Star Trek: Voyager
"Bride of Chaotica!"
Air date: 1/27/1999
Teleplay by Bryan Fuller & Michael Taylor
Story by Bryan Fuller
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
"Think of it as Starfleet's first encounter with Planet X." — Seven to Janeway, advice on first-contact situations in the holodeck
Nutshell: Schlocky is as schlocky does.
The last thing I expected from "Bride of Chaotica!" was for it to come off as routine. I mean, it's a throwback to the 1940s serials, shot in black and white, and the title even contains an exclamation mark, for heaven's sake. How can you have a title with an exclamation mark for an episode that plays itself nearly as straight as any other standard offering?
Simple style aesthetics and common sense insist that I write the title of this show "Bride of Chaotica!" Even so, I tend to think that the idea behind this episode was "BRIDE OF CHAOTICA!" The intentions behind what would warrant a cheerful, all-uppercase assault are clearly present. Unfortunately, the net result of this offering can never muster anything that deserves more than "Bride of Chaotica!" or perhaps just "Bride of Chaotica" sans exclamation mark.
Episodes like this one tear down that cinematic "fourth wall" in our minds. We're aware that this isn't a story being told so much as a meditation on much older cinema. The point of the episode is to show the cast and crew of Voyager paying homage to an idea, perhaps so we'll experience vicariously the fun they had in making an unconventional installment.
Well, I'm all for it. I loved the self-referential humor of "Trials and Tribble-ations" and got a great deal of enjoyment out of other holodeck comedies/spoofs like "Our Man Bashir" and "Take Me Out to the Holosuite." And although I'm no expert on 1940s serials, I am familiar with them, and they do appeal to my enjoyment of schlocky cinema: I've seen all 12 chapters of "King of the Rocket Men," and I still enjoy an occasional episode of MST3K on the Sci-Fi Channel.
All of which is why I find it so hard to believe "Bride of Chaotica!" struck me as so flat. What went wrong?
Well, to be an optimist, I'll first answer the question of what went right.
Item #1: A workable nod to the 20th century. Tom's been a history buff of sorts, even if he tends to look at old cars and entertainment as history in a more superficial and playful context (as opposed to, for instance, Sisko, who took interest in the 21st century for what was decidedly more socially relevant reasons). Old sci-fi is, like I said, something that might serve as a good source of juxtaposition for Trek in the '90s.
Item #2: Shot mostly in black and white. This was a good idea back when the Captain Proton holo-program first appeared in "Night," and it still is.
Item #3: Flawless re-creation. Although I'll admit that it looks like a lot of money went into some of the Captain Proton sets (which certainly wasn't the case with serials), the production team did a great job with props, costumes, and art design to make the setting look as cheesy as it should've. David Bell's tinny, bass-free score is also perfectly appropriate.
Unfortunately, the writing staff just couldn't trust the audience to enjoy the concept on its own terms. (It's the same sort of attitude that required a holodeck jeopardy premise be made out of "Worst Case Scenario," a story that would've stood just fine on its own.) Fuller and Taylor felt compelled to merge Captain Proton with a technobabble plot—which would've been okay if done carefully. But "Bride of Chaotica!" makes a fatal mistake by taking itself—and especially its tech plot—too seriously.
One could probably argue similarly about the crew-in-jeopardy setup of "Our Man Bashir," but the difference is that "Bashir" had the ability to embrace its own silliness and just go with the flow. Something about "Chaotica" just can't pick itself up and break free. The tech plot becomes a huge liability.
And about the technobabble—it's the epitome of annoyingly arbitrary Voyager technical gobbledygook. The basic premise is okay—Voyager is visited by aliens who exist as "photonic" (i.e., holographic) life forms, who mistake Tom's program for an actual planet. The idea could've been compelling if the aliens were permitted to have a more interesting and substantive perspective in this dilemma, which, alas, they aren't.
But all the flab concerning the ship being stuck in space and trapped by gravimetric forces (or whatever)—who freakin' cares? Not me. And I wouldn't have let it get in the way of my enjoying the rest of the episode if it weren't for the fact there's so much of it. Every time the episode seems to be building its momentum in the holodeck's black-and-white sessions, along comes color and technobabble to interrupt the flow.
What's particularly funny to note is that the "actual" plot of this episode is about as schlocky as the Captain Proton story; it's just more updated schlock. Unfortunately, the writers didn't seem to notice the fact enough to parody it. They simply present it as straight as any other Day at the Office.
And yet, these complaints would've been irrelevant if the holodeck games would've been hilarious. Simply put: They aren't. What this episode sets out to do is all too rarely realized. The gags are surprisingly tame.
As I watched this episode, I realized that what they did here was not easy. The careful mimicking, the attention to detail—all expertly done (Kroeker deserves kudos for the directorial effort). But what's missing is pure enjoyment and exhilaration. This episode never quite takes off. I wasn't laughing much. Occasionally I was chuckling. Some of the gags are perceptive, but they don't dare to be brashly satirical. The lesson to be learned here, I think, is that skillful imitation alone is not enough. There has to be an attitude, an edge, brought to the material. In "Our Man Bashir," a great deal of attitude arose from the sharp banter between Bashir and Garak. There was a sense—despite the alleged seriousness of the plot's situation—that the actors and characters knew their setting was ridiculous.
That isn't the case here, and as a result, the humor doesn't flow, although it drips occasionally. The holo-plot is absurd (as it should be): The evil, holographic Chaotica (Martin Rayner) opens war on the alien beings (because he is one-dimensional, programmed evil, you see), which means Janeway must enter the holodeck, pose as the irresistible Arachnia, and stop his evil plan. (Standard contrivance of course dictates that the holodeck cannot be simply turned off, but never mind.) The performances are good but somehow not all that funny. Mulgrew chews the scenery well, but her incessant twitching is merely bizarre near the end.
