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Star Trek: Voyager

“Gravity”

Air date: 2/3/1999 Teleplay by Nick Sagan & Bryan Fuller Story by Jimmy Diggs and Bryan Fuller & Nick Sagan Directed by Terry Windell

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

"There has to be something out there. Shuttles don't just vanish into thin air." — Janeway (and we won't even touch that one)

Review Text

Nutshell: Pleasant enough, but not much in terms of lasting impact.

"Gravity" is a good example of fifth-season Voyager . It held my interest, it's handsomely produced, and it's a fairly enjoyable hour. It also stands alone in a vacuum, separate from everything else.

Now that we're at the halfway point of the season, I'm feeling the need to comment on the bigger picture. It's pretty simple: Voyager 's season has been engaging, keeping me interested in the crew and the stories (so far, this season has proven to be Voyager 's best). The writing is generally pretty sharp, and we've avoided the bottom-of-barrel installments that have at times made Voyager notorious. My next question is, what's next? Are we just going to float out here in random respectable plot-land forever, or is there somewhere the ship and series actually can go?

I wonder, if I were the producers of Voyager , if I'd even care at this point. They've apparently found a rhythm, and they're apparently comfortable with it. And their ratings, I'm guessing, are better than they have been in quite a while (although that's just a guess). The stories seem to be working more often than not. And unlike many past seasons, I don't feel Voyager is mediocre Trek ; I feel that it's pretty entertaining, if derivative in numerous ways.

At the same time, I wish the writers would follow through—something they seem to feel is completely unnecessary. I wish they would take risks—something they also seem to think is unnecessary. I wish they wouldn't settle for the conventional solid story when they could push for the unconventional solid story instead.

"Gravity" is a good example of what I'm talking about. All things considered, it's a pretty respectable hour that uses its characters sensibly, but it's not particularly memorable, and it relies on the most fundamental of the fundamentals. One of those fundamentals is the Shuttle Crash Setup. Another is the Venture Into a Character's Past. Another is the Weird Spatial Anomaly. And another is the One-Hour Romantic Theme. That's quite a number of Trekkian standbys to find in one episode, but, lest you think standbys can't be executed well, "Gravity" manages to assemble the pieces into a whole that makes a surprising amount of sense—although it does have some rough spots.

The Shuttle Crash du jour involves Tuvok and Paris ("I told you we should've brought the Delta Flyer," Tom offers helpfully), who have been sucked into a "subspace sinkhole" where escape would be impossible even if their shuttle hadn't been totaled. Realizing they may be stranded awhile, or forever, they try to make the best of a long-term survival situation. Fortunately for them, they have Doc's portable emitter. Of course, if being stranded forever really were to be the outcome here, Voyager would find itself in dire straits the next time there were a medical emergency.

Not to worry: Even though Tuvok and Paris find themselves living two months on this planet, the cleverly scripted properties of the Weird Spatial Anomaly ensure that time passes more quickly inside this subspace sinkhole than outside, meaning that while two months have passed for Paris and Tuvok, only a day has passed for the Voyager crew members, who have launched a rescue plan involving precise use of the transporter.

The crew's rescue operation is complicated by the appearance of some aliens who are determined to seal off this sinkhole in order to prevent more ships from being lost into it. They're scheduled to begin tomorrow. Janeway would like just a little more time to prepare her rescue efforts. Will the aliens grant this request? Don't make me laugh. These are Uncooperative Aliens of the Week (not to be confused with the slightly more extreme Hard-Headed Aliens of the Week, who would probably open fire on Voyager rather than just cutting off a communication effort).

Meanwhile, on the planet, Tuvok and Paris are befriended by a woman named Noss (Lori Petty), who has been stranded there "for 14 seasons." Their initial meeting is a little bizarre, involving some unnecessary silliness with the universal translator. (The language barrier itself is a decent idea, but it's dismissed so early on that it becomes a non-issue.)

It's not long before the Romantic Theme appears, where Noss begins to fall for Tuvok. Of course, as a Vulcan, Tuvok cannot accept her love and pushes her away. This forms the basis for the Venture Into a Character's Past, as flashbacks of Tuvok's youth reveal a young Tuvok (Leroy D. Brazile) trying to rectify an emotional control problem with the help of a Vulcan master (Joseph Ruskin). Tuvok had been smitten by infatuation at a young age, see, bringing forth that schism between discipline and emotion that we suspect all Vulcans (and not just the half-human ones like Spock) have. This ties into the main plot, see, where Tom confronts Tuvok for not letting go of his discipline and his marriage back in the Alpha Quadrant, as being stuck on this planet forever may present little alternative.

But we must ask—how long will the Doctor last solely on his portable emitter? It must have one hell of a battery.

Okay, so I'm a little heavy on sarcasm here; it's meant more in jest than in disappointment. The way these routine elements come together isn't really bad at all. It's just that routine maneuvering sometimes leaves little to ponder afterward.

What works best here is the analysis of Tuvok as a Vulcan. It's plausible and true to his character, and it's nice to see Tuvok open up (with some prodding) his feelings to Tom. On the other hand, the topic of repressed romantic feelings in Vulcans is nothing new; we've seen it several times through Spock, in TOS episodes ranging from " The Naked Time " and " This Side of Paradise " to " All Our Yesterdays ." "Gravity" provides pleasant reinforcement material for a Voyager audience. As a Tuvok episode, it's decent, but it also might've dared to challenge the our typical assumptions of Vulcans by asking if Tuvok's 50,000-light-year-distance from home might alter his perception just a bit.

Which brings us to the topic of Pon Farr: That seventh year is coming up pretty soon, no? (But I digress.)

One aspect of the episode that works is the chemistry between Tom and Tuvok. Tom's forceful attempts to prod Tuvok into a relationship with Noss might at times seem a little extreme, but so is the situation. Robert Duncan McNeill and Tim Russ work well together outside the normal ranks.

What doesn't work are some of the scenes involving Noss. The chemistry between her and Tuvok never entirely reaches a convincing stage, and it's difficult to understand how she comes to develop feelings for him. Also, some of Noss' gestures and speech patterns are a little, well, strange—and not in any way that the story seems to intend. Lori Petty's voice is not what I would call typical in the Hollywood arena, but the performance isn't consistent and at times I wasn't sure what to make of it. Scenes like the one where she explodes in rage ("I hate logic!") are jarring in their strangeness, and not jarring in a particularly effective way. Other scenes seem to come across more "normal."

What does work, fortunately, is the payoff. A scene in the transporter room where Tuvok and Noss part ways is pleasant because it brings Vulcan intimacy to the material in a way that is both plausible and quietly moving. When Noss says "I understand," we understand, too.

"Gravity" is an episode that doesn't demand high praise. Nor is there much to object to. It has its interesting moments as well as its derivative ones. I propose now that Voyager has found a good rhythm for this season—but that it needs to shake things up a bit to unleash something fresh.

Next week: Voyager gets ate, and must be saved by Seven.

Previous episode: Bride of Chaotica! Next episode: Bliss

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Comment Section

95 comments on this post.

I would like to praise the physical portraying of Tuvok, for what it's worth. It may not make the episode better, but it was really Tuvok standing there, in the cave - not some Vulcan who you are told is named Tuvok. In the very first shot of the intro (when looking over young Tuvok's shoulder, I immediately thought: "Hey, he looks like Tuvok. But wait, he's way younger. It'll just have to be Tuvok in his youth then..."

How about Paris' skeevy suggestion that Tuvok cheat on his wife, because she's "fifty-thousand light years away?" Tom can't even be bothered to call Tuvok "sir," despite him being an Ensign and Tuvok a LCDR, which is contrary to good order and discipline. Then again, VOY never really cared much about things like a command structure, except when Janeway needs to put Seven in her place.

Ken Egervari

I don't think cheating has the same effect that it does on other species, or namely humans. Honestly, I don't think cheating even becomes an issue for vulcans EP. Tuvok didn't even mention that it would be cheating per sae - he just said it is not the pon far. If it was, I'm sure he'd be getting it on with her. It IS the logical thing to do after all. Tom was right. My only real complaint with this episode was the alien girl's acting - she was terrible. I wonder what she did to get the role. While they could have taken some more risks with the episode, and they could have avoided the whole alien idiots of the weak (why are they all knuckleheads for?), I thought it was alright. The ending was actually pretty good. It had a deep, understanding between the characters that translated well to the audience.

I must agree with Jasper - I thought the boy looked very like Tuvok and was convincing as his younger version. Of course it was obvious that he must be a young Tuvok right from the start (apart from the looks, how many black Vulcans do you ever see?) but it was interesting to see *such* an emotional young Tuvok. I wasn't sure about the Vulcan Grand Master though - he didn't seem very Vulcan-like - almost emotional in his delivery! Perhaps the character is deliberately like that to engage with off-message young Vulcans like Tuvok. The real problem here, though, was that we didn't really see anything of the training that transformed him from emotional Tuvok at the start into calm Tuvok at the end. We should have found out a bit about how that transformation came about, but I didn't feel that the scenes we had were enormously enlightening.

Opening shot: Two members of one of the most enlightened races in the Star Trek universe in a medieval dungeon talking about honoring ancient beliefs. They could just as well have shown a scene from a 13th-century Franciscan monastery. (What's a very young Tuvok doing there, what's the context, what year is it... - let's not even attempt that.) Next, a chick straight out of a Mad Max movie witnesses a Voyager shuttle crash landing. Even before seeing him, you know Paris is involved because (1) he had already managed to crash more shuttles than could fit on ten Voyagers, and (2) the broad has some nice junk and who better to ravish her than the philandering Tom. I'm surprised hapless Harry "Can't Get a Lock - There's Some Sort Of Dampening Field Around It" Kim wasn't in the picture to dry-hump her. O.K., cynicism aside, it's a marginally passable episode. The alien girl should've kept her veil on but you gotta hand it to her for learning English within a matter of hours. Why Paris is so insistent that Tuvok likes her (or SHOULD like her) is beyond me. He gets really PAINFULLY annoying in the later stages, when he berates Tuvok for his handling of the alien chick's infatuation. Had to FF that part. BTW, he (Paris) was convinced they were stuck on that planet for good, so why didn't he try to bumb uglies with the alien girl himself, rather than unremittingly trying to put Tuvok up to it? If it would've been O.K. for Tuvok (my favorite character in the series, BTW), then why not him? WAY too much time was wasted on philosophizing, portraying inner conflicts, discussing feelings and all that B.S. at the expense of depicting conflict with the other stranded aliens, Voyager's rescue endeavors or Tuvok and Paris's attempts to survive and be salvaged. Does every other Star Trek installment really need to be about crewmembers' troubled relationship with their fathers, their search for their inner selves, their sad transient little romances, their trying to make sense of the divergent principles of common sense versus New Age hippie crap? I'll tune in to one of those cheesy South American soap operas for that! P.S. I'm surprised Kim succeeded in teleporting the group at the end. He usually can't move a glass of water from one end of the dining table to the other, let alone transport anything. But I guess, with five minutes to go till the episode's end, another twist would've been too much, particularly when we needed those five minutes for Tuvok to resolve his vexing, intricate feelings. I was expecting to see him meditate with scented candles all over the place and, sure enough, it happened, but only for a few seconds. Let's hope at least a half hour is dedicated to that in one of the forthcoming episodes! *sigh* What had been a very promising fifth series started going downhill fast in its second half.

Shuttle crash - check Plenty of quips from Ensign One-Liner - check Hard Headed Aliens - check Love story - check Several lines pulled directly from Bones in TOS - check Technobabble - check Yep, it's an episode of Voyager all right. I didn't really enjoy this episode much as I was distracted by all the clichés unfortunately. Add to that Tuvok's emotional control being visibly (subtly, but visibly) cracked in just 2 months with a fairly uninteresting Chick of the Week which I find to be a little insulting to his character, and I can't say I rated this episode particularly highly. It wasn't completely offensive, but grated a lot too.

An emotional episode about an emotionless man (sort of)--now that's compelling. This is for Tuvok what "Counterpoint" was for Janeway. Season 5 is really the apex of this series for its greatest strength which was character. Do I give a damn about any of the surrounding jargon? Magical shuttlebays, stupid aliens, implausible anomalies, inconsistent technology...nope. Never have, never will. Do I care about a character I know enduring a superhuman level of pain, painted on a beautiful and convincing canvas. You bet. Do I learn something about myself. Sure do. Do I see like a faint brushstroke upon his countenance the change this experience paints for Tuvok. Hallelujah I do! Season 5 followed by 6, 4, 7, 1, 3 and 2 creating a very interesting arc for Voyager's development which perfectly suites its length. TNG peaked right at the end of season 3 and pretty much faded out after that, with season 7 a little better than 6 (of course the journey from 1 to 3 was extremely hefty). DS9 "peaked" I suppose during season 5, followed by 2, 1, 4, 6, 3 and 7 making it incredibly uneven--with two humps which flittered out into its worst season amongst them all.

I would also like to point out, for the record, that this episode received the same score as DS9's "Q-less" which borders on unwatchable. Tell me there's no bias here.

It's nice to see Tuvok get a turn in the spotlight (I found he'd really been side-lined following Seven's arrival), but this was a really mediocre episode. The moment I saw yet ANOTHER shuttle crash I think part of me switched off. It's a tired old premise and this brings nothing new to the table. I didn't find the relationship between Tuvok and Noss at all involving and it wasn't helped by Lorri Petty's frankly dire performance.

Elliott - please start your own Star Trek review page. I find myself agreeing much more with your perspective on this series than Jammer's - and with most of the nit-picky comments below his DS9-does-everything-better critiques.

Tom Paris is just getting increasingly unwatchable. I can't believe when I read people praising his character development. He's a child, always throwing tantrums. He was exhorting Tuvok to throw away his control and abandon his life on the FIRST NIGHT. Just like in Thirty Days he was crying for someone to stay and talk to him within the FIRST MINUTE. Torres is attracted to this PUNK? That's what he is, nothing but a PUNK and I wish something or someone would slam his face up against a wall every episode, every time he opened his mouth with a smart-ass comment, or yet another un-helpful remark, or when he's rolls his eyes or pouts. I was begging Tuvok to do this! My favorite character did not step up to the plate for me. Since he did not snap and snap Tom's neck, I didn't expect the ending. I expected just another *awkward moment*. But when he mind-melded with her that was just beautiful - brought a tear to my eye. Breaks my heart to have to rate what could have been a great Tuvok episode at a mere .5 stars because Tom Paris had to ruin every single scene he was in.

I thought Lori Petty did a great job as Noss. The oddness of her voice helped her performance, I think. It made her seem more alien.

Yes this episode is certainly better than "Q-Less" (and five times better than "Move Along Home", for that matter). But in all fairness, when you look at the 10-scale ratings, "Q-Less" got a 5.5/10 and "Gravity" got a 6.5/10, so Jammer seems to agree with us at least a litte. I did like the temporal displacement idea, it seemed a plausible way to explore what happens to crewmembers who are stranded for months with no hope of resuce.

Reading over the comments, it seems all the complaints with this episode (except the idiotic pleas for more boning and the uninformed dissatisfaction with Petty -- seriously, guys, this is Tank Girl!) could have been remedied by making this a two-parter. The extra time could be spent by having B'Elanna react to the fact that Tom is having to suffer for a longer period of time, to the worry that they might have given up on Voyager, and to demonstrating that the language problem was more of an issue than they have time for in this condensed episode. It would also give more time with Petty, whose mercurial style needs more space to breathe in. Here, she just seems inconsistent, due to the heavy-handed editing. And yes, I would like to see some of the things Tuvok had to do to overcome his emotions. It would also make Tom look like less of a jerk, because more time had gone by. The difference in time between the two scenes just doesn't come off in one episode.

I really hate this episode. The whole 'love story' thing is repulsive. Just because you're stranded means you abandon your existing life within a few days? Just because she's female and you're male means you are required to get it on? WTF? Why is Tom hounding Tuvok over his buried feelings? Just because someone has feelings doesn't mean you act on them. Maybe if they were stranded for many years a relationship could naturally develop as it becomes more unlikely that they'll be rescued. But this is all too rushed and comes across as cheating. In another episode when Tuvok must work through his Pon Far with a hologram he states that the treatment was effective, "but no substitute for my wife." THAT was Tuvok, this is not. The love story/feelings nonsense shoehorned in ruins what would otherwise be an interesting episode.

And one other thing, she loves him and he makes it clear that he's not interested. Sorry lady, that means you're out of luck. But she goes off about hating logic and all this like that crazy woman in that episode of TNG that kept yelling at Picard "LOVE ME! WHY WON'T YOU LOVE ME!" So Tuvok is supposed to love her too because she loves him? Huh? That's just creepy. A relationship has to be between two willing parties. Then, to make matters worse, Tom interrupts Tuvok's meditation yelling at him for not loving her back. Tuvok has the right to love, not love, act, or not act as he sees fit without Tom treating him like a child. The more I think about this episode, the more I hate it.

@Curtis: I really hope your comments stem from being young and therefore inexperience with this kind of situation. Tuvok loves his wife in his Vulcan way perhaps, but he definitely has feelings for Noss and had no reason to believe he'd ever be rescued (repeat: ever). All his Vulcan gibbering to Paris about not reciprocating her feelings was a cover. That was the purpose of the flashbacks--to demonstrate just how susceptible to love Tuvok is. How is one to explain to someone that not acting on his emotions, strong as they are, are the only way he can survive psychologically? To do so would open up another portal of vulnerability, admitting fear. Tuvok's choice to meld with Noss in the end reveals the level of intimacy with which he finally regarded her, and was as much an act of love as a Vulcan can muster.

@Elliott: Whether or not I'm 'experienced with this kind of situation' is irrelevant. Do I believe people fall in love or have difficulty with feelings? Of course. Do I believe Tuvok would suddenly have all these feelings for Noss in the episode? Not for one second. And sometimes, just because you have feelings for someone doesn't mean you have to act on them. We all know Vulcans have emotions so it's nothing new. I could see Tuvok respecting Noss and becoming unique and special friends but true love? No way. Even if it was love, Tuvok had the right to cover it in any way he saw fit, just like we do in real life all the time.

@Curtis : First, people absolutely do fall in love suddenly. Vulcans? Well, they're described as having feelings many times greater and more intense than humans, so I would be surprised if on some level they didn't fall in love suddenly--a lot. Second, the feelings he developed grew over the course of months, not suddenly. Third, you're right that the circumstances in which one finds himself dictate whether he should act on certain feelings. The situation in the episode is that Tuvok, Noss, Paris and Doc were going to spend the rest of their existence together. What would be the point of resisting, says Tom, with literally zero hope for a reunion with their previous lives? Of course Tuvok had the right to act as he chose, but it's not about rights, it's about feelings. With no society, no order, no rules left, the only conclusions one could draw about Tuvok's behaviour do not justify it. It's only because we learn of the psychological danger to his Vulcan brain that allow us to empathise with him and understand his journey.

Funny how half way across the universe aliens look exactly like humans and humans don't even notice the similarities...

@ milica... Yeah, that is a Trek staple. Sometimes they throw in a forehead thing, bu sometimes not even that. It was most obvious to me in TNG's "The Inner Light"...they were 100% human, which sucked a lot of poignancy out of it.

Re: foreheads Tangent here, but Trek would've been immensely improved if the aliens had been cast with anyone other than SAG's whites actors. Even a foreign accent would've helped. In the case of, say, the Bajorans, constant reminders of foreignness (beyond wrinkled noses and religion) would've emphasized their different agenda. As it was, viewers had to stuggle to remember that Bajorans weren't straight-up Federation, like Trills with different makeup (ugh, Trill). Or Neelix: if he had been less vaudevillian huckster and more Tonto, his role as a local inhabitant of an unfamiliar corner of the galaxy would've been clear in every episode. Give credit to TNG's "Code of Honor." They may have been grotesquely stereotypical, but at least they were more exotic than, say, those wusses in "The Hunted."

I'm sorry, but I will never give any credit to TNG's "Code of Honor."

^ nor should you...

Oh hey Ticking Clock, Uncooperative Aliens, Romantic Hour, Shuttle Crash, Vulcan non-emotion, the power of Technobabble to save the day, all in this together, obviously must be saved because of Plot Armor main characters episode! We missed you! It's like they just threw all the Trek cliches into one bucket and came out with this episode. Or more like all the Voyager cliches. All that's missing is some Fun with DNA! xD I was genuinely shocked that Tuvok's love interest didn't die though, so I'll give it that. I like that he melded with her at the end, though. The most intimate thing a Vulcan can do with someone.

Jammer, first, congrats on the new addition to your family! As a reader, wishing you all the best! ... I think the intro to this review sums up Voyager nicely. I don't agree 100%: I like having standalone stories, and a noble crew, that doesn't get jaded by time and experience. DS9 is more true to life, while Voyager is closer to fairy tale or mythology, with idealized (or at least more static) characters. I get a lot of "real" life everyday, and found DS9 and it's successor of sorts, BSG, trying to drag it's characters (and audience) through hell just to see the reaction: DS9 in a much softer way, though (Quark? Rom?)! There's quite a difference between the family life of Chief O'brien, for example, and the despair that Chief Tyrol goes through (although they both go through hell - O'brien, though, only once per season ;). ... A thought about Tuvok (and what prompted this entry): I suspect Tuvok was underused partly because his relationship to Janeway was often an uncontested one: not the case for Kirk and Spock. Entire episodes were dedicated to the personal conflict between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Without that tension, Tuvok did not have as many stories to tell, or drama to be part of.

@Dean Grr: Here's the problem. If you want a show about the wonder of exploring space, set it in the Alpha Quadrant. That's what TOS and TNG were, and they were great. But the fact that Voyager never seemed to run out of crewmembers, shuttles, torpedoes, etc., when it was the only Federation ship for tens of thousands of light years was just stupid. It made no sense AND it pissed away the whole premise of the show. What's sad is that the first two seasons of Voyager sort of tried to use its unique premise. There's a line in an early episode about how Voyager only has 38 photon torpedoes, for instance. The second season was about the only attempt at a sustained storyline. But the Kazon were boring villains and the creators never really went all in ('Deadlock' is a great example of hesitant storytelling). After the second season, Voyager became an episodic exercise in frustration for much of the next five seasons. Seven's introduction in the fourth season made Voyager a better episodic show than it had been. But only occasionally was Voyager ever great -- and usually, when it was, it happened in a single episode set outside of the main Voyager universe ('Timeless', 'Living Witness'). Enterprise, for all of its flaws, was at least more ambitious overall. Voyager, though, was just a waste of time.

"...only occasionally was Voyager ever great -- and usually, when it was, it happened in a single episode set outside of the main Voyager universe ('Timeless', 'Living Witness')." I'm not as eager to defend this series as, say, Elliott, but in fairness what Paul says about Voyager's great episodes applies to TNG as well, namely "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "The Inner Light." Even my personal favorite, "Cause & Effect," is only "real" in the last act. The same syndrome applies to DS9, for those who exalt "The Visitor" or "Far Beyond the Stars."

