Star Trek: Voyager
"Shattered"
Air date: 1/17/2001
Teleplay by Michael Taylor
Story by Mike Sussman & Michael Taylor
Directed by Terry Windell
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
"With all due respect, it's a little presumptuous to think you have the right to change everyone's future."
"From what I've seen, they'll thank me!"
"All you've seen are bits and pieces. You're not getting the whole picture."— Chakotay and Janeway
In brief: One or two good ideas surrounded by plenty of messy and/or bad ones. The Humpty Dumpty of time-travel shows.
A lot of "Shattered" plays like a flashback clip show, except the clips have been shot new instead of plundered from the film archive. We've got characters from probably half a dozen timelines popping up, with references to past shows thrown in for fun. It's like an assemblage of random episodes. Unfortunately, it doesn't serve a story so much as it serves a bland set of procedures.
It's like, hey, let's go through old scripts and throw ... this in. What's that? Why, it's a macrovirus. Do you remember the macroviruses from the episode "Macrocosm"? Unfortunately I do, but that's beside the point. There's so little actual substance here that the story spends a lot of its time borrowing material from other episodes. Meanwhile, we've got all these characters introduced from other timelines, past and future. This is bad for the forward flow of the story because every time we encounter a new set of characters we have to wait while the characters who already know what's going on stop and explain what's happening to those who don't. It grows tedious.
What's happening here is yet another take on "shattered time," something done plenty of times before in Trek, whether it was Voyager's "Relativity" or TNG's "All Good Things..." or "Timescape."
Of course, the first thing you'd better know going in is that this isn't science fiction, it's goofy science fantasy. The plot for "Shattered" does more than strain credulity; to say it pushes the envelope of believability — even for a Trek time-manipulation premise — is putting it mildly. We have the starship Voyager, which comes in contact with This Week's Random Spatial Anomaly, causing the ship to be divided into segments, where each of these segments exists in a different time frame, whether it's seven years ago, five years ago, today, or 17 years in the future.
The person at the mercy of this plot is Chakotay, who is the only crew member unaffected by the time manipulation's effects because of a "chronoton-infused serum" Doc concocted after Chakotay was zapped by the anomaly. This serum allows him to pass from section to section of the ship without his memory being affected; he simply passes through time to interact with whatever is happening in that part of the ship at that particular time.
I for one would like to know how the story accounts for location: Some of what happens takes place in the Alpha Quadrant, and the rest of it in various places scattered through the Delta Quadrant, so when Chakotay passes from one timeline to another, he also apparently moves tens of thousands of light-years. Is there some constant in time stories like this that ties location down to wherever the people involved need to be? Is Voyager here a mini-lab of timelines that exists in some finite location? I suppose the Timeline Gods have worked this all out, but never mind.
This makes no sense. Sure, when it comes down to it, no time-travel story makes any sense. This one just makes less sense than most. I'd also like to know why people who don't move through the timelines disappear when they cross from one area of the ship to another. If they're not moving through time like Chakotay, then where are they going?
Hey, I'm not asking for rock-solid science or logic here; I'm just asking that the story be entertaining. "Relativity" didn't make any sense either, but at least it broke free and won us over with its carefree lunacy. "Shattered," on the other hand, is a string of boring, only vaguely related scenes that segue uneasily into and out of one another. The plot is a flimsy excuse to move Chakotay in and out of timelines: He must move through Voyager and inject the ship's bio-neural gel packs with a dose of Doc's serum to bring the ship back to its normal temporal alignment (or whatever).
The key idea here, once the plot is fully under way, is that Chakotay recruits Janeway from the past — from just before Voyager was pulled into the Delta Quadrant — to help him put the ship back together. This means that past-Janeway will get a glimpse of bits and pieces of Voyager's fate over the next six-plus years, revealing the changes the Voyager crew has gone through since it was first pulled into the Delta Quadrant.
This isn't a bad idea at all, but it's not what the show is ultimately about, which plays more like a string of set pieces constructed around a convenient tech plot. There is, for example, an extended scene where Chakotay and Janeway end up in the "Captain Proton" holodeck program and the plot grinds to a halt. This scene isn't nearly as funny or useful as it wants to be, and plays more like a gratuitous rehash of "Bride of Chaotica!"
Other timeline events include: Seska's takeover of Voyager from "Basics, Part II"; a timeline set 17 years in the future, where Naomi Wildman and Icheb are grown adults; the present, where we witness the death of Tuvok; a period during "Caretaker" where B'Elanna blames Janeway for stranding them in the Delta Quadrant; and the time when Seven of Nine and the Borg assimilated the Voyager cargo bay in "Scorpion, Part II."
Other snippets include the aforementioned macrovirus and also a timeline where the crew is unconscious and dreaming, which Chakotay identifies as either the plot of "Waking Moments" or "Bliss." Your mission, if I hadn't already done it for you, was to identify the titles for these shows. (By the way, my usual griping about continuity doesn't mean random events thrown in to acknowledge that the writers did some homework are what make continuity worthwhile.)
The story becomes nearly as loony as "Relativity"; ultimately we have Seska trying to hijack Chakotay's efforts to bring the ship back into temporal alignment and then characters from half a dozen timelines charging in to the rescue, including a Maquis B'Elanna and a Borgified Seven of Nine.
The story makes much of the Temporal Prime Directive ("The less I know about the future, the better," says Janeway, who later presses Chakotay at every turn for more information about Voyager's fate), but it doesn't seem to make up its mind whether any of it matters. Chakotay resists telling Janeway anything about Voyager's future in the Delta Quadrant — then moments later spills some beans, and then some more beans. But then the whole plan is to avert the anomaly's effect on Voyager in the first place, such that nobody's memory from any timeline will have been affected, so I must ask what the point is actually supposed to be.
I will try to answer that question by saying that the show makes an interesting point when Janeway witnesses Tuvok's death, prompting her brief vocal determination to prevent Voyager from ever being stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Chakotay talks her down from this with a reasonable speech about not undoing what's been done; changing everyone's future frankly isn't Janeway's job.
Then again, this is all to be moot anyway, since the timelines are to be reset to normal. I suppose the scene where Chakotay convinces Janeway there's more to Voyager's fate than the bad things she sees here exists just for the sake of discussion, albeit a good one.
The initial plot goal for "Shattered" is to break Voyager up into a bunch of disjointed parts. Of course, the script for "Shattered" is the very same thing — a bunch of parts, with a strand running through it (the Janeway/Chakotay interaction) that can't break free of the illogical or arbitrary nature of tech plotting to be entirely successful. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put this premise together again.
