S06	Eyes
West: I'd rather have the truth than a medal.		Plot After an In Vitro assassinates Secretary General Chartwell, the USS Saratoga plays host to his possible successors. However, the Saratoga's status as a safe haven proves to be anything but, as the turmoil and paranoia on Earth continues onboard. McQueen and Hawkes are entered into a loyalty test, which proves to be far more than what it initially seems...
	Personal Comments A very tense, often paranoid episode. Although I've seen it many times now, and know who the key players are (plus their motives and mannerisms), I keep seeing different things and new viewpoints on the situation. It just isn't as clear cut as it looks - which is fine by me! One of the things which really got a hold of me is the title - 'Eyes'. There are many levels to this title - the loyalty test featuring the eyes, Hayden being blind, the emphasis on everyone watching their own backs - and each other. Eyes are often described as the "window to the soul". I've often mused privately over the similarities (and differences) between In Vitros and the replicants in Bladerunner - and this episode really ties the two groups of 'artificial' humans together. If you haven't seen Bladerunner, borrow/rent the video and take a look, it's a great film - one of my top favourites. (It's a film with a lot of eye references and imagery...) The test for replicants is called the Voigt-Kampf test, and it's surprisingly similar to the test shown in this episode - it's a test using involuntary eye movements. But are the loyalty tests purely for In Vitros? If so, how come they need them and humans don't? Is there something about In Vitros, but not humans, which makes this test only useful on them? Is there something more to In Vitros than just their methods of conception and birth - or is it just part of In Vitros being treated as 'second class humans'? Production Goofs An interesting goof which I didn't spot until the umpteenth time I watched the episode... After McQueen has prevented Hawkes' involuntary assassination attempt on Chaput, a security detachment arrives and asks if everything is okay (It's a dumb question really.. shots were fired!). Chaput responds by telling them that everything is alright... sergeant! Yup, I now understand the title - Chaput has eyes in the back of his head! How else did he manage to figure out the rank without turning around? I assume he guessed correctly, because the security trooper didn't reply with: "Sergeant? I'm a lieutenant, sir!". Actually, even if he'd been able to see the trooper, I don't know how you'd identify his rank in a split second - he wasn't wearing stripes or other noticeable rank insignia.