[VOY] "Nemesis": My Two Cents Review

[Laurie M Campbell]

Wow. Destined to be a classic.

If you don't want any spoilers, close your glimpses and don't look
below. Fathom?

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This is the kind of episode that makes watching Voyager worthwhile.
Once in awhile they hit a home run. "Nemesis" is a home run. The
story, the message, the examination of the difference between perception
and reality, all were top-notch.

This was particularly satisfying because it did not involve Seven of
Nine, but one of Voyager's veterans. Robert Beltran carried the show
all by himself without Voyager, with little interaction with Janeway or
any of the rest of Voyager's crew. And yet the story was powerful,
painful and real.

One of the minor points that made this episode outstanding was the way
language was used. It really doesn't make any sense that a universal
translator would always immediately translate words spoken in another
language into smooth and recognizable English. (That is, if you have
suspended your disbelief enough to believe in a universal translator,
which I have). Subtle differences in the way language is used would
cause translation to be sometimes imperfect, but the only time this was
effectively dealt with was in TNG's "Darmok". I found it very
interesting that the language spoken by this group was a bit foreign,
using "glimpses" for eyes, "trunks" for trees, "footfalls" for distance
measurement, "fathom" for understand, "sharp" for smart. This language
was used not only to lend credence to the fact that they were in
actuality speaking a different language, but to chart Chakotay's
transformation from uinvolved spectator to warrior.

And despite the battle scenes and scenes of comeraderie between the
"defenders", the most powerful drama in "Nemesis" was what took place in
Chakotay's mind and heart.

Chakotay was the perfect choice for this story. His background in the
Maquis made it believable that he could get involved in a war if he felt
the cause was just. His heritage enabled him to be sympathetic and
respectful of the spiritual traditions of others. And Robert Beltran's
style of acting, unassuming, underplayed, allowed the power of the story
to penetrate without distracting histrionics and hammy hand wringing.

The use of a forest setting and camouflage uniforms evoked Vietnam in my
mind, whether or not this was intentional, it added a real life element
which was a subtle reminder that this was not just fiction.

But it was the journey Chakotay took, and that we took with him, that
was at the heart of "Nemesis".

The war seemed at first an abstraction, another pointless struggle
between armies pumped up with propaganda that made the other side seem
like a monster. Then, as he, and we, got involved with the conflict,
nonviolent ideals turned to caution and concern, which turned to anger,
which turned to hatred. This nemesis, perhaps alone of all enemies,
actually seemed to deserve the hatred and fear it inspired, though the
horror of their evil seemed too bad to be true, the evidence piled up
until we felt the same disgust and fear of the Craytin that the soldiers
did. As we watched Chakotay "wrestle his trembles to rages", even if we
didn't share it, we could understand it.

I must say that I guessed that the Voyager crew was probably dealing
with the "beasts", and that the enemy, appropriately vile in appearance
to our human eyes, described Chakotay's new comrades in the same
terrible terms as they themselves had been described. But we had seen
the evidence, right before our eyes. We saw them desecrate the dead,
attack and imprison innocent elderly people, women and children. We saw
them attack unprovoked, and heard the testimony of the young village
girl to the fact that they had done nothing to deserve their fate but
only wished to live in peace. What could the Craytin possibly say or do
that would "nullify" that impression? What horrific acts would they
recount to prove their charges that their enemy was vicious and cruel?

The answer was stunning. Shocking. Hard to fathom. That it had all
been an elaborate simulation, a battle drill of the worst kind. A
sophisticated bit of propaganda. And nothing short of emerging from the
trees again to find the very same people he had seen hauled off to
extermination camps happily welcoming him again as a "gloried defender"
would have convinced Chakotay or I that the Craytin were telling the
truth.

Robert Beltran was superb in this episode, showing the transformation
from innocent bystander to hate-filled soldier with rare understatement.
Even if we would not have acted the same as he did, his actions were
understandable in view of what he had seen.

And the episode didn't attempt to answer whether any of the charges made
against the Craytin were true. We don't know if they desecrated the
dead or attacked women and children. We do know that their foes,
Chakotay's comrades, were not so above reproach that they used elaborate
simulation and brainwashing to create a fierce hatred for the nemesis.

To the end this episode stayed true to reality. Chakotay was not able
to shake the hand of his former nemesis and let bygones be bygones,
shocking his captain in the process. "I wish it was as easy to stop
hating as it is to start." And each of us knows just how true that is.

This episode in my eyes, proved that there is more to Voyager's new
season than just an intriguing new character. The writers are finally
treating us with respect and attempting to give us thought provoking,
well thought out drama. With "Nemesis", they succeeded in touching both
mind and heart.

My score: 10

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