Doc looks at home in the role of "President of Earth," but his negotiation with the aliens is so brief that it feels like an opportunity wasted. There are some other good moments, particularly the nods to the familiar comic-book goofiness ("NOT THAT BUTTON!"), but given the potential, the show seems to play the whole game awfully safe. There are sarcastic side-comments, sure, but they don't push far enough into parody to make the episode funny. For an unconventional episode, it sure manages to be awfully conventional.
To me, the whole subtext of the Captain Proton holodeck series this season has been to analyze the difference between the corny science fiction aimed at kids in the '40s and '50s versus the post-Star Wars era of commercial science fiction that appeals to large audiences looking for something more magnificent and significant (or at the very least seeing something blow up more realistically).
But based on what this Voyager offering gives us, the lesson seems to be that science fiction has come so far that we don't need solid ideas beneath the slick, high-budget exterior. Schlock has evolved into an art form toward which we can throw money in mass quantities. We can't get to the center of why there's reason for juxtaposing today's sci-fi with the old stuff, but, doggone it, we can certainly replicate the old stuff down to the last detail if we want to.
That may perhaps be a harsh interpretation of "Bride of Chaotica!" Maybe I expected too much from this show; in its defense I must admit that it aspires to simply be light rather than significant. But it's somehow hard to laugh at schlock condescending to schlock. I suppose we can grin.
Next week: "Shuttle Crash, Part XXIV." Let's hope characterization is the key, 'cause it don't look like plot is.
Previous episode: Latent Image
Next episode: Gravity
Like this site? Support it by buying Jammer a coffee.
94 comments on this post
Tue, Jan 20, 2009, 11:43am (UTC -5)
Sat, Aug 8, 2009, 7:19am (UTC -5)
Thu, Jul 1, 2010, 11:20am (UTC -5)
WHY, WHY, WHY did the scriptwriters feel the need to come up with this entire Captain Proton nonsense??? *despair*
This has put me off Voyager; I'll watch the remaining 44 minutes of the episode tomorrow.
Thu, Jul 1, 2010, 2:17pm (UTC -5)
Without a doubt, THE single worst episode of any Star Trek series, ever, period. I had to fast-forward through 90% of it; that's how idiotic it was. Nearly had a brain hemorrhage. It's too fatuous to even attempt to critique. Voyager really plumbed new depths with this abomination. Is it possible to give it MINUS five stars?
Bride of Idiotica, more like.
On a tangentially related notion, the entire holodeck concept should be dumped. Other than a few instances where it's employed for useful simulations, it's either a source of problems or shamelessly used by the scriptwriters to pad the episode with meaningless tripe. And when problems occur, guess what: "The controls are offline; we can't shut down the program."
*groooooaaaaan*
Tue, Aug 17, 2010, 7:28am (UTC -5)
Thu, Jan 6, 2011, 4:54am (UTC -5)
Fri, Apr 1, 2011, 2:55pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Apr 16, 2011, 3:08am (UTC -5)
Tue, Aug 2, 2011, 4:37am (UTC -5)
Also, I don't know what's up with Janeway this season but she's becoming unbearable. She's become a sour-faced, gravel-voiced authoritarian monster - the boss from hell basically. And though I recently praised Mulgrew's acting, it can just as easily swing the opposite way. I wasn't impressed here. The scene in the conference room prior to her joining the simulation made me realise how fake Mulgrew's nuances can be at times, she very much comes across as an actor being an actor (in this scene trying to be funny - but it's too telegraphed to work). The coffee scene with Neelix was probably meant to be fun, but made me realised just how much I'm coming to despise the woman.
Sun, Nov 20, 2011, 2:44am (UTC -5)
Absolutely wrong. The underlying self-referencial idea here screamed at me the first time I saw it, and that isn't it;
In 60 years (well, now 50), Star Trek, Star Wars and all the rest will seem as schlocky as the 30s era "Proton"-esque sci-fi of our past. In fact, Star Wars already seems a bit schlocky to me. However, the charm and durability of the genre lies in its ability to tap into the core of our psyche the way only mythology can. There is something ineffably "true" about Star Trek and Captain Proton, in spite of, or perhaps because of their obvious naïvety. Things aren't as simple as we wish them to be (see the scene where Constance Goodheart is found dead--"she isn't supposed to die! Something's wrong here."). Roddenberrian economics and social conjectures are, perhaps, equally naïve and a symptom of wishful thinking. But that isn't the point; the power is not in plausibility (whether that be economical, technological or even *gasp* within a show's given continuity)--the power is in the hope, in the dream, in the myth which means more to us than the depressingly unimaginative reality of the world around us. That is art, my friends.
Thu, Dec 1, 2011, 10:42pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Jan 8, 2012, 7:45pm (UTC -5)
Compare this to the enlightened scientist, and inspiring leader Janeway was in the first and second seasons.
Mon, Jan 30, 2012, 1:22am (UTC -5)
Mon, Jan 30, 2012, 1:25am (UTC -5)
Mon, Feb 20, 2012, 10:54pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Mar 18, 2012, 9:25pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 6:33pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Apr 24, 2012, 11:30am (UTC -5)
I agree with David that it's a classic homage to '40s sci-fi cheese. I also agree that Satan's Robot dejectedly muttering "invaders" under its breath is the funniest moment of the episode.
It's the kind of parody SCTV was so hilariously good at. Is it as funny? No, but I can just picture Joe Flaherty or Dave Thomas as Chaotica and Catherine O'Hara as Constance Goodheart. And of course, John Candy going in for the triple-take 3D closeup...
@Jay, I guess the Moon was not in the Seventh House and Jupiter was not aligned with Mars.
Tue, Jul 10, 2012, 10:26pm (UTC -5)
This was indeed homage to Flash Gordon serials. Chaotica acting like, and looking like, Ming the Merciless; Constance Goodheart a copy of helpless, screaming Dale Arden, and of course Captain Proton being Flash.
And Janeway getting a chance expand herself, and vamp, was a lot of fun.
