Star Trek: Voyager

“The Void”

3 stars.

Air date: 2/14/2001
Teleplay by Raf Green & James Kahn
Story by Raf Green & Kenneth Biller
Directed by Mike Vejar

"Why would anyone steal deuterium? You can find it anywhere." — Paris (line doubles as writers' "we were previously stupid" acknowledgement)

Review Text

In brief: A good episode, though I'm almost choking on the irony outside the story.

Strangely and ironically, we've come around to the point where the only way to use many of the themes of Voyager's original premise is to invent a plot that puts the ship in an extreme situation that would've been what the Delta Quadrant itself, in several important ways, might've represented all along had the writers permitted it.

That premise is "The Void," which substitutes a barren spatial anomaly for the original presumed barrenness of the Delta Quadrant. Voyager is sucked inside, and they find that in here there's nothing but empty space and other ships — no resources of any kind, and no known escape. These ships steal from and kill each other to survive. When new ships are sucked in, the waiting tigers pounce. It's survival of the fittest, and the meanest.

I want to applaud "The Void" for its optimism. Those who called DS9 the anti-Trek because of its willingness to bend Federation morality can point to this as an example of Trek that sticks to the optimistic ideal and thrives off it. Is this episode as realistic as what might happen in a DS9 extreme situation? Maybe not. But it does have a good message and works well as entertainment. It's pure Star Trek in the classic sense.

The message isn't exactly subtle. It's like last year's "Memorial" in that, there we have it, Our Message for Today. That's okay; we like our messages made clear, which "Void" does without shoving it into our faces.

This void, it is said, has No Escape. Funny how the crew takes it all in stride. Being sucked into a place whose residents claim escape has been attempted and failed for years is not something I would so calmly accept, but these Voyager crew members are made of sterner stuff — they barely bat an eye and have an unspoken air of near-invincibility: If an escape hasn't been found, it's obviously because WE haven't been the ones looking for it. Maybe it's just bad-news denial. Or arrogance. But then, I suppose confidence is a hallmark of this crew.

The ground rules are laid down by General Valen (Robin Sachs), who subscribes to the void's standing policy of Every Ship for Itself, but is also nice enough to give Janeway a heads-up on where they are and how things operate. (By the way, having barely been in the void for a minute, other ships open fire on Voyager, stealing food and supplies with stealth transporters.)

After assessing the gravity of the situation (without external resources, power will be depleted within a week) the question becomes what to do about it. Do we adjust operating procedures to fit in? Become thieves ourselves to survive? It's a question that's worth asking, and "Void" at least knows that this is the question that deserves to be the center of the story.

There's a point where Janeway has the chance to steal food from another ship — one that earlier had stolen supplies from Voyager. She doesn't. When Tuvok and Chakotay come to her ready room to ask what the "operating procedure" will be now that they're in this void, Janeway tells them she's been giving it some thought. Ultimately, she decides to remain true to her Federation values: If we're only going to live for a week, we're going to live by high principle.

At first, my mind went all the way back to second season's "Alliances," an episode that I erroneously awarded three stars based on initial entertainment value, but think of now as one of the biggest turning-point mistakes Voyager ever made. In that episode, a deal gone bad convinced Janeway that the Delta Quadrant was a socially turbulent and dangerous place. Her very naive solution was that staying the same would prevail over the prospect of changing.

Now we have a decision where it seems history is repeating itself ... until we realize the crucial difference. In "Alliances" Janeway was dealing with societies who operated with treachery as a way of life. Here, Janeway is dealing with people pushed to extremes into operating with treachery as a way of life ... except that literally escaping this world is the best way of dealing with it. To escape will take a risk. The risk is taking Federation values and amplifying them to build bridges.

Crazy? Janeway offers to other aliens supplies that would feed her crew, hoping to earn some trust. She hopes to build an alliance that can stand together against other aggressors while simultaneously pooling resources to make a daring escape. Amazingly, she is able to eventually bring some people into the fold.

So, then, is Janeway clever or lucky, trusting or stupid, calculating or naive? I suppose this would be a prime example of the end result being what writes one's victory speech — or epitaph. If you take an unpopular risk and die, you're a fool; if you take an unpopular risk and win, you're a genius.

Interestingly, the plot device in "Void" is exactly what keeps it from becoming another shining example of sophistry like "Alliances." Everyone here is trapped with nowhere to go. Frankly, if I knew I was trapped in a finite void with nothing inside, I'd hardly see the point of repeated raids just to keep my ship operating. Hell, why wouldn't you try something different to escape, unless you've resigned yourself to a pointless existence of being the king pirate of a backyard swimming pool?

What is a little odd, and perhaps a little arrogant and worn out from a story perspective, is the notion that after years trapped in the void, no one else comes up with the brilliant idea of trying to pull together to escape. Naturally, Voyager must represent the superior human intellect and sensibility that is the first to attempt civil tactics and cooperation. Naturally everyone else goes along once Janeway has drummed up a reasonable following.

I guess that's okay. This show is, after all, called Star Trek: Voyager, not Star Trek: Sensible Aliens. To tell it from Voyager's perspective is probably the only way to get the story to work and be about our people. Along the way, it has some nice touches, like some tension with a captain who joins the alliance but turns out to be a bigot and a killer, and how Janeway beats herself up for not paying more attention to his warning signs. There's also a somewhat incomplete subplot involving surveillance technology, and, best of all, the most fulfilling depiction of an alien race in a long time — natives to the void who do not communicate with speech but learn to use musical notes on data pads to talk to the Doctor. These guys are the first truly intriguing aliens in awhile, with quirky and endearing mannerisms and a method of communication that for once isn't reduced to immediate English (excuse me — I meant the Universal Translator).

Of course the ship gets out of the void. But the depiction of how is what makes the show interesting and purely Star Trek in its sensibilities. The episode bests "Alliances" by doing it under more prudent and appropriate circumstances. It's an uplifting hour. Weird, how the plot plays almost like an experiment in turning back the clock to opportunities past.

Next week: Crew members kidnapped and forced to work for minimum wage! And you thought your job was bad...

Previous episode: Prophecy
Next episode: Workforce

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Comment Section

99 comments on this post

    Couple of nitpicks about this episode (which I think GR would probably have liked).

    *The native aliens: where the heck did they evolve? The story claims they're natives of the void, but as they clearly evolved to require oxygen and other resources, there's no possible way they could have ended up there. Even assuming they somehow migrated into the void (which also assumes that the void has been sucking in ships for millennia) and that they evolved there to live on ships as 'parasites', how do they maintain their population? They're apparently only found in extremely low numbers? I dug their unusual method of communication, however. I thought that was creative.

    *After Janeway et al. escaped, I would dearly have loved to have had a small scene where they deployed warning buoys before leaving. The thought of just running off without warning future ships about the navigation hazard seems careless at best. It's about as bad as falling down an open manhole, crawling back out, and walking away without bothering to replace the cover!

    I think this episode is an example of what the show would've been like if Ron Moore was in charge. Voyager could've formed alliances with other ships. The tensions and predjudices between humans and aliens could've been spread across the entire series. Harry Kim's character could actually have developed. Voyager could've formed a whole fleet of ships which could help them back to earth. It would've been like Battlestar Galactica but in the Trek universe with the Borg, Kazon, Vidiians and Hirogen as Villians in place of the Cylons.

    Now you probably think I'm one of these people who hates Voyager. I'm not, I love Voyager, like, a lot. I'm just saying how things could've been if there had been a well-timed car-falling-off the-top-of-a-multistorey-with-Rick-Berman-underneath incident.

    Isn't it odd that there are no known phenomena like this in the heavily explored Alpha Quadrant, but that Voyager, in a more or less linear trajectory, stumbles upon two, early in 2375 (Night) and again in mid-2377 here?

