“Human Error”

I fully agree with Jammer: What a shame, that Voyager characters aren't allowed to change (too much!). Seven looked really good in that uniform. And should't she want some quarters by now? Even though it is dangerous for her to have emotions (Come on - we have seen Seven going through pretty serious emotions!), a living space of her own should not prove to dangerous!

(Besides: Seven lives in a cargo bay, right? But where is her bathroom? Sonic shower? Closet (she has different sets of garment!)

"You have an intriguing facial structure."

Oh boy.

Jammer,

You pretty much said what I was thinking after I just watched this episode. This would have been a 3 or 3.5 star episode if it hadn't been for the final 2 minutes. So much good opportunity to Free Seven of Nine and the Writers blow it. I find that, as someone who likes this series, to be really depressing. She looked so great in the uniform, and the hair-loose style.

I actually enjoyed 7's character more when she was, in her own words, "Unique." Not quite human, not quite Borg. Her desire to assimilate fully back in to human culture is dull and written like a soap opera. It's also a violation of ship protocol to use holograms of personnel without their permission (or something like that).

Of course, the "can't do Emotion" tech twist is even lamer.

Didn't this episode occur because Robert Beltran, having grown fed-up of his character, basically dared Brannon Braga, who was dating Jeri Ryan at the time, to write a Chakotay-Seven relationship story?

To err is human, taken to it's episodal apex. I kind of like that point, because it really says a lot, but it would have been better if the story went a step further and had Seven finding a way to deal with that problem.

Indijo,

One thing I heard from the special features was that Seven was going to die in Endgame. That might have had more of an impact on what happened in this episode but since it didn't, it made this episode kinda lame.

I found this episode very poor and 'fast-forwarded' through a lot of it. Just not my cup-of-tea I suppose...

Unusual episode. Yes some bits were 'fast-forwardable'.

Quite an unusual vegetarian Chakotay isn't he? Loin, Chicken....he does eat a lot of meat. In an earlier episode, Seven cooked quail's eggs... That kind of thing is just lazy writing/production.

Good analogy with the metronome. Would have been better to use the sheet music itself in this analogy... why would she need to look at it with her brain capacity? Sticking to it is the reason there can be no feeling in the music.

Uf, at first I though, thank goodness the initial scenes turned out to be a holo-program! I feared Seven had at last balked and joined the "Dr. Phil Collective." It's a shame she doesn't tell Janeway, The Doc and Neelix to pack it in and shove their "Seven, you must improve your social skills" baloney up their matter discharge conduits. But then it turned out that crock would form half the story of the episode, and it all went downhill from there.

Neelix has gotten increasingly and palpably irritating in Season 7. Why can't he just mind his own business (not that he seems to have any!) and let people be themselves? His unremitting badgering of Seven, Tuvok and anyone else who doesn't share his "the world is bunnies and rainbows, let's all hold hands and celebrate it" perma-effervescent disposition is infuriating. The four minutes of him "advising" Seven on what to do with her imaginary quarters are four minutes of my life I'll never get back. And then, just when you think it couldn't possibly get any worse, in comes Acoushla Moya with some Indian piece of junk for her to decorate her pad with, and the two get it on (over the course of fully a THIRD of the episode!). Then her seeking guidance from Torres about hairstyling. The Doctor and his little pep-talk with Seven. WHAT IS THE NEED for any of that!?! I found myself fast-forwarding thru more than half the show. I wish they'd cut out all such scenes - if Seven really needs to "grow," let her do so off-camera - and left us with an episode of 15 minutes focusing on the warheads and their electric pulse discharges (about which, incidentally, we never find out ANYTHING). I also wish more Voyager crewmembers had a similar cortical node that prevented them from waxing all emotional, needy, depressed and, in a word, boring.

The ending was the BEST part of the show: Seven telling the touchy-feely Doc to hologram off and resolving to remain her distant, clueless, callous, insensitive self, which, ironically, makes her far more unique than "growing" into some blonde bimbo clone of Neelix, Janeway, "No-Lock" Kim or any one of the rest of them ever would.

I liked Icheb's behavior: Faced with Seven's outbursts, he goes away when she tells him to. Most others would insist on getting her to open up, tell them what's wrong, talk about her...FEELINGS *rolls eyes* You go, Icheb!

One star but hardly for the same reasons as Jammer.

Does it occur to no one that the jolt we feel at the end, the betrayal, the anger and frustration is intentional. Because we have this "characters develop linearly" preconception going into drama, we forget that a very real human tragedy is seeing one's own attempts to better oneself fall flat, fail, or worse, go completely unnoticed. Seven has this huge character breakthrough, but no one else can admire her for it, no one can applaud her courage for trying--how deeply sad this is. In the end, the metronome-metaphor implant problem represents another very real human quality, relying on habit or custom to justify inaction. Don't we think all that anger and frustration we feel is precisely how Seven, and to some extent the doctor, feels here? Isn't that the mark of a very successful episode?

I'm usually all for character development, but not in this particular case. I like seven the way she is, as a unique borg-human hybrid. Making her too human destroys her character.
No more "slice these vegetables transversely in five millimeter increments" dialog would be a great loss for voyager.

If it was earlier in the series I'd agree that she should be left as she is. However at this stage seeing her transform into who she wants to be would've been nice... what a pity the writers show us "this is what could happen" and then snatch it away at the last minute - cruel to the character of Seven, unfair to the audience and ultimately depressing. Not an episode I am fond of.

