While on a routine mission of exploration in the Delta Flyer, Harry Kim, Seven of Nine, and the Doctor are attacked and search by the Lokirrim, aliens who are fighting a war against photonic insurgents and who forbid the transport of photonics within their space. Thinking fast, Seven hides the doctor’s program within herself. He takes over her body and personality completely, and quickly becomes a popular prisoner of war on the alien vessel, treating the sick and being romanced by the alien captain Ranek. Eventually, using the doctor’s guile and Seven’s computer skills, a message is sent to Voyager, and the prisoners are rescued, but not before the doctor stays back to save the life of Ranek.
This episode is a lot of fun, and by far the highlight is Jeri Ryan’s fantastic performance playing the Doctor. (For anyone who says she can’t act and is just on the show for window dressing, watch this episode). Ryan adopts the Doctor’s exact speaking cadence and facial expressions – we really believe he is ‘in there’. On the negative side, the episode could have been played straight, which would have given it some dramatic tension, instead of so obviously making us realize that our heroes are in no danger at all.
Nits:
Why are Kim and Seven speaking in such loud voices in the cell, and why are they speaking at all? Can they be sure that they are not being observed with hidden cameras and microphones? After all, they are suspected terrorists and smugglers.
Just a general observation is my long quest to define why Voyager has been going downhill: At the beginning of this episode, the Doctor calls Seven back because he is overly excited about finding a new life form. Her reaction is of boredom. In reality, this is supposed to be slightly humorous – the conflict between the Doctor, who loves life, and Seven, who is all business. But Seven is a scientist, who, in a previous episode, was so passionately involved with a ‘perfect’ life form that she endangered the entire ship; as a scientist, she should have a natural curiosity about all scientific facts. But here, she is presented as bored, merely as a contrivance to create a need for conversation between her and the Doctor. This is done all the time on Voyager – it’s really annoying now. The characters have become caricatures, and the episodes are not taking themselves seriously – ever. I liked the more somber moods of earlier episodes, where comedy was an augmentation, not the main point.
Quotable Quotes:
"Ranek summoned me to the bridge on the pretext of a little stargazing. What he really wanted was to use my face as a tongue depressor!" – The Doctor
"You became sexually aroused in my body!" – Seven to the Doctor
"We're quite a pair. Me, trapped by the limitations of photons and force fields. You, by a drone's obsession with efficiency. You'd make an excellent hologram." – The Doctor to Seven
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