I've been making my way through the first two seasons of Star Trek:Voyager these past few weeks. I enjoyed the series when it made its initial television run, probably moreso than most Trek fans did. True, it had its low points, but so did every series, especially in the first two seasons. Remember, even season 1 of The Next Generation was mostly awful.
I'm in the middle of season 2 of Voyager now, and I recently watched two episodes in the order on which they appeared on the disc. First was the train wreck that is Threshold, often 'honored' as the worst Trek episode of any series. And it was bad. It didn't induce the gag reflex that it appears to in a lot of other Trekkers, but it was bad.
Immediately after that, however, was the episode Meld. In this episode, a crewman named Suder, a Maquis with a history or violent behavior (or at least violent impulses), murders one of his crewmates. Under interrogation by Tuvok, Suder confesses that he did it because he didn't like the way the other crewman looked at him. Tuvok cannot comprehend this motive; it is not logical that such a minor act could not trigger such a violent response. So in an attempt to stabilize Suder's mind and to learn more about his motives, Tuvok initiates a mind meld with Suder.
And for the rest of the episode, we watch as Tuvok struggles with his own darker nature and nearly succumbs to violence himself. Meanwhile, Suder has become placid, almost stoic. In the end, Tuvok returns to himself, but it's clear that the experience has changed him, and not for the better. Real conflict, real character growth. The episode was amazing.
How is it that a single series can have two consecutive episodes that are so vastly different in quality? How could the show have been so bad one week and so brilliant the next?
6 comments:
I couldn't agree with you more, Mike. Voyager had some fantastic moments and some real stinkers. The "Meld" episode was definitely one of the good ones.
I've said for years that the average on voyager is a little lower than others, but it's good stuff is as good as any good stuff, but the bad stuff is really really bad - and it was all over the place.
You're still watching Star Trek? When are people gonna realize that Star Trek is just about as bad as sci-fi can get? Take off the blinders. I'm embarrased that I ever liked Trek. It's sci-fi for kindergarteners. I say this knowing that Star Trek XI will be directed by someone who actually has a brain. But I don't care anymore.
The test for science fiction is whether or not it explores new ideas, pushes the envelope, moves forward. TOS was a bunch of standard stories set in space, TNG was politically correct nonsense, DS9 was thinly disguised Israel-bashing, while Voayager and Enterprise were just stupid.
Star Trek should have died when TOS died in the late sixties.
Don't hold back, Joe. Tell us how you really feel.
Heh. :)
Star Trek my be "bad science fiction" but I don't watch space opera for Science fiction, I watch it for fun. There are many reasons of entertainment - whether you want an intense drama to take you through an emotional ringer, a very intellectual movie to make you think, a romantic comedy to make you smile, or simple escapist fun. Most SF I watch for escapism - to identify with guys in ships in the black- whether the show may have other undertones (and I particularly avoid trying to see politics in stuff), I enjoy it for what it is.
I may have blinders on, even purposefully, but you know what, that means I get to enjoy a whole bunch of stuff, even if it isn't the best in the world - and when I am looking for entertainment, that is all I need. Entertainment. I don't want it to enlighten me, challenge me, or be "art" - I just want something I can enjoy.
Star Trek (especially DS9) does that for me.
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