themselves caught in the middle of a war between the Borg and Species 8472. These thrilling episodes also saw the first appearance of ‘7 of 9’ (Jeri Ryan.)

SEASON 4 – YEAR OF HELL – PART 1 and 2

A truly epic two-parter with a story that could easily have made an incredible feature film. The abuse of power via time travel is at the core of the story as Kurtwood Smith’s Annorax obsessively changes his time to his own will as part of the Krenim Imperium. Janeway are enslaved under threat of being wiped from existence but fight back with tremendous resilience as the writing, directing and acting reach a peak for the series as a whole.

SEASON 5 – COURSE: OBLIVION

A direct sequel to Episode 24 from Series 4, Demon, Course: Oblivion is a brave episode for a number of reasons. It has a dreamy, surreal and latterly nightmarish quality to the style and the storyline, notably the ending, is one of the bleakest in Trek history. What is so clever is that as the writing and performances make us care for the characters when they begin to perish, even though we know nothing is what it seems.

SEASON 6 – BARGE OF THE DEAD

‘7 of 9’ (Jeri Ryan) took a lot of the character development plaudits during the last three seasons, but Roxann Dawson as B’Elanna Torres had some terrific episodes too such as this and Lineage in season 7. She is brilliant in this episode as her psyche is breached by a near-death experience and has to confront her family’s past and the heft of Klingon lore and history.

SEASON 7 – BODY AND SOUL

Obviously Star Trek contains episodes that are very serious and dramatic, but it has its fair share of comedic shows too. This re-imagining of gender swap comedy, All of Me (1984), finds ‘7 of 9’ (Jeri Ryan) switching bodies and mind with the Doctor (Robert Picardo) to hilarious effect. Now Picardo has always demonstrated sharp wit throughout Voyager, but Jeri Ryan is particularly impressive as she successfully mimics the Doctor’s mannerisms to hilarious effect, contrasting her usual deadpan and stoic Borg personality.

Star Trek, Television

TO BOLDLY REVIEW #14 – STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE (1993 -1999) – SEASONS 1 – 7

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TO BOLDLY REVIEW #14 – DEEP SPACE NINE (1993 -1999)

Created by: Rick Berman, Michael Piller

Based on Star Trek: by Gene Roddenberry

Showrunners: Michael Piller (1993–1995) and Ira Steven Behr (1995–1999)

Main Cast: Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig, Nana Visitor, Michael Dorn, Nicole de Boer, etc.

Theme music composer: Dennis McCarthy

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

It’s been over a year since I reviewed the Star Trek feature films here. Thus, much of 2022 was spent watching the seven series of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The fact that I got through all seven seasons of the show illustrates two things:

  1. I am determined to finish this viewing project of watching every Star Trek produced film and television show released from the original series to now!
  2. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a really excellent show that made me want to watch it the end.

While containing lots of genre and narrative similarities to the previous Trek television productions, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), expanded further the characters, worlds and vision established brilliantly by The Next Generation. Crossing over and surpassing the TNG timeline, DS9‘s narratives centralized around the space station positioned close to the planet of Bajor.

The Bajorans occupy the Alpha Quadrant and had one of the oldest and richest cultures in Star Trek lore. Driven by a spirituality similar to Buddhism, they are a proud people who suffered greatly during the invasion by the Cardassians, who built Deep Space 9 to control the Bajorans and the Alpha Quadrant. After the defeat of the Cardassians, Starfleet were assigned to manage DS9 and the series starts with Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) taking his place as commander of the station. To his surprise, Sisko becomes “Emissary” to the Bajoran prophets. A holy position which drives many storylines throughout the series and conflicts with the logical aspects of his role as Captain.

Deep Space Nine has many fine standalone episodes, however, what makes it differ greatly from the previous franchise series is the complex narrative and character arcs which dominated the latter seasons. These were directly linked by the brutal war which developed between Starfleet, their allies and the Dominion and the Cardassians. Personally, I could have done without many of the romantic “pairings-off” we got between the characters, however, they did raise the emotional stakes for them and brought greater narrative resonance. Lastly, the expansion of the Star Trek universe through use of the wormhole, allowed many other alien species to be introduced to the ever-growing Star Trek universe.

While sci-fi shows can live and die on their scientific concepts and themes, great characters are always at the heart of Star Trek. Sisko is a commanding presence throughout, yet Odo (René Auberjonois), a shapeshifter, was arguably the most complex of all characters, especially when a massive narrative reveal is dropped during Season 3. The familiar face of Worf (Michael Dorn) joined in Season 4 and he provided seriousness when compared to the more energetic characters of Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) and the scheming, but humorous Ferengi, Quark (Armin Shimerman). The Bajorans on the station were represented by Nana Visitor’s formidable, Kira Nerys, while Doctor Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) had a fine bromance. Finally, Deep Space Nine also had some fantastic guest actors, notably Louise Fletcher, Frank Langella, Iggy Pop, Tony Todd, James Darren and Andrew Robinson as Garak. The latter two actors became virtual regulars and Garak, the mysterious and exiled Cardassian, was probably my favourite character in the whole show.

To end this short review I’d like to pick seven of my favourite episodes – one from each season. They represent some of the best examples of, Deep Space Nine, an often brilliantly written, powerfully acted, funny and moving science fiction series.