@Grumpy: Um, no. Several of DS9's best episodes ("Call to Arms", "The Dogs of War", "The Jem Hadar", "Chimera") were decidedly part of the core story that didn't take place in a secondary reality. TNG was more episodic and didn't have the serial concept that should have been part of Voyager. And even "The Best of Both Worlds" was definitely "real". So was "Measure of a Man", "Q Who" ... I could go on.

@Grumpy & Paul: Well, GEOS lists DS9's top ten as "Far Beyond the Stars, Duet, Children of Time, Trials and Tribble-ations, The Die is Cast, Hard Time, Improbable Cause, Necessary Evil, The Wire and A Call to Arms" I would definitely add "Chimera" to the list. My point is of all those episodes, only "A Call to Arms" is dependent upon ongoing continuity, even if they're part of "reality" (a rather useless term in my book when dealing with fiction). Yes, continuity plays a rôle in most of them, but the success of the story doesn't live or die on that fact. They could (save "Call") all have easily been episodes of any of the other Trek series with only minor alterations. I would say the same is basically true of the best episodes of every other series as well. In TNG's case, many of the best episodes would not be so memorable if not for the extraordinary acting of Patrick Stewart, but we can assume they'd give those stories to Nimoy, René Aubourgenois, Andrew Robinson, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo or...um...Phlox I guess. This is probably the most concise argument I can make in Voyager's defense: given that, in all but the most rudimentary of ways, Voyager did not utilise the serial storytelling potential which was so heavily emphasised and part of its billing, its success depended almost exclusively on its ability to create interesting and affecting episodic television. Every season had its bumps and bruises, but each and every season has at least one episode which stands as one of the best the franchise ever produced (1. "Faces, Jetrel," 2. "Death Wish, Projections," 3. "Distrant Origin, Scorpion," 4. "Year of Hell, Living Witness," 5. "Timeless, Drone, Dark Frontier," 6. "Tinker, Tenor, Barge," 7. "Workforce, Author, Author." Without Voyager, we wouldn't have them. Many, many of DS9's "episodes" would hardly be worth the time if not for the fact that they amount to telling part of a larger story. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not as though this is a prerequisite of television, even with a "premise" (as it's mistakenly named) like Voyager's.

@Elliott: You've got to be joking. "Every season had its bumps and bruises, but each and every season has at least one episode which stands as one of the best the franchise ever produced (1. "Faces, Jetrel," 2. "Death Wish, Projections," 3. "Distrant Origin, Scorpion," 4. "Year of Hell, Living Witness," 5. "Timeless, Drone, Dark Frontier," 6. "Tinker, Tenor, Barge," 7. "Workforce, Author, Author.") If you really think Faces, Jetrel, Distant Origin, Year of Hell and Workforce come close to "The Visitor", "The Inner Light" "Best of Both Worlds", "City on the Edge of Forever", "Space Seed", etc. ... then I think you must be ridiculously drunk. Some of the Voyager episodes you mentioned were genuinely great. "Timeless," "Living Witness" and "Author, Author" were Voyager at their best. But the others are mid-range fair, and "Year of Hell" is a perfect example of what Voyager could have been if the creators had any guts.

@Paul: I didn't say "Distant Origin is as good as the Inner Light". I listed 15 episodes of Voyager. It's fair to compare them to 15 episodes of TNG or any other series not all of them against the top 2 from that series. Voyager at its best is Trek at its best and its greats deserve the same accolades from fans as its parent and sister series.

Jo Jo Meastro

I found myself nodding with agreement all the way through reading the review. The subtle, sensible and quietly compelling character work for Tuvok was good but it's a bit too nonedescript to really take off (especially with such a standard conventional story). It's a respectable outing with merit (good performances, even-handed direction, exotic planet sets etc)...but rarely did it step up a gear to make it something truly emotional and striking. 2.5/4 is my verdict too.

ProgHead777

Within a few minutes of appearing on screen I became convinced that Lori Petty was attempting to channel Leeloo from the movie The Fifth Element (which came out a couple of years or so before this episode was produced) with her performance in this episode. Whether that choice was hers or was that of producers/director/other powers-that-be is an open question.

Sex and intimacy in the twenty-fourth century must be different from what they are today. When Riker was host to the Trill, he had sex with Beverly Crusher. When Sisko was in the mirror universe, he had sex with Mirror Jadzia. I don't see how these events could fail to change significantly Riker's working relationship with Crusher or Sisko's working relationship with Real Jadzia. One small thing I liked about this episode was that instead of putting a wacky forehead on Lori Petty, they just put sparkly stuff on the sides of her face.

I had to laugh at Tom's suggestion that Tuvok forget any hope of rescue, and his wife along with it, and build a new life with alien girl. A new life, on a crapsack of a desolate world, with exactly two other people and intermittently a hologram, huddled in a crashed spaceship hiding from ten times as many enemies, praying that the force field never becomes non-operational, and with only some hideous looking giant spiders for food. Sounds great, Tom.

I have been reading these comments since season 2 as i have been going through Voyager series. I think is is amazing that this website was up in 1995. and that Jammer made those reviews over 18 years ago. it seems that he let comments appear in 2008, or these comment sections would be huge. in any case, i think this is the FIRST episode recap where i saw Jammer respond in the comments section...of all episodes...hmm. my 2 cents. I always love time and space anomalies. it was used very well to make time pass. yes, I agree with BEEJ so much on his comment about "new life."

I typically enjoy Tom Paris. He's funny and sympathetically portrayed usually. That said, he was very obnoxious in this episode. If I had feelings for a guy but decided not to act on them, I would NOT appreciate someone (even a friend) literally SCREAMING at me that I HAD to act on those feelings or I'm being unfair to the guy. Relationships have to evolve naturally; if a person has to be harassed and scolded into participating in one, he/she isn't ready for it.

This episode reminded me of TOS The Galileo Seven...minus any semblance of drama or immediacy. The TOS classic had Spock in his first command, threatening monsters attacking a crippled shuttle craft, a race against time to escape the surface and outrun the ticking clock, AND the moral dilemmas of command for Spock - including ramifications of sending fellow crew members to their deaths. Sure, the TOS didn't have CGI, was stuck with primitive and even corny looking sets, even suffered from overwrought dialogue, but the STORY was solid and riveting from start to finish. Lori Petty was cute however.

I'll take Trek's too human aliens over Farscape's muppets any day.

@Elliot I've been agreeing with your remarks almost every episode, especially (but not only) about some aspects of DS9. However, I can't help but find it funny to read you accusing Jammer of being biased. I mean, that Jammer was much gentler with some of DS9’s ludicrous problems while being quite picky with other shows, like Voyager, it seems quite clear at this point. But that you do the same in the opposite direction, also seems quite evident. Your tolerance to some Voyager's recurring problems with plot device, bad character development, lazy writing, weak episodes, is no small deal. Your reading of this episode, for instance, was astonishing: "An emotional episode about an emotionless man (sort of)--now that's compelling”, “a character I know enduring a superhuman level of pain, painted on a beautiful and convincing canvas”, “do I see like a faint brushstroke upon his countenance the change this experience paints for Tuvok. Hallelujah I do". Besides the exaggeration of the general prolixity, well, hallelujah is a wise word. One has to have quite a lot of faith on Voyager to have seen all that deepness in this episode... But do not get me wrong. I am not bothered by your bias for Voyager or Jammer's for DS9. We are not robots evaluating the precision of a warp-engine. I find it to be quite normal, even welcome because I enjoy your remarks quite a lot. The only troublesome thing is to read your recurring charges against Jammer due to him doing precisely the same you do, only with reversed sign.... That said, I enjoyed the episode quite a bit. But it was not more than a bit above average for me; quite empty and quite shallow most of the time. For me, character development is not about just throwing at the screen some event that hits a dear character and then just letting us suppose that and how it will affect him/her deep inside from now on. It is about showing us, in some of the following episodes, how and to which extent, such happenings have affected him/her. That Voyager quite often does not do that in moments that when it certainly should, it is crystal clear already. Even though, that’s where I wholeheartedly agree with Elliot. Even if not often, when Voyager gives us that, it gives probably the best character developments in the whole Trek. Just thinking of the Doc and Seven would be enough to see that.

@Ric : That is a very fair criticism. In my defence, I can only offer the fact that when I first began reading Jammer's reviews and their subsequent comments, I was rather emotionally dismayed (not to mention closer to adolescence). Voyager was unquestionably flawed and an episode like this one is not a showcase for great Trek, but nor is it the pedestrian fluff Jammer frames it to be. It's a solid show that works, is interesting, moving and does indeed bear consequences down the line (just not the kind of serial CONSEQUENCES many modern viewers demand). I'd probably rate it at 3 stars on the Jammer scale, which is just slightly higher than he appraises it, but is still the very difference between "okay" and "recommended."

As I've stated before, I give Voyage rquite a bit of leewya when comparing it to other series because it was the first one to be charged with carrying a network, rather than being syndicated. That left it far, far more at the mercy of absurd gimmicks, ridiculous promos, and various other meddling from network suits.

HolographicAndrew

Not a bad episode, pretty good. But definitely not one of my favorite Tuvok episodes so far. My main problem is that I'm left with this question, "what did the flashbacks add to this episode?" It was cool to see the convincing younger actor play the character, but I can't think of anything seeing the flashbacks added that Tuvok didn't sum up in his one liner about what happened to him.

"...and does indeed bear consequences down the line (just not the kind of serial CONSEQUENCES many modern viewers demand)." I would venture a guess that here "CONSEQUENCES" means something like "readily apparent developments in ongoing plot, character, etc. as a result of this episode OR story/character concepts and elements introduced or elaborated on in this episode are clearly followed up on/uses in future episodes". While I will guess "consequences" (lower case) means "consequences that are only present in Elliot's imagination/delusions, which were possibly triggered by his emotional trauma at learning that at this website the author and the majority of the commentators saw Voyager as the all too often pedestrian show that it is." I'm glad that word, "pedestrian" was mentioned because that was exactly the word I was looking for to describe the majority of Voyager's content. Yes, I agree that maybe on average less than five episodes a season are not and rise above the rest and are deserving of the Star Trek name (regarding the standards set by TNG and DS9), but even then the average TNG episode season 3 or later (and same for DS9) is just as enjoyable as most of these, with only a few each season (or only two) fits in with other "elite" Star Trek episodes. Sorry that to you a troubling amount of us feel more or less that way, but using laughably exagerated language (ie. using the phrase "beautifully painted canvas") regarding a mediocre (another useful buzzword for concisely describing Voyager on a broad level) Voyager episode is not going encourage people to take you seriously. One last thing about your points made about TNG not being very serialized, either- I know, but where there was continuity in stories it was much more interesting and better done than in Voyager (Klingon- Romulan alliance, Cardassian plots starting in "Ensign Ro", Worf's Honor, etc), and TNG episodic shows still had an excellent overall standard of quality far above that of Voyager's writing AND acting (so no, not just Patrick Stewart's incredible acting making them stand out). I believe DS9 is more or less as superior to Voyager as TNG is, but I will just leave it at that since I am not in the mood to fan that particular fire of yours.

Just thought I should add that when I wrote my above post I was in kinda a cranky mood, I have been doing a Voyager re watch using Jammer's ratings to guide me for what are worth watching and I've ran out of all the three and four star episodes but deciding to keep going and thus after a night of watching mediocre Voyager and then reading comments on the episodes (whose mediocrity were giving me a headache) where a vocal minority tries to defend them or pretend they can't understand/see the difference between some of these episodes and good TNG episodes they compare them to got me more irritated. It was in that mood I made my post, singling out Elliot. All arguments about the show aside I believe I should have toned down my rhetoric, as in reading it again it sounds a little too hostile/personal for a debate about a TV series. I apologize.

It was alright, I suppose. Felt like it was about damn time Tuvok got another episode. It's been a while. It even has a scene where he beats up two aliens. Not that the scene means anything. I just enjoy watching the clumsy way Star Trek usually handles hand to hand fights. I rather liked Lori/Noss. Her voice and manner of speaking added to her alien nature. That's the beauty of getting to play an alien race you only see once. You can get away with bizarre behaviour as much as you want and they can just write it off as 'normal behaviour for that species'. A little bit more make up to help her look more alien and less human like would have been good too, but you can't have it all. It's pretty forgettable in the grand scheme of things because the entire episode is selfcontained with absolutely zero chance that any of this will ever affect anything in future episodes, but for a selfcontained story, it was pretty decent. Now if they'll do the same for Chakotay soon, I'll be happy. Dude's practically been part of the background scenery this whole season. He's basically little more then a nameless crewman/ensign at this point. Some attention to his character is sorely needed here.

Someone here commented on the actress playing the alien and how her voice helped. I'm Sure that person finds her attractive and that's enough. Personally baby talking, squeaky voiced, idiotic sounding women kill any story for me. It's like that film the fifth element with the baby goo goo ga ga crap from the actress. To me it's a sign that very idiotic people wrote a stupid story. This episode was utterly intolerable due to the fact we are supposed to believe an intelligent and logical man would be attracted to a baby talking idiot woman

Damn, Jammer, DS9 really tainted you. This was a standout episode, and I really enjoyed Tuvok's character development. And I'm getting tired of hearing you and others on here complain about "plot devices". So fucking what!!! If the central story that draws us into the characters is a good one, like this episode, then who gives a damn about how the writers get us there... 3.5 stars, easily!

lol Rosario! I was just about to comment on Tuvok not putting Paris's face thru those rocks when Tom was in his face about Noss being upset and I read your (3 year old) comment. It wouldn't be a fair fight tho when you think about it. Remember Vulcans have a lot more strength for their size than the average human. It's probably that security that allowed Tuvok to retain control knowing he COULD do that to Tommy boy. I'm sure his old man Owen Paris must have felt the same way from time to time about him when we was a little bugger. We know he was always a willful guy. Look at his life's history (or better yet check out his star trek wiki page). I'm guessing this was all about showing how excellent Vulcans' emotional control is. And I must agree that he still showed incredible restraint. Considering how little he had when he was younger as we saw in the opening the writers probably had Tom put on a show to demonstrate how resilient Tuvok had become since then. But the title still doesn't quite gel with that aspect of the story. If a fellow trekkie has a moment or two please enlighten me me on that one, because I just don't see the connection.

Maybe "Gravity" refers to the gravity Tuvok feels with respect to emotion? Paris may think it's no big deal for Tuvok to open up a bit and have a fling with an alien, but Tuvok understands that the emotion could overwhelm him. Hence, he feels the gravity of it. I don't know, I tend not to care about symbolism. Anywho, I'm surprised at the people who are declaring this to be a fantastic, deep, wonderful episode. I mean, I know character pieces tend to be highly popular around here, but you still have to put some effort into them. You can't simply toss up an incredibly weak plot and a relatively by-the-numbers character piece and call it a masterpiece. If we're going to do that, why not just have the entire episode be Tuvok giving a personal log declaring how he feels about love? I mean, yet another shuttle crash? A convenient meetup where the two must fall in love because... plot says so? Random obstinate aliens producing artificial timer on the whole plot? Last second danger? The character revealing that his personality is all based on a single significant event that happened in his childhood? The love leaving at the end of the episode? It's all happened before, oh so many times. Yes, I know, nothing new under the sun, or random spatial gravitational anomaly in this case. But try to disguise that fact just a whee bit, ok? It's not that it's a bad episode, it's an okay representation for Tuvok, but just way too by-the-numbers for me to really praise. As for what this means for Tuvok, well, I'm of a couple minds about it. I really liked the idea that Tuvok was more emotional than most Vulcans as a child. I think that fits his character well, especially given the darker side of his psyche we saw in Meld. I could see him keeping a bit of that with him, even as he was externally (and even internally) trained to suppress it. But the episode didn't really go that way, just giving a simple "he once had a crush, then got over it" explanation. Seemed a bit too, well, standard for me at first, and was disappointed. But then, the more I thought about it, I guess I can hammer it into my impression of Tuvok. His rebelliousness may have been about his crush, but he wanted all emotions. He wanted to reject Vulcan ways entirely. He wasn't trying to bargain, thinking he could love Jara while still being stoic in everything else. So in a way, it was deeper than just a crush. And while he accepts Vulcan philosophy, that rebelliousness may still be there. One thing he learned from his ordeal was that the emotion of love, at least, was too powerful for him. Hence his absolute seriousness in repressing that aspect of his life. But perhaps he thinks he can explore, just a bit, some other emotions without losing control, can still let his little adolescent self out of his mind every once in a while. Not so that anyone would ever see it, of course, but in the privacy of his own mind, he can still explore some emotions. But love? That one he knows is just too powerful for him. He absolutely must keep that one bottled up. Even if it means his fellow castaway must suffer...

Diamond Dave

I can't help feeling that this would have worked better simply as a character piece. The Tuvok story is really well played - and young Tuvok in the flashbacks nails the mannerisms of the older character - and I thought Noss was given a slightly alien twist in the performance that worked well. It would have been a nice, simple story rooted in character. But the artificiality of the technobabble element and the forced jeopardy of the conclusion forces the triviality of the episode to the surface at the expense of the main plot. That's a shame, and pulls what could have been a great episode back to the mid level. 2.5 stars.

@Dave - The ridiculous level of jeopardy was stupid, but the technobabble was needed I think. Thanks to the technobabble over 2 months pass on the surface. It adds a nice touch I think that they were able to do a love story that makes a bit of sense due to the passage of time without actually making sure VOY sits above a planet for 2 months trying to rescue Tom/Tuvok and failing badly for 2 months.

OK, how did this episode spark "my trek is better than your trek" crap? I really enjoy Lori Petty. She's in one of my favorite movies of all time "A League of Their Own" and the reason I like her in that and this is that she IS different. I thought she played a fine alien here and due to the nature of this story she was a great choice for the part. They needed someone to be a little over the top emotionally to play against our beloved stoic unemotional Vulcan. I will say Voyager, while at times deserves the daggers it receives, receives far to many. This is a wonderful little story and a great character piece for Tuvok. I agree, that kid that played the young Tuvok nailed it. I love it when they are able to nail casting like that. I also love the casting with a young Trip in 'Similitude'. That really adds to the believability of the story. Someone above asked about the title. I thought it had to do with the temporal differential that gravity causes here. (and in real life) As plausible as all the other trek sci-fi stuff. And as Robert says, it was a pretty smart story telling device too. I loved the spider stuff :-) I don't mind that Tom "got in Tuvok's face" concerning Noss. For all they knew they were stuck here. It fit's Tom personality to push Tuvok like that. I thought Noss' affection for Tuvok was real and they way Tuvok dealt with her was very Vulcan and with the back-story this episode provided very fitting. Very enjoyable each time I watch it. I tear up each time Noss is beamed off Voyager. 3.5 stars for me.

I really enjoyed this episode. I could have done with less flashbacks and a little more showing in how much of an emotional struggle the grown up tuvok really is, but well. I think the tuvok, doctor, paris trio works very well together. I also really like Picardos performance, he really shows how much the doctor has changed. Speaking of acting, Im a little disappointed by Janeway and Mulgrews portrayel of her starting with season 5. Her Janeway seems hurried and impatient as well as more superficial. The character basically stays more or less the same. There isnt much development. It looks a little like Mulgrew is going through the motions since shes established the character and the producers were satisfied with her initial acting. Also season 5 starts with "Night", an episode which allowed Mulgrew to spend more time with her family, a thing she had supposedly been "complaining" about. I think Mulgrew didnt give her personal best since season 5 anymore, with some exceptions like "counterpoint" for instance. What do you think?

I just didn't believe the Tuvok/Noss pairing. She talks like Bart Simpson on helium and acts like a little kid. What's really there for Tuvok?

I like Tuvok after the Doctor he's my second favorite character. That's why I think it's a shame that after this episode the only way he gets his own subplot is if the writers pair him up with Neelix.

whenever an episode begins with a crashed shuttle, expect a boring melodrama (**)

I don't get the hate for Lori Petty. I thought the way she talked made her far more believable as an alien than the standard. Even with the universal translator it's funny how every alien has a typical US accent and syntax. Refreshing to hear something unusual. Enjoyed the episode: 3 stars

Startrekwatcher

2 stars. This was pretty bland and really could care less about any of the events going on.

I suppose the alien girl speaks in a weird manner on this episode because she's an alien trying to speak English? Idk, maybe that's just me. That said, I liked this episode and I have to agree with one of the above comments; I don't mind the writers using old Trek standbys as long as it helps the story get somewhere. And it does get somewhere here, imo anyway. My only complaint about this episode (and about Voyager too) is that this all happens in this "self-contained within a single episode" structure. I'd have loved to see a little continuity and character progress on the show.

By the way, I've been watching all Star Trek shows (besides a few TNG/DS9 episodes and pretty much most episodes of Voyager) for the first time ever, once they were finally made available on Brazilian Netflix recently, and I always come here to read your reviews after watching each episode. Congratulations on your great work!

Unfortunately a minor plot point overshadowed this episode for me: I couldn't take the artificial urgency seriously. Did Voyager honestly never manage to communicate to the hard headed "we lost seven ships" that they have a transporter relay? "Hey, guys, we have a transporter relay into that sinkhole, if you give us 2 hours we can rescue every single one of your survivors. You don't have to risk anything, just stay back and let us do our thing and we'll return your survivors in no time. If we fail, you can still close the sinkhole. Deal?" They can't be that hard headed to say no to that! Anyway, on Voyager nobody seemed to care that all the others aliens on that planet were going to be crushed. I'd understand if in the end they didn't manage to rescue them all, but not even talking about attempting to do it? Why did the aliens attack the ship just before Voyager rescued our "heroes"? 1) They are cardboard villains who have no motivation but to be villains and to attack (wasting plasma grenades!) at the moment the plot requires them to attack. 2) They intercepted the message and make a desperate attempt (wasting all their weapons) to reach the distress beacon and get rescued before the subspace sinkhole collapses and they are all crushed to certain death. There is a scene where two aliens stand outside the force field and hit it with their fists. At first I thought it's 1) and they're just being ridiculous. But then I thought of 2) and realized they are in a desperate panic that they don't get through the force field and will die. After being threatened and robbed by the aliens for months it's understandable that Tom and Noss don't particularly care for the aliens. But Tuvok as the logical person should have brought it up - after all Noss herself robbed Tom at gunpoint on their first encounter. The only difference is that she is not using much violence - but who is to say that's not just because she is physically smaller/weaker/alone? Why is Noss so important and all the other aliens are not? Is it because she is white and looks like a human and has sparkly stuff on her face while the aliens look less human and have darker skin? There have been several points in the series I have been disappointed by this crew supposedly upholding Starfleet values. Here it's the blatant lack of empathy for the lives of the aliens. Based on what? The actions of this single one hard headed bureaucrat? Does Janeway and the rest of the crew like to judge all members of a species based on one unpleasant individual? Thinking back to the void with the waste disposal guy - yes, they do.

