A breakdown in her cerebral implant that controls many body functions leaves Seven close to death, and when a dead Borg proves to be no use to her, Borg child Icheb comes up with a risky plan to save her.

This reads less like an episode of Voyager and more like one of ER, but it makes a welcome break from how things have been going lately. Rather than some kind of alien turning up and making trouble, the internal nature of the problem here allows for some (at last!) strong characterization from several of the main cast as Seven tries to continue with her duties despite her condition. Not only is the episode a moving look at terminal illness, it’s also a very emotionally affecting piece as we see how much one person can care for another.

By making Icheb the only person who can help Seven, it adds another dimension to the story, as we the viewer have no idea if he’ll survive or not, especially after the other Borg kids are written out at the start of the story. Once Icheb asks to have an application submitted to Starfleet Academy, it looks as though his days are numbered, but although his death in the end would make the episode even more dramatic, it’s probably a little much to expect from as essentially upbeat a show as Star Trek.

Jeri Ryan gives a fine performance as someone who finds herself having to accept her death and the fact that she’s left no legacy, but Robert Picardo also puts in some great work as he attempts to find ways to deal with Seven, showing how far his character has come beyond being a brash, uncaring medic. Ethan Phillips makes Neelix a very caring character rather than being irritating in his brief appearance, there are scenes with Kate Mulgrew that bring a lump to the throat, and if you’re not in tears by the end of the episode, you clearly have no soul. Manu Intiraymi (Icheb) is clearly a very talented young actor, and I look forward to seeing more of him this season.

This episode shows what Voyager can do when it tries: powerful human drama. It’s way past time there was an intelligent and well thought-out episode, and this one is a real highlight. Tragically, I see next week’s is a space race with Tom and B’Elanna. Sigh. Will the writers never learn?

****

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