A most enjoyable episode.
Fri, Oct 19, 2012, 11:26am (UTC -5)
Fri, Dec 28, 2012, 10:49pm (UTC -5)
What killed this peisode for me is, THERE ARE ACTUAL SENTIENT BEINGS DYING HERE FOLKS. And the episode is supposed to be a comedy?
Fri, Jun 14, 2013, 10:24am (UTC -5)
Wed, Jul 10, 2013, 10:01pm (UTC -5)
I liked this episode, not as much as I wanted to but enough. It is a fun throwback to 1930's serials.
Although does anyone else thing that the naem Chaotica sounds like a girl?
Sat, Nov 9, 2013, 2:23pm (UTC -5)
A pale shadow of Data as Sherlock battling Moriarty .
Thu, Nov 28, 2013, 8:12am (UTC -5)
Sure, not everything worked (backing out of the anomally at an increasing speed of quite a few meters per second and STILL being stuck after a minute? Voyager is only supposed to be 344 meters long, right?!) - but the things that DID work worked extremely well, at least for me.
On a sidenote: am I the only one who found Tom Paris seemed quite indifferent to what was going on whenever he was playing Captain Proton? It seems Harry Kim was much more into playing a part in the story than Tom was.
Thu, Nov 28, 2013, 10:41am (UTC -5)
Wed, Feb 12, 2014, 3:11pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Feb 19, 2014, 6:29pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Apr 8, 2014, 12:00am (UTC -5)
For the episode I think it's one of my favorites, considering I love Flash Gordon, this was great.
Anyone remember the Captain Proton Poster from Star Trek Communicator?
Tue, Apr 22, 2014, 1:12am (UTC -5)
The black-and-white option is indeed still very smart and welcome. There were also some smart plays, like the fact that the aliens believe our reality is just as unreal as we believe the holograms are (what is, btw, a slap on the face of some comments'authors at the previous episode review).
Also, I say once again. I agree with Elliot when he points that it does not matter whether or not the danger for Voyager's crew is credible. I always get bothered when I see someone, mostly Jammer, complaining that the danger didn't felt believable in an episode, since in all Trek it NEVER did or does. And so what?
The other hand is that I don't think this episode achieved much more than fine amusement - what is ok. Fair entertainment may be enough sometimes. However, Voyager crew is not family for me and therefore they did not earn from me the right of having pointless episodes without receiving some criticism. So, here I am: it was a bit fun and certainly funny. But mostly too empty for my taste and a bit too forced here and there. Therefore, a bit wasted. A score of something around 7 out of 10 would be fairer than the underrated stars.
Tue, May 27, 2014, 10:57am (UTC -5)
Fri, Sep 12, 2014, 12:17pm (UTC -5)
The agreement: We spent far too much time with the technobabbling Voyager crew. I didn't need the subspace sandbar metaphor. I also didn't need the extraneous, hackneyed "ship is in danger and running out of power" scenes. "We can't move the ship because CHAOTICA! is at war with photonic life forms and we can't turn off the holodeck AGAIN" should have been enough.
The disagreement: I thought the humor was pretty darn good. The guest stars chewed black-and-white scenery with gusto, and Kate Mulgrew's expressions during her conference with Paris (and during her performance as Arachnea) were a scream.
If anything, I wish we'd seen more interaction between President Doctor and the photonic aliens. I also would have liked more from Tuvok. Tim Russ was a scream as the Vulcan straight man to 1930s sci-fi cheese.
Tue, Apr 7, 2015, 6:56pm (UTC -5)
Sun, May 3, 2015, 8:00pm (UTC -5)
I loved this episode. Besides, if they hadn't done it this way, the only other way to go would have been the 'crewmembers are stuck in a holodeck program and can't get out because technobabble reasons' and that's been done to death before as well.
So with that in mind, I kind of liked this. It's like a guilty pleasure. So long as it's only once in a while (say once per season. Two at most), I can enjoy this sort of episode. Would watch again, most likely with a goofy smile on my face.
Sun, Oct 25, 2015, 7:12am (UTC -5)
I think Janeway's "Captain Proton" performance counterbalanced the Delaney twins in that one can choose what to perform when in a fantasy setting, and it need not correspond to the accepted norm. It's okay to play "Boobs and Brainless" but when you leave the Holodeck, Megan is back to being competent and responsible. Its also okay to play seductress or savior of the cosmos, but when you leave the holodeck, you go back to being the captain under Federation ideals (completely ignoring the Prime Directive at will) or her Ensign pilot.
Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 10:58am (UTC -5)
Thu, Jan 7, 2016, 7:55pm (UTC -5)
This should have been the only episode to feature Captain Proton and it should have included the hot twin sisters shown in a different episode.
Mon, Jan 25, 2016, 9:05pm (UTC -5)
And unlike many people, I thought most of the "Voyager" scenes didn't drag and complemented the rest of the show well. Mainly because the cast treated the plot with all the reverence (or lack thereof!) that it deserved. Didn't anyone else see Tom's completely deadpanned "Yes Ma'am. His army of evil."? Didn't anyone else see Janeway's reaction looking at the Padd when she saw what she'd be wearing? Or all of Tuvok's overly sarcastic comments? Seeing the cast required to the absurdity of the situation was probably better than when they were acting along with the absurdity.
There's a lot of comments here comparing these events to Our Man Bashir. Honestly, I think Trials and Tribble-ations is a better analogy. After all, both are love letters to sci-fi of the past. Both have the main cast being quite clearly bemused by their entire situation, with many of them outright enjoying it despite the danger. Of course, Trials is a better episode, in part because it is also homaging a franchise closer to our heart. And, in doing so, spent a fair amount of time having the characters fawn over their older counterpoints. And, well, the characters were having a far better time. So yeah, that one was a classic, while Voyager's episode was merely a pleasant diversion. But I still enjoyed this.
