state of flux

  • 1V09

    Voyager technology is found on a Kazon ship.
    Starring: Chakotay
    Co-Starring:Janeway, Tuvok, (Seska)
    Featuring: The Doctor, Torres, Kes, (Carey)
    Cameo: Kim, Paris, Neelix

    Type of Episode: Espionage. Mystery.
    How Does The Trouble Start?: Tom Paris notices the "cloaked" ship over the planet, which alerts everyone to the presence of the Kazon and disturbs Seska's little rendezvous. Of course, once the Kazon ship eventually exploded the Voyager crew would have gotten involved anyway.
    Impressive Characters: Paris comes across as being very attentive to duty. It's all he does in the episode, but it's a significant contribution.
    Chakotay comes across as fiercely loyal to those around him, and (in the Soup scene) as a man with a profound sense of right and wrong. He is evidently hurt by Seska's betrayal, as he was by Tuvok's earlier in the series, but he imresses when he talks openly about the the hurt and confusion he feels. (Especially in that nice scene at the end.)
    And Torres, explaining her work methods to the captain, comes across as very self-assured and confident about her work.
    Impressive Acting: Mulgrew is good in the closing moments as Voyager is forced to run from the oncoming Kazon. Anger, frustration, hurt, confusion, all the expected emotions come from her in those few seconds.
    But Martha Hackett makes the episode what it is. Her performance throughout ensures that the identity of the traitor is a mystery to the last second. She really seems innocent and believeable each time she gives an alibi. Full marks to her. A lesser actress would have showed her hand too soon.
    Conflict: Chakotay vs. Tuvok.
    Teamwork: Neelix eads them to food. Paris spots the Kazon ship. Carey comes up with a way to move the forcefield on the Kazon bridge. The Doctor is instrumental in finding out who the traitor is.
    Continuity: We see Neelix acting as guide (in the opening scene, and again on the bridge).
    We learn that B'Elanna "doesn't exaggerate" in a wonderful little moment between herself and Janeway.
    The animosity between Carey and Torres is referred to, but Carey feels it is now a thing of the past.
    Mage Cullagh is introduced.
    Best Scene: Probably the Soup scene. It says so much about both characters and establishes character traits for Seska. What was her thing anyway? Did she love Chakotay? Or did she see him eventually captaining the ship, with her 'ruling' through him?
    Best Line: "You were working for her, Seska was working for them. Was anyone on board that ship working for me?!" Chakotay to Tuvok at one point. He's using humour to mask the hurt he feels.
    Nice FX: When Tuvok puts his hand up to the forcefield, it ripples nicely to the right of the screen, then back to the left, conveying it's circular nature just before Seska steps into shot. Nice.
    Who Saves The Day? Nobody, really. Seska gives herself away.
    Closing Scene: Chakotay asks Tuvok why he is so easily fooled.
    Three Things I Really Liked About This Episode:
  • - On first viewing, it's impossible to figure out who the traitor actually is. And on second viewing, one has to marvelat the skillful manipulation of the audience's expectations throught-out. It's great. Flawlessly executed.
  • - The Soup scene, where Chakotay reprimands Seska for presenting him with stolen rations. It presents Chakotay in a very favourable light, and says a lot about the character.
  • - Janeway talking to Neelix on the bridge. "I take your warning seriously..." This demonstrates her style of captaincy, and (almost) adds to Neelix's credibility as a guide.
    Three Things I Really Didn't Like About This Episode:
  • - Well, I loved Seska as a supporing character. And the only downside of this episode is that she is no longer a semi-regular on board ship.
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    Last Watched (by me): November 24th, 1996

    Miscellaneous Comments: A great mystery episode.

    An important show, I think, is defining Star Trek Voyager's identity: subtle continuity and stories that emphasis character over everthing else.

    What is this episode?

    (1) It's a mystery show, in which the finger of suspicion is skillfully wavered between two different characters. Back and forth is goes, and noone can guess where it will eventually end up.

    (2) It's a characters show. The central character is Chakotay. We see both his loyalty to Seska, and his faith in his own judgement, being royally tested.

    Does Chakotay come off badly in the episode?

    Not really. Who has not been duped or misled by those around them at one point or another? Chakotay's only flaw is that he is too trusting. That is not a flaw. And the fault lies with those who would take advantage of his trust. What matters to me is that when the episode was over, I really liked Chakotay and felt for him.

    We learn a few things about life on the ship in this episode. Two references in particular help us to see Voyager as a community. The line "before the rumours get out of hand" emphasises this mentality. Even Carey says, later, that "everybody knows" about Seska being in the cave. In this way Star Trek Voyager captures the feeling of Space:1999 and Battlestar Galactica, two shows about communities cast adrift in space without forewarning. Even Janeway refers to the fact that they are all in this together.

    GRADE: A+

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