Next week: B'Elanna and Tom — expecting a baby!
Previous episode: Flesh and Blood
Next episode: Lineage
Like this site? Support it by buying Jammer a coffee.
107 comments on this post
Sat, Apr 4, 2009, 10:43am (UTC -5)
Accepting the premise, I found Shattered to be pretty entertaining. Perhaps not one of Voyager's best, but still above average.
My main issue was with the so called temporal prime directive. I don't see why Chakotay couldn't tell Janeway what happened after the timeline was restored. Surely he'd be telling her what happened in their past, so the future could not be altered in any way.
Mon, Jul 20, 2009, 4:42pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Sep 5, 2009, 12:59am (UTC -5)
Fri, Oct 2, 2009, 10:02am (UTC -5)
Oh well, as a standalone (i.e. as your typical Voyager episode) this one wasn't half-bad, IMO. I'm a big sucker for "let's pretend it's the X season" plots though, Enterprise's TATV notwithstanding.
Mon, Jan 25, 2010, 4:48pm (UTC -5)
I really like episodes about time-traveling, time-anomalis and timeline changing....and this one wasn't bad. I can call it a decent show and probably one of the best episodes of Voyager's seventh season.
So thats my opinion..signing out^^
Wed, Feb 17, 2010, 12:04pm (UTC -5)
Sometimes they make sense (or rather, you think they make sense when you're watching them because they are well written). Examples of this genre are "Yesterday's Enterprise", "Future's End", "Children of Time".
There are others that don't really make sense, such as "Past Tense" (since Sisko 'restored' history without the help of Kira & O'Brien, they never should have noticed any changes in the timeline) or "Before & After", but you are able to look past the proposterousness of the plot because the story and characters are compelling.
Unfortunately this episode belongs to the third category, which is that the plot has ZERO credulity, but the story and characters are bland and pointless. Unfortunately "Shattered" falls into this third category.
Thu, May 13, 2010, 8:28am (UTC -5)
Aren't they on their ship in that time-frame? As far as they know everything is normal, it's just that Chakotay has turned up, which is weird... like when he goes on the bridge. Janeway immediately arrests him.
Regarding location....ha that is something that is glossed over by all Voyager plots. Unimatrix Zero had drones talking to each other from different sides of the galaxy in real time. This breaks numerous rules of physics...
Thu, May 13, 2010, 12:55pm (UTC -5)
Another thing that bugs me. If Wildman & Icheb are in the future why are they wearing out of date uniforms? We already know their current ones are old style.
But from now on it's going to be tempting to keep secrets by stating 'Can't tell you. Temporal Prime Directive'.
Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 12:26pm (UTC -5)
Sure, many things didn't make sense but the show was fast-paced, entertaining and quite exciting. I'd give it at least 3 stars, if not 3.5.
Thu, Aug 12, 2010, 3:24am (UTC -5)
Notes:
1) Chakotay: "You told me, about three years from now." This would seem to indicate a reference to the pre-finale from season 2, "Resolutions" wherein Janeway and Chakotay are stranded on a planet for a month alone.
2. Why would fluctuating environmental controls indicate a temporal anomaly?
3. This is the second time Seska's proven to be the arch-villan since she died :p
Sat, Oct 2, 2010, 7:55pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Oct 24, 2010, 4:41pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Feb 25, 2011, 6:17am (UTC -5)
Smarter than the average clip show - but I agree a plot that makes no sense - and I could have done without a revisit to "Macrocosm" - but I guess that was a case of "we've got this CGI model in our computers already and it won't cost us anything to use it"
Fri, Apr 8, 2011, 4:58pm (UTC -5)
It looks like you either love this episode or hate it, pretty much. I loved it, for a few primary reasons:
* I'm a sucker for "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" episodes. Sometimes the time travel stuff can suck, but it's very rare - it's usually a hit with me and this is no exception.
* It made me smile very frequently. There were just a lot of parts, particularly exchanges between Chakotay and Season 0 Janeway, which did this for various reasons: whether simply pleasant, nostalgic, comical or just plain ironic (I love how she reacts to all the chaos to come. Aye! They're not a friendly lot in that Delta quadrant! *grin*)
* It served as a reminder, fitting for the 7th series, of all the fun we've been through. Some of it wasn't written brilliantly, but with the benefit of hindsight it's been a fun ride. I guess this was in part the writers' way of saying "look at what we've achieved over the years" and I'll forgive them that conceit. Given all the bad rap Voyager has had (to which I have contributed my share), it's a very fair point.
- sure, a cynical way of viewing it would be as PM says "a victory lap after a resounding defeat". :) Whatever. I'm in a good mood. I enjoyed the episode.
* There was a good dose of comedy thrown in - not so much as to undermine the show in any way, but enough to keep those smiles raised and enough to point out that it's an episode not to be taken DEADLY seriously. Hence I don't really give a stuff about what we perceive as unlikely scientifically or slight plot holes or whatever.
* Come on, admit it, it was nice seeing some of those old faces like Seska and the Kazon again. Just this once.
Just on a couple of random comments, interesting to see future Naomi (I'm sure that actress has played some ensign before, possibly in an early episode?), I remember reading earlier that an adult Naomi is featured in Season 7 and must have misunderstood. I still want to know how she went from baby to... oh, 7-9 years old? in 1 year. But whatever.
And Tuvok's Spock scene.. well it was a bit blatant, but it was worth the homage.
Sure it's no "All Good Things" but even still, I found it perfectly entertaining and loved every minute, so I can only really give it 4 stars - oh alright alright it has holes so make it 3.5.
Ah nuts, 4 - I'll have to say "poopy" to the cynics and nitpickers on this occasion. YMMV. :)
Thu, May 5, 2011, 8:05am (UTC -5)
One problem I had was Seven's depiction. She seemed far too helpful for the Seven of Scorpion Part II.
Sun, Sep 18, 2011, 11:32pm (UTC -5)
If you recall it was something mentioned by future Icheb in the astrometrics lab...
Thu, Oct 20, 2011, 12:54pm (UTC -5)
It's certainly not great. But knowing that there are only so many episodes left, it was kind of sweet getting a mini-review of where we've been before. I think that aspect, though, was less the point than just a general reminder that Janeway makes tough decisions that always ultimately serve her ship and crew. Kind of like a Janeway apology story.