How is Seven's "lack of change" any different from Barclay's in "Hollow Pursuits"? We see what she is capable of feeling and expressing, but she's become comfortable with the persona she's developed as a human who was recently Borg. Considering how much anger was spewed at the writing of Torres' character change in "Extreme Risk", I find it amusing that a similar change would have to occur here; now, they could certainly have done this episode sooner and developed (rather than just foreshadow) the Chakotay/7 relationship before this point. It does seem like a lot of material squeezed into an hour's show, but since they didn't it would be awful silly for Seven to just drop her persona because she indulged in a fantasy life.

I'm just not a fan of a Seven/Chakotay pairing. While she is technically not a Starfleet officer she's still part of the crew. Chakotay as first officer is her boss. Same argument for why a Janeway/Chakotay romance doesn't work either. Although I have to admit I'd have prefered the later to the former.

Holo-Neelix suggests that Seven needs some drapes for the windows in her holo-quarters, then says they'll need to make sure the drapes "match the carpet." Pretty racy for Star Trek.

@Michael: "...distant, clueless, callous, insensitive..." Yeah, I wonder why you want those characteristics. Couldn't have described you better myself.

Anyway...I know a lot of people don't like the Seven/Chakotay pairing but I thought they had pretty good chemistry. Seven chose him just as an experiment but then started to develop some real feelings for him. Since he acted just as the real Chakotay would act, it was more than just some trumped-up fantasy version of him. Her feelings for him leading into an actual relationship later are understandable considering this. His feelings, on the other hand, do feel a bit more manufactured.

Alas...it's Voyager. Ryan actually said in an interview that she and Beltran asked if they should indicate a building relationship between their characters in the following episode and were told, "No, no, no, no! Absolutely not. Don't play any of that. Nothing's going to happen." Imagine how frustrating it was, then, when just a couple of episodes later, they were told, "Oh, by the way, you guys are in love now." So if the relationship felt sudden and forced...it totally was, but it was despite the actors' attempts to encourage a more plausible development.

It's no wonder Beltran was openly negative about the show. A lot of people say he's an attention-whoring jerk for openly voicing his displeasure with how his character was mishandled and underused, but I personally think he's right. Even Ryan, who got most of the attention after joining the cast, expressed frustration with the inconsistencies and lack of care for character continuity and development. She felt like she constantly had to "babysit" her character to make sure the writers didn't destroy it.

*SIGH* So, yes, I agree that the last 2 minutes of this episode shat upon everything that happened prior. Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame!

It is watchable only because of 7 of 9. the character is just fun to watch. but pretty much any of character would have been boring.

b plot was not entertaining.

i did like the idea that chakotay doesnt even know she was trying to change. a bit of cruelty.

1 star

Well, I enjoyed this one. (Perhaps the result of viewing it thru the lens of nostalgia.) Seven is always an interesting character and, while I can see that the ending can be viewed as a cop out, I agree with those who say that the character's Borg characteristics are what make her so compelling. Making her too 'human' would make her too similar to every other character--it's her very 'Borgness' that makes her intriguing. @Procyon "slice these vegetables transversely in five millimeter increments" indeed!

What harms this episode is that holo-Chakotay carries so much of the key dialogue. And that the reset button is arbitrary. We've seen Seven experience strong emotions before on many occasionals, other ex-drones too (one thinks of the ending of Survival Instinct). Even in this episode, Seven was able to successfully romance and sleep with holo-Chakotay - it's only when he confronts her the next morning that her node flips out. Similarly, the fact the doctor says correcting the problem would require multiple operations is also arbitrary. I'd much rather we'd have seen Seven develop for real the way she did on the holodeck in this ep. There's no reason why she couldn't have, other than Voyager's golden rule that characters can't change or develop. Which wasn't unusual for TV series at the time, but is why the show now comes over as so dated in our present era of continuity-based shows.

I liked how the episodes' story telling style and atmosphere was a perfect reflection of Seven.

It was calm and composed, paradoxically cold and mechanic but flesh warm and heartbreakingly vulnerable; such a unique, silent battle for humanity and somehow almost visibility quaking with a violent ocean of buried feelings.

I think this works best if you view it as a Day In The Life show to understated Sevens' everyday inner pain and hardship that her humanity suffers her through. The crew only ever see her unmoving surface, but we get to see deeper and inside she's crying and tragically shacked by so many mechanical scarrs torn deep inside her humanity. It makes you hate the Borg and feel for Seven all the more.

But I agree it was a mistake to open the window for Seven only to slam it down and barricade the glass with lame technobabble. It was not only cruel a dramatic end, it was just badly executed and ends so abruptly it only baffles you.

A reluctant 2 stars for a brilliant show that got sabotaged.

A couple of typos to fix.

*I think this works best if you view it as a Day In The Life show to understand

*It was not only cruel and a dramatic dead end

I also forgot to say I kind of liked the strange Seven and Chakotay pairing which is hinted at. I just hope they are actually going to go through with the pay-off, even if I had to wait for the finale...although seeing Seven finally getting together with the love-sick Doctor is still my first choice! :)

I agree with Elliott. Excellent episode. I only wish it went on longer and we saw how Seven dealt with this tragic blow to her sense of self. Haven't seen the subsequent episodes yet. I can only hope Voyager does what it usually doesn't do and follows up.

A subtle, quiet, contemplative, character driven episode. I echo many here and like Seven JUST THE WAY SHE IS, or rather, the way the Borg built her. :::sigh::::

However, if she had end up with anyone, I echo JO JO and agree the Doc understands her best out of anyone else on the crew. The Doc certainly spent the most time with Seven since her rescue from the Borg. All those endless hours of surgery, elocution lessons, dating practice! ect... it's a natural fit. IMO to me Chakotay is way too flakey for Seven's assertive and logic driven personality.