    Uh, a new arrival to a "prison" finds a way to escape that had eluded hundreds of others for years, despite exhortations from hardened veterans that is was impossible, "IMPOSSIBLE, I tell you!" For a minute or ten I thought I was watching Escape From Alcatraz!

    And then the "alien" who acts more like an animal than an intelligent entity capable of operating a spaceship?

    I quite liked this episode even though I found Janeway's pontification too difficult to swallow at times. She was right to refuse to let Voyager turn into a rogue ship but her pacifism is really grating at times, not to mention illogical and ultimately dangerous. BirdMan also makes some excellent points.

    I agree with the three stars.

    well the idea was good but the story was too simplistic (almost naive)and badly executed, Even the most optimistic TNG episodes were not so simplistic.

    Janeway: WTH was that?
    Tuvok: Uh.. swirly thing, dead ahead!

    Nice to see some classic optimistic Trek again with some proper Trekkian values. At first I was rolling my eyes - first thing you see is a ship firing for no apparent reason, which is already becoming more of a cliche in S7 than it already was in Voyager. However after that the amazing happens - we get a reasonable explanation AND eventual co-operation.

    The Delta Quadrant is typically shown to be full of hard headed aliens who can't be reasoned with - it's always refreshing when an episode shows ones that are friendly, or in this case at least become friendly with some Federation influence.

    3* works.

    I liked this episode, but I thought one scene was badly handled: Janeway lookking at the Federation rules for a loophole that would allow her to conduct raiding. When she can't find one she decides she must still follow the rules depite calling them impractical. So essentially what that scene is saying is Janeway must blindly follow rules she doesn't really agree with when she'd much rather do a spot of raiding. Bizarre.

    "It would've been like Battlestar Galactica but in the Trek universe with the Borg, Kazon, Vidiians and Hirogen as Villians in place of the Cylons."

    I'd bet that the Vidiians would have become allies with a troubled past.


    "Isn't it odd that there are no known phenomena like this in the heavily explored Alpha Quadrant, but that Voyager, in a more or less linear trajectory, stumbles upon two, early in 2375 (Night) and again in mid-2377 here?"

    It's not really the same as the empty area in "Night". But it is very similar to the thing in "Gravity".

    Will, I agree. There would still be action and adventure mixed with character development with ron moore. Ron Moore is big on background of characters. Even giving backgrounds that won't get shown in the series but give the actors a way to understand their characters and give it consistencies. He's big on that and from what I understood, when he joined VOY for a short time he said he felt lost because he was told that when he asked for character history/template he was told they never made one and it doesn't matter...

    I didn't care for this as much as the majority. It was alright, but I'd hardly award it three stars. I'd give it two at best.

    Oh, and I also thought about the need for a buoy here.

    A little bit of Janeway's "being true to our rules and to who we are" would have been OK. But her going on and on with it at every turn became a bit much. I couldn't help thinking that this was really a STNG episode; Picard would have fit in perfectly saying Janeway's lines about adhering to principle, no matter what.

    It was also rather interesting that the aliens on the survey vessel look almost exactly like the evil Sontarans on Doctor Who and Sarah Jane Adventures. Was someone on Voyager a DH fan?

    2 1/2 stars. Now having Kirk in this situation would have made for a very different, and probably more interesting, episode.

    Will: "I'm just saying how things could've been if there had been a well-timed car-falling-off the-top-of-a-multistorey-with-Rick-Berman-underneath incident."

    Conversely, things would've been different if the TNG writing staff in early Season 3 had collapsed a day later and Ron Moore had already joined the Navy by the time "The Bonding" was produced.

    ^^
    Ronald D Moore is a terrific creative talent, but let's not go overboard. The late, great, Michael Piller was the beating heart of TNG's best years.

    Communism saves the day! I thought this was a great episode with a very important message. Collective minds work better than individual minds only interested in protecting their own selfish interests. I really liked that the void aliens were called parasites and a drain on resources, (rhetoric sound familiar, anyone?) yet in the end they did have something valuable to offer.

    Everyone has something to offer. Everyone. A homeless man once stopped me and asked if I would like him to draw me a picture for a donation. I agreed because I wanted to help, but I didn't expect to get anything of quality in return. Damn was I wrong! The picture was some of the most amazing surrealist art I've ever seen, second only to Salvador Dali. I still have the picture framed and I get comments on it all the time. This is just one example, but it goes to show that having a skill doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to turn it into a career. Likewise, having a career doesn't necessarily mean your talents are suited for the job. Maybe you always had an interest in architecture but went to business school because it seemed more practical. You get the idea. Unless we somehow make the puzzle come together, there will always be loose pieces tossed aside. They fit somewhere; we're just not sure exactly where.

    Back to the episode, as much as I enjoyed it I did think it was a little preachy. Ok, a lot preachy. That's fine and dandy for me because it's preaching values I agree with, but I have a feeling a lot of viewers were annoyed. I got the same feeling watching the recent death penalty episode Repentance. I liked the message, but I could easily see Glenn Beck shooting his TV if he had to watch it. Try a little subtlety, Voyager. You're already preaching to the choir. There's no need to shout. (this is of course rhetorical as the series has been over for years)

    After losing power:
    Paris: "The vultures are circling."
    Janeway: "Vultures eat the dead, Mr. Paris. We're not dead yet."

    Yeah, that's why he said "circling," Captain Post-op. Vultures commonly circle that which is alive but near death. Don't take it out on Tom just because the raiders took your last crate of mustache wax.

    @BirdMan (first post) re: Void-native aliens.

    It could be that they were a species that was trapped in the void eons ago. There's no indication of how long the anomaly has existed and no reason to think, considering how densely populated the entire galaxy seems to be in the Star Trek universe, that the void hasn't been trapping ships continuously during all that time. Their species, provided a steady stream of captured/derelict starships and an initial biology that provided unique advantages in such an environment, could have evolved to thrive in the void. The ability to mask their lifesigns, survive in low-oxygen environments for extended periods and their rat-like ability to find and use resources. Natural selection has created stranger things... in the Star Trek universe, of course. It's all science-fantasy, after all.

    I think this episode is great. Although, could have been better executed, perhaps made into a two-part episode.

    But it really captures the essence of the advantage of cooperation and comparative advantage.

    Great article about comparative advantage.
    ourprg.com/?p=43

    I really liked this episode too, though I agree about placing a warning buoy. In fact, I said so aloud as I was watching the ending, "Aren't you going to place a warning buoy to keep any more ships from getting trapped?" I'm just going to assume they did so while they were extending their warm wishes and saying their goodbyes.

    Though...if you think about it, doing so would basically be condemning everyone within the void to death, as no new resources would be introduced. This includes their musical friends, who still rely on the ships that become trapped in there for survival. I'll bet you that's why the episode didn't address this, because they didn't want to draw attention to the moral implications of making that choice.

    I liked the upbeat message of the value of cooperation, but like Kieran, I didn't like the scene where Janeway consults Federation handbooks looking for a "loophole" so she can start raiding. I thought her decision not to raid was driven by her sense of morality, not by Federation bylaws. She goes from moral compass to reluctant rule follower in that scene, completely destroying her credibility when she declares she'll do the right thing no matter what.

    When i think of Voyager episodes this one ALWAYS comes to mind. i love this one. 4 stars!!

    @ Birdman and Proghead777. yes, i am pretty sure that these guys are not native. they have just become resident aliens.

    @leah, what a great and insightful argument against a buoy.