Although its probably for the best that this is the end of the Chaotica gimmicks. It would be hard to keep going back to these holodeck scenes as flavor after we got this episode. Too bad, I think I'll miss them.
As a random aside, does anyone else think the scene in the beginning where Tom and Harry scoff at the hyperbole of the teaser was a subtle dig from the writers to UPN's own promo team? Reading these reviews 20 years later, Jammer really seems to hate the teasers for the next episode, and I recall some of them were pretty awful as well. Wouldn't surprise me if this was the writers having a bit of revenge... Same with Kim's comment that Planet X looks an awful lot like the Mines of Mercury; that also has to be poking fun at Star Trek's recycled sets.
Tue, Mar 1, 2016, 3:37pm (UTC -5)
On the downside - it's just not that funny. Don't get me wrong, there are some really funny moments (Satan's robot's "invaders" in response to "Quiet!" being the second time the thing has stolen the show in a Captain Proton themed episode). But overall this takes its sweet old time getting anywhere (witness the first scene with Janeway and Chaotica that just goes on forever...), and there are large amounts of time spent doing nothing more than admiring the crew playing at dressing up. It's OK overall, but no more. 2.5 stars.
Sun, Apr 3, 2016, 3:13pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Apr 16, 2016, 10:45pm (UTC -5)
Thu, May 26, 2016, 8:51am (UTC -5)
Mon, Jan 25, 2016, 9:05pm (UTC -5)
Agree on all counts. (although I can't speak to the writer's/UPN thing)
I loved this episode. The hammy-ness and how they merged it with a real-time dilemma.
Good lord people, lighten up and have some fun. I enjoyed this as much as the hammy "Our Man Bashir" or any other "lets have some fun" Star Trek episode.
The set folks should have won something here. Amazing work.
I too noticed and enjoyed the old music.
I just can't really knock this thing. It was fun and well done.
4 stars.
Tue, Sep 6, 2016, 7:46am (UTC -5)
Star trek shines when it deals with scifi themes like time travel, alternate dimensions and universes, space anomalies not boring psydhobabble.
Sun, Oct 2, 2016, 8:10pm (UTC -5)
This was a very well done series. There are a few clunkers, but there always are.
Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 4:43am (UTC -5)
I think they did pretty much everything right in this episode. Just the right level of melodrama. Lots of fun.
I actually cringed when I saw the name of this episode. What a nice surprise it turned out to be.
3.5 stars
Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 7:31am (UTC -5)
Oh Chaotica, that's your solution to everything isn't it.
Wed, Nov 23, 2016, 11:42pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Mar 6, 2017, 1:25pm (UTC -5)
This is a balls-out fun-as-hell episode. :)
Mon, Mar 6, 2017, 10:10pm (UTC -5)
A moment in an earlier scene may have been my imagination: Janeway's just asked, archly, who's going to play Arachnea and, just before she realizes it's her, I thought I saw her look teasingly ("yeah, it's you!") at Seven.
Fri, Mar 31, 2017, 7:46am (UTC -5)
When Paris teaches Janeway about the rules and terminology of the Captain Proton Universe, and she rolls her eyes, it feels like they are also both poking fun at the Star Trek universe rules and terminology, which let's face it, is just as silly and made up.
When they discover whatshername dead, which isn't supposed to happen, it could have been a reference to the death of Tasha on TNG, which also felt wrong.
@Don Lee I noticed it too. Seven as Queen Arachnea would have been fun. But then we wouldn't have had her priceless "it's lonely at the top" line, another reference to the "real" universe.
Thu, Aug 3, 2017, 10:49am (UTC -5)
Nit picks: The jab at cliffhangers is dumb. The thing about movie serial cliffhangers wasn't that the description lied about there being some, it was about them being resolved by changing the scene while showing in the next chapter, by having the hero suddenly jump out before the plane crashed or something. And where was the Friendly Scientist character? Come on, EVERY one of these had one. I thought Doctor was going to play one, but nope.
Wed, Nov 1, 2017, 2:42am (UTC -5)
Time has proven that your comment of August 17, 2010, was accurate; so do not despair! Your prophetic words were not lost to history, nay! Rather they *made* history... a history that we here in the future are the benificiaries of. We owe you a debt of gratitude, PhoenixFyre.
For lo many of the commenters on this episode ARE buzz kills and party poopers... intellectual charlatans more enamored with their own keyboard-infused death rays than they are of enjoying Chaotica’s admittedly campy ones.
Upon excreting their vapid review, they sit back and read it multiple times basking in their own derring-do with a firm belief that their place in the sci-fi universe is now assured.
Oh, ok... perhaps I’m being a bit too harsh on the smug little buggers. Your phrasing was a lot nicer sounding. I guess even here in the future, we are still not perfect.
Fri, Nov 10, 2017, 1:38am (UTC -5)
Fri, Nov 10, 2017, 11:00am (UTC -5)
Mon, Dec 4, 2017, 11:52am (UTC -5)
I agree with the two major observations people tend to have about this episode -- it's fun and effective at conveying the feel of early sci-fi serials, and it's maybe not quite fun enough to feel entirely right. Not everyone agrees (on either point!), but I think I land somewhere in the middle in my opinion on the ep. I think having the aliens *die* because of Chaotica was a bit of a mistake that made the whole thing seem more serious than it needed to be; the episode could have maybe gone for full black comedy to make it work, but it mostly remains in register of homage-farce, in which case it makes sense to have danger (and a lot of it!) but the fun gets kind of spoiled if lots of people actually do die. And we don't really learn anything about the aliens, when I think it really would have made some sense to at least better use the aliens as a way of probing the Captain Proton simulation -- if they believe that this is the Real World, what do they think of Earth culture? The running time is only an episode length, of course, but I thought of Galaxy Quest as a sort of model of how it could be interesting to follow aliens who really believe that the optimistic-and-silly sci-fi show is real, and how that can help/harm them, and (if the episode is mostly positive on the sci-fi serials) how that help them, even. As is, the Captain Proton simulation was purely a disaster for the aliens and it does tend to send the message that entertainment is entirely frivolous and destructive, without any positives that are sufficient to outweigh the negatives. If the point is something along the lines of what Elliott says above -- that the silliness and schlock are only superficial qualities, covering up the deeper optimism and mythic qualities of even the shallowest of the hopeful sci-fi genre -- which I think makes sense, I don't think the ep quite sells it, both because of the destruction caused by the program (which isn't even mitigated by Janeway, Tom et al.'s actions -- they just allow the danger to stop) and because of Tom's downbeat I'm-through-with-this-Proton-world conclusion which doesn't get countered, except very weakly.