@Tmrn I agree with nearly everything you said. It would've been really engaging if the aliens attacking at the end were that desperate and Tuvok points out that they are not necessarily the enemy. Of course, that would require the original message that Voyager sent to include the information of what the idiotic and inexcusably inflexible aliens were doing to the sinkhole and what that would do to the planets therein. My point of contention is the racist remark: "Is it because she is white and looks like a human and has sparkly stuff on her face while the aliens look less human and have darker skin?" Too often these days such a statement is brushed aside, accepted or simply ignored because it targets "the Man" or white people. Basically it's become acceptable to make disparaging remarks about a particular skin color because of the skin color - making a race-based judgement. I understand the history behind the accusation and for all I know it might be true! But that does make its tone any less racist than it is. I mean no offense to you Tmrn. I just wanted to make the point that this kind of behavior shouldn't be accepted. Again, the trend you point out may have some basis in fact, but too often it is used by race-baiters on both sides to pollute the debate with their own agendas.

I have to admit, the skin color point wasn't entirely serious. :)

Looking back at some of the low scores and negative or indifferent reviews Jammer gave to TNG episodes(the Bonding, Clues, Night Terrors, Silicon Avatar, Disaster, Hero Worship, Violations, Power Play, Rascals, Man of the People, Genesis) yet is far more enthusiastic with VOY episodes like this, Juggernaut, Blood Fever, Heroes and Demons, Prototype, Dreadnought, Alter Ego , Thirty Days, or DS9 episodes like The a Forsaken, Dramatis Personae, Move Along a Home, The Storyteller, His Way, Looking for Par'mach for instance has me totally befuddled. He needs to run DS9 and VOY back through the same process he did the TNG reviews. I hope a lot of those scores and semi positive to outright enthusiastic reviews might change

You are right. Some ratings likely would change. The circumstances under which the reviews were written were very different, spanning years and in some cases decades. I have admitted this many times. But I prefer to let the original reviews and ratings stand for what they were and the contexts under which they were written.

If you can watch that final scene without tearing up, your heart truly is Vulcan.

I generally liked this one. I think the performances are good and the basic idea that Tuvok feels something for Noss, but cannot act on it for fear that it will consume him, is well-realized. The use of the SF weirdness as a way to allow Tuvok and Tom to spend a few months acclimatizing themselves to their new situation without putting the Voyager crew through the equivalent development is effective. The big open question is this. It's implied by the flashback structure and some of Tuvok's dialogue with Tom and Noss that he really is only using his marriage as an excuse to avoid pursuing something with Noss, and that the real reason is his fear of emotional engulfment. Not only that, but the total absence of T'Pel from the episode -- through Tuvok describing her, or through flashbacks depicting her -- tend to suggest that she doesn't significantly factor into Tuvok's emotional landscape. Does that mean that his relationship with his wife does *not* threaten him emotionally in the same way? Does he love her? It's kind of a big and obvious question and it seems like this episode is the obvious time to address it. I think the most likely answer is that he does love his wife, but that because she is also Vulcan, there is a kind of understanding between them that they keep their passions at bay as much as possible so as to avoid the complete dissolution of self that Tuvok fears; with a non-Vulcan woman, like Noss, it would not be possible to demand the same. But it's a guess, and I don't think the series ever really deals with this issue, even though it hits the "is Tuvok attracted to this woman?" note both here and in Alter Ego. I think the episode is also held back a bit because the Tuvok/Noss relationship doesn't quite gel as much as it could before we're asked to see Tuvok as attracted to her, and we basically have Tom telling him (and us) about it rather than it passing by onscreen. I don't find the relationship implausible -- several months pass in near-complete isolation, and Vulcans have strong internal emotions -- but a little more of it to be shown on screen to sell the story (and the tragedy) would have helped. That said, I think that the material of Tuvok/Noss early and late in the episode worked well -- the meet cute in the desert after she's mugged Tom and their implicit, immediate bond, and the sadness of the last few scenes together. I like that Noss' qualities -- her pragmatic ability to survive, her intelligence (as evidenced by her quick command of language) -- do seem like ones that would attract security-and-intellect-minded Tuvok, and that the passage of time and the interpersonal communication are conveyed through Noss' ability to communicate. I also liked the dynamic between Tuvok and Tom, where the two reach a kind of understanding and work through several issues at once. A favourite moment is Tom telling Tuvok that he will never see his wife and kids again, and then later coming to apologize to him, at which point Tuvok tells him that he was not hurt by it, and that may well see B'Elanna again -- both deflecting the issue of his own pain, and showing some understanding of why Tom is so heavily projecting his own feelings of despair about his relationship onto Tuvok. As usual, the shuttle number is a bit annoying and the stuff with the aggressive aliens is pretty pointless over on the Voyager side of things -- especially when the ticking clocks get doubled up (so the thing is going to collapse by itself AND ALSO the aliens are insisting on closing it). The aggressive aliens on the planet could maybe have been excised with a little tinkering, too, but at least have some benefit in the story. Probably a low 3 stars.

Some absolutely shocking writing in this.

Boring and pointless. 2 stars.

I Hate Janeway

4 star episode! Best so far for Season 5. Pure enjoyment to watch. Without Janeway around (she didn't make an appearance until 22 minutes into the episode), Tim Russ and Robert Duncan McNeill could really shine and put in a great performance. I know this Vulcan in love (or not in love) was done in several episodes of TOS, but they still did a great job with the theme here. I also liked the guest actress who played the alien woman.

I don't normally give up on Voyager eps but I turned this one off after the nth fake spider stabbing shot, it just felt so silly, that and Lori Petty's squeaking... man :(

Tuvok is such a great Vulcan. Tim R is so good in the roll. I enjoyed seeing a little bit about young Tuvok, and watching him deal with his situation. Why did Janeway keep talking about rescuing Tom and Tuvok, while never mentioning the Doctor? She's got some kind of blind spot about him. Though Tuvok and Paris weren't much better. I guess Doc still has more struggling to do, to be seen as "fully human," so to speak.

Ok. So commenting after reading the reviews and other comments: I liked Laura Petty In the role and don't understand the concerns about her voice . . .yes, she has a naturally high voice, an unusual voice and manner, I think, which works well as an alien. She did fine, and Ross was excellent. He clearly cared a great deal for her but just . . . wasn't going to go through that again. Paris was so annoyingly forceful because he missed B'Ellana a lot . . . and here was Tuvok, with a chance at real love in all that lonely desolation, and he's rejecting it!! That was very hard for Tom to watch. The time wonkiness, I thought, related to the ep's exploration of what comes and goes in our lives, for everything, there is a Season . . . and sometimes, the timing is off. For Noss and Tuvok, it wasn't to be. I thought there was symbolism too, in the set up of that planet on a different sub-space level worth different time passage, and the aliens desperate to close it off . . . symbolism for Tuvok's struggle with his buried emotions. Yes, the ending was lovely and perfect.

Sean Hagins

@ Elliott-No, people do not fall in love instantly! I don't know where you get that from! I appreciate Tuvok taking a stand for being faithful to his wife. Actually, I thought the mind meld at first would make Noss forget (the way Spock did to Kirk once) I do have to say this, we have a very different way of dating than most do here I imagine, but I for one can not understand how some people think here-I really can't!

Not a bad VOY outing that works some familiar themes (shuttle crash, rescue under duress from time and enemy fire, instant romance with an alien). Was going to use Jammer's "hard-headed aliens of the week" but then I read his review where he says: "These are Uncooperative Aliens of the Week (not to be confused with the slightly more extreme Hard-Headed Aliens of the Week, who would probably open fire on Voyager rather than just cutting off a communication effort)." I liked the Paris/Tuvok dynamic where Tom presses the Vulcan to open up. But what didn't work was the supposed romance building quickly between Noss and Tuvok. When Paris first challenged Tuvok that he's in love with Noss -- how could he possibly come to that conclusion given that they had just met? This felt forced as if to set up the examination of Tuvok's conquering of the love emotion and Paris' ongoing attempts at prodding Tuvok (which eventually work). And the Noss character's sudden change to hating logic when spurned by Tuvok didn't feel right either. Another attempt at romance on Trek that failed. The "Uncooperative Aliens of the Week" might as well have been hard-headed. This is typical VOY and is usually the weakness in any episode they're in. The ones on the planet had evolved into raiders putting Noss under constant threat. I liked the idea of the subspace sinkhole combined with the temporal anomaly that makes the people on the planet forced to spend a long period of time together. That has potential if Noss is a better character. But I'm glad they didn't make this another 7 episode -- other VOY characters are being marginalized. As for a Tuvok character examination through the flashbacks to his youth -- perhaps he's now a stricter Vulcan given what he went through with the Vulcan Master who helped him get over unrequited love. But Tuvok eventually "breaks down" and explains to Paris and through the mind meld explains to Noss -- but the episode didn't really explain how he got over love -- just that he did as a Vulcan. So not a well-done character examination for me. Was it supposed to be the main thrust of this episode or just in the background of a mainly rescue mission episode? I suspect it was supposed to be the main thrust. But if so, it was half-assed. 2.5 stars for "Gravity" -- some creative elements here were nice like the planet and the initial lack of the universal translator for Noss - made it feel like Star Wars for a bit. The rescue under duress was OK, but the romantic element didn't work (which isn't surprising for Trek). As Tuvok episodes go, this one didn't really give us much more about him ("Innocence" was better in that respect). Tom Paris can be quite nosy. No way is this one of the better VOY episodes in a solid Season 5 but it didn't suck either.

Sleeper Agent

The idea of seeing Tuvok dealing with emotions both historically and present is not bad. However, the premise, writing and casting are just way off in this one. Tim Russ excellent performance is the only thing keeping this episode from belonging in the trash. 1 Star, barely.

I did enjoy the 'Tuvok dealing with his emotions' business, but the story surrounding it is about as pedestrian as it gets. Never really got the sense that they were truly stranded, the romance is undercooked and the fact that they've been there for months wasn't even particularly well communicated. Perfectly watchable, but largely unremarkable. 2 stars. Also, I am wondering why they keep sending Doc on these away missions, especially after reading this line: "if being stranded forever really were to be the outcome here, Voyager would find itself in dire straits the next time there were a medical emergency."

Tuvok and Noss' farewell is very effective though. Just a nicely restrained scene that favours subtlety over any kind of grand gesture. Good stuff.

Tuvok has control, and never lost it. The episode doesn’t condemn or make a farce of Vulcans for being unfeeling like so many TOS episodes do, no- it embraces “infinite diversity… in infinite combinations." The Vulcans are different from Noss, from Paris, and this episode reminds us that’s how it’s supposed to be. Embracing diversity doesn’t always feel right or natural, because nature comes differently to each of us, but through that difficulty, we find truth. This episode emphasizes the beauty of being Vulcan, the richness of difference, and I love that.

Am I the only person to be confused that time is moving faster for the people in the gravity well versus outside it, and how that’s backwards from reality? I shouldn’t be bothered but this stuff but, it’s COVID and I’m watching waaaay too much Star Trek...

I just wanted to point out how hard I laughed when Tom was like “look Tuvok, you need to accept this is home and the crew probably left without us,” and when we first see Voyager, the first thing they mention is that the shuttle’s been missing for an hour! That was before they explained the time differential, but I still got a kick out of imagining Tom giving up hope after an hour. “Well this is our life now, better cheat on your wife, Tutu!” I could see that in Chakotay actually.....

Is in the aughts" a common English phrase..ive never heard the word aught before and thought it was a typo and I'm a native fluent English speaker..guess its rare or maybe a British thing?

It was once a common way of describing the first decade of the 20th century (which doesn't lend itself to a convenient short form like 20s or 90s) and there was some attempt to revive it 100 years later. Didn't majorly catch on.

Shuttle crash aside, as a variation on the "stranded crew members" type of plot, I thought this one worked fairly well and had a lot to offer. It's good to see Tuvok remaining faithful to his wife, even if he might never see her again. I enjoy seeing Tom and Tuvok interact in a survival situation, and the time differential between the area inside and the area outside the sinkhole allows for a lengthy survival situation for Tom, Tuvok and the Doctor while plausibly keeping Voyager in the area for months, because of course it hasn't been months for them. The location filming is very welcome, making a nice change from the standard Voyager sets. I don't know that the episode needs to say anything greater about Voyager to be worthwhile. It's an incident along their journey that tells us something about the characters and is an enjoyable adventure. Good enough for me.

grumpy_otter

@Linda You said, "This episode was utterly intolerable due to the fact we are supposed to believe an intelligent and logical man would be attracted to a baby talking idiot woman." I'm a woman and while I would normally agree with this critique, as with Leeloo in The Fifth Element, in this case Noss may have a childish voice, but she is clearly strong and capable and not at all idiotic. She simply is not fluent in English. So I don;t think it's fair to lump her in with the "Born Sexy Yesterday" trope we so often see presented in films. Look for the video by that title presented by Pop Culture Detective--I think you'd have to agree Noss doesn't fit the type.

Captain Proton

Lori Petty is such a horrible actress it made it really hard to get through this episode. And we’re supposed to believe that Tuvok wants to shag this woman? Um...no.

I wish I could learn another language that fast.

{{ Tangent here, but Trek would've been immensely improved if the aliens had been cast with anyone other than SAG's whites actors. . . . . Give credit to TNG's "Code of Honor." They may have been grotesquely stereotypical, but at least they were more exotic than, say, those wusses in "The Hunted." }} {{ I'm sorry, but I will never give any credit to TNG's "Code of Honor." }} It's basically the Galbrush Conundrum, but with race instead of sex. With a large number of never-seen-again AOTW's (Aliens Of The Week), if they were Asian or Black or whatever, the portrayal would probably be considered racist. Which is not to excuse Code of Honor because that one actually *was* racist.

Glad to see many comments stating how obnoxious Paris is in this episode. Leave Tuvok alone, if he doesn’t want to get into a relationship, for whatever reason, that’s Tuvok’s problem, not Tom’s.

Add me to the choir which liked the episode "Gravity." The setting was great and actress Lori Petty (Noss) with that special voice and those intense huge eyes of hers was a big part of its success. It was not simply a redux of the TOS' All Our Yesterdays plotline where Spock, McCoy and Zarabeth form that toxic triangle. Noss starts off as a forbidding character, so it was a relief when she lightens up. I particularly liked her cute laugh when she realizes that Paris can't hunt to save his life. The final attack sequence reminded me of Bogart's Sahara...good energy and left me in suspense as to whether Noss would survive. The emotional scenes with Tuvok and Noss were 'lump in the throat' great. Glad that I took the time. 3 stars.

Really enjoyed this. The premise of being stranded on an inhospitable desert planet trapped on the other side of a wormhole-like anomaly with a time distortion was inventive enough for me, but obviously the Tuvok-Noss relationship was what made the episode. I've always been a massive fan of Tim Russ' (for me) consistently perfect portrayal of Vulcan rigour, but he truly outdoes himself here. Utterly outstanding. Lori Petty does an excellent job as well - and that final farewell scene in the transporter room is astoundingly well-played by both. There's that one moment, when Noss reaches out only to retract her hand in sudden realisation, that is sublime in how much it says with so little. Perfect. I have two very minor criticisms about the rest of the episode that I cannot shake. Firstly, Paris comes across as thoroughly obnoxious in browbeating Tuvok into confessing the feelings that Paris states Tuvok has. It becomes one long invasive, distasteful harangue of Tuvok - let Tuvok have his privacy, good God! Secondly, it seemed a little unethical to me that Voyager didn't attempt in any way to rescue the other stranded aliens. Of course, they'd been repeatedly attacking Tuvok, Noss and the Doctor - but at the same time they're all abandoned to be crushed to death with nary a qualm. It just felt wrong. That side, a great episode with an engaging plot, intriguing characterisation and a very moving ending. I was afraid the writers would kill Noss off, and I was pleasantly relieved they didn't indulge in such lazy, forced tragedy cliché. The actual ending was all the more memorable and meaningful for being so bittersweet and, well, logical. Top work from Russ, Petty and all involved!

Entertaining episode. I think the story moves along quickly and Russ does a good job as Tuvok.

Didn't everyone else wish this episode was MORE ABOUT THE UNIQUE AND ORIGINAL SCI FI CONCEPT OF A SOLAR SYSTEM IN A POCKET OF SUBSPACE AND TIME MOVING AT ADIFFERENT RATE and Tha we had learned MORE ABOUT THE ALIENS AND TBEIR CUKTURE AND PHYSIOLOGY??

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Star Trek: Voyager – Gravity (Review)

Gravity is a powerful story, all the more effective for its relative simplicity.

Tuvok has been one of the most overlooked and ignored regular cast members on Star Trek: Voyager . The later seasons tend to neglect Harry Kim and Chakotay, but they had been given considerable focus in the earlier years of the show. Chakotay had been a major focus in The Cloud , State of Flux , Cathexis , Initiations , Tattoo , Manoeuvres and Basics, Part I . Kim had taken centre stage in Emanations , Prime Factors , Non Sequitur and The Thaw . In contrast, Tuvok remained relatively anonymous, more of a supporting player than a narrative focal point.

Vulcan on a ledge.

In hindsight, this appears a rather strange choice. Tuvok is the first full-blooded Vulcan character to appear as a regular on a Star Trek show. Spock is easily the most iconic character in the franchise, to the point that he would be the torchbearer for the JJ Abrams reboot and his family still haunts Star Trek: Discovery . As such, having a fully Vulcan character should have led to all manner of interesting stories. After all, Tuvok was introduced in Caretaker as a spy working undercover in the Maquis. There should have been a lot of material to mine in the set-up.

However, for most of the run of Voyager , Tuvok seemed cast in a supporting role. He was the investigator in episodes where the crew were falsely accused, as Paris was in Ex Post Facto or Torres was in Random Thoughts . He was a reliable sounding board for other characters, as with Kes in Cold Fire or Neelix in  Rise or Seven of Nine in The Raven . He was even effectively employed as a mind-controlled monster in episodes like Cathexis and Repression . Tellingly, most of the handful of episodes focusing on Tuvok focus on events where he is not himself; Tuvix , Riddles .

Vulcan love slave.

This is a shame, as there is a lot of fertile ground to explore within Vulcan psychology. Logic is never as clean or simple as Spock made it sound. Existence is full of logical contradictions and inconsistencies. The two best Tuvok-centric episodes of Voyager tend to focus on these inconsistencies. Meld is an episode in which Tuvok asks questions for which there can be no answer, and in which his insistence that the universe is an ordered and logical structure pushes him to some very dark places. Gravity explores the long-standing myth that Vulcans are emotionless.

Gravity is a surprisingly influential episode of Voyager , an episode that explores the implications of an idea which the larger Star Trek franchise had taken for granted for more than thirty years. It is an episode that feels unique in the larger context of Voyager , one build as much around character as action. It is story about love and repression, one rooted very much in who Tuvok is. It might just be one of the best Vulcan-centric stories in the franchise.

Tuvok lightens up.

As with any long-running franchise, Star Trek has cultivated a mythology around itself. The franchise has become iconic and ubiquitous, an instantly identifiable aspect of American popular culture. Kirk and Spock are characters recognised across the world. A significant percentage of the American population understands what a “Klingon” is. Catchphrases like “live long and prosper” might not have the same impact as “may the force be with you” , but they have a reach that extends beyond the ratings of individual episodes.

Along the way, the franchise has build up a fair amount of mythology. There are certain aspects of Star Trek that are taken for granted, and accepted without question. People assume that the words “beam me up, Scotty” were spoken on the original show, when they never were . Fans insist that Vulcans never lie, when Spock has been known to bend (and even break) the truth when the occasion demanded it . Fans were outraged when Star Trek: Enterprise had the tenacity to present Vulcans in an unflattering light, glossing over episodes like Amok Time or Journey to Babel .

Just deserts.

However, one of the more persistent pieces of Star Trek mythology is the idea that Vulcans do not have emotions, that they are completely lacking in feelings and are effectively organic robots with pointy ears. David Gerrold summarised this approach to the Vulcans in The World of Star Trek :

The Vulcan culture finally rejected its savage heritage – rejected it so thoroughly that they rejected anything that smacked of it as well. Wars are emotional experiences that stem from individuals and groups of individuals and nations acting irrationally, reacting with their adrenals instead of their brains. In rejecting war and savagery, Vulcans were forced to also reject emotions. Just as Freedom and Opportunity are the spoken goals of most Earth cultures, so did Rationality and Logic become keystones of the Vulcan culture. Vulcans carefully bred emotions out of themselves. They conditioned themselves and their children to be logical. They consciously altered the direction of their evolution.

This feels very much like an attempt at revisionism from the production team, much like the revisionism that Gene Roddenberry attempted with Star Trek: The Motion Picture . It was a clear attempt to ignore the actual content of earlier episodes in favour of a blanket official statement.

It came from above.

After all, the original Star Trek repeatedly suggested that Vulcans were far more emotional than Spock would ever acknowledge, as Kirk and McCoy would repeatedly tease him. Even leaving aside Spock’s emotional outbursts in episodes like The Naked Now or This Side of Paradise , accepting that those might be the product of his repressed human half, the Vulcans featured on the original Star Trek demonstrated heightened emotional states. To pick one example, Stonn seems pretty emotional when T’Pring picks Kirk as her champion in Amok Time .

More than that, it is very clear that Sarek is a highly emotional individual. In Journey to Babel , it is revealed that Sarek cut himself off from Spock in response to the latter’s decision to join Starfleet. That is an emotional, rather than a rational, response. Even on the Enterprise, Sarek seems offended by his son’s presence. More than that, Sarek is quite overtly racist in the way that he talks about the Tellarites, leading to a bizarre situation where Bounty would go out of its way to make Sarek’s observation about the species accurate in order to downplay the casual racism of it.

Heated debate.

It is clear that Vulcans do have emotions, they just tend to repress them rather than acknowledge them. The tendency has been to think of Vulcans as something akin to the Fruedian “superego” , an entire species that rises about the emotional fray in order to make rational and dispassionate decisions based on the information to hand. Given Gene Roddenberry’s refactoring of the franchise into something approaching a moral philosophy, it makes sense that this reductive interpretation of the Vulcan psyche would soak through into popular culture.

The characters on the early seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation often felt like Vulcans. Roddenberry famously banned conflict among the primary cast on the spin-off, leading to the most professional workplace in the history of television . However, in the early episodes of the series, the characters could seem too aloof and too disconnected, too mechanical in nature. It could fairly be argued that the series began to come into its own when the production team allowed Picard to acknowledge his emotions in episodes like Sarek or Family .

Objects in emotion.

