This might be the longest blog yet.

Prophecy: if I were Tuvok I would have kicked Neelix right out of my quarters.

Ever since DS9, I have loved the Klingons. I love the myhtology, and the tradition. While I believe in non violence I also respect that that’s a human value, and can respect a species where there is a mutual understanding that this is not how things are done.

Ah Kim is seducing the Klingons! I laughed so hard when the doctor gave him authorization for intimate relations with an alien species.

This episode was fun, from Neelix participating in mating rituals to B’Elanna telling war stories and Tom doing a fight to the “death.” It was low stakes, low consequences, one part, which y’all know is my favourite type of episode. I even liked when Neelix started singing a drinking song in Tuvok’s quarters despite me dying inside at the site of him barging in and violating Tuvok’s privacy.

The Void: Awe Seven gave the goblin dude some of her rations. That was so cute!

Also loved the moment Janeway refused to steal back food that wasn’t theirs.

Where was this Janeway in Equinox? I’m missing the soul searching journey where she became a better human. It’s like we finally have season 1 Janeway that got us stuck in the delta quadrant back. We are on this mission because she was being kind, and she chose not to abandon the Ocampans.

I forgot to finish this blog and I watched this days ago, so I’m missing some of my more detail oriented comments. But I loved this episode. There was so much humanity that I had been craving. It was refreshing. But then I spent several days zoning out and watching a reality show where girls compete to play Elle Woods in Legally Blonde on Broadway. I watched the whole series. It was a moment of weakness.

Workforce: I love Janeway when she finds a man to fraternize with. Also Seven was awesome when she scolded Janeway.

And Tom found a new Sandrine’s! Watching Tuvok laughing was such a joy. Unfortunately in the same scene B’Elanna walked in looking depressed and then walked out and now I’m all sad.

I’m intrigued, to say the least.

Man Harry just can’t get a break. The doctor is in his command hologram uniform!

This episode is super clever, because Voyager has done so much of that uncanny valley, we’re all undercover plot that that’s what I expected, but that’s not what happened. The entire crew was somehow kidnapped!

“Maybe all that sarcasm is compromising your natural charm.”

Man the doctor immediately flipped back to being an arrogant jerk when he put on the red uniform. Not because of that line cuz Harry was being a jerk first, but then how he behaved with Chakotay on the bridge.

OF COURSE TUVOK DID THE MIND MELD THING.

Part two: this is going to be so heartbreaking when Janeway doesn’t get to stay with this guy.

In these episodes, I love the way the characters are still themselves. Tom went and got himself fired, B’Elanna was all moody, Seven was efficient, the captain was charming.

Ah Harry went all formal and Tom called Janeway Sir. We never wrapped up the doctor’s plot line though. He never had that lesson of “I am a doctor first and foremost and that is fundamental to who I am.”

Human Error: AWE SEVEN’S FANTASY PROGRAM MADE MY HEART HURT. I want it to be real.

Oh yeah where the heck was Icheb in the last episode?

Why Chakotay? Man she made a holoprogram that exactly mirrors both what she wants and what she needs to learn. But she supposedly wouldn’t know the things she needs to learn.

18 Q2: OMG Q!

Also awe Icheb. Awe baby Q! EXCUSE ME HE JUST DELETED SEVEN’S CLOTHES.

Kitchen rat! I like it.

Awe it’s cute that Tom has been giving Icheb flying lessons.

Mini Q’s essay was gross. Just saying. But big Q wasn’t proud of him! Ouch.

Why does Janeway feel the need to order Harry to compensate for the spacial rift? Of course he’s trying to compensate!

Why wasn’t Janeway kicking and screaming when Big Q didn’t save Icheb? Icheb shouldn’t be punished.

Do we get to keep mini Q? I want to keep mini Q! Awe darn it.

Author, Author: Awe I know this episode isn’t about this but I felt so much when Tom gave Harry the sixth call in line. I feel so much of Tom’s story with his dad.

Meanwhile, I’ve been liking the doctor less and less as we go because he is somehow getting more arrogant. As I watched his story I was mad because what right does he have to portray them this way after everything they’ve done for him? But when they confronted him about it they sort of proved his point. They had a right to say “Hey, if you really feel this way, we need to talk and address the situation. You deserve to be treated like any other member of the crew.” And he has a point that it’s for the other Mark One’s who haven’t had the permission of their crew to expand their programming, or the freedom to leave sickbay. The mobile emitter was a fitting metaphor to how he is confined, and if that thing breaks he’s really stuck there. Dr.Zimmerman deactivated him at will when he visited! And then they told him that he should feel bad about how he made them feel- no, it’s not about them. But he SHOULD acknowledge that if he doesn’t really feel this way about them, the uncanny similarity is going to make them uncomfortable, angry, upset and he needs to show that it wasn’t based off their actions. If it was based off their actions, they all need to take steps to address it. Admittedly, Janeway has treated him differently on occasions, in ways that ruled both for and against his favor.

I don’t see why Neelix’s idea that he changes the setting of the holonovel didn’t occur to the doctor initially. It’s an obvious solution to this problem.

Oh Seven is watching everyone’s conversations with their family and it hurts. These family episodes really get to me.

I like the way this ended. I think it was equitable. It didn’t decide this argument for them but it acknowledged there was an argument to be had.

Friendship One: I love the ideas behind this episode. First off, they acknowledged that humanity’s desire to explore can have harmful effects and that we have to be careful. Friendship One had beautiful intentions but it did so much harm. I also think Kerry’s death had an intense metaphoric meaning here. It allowed Voyager’s crew to feel the loss with those people.

Tom was so sweet in this episode. You can tell how ready he is to be a dad.

They also made an important argument about reparations. Obviously Voyager’s crew didn’t do this to this species. But this species hasn’t had the opportunity to grow and evolve because they’ve been battling radiation poisoning and living in a cave. We currently face similar questions with closing divides caused by historical racism. DS9 talks about this argument in greater detail although oddly not as often as some of their other transitional topics. I’m a huge nerd for transitional justice so if anyone wants to get into more depth with those ideas.

Natural Law: Whoops there goes another shuttle.

I love that Tom is going to piloting lessons.

Excuse me, Chakotay broke his leg but he’s still the one carrying the bag. Come on Seven, pick up the slack. Other than that she has oddly decent bedside manner.

This is the kind of B story I can get behind. I love the animosity behind Tom’s smile when the flight instructor tells him that there’s no rush.

Seven should have been able to make six k each way in just over two hours. Maybe add an hour because the terrain is tough. It’s about four miles each way. I don’t see the problem here, how did she end up in a storm at night? And how did she not get wet during the storm we could hear thundering?

I’m curious about what the Deaf community thought about this episode and how it portrays language. Obviously it isn’t just American or British sign language being used, but I’d love to hear their thoughts on this representation of communication.

The removal or Chakotay and Seven should have been quick and surgical. While I admire what Seven tried to do, they had done enough damage and leaving the field open was doing more damage. One girl with what appeared to be relatively minor injuries was chosen over the harm to their whole society now that the other species knows that the field is penetrable. While I respect what Seven did, she should have thought harder about the consequences. Janeway and Chakotay should have intervened in that a little harder, they know better.

We’re going to finish this tomorrow, guys... I’ll wait to get all sappy until then.