But still, it is pretty fun. Melgrew is a hoot chewing scenery as Arachnia, especially the way she gradually gets into the role. Satan's Robot's quiet "invaders" after Tom tells it to shut up is, as many others have mentioned, hilarious. And the off-holodeck scenes aren't wastes of time but are generally amusing, if not laugh-out-loud for the most part. Favourite moment: Janeway's assumption that Tom is going to want Seven to play the space femme fatale babe, with a kind of dripping cynicism, which reads to me as a bit of Melgrew's contempt for the cynical aspects of Ryan's casting dropping into the show. I think I'll go with 2.5 stars.
Wed, Dec 6, 2017, 12:30am (UTC -5)
It felt fresh and fun. It was just a good time action adventure back to basics outing
Mon, Jan 1, 2018, 12:55pm (UTC -5)
They also seem to have forgotten that Seven can make 'anti-hologram' grenades (The Killing Game). Just take one of those into Chaotica's control room. The end.
I too found it strange that they were all acting so silly when 53 (!) aliens had been slaughtered by their holodeck program. You think they would have been a bit more serious.
Ignoring all the contrivances, plot-holes, and things that make no sense, it simply wasn't funny.
1 star for trying.
Fri, Jan 5, 2018, 10:53am (UTC -5)
Too bad Janeway had to be involved in it, it would have been better if one of the Delaney sisters played Arachnia.
Mon, Mar 26, 2018, 9:26am (UTC -5)
Wed, Jul 4, 2018, 10:40pm (UTC -5)
I really liked Janeway going to town as Arachnia -- yes it's all hokey and contrived and I didn't really laugh at any of the gags, but it didn't totally suck. The novelty had worn off pretty quickly since it wasn't the first Captain Proton on VOY, but getting Janeway and Doc involved helped greatly.
What was a bit weird was seeing the holographic aliens manifesting themselves as human characters from the 40s/50s. Seems a bit of a stretch to me but ultimately, it's a pretty simplistic plot -- aside from the needless technobabble of the ship being stuck in subspace. Was it firmly established that the "5th dimensional" aliens were behind Voyager being trapped in subspace? Because it also seemed quite coincidental to me. Of course the holodeck malfunction is one of the oldest tricks in the Trek canon.
I liked how the transition from scene to scene was done when in the holodeck program -- not just abrupt switches but different styles of transition. I admire the attention to detail in really trying to make it feel like those ancient sci-fi shows.
At one point, Janeway/Arachnia gets "phasered" but is not affected -- how is this to be explained? Also was curious why she seemed to have some feelings for Chaotica after he got zapped when the death ray was destroyed. I suppose this is a throwback to the typical endings of those ancient sci-fi stories -- yes the bad guy never truly dies and will be back somehow.
2 stars for "Bride of Chaotica!" -- enjoyed Mulgrew as Arachnia and some of her facial expressions even when just playing Janeway. Not sure why Harry Kim would want to take part in this Captain Proton stuff with Paris -- does he just want to get with holodeck girls in this program? But overall, I give credit to the tribute attempt here, although it's farfetched. The problems the ship faced were underwhelming and boring.
Tue, Aug 21, 2018, 12:26am (UTC -5)
Very little sympathy for the aliens. The only victim was the one who got shot during the initial interrogation. Chaotica explicitly told the pair that he believed they had invaded his planet and he wondered if they were alone or part of an invading army. The alien stated that contact should be terminated. But after the first alien was killed, an invasion commenced. Chaotica was proven right.
"You have killed 53 of my people (...who were invading your territory, intent to kill you, revenge in their photonic hearts)." The purest vintage of dipshits, these aliens. Their only danger was when they chose to invade someone else's territory and fly in front of the death ray. Hard to mourn. I think the Voyager crew realized this and decided to enjoy themselves, dragging out their scenes. Why cry over moths in a bug zapper when the party is so much fun?
Wild power move by Janeway to put her hands on Neelix and bark "COFFEE. BLACK." eight inches from his face and make him use the replicator for her. The writers wrote such a wonderfully insane, unstable, and bipolar character.
Harry ducking under the robot's arm as it clumsily turned to walk across the room was hilarious.
Wed, Oct 10, 2018, 10:53pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Oct 28, 2018, 1:35am (UTC -5)
Going back to the holographic aliens-it is kind of sad that they never learn the "truth" of what was going on. They think they just won a war against real invaders. Yea, that whole subplot really did take the joy out of the light romp.
Sun, Sep 29, 2019, 9:24am (UTC -5)
Would've loved to see the Delaney Sisters as well as more of Tuvok and the Doctor. But that's the only things holding it back.
3 solid stars.
Sun, Nov 17, 2019, 1:21pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 12:43am (UTC -5)
frantic, who posted above - somewhere in the timeline - has the secret decoder ring. Quoting: “When Paris teaches Janeway about the rules and terminology of the Captain Proton Universe, and she rolls her eyes, it feels like they are also both poking fun at the Star Trek universe rules and terminology, which let's face it, is just as silly and made up.”
This is a purely pleasurable grand romp of an episode, as visually and aurally delicious as it is a love letter to ALL sci-fi (not just old stuff) - and a love fest for (and to) this cast.