Interesting note there-- this apology was helpful for me because of late I've really been disliking Janeway. The first few seasons, I was almost always in her corner. Making the tough calls, shouldering the burden, sacrificing for the higher morality, etc. But in seasons 5 and 6 she seemed more bitter, less flexible, and like she lost a bit of her moral center. I'm hoping this episode signals a return to her earlier attitude/behavior.
(Also, incidentally, I might have actually liked more of a revisiting-the-past-type clip episode. Not just revisiting Janeway's awesomeness, but everyone's. They could have picked moments that really made our characters who they were. And reminded us of how the characters have changed over time. Maybe someone's got some good fan fic out there for that one.)
There were still, of course, a few annoying things that I couldn't overlook. For one, how come no one ran into themselves in any of the other time periods? That's usually one of the best aspects of time travel eps. Seeing the inherent awkwardness of having to deal with a former version of oneself is excruciatingly fun.
For another, as others have pointed out, the Temporal Prime Directive is applied in the most bass-ackward way possible here. Chakotay tells past folks all sorts of things about the future one second, then claims TPD the next second. But still clams up about things even when he's pretty sure his plan will work and none of this will have happened (ie, it won't matter what they know). And then finally he won't tell Janeway about how he traveled back in time to a shared past that she knows all about?! Has Chakotay not actually read the Temporal Prime Directive? Do we have a secret illiteracy episode coming up next?
Overall, though, I found myself sympathetic to what this episode was trying to achieve. I hope it continues through the end of the series. (I've actually already seen the next ep, and I really liked it when I first saw it, so I have hope!)
Thu, Oct 20, 2011, 1:04pm (UTC -5)
Ok...so I concede that neither Naomi nor Icheb are going to age the same way "normal" human beings age. Naomi's got her weird growing-up-too-fast-cause-she's-half-Ktarian, and who knows what happens once she's grown up. And Icheb was grown in a Borg maturation cell, and released too early, so he'll all sorts of not-the-right-age-for-his-looks. So, I can't just go by how they look to decide how old they are.
But...it can't be that they're supposed to be more than, what, 35 or 40 years old. So if Icheb is around 16 in our present time, and 40 in the future scene, then 24 years have elapsed. And so the present day Captain and Chakotay die in 7 years?! WTF?! That seems too important to just toss out there like it's incidental! Why isn't Chakotay worried about THAT?!
Sat, Nov 12, 2011, 5:09pm (UTC -5)
Clip show. Not really. If it is to be defined as one, this is an enjoyable one. It doesn't feature actual clips of previous episodes in an attempt to make a filler episode on the cheap. That's what clip shows are, and they are a cop out. Referring to old episodes by staging similar events is fine. I like that kind of messing with time factor.
Nothing amazing but a good enjoyable romp. The previous two parter dragged on and wasn't a great deal of fun, not to mention highly derivative, yet you give it loads of stars vs two here!
Sun, Nov 13, 2011, 7:34pm (UTC -5)
Sat, May 12, 2012, 11:58pm (UTC -5)
Tue, May 29, 2012, 10:07pm (UTC -5)
Pretty much this.
I'm another one who likes time travel stories, and I liked this episode a lot. At least 3 stars.
Tue, Jun 26, 2012, 3:09pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Jul 5, 2012, 4:33am (UTC -5)
Sun, Jul 15, 2012, 10:09pm (UTC -5)
And seeing Chaotica, again threatening to use his "Ming the Merciless" death ray, was a treat, with Janeway "adlibbing" her Queen Arachnia part as she went.
Sun, Oct 21, 2012, 12:23pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Dec 11, 2012, 10:29pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Jan 14, 2013, 10:23am (UTC -5)
Technically, so should his clothes, but no one wants that...
Thu, May 9, 2013, 7:22pm (UTC -5)
Other than that, I agree the science was ridiculous and more like fantasy, but the episode kept me interested enough that I didn't care. Other ST series' have made excellent shows with similarly implausible "science," such as the transporter on TNG turning Picard and 3 others into children. When an episode is boring all I can think about are the plot holes, but this one was a lot of fun.
Tue, Jun 11, 2013, 12:32am (UTC -5)
At the end, Janeway somehow knows where Chakotay hid "that bottle of Ale" from Neelix...
That is the part that made the least sense.
So essentially they are saying that Janeway already knew Chakotay before he came aboard Voyager..
...That she already knew about events before they occured
Fail!
Sun, Jul 14, 2013, 10:00pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Jul 19, 2013, 12:41am (UTC -5)
Second, because of the great interactions of Chakotay and past Janeway. Their lighter banter and heavier discussions were all great and well performed. They actually have a very good chemistry and I'm also one of those people who think a romantic relationship between them would have worked really well.
And third, I kinda liked seeing some old faces again. I actually don't think this can aptly be called a clip-show. That implies that it was a throw-together of existing material to save a buck and make a quick turn. All of these events revisited ideas but not a single clip from the corresponding episodes was used. They had to get back the actress to play Seska and the actors who portrayed Chaotica and Lonzak, do all that Borg get-up on Seven, and get a bunch of extras to fulfill the roles of past crew, random Maquis, and even an adult Naomi and Icheb (nice casting on him, btw, he really did look like a believable grown up version of Manu Intiraymi). I imagine this actually was quite the opposite of budget-saving or time-saving.
Overall, yes it made no sense but I still enjoyed it. And I'll admit it, even though the scene was sudden and a bit rushed, Tuvok's death still gave me sad-face.
Sun, Aug 4, 2013, 8:14pm (UTC -5)
But one thing... just one...
WHY THE FRAK DIDN'T CHAKOTAY KISS JANEWAY BY THE WARP CORE???????? PERFECT SET-UP FOR THE MOST ROMANTIC SCENE OF THE SHOW AND THE WRITERS BLOW IT??????
Tue, Aug 20, 2013, 12:55am (UTC -5)
Plus, Chakotay's speech to Janeway about the good they've done to counter the bad was terrific, and the chemistry between them was palpable. I don't blame Janeway for looking disappointed when Chakotay tells her "some barriers we didn't cross." Chakotay is quite tasty. Well, it's not too late, but from everyone's comments it appears they never went there. Too bad.
As for Janeway's cryptic last line, I just assumed she'd found out about it some other way. It's admittedly a weakness but overall the show was quite entertaining and so I'll give slips like that a pass.
Mon, Aug 26, 2013, 1:45pm (UTC -5)
2. jammer hates time shows. and voyager. horrible review.
3. you can see most people liked this.
