The Doctor and B'Elanna answer a distress call from an alien hologram, and Harry and Seven of Nine learn to work together.
One of my favourite things about classic episodic shows and franchises like Star Trek, Stargate, Doctor Who, or Quantum Leap is the way they can genre-hop from week to week. We can follow characters we know and love through a romance one week, a mystery story the next, comedy the next week and action or drama the next. Voyager did a few mystery stories over the course of its run, which makes me very happy because I love mysteries, but for this week, we slide into a difference but adjacent genre – the slasher movie.
The A plot of this episode sees the Doctor and B'Elanna answer a distress call from what turns out to be a homicidal maniac and holographic serial killer called Dejaren who hates "organics." At first he leaves B'Elanna alive because he wants her to repair him, but things soon get dicey. Unfortunately, there are no expendable ensigns for Dejaren to bump off to build up the slasher/serial killer side of the story, but he has shoved half a dozen dead bodies into storage on the lower deck before the start of the episode, so there are plenty of victims.
Leland Orser as Dejaren is absolutely brilliant. I know I say that a lot, but Voyager really did get some truly fantastic guest stars over the years (as did TNG and DS9, of course). Orser is so full of nervous, itchy energy and he gives off unstable serial killer vibes so effectively it really makes the episode. Considering he's got Brad Dourif's performance as Suder to live up to, it was a tall order, and he rises to the occasion perfectly. If there is any drawback to the writing and performance, it's only that B'Elanna and the Doctor should really have noticed something was wrong much earlier as he is so clearly insane from the beginning!
I did feel for B'Elanna when she was desperately trying to get the Doctor to understand the danger after Dejaren's epic and extremely memorable rant in her face (quoted below) and the Doctor just. wouldn't. listen! That is typical of his character though, so it works, and at least he's apparently learned his lession by the conclusion.
The B plot of the episode is about Harry being scared to work with Seven of Nine after she hit him on the head and tried to get back to the Borg the last time, then quickly developing a crush on her and going through his usual pattern of unloading at Tom about his crush, getting dubious advice, and making a right hash of the whole situation. It's a classic Harry plot and it's a bit cringey, and some of his flirting does border a tiny bit on the inappropriate considering they're on duty and working during every conversation and she's shown no indication of any interest in him and has only just met him. But honestly, it's also pretty funny. The dialogue is sharp and both actors' delivery, Jeri Ryan's in particular, is perfect.
That isn't the only romantic storyline cooking here, as the episode opens with Paris and Torres picking up on Torres' declaration of love from the end of 'Day of Honor,' which sent me scurrying off to check the production numbers. It looks like the original order was 'Nemesis' – 'Day of Honor' – 'Revulsion,' so that explains that. There was a conviction among TV channels back when episodic series were the norm that it didn't matter what order the episodes were aired, which of course wasn't true because there were ongoing character and relationship threads just like this one, as well as reality checks like actors cutting their hair (and then it's suddenly longer again).
But luckily in this case, it doesn't really matter. Paris and Torres were barely in 'Nemesis' and didn't interact in it, and it's only one episode, so it's just about plausible that they haven't spoken since 'Day of Honor.' And I'll forgive them anyway because their kiss here is *hot*! Sheer passion is not always Star Trek's strong point but they do it very well in this episode.
Bits 'n' pieces
– Tuvok is given a promotion in the cold open to Lieutenant Commander. He was actually wearing the pips for this rank way back at the beginning of the show, and then they were taken off, presumably when someone realised it was a mistake. Anyway, this continues the odd tradition of Janeway throwing around field promotions and field commissions like they're candy to everyone else, but for some reason Harry Kim is told its dead man's shoes only and he has to stay an Ensign.
– Paris also gets a sort of a job change, or rather he gains an additional job: he becomes, in his own words, "the new nurse." This was briefly raised in the first season as a possibility as apparently he's done some extra medical training at some point, before Kes took over instead. Paris and the Doctor bouncing off each other is a fun dynamic and as, from what this episode shows, the primary medical expert on board when the Doctor is on an away mission, his bedside manner is quite fun, too. It does make me wonder who's flying the ship, though. Someone else has got a promotion as well it seems!
– Dejaren is a maintenance hologram whose job is to clean dangerous substances. Although it's not the same job and Rimmer wasn't yet a hologram at the time, for some reason this reminded me of Lister and Rimmer's job as chicken soup machine repairmen in Red Dwarf.
– Something else that only just occurred to me while watching this episode is how often Voyager sends out away teams of two people with apparently minimal contact with the ship. I suppose we should assume this is partly because they're a small crew who keep losing ensigns and aren't able to replace them, and to be fair I think DS9 and Enterprise both did this quite often as well. It works very well for TV, giving two characters a chance to get their teeth into a story and bounce off each other, but seems a slightly weird practice from a Starfleet point of view, considering how often they get into trouble.
– One detail I had forgotten from the Paris/Torres story was that the Doctor caught them smooching right away and knew about them the whole time, long before anyone else. It is possible the writers forgot this too; we'll find out over the next few episodes.
Quotes
Tuvok: During my three years on Voyager, I have grown to respect a great many of you. Others I have learned to tolerate.
Dejaren: Look at you. LOOK at you! Grinding up bits of plants and animals with your teeth. Secreting saliva to force it down your esophagus into a pit of digestive acids. You can't even stand to think about it yourself! What a repulsive creature you are, constantly shedding your skin and hair, leaving your oily sweat on everything you touch! You think that you are the height of intellect in the universe, but you are no better than any filthy animal and I am ASHAMED to be made in your image!
Seven: Comfort is irrelevant. We are here to work.
Seven: I am willing to explore my humanity. Take off your clothes.
The A plot is a really solid little slasher horror movie and the B plot is funny enough to get past the cringe. Four out of four previous victims stashed on the lower deck.
Juliette Harrisson is a writer and content creator. Check out her books here, or her Patreon here.
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