Jetrel

Dr. Ma'bor Jetrel, was so well performed, 10/10 IMO, that I'm sure this actor talent was wasted, by not making it part of a crew of a this or any other serie. I mean: his performance was flawless, no underdos, no lack of feeling, yet no exaggerations, every feeling and motion was done to perfection; IMO so much it outshined the rest of the crew; all this for 1 guest appearance, remarkable; the hardest part was crying the right way, with the tears falling like it was real, yet he pulled out. I wonder: why so talented actors are never given the chance to Star?...

According to IMDb: He made some acting for a few years and then quit, 2 guest appearances in DS9 and TNG, each; on which he also did an Oscar worth acting.

Wasted talent, wasted opportunities, we all lose.

I see in the reviews that many people did not enjoy this episode, but I personally did. True, Neelix is not my favourite character either, but still, I thought Ethan Phillips did a great job acting in this episode, as did James Sloyan who played Dr. Jetrel. I particularly enjoyed the scene where they debated each other - it was very emotional, and I actually teared up at the same point that Jetrel did.

I tend to like the Star Trek episodes that are more philosophical, and this episode was like that, as there was a lot of discussion about if a scientist should be held responsible for what others do with this creation; and similarly, should a scientist do everything he can to advance scientific knowledge, or should he avoid making discoveries that could be used wrongly by others?

This episode gave me some good food for thought. I did like it. And it was nice to see Neelix act more like a regular person and not like such a goofball.

A decently written homage to the WWII atomic bomb debate with some survivors guilt thrown in. It's just tough watching Ethan Philips and the cartoonish Neelix try to deliver it, with the equally ugly Dr Jetrel as the counterpoint.

Also some annoying plot holes such as Jetrel's ability to turn the doctor off and otherwise being left alone while experimenting with a poisonous gas cloud. Star Trek has a knack for 19th century security procedures in the 24th century.

Finally, "taking a safety" in pool still requires one to hit one's own ball with the cue ball, otherwise it's a scratch!

With talk of weapons of mass destruction. I noted how near this episode is to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The allied forces never found any WMDs but they certainly left a lot of destruction and displaced people about.

So Jetrel is more than a discussion of the morality of nuclear warfare as intended by the producers of Voyager.

Ma'bor Jetrel is the scientist who invented the destructive weapon that did untold damage to Neelix's home world and killed his family.

So Neelix is not pleased when Jetrel steps on board on Voyager. He tells Neelix that the survivors of the blast are terminally ill and Neelix needs to be tested, as he might be one of them.

Only Jetrel has an agenda of his own, one where he himself could find redemption.

The philosophical musings does no really work. It might explain that underneath the bonhomie and cheerfulness, Neelix has been hiding a lot of trauma. No wonder he joined up with a bunch of strangers to get the hell out of this quadrant.

This was refreshing. I have had trouble watching Neelix cavort around the ship. I know he is often comic relief, but he often gets so tiresome. Here an alien from the planet Neelix warred with shows up and is brought on board. It turns out that he invented a cascade that killed Neelix's entire family. But there are other issues. Of course, our colorful guy is outraged, even though the other guy is there to check him for a disease he may have. But in the process, there are secrets that are revealed. It is pretty touching, maybe a bit too much to believe. There is one thing that bugged me. In most pool games, when one "plays it safe," he is required to strike an acceptable ball. You can't just put it where you want it. That is a scratch.