Life Line

When the doctor learns that his creator, Dr. Zimmerman is terminally ill and the best doctors and experts have been unable to cure him, he has his program transferred to Jupiter Station via the Pathfinder Project's communications link. There, however, he meets an all too bad-tempered Dr. Zimmerman, who has not only given up all hope, but also sees his creation - the doctor - as old-fashioned and outdated. After all, there is now a far superior EMH with the Mk IV model.

Robert Picardo is excellent again in this episode. Especially because he can be seen in a dual role and plays two quite different characters. The conflict between both characters is also extremely moving and all too understandable. While Zimmerman is like a father figure to the doctor, at least something that comes closest to "family", to Zimmerman the doctor is an eternal reminder of failure. A disappointment. An invention that earned him only scorn and ridicule. The first EMH model that he created in his own image has long since been retired from Starfleet and is now eking out an existence in waste disposal. When Zimmerman looks at the doctor, he is looking into a mirror that is once again rubbing his failure in his face.

This episode has a profound message: While Zimmerman judges his creation solely based on the abilities programmed into it and does not initially see it as an individual, the doctor tries to convince him that he is now more than the sum of his algorithms. He has outgrown his original programming. The spark of creativity and individuality ignited in him the desire to be more than just a projection of light. Basically, it is the old question of when a machine, a robot, when AI ultimately becomes an independent, sentient living being that is aware of itself and its environment and leaves the limits of its own programming in order to truly develop freely.

It's so fun to watch Robert Picardo get to do different things. It doesn't take long for you to see what the episodes about. Very enjoyable. You learn some sad things about what has happened in the past but that's life in a big universe. A healthy looking recurring character shows up again. Well done. Very good Star Trek humor. A couple loose ends but that's our Star Trek universe.

The Doctor's program is sent back to the alpha quadrant via subspace to help treat his terminally ill creator Dr Zimmerman.

What follows is a battle of wills between an obsessive Doctor and a difficult patient who does not want to be treated by him. The plot concludes in a clever way, whilst giving us a plausible reason for Zimmerman's behaviour, not just making him difficult for the sake of a story.

The plot has been criticised for not taking simpler options than The Doctor take on such a high-risk mission when other options are clearly available. Well, the key to appreciate this episode is to just enjoy the confrontation between two characters and accept they have to share the screen for the full affect. When you get past the plot-hole, sit back and absorb what comes next.

Robert Picardo is on scintillating form playing both creator and creation. He delivers a masterclass in physical and emotional performance that keeps you engrossed in both characters. It's comparable to the bickering interaction between the two distinct characters such as Frasier and Niles Crane or Oscar Maddison and Felix Unger, just performed by a single actor.

There is able support from the Reg Barclay and Deanna Troi characters, but the two Docs blow everyone else off the screen.

This is almost as good as Brent Spiner playing three different people at once in "Brothers", plus we have the tag team of Howlin Mad Broccoli and Dianna Troi, with a talking Iguana and a holographic fly added for good measure. Plus, a very shy, very pretty holographic assistant.

Only problem I had with this episode was that the remedy Voyager's doctor had found involving Borg regeneration techniques would have included 7-of-69's nanoprobes, and there was no way to bring any of those. This was just something that they let slide, they didn't get into it. There must have been some way of acquiring Borg nanoprobes when he got to Jupiter Station, or the regeneration technique did not actually require those. Which I have trouble believing because nanoprobes were used for several medical procedures in the Delta Quadrant. To resurrect Neelix, to heal a convict, to cure a hangover. In fact you could say Nanoprobes were the go-to medical remedy from seasons four through "seven".

But it is the facepalm-comedy occurring on Jupiter Station that drives the episode, culminating in Troi's "Jerk" comment to Zimmerman and The Doc.

The solution, of course, to the personalities of the Doc and Zimmerman were to use those personalities to force a confrontation. And it required Troi's therapeutic skills as well as Broccoli's diagnostic skills.

There is one more episode where this combination is used, "Inside Man", by that time the Troi/Broccoli method had been perfected.

In this episode they are basically stumbling along, trying different things, including pretending to be a Sona'a masseuse, in order to get the Doc into the same room as Zimmerman. And the Doc even agrees to clean a waste transfer barge to accomplish this end... watch for it!

I have to say that when Robert Picardo is on the screen, this series goes up about two notches. He plays dual roles here, both the Voyager Doc and Zimmerman, his creator. Also, we have Barclay and Troi reprising roles. The byplay between the two (one?) is wonderful. They are contentious to the nth degree, which shows them at their best. Cynical and combative, the writing is excellent One thing I am planning on doing is to find other roles played by Picardo because he is a masterful actor.