Counterpoint

This is a great Janeway episode which shows all her facets and her genius. Luckily Star Trek captains have evolved over time. While Kirk would have brawled himself out of this situation, Janeway instead outsmarts her opponent.

The title and the music in this episode set the stage for this musical metaphor: As note plays against note in a counterpart, Janeway and Kashyk play against each other. But until the end the viewer is never really certain if it's a duet in harmony or in dissonance.

While Janeway as a woman clearly longs for a companion that cherishes science and exploration as much as she does, she also is a Starfleet captain from head to toe. She always is prepared to be outwitted and keeps an ace up her sleeve - just in case. You might think at one point in the episode, that Janeway is a typical woman, that falls in love with an eloquent man and is blinded by his charade. But while she in fact has feelings for Kashyk, she is the one that plays with him, yet keeping a door open if Kashyk might prove innocent or decide otherwise.

There might be in intentional oversight at the end. While the 12 telepaths are save on board of a shuttle, there are still three telepaths under the Voyager crew that have not left the ship.. Kashyk knows that, he has seen Tuvok before. Yet, he doesn't search for them. He could have confiscated the ship and put the whole crew into detention, but he does not. A mistake by the writers? Or does Kashyk in the end also admire Janeway and although he is a henchman of a totalitarian regime he has feelings for her? Just like in superhero movies: A villain is nothing without a hero and a hero nothing without a villain. Maybe he wanted Janeway to escape all the time and played this duet with her without being sure, who will get the applause at the end.

Those unexpected turns and twists make this episode really enjoyable to watch.

When the show begins, an incredibly obnoxious group of Devore inspectors are rooting about Voyager looking for something--but you aren't sure what. During this search, these people act a lot like bullies and it's obvious that they are jerks. After they leave, you learn that this race HATES telepaths and they hunt them down and put them in concentration camps. During this inspection, there were a group of these telepaths as well as some telepathic crew members (such as the Vulcans) and they hid them inside the transporter buffer. Once they were brought back, the plan was to get them to safety as soon as possible--but considering how nasty the Devore are, there are bound to be more inspections. But using the buffer repeatedly could end up killing these telepaths.

The solution to their problem MIGHT have just arrived as Inspector Kashyk (the man who had led the inspection) shows up bit later and says he wants to defect. He claims that he hates how his people persecute the telepaths. Additionally, he seems to have taken a real shine to the Captain. So what's next? See the show.

This is a pretty good episode. I do wish that Kashyk had become a recurring character or they'd expanded the romance more, but apart from that it's worth seeing.

Voyager faces heavy scrutiny in a tightly controlled section of the Delta Quadrant.

This is a very good character driven episode that is virtually impossible to go into plot details about without spoiling. However, it is safe to say that the themes of trust and persecution are quite compelling. As in all good Trek stories it uses intelligence rather than violence to overcome its main obstacles and showcases a memorable battle of wits between certain individuals.

The strongest aspect is the use of the main characters Janeway and Kashyk. If you are watching it for the first time there is a great tension built on the uncertainty of underlying motivations and the outcome of the story.

Katie Mulgrew gives one of her best performances and is supported very well by Mark Harelik.

I sincerely loved this episode. It was cleverly written character-driven episode, with a plot line that twists and turns several times, so that right until the end, I truly did not know how it was all going to play out. I really enjoyed being surprised over and over again.

The relationship between Janeway and Kashyk was complex, subtle, and beautifully acted. I think one of the reasons this episode gives such a strong emotional impact is the impeccable acting in the scenes these two share. And how nice it was to see our lonely captain finally share a nice steamy kiss with someone. (But can she trust him? Watch to find out...)

So far I'm finding Season 5 of Voyager really enjoyable, and this episode is one of the best so far. I probably wouldn't put it ahead of Timeless, but it's still an excellent episode and not to be missed.

Remember the movie, "The Sting," and what happens to those who get too cocky. Well, we are treated to a couple of strong characters who find themselves sparring, ducking and weaving. A group of space bullies stop ships and "inspect" them with the purpose of finding something amiss and confiscating the ship and putting the crew on a prison colony. They must acquiesce or they will not survive. Voyager has a group of refugees on board who are looking for a wormhole and they become a target. Well crafted episode. Quite entertaining.