After all, the notion that rational or logical thought can be (or should be) divorced from emotion is a hotly contested psychological theory. This fetishisation of rationality began in the late fifties, and would go unchallenged for decades. Only recently have scientists and psychologists acknowledged emotions are impossible to separate from thought :

Ever since Plato, scholars have drawn a clear distinction between thinking and feeling. Cognitive psychology tended to reinforce this divide: emotions were seen as interfering with cognition; they were the antagonists of reason. Now, building on more than a decade of mounting work, researchers have discovered that it is impossible to understand how we think without understanding how we feel. “Because we subscribed to this false ideal of rational, logical thought, we diminished the importance of everything else,” said Marvin Minsky, a professor at MIT and pioneer of artificial intelligence. “Seeing our emotions as distinct from thinking was really quite disastrous.”

Perhaps this emphasis on rationality was rooted in the fact that many of the researchers and writers working in the field were male , and that the theory was gendered in the same way that some discussions of science-fiction tend to be gendered . Emotions are seen as inherently feminine, and male-dominated arenas tend to react against them .

“How can you be so cold on a planet so hot?”

As such, there is something fascinating in exploring the idea of Vulcans as emotionally repressed rather than simply unemotional. After all, the very idea of Amok Time is that storing up all of that emotion leads to a situation where Vulcans need to release the metaphorical safety valve at least once every seven years or risk causing severe harm to themselves and others. Tellingly, Amok Time also suggests that that this emotional safety valve is released through either sec or violence, highly emotional activities.

This suggests a level of nuance and intrigue to the Vulcans, something that extends the species beyond a two-dimensional archetype. It is very similar to the development of other memorable  Star Trek aliens like the Klingons or the Ferengi. It is very easy to create an alien species that is built from one core idea, to suggest that the Klingons are  “violent” or that the Ferengi are  “greedy.” However, it takes more than just an analogy to make an alien species work as a concept.  Star Trek features countless failed high-concept aliens from the Kazon to the Son’a to the Suliban.

Poking holes in it all.

The best Star Trek aliens are rendered in a way that makes them compelling and intriguing. Klingon culture is not engaging because they are stock “space warrior guys” , it is interesting because of the inherent contradiction that exists at the heart of their culture. Episodes like Heart of Glory , Sins of the Father , The Way of the Warrior , Tacking into the Wind and Judgment cleverly play up the contrast between the image that Klingon culture projects of itself and the reality. The same is true of the contradictions in Ferengi culture suggested by The Jem’Hadar .

Revealing a similar contradiction within the Vulcan psyche adds a layer of nuance to the iconic Star Trek aliens. Many actors on the franchise have struggled to convincingly portray Vulcan characters, with quite a few performers playing the iconic aliens as green-blooded drones. The best actors understand that there is always something happening beneath the cold exterior. Gary Graham did excellent work as Soval on Enterprise , in large part because he understood that subtle undercurrent of emotion in episodes like The Forge .

I spi(der) dinner.

Tim Russ acknowledged that this was always a challenge for an actor playing a Vulcan :

Playing the Vulcan character, everything is done very subtly. It’s all about what’s going on under the surface with the Vulcan characters, it’s not on the top … that’s what that whole character is about. Their history is spent basically learning ways in which they control their emotions, so everything is controlled, everything is pushed down as far as any kind of drama or reactions or human-type nature.

The best actors to don the pointy ears suggest vast reservoirs of feeling underneath a calm surface.

Master his emotions.

Gravity is an episode built around this idea. The episode repeatedly stresses that Vulcans do feel emotions, they just learn to suppress them. “You are surprised to hear a Vulcan master admit to having emotions?” the Vulcan Master teases  young! Tuvok in flashback. “Emotions can be a powerful tool. To deny their existence is illogical.”  At the very, Vulcans must understand emotions. Tuvok was able to go undercover as a Maquis spy. T’Pring could manipulate Kirk and Spock in Amok Time . Sarek could negotiate with emotional species in Journey to Babel .

However, Gravity goes even further than that. Vulcans do not just acknowledge emotions, they are affected by them. After a heated exchange, Paris tries to clear the air. “Listen,” he states. “What I said in there, about your wife? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” Tuvok brushes it aside. “I have no feelings for you to hurt.” Paris gets real for a moment with his work colleague. “I think you do,” Paris responds. “You work hard to bury them, but they’re there.” The big question in Gravity is whether Tuvok is lying to Paris and Noss, or to himself.

All for Noss.

It is surprising that it has taken the franchise so long to tell a story like this, to explore what it means to be a Vulcan in such a way. Spock was first identified as “part Vulcanian” in Mudd’s Women , meaning that Vulcans predate other iconic Star Trek aliens like the Romulans or the Klingons. However, Vulcan culture has largely been left unexplored beyond quick glimpses of ritual and mysticism in stories like Amok Time , The Motion Picture or Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .

However, it is also surprising that Voyager should be the series to tell this sort of story. After all, Voyager never really developed its alien species. The Kazon were never as fully formed as the Klingons, the Vidiians never as fleshed out as the Jem’Hadar, the Hirogen never as explored as the Ferengi. Voyager tended to treat these civilisations in a superficial manner. Perhaps this superficiality reflected the overarching narrative of the show. Maybe Voyager never invested too much time or energy in its aliens because the crew would just move on the following week.

A prosperous career.

More than that, Voyager was a show that very rarely invested in characterisation, even for its major characters. Captain Janeway arguably lacked consistent characterisation across the seven-year run of the show, shifting from a by-the-book commanding officer in stories like Prime Factors and State of Flux to a more gung-ho seat-of-her-pants leader in stories like  Night or Infinite Regress . Was Janeway a scientist, a diplomat, or a loose cannon? Voyager never seemed to have a proper answer.

As a rule, Voyager episodes tended to be driven by plot rather than character, more focused on the things that were happening rather than the characters to whom they were happening. Many Voyager episodes often descended into a series of crazy “… and then…” plot developments instead of exploring how the events impacted and informed the characters caught in their midst. This storytelling process could lead to disjointed adventures like Alter Ego or Demon , episodes that seem to burn through several episodes’ worth of story in the space of forty-five minutes.

Tuvok ‘n’ roll.

Writer Nick Sagan took the pitch that would become Gravity , and found himself drawn to one central aspect of that idea :

In terms of writing for television, or specifically, for Star Trek, I really think it comes down to the concept. There are so many episodes that have been done before, and you’re trying to break new ground. What I’ve learned is to try to think in abstract terms, even if it’s something close to another Star Trek idea… what is the new, fresh spin on it? What is something that we’ve never seen before? It doesn’t have to be a character or a plot, like with Gravity, it was “emotion creates its own logic”… just something that really tantalises, because if it tantalises you, it probably tantalises the audience.

It is such a simple idea, but it is an idea that has so much potential and intrigue, something that gets at a facet of the Star Trek mythos that has been suggested, but never explored.

It doesn’t scan.

After all, it is very clear that Tuvok loves his family. He seems to genuinely miss his wife and his children, as evidenced by the impact of T’Pel appearance in stories like Persistence of Vision and Bliss , as well as his response to news of his grandchild’s birth in Hunters . Tuvok’s family is not a logical arrangement, it is not a social unit borne out of convenience. It is a family built upon an emotional attachment that exists. When Tuvok eventually goes through the pon’farr in Body and Soul , he does so with a holographic representation of the woman that he loves.

Gravity explores this contrast between the idea of Tuvok as an emotionally detached individual and as a man capable of love. It is a powerful and compelling paradox, recalling the emotion tug-of-war at the heart of so many classic costume dramas; the battle of repressed emotion and sexuality, an unspoken and unspeakable attraction. “I’ve seen the way you look at her,” Paris admits to Tuvok of Noss. Tuvok shrugs it off. “What way is that?” Paris responds, “Like someone who wishes he wasn’t Vulcan.” Expectations and appearances take a heavy toll.

There is something very pure and very innocent in the dynamic between Tuvok and Noss, playing into sense of repressed romance. There is a recurring conflict in Gravity , between what the characters cannot say, and what they will not say. “I am sorry,” Tuvok warns Noss at one point. “I cannot return your affection.” Noss understands what is being said, even beyond the words that Tuvok has chosen. She inquires, “You cannot, or you will not?” Tuvok answers, “A minor distinction.” It might be a minor distinction, but it is an important one.

Tuvok is defined by what he will not say, what he cannot admit to himself or to anybody else. Paris repeatedly confronts Tuvok about their situation, and Tuvok repeatedly refuses to even acknowledge the complicated emotional situation that is developing. When Paris tries to figure out what happened between Tuvok and Noss, Tuvok shuts him down. “Our conversation was private.” When Paris wonders what made Tuvok so repressed, Tuvok advises him, “I have no intention of continuing this conversation any further.”

Food for thought.

Tuvok’s unwillingness to express himself is thematically juxtaposed with Noss’ struggle to find the right words. With the universal translator broken, Noss is forced to learn English to express herself. She speaks in broken English, often searching for the right word and shoe-horning in a clumsy fit to get her point across. One early exchange is revealing. As Paris talks about Torres, Noss responds, “You must really… baiya jouton?” The EMH translates, “Love her very much.” Despite literally not speaking English , Noss still expresses herself better than Tuvok.

There is an endearing earnestness to the dynamic between Tuvok and Noss. Without a common language, Noss still finds a way to communicate what is truly important. As Tuvok tells her about Voyager, she presses, “Tell me about you there.” Tuvok responds, “I am the Chief Tactical Officer.” Noss asks, “What else?” Tuvok doesn’t understand. “Can you be more specific?” Noss struggles for words. “Your duties. Where you sleep. What you eat. Music. Friends.” Tuvok is puzzled. “Why is any of that relevant?” Noss knows exactly what she means. “Because it is you.”

To be or Noss to be.

That is one of the most compelling and beautifully expressions of romance in the fifty-year history of the franchise. It is a beautiful distillation of what it means to have a romantic interest in someone, to the point where even the most mundane details of their day-to-day life are compelling by association. It is a small moment that effortlessly captures the curiosity of such romance, the intrigue and the excitement. More than that, all of it comes from a character who is speaking in broken English to a stranger she has only known for a few days.

As with Counterpoint earlier in the season, Gravity is an episode that is built very well from the ground up. It has an interesting premise, a character-driven focus, a superb guest performance, and a number of very clever ideas that are never allowed to eclipse the core appeal of the story being told. A lesser episode would make a bigger deal of the time dilatation inside the anomaly of the week, using it as a slingshot to some bolder high-concept story about time. Blink of an Eye would recycle the premise for a more concept-driven episode, but Gravity is never distracted by it.

Getting into one another’s heads.

All of the elements in Gravity just come together very well. As Tim Russ explained to Cinefantastique , it was a story when all of the elements seemed to align almost perfectly:

“Gravity was a really big show. We had to go on location for two days. We rarely ever go on location, not more than maybe a couple of times a year. It was fabulous. We were out in Palmdale, in the high desert, and it was actually pleasant. Lori Petty is a very good actress, and did a fine job. Robert Duncan McNeill and I have worked together quite a bit in the last couple of years, and it’s always a lot of fun, because we do a lot of cutting up.” Russ continued, “I thought it was shot well, and the opticals came together nicely. I was very happy with it. It was an enlightening episode for the character, a chance to peek back at his past, and see him as a child, see what he went through at that age and the kind of legacy that he left behind. It was a very eye-opening show.”

These stories are relatively rare on Voyager , largely down to a combination of the troubled production and the recurring structural weaknesses of the series. However, Gravity flows perfectly.

In some ways, Gravity counts among the most influential episodes of Voyager . Its exploration of Vulcan psychology has an outsized impact. A lot of the characterisation of Spock in Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness builds upon ideas suggested in Gravity . Like the adolescent Tuvok who features in Gravity , the rebooted version of Spock is presented as a highly emotional young Vulcan whose tendency towards passion causes severe problems for his family and his future.

More than that, both Star Trek and Into Darkness make a point to emphasis fact that Vulcans do feel emotions, underneath it all. Early in Star Trek , Spock asks his father why he would choose to marry a human woman. “Marrying your mother was logical,” Sarek responds. Later in the movie, as Spock finds himself in crisis, Sarek revisits that conversation. “You asked me once why I married your mother. I married her because I loved her.” It is a very simple answer, but also very effective.

Will Tuvok cave under the pressure?

Similarly, the relationship between Spock and Uhura runs into difficulty in Into Darkness when Uhura struggles with Spock’s inability to express his feelings, claiming that he does not care. Spock responds, “Nyota, you mistake my choice not to feel as a reflection of my not caring. Well, I assure you, the truth is precisely the opposite.” The suggestion is that Spock simply cares too much, that his emotions run deep and exert their own gravity upon his character. While this obviously builds on the work of Leonard Nimoy, it feels very much of a piece with Gravity .

It should be noted that even the background plot of Gravity would evolve into a franchise favourite. The Star Trek franchise had always been fond of stranding characters on strange and hostile worlds, dating back to episodes like The Galileo Seven or Metamorphosis . In many ways, Gravity is a continuation of that particular plot trend. The episode is a spiritual successor to other classic “shuttlepod down” stories like Parturition , Innocence , Rise or Nemesis . However, it also seems to represent something of a pivot point.

A rocky road to friendship.

Gravity is a story about characters who find themselves thrown into a hostile and almost Darwinist environment in which the strong prey on the weak. Noss steals supplies from Paris, and is then ambushed by two other aliens. “They were attempting to rob her,” Tuvok explains. Paris deadpans, “Seems to be a local pastime.” The Starfleet officers encounter a culture of violence, in which people have learned to fend for themselves. Noss has “been alone for many years” , maybe as many as “fourteen seasons.” That time alone has forced her to prey on those weaker than her.

However, Noss is redeemed by the protagonists. She is introduced as a bandit robbing medical supplies from the shuttle, but the climax of the episode finds her risking her own life so that her friends might return home. There is a sense that the values of the Federation are infectious and appealing, that being around Tuvok and Paris (and the EMH) is enough to empower Noss to become a better person – maybe even to be the person that she was before this tragedy happened, stranding her alone on this hostile world.

Don’t force(field) it.

This would becomes a recurring theme in later Star Trek stories. Voyager revisits it in The Void , when the ship finds itself thrown into a hostile environment and is forced to assemble a mutually beneficial alliance between those communities that have found themselves trapped in the same situation. Janeway effectively builds herself a miniature Delta Quadrant version of the Federation from bands of scavengers and predators. Gravity does not feature the same level of alliance-building or enabling, but it is very much a factor.

Similarly, the plot of Star Trek Beyond owes something to Gravity . Once again, the primary characters find themselves stranded on a hostile planet surrounded by predators who operate according to Darwinian logic. Beyond is much more specific in the cues that it borrows from Gravity . Montgomery Scott comes face-to-face with an orphaned young woman who speaks broken English, who has been forced to do violent things to protect herself and the shelter that she has built. She helps the crew escape, and they take her with them.

Only his pride has been injured. And his body.

It is strange to think of this fifth-season episode of Voyager having such a large impact on the future direction of the franchise. Gravity is hardly the most beloved or most high-profile of fifth season entries. It lacks the sense of scale that defined Timeless or Dark Frontier, Part I and Dark Frontier, Part II . It lacks the sense of import that defines Equinox, Part I . Lori Petty is a pretty impressive guest star, but she is probably less recognisable than Jason Alexander in Think Tank .

The fact that Gravity seems to foreshadow so much of what will come is a testament to how well constructed it is as an episode of television. It is an episode that demonstrates the potential of the Voyager ensemble, proving that it is possible to tell compelling character-driven narratives centred on cast members who have been largely overlooked and ignored. Timeless proved that there was at least one interesting story to be built around Harry Kim. Gravity illustrates how intriguing Tuvok might be, were he allowed to develop.

“Do you smell what the rocks are cooking?”

Even the supporting cast is used well in Gravity . Tuvok is trapped on the planet surface with Paris, which provides a dynamic that works surprisingly well. Robert Duncan McNeill expressed a fondness for that pairing in an interview with Cinefantastique :

I love working with Tim. One of my favorite combinations, in terms of characters, is Tuvok and Paris. I just think they are hilarious. They are such opposites, and they can dig at each other in such a light, fun way, I think they make a great team. We got to have all the subtle, fun jokes with each other. I thought it was particularly well-written, and I thought our guest star, Lori Petty, was great. It was great to be out on location. When you get on location, you feel you are making a real movie.

Indeed, Gravity would not work near as well if the writers had substituted Robert Beltran or Garrett Wang into that supporting role with Tim Russ. Roxann Dawson might have provided an interesting edge, but it would have been a very different dynamic than the one that exists between Russ and McNeill.

“Now, let’s never speak of this again.”

The combination of Tuvok and Paris has become on of the more subtly effective team-ups among the Voyager ensemble. The two worked undercover together in Future’s End, Part I and Future’s End, Part II , before writing a holonovel together in Worst Case Scenario . Even their smaller scenes together work well in Extreme Risk or Bride of Chaotica! Tuvok is a much more compelling foil for Paris than Kim. Paris is a much more interesting contrast for Tuvok than Neelix.

There are any number of reasons why this pairing works so well. Russ and McNeill bounce off one another with a great deal of skill, bringing out the best in one another. The characters also mirror one another very effectively. Both Tuvok and Paris exist apart from both the Starfleet and the Maquis crew. Paris was a Starfleet dropout who joined the Maquis and quickly got himself arrested. Tuvok was a Starfleet officer who infiltrated the Maquis in order to turn them over to the authorities. Tuvok is cold and rational, while Paris is characterised as highly emotional.

His torrid Torres love affair.

On any other television show, the production team would have acknowledged that these two characters worked well together and made a point to develop a relationship between them. This is how the writers working on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine tended to approach long-form characterisation, bouncing actors off screen partners in an effort to properly calibrate the characters and the dynamics to build an engaging ensemble. A lot of the character dynamics on Deep Space Nine were improvised, drawn from the actors’ performances and strengths.

Voyager never seemed to pay that much attention to their cast. While Deep Space Nine spent three full seasons trying to figure out how to make Julian Bashir and Jadzia Dax work, Voyager gave up on Chakotay and Harry Kim after only two years. Voyager should have figured out that Tuvok and Paris played well together much earlier in the run, but it does not matter. Voyager never had any interest in developing its characters to play to the strengths of the cast. The strangely compelling interplay between Tuvok and Paris would remain a background detail.

A long time again, in a galaxy just outside this sinkhole.

In some respects, then, the gravity well feels like an appropriate metaphor for Voyager as a television show. It is a phenomenon that compresses time. Characters remain stuck inside for what feels like an eternity, with no real movement or development. As much as Voyager was a show charting a linear course back to the safety of the Alpha Quadrant, there was never a sense of momentum. After all, there was never any sense of the passage of time and the growth that comes with that.

Many of the characters on Voyager seemed to fall into their own quantum sinkholes, with their own distorted sense of time. Tom Paris might have a relatively complete character arc from Caretaker to Endgame , but what about Harry Kim? Paris could be demoted to ensign and promoted to lieutenant, while Kim was still standing in place. Time moved faster for some characters than for others, affording opportunities for development and change. Gravity finally offers Tuvok such a chance. Unfortunately, he has to fall out of the universe in order to grasp it.

On its last legs.

Still, Gravity is an impressive accomplishment, even if the franchise would not deliver on its potential until long after Voyager had ended.

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Filed under: Voyager | Tagged: Bryan Fuller , emotions , lori petty , love , nick sagan , rationality , star trek , star trek: voyager , tuvok , Vulcans |

8 Responses

Hey, I recognize the costume on Tank Girl. It’s the same worn by the female plant workers in “Workforce”.

Yeah, the budget does seem to be entering the contraction phase around this point in the run.

Quite the impressive ‘thesis’, not only of the episode, but the full series… as both a film student & 28 year vet of the biz, this is quite fairly appreciated, & further fulfilling having grown up with all the Trek series & films, as well as even having participated in some of the Trek franchise… That said, it must certainly be noted that with such a very compellingly, fully fleshed out ‘disertatative review’, further worthy mention of the very distinguished actor Joseph Ruskin’s Vulcan Master portrayal was somewhat overlooked; some decently worthy analysis was given, but overlooked the appropriate notation of this very unique & iconic actor’s reappearance in the series, as was indeed noted in a tribute statement by the Screen Actors Guild upon his passing at the end of ’13: “One of only a handful of actors brought back for successive entries in the “Star Trek” franchise, he appeared in the original series, three of the four successor series, the feature film “Star Trek: Insurrection,” and two Star Trek video games.” …All due respect that this was essentially an episode review, but having gone to such extensive lengths of analysis, this was most certainly a worthy highlight to be included. …most Trekkies would most likely agree, yet logically well done otherwise👌🏽🎬

That’s probably fair. Ruskin is great, as he is in all of his Star Trek roles. A great presence. (And a fantastic voice.)

“Unfortunately, he has to fall out of the universe in order to grasp it.” – Good line!

Thanks for this insightful review. Never caught this episode to be as good as it was on my rewatch, and my higher than before appreciation for this show was in no small measure aided by your favorable reading of the episode. Having aged a bit and found “Eastern spirituality” in a broad sense much more interesting and compelling than 20 years ago I really could watch this show in a different way than before. It might be true that this was one of the pivotal episodes to change the notion or sentiment of Vulcans “genetically” unemotional.

I am quite astonished how good Voyager actually was at times. I tended to follow the ciritcal fan’s average downgrading of it in recent years, but come to think of it or to see it all again, I am quite impressed about the overall quality of it. Maybe I am blinded by nostalgia – I am not sure…

Yep. There are some circles of online fandom that think I’m unduly harsh about Voyager , and I do rake it over the coals when it deserves it. But I think it’s clear from this run of four episodes that I loved Voyager as much as anything when it was its best self. And Gravity (along with Counterpoint ) is very much Voyager ‘s best self.

This is easily one of the top 5 Voyager episodes in my book.

The ending seals it though. So nice to see Tuvok get a decent episode for once. The dialogue between young Tuvok and the Vulcan master is also fairly well done for Trek. It’s a pity we didn’t see more of this kind of stuff, more cultural development for races, and characters like Tuvok.

This episode is often overlooked by Voyager vans for the more flashy shooty action ones.

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS5E13Gravity

Recap / Star Trek Voyager S 5 E 13 Gravity

Edit locked.