    @michael. the alien wasnt operating the ship. he was simply hiding on the ship. the original assumption in the first part of the show was incorrect by the voyager crew.

    a handful of people have ignored the fact that OTHER ships might have worked together and left the void. or single ships had power or skill to leave the void. just because one ship who has been there 5 years says it. doesnt mean he knows the history of the void.

    how can Valen live there for 5 years, but voyager was going to be dead in the water in 1-2 weeks? i think the writers tried to put urgency into the audience. it would have made more sense to make Voyager stranded there for a lot longer. but that is the choice they made. based on voyager's power needs, i find it hard for valen to survive for 5 years.

    also, there were either 109 or 129 other ships in the void...that doesnt seem like a lot for a void that has been around for that long. you might think that tuvok would have found 1000s of ships..and only 20-30 or so with life signs. that would have made more sense.

    great show 4 stars!!

    @azcats - - Valen survives because he is willing to steal from other ships to get the resources he needs. Voyager has a greater sense of urgency because 90% of their resources are stolen immediately and Janeway has opted to build an alliance rather than follow Valen's path.

    What's the deal with special dining for B'Elanna and Tom all of a sudden? That meal in the beginning was too exclusive. I couldn't figure out why Janeway would have dinner with just these two crew members (Chakotay is reasonable considering their weekly replicated roasts). It can't be a meal for the senior staff: Harry, Tuvok, and the Doctor weren't invited. Are they double dating now? How is the rest of the Voyager crew supposed to take that? The kitchen was closed to everyone else.

    Maybe I'm just griping. I kind of wish Tom and B'Elanna would decide to leave the ship and go live on some Class M somewhere in the Delta Quadrant. I really don't care for either of them.

    As the season and the series begins its final countdown, you definitely get the epic feel of closures and the sense of reaching full circle. Here the series seems to be closing some chapters on one of its biggest most dominant characters; the Delta Quadrant itself.

    "The Void" explores and reflects on what the Delta Quadrant has meant to the crew. Its pushed them, tested them, drove them and challenged them with a journey that's rooted firmly into their hearts.

    The Delta Quadrant showed them what survival is all about and coming with these death defining tests of character is the chance to emerge stronger than ever or let yourself be crushed under the weight of it all.

    In building their new home, in having the strength to forge a new family, in bravely staying true to the course to home and to their hearts, in having the strength to never giving up in what they believe in; they just might make it after all and keep the dreams in their horizon like a lighthouse in the dark.

    I believe this episode did a excellent job in reaffirming and concluding this key aspect of Voyager. It also reflected on the beauty that often existed even in the darkness.

    The way that the spirit of the Federation was able to save so many lives 30 odd thousand light years away is quite a testament. Also, the way we accept and nurture life in all its strange forms made for a wonderful first contact with a truly amazing alien species.

    It is another season 7 episode I would happily give 3.5 stars!

    Some of you here are missing the point entirely. This episode, like a lot of Trek, is simply ridiculous. There is no way that these guys would form any alliance. Janeway's stupid decision would have killed them all in a real life setting. There is someone in this thread cheering Janeway's decision because it ended up working. Reality check... it worked because the left wing propaganda writers made it work. This is a fiction, not reality. And as a science fiction it is a lot closer to pure fantasy.

    What an ignorant thing to say Daniel. But I suppose today's contemporary religion - a braindead capitalism in which every dollar you own is directly reponsible for putting your fellowman a dollar into debt - can only survive if folk like you believe it to be the "one and only, natural way".

    The native aliens surely have their own communication but prefer fart arsing around on datapads... Hmmmm.

    Cool scene though.

    Yeah, this is OK. 3 at best

    Ha! No one has made the connection ;)

    I give you The Time Trap from Star Trek Animated Series episode 12:

    On stardate 5267.2, while exploring the Delta Triangle, where many starships have disappeared, the Federation starship Enterprise is attacked by several Klingon vessels. During the battle they are caught in an ion storm. The Enterprise and one Klingon battlecruiser are drawn into a spacetime vortex and end up in a timeless dimension in what could only be called a graveyard for space vessels. Captain Kirk and his crew are shocked to find "that the descendants of the crews of these various vessels are still alive" and have formed a government, calling themselves 'The Elysian Council.'

    The crew discovers that the timewarp will gradually disintegrate the Enterprise's dilithium crystals. Their only means of escape is to link their ship with the Klingons' and their commander Kor[note 2] and try to power themselves out of the vortex. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Trap

    ----

    See any similarities?
    Well, obviously they reworked the story mechanics a bit as they had more time...but essentially the same plot.

    I would easily give this episode a 5/5 stars. The plot moved along at all times, many compelling aliens, first contact situations, and witty banter all around, and Nelix wasn't annoying. What more could one want in a Voyager episode?

    To Daniel.... did it not occur to you that Janeway realized that only with the combined efforts of several ships it would be possible to make it out of the Void in one piece? No single ship had enough power to make it. Indeed, Voyager was saved by the intervention of two of the allies and avoided catastrophe. It took some good ol' Federation ideology to over come xenophobia and get the job done. ;)

    I enjoyed this episode but I think I took their stranding worse than they did, like the reviewer touched on. They must have anxiety beaten out of them by Tuvok on a regular basis. I wish I could remember which episode but another one was listing off extreme doom about to arrive and Janeway just stood at the astro metrics screen like she was just watching her Soaps awaiting battle she knows she'll win because its in her contract.
    This episode loses its oomf for me once I saw Endgame because now-to hell with regulations and Janeway's whiny Martyrdom. The show is 7 yrs long we gotta rap it up even if we pull an Ensign and cheat our way home. I would rather see the slip stream improved yet still risky make a reprisal than endgame. That's not saying much, I was just feeling down about character inconsistency.

    Liked this one, especially for Janeway's sticking to principles. I wish her character had been more consistent in that regard. My favorite line was when she said something like, "We may lose some of our waistlines, but we won't lose ourselves." That had me cheering.

    So I guess what's old is new again, and by that I mean the "Season 1 Janeway" is back and the one that made an alliance with the Borg and almost murdered the Equinox crew is gone? Talk about inconsistent writing.

    But really bothers me in this episode is that Chakotay and Tuvok (and others) gang up on Janeway and give her a hard time about wanting to stick to principles. Do they really want to become thieves? I don't get it.

    The argument between Paris and Seven about the salt did absolutely nothing for the episode, or the characters, and it was not funny.

    Despite these and other grips, I liked the episode anyway. Btw, it was cool to see a ship firing on Voyager from the mess hall. We don't get enough views out actual windows on this show.

    To Daniel.... did it not occur to you that Janeway realized

    =========

    Janeway didn't realize anything, because she isn't real. She is a mouthpiece for whatever the writers want her to say. Are you that stupid?

    Ah, a Doylist among Watsonians.

    As Harry Plinkett said at the end of his ST Nemesis review, "Wait, none of this really happened!" And he should know, being fictitious himself.

    What a worthwhile episode. It's another "Voyager as it should have been" episode, but unlike the other episodes like this: Harry Kim's development and the mutiny, this one seems more worthwhile somehow. Perhaps because it feels less frustrating then the fake mutiny and the Harry Kim development episode that should have happened long ago. Both of which felt like teases as to what should have been from the beginning. This one also should have been from the beginning: being stranded so far from home and relying on makeshift alliances for resources. Although I suppose it makes sense that there would be lots of random planets to raid for resources, even if they didn't make any alliances.

    Even so, this one was still a good one for whatever reason. Although my main grip with it is the random characterization. Janeway, of course, is usually all over the place with her morality. She changes all the time. And the other characters don't really seem like they'd say that they should become pirates. But that's a grip with the entire show. The characterization was always wonky on Voyager. Either they changed from week to week to whatever the writers needed them to be or they stayed the exact same person from beginning to end.

    Also, I wonder if during season 7 someone sat down and said "You know that premise that we started this show with? Let's actually make use of that now," considering the "Voyager as it should have been from the first season" episodes. Perhaps Berman and Braga were only peripherally involved with the show, much like how once they handed Enterprise over to Manny Coto it also started using its premise, that of a prequel show.