The 'reset switch' didn't bother me one bit. Indeed, the emotion overload borg button sounds logical enough.

So Seven loses her virginity to a hologram?! Ugh.

I thought Seven/holo-Chakotay did have great chemistry though. Glad Beltran got to actually do something on the show!

All the writers had to do to redeem this episode for me was to have Seven change her mind at the last second of the episode and tell Chakotay she'd go with him to the cooking class. I couldn't believe they didn't give us that one little glimmer at the end! It would have been a nice, subtle payoff.

I actually really enjoyed Extreme Risk and I'd probably recommend it to anyone who's into Star Trek, even if they don't like Voyager (of which I would agree).

The problem with this episode, I think, is that the "Seven emulating human qualities" episode has, by this point, become a Voyager cliche, presumably because the writers couldn't think of any other stories to tell. We've seen it so many times before that we're sick of it. And if they're going to do yet another one of those episodes, they should at least do something substantial with it. Radically change the characters, perhaps.

Elliot has made a point that in season 7 Voyager tried new things, which is somewhat true to an extent, so why did they not try characters changing? Character development? Something completely foreign to the Voyager writers, it would have definitely been something new. But this episode ends up being just like every Voyager episode in that the rug is pulled from under us just as we think there might be some substantial change to Seven's character in the final several episodes. Why?

I understand where some of you are coming from. If you already have a bone to pick with Voyager about its perceived lack of character development (as Jammer clearly does), it's understandable that you'd feel betrayed by the episode. In a way, so do I.

The scary part is that I know what Seven is going through. Much like Barclay in 'Hollow Pursuits', she is using simulations (one might even say daydreaming) to fulfill emotional needs that are not being met in reality, and that she is unprepared to acknowledge. Seven's experience, though, differs enough from Barclay's that this episode takes on a life of its own. Unlike most Voyager episodes, this one will still be in my mind for long after its conclusion, and that's worth something.

A note on the higher emotion restriction: yes, it's contrived. No, it's not convincing that the problem "remained dormant until now." And it was indeed another example of distracting technobabble. Worst of all, it's unnecessary. There was already a better and more convincing explanation for Seven's collapse: her systems were malfunctioning due to her putting off regeneration while engrossed in the holodeck. Seven's choice in the end may disappoint us as fans who want to see more substantial growth for her character. But despite the ending, this episode still stands up as one of Voyager's most interesting outings. I approve.

You are right. The ending was horrible and contrived for the sole purpose of forcing Seven to not even have the choice of pursuing her fantasy life in real life. We should all be used to Voyager not wanting to change and we should have expected it. But we do hope in the back of our mind that Voyager will be a good show anyway even to the end when we're so used to it being so bad.

If the episode had given her the choice to pursue what she had in the fantasy, I'd appreciate it a lot more. I do like that she's trying something new and finding that she does have these emotional/sexual urges that come with being human and trying to pursue them. I appreciate what they were going for, it's just that the writers sabotaged their own episode for the sake of never changing anything ever. Status Quo is God, let the Reset Button never malfunction amen.

I saw this recently and will chime in with those disagreeing with Jammer. I usually do agree with his dislike of Voyager's reset button, but this didn't feel like reset back to status quo. It felt like someone who took 3 steps forward and then RAN 2 steps backwards because she scared herself. But I still think she and the viewers learned something and we DID end up going somewhere.

For me this episode is up there with "His Way" & "Crossfire" and it does for Seven what those did for Odo in a lot of ways. Even after all of his lessons from Vic Odo still doesn't feel comfortable with the thought of his friends seeing him have fun and when he realizes he's dancing with the real Kira he goes from Nerys to Major at warp speed. But it shows him (and the audience) that there is someone who could have fun under there. Sure it ends with less of a reset (at least "His Way" does) but after 5 years of slow burning that romance we had to get somewhere eventually!

In a lot of ways this is Seven's "His Way" with the ending for "Crossfire". She opens up when nobody is around but in the end when she thinks she's too distracted she shuts back in. I LIKED the contrived (it was contrived) cortical node shutdown and her refusal to fix it. There was something poetic in her hiding behind her limitations instead of trying to exceed them.

And she does change a bit. The scene with Torres and the baby booties were quite sweet. I think some people saw this and lamented that she didn't start acting around her friends like she did on the Holodeck. But Odo doesn't act with his friends the way he does with Vic either. And the same for Barclay. Closed off characters learning to take baby steps in socializing do NOT need to get there in one quick jump.

The reset button here felt organic to the plot, not a cop out. 3.5 stars.

I never understood the distain for this episode either Robert.

Not a top 10 episode or anything, but at least average.

People seem to either hate or love this episode. I’m kind of on the fence. I really liked the notion that as Seven continued to develop her humanity inside, she kept it hidden under her ‘cold’ persona because it was what was expected of her. The holodeck, then, would be a natural solution for doing those things she felt she couldn’t do with the actual crew.

The scenes of Seven playing the piano are ridiculous. It’s very obviously not Jeri Ryan playing (which is forgivable), but it’s also not even the sound of a real piano! And it would take years of practice, even for a smart woman like her, to learn to play that well.

@Paul: Vegetarians eat eggs. As for the holographic Chakotay eating chicken, well Seven must have programmed him that way ;)

@Elliott: You make good points, but I still fail to see the ending as anything but a writer’s arbitrary reset button tool. Couldn’t they at least have given her a uniform for the remaining eight episodes of the show? (They were probably afraid ratings would plummet.)

Ghastly episode. A holographic Chakotay? Seriously? But it was all saved by Jeri in that stunning red dress. And all the finger-licking to check for levels of "sodium chloride" in that sauce.