This episode contains the following tropes:

• Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder : Tom points out that it's not logical for Tuvok to remain faithful to a wife who is 50,000 light years away that he'll likely never see again. Tuvok is not amused .
• A Day in the Limelight : A Tuvok episode.
• All Love Is Unrequited : Noss develops feelings for Tuvok who is Happily Married (or devoted in Vulcan terms) to his wife.
• The Vulcan Master instructing young Tuvok admits that the power of his emotions frightens him. As he points out, to deny this would be illogical.
• Tuvok says that beneath their apparent serenity, Vulcans constantly struggle with volatile emotions.
• Beware the Nice Ones : Tuvok is not often forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat, but here he easily dispatches a squad of raiders by himself. It's also a reminder that Vulcans are physically faster and stronger than most aliens, and their dedication to logic is a blessing to others.
• Big Damn Heroes : Tuvok turns up in the nick of time to save either Noss or Tom on three occasions .
• Book Ends : The episode begins with Young!Tuvok beginning his studies with the Vulcan Master, and ends with him leaving having regained his control of emotions.
• The multi-spatial probe from "Extreme Risk" is used to explore the sinkhole.
• Tom recalls his lengthy courtship of B'Elanna Torres.
• Tuvok responds to the suggestion that he's secretly a big softy with, "There is no need to be insulting" as per Spock .
• When young Tuvok is led to believe the girl he's smitten with has fallen for another Vulcan, Tuvok says he will challenge his rival, a reference to the kal-if-fee from TOS "Amok Time".
• The Vulcan Master lists the emotions that an infatuated Tuvok is experiencing, just as Tuvok did for an infatuated Harry in "Alter Ego". In fact this episode explains how Tuvok knew how to deal with feelings of unrequited love in the first place.
• Cannot Spit It Out : Tuvok is unwilling to admit his feelings for Noss. But at the end of the episode he forms a Mind Meld with her, whereupon she just smiles and says, "I understand."
• Noss borrows Tuvok's catchphrase of "Fascinating" at one point.
• Averted both times when the Doctor is reactivated (probably because his program is already active in the emitter). When Tuvok is injured, the nature of the medical emergency is already pretty obvious anyway.
• Commander Crash : Tuvok's mere presence on a shuttle causes yet another crash. Though Tom was flying it so maybe we should blame him.
• Contemplation Location : Tuvok meditates on the rocks to get control of his emotions regarding Noss, but Tom follows him and insists on discussing the issue.
• Everyone Can See It : Tom can see Tuvok is attracted to Noss despite his denials.
• Flash Back : Tuvok keeps flashing back to his youth where he struggled with his emotions and Vulcan teachings.
• Florence Nightingale Effect : Noss kisses Tuvok after he's injured in an ambush.
• Former Teen Rebel : As a teenager, Tuvok became infatuated with a Terrellian female at his school who rejected his advances. As a result he rebelled against the Vulcan philosophy of logic and emotional control, and was banished to the care of a Vulcan Master.
• From Bad to Worse : The shuttle has fallen into a subspace sinkhole with no way of getting out. Thanks to the time-distortion, they're trapped for months on a desert planet before Voyager can even find them. An alien race is planning to close the sinkhole and won't wait for any rescue operation. Then Chakotay delivers the Wham Line . Chakotay: Ready for the bad news? Janeway: You're kidding. Chakotay: The gravitational stress is increasing. Seven believes the sinkhole is on the verge of collapse. When it does, everything inside will be crushed.
• Future Spandex : Noss' form-fitting black outfit really isn't suitable for a desert planet, though it's likely something she scavenged.
• Getting Hot in Here : More tank-top fanservice , this time involving Tuvok.
• The Hermit : Young Tuvok studied in isolation under a Vulcan Master until he could learn to suppress his emotions.
• Holding Hands : Tuvok holds Noss' hand as he leads her to the transporter pad.
• Ice-Cream Koan Young Tuvok: If I was meant to deny feelings, why was I born with them? Where's the logic in that? Vulcan Master: Hidden for you to find. Or in plain sight for you to ignore. Young Tuvok: You speak in riddles because the truth frightens you!
• Inconvenient Attraction : Tuvok really doesn't want to suffer the anguish of unrequited love again.
• Averted on the planet: Noss, Tom and Tuvok have to hunt for food and scavage supplies from other downed ships. The Doctor is also taken offline for months, so they can conserve the power cell of the mobile emitter (and possibly use it as a backup power source).
• Interspecies Romance : Albeit of the unrequited kind .
• I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder : The Doctor has to be shut down because they may need to use his mobile emitter as a power source. He retorts, "I'm a doctor, not a battery!"
• Kiss Diss : When Noss tries to kiss Tuvok, he pushes her away.
• Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone : Tom orders everyone out of the transporter room so Tuvok can say goodbye to Noss in private.
• Love Confession : All the more meaningful for being completely non-verbal. Tuvok doesn't have to say the words, because he can share his thoughts and feelings via mind-meld.
• Love Makes You Crazy : For Vulcans it does, which is why Tuvok doesn't want to surrender to his feelings. Tuvok: I lost all sense of who I was. The emotional attraction I felt became a kind of insanity. Paris: Tuvok, everyone feels a little insane when they fall in love, but it's worth the risk. Tuvok: For you, perhaps. But I am Vulcan. My natural emotions are erratic, volatile. If I don't control them, they will control me.
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me : The forcefield on Noss' crashed vessel still works, enabling her to hold off scavengers. Until the final act when they launch a determined assault using photonic charges that ultimately overloads the emitter and brings the barrier down.
• Mandatory Line : Neelix only appears briefly in the last act under the guise of asking Noss for her recipe for sautéed spider , before he's shooed away by Tom.
• The Matchmaker : Tom, as lampshaded by Tuvok who does not appreciate his efforts.
• Not So Stoic : The episode delves into the emotions beneath Tuvok's calm Vulcan exterior.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat : The rescue is made more difficult than it should be thanks to the efforts of Supervisor Yost to close the sinkhole. When he's ready six hours ahead of schedule, he goes ahead without waiting for Voyager .
• Old Master Vulcan Master: You wish to be taught? Young Tuvok: I would question everything you say. Vulcan Master: You would not be a worthy pupil otherwise.
• Omniglot : The Doctor can speak to Noss in her language because the Universal Translator is part of his program. He ends up teaching her fairly decent Federation Standard, though some more esoteric concepts still have to be translated: for instance, Noss has to ask him in her own language how to say 'love' because the Doctor hadn't taught her that, presumably seeing it as irrelvant to their situation.
• Orbital Kiss : Although a kiss isn't involved, the camera does a half-circle around Tuvok and Noss as they Mind Meld , showing its romantic subtext.
• Pardon My Klingon Noss: Logic! I hate logic! Tuvok: Your emotions will only exacerbate the situation. Noss: Shevrot kat! Tuvok: Insulting me will not help.
• Race Against the Clock : Voyager only has a day to rescue their crewmembers before another alien race closes the sinkhole to prevent other ships being pulled in. By the time they're ready, the aliens have decided to go ahead of schedule, which gives them only 30 minutes. As they count down the last few seconds to transport, Tuvok has to race out and rescue Noss who's trying to repair the forcefield in the face of an assault of scavengers trying to breach her ship. Because of the Year Inside, Hour Outside time dilation, they have to fend off an attack for the better part of an afternoon while for Voyager , its just a few minutes.
• Rescue Romance : Tuvok meets Noss when he saves her from two attackers.
• Reverse Polarity : Voyager escapes being pulled into the sinkhole by reversing the polarity of its shields.
• Robinsonade
• Scavenger World : The only supplies on the planet are brought in by other crash victims, so there's savage competition for resources . Noss is introduced when she steals Tom's medkit, and then Tuvok saves her from being robbed herself.
• Tastes Like Friendship : After he first rescues her, Tuvok offers Noss a ration bar (no small gift on a planet where you have to hunt your food). They also bond while cooking up their latest catch of spiders .
• Weird World, Weird Food : The main source of protein on the planet consists of large spider-like creatures. Paris: I don't know what's worse. Catching them or eating them. Noss: No poison . Paris: Well they may not be poisonous, but they give me the creeps.
• Year Inside, Hour Outside : After being stranded for two months, Tom is disappointed that his girlfriend B'Elanna doesn't miss him more because for her, only two days have passed.
• You No Take Candle : Noss speaks this way because the Universal Translator isn't working. She proves Eloquent In Their Native Tongue after Voyager rescues them and Noss can speak using the UT.
• Star Trek: Voyager S5 E12: "Bride of Chaotica!"
• Recap/Star Trek: Voyager
• Star Trek Voyager S 5 E 14 Bliss

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Inspired Voyage (ST: Voyager / SI)

• Thread starter SIDoragon
• Start date Oct 2, 2019
• Tags star trek star trek voyager self insert

A/N: This started as a simple thought experiment, and just sort of snowballed from there. I've...

• Season 1 - Episode 1: Caretaker (part 1)
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M. NightShujinlan

• Mar 15, 2020

three strikes is now in effect. Due to the sheer amount of reports and general misbehaving this thread has been generating on a regular basis, we will be adopting a three strikes rule. It is as follows: On your first strike after this mod post, you will be given a 3-7 day threadban. Second strike is two weeks to a month threadban. Third strike you will be removed from the thread permanently. The normal rules of SB apply along with one addition. You should be familiar with this one, it had been pinned previously. Canon complaints including canon!Janeway is still taboo. Don't derail. In case anyone needs reminders. Here is a rule guide for the Creative Writing Subforum. Here are the rules for Spacebattles in general.  

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Dragon of Story and Song

• Oct 2, 2019

A/N: This started as a simple thought experiment, and just sort of snowballed from there. I've been passing it back and forth with good buddy PublicLee Speaking who has been a wonderful help in smoothing out the concepts and giving it a direction. If you haven't read any of his stuff yet, please do so now because he is an excellent writer. It has been a good ten years since I last wrote any Trek fiction, so this will hopefully be a good time and fun read. The first two chapters are written and ready to be posted, and more should soon follow. And with nothing left to add, lets get into the story. Inspired Voyage Star Trek: Voyager ​ Season 1 - Episode 1: Caretaker March 2371 I woke up feeling worn down and sore, feeling like my head had been slapped around a few dozen times by a heavy mallet. My eyes could be glued closed for all the effort it was taking in opening them. The last time I'd ever been this out of it was after a third consecutive night terror a year ago, and I could feel that old familiar sinking feeling as 'dread' and 'fear' fought a war against me with their good allies 'hyperventilating' and 'blind panic.' My arms and legs moved, barely, but it was still progress. Experience was telling me that the sleep induced paralysis would eventually fade, it would just be a very unhappy minute of struggling as my various muscles decided to turn back on. Glacially slow, my eyes finally started to open. I squinted against the glare of the overhead lights, fighting to focus…wait, why are there overhead lights? My bedroom has a ceiling fan with three bulbs, not a dome that was backlit! And with that small realization, my mind snapped into total focus. Adrenaline flooded my veins as ice-water traveled down my spine, sweeping aside the mild paralysis as my fight-or-flight instincts began to scream "find a weapon, you asshole!" at me. Wide eyed and awake, I tried to take in my surroundings. I looked to be in some kind of hospital room? I was on one of three beds along the wall, with a quick glance showing me that they were unoccupied and thus no longer important. There are two circular spaces inside this small hospital room; one behind glass and the other open with another bed inside it. The room behind the glass looked to have a desk and chair, so I'm guessing it was a doctors office, but why did it look so familiar? The white walls were offset by a pale blue carpet and the dull pink of the beds, although the oval room with one bed looked to have black walls with yellow lights for some reason. In fact, why did this whole room look so familiar to me? I've never been in it before, but I could almost swear I've seen it before. I noticed an odd beeping sound above and behind me, and glanced back to see a monitor panel that was obviously keeping track of me. It was difficult to read, but also just as familiar as the damn room. I shook my head, fighting to review my recent memories and work out how I got here... ...wherever here was. Looking back down, I noticed for the first time that I was only wearing some very soft pajama-like pants, the blanket on top of me hiding away the rest of me. Granted I'm used to sleeping like this, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised I woke dressed like this, but since this isn't what I was wearing when I went to bed that means someone stripped me... "Mr. Shepard?" a man said, stepping into view as he appeared from the doctor's office. As my eyes dart to him, I blurt out, "Robert Picardo?" as I recognize his face and bald head. The man, nonplussed by my outburst, quickly recovers and walked up to my side while waving a small device over me like this was an episode of Star… ...FUCK...I'm still dreaming aren't I? This is a weird fucking dream. Why would I… "Ouch!" I flinch back from the man as he looks at me dispassionately. "You are, in fact, not dreaming." Blinking, and rubbing the spot he had just pinched, I can only offer, "Oh, sorry. I assume I just said all that out loud?" "You assume correctly," is his prompt reply. "You appear to be a little disconcerted. What is the last thing you remember?" I have to force myself to tear my eyes away from the man who played "The Doctor" on Voyager , but manage to do so by rubbing my eyes and shaking my head slowly. "Last thing I remember, I went to bed last night. Where am I?" The man finishes his 'scan of me' and stands there by the side of my bed. "You 'went to bed' nearly a week ago. You are currently in Voyager 's sickbay. You are the last one to wake from what transpired aboard the Caretaker array." If I felt worried bordering on concerned before, I was now officially on the edge of full-fledged terrified. He went on, "You were displaying some unusual neural activity, likely as the result of whatever it was that the alien did to all you, but seeing as you were in no danger and for all intents seemed to simply be asleep, Captain Janeway and I decided to wait and allow you to wake naturally. Of course, we didn't expect it would take this long to do so." "Now that you are awake, I'm going to inform the Captain. She wished to speak with you before you were discharged. I recommend you lay back and try to relax, it may take some time before she comes to see you." the man finished, looking me over for a moment before walking back into his office and tapping his hand to the shiny badge on his chest. God damn it. **** God damn it all to hell. I'm on Voyager ! After I lay my head back down on the pillow, things started to come to me. Explanations, I think, but in the most roundabout way possible. I started having flashbacks to things I've done, like filling out a certain CYOA that I had been curious about. I had been curious about a week ago and filled out a v1 form for WORM, and now I'm stuck with this shit. I couldn't have picked Endbringer, or chosen to act as an Emperor of Man or a Psychokinetic, no I had to be an idiot and pick Inspired Inventor as my power. I am much more familiar with the v5 CYOA and would have loved to have had some of those builds I had made. My favorite build would have allowed me to turn into an Endbringer at will and use its abilities to pump out technological wonders, but no, I had to end up with this v1 piece of shit. Worse, it had been nerfed to hell and back because whatever had brought me here seemed to think "hard mode" was still too easy. Tinker 12? Forget it, you aren't actually a Tinker. That was removed. Five charges each day? Nope, I start with a total of 10 charges, and earn a charge point for each week I survived. Oh yeah, I can only hold 10 charges at a time as well, so there is another downside. And instead of getting the ability to McGuyver nukes out of a plasma screen television and a microwave oven, I simply gain knowledge. If I wanted to turn into a discount Bakuda, I would have to drop points into explosives and engineering just to build the bombs, then I would need physics, chemistry and whatever else was required to replicate her effects. All that to say, I will need a long, long, long time to do anything. Sure, if my different themes overlap then their knowledge will stack, building off of each other and integrating perfectly. And all fields of knowledge are open to me, so I can learn anything from martial arts to political science, and everything in between, but you have to know what you need to know. And I need resources to build anything. Resources that are going to be rare on a ship stuck out in the middle of nowhere! That is the main power covered. The secondary power of 'Invictus', however, might actually be more useful on this wonderful voyage of the damned. Things like distress, or panic, should mean very little or nearly nothing to me. I'm supposed to be able to undergo any disaster without batting an eye, ignore pain, remain mentally untroubled by even the most terrible trauma, and fearsome odds won't give me pause. The fact that I was having a panic attack when I awoke means I must have been really freaking the fuck out. But the ability to throw off mind control like it was an irritating fly can only be a good thing. Especially in a universe where mind-controlling aliens in a real thing. At least I hope I can throw it off. Only way to know for sure is to be put into that situation, and I'm fairly sure I don't want to risk that. The real question mark is what the hell good 'Blank' is going to be? Protect me from Q? Okay, on second thought 'Blank' might be my most valuable power. Maybe. Well, on that note I decided now was a good time to sit up on this bed and stretch my sore arms and back. I could see the Doctor glance at me from his office, but other than looking to make sure I didn't actually leave the bed, he seemed content to let me proceed with my bed yoga. This is certainly going to take some getting used to. Fuck. I'm a reincarnation. Which means I've lived out an entire life up until this moment. The circumstances were supposed to be entirely under my control, but without being able to make any major changes to the setting. Everything from this point forward is up to me, but what did I do before I got here? I could feel something starting to work its way forward from the back of my skull, but if it is memories or just motion sickness, I'm not sure. Sadly, my introspection is interrupted as Sickbay's door open and the woman who can only be Captain Janeway marches into the room like someone on a mission from God. She doesn't spare a glance at the EMH Doctor, and instead walks right up to me and all my shirtless glory. Why do I not feel self conscious about that? Oh right, Invictus. "Commander Shepard?" are the first words out of her mouth. My mind immediately prompts me the image of a smiling Krogan called "Grunt," and all I can think is that whatever brought me here has a sense of humor. That is quickly followed by roughly twenty five years of memories and experiences flashing into my head so fast and hard that I have to grab my skull to keep it from spinning. Holy shit whatever brought me here was lazy. It basically stole my Mass Effect character creation. I remember growing up in a Starfleet family. My childhood was filled with memories of time spent on ships and stations all across Federation space as they were transferred from one posting to another. We never stayed in one location for more than a few years. Following in their footsteps, I enrolled with the Academy. John Shepard, dad, was killed during the Cardassian War a few years ago. Hannah Shepard, mom, is looking forward to seeing me in San Francisco - she just made Admiral. I spoke with her just before I got on Voyager . We were planning my birthday next month... Rather than join Starfleet, I was recruited to join a different organization. During the War, a mission went wrong and I was trapped behind enemy lines. I managed to overcome and survive physical and psychological stresses that would have broken most, and survived while the rest of my team fell. I was the sole survivor of that mission, and they promoted me for it. I can hear someone calling my name, and when I look up I see the Doctor standing over me waving a medical tricorder. Janeway is standing next to me, concern mixed with curiosity on her face. The Doctor gave a small nod and said, "You seem to have low blood sugar. That would explain the sudden wave of dizziness." He stepped to the side for a moment, grabbing a hypospray and adjusting the dosage for a second, before stepping back and jamming the device to my neck. A soft hiss followed, and he took a step back to add, "Rather than ignoring the symptoms next time, speak up and tell me before you pass out." "Thanks, Doc." I mutter, but he nods and steps away to head back into his office. Janeway takes a step forward and smirks at me before declaring, "Lets try that again. Commander Shepard, I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway. Welcome to Voyager . Now, who are you and why are you on my ship?" I furrowed my brow at that. "You obviously know who I am. You just used my name and rank." "And frankly that is all we could get off the computer." She declared, her eyes narrowing dangerously at me. "We have your name, rank, age and serial number. That is it. No records of your history, background, last deployment, nothing." I thought about that for a moment, and as the answers came to me I frowned in resignation. This was going to get tricky, and I had to play along until they offered up some knowledge that I shouldn't currently have, but I might make my way through this minefield. With a sigh, I offered, "Please, Captain, call me Branden, or just Shepard. I don't like formality very much. And before we continue, I need to know if Lieutenant Tuvok has been recovered along with the Marquis you were ordered to capture." That got her attention. Janeway crossed her arms in front of her chest and shifted weight onto her backfoot. "How do you know about that? Our mission was classified, as is the Lieutenant's mission." I sighed, deep and long, "Please, Captain. It will make things simpler to explain and keep me from repeating myself later." There was a short pause as she seemed to mull things over in her head, before Janeway tapped her comm badge and declared, "Janeway to Lt. Tuvok. Please report to Sickbay at once." "Thank you," I offered, but she didn't respond. Instead the Captain just stood there and waited while I went back to stretching my arms and shoulders. Almost two minutes of silence passed before the doors to Sickbay open and I see Tuvok stroll in and walk towards us. I was wondering why the door hadn't closed yet, before I then see Chakotay quickly step inside move to his Captain's side. I try to keep the groan from escaping, since this will just make things more difficult, but it is difficult. "Reporting as requested, Captain." Tuvok says before standing at ease and waiting to see what this is about. I can see the small quirk of his eyebrows that say he is curious, something I've learned after working alongside Vulcan's for many years… Fuck, this memories are integrating quickly. They will be useful, so I know I shouldn't fight them, but damn is that disconcerting to suddenly have decades of experiences moved to the forefront of my mind. "Now," Janeway begins, bring me back to the moment, "care to explain what this is about?" "Captain," I start, forcing a frown and adding an edge to my voice, "why the hell is a Maquis wearing a Starfleet uniform? And why is he wearing the rank of First Officer? What happened to Cavit?" Chakotay looks surprised, and maybe a little insulted. Tuvok is indifferent as expected. But Janeway looks to the floor for a second and then back at me with what I can only say looks like sympathy. "Shepard, you obvious know about our mission to the Badlands so I'm not going to get into that right now. Just listen carefully." At my nod of agreement she continues, "Seven days ago, this ship was pulled from the Badlands into Delta Quadrant. Several members of my crew were killed during that violent hurtle across space, including my first officer, helmsman, chief engineer, and the entire medical staff. Furthermore, crew of both this ship as well as the Marquis vessel were abducted upon our arrival and subjected to a painful three-day medical examination conducted by the being who brought us all here, the 'Caretaker.'" "After he was done with us, he returned most of us to our ships. Two of our crew, B'Elanna Torres and Ensign Harry Kim became ill after the experiments and the Caretaker sent them to the Ocampa homeworld for care and medical treatment. To get our crew back, Chakotay and I put aside our differences to locate them and find a way home." Janeway sighed, frustrated, and continued, "Turns out the Caretaker was dying, and he didn't have the energy to send us back home while he was also sending a massive stockpile of power to the Ocampa. After the Caretaker died, we planned to use his technology aboard the Array that brought us here to send us back, but a hostile species known as the Kazon made that impossible by attacking us. Rather than allowing the Kazon to seize the Caretaker's technology and upset the balance of power in the sector, I made the decision to destroy the Array." Chakotay spoke up then, his voice clear but a little shaky. "My ship, the Val Jean , was destroyed in the battle with the Kazon. My surviving crew was transferred to Voyager , filling vacant positions and pulling our resources. We've sworn to serve under the Captain, and run this ship like a Starfleet vessel." "At maximum speed," Janeway picked the story back up, "it will take 70 years to get back to Federation space. Of course, no starship can maintain that speed for so long. Nevermind we have only so much fuel. More likely the journey would take a hundred years, maybe more. So we will keep an eye out for advanced technology and other methods of getting home faster." There was a long silence that followed that revelation. And I have to admit, even knowing all of this already, intellectually, hearing it spoken with such reverence and somber attention made it so much more poignant. I could hear the years spoken in such a way that it felt like a hammer was beating on my chest. I looked at the floor, nodded slowly, and took a moment to pretend to be internalizing the information. "Captain," I slowly started, bringing the three Starfleet officers out of their own thoughts, "pull up my service record and enter my real serial number, 19-Espsilon-099. The record you can see is just a placeholder." Janeway nodded to Tuvok, who walked over to a monitor near the door and began tapping commands into it. A few moments later, the Vulcan's hand came to a sudden stop as he read my record. After a minute of silence he stepped into the Doctor's office, grabbed a pad, and brought it back to the monitor to copy the information down, and then cleared the screen. As he handed the pad to Janeway, an impatient Chakotay blurted out, "Well? Who is he?" Rather than answer him, Tuvok remained quiet and simply looked at his Captain who was reading over the data with a growing look of concern even as her eyes widened. After another minute of skimming, Janeway pried her eyes from the pad and looked at me to ask, "Is this true?" I knew what she was referring to, it was the same question asked each time that mission report was read. I just nodded and said, "Every word. I don't know if your computer has the full report or just the summary, but it happened." Chakotay finally had enough and raised his voice to demand, "Who the hell is he?" Tuvok turned to the First Officer and calmly declared, "A superior officer." "This is Commander Branden Shepard," Janeway answered, "of Section 31." Funny how things work. Section 31 has always been somewhat comparable to the Romulan Tal Shiar or the Cardassian Obsidian Order. We are effectively the Black Ops branch of Starfleet Intelligence. A secret buried so deeply that only Admirals and Captains even knew of our existence. Starfleet's dirty little secret. Old ingrained habits from years of command snapped the Maquis into a perfect rod-straight attention. It was a shame Starfleet didn't do salutes, his would have been textbook. I sighed, both a little over dramatic for show as well as a little genuine, and then spoke up, "Don't do that. I'm the equivalent of a Starfleet Captain, but this is Janeway's ship. I'm just a passenger." Tuvok looked pointedly at me then. "Which begs the question, why are you on Voyager ?" "Because by now I was supposed to be back on Earth," I answered. "I was on DS9 when Starfleet Intelligence got some new intel for you. Since Voyager was supposed to be retrieving you and heading back to Earth, I was going to just be a passenger after passing on my message. The only person who was going to know I was here was you, Lieutenant." "Intriguing. What information could have been so important that it needed to be delivered as soon as I had been retrieved?" the Vulcan asked. I pointedly looked at Chakotay, waiting a moment for someone to realize and tell him to leave, but when they didn't I accepted it as their decision and declared, "We received confirmation that the Maquis agent known as Seska isn't Bajoran. She is in fact a Cardiassian agent." That got everyone's attention, so I added, "I suppose it is too much to hope that she died on the Val Jean ?" Next thing I know, I'm feeling a fist impact my jaw and I'm falling off the medical bed. When the stars clear, I see Tuvok holding Chakotay against the Sickbay wall, and the Doctor is standing over me with his scanner running over my head again. Chakotay is yelling, "You lying son of a bitch! I've known Seska for more than a year and she hates the Cardassians! Hell, her knowledge of Bajorian tactics is how we managed to survive all this time!" The Doctor helped me sit up, so I replied, "Seska has been an intelligence operative for the Obsidian Order since 2361. In 2367 she underwent surgical operations to transform her physiology into that of a Bajoran so she could infiltrate their resistance. After the Occupation ended in 2369, Seska was reassigned to spy on the Maquis. And like any member of the Order, she is trained to play the long game. Tell me, Chakotay, how soon after she joined your group did you begin sleeping with the enemy?" The First Officer began a new round of swearing but was swiftly cut off by Janeway yelling, "Enough! While I'm inclined to believe my First Officer, I also know the reputation of Section 31. And if Starfleet Intelligence says she is Cardassian, I have to at least entertain that possibility." The Doctor stopped his scanning for a moment to helpfully add; "Seska is one of the few former-Marquis crewmembers to have not come to me for a physical as requested. If she is a Cardassian, a simple blood test would be more than enough evidence." Chakotay stopped his struggling and declared, "Fine, bring her in and test her blood. Then we'll have the truth-" "I recommend," I interrupted the Marquis, "catching her off-guard. If we call her to sickbay, she could try to run. Send a security team to escort her." "Run where?" Janeway asked, eyes raised at me. "We are 70,000 light years from home." Tuvok answered for me. "Most species react badly to having their secrets uncovered. They do not react rationally." "Plus," I added, " Voyager has two shuttles and a Runabout. She has had several days to establish her own plans for evac. Personally, I would order your security officers to simply stun her and use the teleporter to bring her directly here." "I refuse to treat someone as guilty until they are proven so," the Captain snarked. She tapped her badge and called, "Janeway to security, please send a team to escort Seska to Sickbay." **** I had originally decided to hold off on putting any Inspired Inventor charges into anything just yet, and at first I was glad to have shown that restraint. Thanks to my Reincarnation and life up to this point, I had more than six years of Starfleet Academy training working its way through my mind, as well as an additional six years of combat experience and field command running operations against the Cardassians, Romulans and most recently intelligence gathering runs on the Dominion. And isn't that weird as fuck. All this knowledge and experience that I have gathered over my life, and at the same time it is all just so new and interesting. Add on top of that the bacon bits of knowing in broad strokes what is going to happen in the next few years in the Alpha Quadrant. Kind of glad I'm not on Earth, to be frank. I remember the first time I saw Earth from space. I was just six years old and had followed my parents to Earth to visit some extended family. Like a pilgrimage of sorts, most humans on the transport gathered around the port-side messhall window and pushed their children to the front so they could get a good look. Me and a dozen other kids saw Earth for the first time, the home of humanity and birthplace of the Federation, and we're left with a feeling that could only be called a religious experience. Hannah, mom, told me that her parents had done the same thing to her, and they went through the same thing at my age. At the same time I also remember watching the live feeds from the International Space Station on youtube. Taking a moment to shake the disconnected memories out, I went over and over what I now know once more. From the Academy I learned how a warp drive works, from experience with 31 I learned how to kill a dozen men with an overloaded phaser buried in the dirt like a landmine. On starships I hung around the gold shirts in engineering, learning how to build warp coils for fun, and on a classified mission in the neutral zone I learned that Romulan warbirds can't come to a full stop nearly as quickly as they may need to. With a deep sigh, I sit up from my new bed and swing my legs over the side, looking out the window of my quarters. We weren't currently at warp, so I took a moment to simply enjoy the view of strange, alien stars that would have been impossible to see on Earth. The ship was currently undergoing some minor repairs that occurred during the apprehension of Seska. As soon as security had found her and asked for Seska to follow them to Sickbay, she had known her cover was blown. So she called out a simple command to the computer, a simple script command she had thrown together as soon as she was on board, that caused most of the ship to freak out. Warp Core began to overheat, and that threw all of Engineering into a tissy. Propulsion and navigation soon followed, and that was an exciting time to be in Sickbay when all of the gravity plating shut down on the entire deck at once. Thankfully, none of this was too dangerous as people were in place to handle it. All Seska was doing was attempting to escape, and hadn't managed to make it more than a dozen yards before a second security team that Tuvok had insisted on cornered her. Rather than risk capture, her Cardassian training kicked in. Seska took the easy way out, rather than risk giving up her secrets or being marooned on a M-class planet as I was going to propose to Janeway. I knew the captains morals wouldn't allow for summary execution of a spy. So, eventually her corpse arrived in Sickbay. A quick blood test proved that Seska had been Cardassian all along, and I got to enjoy watching Chakotay turn nearly green before he rushed out of the room. Last I heard, he was calling a meeting of all the Maquis on board to let them know. Brave of him, not entirely smart, but brave. That left me alone with Janeway and Tuvok. Both of them seemed at odds with how to proceed with me, in their own way. Tuvok, for example, seemed to be perfectly fine with the situation. I was Starfleet Intelligence, I just brought him vital information that could have saved the ship in the long run, and more than that I was a trained soldier who can help protect the crew. Janeway, on the other hand, I suspect was more pensive about allowing someone on board who found it easy to take the violent route first. This is post-Borg pre-Dominion War Starfleet I'm dealing with, which means military minded operations are one of those things you do "over there" somewhere where no one can see what is happening. Starfleet is about exploration and science, but 31 is all about doing whatever is necessary to protect the Federation. That means removing people, theft, and blowing up things. And in my opinion, that is exactly what is going to be needed in the Delta Quadrant. Since they had no idea what to do with me for the moment, and the immediate concern has passed, the security team escorted me back to my quarters on Deck 4. For some reason, I don't think they liked me, judging from their stiff expressions and unwillingness to talk to me, but I'll try to not let that get to me. It has been a long week for everyone here, and I'm not exactly making things any easier. Okay, so, since I have a charge cap and I don't want to go to sleep and miss out on gaining a skill point back, I might as well use one or two now before turning in. Then again, I suppose there is no reason why I can't do that while I'm taking a bath? Ten minutes later I was immersed in a tub of hot water, safe in the security of knowing that every drop of water will eventually be sterilized and consumed as drinking water. Under normal situations the water would be replicated, and then returned to the replicator after I was done. From energy, turned into matter, and then back into energy. But every starship had a water reclaimer system built into the life support systems, to be used when energy resources were scarce. Such as now, when we are 70 years from a known trade port. It just made recycling easy and convenient. So, relaxing in the water, I leaned my head back and decided it was time for a test run. Only question was, what should I try to learn? Most things that I would immediately need were already "programmed" into me from my life. I could go down to engineering right now and calibrate the warp core. There were even a handful of things I knew that would be useful to ship security that is already in use on Section 31 vessels. Which left the question of what do I want to know, that could be useful, that this ship of the damned can't learn? What would Shepard do? Huh, now that is an idea. Why focus on Star Trek technology when I can learn anything? So how about something from Mass Effect instead? I mean, my first name is still my own at least but whatever the hell brought me here chose to name me Shepard. Maybe that was a hint? Mass Effect: Omni-tools, 1 charge. Son of a… My brain went into overdrive as it began to literally download information from an endless sea of data. In a single, infinite, moment I was intimately familiar and aware of concepts that would have been foreign to me just a moment ago. And since the amount of useful information given to you by Inspired Inventor does deeper as the concept you spent the charge on gets narrower, and I chose a very specific thing, I could literally walk into a workshop and begin building these damn things. And on my god would Omni-tools been useful in this universe. Multipurpose diagnostic and manufacturing tools, as well as computers used for a variety of civilian and battlefield tasks as complicated as hacking, decryption, or repair. Higher-end omni-tools can even be used as straight up weapons. Flashlight, scanner, repair systems, dispenser for medi-gel (something else I might need to 'invent'), camera, communication systems, miniature replicators… Holy shit, it is building on top of my Star Trek knowledge as well. In the Academy you had to learn how to repair basic replicators since they are so vital as well as dangerous. And my knowledge of omni-tools integrated that knowledge without even skipping a beat. They can also be very effective melee weapons. I've never even heard of Geth Juggernauts using omni-tools before, but I now know that they commonly use them to create energy pulses and to drain enemy barriers. Hell, Alliance infiltration units used a cryo-blade to flash freeze opponents flesh on contact. Holograms are also nothing new to Starfleet, so having a holographic interface in the form of an orange gauntlet appear when activated should be easy to adapt to. Plus, they could prove to be deadly surprises for opponents who expect a disarmed person when we hand over our phasers. Because this is Star Trek and eventually someone is going to be caught off guard on a planet's surface without a weapon. At least I'll be able to give something to Captain Janeway when she comes back around to speak with me in the morning, because I know she will. I would in her position. She'll want to know what I can do for Voyager now that we are all alone out here on the opposite side of the galaxy. What can I do? I can prepare this ship for war with the Delta Quadrant.  