    Awww, what a great little episode. Federation values save the day! It's a shame we couldn't stay in the void longer.

    I get where people are coming from in saying that Voyager should have been like this all the time but I don't agree. The Delta Quadrant is just a part of the same Milky Way galaxy as the Alpha Quadrant. They have to be good times as well as bad and I think Voyager had a realistic balance. I don't need to see the Year of Hell for entire series or an entire season. The DQ can't be all hell, all void, all desolate. No other quadrant is. So we got a good balance in my opinion. Yes, they could have spend more time looking at the resource shortage but I don't need to see you searching deuterium 12 out of 26 episodes per season. We've seen the resource issue depicted a few times and that's enough. There are too many things to tell stories about to keep rehashing like that.

    Yes, this is what Voyager could have been all along: sticking to your principles no matter what hardships you go through. And I applaud the writers for doing this episode. It’s one of my favourites of the season, and although it reuses the concept from « Night », it tells a much better story.

    Arguing about the realism of this episode vs. DS9’s sometimes less-than-optimistic outcomes would be beside the point. This is fiction. But many scientific studies have shown that co-operation and altruism provide evolutionary advantages. If all humans were selfish thieves and killers, the human race would not have survived very long.

    And I also loved the toungue-in-cheek callback to the spectacularly dumb « Demon » (the episode where they suddenly ran out of deuterium after leaving the holodecks on 24/7 for four years).

    Loved this episode, but it was remarkably similar to an episode from Star Trek: The Animated Series. Like, very similar. I can't remember the name of it, but ...

    Yeah, Voyager should've been tackling these things long-term.

    Adara says:

    "Communism saves the day! I thought this was a great episode with a very important message. Collective minds work better than individual minds only interested in protecting their own selfish interests."

    What a ridiculous and completely backward thing to say. Communism = stealing. That's what Communism is. It's based on the notion that I can steal from you and kill you if you don't like it (as the government does in every Communist country which ever existed) because I technically own everything that you own. The thieves and killers in this episode were typical Communists with no respect whatsoever for other people's private property. You know, your ignorant buddies!

    By contrast, Janeway acted like a capitalist in this episode, refusing to steal other people's private food, accepting that what is yours is NOT mine, and instead encouraging VOLUNTARY cooperation without betraying the principle of private property (if I CHOOSE to share with you, it's still technically mine because I'm still in control and making the choice).

    This was an episode that showed the retardation of Communism (a.k.a. stealing) and the superior benefits of voluntary cooperation based on mutual respect of each other's private property.

    She continues:

    "I really liked that the void aliens were called parasites and a drain on resources, (rhetoric sound familiar, anyone?) yet in the end they did have something valuable to offer."

    They were parasites and a drain on resources, by definition.

    "Everyone has something to offer. Everyone."

    No, not everyone. Some people are just losers. Your flower power crap is just laughable. But what's most disturbing to me about you is, as evidenced by your very first paragraph, your hatred of individualism as a result of your lack of belief in your own self. Words like "initiative," "creativity," and "innovation" are alien to you and you feel that you are worthless without a "collective" because, deep down, you feel like an inadequate loser. Basically, that's the psychological profile of ALL Communists.

    I suggest you get some therapy and raise your self esteem.

    Also Adara, if Communism is your thing, you must love the Borg. You must have applauded and cheered when in TNG's Best of Both Words II, Picard as Locutus said to Worf: "Why do you resist? We simply wish to raise quality of life among all the species."

    There is nothing worse than a condescending tyrant who loves me and patronizes me into a lobotomy in order to turn the screws in my own head for "my own good."

    Can you tell I hate Communist hippies with zero testosterone, zero self-belief, or zero sense of justice?

    Yes, John, we can tell what you hate. It is clear. But I will say that the vitriol gets old. You can disagree with people and express a political viewpoint without flaming the users of this board. I am not one to suppress any viewpoint or belief within reason, but I am going to ask that you moderate your tone. This forum is not a cable news channel. I want reasoned discussion here, not personal attacks on people you disagee with. Even absurd viewpoints can be answered or argued against politelty.

    That goes for everyone. Thank you.

    My apologies, Jammer. It's just that every time someone sings the praises of Communism, I immediately think of the Borg. And then I become like Picard from First Contact (The line must be drawn HERE! THIS FAR, NO FARTHER!).

    But since you are the private owner of this private site (pay attention Communists!) I will abide by your wishes and be more respectful to others here from now on. Sorry for the emotionalism.

    Hey Communists - see what I did just now? Because I'm a capitalist, and therefore, respect Jammer's private property, I have agreed to respect his rules. Now, if I were a Communist, I'd probably tell him to fuck off because what's his is also mine. But that would make me no better than the thieves in this episode. Get the point?

    By the way, Jammer, it's good to see you're still reading these comments. :)

    @John - I don't really want to get into a debate about Communism vs Capitalism but neither one works in pure form. You could joke that true Capitalism is the Ferengi as easily as you could that true Communism is the Borg.

    Without any property "theft" as you say, there'd be no taxes. "Well I don't have kids so I don't want to pay for schools!" "I don't have a car, so I don't want to pay for roads!" You get to a pretty bad place when you remove all aspects of socialism from the economy.

    I don't think it's as simple as respecting personal property vs not respecting personal property. Communism can theoretically allow for personal property, you are just required to share wealth. There are plenty of ways you can implement Communism that doesn't mean "your shirt doesn't belong to you".

    This episode was interesting because it showed Federation ideals splattered into a scarcity environment. Star Trek is often seen as pro-communism, but in a post-scarcity setting a government that didn't distribute things to the people for free would just be cruel. If you had a Tokamak and a replicator and you weren't interested in feeding the poor you're just an asshole :P

    I have to confess though that when I watched this I didn't really see capitalism or communism. I saw the value of community, which is really necessary for any successful society, regardless of their economic model.

    As to who wins? I will say that I've never seen an example of Communism done well, though that doesn't mean it's impossible. For my own tastes, I'd pick Capitalism with Socialist aspects.

    Paris says: "You can find Deuterium anywhere."
    Then why in Season 4 did the ship have to land on a Demon class planet, because they were almost out of Deuterium". That would be like being on a roadtrip, and waiting until your gas light comes on, before you think of filling up, even though you've passed several gas stations along the way.
    To Voyager Crew: Stock up any chance you get!!! Ugh.

    I was hoping Seven would say her secret ingredient was nanoprobes. They make everything taste perfect.

    An almost unexpected dose of Trekian optimism, based on the Sesame St principle that if everyone just cooperated then we'd all get along just fine. In some ways that's a refreshing change, whether or not you agree with the premise. And I'd agree it's an interesting 'what if?' for how the series might have developed if it had taken another direction.

    This is all handled competently enough but for me it didn't really take fire. There's no real suspense because it's clear they will escape eventually, and the shifting alliances are fairly minor ones. The void aliens are a novel ingredient though. 2.5 stars.

    Somewhere in here, there's a parable about the zero-sum mentality of the everyone-for-themselves laissez faire capitalist extreme versus the non-zero-sum mentality of more communitarian (not necessarily Communist) approaches... but more importantly, you also have realistic ship turbulence -- dishes falling onto the floor and breaking, potatoes being flung about the room like they're in a shake-and-bake -- which you so rarely see in Star Trek. Instead, sickbay and crew quarters are always perfectly neat and tidy with every test tube precisely positioned and undisturbed after the ship shakes hard enough to send people falling out of their seats on the bridge, which always had me scratching my head.

    Well, I have to say that was enjoyable. I'm going to ignore the issue of whether or not this should have been the way Voyager always was. I will say, though, that it does show that it's possible to have kept up Voyager's initial premise without losing its optimism. It didn't necessarily require a Maquis mutiny or everyone constantly on the edge, it didn't require hard headed aliens to always be there. We could have had a series of aliens coming in and out, with Janeway needing to deal with them as the situation required. Not just be used as backdrops for whatever silly plot contrivance they could come up with.

