Alliances

Up until the very end of this episode, I would have probably scored this one a 7 or possibly an 8. However, the writer just couldn't leave well enough alone and the very end is a preachy and embarrassing mess.

When the episode begins, Voyager has just survived yet another attack by the Kazon. Recently, it's been one attack after another and the ship cannot survive this way for long. So, the Captain is convinced to try some other strategy by Chakotay--to consider an alliance with one of the Kazon factions. However, she soon learns that this is practically impossible and eventually she does find an unlikely ally, the Trabe. It seems this race actually created the ships and technology that were stolen by the Kazon and the Trabe insist they just want to make it out of this part of space and find a new home world. However, such a nice alliance is not something you'd expect in the Delta Quadrant--a part of space that is crawling with races of butt-heads!

As I said above, this WAS a very good episode. I loved all the deception and violence in this one. But when the show hit the end, they had a couple minutes to fill and the Captain sat with select crew and bloviated about Federation ideals and niceness. It was simply nauseating!!!!

It's clear that voyager was highly erratic when it came to quality. For me the early episodes are frequently just plain bad. Kate Mulgrew is still doing her B rate Katherine Hepburn acting, more than a minute with Nelix is too much, the Kazon look ridiculous even for the Star Trek universe. As a matter of fact, the entire entire story arc regarding the Kazon Is a good example of how bad Voyager could be. This mediocre episode is an example of that.

There were occasional good episodes early on, like the previous one- Prototype. And as the series evolved, things got better in many ways.

I think the best way to rewatch Voyager is a chronologic list of its "greatest hits".

I don't like the Kazon story arc at all. Would be best if they didn't return after Caretaker.

I'm rewatching all episodes, now that I'm older, and I don't have to wait a week for the next one to air. And I remember the previous episode with Kazons. Where Chakotay is in his shuttle, shields are holding, he warns the Kazon ship multiple times, and then takes it out with only ONE phaser hit.

They are impressed by the Federation's scanners, they don't have teleporters, they don't have replicators. But now all of a sudden 1) Voyager almost gets destroyed, 2) the crew is in fear of Kazons.

Would have been best if they wanted to form an alliance because the Kazons keep bugging them, not that they will get destroyed.

And if we go with they will get destroyed and they NEED to make an alliance than the end of this episode doesn't make sense either.

I do get tired of Janeway's speechmaking and her unbridled loyalty to her roots. She lectures her crew like an old lady English teacher (I am an English teacher, so don't get your hackles up). The crew wants to try something new, a bit of negotiation instead of a violent solution. So what happens when they try? The forces at work are shown to be untrustworthy, so give up any hope of doing something other than force. Still, it was very interesting and really a bit accurate.

Janeway was ridiculously intolerable in this episode especially the end. Was realistic only in the sense that idiots like her exist. These "rules" are always put out by politicians and desk jockeys who never have to deal with the real world.