[VGR Spoiler] Parallax
BADN...@siucvmb.siu.edu
The consensus was that I should send out reviews to subscribers, and
those that don't want them can delete them. So (unexpectedly), here's
another one. Spoilers for Star Trek Voyager - "Parallax"...
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STAR TREK: VOYAGER - PARALLAX
a fairly quick review by Jay Badenhoop
I watched "Parallax" twice and I'm still not sure I caught everything.
This episode was non-stop action and entertainment. "Rapid fire" is the
only way to describe it. Especially with Torres and Janeway. I have
never seen two people fire technobabble gibberish back and forth so fast
in my life. On the second viewing, Janeway's speech reminded me of that
old song, "Modern Major General". Here is the story of "Parallax" set to
that tune (as best I can):
Janeway:
It is the very model of a quantum singularity.
If we adjust the sensor grid we will improve the clarity.
Report, Mister Kim! Paris, you help him!
Invert the phase of a dekyon beam to force invert its parity!
(To force invert its parity!)
It looks much like a Type 4 gravitational anomaly
Mister Tuvok, relays functioning normally.
We already did polarize the grid!
We can make it if we pull together like a family!
I am the able captain of the valiant starship Voyager.
The crew are at each other's throats in Engineering, how immature!
Torres is loose! She's a lit fuse!
But she knows her technobabble well enough to get us out of here!
The holographic doctor's been significantly reduced in height.
The crew's been having headaches, dizziness, and somewhat blurred
eyesight.
What shall we do! That's the same view!
We keep going back to the same point in space all right!
We must expand the rupture in the Event Horizon large enough
To let the Voyager get through; shield power's low, it will be rough.
What we must do is punch our way through!
The ship will make it, hold on tight; adjust intertial dampers off
the cuff...
Well, you get the idea. (If any of you would like to embellish, add to,
or revise these verses, feel free. Just send me your suggestions.)
I hope I remember the original rhythm right.
Seriously, I don't really have much more to say than what I said about
the pilot. Chakotay and Torres, whom I said were weakest in the pilot,
both proved themselves in this story. The conflict *and* its resolution
of the command situation seemed right on target of what I'd expect to
happen in that situation. Janeway again proved herself a good commanding
officer when she took the time to both review Torres' record, down to the
letters written about her, and to talk to her. Some have commented that
the conflict was wrapped up too easily in an hour. I disagree; I got the
impression that there will still be tension, which will come up again
later, but they reached an uneasy agreement to put aside their
differences for the sake of the ship. But if the Maquis ever sense they
are being put in jeopardy, I think they will question the Starfleet
officers' orders.
It was great to see Janeway and Torres both so strong on science and
engineering skills. They are both excellent role models. I noticed a
distinct similarity between Torres and Ensign Ro Laren. They were both
strong women who have overcome their disadvantages and just needed people
to believe in them. The interaction between the crew all felt more
natural than STNG or DS9, and the pace of this episode really helped pull
it together. And yet, despite its rapid pace, there were some excellent
character moments for many of the characters. I also felt the Voyager
had more crewpersons beyond the ones listed in the opening credits,
another limitation of STNG. A few Maquis and that other Starfleet
engineering guy (Carey?) each had important points that enhanced the
story. I hope they keep this up.
Once again the holographic doctor was used as comic relief, although
I liked the scene between him and Kes, where though he was a hologram,
he was a *little* embarrassed about how he was shrinking. It reminded
me of a scene from Red Dwarf where Rimmer made fun of Holly, the ship's
computer, and Holly put a beaufant hairdo on Rimmer until he apologized.
Again, using him for comedy is OK as long as he is taken seriously most
of the time. I noticed some interesting details continued from the
pilot. None of the Voyager crew treat the doctor like a *person*, i.e.
extend the courtesy and respect in greetings, etc. -- only Kes takes
him seriously as a person, asking him how he feels. When they don't
actually need him, they ignore him. They don't inform him of important
information he needs to do his job -- for example, if they had kept him
informed about the anomaly, he could have better diagnosed his patients.
And people never say thank you to him, or say goodbye; they just turn
around and walk out on him, leaving him saying, "Captain? Hello?" or
"Can't anyone remember to turn off the program?" This says that
holograms are commonplace in the 24th century, and are taken for granted
as non-persons. And yet even Riker took his holographic "babes" more
seriously. The crew will be forced to deal with him as a person, though.
I think the banter between Paris and the doctor was hilarious, and he'll
be a good foil. Come to think of it, Paris is one of the most likable
characters I've seen in Star Trek, and it's mostly due to the actor,
Robert Duncan MacNeill. He just seems very natural, a real person who'd
get along with almost anyone, given a chance.
The only negative point about the story was the rather offhand way the
replicator problem was introduced. There was no indication of any
problem with the replicators in the last story (they made water "from
thin air", and suddenly they *all* break down? No reason given. Yet the
transporters work. Bryan Raney made the point that the transporters and
replicators work on a similar principle, energy converted into matter
using a pattern buffer. He also mentioned that there are replicators on
the shuttlecrafts. Surely they wouldn't also go down at the same time.
Bryan makes some good points. This development was just an excuse for
Neelix to become the cook and Kes to develop the hydroponics garden. But
without a satisfactory reason for the replicators to go down, this feels
contrived. Again, this could have been explained fairly simply if
someone had anticipated this question at the script-editing stage.
There have been complaints about the terminology used, that an "event
horizon" is not a barrier, you can't use a light/energy tractor beam
to pull something out from within the event horizon, etc. I agree this
was a bit sloppy, not in the story, but in the definitions used in the
technobabble. An event horizon surrounds a black hole, which is not
technically a singularity. Nevertheless, there was enough that was
scientifically/physically reasonable and consistent, and the concepts
were interesting enough, that this didn't bother me too much. They only
saw the "echo" of the ship once they were within the event horizon, and
since no one has been inside one, how do we know that the sensors would
not pick up what the Voyager crew observed? By the way, I am a chemistry
major, physics minor, and have astronomy as a hobby, so I do know
something about this stuff.
In summary, less plot holes than the pilot, and equally good production
values and acting. Rating: 9.0 out of 10.
Jay Badenhoop
The Electron Slayer
Keeper of Mr. Data's Data (SF news)
Milwaukee Time Lords/Star Fleet Academy
badn...@siucvmb.siu.edu
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