The Fight

I'm at this point re-watching Voyager and, reading all these negative reviews I tried watching this episode paying more attention, giving it a chance.

My opinion is, if you make the effort, it's not so chaotic, even though it IS a bit chaotic, but there are a lot of TNG episodes that felt this way earlier many years ago when I saw them (a re-watch is scheduled after Voyager).

Anyway, I can see how the writers wanted to tell this story and it can be followed, it's not a bad episode, it's like a longer prog metal song, you need to listen to it a few times to be able to understand and appreciate it.

Especially comparing the experience to the previous episode, which I skipped deliberately because I hate it, it's a waste that the duplicates die and nothing remains, the probe with the data they've gathered over their lifetime is lost, as if they had never existed, like, ever. So it's a waste of time for me to watch it.

This one at least has some depth added to Chakotay's shallow-ish character.

Chakotay begins having strange visions as Voyager enters "chaotic space".

The concept is very simple, but the story is told in a very disorienting way from Chakotay's point of view, which will likely impact what you think of it.

I see why this is an unpopular episode as it combines two themes that have been generally unpopular in Star Trek: Chakotay's Native American "abilities" and the use of DNA to explain certain plot contrivances. Personally, I do not think it is as bad as so many reviewers describe, but to put me through this type of disjointed narrative requires a very satisfying (or at least impactful) payoff at the end. This does not happen and the reliance of a certain gene to underpin crucial plot details is a bit of a stretch for me.

I like the visuals and editing which generate a creepy atmosphere and makes for a quite jarring experience. Plus the boxing imagery and related dialogue (particularly when the Doctor talks about the associated dangers, metaphorically) is pretty well done.

As another reviewer mentioned it is good to see Star Trek portraying life-forms that interact differently, as opposed to actors with American accents and a bit of latex on their face trying to pass as aliens.

I think the acting all round is very good. Robert Picardo is always good, but here Robert Beltran has the chance to play Chakotay in a very stressed and agitated state of mind and does it well.

...rated lower than the one where Paris and Janeway have slimy amphibian sex -- and seem remarkably blase about the whole thing when they are technobabbled back into human form -- you know you aren't winning love from the audience.

That's all I had to say. I just needed to point out that somehow this was a less-beloved episode than an episode involving Human-Salamander coital relations. That's...that quite an accomplishment.

I'm giving this episode a solid 8/10. First time I saw it I didn't understand what the hell was happening, I guess I wasn't paying enough attention, now that I've rewatched it I get it. This is a kind of episode where you need to pay attention, the premise is quite simple. Voyager gets stuck in a spacial anomaly called chaotic space, in that space there are aliens that are trying to make contact, chakotay has a dorment gene that they activate so that they can make contact, but that gene gives Chakotay hallucinations and blurred messages.... this episode is vastly underrated.

It's just so DULL. A waste of Ray Walston as the guest star as well.