Review : |
Voyager's 100th episode, and they really pulled one out of the bag. OK, time travel may not make much sense, but it doesn't need to here, it just has to work. We knew that they had not finished with the quantum slipstream drive from "Hope and Fear", and it's used very well here, putting the Old Cuttlefish nearly a third of the way home. The crash was pretty spectacular (although I'd have thought it survivable, but perhaps the inertial dampers weren't working). The sections in the future lean very heavily on Garrett Wang, and he puts in a fairly decent performance, no longer as 'young Ensign Kim', but as a man devastated by a past mistake which he ultimately puts right. Geordi LaForge's cameo was a nice touch as well, perhaps he'll 'really' gets command of a Galaxy-class one day, although it's a bit odd that he was not on the bridge. Still, that was unavoidable, because they had dismantled the Enterprise bridge set. Overall, a decent episode. |
Review : |
One of the most spectacular sequences ever as Voyager crash-lands on a planet. The image of Voyager beneath a frozen ocean. Geordi La Forge as the captain of a Galaxy class starship. Kim's survivor guilt at being responsible for the death of his entire crew. Chakotay's marriage which will be sacrificed if they succeed in changing history. The Doctor, utterly horrified by what's happened. And finally, Brannon Braga as a writer, so of course this is about time travel. (He's like Chesney Hawks - he only has the one song!) However, so masterful is this episode that the time travel seems like a natural, crucial part of a story that could not be told without it. Starfleet isn't going to sanction a change to its timeline and brings a TNG hero out to stop the surviving Voyager crew. I cannot overstate how much I love this episode and rank it as surely one of Star Trek's finest hours. |