The color parts taking place in the “real” Trekiverse are absolutely crucial to any “point” the episode makes, which is that there’s no substantive difference between the fantasy weapons and tech of the Cap’n Photon program and its counterparts in the full-color “24th century” “reality.” (Unquote.)
Hearing the technobabble in the holodeck program vividly illustrates that the usual Treknobabble is just as fatuous. Fergawdsake, Tom even exPLAINS this to the crew when they start to snicker at “death ray” and “rocket ship” and “ray gun” and “lightning guard,” and translates them to their Starfleet equivalents - at which point the crew grudgingly starts to take Chaotica’s realm more seriously.
Captain Photon makes Star Trek look equally fantastic (in the literal sense of the word), in that both are complete and utter fictions, serving simultaneously as brain-tickle entertainment, mythopoetic storytelling, and more or less insightful and emotionally truthful meditations on myriad dimensions of the human experience.
And of course the “death” of “photonic beings” in the context of this episode is treated with little Rodberrian hand-wringing, because it emphasizes what is literally true in every episode: everything we see on the screen - pacifists, killers, and killed - is a play of photons. No aliens were harmed in the making of this episode (or, you know, any other).
I get that in many episodes we’re to take the humans, the aliens, the action, and the interactions seriously - that we can, and do, live with and make it “real” in our imaginations. (At least to the extent we can willingly suspend disbelief.)
But not in this episode. In this episode, people who produce make-believe photoplays - who put on prosthetic makeup and dress up as aliens, who play let’s-pretend for a living, feigning fights amidst stage props - have stepped back to make a little loving meta fun of the whole, so to speak, enterprise. We’re surely meant to laugh with them, not prod for plot holes and violations of canon.
Sometimes we forget that Trek - all Trek - is as much anthology as it is serial, or even situationally episodic. One week it may be hard-core speculative fiction with a philosophical bent, then barely disguised allegory, then space opera melodrama or close character study or mystery or science procedural or courtroom or medical drama or disaster flick or action-adventure derring-do, wartime drama, or light comedy - or gentle satire, parody, or farce.
We can’t bring the same expectations, the same dour and reductive critical stance to every episode. And we certainly shouldn't take a fabulously frivolous outing like BRIDE OF CHAOTICA! more seriously than the people who clearly had so much fun making it.
Sometimes I swar tew Gawd Trekkies don’t deserve nice things.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 1:40am (UTC -5)
One correction. None of the Star Trek shows are fantasy. It is science fiction which is a different genre.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 8:44am (UTC -5)
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 9:29am (UTC -5)
There isn't a doubt that some overlap is going to occur between fantasy and science fiction and in some cases the line becomes blurry if not non-existent.
But conceptually and stylistically, they are separate genres. There is a good reason why many of a generation of NASA scientists, astrophysicists and others who went on to real science careers attribute their professional inspiration to Star Trek and not, say, Lord of the Rings.
Real engineers were inspired to develop real technologies like cell phones by Trek communicators but not by, say a Palantir.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 10:45am (UTC -5)
We have some issue with terminology here, but since you bring it up:
" You...you do know that Trek left science out of the fiction equation during the first season of TOS, don’t you? That it’s fantasy?"
I need to correct what you think "science fiction" means. It does *not* mean fiction involving real (as in, currently known) science. If it did then a story about Louis Pasteur that I wrote would be called science fiction, like you know, fiction about a scientist doing science. But that's not what it means. Science fiction means a story about fictitious science, meaning it's about science that does not exist but (if well-written) might possibly exist one day. That last clause isn't even necessary to quality but very often writers do try to guess about what will be. You can't say "but this stuff isn't real" and then claim it's not therefore science fiction. You are just misunderstanding what the genre is and what the term means.
However I do find your write-up of this episode interesting, especially as it may shed light on how outsides (non-Trek fans?) might see Trek in general, rolling their eyes at all the 'rules' and contunuity bickering. Especially during the run of VOY, by which time I suspect the production team was already wary of the handcuffs set by continuity, there may have even been some of that sentiment on the inside. However taking your analsysis as valid, my interpretation of it is a bit more bleak: could it not just as soon mean that the writers of this episode basically thought that Trek rules are stupid and that insisting on their consistency is no more intelligent than the rules in Bride of Chaotica? My instinct would be to take this as a bad omen, that basically the production team sees Trek as little more than a silly 1950's serial, basically drek that sells, if we're going to take your reading of it seriously. And I'm not sure we shouldn't, because that's actually how I felt about the showrunners when this show was first on the air. I basically assumed they didn't care about very much and actually I quit watching at around this point and couldn't take any more for a season or so. IIRC I made myself tune back in to watch the final season or something like that. I've seen them all since then, but yeah - I can't say I disagree that this could be taken to mean the showrunners are making fun of Star Trek.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 11:17am (UTC -5)
That said, you gotta admit there’s a wide margin of overlap between the two, precisely in the region where Heinlein observed that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. One can easily imagine Trek presenting sentient mobile trees, magic rings of power, orc armies, elven species, and wizard staffs - but suggesting the enabling power is technology rather than magic. After all, what IS the difference between transporting and magically appearing there rather than here?
I get that casting incredible power and other worlds in the physical trappings of technology rather than of sorcery can inspire and reinforce interest in science. It also makes mythic magic and godlike capabilities more palatable to modern tastes, and so sneaks the archetypes and wonder of mythology into minds which might otherwise be hostile to it.
That’s all good, and no argument from me.
But when virtually every technology which makes a fictional universe and its inner mechanics workable - FTL, transporting, replicating, universal translation, artificial gravity, solid holograms, et al - either ignore the laws of physics as we know them or require quantities of energy exceeding that available in the known universe - I can’t help but observe that there’s a fair dose of fantasy in our fiction.
Science fantasy, maybe.