DEEP SPACE NINE – SEVEN GREAT EPISODES

1. EMISSARY – EPISODE 1

A fine introduction to the characters, setting and themes which will dominate the next seven seasons.

2. THE JEM HADAR – EPISODE 26

A brilliant episode which introduced the fearsome Dominion soldiers, The Jem Hadar.

3. IMPROBABLE CAUSE / THE DIE IS CAST – EPISODES 20 & 21

Odo investigates a murder attempt on Garak on the space station. Their complex relationship thickens within a superbly scripted espionage thriller, full of twists and revelations.

4. THE VISITOR – EPISODE 3

An amazingly involving narrative which finds Sisko lost in a temporal void, with his son, Jake, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his father.

5. TRIALS AND TRIBBLE-ATIONS – EPISODE 6

An incredible episode full of amazing production values as it merges both present and past characters from Star Trek. The DS9 crew are sent back in time where they encounter their Enterprise predecessors and those damned pesky Tribbles.

6. FAR BEYOND THE STARS – EPISODE 13

Developed like a BBC Play for Today drama, this episode is thematically meta-rich, exploring science-fiction writing and racism in 1950’s America. How Avery Brook’s dual identities of Benny Russell and Captain Sisko connect across the universe is enigmatic, poetic and utterly compelling.

7. WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND (Parts 1 and 2) – EPISODEs 25/26

Despite replacing Jadzia with an inferior (Ezri) Dax, and containing a few unnecessary filler episodes with that character, the final season ultimately brought the war with the Dominion to an astounding dramatic conclusion. Sisko’s journey as the Emissary also reached a spiritually emotional and intelligent denouement. One of the best final television seasons of all time, perhaps?

Cinema, Reviews, Star Trek, Television

TO BOLDLY REVIEW #13 – STAR TREK – THE NEXT GENERATION FILMS!

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TO BOLDLY REVIEW #13 – STAR TREK – THE NEXT GENERATION FILMS!

I have to admit I started getting Star Trek fatigue having watched seven seasons of The Next Generation, the original series, and films over the last couple of years. Thus, I had a bit of a break. But now am ready to visit the many series of Deep Space Nine.

What of the The Next Generation feature films though? The creative danger of adapting television series into feature films is that they often fall into the trap of being two episodes stuck together without the texture , scope or feeling of a cinematic presentation. Not that the studio executives will care ultimately, because their films will likely make money due to the desirous power of the show’s fanbase. How successful were the TNG film releases in avoiding the pitfalls of small to big screen adaptations? Let us see.

*** CONTAINS SPOILERS ***

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Generations sees Captain Kirk (Shatner) and Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) meet across the time-streams in a giddy mix of philosophy and temporal variance. Malcolm McDowell as an obsessive scientist, Soran, plays a good baddie. However, this is more a collection of fascinating concepts conjoined unevenly to get Picard and Kirk on screen together. What it lacks in proper cinematic drama and suspense, it serves the fans well with a fun mix of the original and Next Generation series actors. Who doesn’t love seeing Patrick Stewart and William Shatner inhabit their characters with gusto trapped in the mind-bending realm of the Nexus?

Mark: 7 out of 11

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

In First Contact, Picard and crew fight the formidable Borg with the former flexing both his verbal and physical muscles. This is great and easily one of the best Star Trek films. Patrick Stewart is always brilliant, but you can see his Picard is driven, Captain Ahab-like, to pursue revenge against the Borg, even ignoring Starfleet orders along the way. Alice Krige as the Borg Queen is particularly memorable too. Time travel is integral again to an involving plot. Senior crew members led by Riker (Jonathan Frakes) go back in time to when warp was invented by unlikely legend, Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell). With two strong narrative strands combining to create superb drama and conflict, First Contact, is both entertaining and moving, standing as a fine tribute to thirty years of Star Trek.

Mark 8.5 out of 11

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

With a title suggesting uprising and revolution, Insurrection rather slows the pace down when compared to the dynamic, First Contact. Moreover, in the “fountain of youth” themed plot, Captain Picard falls in love, with Patrick Stewart flexing his romantic muscles here. I actually enjoyed Insurrection with the crew of the Enterprise endeavouring to protect a peace-loving community called the Ba’ha from several surprising foes. I am aware the script went through a number of drafts and iterations, so the narrative holds up surprisingly well. The thematic exploration of the prime directive, vanity and mortality provide emotional depth. Although the biblical metaphors of Picard leading the natives to the “promised land” is a bit much. Still, F. Murray Abraham is brilliant as antagonist, Ru’afo, even under all the prosthetics. Overall, Insurrection, while a mixed bag of ideas and story strands, is certainly very entertaining.

Mark: 7.5 out of 11

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

More interesting for the casting choices rather than the strength of the screenplay, plot and themes, Nemesis (2002) was unfortunately a box office failure. It isn’t surprising though as Stuart Baird was arguably not the right director for the franchise, as the film is helmed like a generic action film without the essence of true Next Generation style. Having said that I quite liked the concept of Picard facing Shinzon (Tom Hardy), an enigmatic character who knows a lot about the Enterprise captain. Despite some energetic set-pieces Nemesis (2002) doesn’t quite catch fire dramatically, but Stewart pitting his acting chops against a very young, Tom Hardy, provides some frisson of excitement. Mostly though this could be any bog-standard sci-fi story and is a disappointing final TNG cinematic salvo.

Mark 6.5 out of 11