All of it has been said pretty much. Jammer is spot on.

At least Chakotay didn't try to get Seven to talk to her Animal Spirit. Seven wants to embrace humanity, not the crazy gene.

I enjoyed this in a quiet way rather than it being any blockbuster success. I don't really get the reset button idea - yes, obviously the writers chose to go in that direction but that's what makes this a tragedy. The fact the Seven has made a breakthrough of sorts in her fantasy life is not removed by the cortical node technobabble because the Doctor offers the way out - the fact she chooses not to take it is a perfectly grounded character choice in my book.

"You have an appealing coiffure" indeed. 2.5 stars.

Jammer, I appreciate your frustration, but you gotta remember that Voyager wasn't ever meant to be a show that wants to progress it's characters in notable. There's the odd long-term development here and there, but anything that disrupts the status quo isn't something this show will ever take on. 7 seasons in I don't feel it's fair anymore to judge this show on hitting the reset button, because we all know it has done so and will be doing so until it's last episode.

I thought this was an amazing episode. It delved into some of the inner life of Seven and had a lot of great subtle touches. The whole thing was delved with very tasefully, in the end Janeway and the rest of the crew didn't even know what was going on with Seven with makes the ending that much more tragic. I loved the little things like Seven projecting her anger on Borg Boy (I will never remember his name) and that she chose Chakotay to be her imaginary lover (which makes total sense but is still a very odd sight if I've ever seen one).

The ending, I'm not totally fond on the fact that the writers invented some sort of drone-emotion-protection tool to eventually stunt Seven's journey. It wasn't necessary, but without it I feel the decision she made still would've made sense. It's not like the ending of this episode automatically dictates that Seven will be forever emotionally repressed. It's more of a too-much-too-soon message and I can get in line with that. But it was really good to see the show deal with this issue before it went out because it's such a very interesting aspect to her personality that was always hinted at but never fully realized. 3.5 stars from me.

I think everyone's in agreement here. Potentially powerful idea, but a downright stupid resolution at the end. It's just mind-boggling where that idea came from. I mean, for one thing, this isn't the first time we've seen Seven show extreme emotion; she's been showing it since Raven. So why didn't this inhibitor come up before? The only possible explanation as that it too was part of Seven's defective cortical doohicky that went kaput in Imperfection, and so it's only due to Icheb's doohicky that causes her to shut down if feeling strong emotion. Except... why didn't Icheb shut down when he met his family? Or why didn't the crazy angry Borg kid from collective shut down? Or Hugh, for that matter? Or anyone when they went to Unimatrix Zero?

So this completely contradicts previous shows for one thing. Maybe that's worth it if you can get something better out of the deal (like, say, completely reworking the Trill away from how they were shown in The Host), but this is undoubtedly terrible. Presumably, they wanted it to be tragic, that Seven could have the possibility of a normal life and then rip that away from her. Perhaps a parallel to Data's emotions in Descent. Except that Data never had emotions and was obtaining them from an evil source, and thus is akin to being led astray by desires. Seven, in contrast, always appeared fully able to have a social life, chose not to, and then had it whisked away from her by random chance. Furthermore, Data kept his emotion chip, allowing that to feel like part of a journey to gaining emotions, a setback that could, in time, be overcome (a significant part of Generations). This feels like slamming the door in Seven's face for no reason.

So thematically, it fails as a tragic story. And since it seriously slams the door shut on Seven having a social life, it seems to lack any point at all. Which, given some of the powerful scenes earlier in the episode, is a real waste. I don't think it would have been a retread of Hollow Pursuit; the situation is totally different. Barclay suffers from anxiety, Seven merely suffers from voluntary isolation. Barclay is scared of social situations, Seven simply wants to be perfect in those situations. Exploring those themes, and the themes of why Seven prefers her fantasy life to trying the real life, would be preferable. Anything would be preferable.

But on the plus sound, we now have confirmation that the Holodeck Toys, as Luke calls them, really are stupid! Seven can create holographic clothing, eliminate her implants, and even create holographic cleavage! Sure, it all seems kinda silly, but no sillier than having a closet full of odd clothes. So at least there's one positive about this episode.

I liked this episode. Especially the ending was very sad and Ryan managed to convey Sevens Emotions just right.

Im glad though that Seven decided to stop pursuing her human side for the time being, because she looks much better in her suit ;-)

It doesnt always have to be big dramatic and revolutionary stories. After all, its meant to be entertaining as well.

Any time an animal spirit thing happens, I now remember back to what was driving all of that nonsense.

It was the Celestine Prophecy, and it's follow on The Tenth Insight books. I read them both. New age psychobabble based on the misogynistic writings of a few earlier philosophers. Is it no wonder the women of the show were treated so stereotypically horrible?

I'm sort of with Jammer on this one, and I'm sort of not.

I didn't mind so much that Seven held herself back. I think that is in character. We've seen before where she has decided not to pursue her emotional progress. I think I would have been more upset had she went from 7 to a hot date all in one episode.

I don't like the Borg node thing though. She HAS shown us much emotion in the past and it hasn't shut her down. Are we to think that the Borg built in a "no sex" limitation?

I also LIKE the choice of Chakotay.

I really enjoyed this one. A solid 3 stars from me.

Fell asleep at some point. I'm not inclined to revisit

@Yanks: I agree with you here. The writers definitely have a lot to answer for, but I don't see this as one of their screw-ups. Yes, the ending could have been handled better, but overall a pretty good effort.

The finger-licking scene to check for levels of "sodium chloride" in the sauce.

Bloody hell, that was erotic.

I join the annoyed commenters on this one--it could have been so much more!