4. i am a sucker for time travel shows. it is why i like voyager and star trek!
5. i really like reviews from michael and destructor and David H.
Mon, Aug 26, 2013, 1:48pm (UTC -5)
maybe that is why i loved quantum leap.
4 stars!
Mon, Oct 7, 2013, 4:14pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Oct 15, 2013, 7:47am (UTC -5)
I found these very grin inducing fun. There is naturally little logic, but I think the writers primary concern was to give us a hugely enjoyable celebration of the show that's peppered with heartfelt moments and salted with misty eyed laughs; much like the last day of school or a well-loved colleges' leaving party.
It achieved quite a bit of that goal, it gives you hints of that comfortable warm feeling and a twinge of that sinking sadness that its all coming to an end.
I liked it a lot. While I wouldn't call it powerful, it did come with plenty of honest emotion and I believe grew from a genuine affection for Voyager which you're openly invited to join in with. I smiled a lot, through humor and through being reminded that deep down I really get a kick out of this show...much like how I felt about school on that last day!
Easily 3.5 stars.
Fri, Feb 14, 2014, 7:56am (UTC -5)
Ah well. I thought it was funny that Icheb was wearing a red uniform and Naomi was wearing a yellow uniform – seems like it should've been the opposite, with Icheb so interested in engineering-type things and Naomi wanting to be the captain's assistant.
One thing that struck me as being so funny was at the very end was when Chakotay only had six seconds or whatever to fix everything, and he's very calmly talking to B'Elanna, like they has all the time in the world! I usually enjoy Chakotay's calm and gentle manner, but this moment really called for some urgency and action! Ha ha.
Tue, Feb 18, 2014, 12:09am (UTC -5)
Sun, Apr 13, 2014, 12:54am (UTC -5)
Doctor Who does this shattering effect better than any. Entertaining it may be, yet when a mashup of timelines exist that would confuse even Doc Brown from Back To The Future let alone the most avid of Trekkers it destroys the premise.The reasons for criticism from those of us who are Trekkers is because we enjoy Trek, and don't feel that we should have to turn off our brain on every episode.
Credible SF is what made shows like Stargate successful. Gateheads follow the science and mechanics of Stargate just like those in Star Wars and Doctor Who. Criticism of a show like Star Trek is no different. When writers abandon what has been established as canon, then the material becomes mashed up and becomes less SF and more fantasy.
Wed, Jul 16, 2014, 12:18am (UTC -5)
This review tells me that Jammer really did not like Voyager as a series and probably should have stopped watching it.
I would have chosen this quote instead:
"It sounds like it's going to be one disaster after another on this ship."
"You're going to have the opportunity to study things no human has ever seen before."
"Including some very large germs."
It's a comical exchange but Mulgrew's delivery nails it.
Another favorite was Doc: "Tell me more about this...mobile emitter" as the door slams shut on his face.
Overall I thought the episode was great--some very touching dramatic moments as well as many hilarious ones. It was cool to see some of the old characters, as well as the current characters in the past and future. (On that note, this episode did a much better job than Fury, in which a lot of the "characters in the past" didn't look quite right.)
I do appreciate the focus being on Chakotay for a change (normally he is a cardboard cutout, but he did pretty well here), and the fact that a number of characters were utilized. Put together with the previous episodes, "Flesh and Blood" parts 1 and 2, gives me hope that Voyager finally stopped being the "7 of 9 and the Borg" show and started being Voyager again.
Probably the only scene I didn't care for was the Chaotica one. It might have been okay if it was shorter. Also, although I like Seska coming back, she is portrayed by the writers as a little too cunning which gets on my nerves.
I do have one question though. How come whenever Janeway travels between time periods, nobody ever asks her why her hair suddenly changed?
BTW I assumed she knew about the cider some other way. Chakotay said he was hiding it from Neelix, not from everybody.
Sat, Aug 2, 2014, 4:46pm (UTC -5)
This episode really was fun though, even if it didn't really happen. Janeway didn't seem to remember it (or did she...).
Sun, Aug 17, 2014, 7:58pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Oct 31, 2014, 2:23am (UTC -5)
Fri, Oct 31, 2014, 8:25am (UTC -5)
The phenomenon happened to Voyager, why couldn't it have been tied to Voyager's existence? Sure you might have been able to walk into the cargo bay and find a bunch of Utopia Planetia technicians building the thing (and that might have been pretty funny) but the idea isn't that out there. I like this episode, Beltran looked like he was having a lot of fun (nice to see for a change in the later seasons) and I loved all the little continuity tie ins from past episodes. This was a Voyager episode for Voyager fans. Not a classic 4 star, but I'll give it 3.5. It was fun.
Fri, Jan 16, 2015, 2:49pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Apr 17, 2015, 1:33pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Jun 10, 2015, 11:39pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Jun 25, 2015, 7:54pm (UTC -5)
It's better then bunching the main characters together and have them reminisce about the times that were, as most clip shows do.
My favorite scene was the one where Seven barges in through her temporal anomaly, casually shoves a Kazon aside while taking a phaserblast without flinching and manhandling Seska like a ragdoll.
It was a good ride. Not a very sensible one, but fun. I enjoyed it, at least.
Thu, Sep 17, 2015, 9:09am (UTC -5)
Thu, Oct 29, 2015, 5:16pm (UTC -5)
I always like to imagine what it would be really like to meet someone from the future or past, or to meet yourself at a different age. I imagine giving Thomas Jefferson a tour around Wal Mart and explaining why it is all his fault for not fighting to include certain things the Constitution.
If I met my younger self, I imagine that arrogant little twit would think she knew everything and I'd probably get nowhere with her.
But what would you do right now if your worst enemy suddenly showed up and tried to convince you he was your best friend from the future?
Fun!
And I love the way Janeway plays along in the Captain proton world. She's a trooper.
Mon, Nov 2, 2015, 12:40pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Nov 2, 2015, 5:32pm (UTC -5)
That's a good question! The line about your worst enemy (already thinking of a few and it doesn't feel warm and fuzzy) coming from the future where (s)he may be much older. I try to imagine them telling you that you're not only the closest of friends but the two of you managed to find an instant cure for every type of cancer which led to a treaty of sorts for all the world superpowers! I suppose if my future self were there to corroborate the story...well...I'd probably still be skeptical, but that would be better than my outright reaction which would be something do with they can do with themselves, their maternal ancestor and a jar of peanut butter.
Anyways, this was something different. Fractured times intermingled throughout the ship. If this concept was used in this way before I can't think of any other show it's been done in. If anyone else can pinpoint this by all means share with your trek brethren!
