LizstarTrek - Voyager Season 4 episodes 16 - 19

Every Sunday my Twitch subs and I watch Star Trek in my Discord. Here are my reviews and thoughts on each of the episodes as I see it. If you’re curious about a nerd’s views on Star Trek episodes, please read on, I go quite in depth with some of these episodes! I’ve watched some Star Trek before but not all of it!

Prey - VOY 2/10

It’s the return of both the Hirogen AND Species 1234569. We start with the Hirogen hunting a Species ship, talking to each other about how the prey is reacting. One of them is played by Kurn’s actor, and his voice is very hot.

Meanwhile, on Voyager, Seven needs some compassion classes. This might be one of those episodes.

A Hirogen ship suddenly comes up on Voyager, one life sign, eratic, so they beam over to help. Seven is like “This is stupid, the Hirogen won’t accept your compassion”. Janeway SHOULD have responded with “ weird, it worked for you”, but instead she just goes “I’mma do it anyway”.

They rescue the Hirogen, who is pretty against working with who he views as his prey, but eventually agrees to let them treat him, albeit in a grumpy fashion. Yay for me, the Hirogen who’s still alive is the one with the sexy voice. They also learn more about the Hirogen, which seems to go against what we learned LAST EPISODE. They had a communications network, what do you mean they have no worlds and are nomadic. More Hirogen are also on the way, but before they can deal with THAT, the Species breaks its way into the fucking hull and into the ship. It sneaks around in antimatter injection ports and then attacks the Engineering team. It does NOT appear to goo them like they did, with Harry.

Okay, so I guess Seven’s “compassion classes” are she thinks they should just kill the species, and Janeway goes “No”. No? NO? People are dying and WILL die, Janeway, I get it, but Seven is ACTUALLY right this time. She ALSO releases the Hirogen from his containment after he says he wants to finish the hunt. My girl, do you think this guy ISN’T GOING TO KILL THE SPECIES???? What the hell is wrong with Janeway in this episode.

The episode then becomes Aliens. Chakotay is in charge of keeping an eye on the Hirogen, which I would TOTALLY trust him with. Shockingly, the Hirogen attempts to kill the Species, and has to be shot to be stopped. No way, what a surprise. Also now that Kes is gone, it’s telepathically communicating with Tuvok instead. It tells Tuvok that it’s just trying to get home, and Janeway wants to do everything she can to get it home. She’s like “this isn’t a hunt, it’s a slaughter”. MFer that’s what a hunt is? Janeway is REALLY holding the idiot ball this episode. when she gives her reasoning and position, like, I get it? But it’s poorly written, and clearly written by people who have NOT been in a life or death, or even leadership position before.

Janeway stands by her ideals and refuses to give the prey, or the hunter, to the Hirogen. This is a very stupid idea because they’re up against six ships that can easily blow them the fuck up. They blow off TWO NACELLES. THAT’S BAD?

The Hirogen breaks out and attacks the Species. Seven takes matters into her own hand and teleports both of them off the ship (a bit weird since it’s been stated they can’t be targetted but okay). Everyone is enraged by Seven about this, and Janeway removes her access and rights as a member of the crew over this. How DARE she SAVE THE CREW??? WHAT A FUCKER.

This is the dumbest thing I’ve EVER seen Janeway do. Stupid as fuck. Seven rightfully calls her out it, but god. I can’t tell if they’re trying to make Janeway or Seven the one in the right here, it’s open ended, but it SHOULDN’T be. Janeway should get her comeuppance.

Retrospect - VOY 2/10

A weapons dealer is on Voyager, selling them a cannon. Janeway deigns to let Seven work with him, because they “work well together”, apparently, even though Seven states she does not like him (he is inneffecient). During installation, he pushes her out of the way, and she immediately decks him in the face. Everyone is like “what the fuck”, and she can’t really explain herself. She also freaks out when the Doctor tries to scan her. The doctor notices something strange in her brain. He does a hypnosis thing to try and figure out what the issue is. In the hypnosis flashback, she sees the weapons dealer, Kovin, performing surgery on her and extracting Borg technology. She uses the word “violate”, which is rough.

This could go okay, or very, vERY poorly.

It explains, in long excrutiating detail, her memory of what happened. They drugged her and harvested borg technology from her, before setting her back where she was and explaining it was a weapon overload that stunned her. Tuvok is skeptical, not for any BAD reason, just because this kind of memory recovery has been unreliable in the past. He intends to investigate. And to Janeway’s credit, she’s like “this is very important, and I will do what I can to get to the bottom of it”. When the trader is like “You’d risk trade negoations for the possibily her delusions are true?!” Janeway is like “Yes. I would.” Good on you for that. The Doctor is EXTREMELY in on this. He’s DISGUSTED by the concept of what Kovin did, and is fully behind Seven. Possibly to a… pushy degree? Like, making shit up. Hmm.

They get a local Magistrate to investigate with them, for an impartial investigation. It’s not impartial enough for Kovin, so he pulls a gun on them and beams out. When they chase, he hits them with a pulse and disappears. They chase. Everyone is like “The investigation HAS been impartial, but we all had our preconceptions about him”. Hmmmmmmmm.

