Search - Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Second Season on DVD

Trying to Find Its Way

George | Massachusetts | 07/24/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a preface to this review, I should say that I have been a huge fan of Star Trek Voyager since the original broadcasts of the very first season. When I was away from a television set for a year, I even had a friend videotape all the episodes I missed so that I could see them when I returned to civilization.

But I have to admit that season two is my least favorite of Voyager. There are certainly some great episodes, but many left me frustrated and disappointed.

The height of the season, and the first real standout episode in the series, is Death Wish, with the amusing John De Lancie reprising his role from TNG, along with Jonathan Frakes as Riker. The plot, about right-to-death issues, adds a very serious foundation to all the fun. And Kate Mulgrew finally breaks out of her shell here and shows what she's made of as an actress.

The 37's is another solid episode, connecting Janeway to her childhood hero Amelia Earhart; Resistance gives Mulgrew a chance to act with the excellent and Oscar-winning Joel Grey. Meld affords another great guest star, LOTR's Brad Dourif, the opportunity to brighten up--or really darken--the season. This episode also provides fascinating insights into the emotional turmoil beneath the surface of Lt. Tuvok. Lifesigns lets Robert Picardo's character The Doctor take a very significant step toward becoming human, by falling in love. The Thaw, with another refreshing guest star (the guy who played Lenny in Laverne and Shirley), is the first of what I like to call Voyager's bizarro episodes. These are absurd and really wonderful, in the spirit of the original series. Deadlock I love, and it gives Janeway an excellent chance to get to know herself better, and the season ends with the strong cliffhanger Basics Part 1.

Somewhat weaker, but still good, installments include Initiations, Projections, Elogium, and Non Sequitor, all of which could have been much more engaging. Persistence of Vision seems great until the alien's last line, which makes me wonder why I sat through the last forty-five minutes. The Kazon arc stories Maneuvers, Alliances, and Investigations also should have provided more compelling viewing. Certainly Martha Hackett is more than adequately treacherous and villainous as Seska, but the Kazons just don't seem very interesting. A missed opportunity: the show could have allied Seska with the Vidiians. Just imagine the creepy romantic scenes between her and some gross Vidiian captain. And how would she have kept that race from harvesting her body parts? We'll never know. Resolutions, the season's penultimate epidsode, deals with a plot thread I never really warmed up to: the almost romance between Janeway and Chakotay. I just see him with someone else, and her with someone else.

Weaker episodes are, unfortunately, many: Twisted, Parturition, Tattoo, Cold Fire, for example, all of which had interesting premises but poor executions. Roxann Dawson, who plays Torres as both fiery and brainy, gets substandard material to work with in both Prototype and Dreadnought, which basically have the same plot, if you think about it (robot, or computer, gone out of control). The entire series' bottom of the barrel is Threshold, which even its writer Brannon Braga candidly admits in one of the easter egg clips. Poor Robert Duncan McNeill, who tries to give this turkey some real emotion! Many people love Tuvix, I know, but perhaps I don't because I'm still mad at Janeway for destroying a new life form in order to get two valued crew members back. I understand her decision, but it still feels like murder somehow.

The additional material on this set is particularly entertaining, with interviews with Martha Hackett, Ethan Phillips, and Tim Russ, who even sings, quite well, in another hidden extra--though it's not that difficult to find. In Braving the Unknown Michael Piller is very honest about creative difficulties during the season, and perhaps this tug-of-war explains the uneven quality of this year of Voyager. The visual effects bit taught me the lesson that even a lackluster episode such as Threshold involved the incredible talents and work of many people, in this case to produce the CG alien babies of Janeway and Paris.

And if that last little plot point isn't enough to convince you that this season is Voyager's least strong, then I'll just give up. Still, the characters and actors grew and developed, the episodes hosted some amazing guests, and much was set up that would be developed in later seasons.

Those who are not Voyager fans should not start with this season, but perhaps with the superior third. Once you've seen enough excellent stuff, come back to this set to complete your knowledge of the fascinating Delta Quadrant world of the good ship Voyager."