Which isn’t intended as an insult. Trek’s “science” is only a part of its formula, part of its function, appeal, satisfaction, and value. As is frequently stressed, it’s also about human psychology and relationships, and a medium through which to explore moral and ethical issues, particularly in our relationship with science and tech as it evolves in the real world. (And among a myriad of other attractions, it’s possible to watch it - as my wife does - to enjoy the textures, weaves, patterns, colors, and details of Ferengi couture.)
An episode like “Bride of Chaotica” is intended, I’m pretty sure - and should be taken - as pure fun. If by juxtaposing a 1930s take on sci-fi with a 90s take, it suggests that both are equally ludicrous in the context of what’s plausible in the “real universe” ... well, that’s a useful perspective.
The real 25th century (if we get there) will be far different from either imaginary scenario. And not that I’ll ever know, but I’d be pleasantly surprised if human exploration even manages a manned/womanned Trek to the Alpha Centauri system, just 4 ly away.
And shoot, Voyager can make that trip in a few weeks.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 11:27am (UTC -5)
I'm not trying to be insulting or anything when I say you should really go out and read some "science of Trek" books, maybe by Krauss. I don't think you're aware of how many pains were taken in TNG for instance to have the show's science accord as much as humanly possible with either known science or else the cutting edge of science theory. I've known phycisits and engineers who *loved* TNG because of how many nods it makes to real theory. There's a reason Stephen Hawking appeared in an episode. What you're saying about science fantasy certainly applies to DISC and I frankly don't like that at all. VOY seems to teeter on that edge as well, and it's been a common critique of that series that it relies too heavily on technobabble to get the plots resolved. But don't lay that at the feet of Trek in general. Even TOS included a lot of ideas that have in fact been shown to have merit. Are you aware that the 'warp drive' is still NASA's best leading idea about how future space travel might be done? Are you aware that specially-aligned crystals really are a good method of shooting charged particles through (e.g. dilithium crystals)? Are you aware that positrinics was something posited by Asimov, which is no doubt what led TOS to come up with "duotronics" and so forth? And hey, The Cage had fax machines before we did :) This is interesting stuff, you should go read up about it.
Small correction: I believe it was Arthur C. Clarke, not Heinlein, who said the thing about advanced technology resembling magic.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 11:28am (UTC -5)
And, fond as I am of the notion, I don’t think the aliens (who surely don’t look like us anyway) are ever coming. I’m going to miss them.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 11:57am (UTC -5)
I’m pretty aware of those correlations, and am in fact consistently impressed that Trek’s “technobabble” is as realistic and plausible as it is - given that we accept the technology as presented. Wave guides, magnetic containment, neural gel-packs, crystals, beam coherence, pattern buffers, etc are all logically conceivable concomitants of the proposed technology.
My point - and it’s a dull one - is that those techs STILL violate practical constraints of even hypothetically attainable physics.
Alcubierre‘s warp drive (indeed directly inspired by Trek) is a based on mathematically valid solutions of Einstein’s equations - but its actual realization requires either quantities of antimatter exponentially out of proportion to what mankind might be able to produce, and/or other forms of “exotic matter” as yet unproven and undetected. Not to mention actually achieving that magnetic containment - or controlling the reaction once initiated. And that leaves aside any consideration of achieving the warp miracle with a craft as massive as a Federation starship.
Per my (admittedly incomplete and “lay”) understanding of the actual physical principles underpinning other key Trek tech - gravity plating, transporting, replicating, etc - they are equally unattainable, and for similar reasons. They may have theoretical bases consistent with some hypothetical application of known science - but it’s mighty hard to imagine how we get from that to something that actually works, much less on the scale required for ST.
Which doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We should. And it doesn’t mean ST shouldn’t depict such a future. (Though it would be nice if the writers tried to deploy the fantasy tech consistently, rather than magically as plotting demands.)
On the other hand, from a pure entertainment perspective, they shouldn’t let tech stand in the way of a good story (as is the case in this ep).
After all, it IS fiction.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 11:59am (UTC -5)
But Peter is correct that Trek always at least attempted to ground its ideas in real science. Trek was never hard sf to be sure, but to flippantly compare it to Saturday morning serials or to just throw up your hands and shovel it into the fantasy box wholesale is really unfortunate.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 12:02pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 12:03pm (UTC -5)
I think it's possible to say this: Star Trek as a franchise is, in general, more interested in the appearance of fidelity to actual science than actual fidelity. That said, it is fundamentally ABOUT science -- as in, scientists and engineers are venerated as heroes, scientific solutions are taken seriously, the scientific process is explored -- in a way that affiliates it with science fiction more strongly than something like Star Wars, of which none of the above can be said and fictional technologies are treated as purely imaginary.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 12:08pm (UTC -5)
Yesnomaybe. I’m not concerned to “correctly” put ST - or any other fiction - in a genre box, I’m just taking it as I find it. I didn’t mean to insult Trek; I seem to like more of it, more consistently, than most posters here.
Maybe because I’m not concerned with genre constraints.
Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 12:41pm (UTC -5)
Definitely.
Furthermore, him sez: “I think it's possible to say this: Star Trek as a franchise is, in general, more interested in the appearance of fidelity to actual science than actual fidelity. That said, it is fundamentally ABOUT science -- as in, scientists and engineers are venerated as heroes, scientific solutions are taken seriously, the scientific process is explored -- in a way that affiliates it with science fiction more strongly than something like Star Wars, of which none of the above can be said and fictional technologies are treated as purely imaginary.”
Very well articulated, and I agree 100%. ST is in every way a more thoughtful franchise than Star Wars, and I much prefer it for that reason.
Trek is probably as much ABOUT science as a mass market audience would tolerate. There have been more space battles with hostile aliens than I would hope there would be in its imaginary future - not to mention wars - but we unevolved humans do thrive on conflict. ST depicts us as we are - as well as we might like to be.