But what probably annoyed me the most of all is that Miss Super-Perfect Seven is SUDDENLY so obsessed with exploring her emotions that she starts missing duty shifts--even to the point of putting the ship in danger-- and failing to regenerate. Horse puckey. I would have believed this much more if she hadn't slacked off so much to explore this new project. Including lying to the Captain!

Sheesh. I sometimes have to wonder if the writers ever watch the show they are creating.

Maybe it's in part because I saw this first but this felt like a much better version of Seven getting interested in and exploring the idea of romance than was "Someone to Watch Over Me".

Maybe this episode didn't go as far as it could or should have this late in the show but it still felt pretty intense and with a lot more real growth, and associated, believable fear of growth, than Seven had had in a long time.

A borg emotion inhibitor, more made-up Voyager nonsense, never seen before or again.

And yet another reason for Janeway to never be a captain of anything. See that area of strange subspace anomolies/explosions full of debris? Looks sort of dangerous maybe. Oh well let's not go around it, fly right into it. Why not? 'I see no reason to alter course' she says. 'Now, on to more pressing matters. Does B'Elanna suspect anything?'. Because a baby shower is more important than the safety of the ship, right? Of course it is.

And once they are in there and realize that it's ridiculously dangerous, does she turn around and leave? Of course not. Why would she? She has a baby shower to go to. Press on! Seven will fix all her mistakes for her.

But oh no! Seven isn't around because she wants to get laid. Thank goodness that made-up inhibitor started working when it did. Just in time to let Seven save the ship from Janeway's incompetence.

Stupid episode.

1/2 star

The final shot of Seven walking down the corridor has burned in my memory for years. When I went back to find it, I couldn't even remember what episode it was on. I initially thought it was "Imperfection." But I'll never forget the feeling of that moment - the utter alienation of Seven who couldn't just be normal like everyone else, and the viewer knowing she won't change.

Not my favorite episode. And I also wish there was more character development on Voyager. But I'd be liar if I said this episode didn't stick with me.

I love this episode. It's tragic that Seven can't quite break through and be as human in the real world as she tries to be in the holodeck simulations. And it's tragic that no one but the Doctor knows what she's going through, because she keeps her distance from the crew. Look at how B'Elanna reacts when Seven offers the gift in Engineering or asks about her hair.... she doesn't know how to react to Seven's attempts to be social. She's bemused and doesn't really reciprocate. Seven is the outsider among the Voyager crew, never quite managing to be human and fit in, and despite her trial run in the holodeck, unwilling to try again at the end of the episode. We learn more about Seven's inner struggles here than we have in the past few seasons. Sometimes these characters just don't win, and that's fine.

And it does set up Chakotay and Seven's relationship in the final episode. I like both characters, and I wish they'd done more with that.

I think the story would work if they made fixing the borg inhibitor issue a bit easier, and thus Seven's decision not to fix it more obviously an excuse. As it is, the "tech" seems to undercut the story rather than add it.

Also, Seven using Holo-Chakotay for this purpose was rather creepy, and the story could have done with acknowledging that at least (if not having her create a fictional person as holo-boyfriend, though that might make the story seem too like that Janeway "delete the wife" storyline)

Frustrating indeed, but we'll played and relevant. 3 stars to me.

Having rewatched Endgame, this episode's purpose is clear-ish. Chakotay as some sort of symbol for Seven of feelings, spirituality and patience (humanity as opposed to Borg perfection) does mesh with his role for her in Scorpion and One Small Step, even though there's very little set-up for the pairing otherwise and I'm skeptical of the chemistry -- and, indeed, of any real set-up for Seven choosing him as fantasy man. In this episode though we don't have to justify Chakotay's feelings at all, because he's fantasy-Chakotay anyway -- and nor do we have to wonder about fantasy-Chakotay's pushy, almost aggressive behaviour in insisting Seven stop the metronome, when we could reasonably ask whether real-Chakotay doing the same thing should mind his own damn business; presumably Seven has programmed him this way (or at least, has the option of un-programming him at any time), so that she can outsource her humanity signal. The idea that she becomes obsessed with the simulation more or less makes sense, and while it's somewhat well-trod ground (Barclay episodes, mostly), there is a fresh spin on it because we know Seven so well and we recognize how much her image of perfection means to her and how difficult it would be for her to actually break with it publicly. The ambivalence about her relationship with holo-Chakotay and the addictive emotional rushes she gets and can't cope with further makes sense. The episode's pacing is a little slow, but it works with Seven's control issues. I honestly don't find Beltran convincing enough in the scenes to evoke real passion which is supposed to counterbalance Seven's control, but then he is a computer program here so it's not *exactly* a fundamental problem, though it maybe means the episode doesn't quite rise to the level of fully selling what this experience means for her.

I guess where I'm going to break with the episode -- besides its subplot, the details of which I've already forgotten like a week and a half later -- is in the ending: the cortical node malfunction that shuts her down if she feels a lot of feelings? is too heavy-handed a device, and one that doesn't really square with the various emotional scenes we have already had of Seven (The Gift, The Raven, One, Drone, Dark Frontier, Child's Play, Unimatrix Zero, Imperfection, the Doctor in Seven's body in Body and Soul) though admittedly few of those times involved happy experiences. Dramatically it's important that Seven *is* given an out -- surgery, from the Doctor -- and refuses it, so that the cortical node thing is an excuse, but it's still not convincing, and mostly serves to obscure Seven's actual choice. More to the point (SPOILERS), it's still not clear what the point is in having Seven shut things down so dramatically when she's about to start exploring again soon with the Real Deal. I guess here if I felt I had a better understanding of what Natural Law was doing I might see how that episode functions as some sort of turning point, but I mostly just feel like this episode's going for the tragic ending just throws a needless wrench into what is already a huge buy of Seven's emotional/romantic attraction to Chakotay in the first place.