They find evidence that proves Kovin is probably not guilty. Seven is so SURE of what she saw, and they all agree she believes what she believes. She doesn’t react to this well, especially not when the Doctor “turns” on her about it, basically. They find out it’s some stuff playing with her borg implants and making her think things were happening when they weren’t. They catch up to Kovin, tell him “We know you’re innocent, don’t worry” and he just shoots at them without saying anything. His weapons overload and he blows himself up. And everyone is beating themselves up over this. No, he was being a fucking asshole. This episode FEELS like it’s a “THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS ARE TAKEN TOO FAR, YOU’LL HURT INNOCENT PEOPLE”, but no, he’s being a fucking dumbass. I hate this.

This all blows.

And the Doctor feels the most guilty cause he was the MOST cancel culturey, and so asks to be turned back to factory standard. This is such a weird leap. What the hell?

This episode is just Male Victimhood Fantasy and I wish it didn’t exist.

The Killing Game - VOY 8/10

Is that a Hirogen in a fucking nazi uniform???

Yes, actually, it is. The Hirogen appear to have taken control of Voyager, and are putting the crew through simulations to test them. They’re rewriting their memories about who they are. First they make Janeway think she’s a Klingon warrior, which is hot, then they do THIS to her.

Janeway dons her best Lesbian Suit, like holy HELL. This is basically Casablanca. Janeway is a resistance member in France who owns a bar. Seven sings at the bar and is secretly their munitions expert. Tuvok is Janeway’s friend and ally. The other Hirogen seem very confused about what they’re even doing, but the one in charge views this as a game. The others are like, seemingly kinda pissed they even gotta put up with this.

Neelix is riding around town with baguettes in his bike, as if you didn’t already know this was France.

LOL okay the Hirogen think the Nazis suck. When even your Space Predators think Nazis suck, maybe your Nazis fucking suck. He chokes out a nazi and tells him “You’re superior to no one, and if you think you are, you’ll die when the hunt turns back on you. Pathetic.” I hate that I love that.

We learn a bit more when one of the Hirogen get bored and shoot Seven of Nine and Neelix. The Doctor is still normal, and treating who he can. This seems like it could maybe be a deal they put together so more of them don’t die (though some of them ARE dying). Kim is outside the simulations, working on the ship at the Hirogen’s demands. He’s also forming a resistance cell within the ship, which is a fun dichotomy alongside the resistance cell happening INSIDE the simulations.

We learn more of why the Alpha Hirogen is doing this. He’s a progressive! Y’know, for a Hirogen. He believes that in order for his people to survive, they must adapt, and reform an actual civilization. Of course, the hunt is still important. They’ll just adapt. They’ll use this holodeck technology to continue the hunt, in a new society. It’s some SWEEPING changes he wants to make, and it’s fascinating. The other Hirogen seem to be more traditionalists.

On the eve of the Americans re-entering the city, Seven is put back in the simulation. The doctor made is so she remembers who she is… unfortunately this means she doesn’t know wtf World War 2 is, and she’s an important part of the simulation, so that’ll be… worrying. This is a tense situation, but she manages to interface with the holodeck and release the prisoners JUST as soon as Janeway is about to shoot Seven, thinking she’s a nazi. Unfortunately, they know she’s free, and immediately go to recapture her. But everyone fights back. For the resistance!!

We see a Nazi building explode and they do a sick-ass dive. The explosion blows its way into other decks, releasing the simulation. I mean, they DID turn off the safeties, makes sense that a fucking missile would do that. Holographic soldiers and real soldiers (our crew members) break their way out of the simulation… TO BE CONTINUED…

The Killing Game, Part II - VOY 9/10

…right now! Enjoying the commonality of two parters mid season now. Janeway and Seven are moving around the ship, beating up holographic nazis where they can. But they’re going to need help. Time to get the French Resistance to help. Janeway plays the simulation well. She knows her World War 2.

There’s some stuff with Paris and Torres’ characters in the simulation being in love, which is kind of unimportant and distracting from the actual plot.

Janeway and Chakotay, still thinking he’s an American soldier, go to meet Janeway’s “contact”. But first they need to “go through caves”. These caves are the other holodeck, which has the Klingon simulation, and Neelix drunk off his ass as a Klingon. She contacts the Doctor, and gets her plan. She heads to sick bay ,but not before placing some charges on the thing that keeps their neuro transmitters in check. Janeway is shot, and the others are recaptured JUST as soon as they’re freed from the neurotransmitter.

Janeway is brought to the alpha Hirogen, and explains to her WHY he’s doing what he’s doing. With the holodecks, they can continue the hunt without killing others, and themselves, as readily. And he appreciates Humans. He and Janeway come to an agreement, and decide a cease fire. Janeway will give them Holodeck technology, and they will leave. Remember season 1 where they refused to give those aliens replicator technology?

He calls for a cease fire to his hunters, but one of the nazis in the simulation convinces him to continue. The more conservative, traditionalist hunters connect with the fucking nazis, over the progressive, who connects with the allied forces. This episode knows what its doing. The Nazis break the cease fire. Man, if you can’t trust the Nazis. The 2nd in command, the one who listened to the nazis, kills the Alpha Hirogen, and then chases Janeway around. Janeway STILL has a bullet in her leg. Now we have an injured Janeway in a sexy outfit running from a Nazi Hirogen and outsmarting him, it’s great.

Things are looking grim. The Nazis have our heroes up against the wall… and then!

THE KLINGONS ARE THE BIG DAMN HEROES! Klingons killing nazis NOT something I knew I needed, but I did need it.

Janeway kills her hunter, and the remaining Hirogen agree to the truce again. She gives them the technology after all. Their leader’s ideals were unconventional, but maybe things can get better. Heavy casualties on both sides, the Voyager continues, freed.