Once Upon a Time

I won't write much because it is barely worth my time. After a stellar beginning to Season Five, we get this junk. Neelix's relationship with that little girl is tiresome enough, but throw in the bad acting and those ridiculous characters on the holodeck, and it seems endless. Why do we have to take these diversions away from science fiction? Other than a shuttle crash, the whole thing is maudlin manipulation.

The Delta Flyer crashes and there are fears for the lives of its crew.

There is a decent story at the heart of this about Naomi Wildman's experience and her connection with Neelix.

For me the general narrative does not unfold in a particularly compelling way. Putting two main characters in the away crew kills any suspense associated with Sam Wildman's predicament. Plus the writers again portray Neelix as a frustrating character, and the predictable underlying issues create no empathy with him.

Ethan Phillips gives a strong performance, but the material he has, especially in his confrontation scene with Janeway is not written with any subtlety. I find the dialogue in some episodes of Voyager tends to over explain characters feelings.

The use of the holodeck characters is debatable, as there is some merit with the themes about childhood fantasy worlds and the idea of sheltering children from harsh realities. When you read that this was part of an idea for a different story (that sounds far better), it feels like a missed opportunity. I find them annoying when on screen.

All actors are solid and make the best of the material. Scarlett Pomers does really well as at 10 year old interacting with her adult co-stars. Her short scene with Jeri Ryan is easily the best part of the episode.

It's a 5.5/10 for me but I round upwards.

I am blown away that some of you nerds think this is the worst episode of any Star Trek. I made an account just to write this but what the hell are you talking about, did you see the Voyager episode where Janeway and Paris turn into salamander aliens and mate?

Y'all really hate kids, huh? I remember reading the reviews of DS9 episodes that featured Molly O'Brien and they were just like, calling for the kid to die in order to make the show better.

I thought this episode was fine, the silly characters kept themselves in check and rarely overstayed their welcome, and we got to deal with the most unique crew member on this voyage.

To all the weird haters: Sorry this episode wasn't about a space battle or like a dilithium matrix being jettisoned.

Seems like we get one of these 'for the kids' episodes per season. Very sappy and almost totally devoid of plot, it's a morality play around how to deal with danger/death. The young girl does a good job of acting, it's just not the kind of Trek story I want to watch.

This episode showcases Voyager's youngest crewmen, Naomi Wildman, played by Scarlett Pomers. Her mother is on a mission on the Delta Flyer which has gone missing. The Voyager crew are searching, hoping to find the Delta Flyer before the air supply runs out on the trapped away team.

At issue is should they tell Naomi the truth about her mother being in danger yet, since they don't have solid facts. Neelix hopes to keep her occupied, sparing her the worry and pain of thinking she may never see her mother again.

A neat element of this episode is the holideck program for children. In the 24th century instead of watching Elmo and Big Bird kids actually get to play with Flotter & Trevis. The adventures involve an educational element to encourage learning. But Sesame Street has better songs.

Guest Cast: Under Flotter's makeup is Wallace Langham of CSI and The Larry Sanders Show. It's the only appearance of the holideck program, but the stuffed Flotter that Neelix and Harry make for Naomi is shown in future episodes.