All that said, it's not an irrelevant show and has several decent scenes, and Ryan milks the sadness and loneliness and tragedy and also hits some of the right notes of restrained passion. I'm not really convinced that Chakotay as representation of Seven's emotional growth was ever going to make complete sense, but this episode does do something with it and it's something of a bridge of the closing out of her character arc. So, 2.5 stars.

Props to the Doctor/Seven scenes also -- Picardo nails the "trying to cover own feelings with professionalism, and then shows real empathy" thing without overplaying it, and most of it's in the performance rather than on the page.

Really boring episode and it sucks that it is, once again, 7 the main character with yet another examination of her humanity. "7 episodes" have tended to be some of VOY's stronger ones it seems to me over the last 3-4 seasons, but that's not the case here.

Holodeck Chakotay and 7 have some good moments like when he challenges her to play the piano with feeling, but they also had some fast-forwardable moments (the romance). But the worst part is that we're back at square 1 in the end -- or even regressing from where we started. 7 is no longer interested in exploring her emotions and wants to be efficient etc. So she didn't really gain anything from this episode.

And the writers put it down to some failsafe in her cortical node that if things get too emotional (whatever that is) it'll shut 7 down. I don't think Doc should be able to fix that fancy Borg arbitrary technology with multiple surgeries but whatever. At least here I'd agree with 7 for refusing the surgeries but the surgeries aren't the point -- she doesn't want the emotions anymore. So I don't like where the writers leave things here. Not to mention the convenient and arbitrary disarming of the warheads -- just a plot device to make 7 feel like she accomplished something and that she should forget emotions and be Borgish.

Now, I have to say Jeri Ryan is a terrific actress -- really liked her acting when Doc got all nosy and she brings up the doctor/patient confidentiality. Also when she lies to Janeway (although Janeway knew she was lying, it seems to me).

Nearly 2 stars for me but 1.5 stars it is for "Human Error" -- just what was the point of this hour of mostly boredom? I think this kind of things happens enough (unfortunately) with VOY episodes -- just make excuses to put the characters through various emotions and then reset it at the end. This time, there was a negative payoff after nothing really compelling, to say the least for me.

First of all, Braga probably decided Seven should nip- romance-in- bud as she is his girl and she might run off with Beltran eventho he probably had a family in real life ....got it? [sneer, sneer] It's called jealousy, people.

The Doc is a hologram, Tom is married, Kim is too young eventho he would loved to have embraced Seven and being young is another reason for him to hug her, kiss her,oh, yes, Tuvok is Vulcan, out of the question!, nobody else; got to be Chakotay. WORKS FOR ME!

I think Beltran did a sweet job in Human, and he was not nearly as stiff.....

As for dying people in Endgame. We never saw these deaths. They were words on pages for actors to speak and words for us viewers to hear. Did not take it to heart.

Endgame, did not really like it, what I did like was the borg queen shattering like a China doll in semi-slo-motion. Hurrah! At last!

Does anyone know if Jeri Ryan played the piano. I loved the music, it was haunting. Personally to all who read here, I want the theme - First Contact
[trek] played at my funeral, along with the one from Lord of the Rings with Frodo and the Elves sailing away and this one here I could add in a minute if the entire music stays beautiful. This is what a brain infarct does to a person, one cannot hold info from word to word.

Kate Mulgrew spoke to Jeri very nasty too. What ya' doin'!.........

Star Trek people do eat some weird eggs, don't they? The only eggs I eat come from Rhode Island Red Hens, White Hens, and I might eat a Dominecker chicken egg cause they are domestic girls and I have been close them when I was young.

Was the Torres actress feeling left out? Engine grease on her hair? No wonder she is so mean. She hates Seven too. Did ya' gitta load that there ugly look Roxanne laid on Jeri when Seven gives Torres the box with the baby shoes? Did you hear the Roxanne retort. A snap you up ... ... Someone had some issues with some one. All these people seemed to have a problem with Jeri in this ep. that day.

Natch, everyone had to have a word or two.....just like when Data, I think it was, ran to everyone for advice?.......or whoever. Somebody anyway. About something. Ok, Odo did make the rounds in this manner in His Way, but someone on TNG did too.

The dialog in this ep really sucks, even today in 2018. LOL. Just saw it on tv tonight.

Barclay? Poor guy. Everybody hated his guts because he was too intelligent so they all goaded him including Picard. If they hated him so much, why didn't Picard transfer him to a star base and a let him wait for a ship blah, blah? Barclay knew he was hated and that hurt his performance on the ship. A very good actor in every role he played outside Star Trek.

Let's talk Mulgrew. TV GUIDE MOSTLY. She was chosen at the eleventh hour for her role of Janeway. She gets to the set and it was written that the director [look it up] no name here, and he pulled her aside and then off the set and when they returned her hair was a mess. Years later I have learned that they knew one another years before. Hair mess had nothing to do with the ship landing in the Delta Quadrant.....we all know people do not necessarily get mussed up in trek wrecks. Comments went on forever!

Kate is 9 or 10 years younger than myself so grew up in the 1950's while I was winding up my high school career. She reminded me of snobs I had to go to school with all my life and she has not changed her attitude. Check her out on the net and find out a no-no that happened to her when she was in college. Another thing is that Kate Mulgrew forgets that she is not a young actress any more. This is not Shatner and TOS where he demanded every body else to give up their words to him. It has been said he got paid by the word and he would count all his words and if there was not enough for HIS pay check, he'd say Uhura doesn't need to say that, I'll say that. He boldly snatched Leonard Nimoy's words and denied he did it. Nimoy told him to his face on television that he did do it. No one was 'freinds' with Shatner on the set or off. No one liked him. Scotty actor said,"he is not a nice man."