Personally I am glad this didn't become a Janeway-Chakotay character thing. By the 7th season there wasn't much left to be said.
Glad Martha Hackett came back! Seska is manipulative and seductive evil...a sneaky one. And like a moth to a flame I'dve followed her. I feel no shame :)
I found that particular timeline to be quite awesome. This was when the writers were attempting some kind of continuity in a storyline. The Ka-zon weren't exactly the most interesting species they came across but I love the fact the writers' thinking caps were on and they were attempting something different.
And as always the doctor was entertaining. "Where's your mobile emitter?" "My What?" Had to smile on that one, couldn't help myself.
A throwaway ep? Well..maybe a bit more than that. Good clean harmless fun with timelines in the vein of S5's Relativity. I give it 2.5 stars.
Wed, Nov 11, 2015, 9:44am (UTC -5)
Tue, Mar 15, 2016, 6:18pm (UTC -5)
I wanted to see Q in one of the fractured time-periods, and have him say "How did you manage this?. Humans are not supposed to be able to do this to their ships for another 500 years."
You can't burn a roast in the replicator. I think this is the work of Paris and Kim, and Janeway is too stupid to catch on.
Chakotay to Janeway: "Harry's going to be one of our best people." (We just won't promote him - LOL) And that's why you keeping replicating a burnt roast.
Mon, Mar 21, 2016, 5:25pm (UTC -5)
Yes, it doesn't make too much sense if you nitpick it. But willingly suspend your disbelief and this is a riot. 3 stars.
Tue, Apr 12, 2016, 12:34am (UTC -5)
Fri, Apr 15, 2016, 5:43pm (UTC -5)
The Borg generally strike me as the types to not mess with that stuff, anyway, considering how paradoxical temporal mechanics can be, and that the Borg over anyone else most likely do not enjoy the uncertainty of what would happen if they interfered with events. Even in First Contact their own interference didn't end up working out. Maintaining the status quo is what the Borg are all about, after all.
Wed, Apr 20, 2016, 9:21pm (UTC -5)
Ah, but what the heck, it was kind of fun anyway, even if it was stupid. Honestly, though, the worst part is probably that it's a Chakotay episode. Sure, on the one hand this is a safe episode for him, since it is just shallow and doesn't require you to use the character in any meaningful way (and Chakotay hasn't been used in any meaningful way since Scorpion or so...). But the problem is Beltran is just so wooden and uncaring in his role. If this is going to be a lighthearted episode, I'd prefer if the actors had some fun with it. And Mulgrew clearly was hamming it up a bit, just enough to show the creators recognized the silliness involved. But Commander Robot? Couldn't show a wry smile from all the weirdness going on around him? I know you hate the job, but still try to enjoy it somewhat, right?
Also, kind of convenient that there was one main castmember in every place and every time period they visited. Didn't have two Janeway's running around or anything. Not to mention both Seven and Seska appearing, quite a coincidence!
I also question whether Borg Seven would really join in with the giant raid on Seska at the end. Wouldn't she deem such concerns to be irrelevant? And why did Chakotay and Janeway only grab the main characters to join their raid?
Oh seriously, what am I doing questioning the logic of this episode? Like I said, it was an enjoyable little clip show, and at least the theme (the journey was worth the troubles) had at least a little bit of resonance, not to mention reinforcing Chakotay's loyalty to Janeway. A nice breather episode after Flesh and Blood and before Lineage; I won't complain.
Sun, May 1, 2016, 12:49pm (UTC -5)
The theory that time is a dimension (ie. Einstien's GR) is obviously mentally retarded - just like the guy who thought it up. Space-Time is a concept - it is not a substance, as such it does not physically exist - its an idea (and a stupid one). Therefore it cannot bend light around the Sun, cannot effect the perihelion of Mercury etc etc ..
The vacuum is a substance, it is the spacial extension of the isotropic vector matrix - it is a fluid under tension, and is in a state of hyper-flux .. it cannot achieve static equilibrium, it is therefore in a state of dynamic equilibrium. The vacuum is not just an idea .. its a substance that has variable apparent density - depending on apparent flow of high complexity polyhedra, which is why 'gravitational' fields bend light, and .. ah bah humbug ..
.. may as well go talk to some rocks ..
Tue, Jul 5, 2016, 11:11am (UTC -5)
A-hem...
I didn't mind this one. It kept my interest... kind of a Voyager homage or a trip down memory lane type episode.
I'll go 2.5 stars.
Thu, Sep 1, 2016, 5:25am (UTC -5)
It was clearly a chance to revisit elements and characters from Voyager's past as a kind of final hurrah. This was near the end of Voyager's journey and the ship would be coming home soon, leaving the Delta Quadrant and its inhabitants behind forever. This was Voyager's farewell.
While a lot of the character interactions was bland (it would be nice to see Chakotay shaken by seeing Seska again for example), Chakotay constantly preaches about and then breaks the temporal prime directive and Seven had pre-adapted to the Kazon weapon, I don't place the blame on the actors. I place it on Rick Berman, who ruthlessly engineered emotion out of his characters (leading to bland acting), and Brannon Braga, a one trick pony who could never actually get his trick (time travel) right, no matter how many times he tried it.
This pair are simply talentless and their efforts harmed the show. Note that DS9 is the fan-favourite Trek and this was the only modern Trek where these two hacks didn't have a free hand.
Stop blaming Voyager for being a "bad" Trek. Blame Bermaga for making sure Voyager wasn't able to create vibrant, well developed characters and consistently used plots that were either repetitive, shallow or badly thought out.
Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 6:01pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Feb 16, 2017, 12:45am (UTC -5)
Tue, Feb 21, 2017, 8:05pm (UTC -5)
My only gripe is Chakotay didn't kiss Janeway, since he knew she wouldn't remember it anyway. I wasn't a fan of the Chakotay x Janeway during the first airing. I never could understand how people could ship them. I thought who the hell would choose Janeway over 7? But now after watching every episode, including all the ones I missed the first time around, it's really growing on me.
Wed, May 17, 2017, 1:51pm (UTC -5)
Mon, May 22, 2017, 12:51pm (UTC -5)
"I'd also like to know why people who don't move through the timelines disappear when they cross from one area of the ship to another. If they're not moving through time like Chakotay, then where are they going?
Aren't they on their ship in that time-frame? As far as they know everything is normal, it's just that Chakotay has turned up, which is weird... like when he goes on the bridge. Janeway immediately arrests him."