    But such is life, the show was what it was, and at least we had this episode to show for it.

    Basically, this was a very well plotted, enjoyable episode. Just take the musical squatters, for example. First of all, they were a unique species with multiple unique aspects of their personalities. They were basically a fun diversion from the rest of the episode. Or at least that's what you might think, but they intersected with the rest of the plot in ways that you wouldn't expect. The comment by the one guy about how they're vermin was the tipoff that he would be a bad guy. But it was also the excuse to get more of them, creating the nice symphony scene, but also get used at the end to sabotage the bad guys. It's nice to see the A and B plot intertwined like that.

    They also had plenty of good scenes, such as the Tinker Tenor aliens using Stellar Cartography to spy on everyone else, which starts out seeming to be ominous but actually just them contributing in their own way. We had an interesting montage rather than technobabble gobbledy-gook to get ready for the jump. We had Janeway frustrated at the actions of one of her alliance members and cursing herself for letting him in in the first place when she knew he would be trouble. And we had a variety of different cool aliens to see. What fun!

    By the way, one tiny bit that I really liked. At the end, when the alliance captains were saying their goodbyes, Janeway made a comment to Chakotay that it was almost like being back in Starfleet. Yes, I know, that part and the overall optimism was pushed way too much. But while she said that, the music quietly played the Star Trek fanfare. It was good to here again, and helped to emphasize that this series isn't just about getting home, and they aren't just wearing those uniforms because they're comfy and stylish. It's always good to have a reminder that these people are proud of their society and proud to be a part of it. And by tying it in with the classic music from TOS, TNG, and the movies, well, it was a nice moment. I really hope the new series puts that fanfare into their opening credits; I really miss it from DS9 and Voyager.

    I do agree, though, that the positive Starfleet ideal aspect was being laid on a bit too thick. In particular, Tuvok and Chakotay arguing so heavily to become raiders seemed out of place and only there to make Janeway look better. It's a common trope on Voyager, and I really wish they would do a better job of writing these morality conversations. Instead of having Chakotay argue for becoming thieves themselves, why not have him agree that it seems like a good idea, but that he doesn't feel they can trust anyone. The only survivors in this void are the most battle hardened, most cynical, most underhanded thieves. How can Janeway possibly think any of them would be willing to put their cynicism aside and agree to join her?

    Then Janeway could respond by asking him how she could possibly ask her enemy to become her first officer (hey, if this is the "Voyager as it should have been" episode, why not mention the Maquis again?). This would serve to still give Janeway's optimism center stage, but not make Chakotay and Tuvok look intransigent to get there. Instead, Chakotay would be bringing forth a real criticism of her plan, but Janeway could use Star Trek idealism as well as her own past experiences to move past it. Would have been much better.

    But that's all I'll complain about, because I did really like this episode.

    Seeing how dangerous the Delta Quadrant is, once Janeway finds home again, she should push the Federation in placing buoys along its perimiter so that no ships can travel there. Hurray for the Alpha quadrant.

    Actually having read some comments about how the alien 'holdrats' were probably transplanted from another system, that's my major gripe answered. Apart from that, the story engaged me, and offered a reasonable argument against the Hobbesian 'war of all against all' idea. I think many societies facing crisis in the past have benefited from a little temporary communism - even the USA. In the longer term, I admit I'm sceptical, but what's that to Voyager? I have to say that season 7 has produced a majority of winning episodes so far. Seems like a return to the glory days of season 5. God: hope I haven't just jinxed myself.

    So the parable of stone soup works in the Delta Quadrant! I'm pleased.

    Also, although I didn't think Shattered was a particularly coherent episode, it sets this one up nicely. I don't think I entirely realized that Voyager was Captain Janeway's first command until I saw Shattered. Her inconsistency, especially in the first three years then becomes more explicable.

    She has been a member of Starfleet all her adult life both as a scientist and a command officer but the situation Voyager faces cannot be trained for because only command experience offers the right training ground.

    Captain Picard had a much longer history in the captain's chair when we join him at FarPoint. So Janeway has to operate initially in a vacuum with no trusted peers or mentors to rely upon. Managers, like teachers and doctors, have to gain their experience using live subjects. And whenever we gain skills, they are forged on anvils of failures. I'm not certain that Captain Picard would have destroyed the Caretaker's Array without finding a way home for his crew first. Janeway was thrown off balance by loss of her crew and it clearly affected her judgment.

    An interesting counterpoint to this episode are ENT episodes in season 3 where the space is so hard on the ships. Captain Archer operates without a federation charter and his experiences and choices ultimately influence the charter that Voyager lives under.

    Very interesting posts KB and Skeptical.

    I too took notice to the music. Made me feel good too.

    I won't be drug into the communism crap. Folks just don't learn from history.

    Wonderful star trek episode here. One of if not the best "aliens" I can remember. Very unique and special.

    I'll go a bit higher and give this one 3.5 stars.

    @ Yanks,

    May I ask what part of the episode in particular this comment refers to?

    "I won't be drug into the communism crap. Folks just don't learn from history."

    I just wanted to understand the context of the comment.

    Peter G.,

    Adara, Tue, May 14, 2013, 11:17pm (UTC -5) first commented about it, then other folks jumped in including Jammer.

    @Yanks:

    It's the wrong categorization between communism and what happened in this episode. Liberals tend to ascribe too many ideas on sharing and mutual cooperation to Socialism and Communism, instead the terms are only true for macro-state/social systems of development rather than individual concepts. Think of this Yanks as Christian concept of "fellowship" as in classical Christian interpretation of the 12 apostles, if you want a Conservative approximation.

    For me as a progressive realist, it is quite logical o share resources if the different resources can be used to reach an ultimate goal. As the basis of Industrial theory, "specialization" of labor and parts form the core concepts from which odern Civilization can trace its roots. There is nothing "commie" or socialist about it, just a reality of modern society and progress. If I grow apples worth $1.00 a bushel + have eggs worth $0.25 a dozen and you grow wheat worth $0.50 a bushel + have cows with milk worth $0.50 a gallon, but an apple pie is worth $6.00, then why shouldn't we cooperate and make apple pie.

    If you believe that trade is socialism and Communism aka Trump movement of 2016, (Modern American reactions to trade and resource management are quite idiotic and simply incoherent from a Conservative perspective as well), I must say that you have no solid ground to stand on. Trade and resource allocation is not fair, it is necessary to reach our goals as a society to keep Civilization running. Some people will make more, some less, some will get promoted without merit, and other remain stagnant even with capability.

    Star Trek's Federation is a socialist ideal state, there are things about it that we want to reach (Technological Singularity, Peaceful Co-existence), things that will never exist (Utopian distribution of goods/resources), and other things that are contradictory to economic form (Latinum, scarce resource allocation, social structures with human dominance).

    I hated this episode because sorry but the music aliens really did seem like unapologetic parasites and Janeway was ridiculous for being offended at the idea.

    An interesting and unacknowledged aspect is that while the coalition was eventually able to succeed it only consisted, IIRC, of three other species and two or three other ships ... and then at the end one of the species leader said he never actually expected success, really further undermining whatever messages or idealism were in mind.

    It's September, 2016 and I'm watching the entire series on Netflix for first time. Loving it. Loving your reviews and the comments as I go. I'm up to this episode.

    Question: How do species in the Delta Quadrant, who may not even know humans or ever heard of Starfleet, recognize the terminology of Quadrant and specifically understand they live in the Delta Quadrant?

    Thank you.

    I'll take my answer off the air.

    quadrant,

    It's the same invisible magi-babble widget that has always enabled Star Fleet personnel to board an alien vessel (or space station) and operated controls plastered with said alien's language.