Season 1 - Episode 1: Caretaker Part 2 March 2371 Waking up the following morning was something of a learning experience for me. On the one hand, the persistent hangover-like headache and muscle pain that I had been vaguely aware of from the previous day had vanished, leaving me with a clear mind and more focus. On the other hand, I was already on the floor and working my way through a set of pushups before I knew I was doing them. Apparently my new old life had some interesting habits associated with it. And that was more than just a little disturbing. I stayed in the plank position for a good thirty seconds while I tried to come to terms with what was happening and why. Mostly I just held the position and tried to not freak out, as memories of doing this exact same routine for the last six years flooded into me. Something else I'm going to have to get used to, I guessed. Random memories. Not sure how comfortable I was with that, but I'd have to get used to them. Didn't really have a choice. After collecting myself and calming down, I finished the set of floor exercises, might as well , before walking to the replicator panel on the wall and seeing what was on the menu. It turned out that the machine was shut down, but a quick visit to the restroom got me the glass of water I was craving. Problem, meet solution. Halfway through the door separating the restroom from the rest of the guest quarters, which frankly was more than a little like a small apartment, I reached up to the doorframe on a whim and began doing pull ups. I had always been strong, in my previous life, but pull ups had always been one of those exercises that had been impossible for me to do. I couldn't help the broad smile that graced my face, or the little giggle of glee completely at odds with what my new old memories said I'd normally do, when I effortlessly pulled myself up off the floor and let my legs dangle out in front of me. I was up to twenty pull ups before I let myself drop to the floor and started shaking my head in wonder. At least I could admit this body was in good shape, although I did wonder if that would make me stand out too much. From what I remembered from the shows in my previous life, and from what my memories from this life are feeding me, most humans in Starfleet were physically average. Not too strong, not overly muscular, and with a significant amount of focus on cardio. Then again the most physically demanding thing people in Starfleet ever did was "run away." Had an over-reliance on starships made humanity weaker? I'd noticed that my arms were larger than most people's legs on this ship, and my natural height had carried over between universes to leave me towering over most crewmembers, so I supposed I'd be a good example of the difference between ground and space combat. For most missions with 31, if you are engaged in ship-to-ship combat then you have seriously screwed up somewhere. The point is to get in, get out, and not be seen. Then again, my new old memories, and my memories of the show, never showed 31 agents as that muscular. Maybe it was just a difference in philosophy between the two very different settings and not strictly about the organizations? Star Trek was all about peaceful negotiations, playing things safe even as they explored the frontiers of space, and relying on transporters to turn any major conflict into ship-to-ship action. It played into an optimistic view of the future. Meanwhile, Mass Effect had a lot more hostile negotiations, dealt with dangerous wildlife and pirates as just something that routinely happened, and exploration was often performed from behind the barrel of a gun. It didn't attempt to portray a utopia, and instead showed a galaxy that might be, when you have many different races all existing at the same level of technological development - a collection of interests working for their own gain. I supposed that means if the Alliance was an analogy for Starfleet, then Cerberus was an analogy for Section 31. We certainly did have a similar preference for assassinations, sabotage, and questionable technology. Stopping that line of thought before I began to slide down that rabbit hole, I took a seat on the floor and crossed my legs. I'll admit that in my old life I once had a bit of an anger issue, especially when I was young, but, of all people, my art teacher in high school talked me into considering meditation as a way to deal with my issues. Certain stresses at that time of my life had been getting to me, impacting my educational and social life, and so I tried the exercises, found what worked, and eventually made it a part of who I am. Was. Am. Certainly helped lead me to a more relaxed life as an adult, and heaven knew I needed to deal with what has happened to me sooner than later if I didn't want to explode on something, or someone. So I straightened my back, took a slow deep breath, and focused inwards. It felt different than it had before I arrived here. My usual mental space had always been a void, black and endless, and I found the emptiness to be conforming. It was like wrapping yourself in a blanket that blocked out everything else but was cool to the touch. That same void was there, but I was no longer completely alone. There was an orb of some kind, white and warm, about the size of a golf ball, directly in front of me. I reached out for it, touched it, and felt a jolt as all the information I had acquired yesterday rushed into me. Clarity came with it, telling me exactly what I knew, as well as what I didn't. I could physically see where the gaps in information would be, pathways where improvements, offshoots, and derivative technologies would be developed, as black spaces in the branching stream of information, making the beginnings of a grand web. With this new clarity came disappointment. Yes, researching omni-tools from the Mass Effect universe the previous evening worked as expected; I now knew how to construct one. If I had the spare parts and equipment common to that universe to do so, that is. It wasn't that much of a hurdle in the long run, it just meant I would have to spend time designing the tools and parts I'd need before scanning them into the replicator to make as many copies as I needed. Not a problem. No, the real issue was what I didn't learn. For example, how to program the subsystems to make it useful. I'd learned how the develop the code for the device itself, but not for the variety of things it could be used for. It was like knowing how to make a cell phone, Operating System and all, though only the bare minimum to function. It could make calls, but if you wanted to play chess you would have to also develop the app for it. Same for the calculator, calendar, wireless internet connector and everything else we took advantage of those handy little devices for. That is where I was with the omni-tools. I could make the hardware, but the apps were another issue. So, making an omni-tool with built in tricorders and all the other various tools would be challenging. My Starfleet Academy training hadn't covered the basics of writing the code that made a tricorder work, nor building them from scrap, they focused on reading, maintaining and repairing them. That required the more specialized training you got if you took followed the Operations scholastic tree. Unfortunately, my reincarnation was more interested in weapon systems, combat strategies for both ground and space, and specialized defenses, not programming. On the other hand, this wasn't an impossible situation. I could learn what I needed by using my power, paying for it with precious points, or I could learn how to program my omni-tool through more traditional means. Considering how good the ship's computer systems were, I might be able to just ask it to load in the code necessary once I have the hardware in place. Then it would be a simple matter of making sure the interface was user friendly and the information collected was accurate. That would be something I'd l have to run past the engineers and have them double check for me once I had a prototype ready. I pulled away from the orb of information, frowning in thought, as I considered these seemingly arbitrary restrictions that have been put on me by whatever cosmic joke stuck me here. Oh, I could probably use this gift to instantly learn how to construct Iron Man's suit of armor, but more than likely wouldn't get the necessary information for an arc reactor to power it because it was technically not required to make the suit function at minimum requirements. You could power one of those suits by hooking it up directly to an alternate source of energy, it would just make them less useful, and I could forget about the Jarvis AI helping me as well. Most likely I would have to pay extra for each system, several points might have to go into the suit's arc reactors alone since it was technically an outgrowth of the original, much larger, piece of technology. Then again, Voyager 's warp drive most likely could out produce any energy produced by an arc reactor by several orders of magnitude, and even if I wanted Iron Man's armor, it most likely wouldn't be very useful for me or the crew until I could mass-produce the versions designed for operations in space. No, I'd started down a particular tech tree, so I might as well see my way through it as much as I could before I needed to branch out. That way they'd all work together, and I would hopefully only need to figure out how to make them interface with Voyager 's computers once. What I was going to get from this tree was limited, Gods knew that most of the tech in the Mass Effect universe runs on a unobtanium-like Element Zero. So, unless it is possible to replicate or synthesized Eezo in the trek-universe, most of the technology of that setting would be useless to me. Robotics, body armor, omnitools, and that might just be about it. Maybe medi-gel. The ideas for some Trek versions of the technology, on the other hand, could be useful. Maybe some time later, when things calmed down, I could shift focus to Genetics. I never agreed with the idea of humanity shying away from a technology that could solve ninety percent of its problems. Just because humanity was pulled into a third world war, which was going to happen anyway based on the way things were going at the time, didn't mean the idea of augments was inherently a bad one. It just meant that the technology hadn't been perfected yet. Nearly every other species in the Federation used genetic engineering to some degree, but if a human was found to have had it used on them to do anything more than remove a genetic disease (so long as it wasn't a germline replacement), then that person was hit with a stigma by their peers and a possible prison time by the government, even if they hadn't wanted it or it was done before they were born. It's what would have happened to Dr. Bashir on DS9. Even with the Dominion War in full swing, Starfleet took the time to get involved and almost locked up the man just because his parents got him some minor enhancements to make up for poor genetics when he was a child. That being said, genetic enhancements would be a valuable but slippery slope to climb. Everything would have to be reviewed by the Doctor and would also require me to show that I knew a hell of a lot more about an incredibly stigmatized field than I really wanted. Not only that, it would require the Captain and crew trusting me. Based on what I could remember, which I must admit wasn't that much as almost ten years had passed since the last time I'd watched Voyager , I knew the crew of this ship would need help. If things happened as that had on the show, people will die, and there won't be many opportunities to replace the missing crew. After all, only the truly desperate would be willing to abandon all they knew and live on a starship full of strangers for the rest of their lives with no hope of ever going home. Those that do won't be the kind of people who will take well to Starfleet rules and regulations. Robotics could be an answer to the problem of labor, but once more I just didn't see that happening. It's already impressive that an Intrepid-Class starship, something the size of an aircraft carrier that normally carried thousands of people, was run by just a hundred and forty. Hell, the ship could, and would, still run with half that number. I couldn't imagine the materials needed to build a dozen T-800s would be difficult to find in your average asteroid field, I didn't remember anything unusual about their components, but people would still get worried. With the Federation's history of homicidal AI's, anything that appeared to house one was an issue, and their design would make everything worse. With Replicators, normal robots weren't needed for construction, so the crew wouldn't even be comfortable with the concept of mindless machines. If I wasn't careful, that fear could eventually lead to me being left behind on some moon one day. Nodding internally, my choice seemed to be made for me. I would have to stick to small improvements for now, earning trust and building a good reputation with the crew. I would have to pick what skills I wanted or needed very carefully since I could only hope for fifty points a year to accumulate. And becoming an expert in something may take a fifth of that. A tone at the door shook me out of my thoughts, and I looked up from the floor to call out, "Enter!" To say I was surprised to see Tuvok enter my quarters while carrying a serving tray with an obvious plate of something hidden under a stainless steel bowl alongside a glass of water, would be an understatement. As he stepped inside, I rose to my feet and gave him a respectful nod, but stayed where I was until he had placed the tray on my bedside table and moved a respectful distance back towards the door. Before I could say anything, the Vulcan looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "When I entered, what were you doing on the floor?" Glancing over at him, I smirked as I replied, "I would think, of anyone on board, you would recognize meditation." "Curious. While I know that Humans are capable of meditation," the man explained, "It is uncommon to find one of you who practices it. You may be one of only three or four people on board who do so." As I walked to the tray of food, I smiled at the Vulcan. "That might be true, but I'm not going to begrudge those who don't. It is a useful art and I can think of a lot of people who could use a little more centering." It wasn't difficult to notice he was keeping himself between me and the exit, but I decided I wouldn't call him out on it. "Thank you for bringing me something to eat, Lieutenant." "You have likely noted by now that your room's replicator is disabled," He stated factually. "We are currently running on limited power, and so to conserve energy we have temporarily disabled replicators for the entire crew. Ration packs have been distributed for the time being to make up for the shortfall, but if you wish for something a little more...adventurous, you can find one Mr. Nelix working in the kitchen." I raised an eyebrow at the head of security, new world knowledge clashing with old for a moment as I choose how to respond to that. "I wasn't aware that Intrepid-class starships possessed kitchens. The mess hall is supposed to just have a series of replicators and that is all." "Indeed," he answered, eyebrow twitching slightly just enough for me to recognize as irritation. "Much to the surprise of many, and without prior permission, Mr. Nelix took the space normally reserved for the captain's private dining room and converted it into a small kitchen." "That must have been a joy to discover," I laughed softly. "Exactly how many code violations did this spontaneous new room receive after the engineers went over it?" "Plenty." Was all he would say about it. I removed the cover from the tray, seeing something that looked like scrambled eggs, except it was red and seemed to have the consistency of cardboard. I took a small sample bite of the concoction, and started to cough. Between fits of gasping, and sipping water, I managed to choke out, "I suppose I don't want to know what it is made from?" "Presumably, no." was the immediate reply. "But I have been assured by the Doctor that it is safe for general consumption." "I'll take your word for it." With that I put the top back over the plate and turned to look at the Vulcan. "So, I have to ask, but is it really necessary to keep me locked in here like a prisoner?" Tuvok arched an eyebrow and stated, "To the best of my knowledge, you are not a prisoner. Nor is this the brig." "Right," I drawled out. "That's why security has been outside my door all night. And why food was brought to me by the head of security." He tilted his head ever so slightly to the right as he answered in his usual clipped voice, "I brought you food, because I knew you had not left your quarters, and I am to escort you to Captain Janeway once you have completed your meal. The guard detail on your quarters is due to the fact the Maquis crew would by now know of Seska's death and might seek to blame you. They are there for your protection. Mr. Shepard." I didn't quite believe him, but it wasn't worth fighting about. I was about to meet the Captain anyway and get this all sorted out, so going along with this might be the best thing to do. Taking another bite of the food, this time doing a much better job of not being overwhelmed by alien spices, I looked back at the Vulcan and asked, "So how is Chakotay holding up? Is he blaming me, or himself?" Cocking his head ever so slightly to the side once more, Tuvok replied, "It is not my place to speculate on the mental state of the ship's First Officer unless there is a medical emergency." "Fair enough." I accepted. "I just hope that he can put the situation behind us. We'll likely be working together in the future." After a moment's pause for thought, he replied, "I have worked with and known the Commander for some time, and have seen him put aside his disputes with others for the good of his mission. I believe he will do the same once more should there be no further antagonization." I nodded in understanding, finished my last bite of food, and cleared my throat with a glass of water. "Well, if I'm going to see the Captain, I should dress the part." "A temporary uniform had been placed in your wardrobe prior to your dismissal from Sickbay." Tuvok helpfully informed me. That was a good thing to know, since all I remember bringing onboard were my civilian clothes. When I checked the closet, I was more than a little surprised to find what was basically a blank uniform. It was just like any other crewmembers on the ship, but instead of a red, blue, or yellow shoulder stripe it was grey. Section 31 uniforms were a uniform black, but they also didn't look much like normal Starfleet uniforms since they weren't an acknowledged part of the Federation. Usually you just wore what was required to play the role you were assigned. I stepped into the bathroom for a moment to change, and exited a few minutes later with a stretch as I moved around to get used to the material and how it hung on me. With a gesture, Tuvok led me out of the room waved away the two security officers who nodded at the two of us and walked away. The journey that followed was one of silence. I saw a few people walking the halls, some carrying repair kits or datapads, and they all looked busy. We traveled up a couple of hallways, stepped into the turbolift, and exited a moment later on Deck One where Tuvok led me to a door on the starboard side. The Captain's ready room. After we were granted leave to enter, I could see Janeway sitting behind her desk nursing a cup of coffee in one hand while the other was holding up a datapad. Something I just didn't understand was why everyone insisted on using those pads. Pads are very useful if you need to be mobile, or share information away from any wireless connections, but since almost one hundred percent of all data is kept on the ship's main computer network, why not just use the perfectly good terminal on your desk and access the data there? "Captain, I have escorted Commander Shepard as requested." Tuvok announced unnecessarily. Janeway didn't look at us, or do anything else to acknowledge she heard us, but it was obvious she had. Purposely ignoring someone is a standard technique used to establish dominance and show who is in control of the situation. She was already in charge. I honestly didn't care about who was in command of who on this Love Boat, as long as I could get a lab to work in, so all this posturing was pointless. All she succeeded in doing was making the Lieutenant and I stand at attention for a prolonged period, and wasting everyone's time. Eventually, she broke her silence and announced, "Thank you, Mr. Tuvok. That will be all." He nodded to her, turned, repeated the action towards me, and stepped back out. No sooner had the doors hissed closed behind him did Janeway look up and declare, "You are something of a problem for me, at the moment." With no way to respond to that, I just remained standing at attention. From what I remembered of her, she'd be looking for anything to criticize to gain an upper hand, her first tactic having been useless. She looked back at the pad in her hand, "I've just been going over your service record in more detail, or at least the portions that I have access to. Argus Array information retrieval in 2369 is an interesting footnote to be added to the history books, since without that the Peace Treaty of 2370 would have been very different. As would the various operations you ran on Bajor, Cardassia Prime, Arawath and a half dozen others." "I think my favorite mission in your file has to be the Kriosian rebellion," Janeway sneered, almost hissing between her teeth as she continued on. "A Klingon tributary planet along the Federation border, and not only did Section 31 find out that it was the Romulans who had been supplying the weapons to the rebels there, killing innocents, they then began to funnel more weapons to the planet while you personally led the locals in a series of operations to force the Klingons into granting them their independence." The silence following that declaration stretched out, broken only by the sound of Janeway taking a drink of her coffee as I still stood at attention. Another unexpected benefit to my newfound athleticism was I found no trouble holding this position. After nearly a minute, she asked, "Well, do you have nothing to say?" "May I speak freely?" I asked, and almost hoped she wouldn't agree. When she gave me the nod to proceed, I said, "Argus was a simple data mining mission. The station was also a target for the Cardassians. We knew they would be there soon to destroy it, and that it would take too long to get the information if we went through official channels." "As for the Kriosians," I continued, "all I did was finish what the Romulans had begun." "You undermined our ally." Janeway countered. "An ally that the Federation has spent a lot of time and effort over the last hundred years to keep happy. Why would you risk a century of peace like that? We have laws about interfering in the affairs of other species and governments." "Do you think if would have been better for the Kriosians if we didn't help them?" I asked, frowning at the thought. "Let's play this out on the assumption that me and my people didn't help the Kriosians. The Romulans continue to provide limited support for the independence movement, which the Klingons tolerate. To a point. Eventually the Klingon governor would have to take action, and that action would include birds-of-prey in orbit launching attacks on anything that looked like a good target. Armed camps, government centers, hospitals, schools, basically anything large enough for insurgents to whole up in. Meanwhile, the Klingons start to think it is the Federation providing aid to the rebels, even though we aren't, which just makes relations between us worse. This isn't helped when Starfleet learns what the Klingons are doing to the people on their world. It would be seen as another Bajor, where the Federation stood back and allowed millions to die because trying to kick the Klingons out would be too hard, or because it might, only might, start a war." After a deep breath I calmly added, "In the end, the Romulans get exactly what they wanted: the Federation and the Klingons turning against each other. Let's examine what actually happened: because of the way we handled it, the Kriosians got their independence after losing only a few thousand people to the Klingons, they then immediately sought Federation protection which was given to them, and the Klingons no longer had a convenient place to attack the Federation along the border from, if it should ever come to that. Rather than warring with the Klingons to remove one of the few remaining worlds they held in the neutral zone, Section 31 persuaded them to give it up willingly, thus saving lives." And wasn't that a weird thing for my memories to throw at me. The fighting on that world had been brief, relatively. A few years of buildup, but only around four months of fighting was needed. The Klingons, in all honesty, had no real reason to hold onto the world other than 'honor' and prestige, because they had done exactly jack all to make what should've been a vital strategic interest into something worthwhile. It would have been like the United States occupying West Berlin after the Second World War, and not building a military base there. Then again, I suppose that had more to do with the Feudal nature of the Klingon Empire rather than any active failing of their leadership. "You say that," Janeway rebuked dismissively, as if saying so negated any of my points, "but all I see in this record of yours is someone I don't want on this ship. There is a reason why Section 31 is not a formal part of the Federation or Starfleet, and it has a great deal to do with the way your organization operates. You don't operate on the same moral compass as we do, or even think of solutions the same way. If there was a building in your way, keeping you from your objective, agents of 31 are more inclined to just blow up the building and anyone inside rather than let something like that stop their mission." I cocked an eyebrow at that. "Does the building have a bomb in it? If it is just in the way, it's more efficient to just go around it. We generate less attention that way. Just because Section 31 operates outside the standard Starfleet Doctrine does not make us monsters. You are in command of an Intrepid-class starship, Captain, a vessel that possesses the firepower to wipe out every living thing on a planet if used correctly. Is the only thing keeping you from doing so Federation law?" "Besides," I pressed on, "just because we think differently isn't a bad thing. In fact, in our current situation, I would argue that it is vital to your survival." "Explain." she ordered, not taking her eyes off me. To someone else it would be a pinning, intimidating glare. I'd seen worse. With a shrug, I stated the obvious, "In Federation space, with Federation support of hundreds of ships nearby and clearly established rules of law, Federation doctrine can work. But we aren't in the Federation, or anywhere close to it. We are strangers to a region of the galaxy that has its own powerful interstellar powers and rules. And it is the height of hubris to believe that as we stomp our way across the galaxy, knocking over ant hills and generally making a mess of things because we don't like their way of doing things, that everyone should play by our rules. You can stick to Starfleet law on this vessel, but once you are beyond the outer hull it's the wild west." I knew she wouldn't listen, not yet. Hopefully she would before we met the Borg. "Compassion given to all, regardless of circumstances, won't work here," I finished. "We don't have the resources to do so." "I'm not sure I need a soldier on this ship." Janeway eventually argued after a long moment, but there was no heat left in it. "Not since the early days of Starfleet have trained soldiers been on our ships outside of wartime circumstances." "MACO units occasionally get called up when missions require the starship to be in dangerous territory or in a situation where they will be away from resupply for a long period of time," I pointed out. "We're in both. Most captains tend to forget that Starfleet may primarily be a scientific and exploration organization, but we must also prepare for conflicts and defend ourselves. Out here, in the Delta Quadrant, you are going to need every advantage you can get." Janeway looked down at her cup of coffee, frowned at the resulting emptiness, and then tapped the pad on the table for a few moments as she thought. I stood, waiting. She looked up at me, expectantly, but I had said my piece. After a long moment of us just staring at each other, the Captain declared, "I am unable to directly command you since you are a part of a different branch of Starfleet, but I will expect you to follow my orders on this ship." "You are the Captain. This is a Starship. I follow your orders. It is that simple." I agreed simply. She nodded. "I'll treat you the same way I have the recovered Marquis, by finding you a job you can take on while onboard that you are well suited to. I suspect you will be able to take over Mr. Tuvok's job as Chief of Security in a few weeks, allowing him to focus on being my second officer, once you are up to speed." Janeway reached into a drawer near her knees behind the desk, retrieved something, and then tossed it at me. I caught it on reflex, and then widen my eyes at seeing a Section 31 comm badge in my hand. Unlike the bright silver badge everyone else wore, mine was black as onyx and slightly heavier. Without hesitating, I attached the device to the uniform over my left breast. Once in place, I gave the Captain a thankful smile. Going from inconsolably hostile to gracious and friendly that quickly left me wondering if her anger, too, was a power play. Either way, it didn't matter. I had a position I could work from, and head of security would give me enough leeway to make small changes that would help everyone sooner rather than later. With that thought in mind, I noticed Janeway was smirking at me. "Welcome aboard Voyager , Commander Shepard. Treat her well, and she will treat you well." "Thank you, Captain."  