Thu, Jun 4, 2020, 2:22pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Jul 3, 2020, 9:42pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Jul 12, 2020, 12:42am (UTC -5)
Tue, Jul 21, 2020, 7:40am (UTC -5)
Second favorite line of the episode: Chaotica's enunciation of "Foooooooool!" which has to have four or five octaves and syllables in that one word. Hilarious. :)
My favorite lines are where Janeway and Chaotica discuss "underlings", and the look on Janeway's face is priceless:
CHAOTICA: Why this preoccupation with the Shield?
JANEWAY: Oh, forgive me. It's just that, as a fellow ruler of the cosmos I often have to do things myself.
CHAOTICA: Ah. Because of the incompetence of your inferiors, no doubt.
JANEWAY: Something like that.
Three and a half stars for this one. Love it!
Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 10:24pm (UTC -5)
Voyager was a long way from home. It would stand to reason that for every dramatic alien encounter, there would be long periods of just going though empty, boring space.
The crew would need something to do to pass the time -- what better way than holodeck programs? I think two or three times a season, a nonperil storyline that examines the crews' cultural and social situation via the holodeck (or not the holodeck) would have been fine.
You simply could have set the story up with a senior staff meeting with so little to report in the empty sector of space they are in that they simply start sharing ways they are passing the time.
Harry Kim mentions Tom's "Captain Proton" story. Seven and Tuvok are skeptical and pronounce it a waste. But Neelix and Chakotay say it sounds like fun. They're in! (Fade to opening title).
So Neelix and Chakotay join Tom and Harry for an "episode." They are delighted and at the next staff meeting talk about how much they liked it. Seven and Tuvok remain skeptical. They argue about the dubious merits of spending time that way with the Doctor siding with Tom and his Proton posse and B'Lanna and Janeway neutral about a 1940s sci-fi program but open minded.
In the end, Janeway issues a challenge -- they'll all participate in a full Proton adventure. If Seven and Tuvok fail to see the value, Harry and Tom will have to do some boring odious chore mentioned in the intro. But if Seven and Tuvok (who cannot lie) see the value, they'll get stuck with the duty.
"Bride of Chaotica!" plays out w. no aliens, no subspace. The only stakes are unwanted chores and bragging rights about being right. As the Proton adventure reaches its climax, Seven can't help herself but enjoy it and Tuvok cannot deny that the program had benefit for his emotional, bored crewmates. Team Proton gloats at the admission.
When the episode ends, you see Tuvok and Seven engaging in the tedious chore in a Captain Proton motif. Laughs all around!
In the end, Trek didn't have too many holodeck episodes. It had too many holodeck malfunction episodes. There were plenty of ways to utilize it without adding in needless peril.
Sun, Dec 6, 2020, 12:34am (UTC -5)
If you watch Janeway's little expressions of awareness about herself, it's an awesome bit of story meta. At this point in the series, Janeway is more or less written as a complete dictator with no accountability -- a fellow ruler of the cosmos indeed...
The actors seem to be trying not to corpse throughout, and pass it off as the characters barely restraining their glee at the ridiculous situation. Janeway did what Picard really couldn't, and "bow to the absurd."
I'd take Satan's Robot as a series regular too! At some point it looks like he is trying to cuddle Harry and Harry keeps trying to get the robot to leave him alone. What a hoot.
A cute metatextual episode with enough levity to provide a respite from Voyager's more serious fare. Three stars.
Sun, May 2, 2021, 2:43am (UTC -5)
Thu, Sep 2, 2021, 9:05am (UTC -5)
Finally, does anyone else cringe to see Ensign Kim playing the role of Sidekick. The minority playing second fiddle to the strong white male protagonist fits the Hollywood of the '30s but we would hope it is over in the 24th century.
Thu, Oct 21, 2021, 12:36am (UTC -5)
"The careful mimicking, the attention to detail—all expertly done (Kroeker deserves kudos for the directorial effort). But what's missing is pure enjoyment and exhilaration. This episode never quite takes off. I wasn't laughing much. Occasionally I was chuckling. Some of the gags are perceptive, but they don't dare to be brashly satirical. The lesson to be learned here, I think, is that skillful imitation alone is not enough. There has to be an attitude, an edge, brought to the material."
I agree with all of this, except that to me it is on the one hand a check the kind of overpraise it gets in some quarters (Tor.com gave the episode a ridiculous rating of 10/10), but the positive aspects still warrant at least two and a half stars. I tend to think more in terms of five star scales because that's what is used on Letterboxd, the Netflix disc-by-mail service (yes, it still exists and I still subscribe to it), and the TVTime app, where I gave the episode three stars out of five. Which I guess is about equivalent to 2.5 on Jammer's scale, although the latter seems harsher somehow.
Like @Yanks (whom I've seen around here fairly recently), I liked the 2016 comment from @Skeptical (a moniker that doesn't ring a bell).
Thu, Dec 16, 2021, 9:44am (UTC -5)
Tue, Feb 1, 2022, 4:25pm (UTC -5)
Episode is just about saved by by Kate Mulgrew giving it beans.
Mon, May 23, 2022, 11:01pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Apr 10, 2023, 8:50am (UTC -5)
Tue, Jun 6, 2023, 10:24am (UTC -5)
Thu, Jul 27, 2023, 12:29pm (UTC -5)
Bride of Chaotica is, to me, one of those episodes that works best when you just turn off your brain a little and allow yourself to enjoy the hamminess of it. The technobabble aspects are by far secondary to the real substance of the episode, which is the love letter to hammy black-and-white spaceman shows and the gusto with which the cast jumps into it.
The highlight of the episode is and always has been the briefing room scene, by the way. "Yes, ma'am. His Army of Evil." I have no idea how McNeill managed to keep a straight face dropping that one, much less the line about how the destructo-beam on his rocket ship can knock out the death ray if someone can get inside the Fortress of Doom and disable the lightning-shield. That last one seems like a self-aware jab at technobabble, which I appreciate.
Submit a comment
◄ Season Index