The Haunting of Deck Twelve

This is a not watchable episode. What was this supposed to be? A crappy Friday the 13th ripoff?

Trying to scare the Borg kids makes zero sense - not sure they have emotions? After trying to scare the Borg kids, it really does not close their content. Neilix is a complete clump in the episode- why is he on this show?

Seems like the writers really run out of ideas. How did this get produced. What was the goal? This was not a Halloween episode. Maybe that would work for a few viewers?

I hope never to see this episode again.

This is the worst Star Trek episode ever.

I do not understand the high scores. I completely do not understand??

This episode unfolds primarily from Neelix's talking to the Borg Children while Voyager has to shutdown main power for a couple hours. It's a new twist on the old Campfire Ghost story.

The director uses some unique angles for the scenes that are supposed to take place during Neelix's story, and there are some cool effects shots.

We also get to see crewman Tal Celes, who we first met 5 episodes earlier in "Good Shepherd".

This episode was probably done as a budget saver with the season finale coming up the following week. The Borg Children have some funny lines, but some fine action and acting from the cast keep this episode from skewing too far into the Nickelodeon realm.

When this episode begins, Neelix is telling the children a ghost story. Now considering it has Neelix AND kids, it seemed to have two strikes against it--yet it turns out to be a pretty good show.

The story Neelix ends up telling isn't really a story at all--it's what's been happening on the ship. But he phrases it like a story and the kids relax. It turns out that the ship is experiencing lots of random electronic problems. However, after a while, it is obvious they aren't random at all--and soon IMPORTANT systems begin malfunctioning. How the Captain deals with all this is surprisingly intelligent and the episode, to me, is quite creative. It manages to combine Kids, Neelix and a ship-bound episode into a decent show and the ghost story style really helps.

Since Kes left Voyager and Neelix is no longer the jealous jerk of the first seasons and he also no longer wears that ridiculous chef's hat, he has become much more bearable and profound. His warm-hearted and empathetic nature towards the crew comes through much better and is not constantly overshadowed by mistrust and a lack of self-confidence.

In this episode, Neelix tells the Borg children how an alien creature has crippled half of Voyager and Janeway is now trying to find a new home for this creature. The scenery has something of campfire romanticism - when scary stories are told in the darkness by the light of the fire. Through flashbacks and constant interruptions and questions from the children about the events, including their own interpretations, the plot develops step by step. You almost have the feeling of being there and listening to Neelix's story. The whole thing has something of a sci-fi mystery horror about it.

However, I wonder why Janeway and the senior officers are keeping such a secret about the stowaway. Voyager has encountered strange beings countless times and has had one or two uninvited guests on the bridge. It would have made more sense to inform the crew about what happened on the ship and that they are looking for a new home for an alien energetic, non-corporeal life form that has temporarily made itself comfortable on deck 12. After all, they are explorers and first contact is one of their goals.

Around the campfire. This one is fun. This is told in a classic ghost story fashion. It's fun because you like the characters and you like the crew and you don't know how it's going to end and what is happening. It was very enjoyable. As improbable as it is, the crew appears to be alive. This better not turn out to be another version of Lost.