Admiraal der Nederlanden

Kai The Kmpire!

Very good so far... watching. Now we wait for the response by the Maquis folks, especially First Officer Mr. C. TOC SIDoragon .. Inspired Voyage ST_Voyager_SI- THREADMARKS Razor One .. CH00a - The Case for Neelix SIDoragon .. CH00a - Shepard Bio SIDoragon .. CH00a - MAP - Local Space SIDoragon .. CH00b - Omake (Inspired Mass part 1) SIDoragon .. CH00c - Omake (Inspired Mass part 2) SIDoragon .. CH00d - Omake (Inspired Mass part 3) SIDoragon .. CH01a - Season 1 : Episode 1 (part 1) SIDoragon .. CH02a - Season 1 : Episode 1 (part 2) SIDoragon .. CH03a - Season 1 : Episode 2 (part 1) SIDoragon .. CH04a - Season 1 : Episode 2 (part 2) SIDoragon .. CH05a - Season 1 : Episode 3 (part 1) PublicLee Speaking CH05b - Apocrypha Basic Power Rules SIDoragon .. CH05c - Apocrypha Shepard's Uniform (March 2371) SIDoragon .. CH06a - Season 1 - Episode 3 (part 2) SIDoragon .. CH07a - Season 1 - Episode 4 (part 1) - Interlude 1 SIDoragon .. CH07b - Season 1 - Episode 4 (part 2) - Interlude 1 SIDoragon .. CH07c - Season 1 - Episode 4 (part 3) - Interlude 1 SIDoragon .. CH08a - Season 1 - Episode 5 SIDoragon .. CH09a - Season 1 - Episode 6 (part 1) SIDoragon .. CH10a - Season 1 - Episode 6 (part 2) SIDoragon .. CH11a - Season 1 - Episode 6 (part 3) SIDoragon .. CH12a - Season 1 - Episode 6 (part 4) SIDoragon .. CH13a - Season 1 - Episode 7 (part 1) SIDoragon .. CH14a - Season 1 - Episode 7 (part 2) SIDoragon .. CH14a - Season 1 - Episode 8 SIDoragon .. CH15a - Season 1 - Episode 9 (part 1) SIDoragon .. CH16a - Season 1 - Episode 9 (part 2) SIDoragon .. CH17a - Season 1 - Episode 9 (part 3) SIDoragon .. CH18a - Season 1 - Episode 9 (part 4) SIDoragon .. CH19a - Season 1 - Episode 10: Emanations SIDoragon .. CH20a - Season 1 - Episode 11: Prime Factors SIDoragon .. CH21a - Season 1 - Episode 12: Spare Parts (part 1) SIDoragon .. CH22a - Season 1 - Episode 12: Spare Parts (part 2) SIDoragon .. CH23a - Season 1 - Episode 12: Spare Parts (part 3) SIDoragon .. CH24a - Season 1 - Episode 12: Spare Parts (part 4) SIDoragon .. CH27a - Season 1 - Episode 13: Jetrel (Part 1) SIDoragon .. CH28a - Season 1 - Episode 13: Jetrel (Part 2) SIDoragon .. CH29a - Season 1 - Episode 14: New Faces - Part 1 (Part 1) SIDoragon .. CH30a - Season 1 - Episode 14: New Faces - Part 1 (Part 2) SIDoragon .. CH31a - Season 1 - Episode 14: New Faces - Part 1 (Part 3) SIDoragon .. CH32a - Season 1 - Episode 14: New Faces - Part 1 (Part 4) SIDoragon .. CH32b - Season 1 - Interlude 1 - Continuity SIDoragon .. CH33a - Season 2 - Episode 1: New Faces - Part 2 (Part 1) SIDoragon .. CH33b - Season 2 - Episode 1: New Faces - Part 2 (Part 2) SIDoragon .. CH33c - Season 2 - Episode 1: New Faces - Part 2 (Part 3) SIDoragon .. CH33d - Season 2 - Episode 1: New Faces - Part 2 (Part 4) SIDoragon .. CH34a - Season 2 - Episode 2: Reconstruction (Part 1) SIDoragon .. CH34b - Season 2 - Episode 2: Reconstruction (Part 2) SIDoragon .. CH34d - Training Sim (Canon) PublicLee Speaking CH34e - Shepard's Kobayashi Maru Review (Canon) ShinZed .... CH34f - Earning the Plushie (Semi-Canon) SIDoragon .. CH34g - Season 2 - Episode 2: Reconstruction (Part 4) SIDoragon .. CH34h - Season 2 - Episode 3: Full House (Part 1) SIDoragon .. CH34i - Season 2 - Episode 3: Full House (Part 2) SIDoragon .. CH34j - Season 2 - Episode 3: Full House (Part 3) SIDoragon .. CH34k - Season 2 - Episode 4: Circling the Wagons (Part 1) SIDoragon .. CH34l - Season 2 - Episode 4: Circling the Wagons (Part 2) SIDoragon .. CH34m - Season 2 - Episode 5: Quiescence SIDoragon .. CH35a - Season 2 - Episode 6: Persistence of Vision (part 2) MAP SIDoragon .. CH35b - Season 2 - Episode 6: Persistence of Vision (part 3) SIDoragon .. CH35c - Season 2 - Episode 6: Persistence of Vision (part 4) SIDoragon .. CH35d - Season 2 - Episode 6: Persistence of Vision (part 5) SIDoragon .. CH35e - Season 2 - Episode 7: Cold Fire (part 1) SIDoragon .. CH35f - Season 2 - Episode 7: Cold Fire (part 2) SIDoragon .. CH35g - Season 2 - Continues - Episodes 7 thru 14 xxXxx  

Great idea for a story. One thing he could do was learn how to make black, white and green boxes in his brain from mass effect univers to save information. From there he won't need to worry about loosing a charge from the 10. He would only need to use like 5 or 6 to get the most out of it  

The Spark of madness

Just remember that "they did it on voyager" is not an excuse for anything, even breathing.  

lets hope the SI will replace Janeway at somepoint, as i really dont like Janeway  

fireball900

SIDoragon said: Going from inconsolably hostile to gracious and friendly that quickly left me wondering if her anger, too, was a power play. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Thule said: lets hope the SI will replace Janeway at somepoint, as i really dont like Janeway Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Doc Sithicus

Watched. This has lot of potential especially for a pragmatic MC with a few hidden aces up his sleeve. Considering the amount of hypocrisy and shitty decisions Janeway made as the Captain, I would like SI to take over - Voyager would get home in half or third of the time and with less crew KIA. The rules that govern Federation starships are fine when you're in Alpha, with the rest of the Starfleet to back you up, but when you're alone, far away from home, you do what you gotta do to keep your crew alive and do your damn best to bring them home safely, especially if the trip is supposed to take 70 years - which means that most of the crew might die of old age on the way. I would say here - fuck the Treaty of Algeron and build the damn cloaking device (we'll worry about keeping it secret after we'll get home). SI might build tech that will eventually become a game changer but I'm pretty sure that there was a lot of tech that was never considered due to the "ethical reasons".  

izanagi_no_yami

I like star trek si and crossover fics, they can be interesting  

Oh wow, I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes!  

PantherHardraad

I think I've just stumbled across what makes me hate Voyager over the rest of them. Janeway continuously acts like she has a responsibility being in the Delta Quadrant to right all the wrongs there, when her only responsibility is to get her crew home. The show doesn't make sense. Chakotay should have been in charge and ran the thing like a dictatorship in order to get back to the Alpha Quadrant.  

LoquaciousLizard

Consider investing points into "intelligence augments" and "safe phasing technology" and "anti-borg technology";As that will let you make some major upgrades to both the ships combat capabilities and your own capacity to leverage your abilities. It might also provide a usable cover for how you suddenly gain the ability to make major leaps in tech.  

PantherHardraad said: I think I've just stumbled across what makes me hate Voyager over the rest of them. Janeway continuously acts like she has a responsibility being in the Delta Quadrant to right all the wrongs there, when her only responsibility is to get her crew home. The show doesn't make sense. Chakotay should have been in charge and ran the thing like a dictatorship in order to get back to the Alpha Quadrant. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

PublicLee Speaking

(fan)fiction writer.

Edoc said: Sooo much internal monologuing... can't he shut up for a bit? I want plot Click to expand... Click to shrink...

SIDoragon said: I imagine that you, like myself and maybe PublicLee Speaking , went on a hour long rant during the Phage episode. Two aliens attack a crewmate, steal his lungs, and after capture Janeway throws up her hands and goes "I'm letting you leave because I'm too ethical." Click to expand... Click to shrink...

NaniteSystems

Fantastic start. I will look forward to more! I'm here bc you got mentioned by publicleespeaking. Anyone he endorses I'd be glad to read. Here's hoping we see some changes-- more than already, I mean. I love when the SI makes an actual difference in the plot. I'm glad inspired inventor got nerfed too. Itll let you give the mc more of a gradual spool up time.  

D1truOverlord

I am really liking where this is going I just hope that there is a way to add stuff from other franchises. Also I have to ask is voyager worth watching?  

D1truOverlord said: I am really liking where this is going I just hope that there is a way to add stuff from other franchises. Also I have to ask is voyager worth watching? Click to expand... Click to shrink...

NaniteSystems said: I'm glad inspired inventor got nerfed too. Itll let you give the mc more of a gradual spool up time. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Tarks said: Yeah, V1 powers really need nerfing. Even now I think the MC could still just go for 'wish for more wishes' charges (e.g. time dilation, time travel, alternate realities), 'I don't need wishes' charges (e.g. nootropics, genetic modification, mind uploading, AI) or 'screw the plot' charges (e.g. transwarp). Hopefully it won't be quite that easy, this looks like it could be good. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

SemiSaneAuthor

Powered by snark, spite, and tea.

SIDoragon said: I've already had to toss out the idea of engine upgrades. To make something reliable it would require complete ship rebuild. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Awesome intro. Looking forward to more. Since the SI is starting with Mass Effect tech, could you clarify exactly how many charges would be required for the following tech: SAM Quantum-Entanglement Communicator  

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• Starfleet explores Transwarp options, like Borg conduits & Quantum Slipstream, for faster travel.
• Proto-Drive & Spore Drive offer instant travel, each with unique pros & cons, pushing Starfleet ahead in FTL tech.

In order to seek out new life and new civilizations, Star Trek starships generally use warp drive to achieve faster-than-light (FTL) travel, because sub-light impulse engines would not have reached any alien civilizations within a human lifespan. Zefram Cochrane's (James Cromwell) 2063 flight of the Phoenix, Earth's first warp-capable vessel, in Star Trek: First Contact attracts the attention of the Vulcans, who initiate First Contact with Earth after witnessing the achievement. In Star Trek 's 24th century, warp drive is common on spacefaring vessels, with the USS Enterprise-D able to maintain a cruising speed of Warp 9.2 in Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Warp drive became the reliable means of propulsion used in the majority of Starfleet vessels, as well as the metric by which civilizations are deemed mature enough to be brought into the galactic neighborhood, according to General Order One, Starfleet's Prime Directive of non-interference with developing societies. As Starfleet explores further into the galaxy, more efficient warp engines can achieve higher warp factors to reach longer distances in shorter amounts of time. Like many other technologies, Star Trek 's warp drive continues to evolve, and newer propulsion systems that are variations on standard warp drive can take Star Trek starships further -- and faster -- than before.

Zefram Cochrane became the first human to achieve warp flight in Star Trek: First Contact, but how did his ship, the Phoenix, make it back to Earth?

8 Standard Warp Drive

The standard faster-than-light engine throughout star trek.

Standard warp drive covers a range of propulsion technology in Star Trek that operates on essentially the same principle of warping space to achieve FTL travel. In Starfleet vessels, warp drive operates by combining matter and anti-matter in the warp core reactor, where the output is mitigated by dilithium crystals and becomes plasma. Warp plasma powers all systems aboard a starship, in addition to being routed to the warp nacelles to generate the warp field that propels the starship. Warp is also achievable via other means, such as Romulan warp technology being powered by an artificial quantum singularity.