    Quite the impressive device. I would love to see it some day, but it's invisible.

    I assume if I had a universal translation and said Japan to a Japanese person, they'd hear 日本国 (nippon koku).

    I assume if you say Delta Quadrant to Neelix he hears whatever his people call it. Or maybe it comes out closer to "your region of space".

    That said, the universal translator is magic, as Yanks eluded to.

    Well, only my second post and I really enjoyed this episode, it shows the spirit of cooperation, had some good dialogue and it has been said before aliens not speaking through the translator, but the translator could have done this once the basic understanding of the language had been established, but that would have not been as effective.
    And this goes to the whole point for me of watching Sci-Fi, it's about the suspension of disbelief and how far YOU think it can go before it becomes ultimately ridiculous.
    I smile at the different t opinions on this, and mostly with the time travel episodes.

    Athough I do tend to agree the Voyager failed on some very simple levels, but I'm a sucker for anything S.T.

    My other favourite observation is the constant, communism v capitalism. Or right and left wing observations. G.R. was I belive an Athiest, multiculturalist and wanted to portray a society where war, poverty and famine had been eradicated which seems quite a socialist attitude that prevails through all the spin offs from TOST.

    It also very amusing when peoples description of what communism is, and quite angrily incorrectly described, and the Soviet perverted version is touted. BTW I'm NOT saying communism in its purest form would ever work but the concept isn't 'bad' and it doesn't crush free enterprise or entrepreneurs.
    I assume most of the posters are from the US, where the understanding of government assisted healthcare is berated for being some socialist disease that capitalism holds the cure for.
    It seems we are far from the Star Trek future, because I'm not quite sure how Trump would fit in!

    Anyway it was nice to see Janway have some relationship with a 'solid' and still a shame the she and her second officer (not risking not being able to spell his bloody name on this site) didn't get together, however cheesy it would or could have been.

    A nuclear submarine can stay submerged for up to 25 years yet this marvel of the future can't last a week without losing power? Even though they tried to explain it I'm still not buying it.

    CAPTAIN JANEWAY: "I've become convinced that we've got to stick to our principles, not abandon them."

    CHAKOTAY: "Should the crew be ready to die for those principles?"

    CAPTAIN JANEWAY: "If the alternative means becoming thieves and killers ourselves, yes. But I'm betting that our principles are going to keep us alive."

    MARLA GILMORE: "Excuse me, Captain. I'm standing right here."

    Gilmore was a killer who shouldn't get a lot of consideration, let alone deference, from the crew.

    Warning buoys, really? Even when the other ships trapped in the void weren't very friendly, it would still be the humanitarian thing to make a rescue attempt. The least they could do is collect some deuterium (since it's found "everywhere" according to Tom) and try to send it into the void, alongside with blueprints for this device they built and all of the data they collected on their escape so others could reproduce it. I wouldn't even put it past them to collect enough supplies and, after devising a more reliable way to escape, to go back into the void in order to help others escape.

    Think about it, how many people are aboard all the ships? Are they all supposed to suffer for the decisions their captains made?

    What are the alternatives?
    If they do nothing, new ships will continue to be pulled in and fall victim to the trapped ships.
    If warning buoys are put there, that will only mean the situation in the void will grow more desperate over time and the people trapped there will asphyxiate, starve or kill each other in a fight for the last resources.

    This is just the "Gravity" episode over again, isn't it?
    There are aliens which will die a gruesome death and Voyager may have the means to rescue them, but let's not dwell on thoughts about them. It's their own fault, they should have tried being more important to the writers of the show!

    So the doctor and the twitchy alien ratman both learn a brand new made up musical language well enough to speak to each other fluently, even telling jokes, in a few hours, or a day, or whatever it was. Right.

    And some of these ships have been here for years and can't find one or more of the ratpeople hidden on their ship in all that time? Right.

    anyway, 2 stars from me.

    A decent but overly idealistic episode that illustrates the Trekkian themes of cooperation, non-discrimination, not giving up. Perhaps something like this is needed now and then but I still liked the idea of a spatial void and ships having to do whatever it takes to survive.

    The idealistic part is Janeway immediately resorting to Federation principles to try and work together to escape given what the immediate experience was with Valen. It's worth trying I suppose and the episode challenges her principles a bit but not as much as it should have given the really dire circumstances.

    There's the incident with the bigoted alien who proves Janeway's first instincts about him right. I guess Janeway needed more of a challenge to her ideals than Tuvok/Chakotay providing some initial resistance for the episode to have enough teeth.

    We also see the potato people again who join the alliance -- and as I recall, they're quite good at surveillance. Plenty of oddball aliens in this one which made the episode a bit goofy at times. Janeway had a good line about feeling like she's back in the Federation again given all these alliances Voyager's making .

    What's also nice and Trekkian is Voyager adopting the alien vermin who live in the void and then they come in handy by disabling Valen's ship and an bigot's. This works out too conveniently and in the nick of time.

    There's the usual ending with Voyager and the alliance ships getting fired upon but managing to escape as Torres pulls off what should be understood as something of a miracle although it doesn't get played up that much.

    2.5 stars -- thought the episode could have been grittier, but not a bad premise overall. This kind of reminds me of how a TOS episode might have unfolded -- trying to exemplify some key themes without being dark or sinister.

    As a standalone piece of entertainment, I really enjoyed this. In addition to the action it was a fun 'aliens best-of' from recent encounters. A surviving Vaadwaur ship from Dragon's Teeth, the Nygeans from Repentance and the surveillance dudes from last season's Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy. Nice to see them again, and all used rather well.

    However, I am also in total agreement with Jammer that this drips irony. This should really have been the vibe for the entire run of the show. And while I appreciate the writers always having one eye on syndication, it might have been a nice idea to have extended Voyager's imprisonment in The Void to half a season at least.

    The alliance could have grown and shrunk over time; the crew become more worn down by privation; more customisation of the ship (I loved the idea of new tech enhancing the replicators by a factor of three); maybe a supply ship filled with deuterium is dragged in at the beginning of an episode, everyone having their fill and peace reigning for a while. Perhaps the writers could have even killed off a member of the senior staff or had a former marquis defect to another ship.

    So many potential ideas but with all the action wrapped within the 45 minute run time the ship was never in any real jeopardy.

    A pity.

    Why can't reviewers of Voyager remember that replicators are alpha quadrant/Federation technology? It's a huge bargaining chip and resource in a situation like this and many others that show up in Voyager

    Interesting concept, held my interest. The "nice guys finish first after all" idea is well presented.

    Should have shown some concern for those still trapped and those who might be, in the future.

    This was actually a rather enjoyable episode, it managed to bring together many of star trek`s core themes and meld them into an interesting and gripping storyline.
    I`ve heard many people complain about voyager`s seventh season yet so far it`s actually been rather interesting and enjoyable.
    A solid 3/4.

    This is DEFINITELY among my favourite episodes! I like how it shows the peoples in various ships helping each other and all gaining. That is actually a very elevated and Godly way of doing things, and I am glad it was shown to be better in the long run than everyone preying and stealing from each other.

    I do agree with the first commentor that even a mention of a warning buoy would have been nice. I didn't see much of season 7 on its first run (I haven't seen most of these since I used to watch them on their original showing, but by the latter seasons I was too busy to watch, and missed some episodes), but I would like to have seen the two main alien allies stay with Voyager at least for a few episodes, but I guess that's how it goes.

    I didn't realise the 1st alien in the mute race was the same actor who played Hugh on TNG's "I Borg"! Cool!

    Oh, there is one misstep (at least in my opinion). While it was neat that the doctor developed the music language for him (and his race), when he said that there was no way to communicate with them, I was thinking, what about a mind meld?