Doubtful, as Janeway mentioned that Stadi disappeared when she walked down the corridor. I think it's more like normal people passing through one of the barriers is moved into another timeframe. In Stadi's case, with everywhere else on the ship being the future from her perspective, she died as that's what she was in those times.
"Another thing that bugs me. If Wildman & Icheb are in the future why are they wearing out of date uniforms? We already know their current ones are old style."
Voyager never updates their uniforms (the only Trek series not to actually), not even after Contact was made with Starfleet and they saw the new uniforms. Real world it kept Voyager and DS9 visually different because the producers think we're all stupid. In universe, it would probably be hand waved with a "we can't afford the power for 150 new uniforms" line (Not that the replicators wouldn't then recycle the old uniforms) not that power/resources were ever a problem when they were building new shuttles and rebuilding the whole ship. I guess it's a captain's discretion thing too, and we don't really want a repeat of the uniform mess we had in "Generations". But yeh, Naomi and Icheb had the right uniforms for the ship, regardless of what starfleet was actually using.
Speaking of uniforms, did the Doctor give Chakotay's uniform, commbadge and rank insignia a Timey-Wimy injection too as they had no problem going with him through the rifts when the medkit didn't in the turbo lift. How did Chakotay do that to Janeway's uniform, commbadge and rank pips to get her through? Especially when he was holding her hostage at the time?
Tue, Aug 8, 2017, 6:25pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Aug 24, 2017, 5:55pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Aug 28, 2017, 3:25pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Sep 17, 2017, 2:17pm (UTC -5)
The idea of Janeway (being from the earliest time frame) seeing all these [bad] things for the future but then being told by Chakotay that a whole lot of good will come from their trip to the Delta Quadrant was perhaps the one redeeming quality of this episode. Otherwise, there's just too much suspension of disbelief required for what is happening and how to fix it.
I didn't see anything clever or creative here -- it is just some excuse to do a montage of past episodes. It's not as bad as TNG's "Shades of Grey" which were strictly montages -- at least here the characters from different episodes show up and do new stuff. We get a nice, convenient reset at the end (other than a deflector dish that is unexplainably broken - according to Janeway).
Not quite good enough to get to 2 stars for me so "Shattered" would be a strong 1.5 stars (there's an oxymoron - probably like a 4/10 instead of 3/10). Weak sci-fi here to get some kicks about seeing things in the past, and Janeway wondering about the future. I don't get kicks from or find these kinds of episodes fun when there are too many plot holes, highly improbable happenings and there is nothing noteworthy as far as acting/writing etc.
Fri, Sep 29, 2017, 9:18pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Dec 17, 2017, 11:55pm (UTC -5)
Interestingly, all they had to do to justify this, instead of coming up with some anomaly, is make it a 'Q' test for Chakotay and Janeway. Maybe he and Janeway have a serious disagreement and Q shows up to referee and splits the timelines.
Or, you could have a holodeck malfunction, where the holodeck is replaying Voyager's logs and something happens... anyway...
It was still a fun episode. It would have been nice if they threw in one "episode" we never saw in here - just to tease fans.
Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 10:15am (UTC -5)
This was a good episode for me. I never liked Seska so didn’t care to see her again, the chaotica bit went on for too long but I liked the commentary on Tom, and I missed Why 7 who was still Borg at the time decided to help... but the chance to see Janeway and Chakotay being awesome together even in different timelines was all worth it
Mon, Apr 23, 2018, 7:24am (UTC -5)
CHAKOTAY: With all due respect, it's a little presumptuous to think you have the right to change everyone's future.
JANEWAY: From what I've seen, they'll thank me.
CHAKOTAY: All you've seen are bits and pieces. You're not getting the whole picture.
JANEWAY: Really? Just what am I missing?
CHAKOTAY: It's not what, it's who. People like Seven of Nine, a Borg Drone who'll become a member of this crew after you help her recover her humanity. Or Tom Paris, a former convict, who'll be our pilot, chief medic, and husband to B'Elanna Torres.
JANEWAY: That angry woman I just met?
CHAKOTAY: She's going to be your Chief Engineer. Two crews, Maquis and Starfleet, are going to become one. And they'll make as big a mark on the Delta Quadrant as it'll make on them by protecting people like the Ocampans, curing diseases, encouraging peace. Children like Naomi and Icheb are going to grow up on this ship and call it home. And we'll all be following a Captain who sets a course for Earth, and never stops believing that we'll get there.
JANEWAY: Are you going to be lecturing me like this for the next seven years?
CHAKOTAY: Don't worry, you'll always get the last word.
JANEWAY: In that case, let's get back to work.
So that convinces her. So Chakotay's argument boils down to: yes, there are people who are going to die. But Voyager does good in the DQ, and some people benefit tremendously from being on Voyager. Janeway is convinced by it, and that's that. What he's really convincing her of is the validity of her initial choice in Caretaker, which, in one of the series' dozen or so revisits of the series' opening (figuratively in episodes like Scorpion or Night, literally through time travel/flashback/holodeck/etc. in Projections, Before and After, Relativity, ...), and of Voyager's mission. Chakotay has no doubts, basically, even if Janeway does, and in a way this has been consistent. The splitting of the timeline into shards reflects the impossibility of summing up a grand, huge decision Janeway made in Caretaker and its huge ramifications in a single moment; there are thousands of major consequences that spring from that initial decision, and it's really beyond human understanding to evaluate them all at once, except (possibly) through metaphor or sci-fi shenanigans.
Given that this is the core of the episode, it's not really even a Chakotay show -- his role is just to bolster early-Janeway. And it maybe suggests that despite the promises of conflict or whatever, Janeway does basically need Chakotay in order to believe in her initial decision, and maybe even needs him to stop from going mad. His faith in her is what keeps her going, more so than anyone else's. That there's a suppressed romantic component to that faith is also referenced in the episode:
JANEWAY: Maybe, just a little. For two people who started off as enemies, it seems we get to know each other pretty well. So I've been wondering. Just how close do we get?
CHAKOTAY: Let's just say there are some barriers we never cross.
I guess my problems with this are that 1) it flattens Chakotay's character to be an uncomplicated cheerleader for Janeway, though maybe after about Equinox that's really all that could be done with him to give him an important role in the show and 2) Janeway is convinced a little too easily within this episode, which leaves the rest of it dramatically inert. However, these elements maybe do actually make sense coming up to Endgame, and so the episode's purpose seems a little clearer -- even if there are contradictions. So, hold that thought.
