6.22 muse

The Delta Flyer is damaged, forcing B’Elanna to ask Harry Kim to eject in an escape pod, while she tries to get the ship working – and crash lands on an M class planet. There, she is discovered by a poet; in exchange for stories about the ‘eternals’ (the other members of the Voyager crew) which he converts into plays, he helps to keep her from being discovered, and he provides her with bits and pieces to help repair the ship. As we view the play, we cut back and forth to the contrast between fantasy and the reality of the real Voyager crew, worried about Torres and Kim and continuing to search. B’Elanna’s repairs do not work, and, with war between the patron of the theater group and the neighboring province imminent, B’Elanna agrees to help him create a play that will change the patron’s mind about going to war. The story revolves around Seven of Nine as the Borg Queen, with Janeway refusing to make war against the Borg and instead proposing peace. But there is no whiz-bang ending, nothing to drive home the point. B’Elanna can’t help, because a jealous actress has threatened to expose her if she shows up. But when Kim shows up, having turned his escape pod around and also landed on the planet, the Delta Flyer – and its computer and beaming capability – is repaired, and B’Elanna joins the playwright onstage for a teary goodbye – before she beams away off the stage.

I found this to be a moving episode, full of contrast and allegory, with humor provided by Tuvok snoring on the bridge.

One comment – I thought it was strange that this episode was aired right after the previous one (‘live fast and prosper’) since the themes are very similar – others are acting out their versions of the Voyager universe.