    How could they place warning buoys around something that's over 9 light years across? According to the diagrams shown in the meeting room, the funnels appear all around its perimeter, not in any one particular spot. I suppose if the buoys used subspace transmitters they might not need too many of them, but for reference the distance from our sun to Pluto is just .0006 light years, so this thing is huge.

    Did anyone else think it was a shame that Seven went to all that trouble of preparing her shipmates a gourmet meal only for it to all end up on the floor?

    Those damn spacial anomalies are a real nuisance aren’t they?

    CAPTAIN'S DIRECTIVE, TO TAKE EFFECT IMMEDIATELY

    Group dinners, poker games, or any other activity involving humorous banter in private quarters are now forbidden. It always leads to some dang anomaly interrupting it and then we all have to deal with that.

    I liked the cinematography in this episode, but the script had some definite issues. I really enjoy the Janeway character, but she got in the way a lot of the time, suffocating a good setup. She's not a diplomat, and she's not a military tactician. I found her overbearing. This may work as a heavy handed parable, but not as adult SF.

    I often think of Voyager as a lot of missed opportunities, and that definitely applies here. This should have been a 2 or 3 part episode, or even more. The business constraints of producing a one-off 42 minute episode really stifled the creativity on Voyager. They certainly could have combined Night's void with this one (Night didn't have much going for it besides concept and atmosphere). Building an alliance in a short time frame without being destroyed was implausible and, yes, needed more room to develop. I would have liked to have seen a lot more of Tuvok debating Janeway - and some Harry Kim (did Wang leave the series after season 6?). As pointed out, Janeway needed more consistency - she's violated the prime directive many times, from the very first episode. Seeing Seven in an apron was funny and rather unexpected, but I still don't know what Paris is even doing on the show.

    So, as usual, it looked rushed, the script needed a rewrite, and a much longer running time - my regular criticism of the better episodes of seasons 4 - 7.

    I had something interesting to say about this episode but then my thoughts got derailed after reading John’s deranged red baiting commentary. Janeway got her coalition to work because she stuck to her principles of peace and cooperation. If you want to claim that as sticking to “capitalist” values, go right ahead. If you want to call it sticking to “communist“ values, go right ahead. To me at all just seems like common sense. Decency and kindness can take you far in life. And I love this episode for illustrating that.

    I also found myself wondering whether this was based on scrapped plans for the show as a whole and retooled as a standalone story. Good episode anyway. I like the optimism on display, but Janeway's characterisation strikes me as a bit... off. For the purpose of the story, she's right back to season one Janeway, who does things by the book and remains true to her principles at all costs. That's not an inherently bad thing, but it could have come with some acknowledgment of her actions in episodes like Equinox (especially the titular ship's crew are still, as far as we know, still on Voyager). An episode that actually saw Janeway reckon with her mistakes to retain that first season optimism would have perhaps been a more complex and interesting one, but I'm happy with what we have here regardless. 3 stars.

    for @Diamond Dave:

    https://youtu.be/gR34PJOl3K8

    Cooperation, makes it happen
    Cooperation, working together
    Dig it!
    Cooperation, makes it happen
    Cooperation, working together

    I saw these crazy dudes
    And they went out on the street
    They were cleanin' out the empty lot
    And makin' it neat
    I said, "Man is this cool
    What you tryin' to do?"
    They said, "Makin' a garden
    For me and for you."

    They said:
    Hey man, join us
    Come on, let's go
    Together we can make a pretty garden grow

    Girl: I'll dig a hole

    Guy: And I'll plant a seed

    Together: And we can add the water
    That all growin' things need

    Cooperation, makes it happen
    Cooperation, working together
    Dig it!
    Cooperation, makes it happen
    Cooperation, working together

    https://youtu.be/gR34PJOl3K8

    I agree with most of the reviewers - I liked the episode quite a bit, as well as the optimism displayed.

    One reviewer mentioned that Janeway should have deployed warning buoys. How about taking it a step further and sending vast quantities of supplies into the void, including the technology to escape? It would have shown magnanimity to those still trapped there, despite their treachery towards Voyager. That would have been a true Starfleet moment.

    Tom’s comment on deuterium ... geezer this show so often doesn’t catch a break.

    It seems pretty obvious the point of that line was the production acknowledging they boned science in the Demon episode.

    Good Voyager outing. I'm like the others who wouldn't have minded this alliance to carry out at least on more episode on the outside of The Void. And this could have easily been a two-parter. Still, good job.

    I must agree with everyone who said this is what Voyager should have been all along. Instead of an episodic show it should have been a story arc, more like DS9. Decisions should have had long running consequences and traversing territories should have mattered. We could have seen allies that stuck with the ship much longer or even permanently. Instead we got reset buttons over and over again.

    I too thought immediately of "Alliances", so I appreciate Jammer's analysis of why the situation was different here. I greatly appreciated the optimism of this story, that yes, while some will reject an offer of cooperation, there are those who are reasonable and willing to join forces to achieve a goal. After so many stubbornly hostile aliens in the Delta Quadrant, it's refreshing to see some friendly ones.

    And on a purely visual note, those ships in the dark, illuminated only by their windows and running lights look great, and Voyager's sets gain something when dimly lit. This was a visually strong episode as well as telling a good story.

    Well, Voyager did start with story arcs for the first couple of seasons. But it didn't really work.

    Partly because the Kazon were so ridiculous. Partly because they were trying to borrow DS9 elements. The lead Kazon was meant to be like Dukat and Seska seemed to borrow a lot of Kai Winn. The actress even looked and sounded like a younger version.

    But there problems with this. Seska's character ark was ridiculous, and the Kazon were such a silly "threat".

    But the biggest problem was they shouldn't have seen these Kazon for more than a few episodes, tops.


    There should have been very few recurring characters, and they needed to be non-corporeal like Q and (in effect) the Borg Queen. Or, they were hitching a ride got some reason like Neelix.

    They could have cheated and somehow ended up with a rag tag fleet of Alpha Quadrant ships to protect. That could have been interesting...



    Anyway, as others have pointed out, this is actually pretty much a remake of an Animated Series episode "The Time Trap".

    Maybe Jammer will review the Animated Series at some point. They're much better than people assume. They have most of TOS voice actors and the stories are of the same level as TOS. It's not kid-ified at all. The animation is painfully cheap and the music is even more over the top than the original show, but still, it's like the final two years of the five year mission.

    Plus, they are able to show things they never could on the live action show.

    And while the show was very limited in long story arcs, they SHOULD have had the ship gradually breaking down at least. They were so anal about that reset button, I'm surprised they ever allowed Mulgrew to change her hair.


    Though actually, since practically every show now is arc based soap opera, it's one of nice that Voyager is episodic. You can jump in here or there.

    I'm quite hesitant to even watching shows now because I don't want such a commitment.

    @Silly

    I agree, The Animated Series (TAS) was remarkably good storytelling, especially whe you consider how little time the writers had to work with. (Like most Saturday morning cartoons, each episode was only half an hour, minus commercials.)

    Even though the stories were not kiddie-widdie stuff that adults would be embarrassed to watch, I do remember at least three, off the top of my head, that I now realize were probably written with younger viewers especially in mind: The one where we see Spock as a young boy, the one where the crew shrinks so that they have more and more trouble reaching things, and the one where they are in some region of space where living things get younger instead of older, so the crew turn into children, and they are only saved because a very elderly couple of retired officers happened to be on board to take over when the crew had become babies.

    I have read that Gene Roddenberry, strangely enough, repudiated TAS, and did not consider those episodes "canonical," so he had no compunctions about contradicting them later. I don't know what problem he had with them, but I think a lot of fans choose to see them as part of the story, anyway.

    A really fine episode, which offers a rare extended montage of the allies working together to hammer out a defence. Very few montages of the type occur in Trek so this one stands out.

