The crew encounters a dead Hirogen hunting party, wiped out by the holograms they created to be their prey. But having advanced beyond their programming restrictions, these holograms fight for their freedom.

Bearing in mind that this was transmitted as a TV movie, I’m nevertheless going to review this in two parts, having seen only the first half at the time of writing this. The most obvious aspect at the outset is the crew suddenly going on an away mission to a planet. Whether it’s a studio set or not, it’s still a breath of fresh air to see them exploring somewhere rather than sitting about on the ship. While I appreciate that Voyager is on its way home and can’t stop to check out the scenery, it’s amazing how big a difference the short outdoor sequence makes.

After that it’s space battles all the way, as the Hirogen turn up and the holograms are found, and in a bad mood. There are some impressive-looking battles on display that are unusually exciting and involving, although the way in which Voyager takes away the Hirogen weapons threat in 2 seconds flat is dreadful and makes them out to be far more powerful than they should be. The holograms themselves are a fine collection of Michael Westmore’s greatest hits, with all the familiar faces from the Alpha Quadrant. These familiar looks bring a certain, well, familiarity, to the show and certainly made me more accepting of the assorted aliens.

In places the story treads dangerously close to a repeat of previous Doctor episodes, as the holograms argue for their right to live peacefully in the universe. Some of the logic along the way is flawed, but it just about manages to keep from being repetitive, although events such as the Doctor’s about face and the holograms’ desire to ignore Janeway seem forced in order to move the story along. It’s not bad as a start; whether it can stretch to an hour and a half isn’t clear, but so far it appears there’s not really enough plot to support it and B’Elanna’s involvement from here on is likely to make things woefully predictable.

Part two sees B’Elanna trapped with the holograms and the Doctor having a crisis of conscience when his newfound friends go on the rampage.

Another ‘brain in neutral’ episode, once more the outcome of this story is inherently predictable. B’Elanna and the holographic Cardassian are obviously going to forge a bond despite their differences and the Doctor will have to put right what he did by allowing the holograms to escape Voyager’s clutches. The Hirogen are little more than hunters with no individuality and Janeway has another of her crises about whether or not she made the right decision. I can answer that: no. And the Doctor’s no better, as both of their mistakes cost the lives of innocent people.

The concept of one person turning a mission to find a new home into a religious quest and a search for vengeance is nicely played out, with the lead hologram (whose name I’ve forgotten) gradually sliding into an abyss from which he can’t escape and the Doctor having to stop him before he commits any further murders. The scene in which he massacres a shipful of aliens because they know about the holograms is particularly strong, and Robert Picardo is on excellent form again dealing with the moral implications of his actions. His final scene with Janeway is extremely well written and played by both actors as the Doctor puts his life in Janeway’s hands and they find both of them have learned a lesson. I’m not convinced the story required a TV movie to be told, but it does have some excellent character moments, something that’s been missing from this show for too long.

***

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