Just saw this episode and loved it. The ending was believable as Seven of Nine realizes how vital her Borg abilities are to the survival of Voyager and has difficulty balancing that with her need to be human. So it's baby steps for for her, which is how it is for most people dealing with trauma.

I love the pairing with Chakotay. He's mature, brave, and spiritual. There's no other male figure on the ship that I could think of her being attracted to (the Doctor is friend and mentor, Tuvok is too detached, Harry Kim is a little too immature, Paris is attached). Glad to see Bektran getting a lot of screen time and in the previous Workforce episodes. It made me cringe how few (and perfunctory) lines he would have each episode for the last two seasons.

2 stars

Really the writers could have tackled Seven’s situation in several different ways

They could have had her be able to remove all her implants, start wearing a uniform, get quarters etc in the real world. A definite radical bold change worthy of the end of a series

They could have had her want to remove her implants, stop regenerating, consider having a child one day etc only to learn that’s not possible due to her assimilation at an early age has left her physiology dependent on her cybernetic systems, her unable to even have children and her cortical node preventing her from experiencing strong emotions. A more tragic arc for her. And so sadly she turns to the holodeck to live a life that might have been.....

They could have had her toy with removing her implants etc and being a more human Seven only to realize that that’s ultimately not who she is. And realizes she’s Seven of Nine—Rigid, emotionally aloof, socially awkward etc etc. that for good or bad that’s who she ultimately is and embraces that.

Any of those in my opinion are valid and legitimate. So the fact the writers kinda went with the more tragic option doesn’t bother me

I can actually buy the idea that the Borg Would want a drone regaining their emotions would be deactivated given it means their suppressed individuality is returning and would see it as a malfunction

What I didn’t much care for was the pointless subplot with testing range. I also didn’t buy Seven choosing Chakotay. First Beltran weak actor. Chakotay woefully written over the years preferred the writers not use the character. And finally no chemistry. So the chakotay\Seven pairing completely ruined the worthwhile idea of seven exploring romance. I can’t believe the real reason that pairing occurred was Beltran daring Braga to pair the two ?!?!?!?!?!!!

So overall the episode good idea poorly executed witha worthless jeopardy plot

As far as I’m concerned everything afterWorkforce was awful

Oh!! Why am I watching Chakotay kissing Seven? Kind of out of the blue, but Seven is so secretive I guess I can believe she's had a little crush on Commander Handsome but successfully hid all traces all this time.

Fantasizing about a co-worker is a bad idea, Seven. Pick a fictional character, I always say. That way, you can never run into them.

Lots of talk about mistakes, making mistakes, fixing mistakes, accepting mistakes, not expecting perfection, accepting your humanity and all parts of yourself.

The Doc and Seven are great together.

Interesting concept, the failsafe on the node.

Wow, just read the review and gotta say: I didn't feel cheated at all by the ending, nor did I think it was artificial or lacked common sense.

It makes perfect sense that Seven's first reaction is to turn the Doc down. She's feeling overwhelmed and scared.

Scurrying back to what you're used to is a common human reaction.

The implication isn't that she'll never poke her head out of her shell, ever again, i.e., that this first attempt had no impact. It's just that it all felt like too much to her and she needs time.

She literally almost destroyed the ship and became quite ill, along with feeling anxious, frustrated and upset. Telling the Doc "no" made perfect sense - not a cop out from the writers at all, but instead, much more realistic than having her continue forward without this retreat.

Zero chemistry made for dull story.

This episode gave me the creeps.

Imagine the roles were reversed:

Chakotay, wanting to know what it'd be like to have sex with a member of the crew, recreates Seven of Nine in the holodeck and goes on dates with and sleeps with her.

I'd certainly not want people using my holo-likeness for people to pretend-date me. Where does this cross into holo-rape? Non consentual sex with your perfect likeness. Spending a bit of time on that part of the story would have been really interesting (and challenging) but might have been more interesting that the ultimate conclusion that she chooses not to feel. meh.

It is at least consistent with what we see on TNG: Even getting it on with are-creations of coworkers is clearly not against the rules, just tasteless. And I think the episode does indeed present it as inappropriate behaviour.

Also, I think the situation is different than if the roles are reversed, not because of gender but because Seven is basically an emotional child and Chakotay is both emotionally mature (well, is supposed to be) and her superior officer. What Seven is doing is inappropriate and the episode treats it as such but the emotional power imbalance is such that we don't really have to worry that Chakotay is being all that injured. Even if it were the less mature and confident Kim instead of Chakotay in Seven's fantasy it would play creepier, IMO.

@Rob I would agree it's creepy, but comparing to actual sexual assault isn't fair. Chakotay isn't being violated, it's not real. This is more like if somebody had fantasies about you and drew pictures of you that they jacked off to. Again, creepy, but not really comparable.

Pointless, ill-thought-out, almost sadistic episode.

Why did they have to mess with Seven like that! if you are going to have her do all that then you must give her a happy ending! This episode was a mess!

It was worse than that episode when Janeway woke up in that 1960's car!!

Seven in no way deserved this wanna be Peyton Place!!

Oh have mercy! have mercy! I'm going back to watch Seven sing "You are my

Sunshine" in Someone to watch over" me again"......

She collapsed because she wasn't regenerating for like 2+ cycles. Anything other than that is a psychobabble cop-out.