Between the 23rd and 24th centuries, the warp scale was reconfigured to accommodate the increasing capabilities of standard warp drive engines, with a cap of Warp 10. The technology that powered the warp drive remained the same. In an alternate future ( TNG season 7, episodes 25 & 26, "All Good Things") the warp scale was again reconfigured, but as of Star Trek: Picard , no such reconfiguration has occurred.

Standard warp drive can refer to the warp capabilities utilized by Starfleet's vessels, the starships operated by United Federation of Planets member worlds , and starships belonging to non-Federation species. While warp drive was invented on Earth by Zefram Cochrane in the 21st century, other Star Trek species invented warp drive much earlier than Earth did . Vulcans and Klingons, for example, had their own versions of warp drive centuries before Earth did. Starfleet continued to improve upon standard warp drive, reaching higher warp factors in far less time than their warp-capable predecessors did, and even began studies into transwarp technology.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

7 starfleet transwarp drive, star trek iii's failed experimental transwarp drive.

Transwarp drive is an umbrella term for any advanced warp drive that exceeds the normal cap of Warp 10. Starfleet has conducted two notable experiments with transwarp drives, both of which were unsuccessful. The first was in 2285, when the USS Excelsior was outfitted with an experimental Starfleet transwarp drive in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . The experiment failed due to dilithium becoming unstable at speeds above warp 10, and the Excelsior was refitted with a standard warp drive after 2 years.

6 The Warp 10 Threshold Experiment

Star trek: voyager's infinite velocity in infinite mutations.

Starfleet's second attempt to achieve transwarp was an independent project conducted by Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) in Star Trek: Voyager season 2, episode 15 , "Threshold". The Cochrane, a Class 2 shuttle outfitted with an experimental warp drive using a new type of dilithium found in the Delta Quadrant, did achieve infinite velocity, but the experiment had the troubling side effect of mutating humans into amphibians. This was enough to shelve the project, despite the potential it held for returning the USS Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant sooner.

5 Borg Transwarp Drive

The borg use transwarp conduits through subspace.

The Borg Collective had a better handle on transwarp technology than Starfleet did, having assimilated the technological distinctiveness of several civilizations into their own in their quest for perfection. To achieve velocity beyond warp 10, the Borg utilize a system of transwarp conduits within subspace, which converge at a central transwarp conduit hub. New transwarp conduits can be generated by vessels with a deflector dish modified to emit tachyon bursts at the resonant transwarp frequency within a subspace field.

Borg transwarp conduits are characterized by a green color in Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episodes 15 & 16 "Dark Frontier", but become blue by Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episodes 25 & 26, "Endgame", due to the Borg assimilating quantum slipstream technology.

Any vessel equipped with Borg transwarp coils can use Borg transwarp conduits. While getting that technology is usually prohibitively difficult, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) successfully scavenges a perfectly functioning transwarp coil from a damaged Borg ship in Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episodes 15 & 16 "Dark Frontier". The transwarp coil is later installed on the USS Voyager after tests on the Delta Flyer provide proof of concept, but Voyager isn't able to sustain the coil's operation.

The Borg were the deadliest enemy to face Starfleet and the Federation in a century, but many Star Trek heroes have defeated them to save the universe

4 Quantum Slipstream Drive

Star trek: voyager's flawed fast track home.

Unlike a traditional warp drive or transwarp drive, the quantum slipstream drive requires no anti-matter to achieve propulsion. Similar to Borg transwarp technology, the quantum slipstream drive redirects energy through the main deflector to penetrate the quantum barrier and open a slipstream, which carries the vessel through subspace like a current. Navigating through a quantum slipstream is difficult, and requires constant adjustment to match the slipstream's phase variance, much like navigating a raging river.

In Star Trek: Prodigy , a new USS Dauntless commanded by Admiral Kathryn Janeway is outfitted with a quantum slipstream drive capable of being used for brief amounts of time.

The USS Voyager crew learns about the existence of the quantum slipstream drive in Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 26, "Hope & Fear", when Starfleet seems to send the USS Dauntless to the Delta Quadrant, outfitted with a quantum slipstream drive. While this Dauntless is a Trojan horse, Lt. B'Elanna Torres spearheads the development of a quantum slipstream drive installed on the USS Voyager in Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episode 6, "Timeless". This quantum slipstream drive takes the USS Voyager only 300 light-years before a warning from the future prevents Voyager's destruction.

Star Trek: Voyager

3 proto-drive, powering starfleet's delta quadrant return in star trek: prodigy.

Starfleet's 2380s return to the Delta Quadrant requires the development of a new kind of faster-than-light travel. Enter the proto-drive, a propulsion system powered by a protostar within a containment field. When activated, the proto-drive engages in "proto-jumps" that traverse several thousand light-years in mere minutes, making travel between quadrants relatively easy. The proto-drive is designed for brief jumps only, with the expectation that only one jump at a time is required to carry out a mission on the opposite side of the galaxy, with another jump providing the return trip. To that end, standard warp drive is still the primary propulsion system on starships with a proto-drive.

The USS Protostar, Starfleet's experimental starship equipped with a proto-drive, is lost in time during its first mission back to the Delta Quadrant, which is commanded by Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran). In Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 , the Protostar itself is recovered in the present by a group of Delta Quadrant adolescents who use the proto-drive to seek out the Federation in the Alpha Quadrant, but Chakotay and the original Protostar crew remain stranded in the future. The proto-drive's success, however, prompts the construction of Starfleet's Protostar-class starships, each outfitted with a proto-drive.

Star Trek: Prodigy

2 spore drive, the displacement-activated spore hub drive in star trek: discovery.

With its instantaneous travel, Star Trek: Discovery 's spore drive is the clear winner as the fastest warp drive alternative in Star Trek . The USS Discovery was one of two Starfleet vessels outfitted with an experimental spore drive, designed by Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Straal (Saad Siddiqui). Unlike standard warp drive, which warps space around the starship, Star Trek: Discovery 's spore drive physically displaces the USS Discovery into the mycelial plane, where it can jump instantaneously to any point in space along the sprawling mycelial network. After the destruction of the USS Glenn, the USS Discovery remained the only Starfleet ship to have a spore drive.

Spore drive presents an obvious tactical advantage in that it allows the USS Discovery to go where starships normally would not be able to go, and provides the element of surprise in both its arrival and departure. The spore drive is useless, however, without a sentient navigator who has a connection to the mycelial network. Stamets achieved this by injecting himself with tardigrade DNA, and Cleveland Booker's (David Ajala) Kwejian empathy also suffices, but these are unsustainable stopgap solutions to a long-term problem.

Star Trek: Discovery

1 pathway drive, star trek: discovery's post-burn warp alternative.

As Starfleet's newest faster-than-light engine in Star Trek: Discovery 's 32nd century, the Pathway Drive was designed to operate without the use of dilithium crystals to mediate the matter/anti-matter reaction that powers warp drive. The 31st century Burn rendered most of the galaxy's dilithium inert, making travel by standard warp drive difficult and inconvenient. A new source of active dilithium was found at the end of Star Trek: Discovery season 3, but dilithium remained a rare, non-renewable resource, necessitating the development of an alternative faster-than-light engine for Starfleet vessels.

Commander Stamets' spore drive was one such option, but the spore drive's reliance on a sentient navigator made it unsustainable as a long-term solution for Starfleet's warp drive alternative. Instead, Starfleet leaned into developing the Pathway Drive as Star Trek: Discovery 's spore drive replacement , which was successfully installed on the USS Voyager-J. Besides its independence from dilithium, not much is known about how Star Trek 's Pathway drive operates. The Pathway Drive represents a new era for Star Trek , with a shrinking galaxy that new forms of FTL travel and warp drive alternatives will no doubt provide access to, as Star Trek boldly goes into its own future.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Discovery are streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Prodigy is streaming on Netflix.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek: First Contact are streaming on Max.

• The Inventory

Star Trek: Discovery Just Pulled Off the Heist of the Century

"lagrange point" sets the stage for discovery 's final end with a timeless trek format..

Star Trek: Discovery has always had a bit of a problem with the penultimate episodes of its seasons—episodes that have to come to some sort of juddering climactic halt for whatever’s happening that week, to set up the dire stakes coming in the finale episode the week after. At long last, as the series looks to its very last episode, it’s managed to at last pull it off: an episode that feels great as it is, while also effectively setting that final stage.

Related Content

“Lagrange Point” is a deceptively simple episode for one that ultimately has to leave a lot on the table for next week’s final send off for the show. The tension is non-stop, as the Discovery finds itself failing in a race against time and Moll’s Breen forces—themselves being chased by fleets of rival Breen ships, who’ve learned of Primarch Rhun’s death after last week’s shenanigans —and failing, when they both manage to make to to the seeming location of the Progenitor tech, only for Moll’s ship to scoop up the mysterious package before Discovery can. But that means one thing and one thing only can help our heroes: heist time? Heist time.

For as beloved a Trek trope as infiltrating enemy bases and heists are, Discovery ’s not actually done anything quite like this before, but it clearly has a lot of fun in doing so here. There’s a great little scene in Burnham’s ready room where they lay out the plan of action—two teams of two, Alpha (Reese and Adira) and Bravo (Michael and Book), will sneak aboard the Breen flagship disguised as foot soldiers, with one team planting a transport tracker on the Progenitor tech, and the other infiltrating the bridge to lower shields in time for everyone and their prize package to transport-poof-out in an instant. But aside from the heisty vibes, what makes it so fun is something we get to then see throughout the episode: Star Trek is, at its core, a series about competence porn, and beautiful people being smart and doing things they’re extremely good at, extremely well. Everyone in this room, from Adira all the way up to Michael, knows that they can do this, and instead of simply being told that, we get to watch them prove it over the next 40 minutes or so.

And it’s exactly that: a fun heist! Throughout, aboard Discovery , we get to see Rayner lead the bridge crew in preparing for any eventuality, a nice little release on his season-long arc of not entirely being sure he belongs with this crew. Back at Federation HQ, we also get to see Saru’s return, as he’s thrust into the Federation’s last-ditch diplomatic effort to try and get the chasing Breen forces to not engage Moll and Discovery . And then of course, on the Breen ship there’s all the heisty action. We get some great little moments of each team having to try and pretend to be aggressive Breen to fit in; Michael and Book even manage to sneak in a quiet moment together to look back on their relationship just in case everything’s about to go to hell; and of course, there’s inevitably a good couple of scraps when their cover is nearly (and then actually) blown. There’s a lot of tension that there perhaps otherwise wouldn’t be if this wasn’t the penultimate season of the entire—where we might safely assume that everyone will be fine, because there’s another season of Discovery around the corner. There’s no season around the corner this time! Everyone might not be fine! Well, except for the fact that like we said, this is a bunch of people who have, after five seasons, assured themselves and the audience alike that they’re really good at their jobs, and everything goes off damn near perfectly.

For the most part. After all, this is the penultimate episode of the season, and not a regular one, so it would be a pretty bold move for everything to go perfectly for our heroes with one episode still left to go. After Michael and Book get discovered planting the tracking device, the action ramps up even further as Discovery has to get involved as a distraction, decloaking from its vantage point to launch a hail mary charge at the Breen ship’s shuttle bay, in the hopes it can essentially ran a hole in its shielding structure and blast the Progenitor package and the captured crew out into space, picking them up there. Again, fun! Again, tense! Again, people who are good at their jobs being good at them! You can’t really ask for more than that, but at the same time, again that would make for a very dull set-up for a series finale if everyone just got what they wanted without a hitch.

So, in a final act of desperation, Moll—who has been sending Breen after Breen into the opened package to try and investigate the mysterious portal within, with none of them returning no matter what they try—leaps inside the Progenitor package/portal too. And Michael being Michael, she cannot help but leap in after her, hoping that whatever’s in there isn’t immediately lethal. So, even as Discovery slams into the Breen shuttlebay, beams everyone but Michael back aboard, and makes it out in (mostly) one piece, the Progenitor package cracks open to reveal a mysterious portal... and seemingly no signs of what could be beyond it or even if Michael is alive. The stage is set for our final episode on this cliffhanger, but again, it’s set up really well across this whole episode, instead of feeling like a cliffhanger that slams in out of nowhere on an otherwise loosely related adventure. Again and again, “Lagrange Point” hits home to us that our heroes are good at what they do, regardless of the odds, and so we get that again in another cathartic release on the Discovery bridge to end the episode: Rayner, no longer dancing around it, but sitting in the captain’s chair with a rousing message to the team—his team—that they’re going to save the day and get their captain back.

We’ll find out next week just how they do it, but given the confidence on display here? There’s very little doubt they’ll send themselves, and Discovery as a show, off with anything but an extremely competent bang.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .

Things are finally looking up for the Voyager 1 interstellar spacecraft

"It's wonderful to know how much the world appreciates this mission."

I was once sitting with my father while Googling how far away various things in the solar system are from Earth. He was looking for exact numbers, and very obviously grew more invested with each new figure I shouted out. I was thrilled. The moon? On average, 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) away. The James Webb Space Telescope? Bump that up to about a million miles (1,609,344 km) away. The sun? 93 million miles (149,668,992 km) away. Neptune ? 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion km) away. "Well, wait until you hear about Voyager 1," I eventually said, assuming he was aware of what was coming. He was not.

"NASA's Voyager 1 interstellar spacecraft actually isn't even in the solar system anymore," I announced. "Nope, it's more than 15 billion miles (24 billion km) away from us — and it's getting even farther as we speak." I can't quite remember his response, but I do indeed recall an expression of sheer disbelief. There were immediate inquiries about how that's even physically possible. There were bewildered laughs, different ways of saying "wow," and mostly, there was a contagious sense of awe. And just like that, a new Voyager 1 fan was born.

It is easy to see why Voyager 1 is among the most beloved robotic space explorers we have — and it is thus easy to understand why so many people felt a pang to their hearts several months ago, when Voyager 1 stopped talking to us.

Related: NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft finally phones home after 5 months of no contact

For reasons unknown at the time, this spacecraft began sending back gibberish in place of the neatly organized and data-rich 0's and 1's it had been providing since its launch in 1977 . It was this classic computer language which allowed Voyager 1 to converse with its creators while earning the title of "farthest human made object." It's how the spacecraft relayed vital insight that led to the discovery of new Jovian moons and, thanks to this sort of binary podcast, scientists incredibly identified a new ring of Saturn and created the solar system's first and only "family portrait." This code, in essence, is crucial to Voyager 1's very being.

Plus, to make matters worse, the issue behind the glitch turned out to be associated with the craft's Flight Data System, which is literally the system that transmits information about Voyager 1's health so scientists can correct any issues that arise. Issues like this one. Furthermore, because of the spacecraft's immense distance from its operators on Earth, it takes about 22.5 hours for a transmission to reach the spacecraft, and then 22.5 hours to receive a transmission back. Alas, things weren't looking good for a while — for about five months, to be precise.

But then, on April 20, Voyager 1 finally phoned home with legible 0's and legible 1's.

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"The team had gathered early on a weekend morning to see whether telemetry would return," Bob Rasmussen, a member of the Voyager flight team, told Space.com. "It was nice to have everyone assembled in one place like this to share in the moment of learning that our efforts had been successful. Our cheer was both for the intrepid spacecraft and for the comradery that enabled its recovery."

And then, on May 22 , Voyager scientists released the welcome announcement that the spacecraft has successfully resumed returning science data from two of its four instruments, the plasma wave subsystem and magnetometer instrument. They're now working on getting the other two, the cosmic ray subsystem and low energy charged particle instrument, back online as well. Though there technically are six other instruments onboard Voyager, those had been out of commission for some time.

The comeback

Rasmussen was actually a member of the Voyager team in the 1970s, having worked on the project as a computer engineer before leaving for other missions including Cassini , which launched the spacecraft that taught us almost everything we currently know about Saturn. In 2022, however, he returned to Voyager because of a separate dilemma with the mission — and has remained on the team ever since.

"There are many of the original people who were there when Voyager launched, or even before, who were part of both the flight team and the science team," Linda Spilker, a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who also worked on the Voyager mission, told Space.com in the This Week from Space podcast on the TWiT network. "It's a real tribute to Voyager — the longevity not only of the spacecraft, but of the people on the team."

To get Voyager 1 back online, in rather cinematic fashion, the team devised a complex workaround that prompted the FDS to send a copy of its memory back to Earth. Within that memory readout, operators managed to discover the crux of the problem — a corrupted code spanning a single chip — which was then remedied through another (honestly, super interesting ) process to modify the code. On the day Voyager 1 finally spoke again, "you could have heard a pin drop in the room," Spilker said. "It was very silent. Everybody's looking at the screen, waiting and watching." 

Of course, Spilker also brought in some peanuts for the team to munch on — but not just any peanuts. Lucky peanuts. 

It's a longstanding tradition at JPL to have a peanut feast before major mission events like launches, milestones and, well, the possible resurrection of Voyager 1. It began in the 1960s, when the agency was trying to launch the Ranger 7 mission that was meant to take pictures of and collect data about the moon's surface. Rangers 1 through 6 had all failed, so Ranger 7 was a big deal. As such, the mission's trajectory engineer, Dick Wallace, brought lots of peanuts for the team to nibble on and relax. Sure enough, Ranger 7 was a success and, as Wallace once said, "the rest is history." 

Voyager 1 needed some of those positive snacky vibes. 

"It'd been five months since we'd had any information," Spilker explained. So, in this room of silence besides peanut-eating-noises, Voyager 1 operators sat at their respective system screens, waiting. 

"All of a sudden it started to populate — the data," Spilker said. That's when the programmers who had been staring at those screens in anticipation leapt out of their seats and began to cheer: "They were the happiest people in the room, I think, and there was just a sense of joy that we had Voyager 1 back."

Eventually, Rasmussen says the team was able to conclude that the failure probably occurred due to a combination of aging and radiation damage by which energetic particles in space bombarded the craft. This is also why he believes it wouldn't be terribly surprising to see a similar failure occur in the future, seeing as Voyager 1 is still roaming beyond the distant boundaries of our stellar neighborhood just like its spacecraft twin, Voyager 2 .

To be sure, the spacecraft isn't fully fixed yet — but it's lovely to know things are finally looking up, especially with the recent news that some of its science instruments are back on track. And, at the very least, Rasmussen assures that nothing the team has learned so far has been alarming. "We're confident that we understand the problem well," he said, "and we remain optimistic about getting everything back to normal — but we also expect this won't be the last."

In fact, as Rasmussen explains, Voyager 1 operators first became optimistic about the situation just after the root cause of the glitch had been determined with certainty. He also emphasizes that the team's spirits were never down. "We knew from indirect evidence that we had a spacecraft that was mostly healthy," he said. "Saying goodbye was not on our minds."

"Rather," he continued, "we wanted to push toward a solution as quickly as possible so other matters on board that had been neglected for months could be addressed. We're now calmly moving toward that goal."

The future of Voyager's voyage

It can't be ignored that, over the last few months, there has been an air of anxiety and fear across the public sphere that Voyager 1 was slowly moving toward sending us its final 0 and final 1. Headlines all over the internet, one written by myself included , have carried clear, negative weight. I think it's because even if Voyager 2 could technically carry the interstellar torch post-Voyager 1, the prospect of losing Voyager 1 felt like the prospect of losing a piece of history. 

"We've crossed this boundary called the heliopause," Spilker explained of the Voyagers. "Voyager 1 crossed this boundary in 2012; Voyager 2 crossed it in 2018 — and, since that time, were the first spacecraft ever to make direct measurements of the interstellar medium." That medium basically refers to material that fills the space between stars. In this case, that's the space between other stars and our sun, which, though we don't always think of it as one, is simply another star in the universe. A drop in the cosmic ocean.

"JPL started building the two Voyager spacecraft in 1972," Spilker explained. "For context, that was only three years after we had the first human walk on the moon — and the reason we started that early is that we had this rare alignment of the planets that happens once every 176 years ." It was this alignment that could promise the spacecraft checkpoints across the solar system, including at Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Those checkpoints were important for the Voyagers in particular. Alongside planetary visits come gravity assists, and gravity assists can help fling stuff within the solar system — and, now we know, beyond.

As the first humanmade object to leave the solar system, as a relic of America's early space program, and as a testament to how robust even decades-old technology can be, Voyager 1 has carved out the kind of legacy usually reserved for remarkable things lost to time.

— Voyager 1's iconic photo of Earth from space reveals our place in the universe

— Cassini-Huygens: Exploring Saturn's System

— Voyager: 15 incredible images of our solar system captured by the twin probes

"Our scientists are eager to see what they’ve been missing," Rasmussen remarked. "Everyone on the team is self-motivated by their commitment to this unique and important project. That's where the real pressure comes from." 

Still, in terms of energy, the team's approach has been clinical and determined. 

"No one was ever especially excited or depressed," he said. "We're confident that we can get back to business as usual soon, but we also know that we're dealing with an aging spacecraft that is bound to have trouble again in the future. That's just a fact of life on this mission, so not worth getting worked up about."

Nonetheless, I imagine it's always a delight for Voyager 1's engineers to remember this robotic explorer occupies curious minds around the globe. (Including my dad's mind now, thanks to me and Google.)

As Rasmussen puts it: "It's wonderful to know how much the world appreciates this mission."

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Monisha Ravisetti is Space.com's Astronomy Editor. She covers black holes, star explosions, gravitational waves, exoplanet discoveries and other enigmas hidden across the fabric of space and time. Previously, she was a science writer at CNET, and before that, reported for The Academic Times. Prior to becoming a writer, she was an immunology researcher at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. She graduated from New York University in 2018 with a B.A. in philosophy, physics and chemistry. She spends too much time playing online chess. Her favorite planet is Earth.

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• Redderek Actually there are three Voyagers. The third is still at JPL. It is there to be used as a test bed for code check. Quite a nice piece of artwork, electronically. There are no processors since everything was made from discrete logic chips. Reply
• Kastan Fun fact, there is no "up" in space. :) Reply
• Helio Way to go Voyager 1! It is not too long for its 50th anniversary. Reply

Helio said: Way to go Voyager 1! It is not too long for its 50th anniversary.

billslugg said: I remember when the Voyagers went up in 1977. They said they would enter interstellar space some day. I thought "Not in MY lifetime!!" Man, was my face red!

Helio said: But has it? It’s past the heliopause, IIRC, but the Sun’s influence is about 1 lyr., where the Oort ends.

billslugg said: Every atom in the universe influences every other atom. The Sun's influence is predominant up until half way to the nearest star. Once past that point the probe would be in another star system. I always took the heliopause to be where interstellar space started.

• ronih What I find even more amazing is that they can find and successfully receive the signal from the Voyager probes. I think the transmitters are only like 20 watts and the fact that NASA/JPL can pick out a signal that weak from 12-15 billion miles away through all the background noise is astounding. Reply
• Classical Motion What's the bit rate now? Reply
• View All 10 Comments

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