A high 2 stars -- too thin, really, but probably worthwhile.
Sat, Jul 7, 2018, 3:59pm (UTC -5)
Janeway: What's with the salamanders?
Chakotay: Uh, that's you and Tom Paris. You turn into salamanders when you exceed the warp factor limit.
Janeway: The hell you say. What about those baby salamanders?
Chakotay: Well ... that's ... your children. I mean yours and Tom's.
Janeway: WTF? This future ends NOW!
Then we could have had a great scene when the salamanders attack Seska, winning the day.
But no, they didn't go that route. So with a wistful look at what-might-have-been, gotta give this one 2-stars.
Sat, Jul 7, 2018, 4:02pm (UTC -5)
Kim: Uh ... sorry Captain, I can't get a transporter lock ...
Janeway: Ensign, that's the last time I expect to hear that.
Sat, Jul 14, 2018, 5:32pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Jul 22, 2018, 6:00pm (UTC -5)
"I'd also like to know why people who don't move through the timelines disappear when they cross from one area of the ship to another. If they're not moving through time like Chakotay, then where are they going?"
They're not going anywhere. The time transition is being depicted from Chakotay's point of view, so when the two security guards "disappeared" in the turbolift, Chakotay moved into a new time fragment and the security guards remained behind in the time fragment they were already in.
Sun, Jul 22, 2018, 7:22pm (UTC -5)
"Even in First Contact [the Borg's] own interference didn't end up working out."
Yes, it did. When the Enterprise is in the temporal wake, we see Earth's familiar land masses Borgified, and Data says the lifesigns on the planet are "9 billion -- all Borg." The Enterprise then emerged from the temporal wake at a point *before* the Borg succeeded in their plan, and this timeline "overwrote" the one in which the Borg had succeeded.
Mon, Sep 3, 2018, 3:43am (UTC -5)
Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 11:51pm (UTC -5)
The time paradoxes and confusion and inconsistencies . . . like Janeway, I prefer not to give myself a headache and just go with the flow.
Fun to see Naomi and Icheb, though their reactions to seeing the long dead seemed a bit more subdued than one might expect . . .
Sun, Nov 11, 2018, 5:21pm (UTC -5)
--I contend that this ep plainly is NOT a clip show. I submit as evidence: There are no clips.
--The new uniforms: Why would they bother replicating new uniforms? They're in the freakin' Delta Quadrant, still many years from home. This just doesn't need an explanation.
--Loved the Tuvok death scene and homage to Spock.
--Ah, Janeway and Chakotay! That's always been a little somethin'-sometin' there, and sometimes I think their behavior suggests they did "cross that barrier" when they lived on that planet together. Chakotay says "no we didn't" here, but with all his emphasis on the "temporal prime directive," and just the awkwardness of the situation, he can be reasonably seen as deliberately obscuring the truth. So who knows. There's definitely some chemistry there, but no way Janeway can allow a sexual relationship, and I believe Chakotay is in full agreement with that.
--Definitely, I think there was deliberate foreshadowing of Endgame going on here.
--Voyager can be very fun, and its characters are its strength.
Thu, Dec 27, 2018, 12:41am (UTC -5)
Sat, Apr 6, 2019, 3:02pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Dec 1, 2019, 3:07pm (UTC -5)
This is the time that stupid thing happened to us; oh, this is the time that idiotic thing happened to us; this is the time that A TELEPATHIC PLANT attacked us.
What a wacky set of adventures we've been on these past few years.
Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 12:38am (UTC -5)
But they’re an unfortunate staple of all sci-fi, a venerable Trek tradition, so here we are again. And since I don’t watch Trek for its science (which is generally ridiculous anyway), I don’t skip them.
And since I know there’s no point in criticizing the unresisiting imbecility of the science, I let that go in favor of seeing what other merits the episode may have. Sometimes I can enjoy the speculative what-ifs of a future possibly awaiting Our Heroes, seeing how the history we’ve seen might work itself out; sometimes I enjoy seeing possible pasts. Always I can pick up clues cues and insights about the characters (or not), and the time puzzle itself can be inherently interesting purely as a mind exercise.
But over all else, I can be entertained - or not.
This one entertained me. I found a lot to like. I always like Chakotay, and he has the perfect dogged unflappable temperament to mediate these time fragments and give them the emotional and historical logic the shattered-time pretense lacks. A nice outing for him.
I enjoyed the time puzzle, neither too precious nor too tedious. I liked the choices of past events. All the characters were shown being their characteristic selves, with a few additional insights from the juxtaposition of eras, and nothing to violate Voyager canon or continuity. And goofy as time travel is, the notion of members of the crew from various points across decades of time corroborating to resolve a single problem serves to emphasize the collegial trust and goodwill the crew developed over the voyage. (Other than Seska, yuck ptui, a character for whom I’ve never been able to scare up a scrap of regard.)
And while it wasn’t a clip show, it was a retrospective survey which gathered highlights (and absurdities) from Voyager’s long strange trip and created an overall arc for us, a review. Seeing what was to be the unimaginable future from a pre-Delta Janeway’s perspective emphasizes just how much Voyager the ship/crew have been through - and how much Voyager the show actually HAS done with its original brief (in the face of the interminable “fan” whining and bitching in these reviews and comments).
That it visited both some of Janeway’s biggest hits and a few of the decisions she’s been most critized for (and has been shown to second-guess herself for) is another nice touch. It’s a nod and a wink from the writers that they’ve heard the jeers from the cheap seats.
Which also adds a meta layer, making the episode as much about Voyager the show as Voyager the fictional ship. It’s a scrapbook shared by the writers with faithful viewers - “The Way We Were” with a slightly wry twist, but in the end an earnest and warm benediction.
Also, as typified by “Slaughterhouse Five”, the fragmented time device is a pretty good metaphor for the way human memory works, how we are all constantly engaged in integrating our memories and our intuition about the future into a coherent story about who we are in the present.
So...a pleasant enough installment for me, helping shape an overall understanding of Voyager’s narrative shape - even if that shape comprises a willful selection of random incidents arbitrarily arranged to make meaning where they may originally have been none.
But that’s ALso what we do with the stuff of our own lives - so OK.
Thu, Dec 19, 2019, 5:38am (UTC -5)
If people disappear when crossing timezones on the ship, what does that mean for Naomi and Itcheb - that they stayed in their time/ship zone for 17-25 years and are where by now?