Then again, 20 years later, we see how far Seven's human side has progressed in 'Picard'.

On the weak side for a Seven of Nine episode, though Jeri Ryan's work was excellent as usual.

William B said: "Props to the Doctor/Seven scenes also -- Picardo nails the "trying to cover own feelings with professionalism, and then shows real empathy" thing without overplaying it, and most of it's in the performance rather than on the page."

Agreed, Picardo is very good in those final scenes where you can tell he's thinking "why Chakotay and not me?", all conveyed with tone and hesitation and expression. Very well done.

And yes, clearly things have long-since changed by the time of "Picard" where Seven very much has a full range of human emotion and no Borg tech to short circuit her. I guess she ultimately had the surgical procedure after all, which they may have addressed in the final Voyager episode. I can't remember.

Great episode with a terrible ending. It was wonderful to see Seven explore her humanity, and her relationship with Chakotay seemed more genuine than Tom and B'Elanna.

It is disappointing that the writers just let it die in the end with such a lame excuse. It would have been Great to see her take that next step in her personal relationships, even if it's just lunch with Chakotay in the mess hall.

And why the hell does Seven not have a uniform? The Maquis got uniforms and they don't hold a candle to her. Other than TOS, Star Trek in general lacks main "blue shirt" characters (other than doctors) and Voyager is no different. Seven in a blue uniform would have been a great addition to the show, and she truly deserves to wear it. It kills me that Seven must wear the catsuit while Troi not only put the uniform back on, but got promoted and got "command" scenes.

This would have been good.

JANEWAY: [Your work] might've gone faster if you’d stayed at your post.
SEVEN: I was in the can, all right?

Jeri Ryan's breasts were perfect in this episode. She really did have an A+++++ body in her prime.

Jessica Rabbit Seven looked smokin'.

I found this one a nice change of pace, and enjoyed the Seven development arc, and all the scenes with Seven and the Doctor, and Seven and holo-Chakotay. the reset button ending was annoying, but I didn't find it half as annoying as Jammer found it!

I felt like the incredible amount of progress she made in her holodeck simulations did not make sense with what was still her very Borg-like behavior outside the holodeck. I know that a person can have big differences between their public and private persona, but the person she was in public did not even seem capable of being the person she was in private. Her holodeck behavior was TOO human.

It could have made sense if she had still shown some social awkwardness and naivete, some rigidity of thought, perhaps being puzzled when holodeck characters (programmed with the computer's knowledge of normal human behavior) called her on it.

It could also have made sense if there had been more sign of her public persona softening just a bit, though not as much as on the holodeck. Her gift of the booties for Be'lanna's baby was a good model that could also have been done in other ways. Baby steps, as with Data. Maybe never getting in her "real" life even halfway to where she was on the holodeck, but still getting somewhere.

If Data had ever become fully human, the character would have served no purpose, and I realize that Seven's Borg-ness serves a purpose the writers didn't want to let go of. But they could have struck a more subtle balance.

Yeah in context of her role in Picard I think this episode does a really great job of establishing what her goals are drama for herself are if she were able to get rid of the borg tech in her head—-obvs this goes well for her eventually

I found it captivating.

I was put off by the teaser: (ugh, Seven isn’t Seven anymore? The show decided that becoming a softer, more human female is her ‘triumphant’ end? But I miss the old Seven!)

The Chakotay pairing was odd - but as a commenter above pointed out, the other main males are unsuitable. (Possibly she could have chosen the doctor - but he would have known, wouldnt he? Can you run an unsentient hologram program of a sentient hologram without the sentient one ever realizing that his program has been copied and is being played with? Seven wanted privacy and secrecy for her experimentation.). Chakotay is a fair choice I guess: he projects a ‘strong, calm, a bit older and experienced’ persona, which I can see inexperienced Seven being drawn to, at least in fantasy.

Does she have sex with Holo-tay, or just cuddling? I puzzled over that. She starts off as a never-been-kissed , which makes it doubtful that she would go straight to bed with him. On the other hand, it’s a safe hologram simulation, and being Seven she would want to run the full experiment and see if this sex thing was actually worth all the fuss that humans (and other assimilated races) always seem to make of it. I’m going with: she programs him for sex prior to the third date, is a bit trepidatious but goes through with it, and decides that human sex is mostly an acquired taste (foreplay is inefficient for procreation! and pleasure is irrelevant!) but one she starts acquiring.

Seven’s scenes with the doctor were gold. Her excruciating embarrassment, and his wounded bafflement, quickly hidden, were beautifully played. Her confession that she had had feelings in Unimatrix Zero, and was left bereft and longing for more, was very smart writing.

After “Blink of an Eye”/“Virtuoso” I had the impression that the Doctor is meant to be a shallow character incapable of deep attachments. But that’s clearly not true here - and I am glad, because this episode’s very feeling, loyal Doctor brings a lot more to the role.

The ending was good. Given the choice to launch herself forward into real-life human romances, or stick with what she knows, she chooses safety. It’s understandable for the character. It’s got drama and pathos. It spares me from the humanized now-mundane Seven that I didn’t want to see any more of. The Borg anti-emotion implant was a somewhat clunky device (because of course she has felt emotions many times before) but it suited the episode’s purpose, giving her a stark decision: go forward with surgery or abandon the holo-relationship? Her growing addiction to the holo-relationship had to be resolved somehow, and this was, dramatically, the best way. Having her go ahead with surgery would still leave her in the throes of her addiction to Holo-tay. And I would not have bought a last act of “Seven wakes up from de-Borging surgery, immediately decides to swear off the Holo-tay simulations she loved, and charges out to ask real-Tay for a date.”