    Important to see rejection of the 'war of all against all' approach and this pessimistic view is expressed several times by Valen. He was played well by Robin Sachs as a pragmatist embittered by too many years in limbo. Valen was never simply bloodthirsty; he had some class and consequently becomes a tragic figure. He reminded me of the corrupt samurai Muroto Hanbei in Kurosawa's film Sanjuro (well worth seeing). He could have been better than he ultimately turns out to be. Just a waste.

    Janeway was a strong leader in this one, and I really liked sering her leadership here. Neelix's supportive tone in trying to sell the alliance to others by stating Janeway's dependability was great. Tuvok's and Chakotay's pressing of Janeway on the rules of engagement was another very good scene.

    Good cheer was delivered by several of the alliance aliens, and I liked the tonal comminication of the Doctor's friend and other members of that species.

    Easily worth 4 stars.

    Var. *Hanbei Muroto* (Sanjuro) was a great character, a villain with a brain and a strong sense of loyalty really in search of a kindred spirit; compare Rupert of Hentzau (Prisoner of Zenda) also great, a villain with pinache, and self confident swagger, really a loner, no need of loyalty and completely self-absorbed.

    General Valen is very much done in the mold of Hanbei. He was probably willing to share the void with Janeway.

    *defense*

    Janeway was a strong leader in this one, and I really liked *seeing* her leadership here.

    I liked the tonal *communication* of the Doctor's friend and other members of that species.

    Great opening scene with Seven as gourmet chef, and liked that Seven has learned the true meaning of peanut butter and jelly.

    They were just lucky it was a Sontaran scout ship and not a Borg cube that got sucked in next 🙂

    Janeway got lucky when her alliance was able to escape in a single attempt, otherwise it would've fallen apart. If people trapped in the void are dependent upon new ships entering for resources, then alliance of ships would have to split the resources of each new ship coming in. First of all, that seems like a diplomatic version of raiding, since none of the alliance ships could give new ships resources like energy in return. New ships would be parasitized, even if it's willing, until the alliance could escape the void. Yes yes, everyone is pooling their technology too, but that doesn't solve the energy problem.

    That's why the escape had to work on the first attempt, otherwise people would start getting desperate and need to start competing again. I would say Janeway took a huge risk. I am not quite clear on why a giant shield bubble would help them all escape. Yes, the shield is stronger because you have more ships contributing power, but you *need* more power to encompass all those ships. So the effect is neutral. Each ship still has to have enough power of motion to escape the vortex in time before it collapses. Anyway... I'll stop nitpicking.

    The species native to the void... it makes sense to me. They probably come from a much older race that got trapped in the void and then later evolved on the various ships that became trapped. That suggests the void is super ancient.

    The one thing that really bothered me in this episode was the dark lighting. You know, lights don't take up that much energy when your power source is a warp core. They didn't need to use the psychology of literal darkness to illustrate the void and scarcity, when they already did that by showing Tom and B'Elanna being served food preserves. People still need to see.

    Overall, I liked this episode and consider it one of the standouts of season 7. I also agree with Jammer that it is a microcosm of what Voyager could've been. Creating a Starfleet/Maquis hybrid crew and putting the ship in a precarious part of space, yet still preserving the squeaky clean image of the Federation, was a major missed opportunity. The writers defaulted to the "hostile alien of the week" when they could've been writing rich and intriguing plots based on Voyager forming alien alliances, or doing some things the Maquis way. Making alien races look so one dimensional kind of creates a human hubris similar to the one in the void, as if humans were the most advanced and ethical intellect to ever get trapped there? It also makes the hostile alien of the week pretty boring. That aside, it's unrealistic. The Gamma Quadrant has the Dominion, the Alpha Quadrant has the Federation; the Beta Quadrant has species 8472, the Romulan Star Empire, etc. Yet the Delta Quadrant is just supposed to be this massive uncivilized and hostile region of space? Not buying it, sorry.

    What was the point of putting a ship alone in the Delta Quadrant if it always looked perfectly repaired after each episode and operated with complete resilience? The worst part of the missed opportunity is all the philosophical gold of the human condition they could've explored with this. They literally could have done anything different. Voyager was isolated from the Dominion War timeline because of its location. Even if the writers created an alien alliance that wasn't compelling, it would've been no problem because Voyager was always just passing through, so they could've hit magic reset buttons or introduced newer and better alien alliance concepts. This show was a writer's dream. Voyager being removed from the Federation yet in constant transit meant they could've experimented with so many avenues. Instead they took no risks whatsoever and maintained the crew as consummate, upstanding Starfleet professionals... which was not only too convenient (if you ask me), but also kind of stale.

    I look at BSG, where they had the resources of an entire fleet. Even so, by the end of the series the Galactica was falling apart and the fleet's human populace has gone through so many hellish experiences that their society barely even looked the same. Everyone had been each other's friend, enemy, ally, etc... such that by the end, everyone had risen (or lowered?) into some kind of apathetic mish-mash.

    I really really really wish Voyager had taken even just a dash of BSG's take on things. It would have made the show SO much more rich.

    The thing that I don't get is, why did they have to destroy the vortex? It only seemed like one Malon captain was using the vortex to dump waste. If they eliminated the freighter - which they would have had to do anyway because Impk was not going to let them use the vortex - then the radiation threat to the void would have been taken care of.

    I don't like that they collapsed the vortex. I imagine, down the road, other ships may need to cross it, and now there's no shortcut for anyone.

    It’s interesting that many commenters saw this episode through the filter of Capitalism vs Communism. It seems to me this story is more analogous to a group of miners trapped after a cave in, or a group of sailors trapped on a desert island. As such I think this episode ought to be taken on its own literal merits rather than as a parable. The basic questions: which is better, cooperation or predation? And is it possible to live by principles in such dire circumstances? The episode has a pretty clear stance on both I’d say.

    I found the scavenger aliens an interesting idea. Pretty cool concept, but I wanted to know more about them, like how long they’d been around, how they got from ship to ship, what their real communication methods were, etc..
    I also was uneasy about the idea of leaving them in the void. I know it’s their home, sort of, but they’re “indigenous” to the void the same way a goldfish is indigenous to a bowl, if ships stop coming in, they’ll die just like anything else. I hope Janeway and co at least tried to explain the totality of the situation to them before agreeing to leave them behind, I mean, they might not know, and thus fear, what’s outside of the void, but that doesn’t mean the void is better for them in the long run.

    Lastly my only real nitpick with this episode was the lack of derelict ships drifting around. This void had presumably been pulling ships into itself for a very long time, possibly centuries, I would imagine that that would constitute many hundreds, if not thousands, of past ships. It’s too bad voyager didn’t find a sort of proto-planet made up of old ship wrecks that had drifted together at the center of the void, would have been a cool idea.

    Communism is the only way to get out of tough situations hey Voyager writers.

    This was an awful episode. One of the worst episodes of Voyager. I love how Capt Insaneway picks and chooses when and when not to act like a Starfleet captain. Seven of Nine correctly describes her as more lucky than average or something like that in an episode a while back. First off all, this decision of hers could have doomed them all in no time, as both Tuvok and Chakotay were aware of. When she did get her alliance together she almost doomed it by ordering her crew to remove the technology that was stolen. Ships right there would have broken off into their own alliances but in the name of communism and for the sake of getting their preachy message across that doesn’t happen and Capt. Insaneway gets everyone out of this dangerous situation.

    This show is great at times but there’s the odd episode where I have to throw my hands up in the air and say “No way” lol. Out of all the Star Trek shows (not including Discovery or any other newer shows to me because I don’t consider them part of the prime universe) she had to be the most dangerous to her crew. I loved her as a character but she was terrible captain but that’s what made her so compelling to me. I don’t think she could have ever gotten her crew home but she did. Suddenly they were home but that wasn’t good enough, she had to roll the dice again and do it over lolol. Only Janeway.

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