Not a single question from Chakotay to the future crew who says they are analysing the still persistent time shift phenomenon (presumably for several years) nor enlisting their help. No care in the world for them as people (hi and bye). No care from Itcheb and Naomi that Janeway and Chakotay are alive again, no cate what they do next, what might happen to any of them.
Minor ridiculous scene: Don't get in my way or I will poison Janeway with the injection you just saw me already administering to her. And now, only seconds after administering it, I take her through the time barrier trusting the stuff has made the changes in her already so she will not vanish into nothing.
Then, having just crossed, Chakotay and Janeway can now conveniently see what happens in timeline they just left when before that was not the case nor will it be again while they move through the ship.
I am sorry but always when the people who write a script and all people involved in filming it don't take care of the flaws and moon-sized plot holes that are apparent to watchers the moment they see it, that is just very sloppy work. A script can be good or bad and a matter of opinion. But not being able to or not caring to make the inner workings of your own story and character choices the least bit plausible makes for the worst kind of professional story tellers in my opinion - possibly only exceeded by those not able to tell any story at all.
You can entertain with less but you don't need to be a professional writer to do it.
Mon, Mar 2, 2020, 1:24am (UTC -5)
While not without its flaws, this could have made for a decent series finale (except it wouldn't have gotten the crew home and TNG already did this concept to perfection for IT'S series finale)
3.5/4
Sun, May 10, 2020, 6:27pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Jun 28, 2020, 1:45pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Jul 11, 2020, 1:08pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Jul 19, 2020, 4:23pm (UTC -5)
While I never liked the bonkers direction they took Seska back in the day, at least she is consistent with her conniving self from back then.
The Seven stuff was a lot less believable because it just seemed so unlikely they could convince her to help them. She’s not the Seven they have known, she’s full on original Borg.
I don’t feel like writing a review for All Good Things, but that had a very similar and more extreme version of this. In the Yar era, Picard, who has just taken command, orders the ship into what sure looks like suicide. Picard speeches can be quite effective, but what he’s saying there is just nuts. Especially considering his behavior prior to that. His behavior there is worse than in Lonely Among Us. Really, the ONLY reason I believe he got away with it was he hadn’t yet picked up the first officer.
Tue, Jul 21, 2020, 1:56am (UTC -5)
His behavior there is worse than in Lonely Among Us. Really, the ONLY reason I believe he got away with it was he hadn’t yet picked up the first offic
Ha. that's true. Yeah, it was ridiculous that they didn't all relieve him of command. Picard is standing on the bridge yelling at something called "Q" and then takes them right into that anomaly. I would like to think that the TNG characters I watched for 7 seasons wouldnt blindly go to their deaths just because picard gave a 20 second speech.
I actually enjoyed this voyager episode. I seem to be one of the few people who likes Chakotay episodes. They definitely could have developed him more but I like when he gets a lot of dialogue and screen time. I liked the episode Nemesis a lot too for what its worth.
I don't believe Icheb and Naomi would go along with Chakotays plan either. He points out that Janeway is pretty presumptuous to believe she can change the future of the crew after 7 years. Icheb and Naomi have 17 more years of history. They haven't been just waiting for Chakotay ftoro come back. They wouldn't just give up their entire lives without even questioning it because Chakotay says so. The writers never thought about stuff like that.
Also, when Chakotay asks if anyone had encountered one of the temporal barriers, Janeway says "My helmsman disappeared when she tried to walk down that corridor, but that doesn't prove she passed through a temporal barrier."
Where does she think the crew member disappeared to? she acts like she doesn't care the helmsman is gone. Nor does she put 2 and 2 together and think maybe Chacotay is telling the truth. I don't know why they want to portray Janeway as that dumb.
At the end Chakotay won't tell the present Janeway what happened because of the temporal prime directive. How exactly would her knowing change anything now? The previous comment by Silly mentions All Good Things. At the end of All Good Things Data points out Picard told them what had happened because they are back to point where the future hadn't been written yet. Maybe I'm missing something but again, why would the writers throw that in?
Wed, Jul 29, 2020, 5:34am (UTC -5)
Fri, Nov 20, 2020, 11:36pm (UTC -5)
I was expecting something not good at all based on sneak-peak comments and was quite pleased with the episode. I'd definitely watch it again in the future. Or in the past!
Sun, Nov 29, 2020, 11:35am (UTC -5)
Sat, Jun 26, 2021, 12:51pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Aug 29, 2021, 12:49pm (UTC -5)
As with Bride of Chaotica, Janeway (and Mulgrew) relishes her Queen Arachnia role. I'm sure as an admiral, she's a lot like that.
Thu, Sep 2, 2021, 8:31pm (UTC -5)
A huge missed opportunity would be to run into 15 years-into-the-future Harry Kim, who is still an ensign.
Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:42am (UTC -5)
I quite enjoyed it tho. On my first viewing, it was just okay, but when I rewatched it I found it to be more enjoyable for some reason. I think if you take it as just a fun episode, it's fine. The Chakotay and Janeway interections were the main appeal.
Also, someone asked why Naomi and Icheb are wearing outdated Starfleet uniforms... but I think that's because they're still in the Delta quadrant. Remember, it was originally gonna take them 70 years to get back home. And the Voyager crew didn't update their uniforms even after they could see that Starfleet updated them already.
My only question is how Naomi and Icheb or the rest of the crew were able to proceed for 17 years with the ship stuck in temporal flux the entire time...
Anyway, I would give this a solid 3.5. Not amazing, but I don't think it's as terrible as others think. It's a very rewatch-able episode, imo.
Thu, Oct 28, 2021, 7:32pm (UTC -5)
"Stop blaming Voyager for being a 'bad' Trek. Blame Bermaga for making sure Voyager wasn't able to create vibrant, well developed characters and consistently used plots that were either repetitive, shallow or badly thought out."
If this site allowed upvoting, I would upvote your post for "Bermaga."
Wed, Nov 3, 2021, 7:42am (UTC -5)
Fri, Dec 24, 2021, 7:42pm (UTC -5)
Absolutely strange some people would rather complain about time travel not making sense instead of enjoying a fun romp showing the different timeframes. Seeing Naomi as an adult or Seska again was great, seeing the different random virus/bugs/whatever that infected the crew through the years, the old B'elanna, etc.
Blows my mind people find more time picking apart episodes than enjoying them for what they are.
Sat, Apr 9, 2022, 9:12pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Jul 21, 2022, 9:33pm (UTC -5)
Submit a comment
◄ Season Index