Virtuoso

"Virtuoso" is a very slight episode, though it is enjoyable. It all begins with Voyager coming into contact with a VERY self-satisfied and smug planet. They feel that Voyager and its crew are beneath them...at least until they happen to overhear the Doctor singing. Suddenly, these folks are entranced and respond to him like he's Elvis or the Beatles in their prime! These folks are now begging him to put on a series of concerts. Heck, they'd even love to have him come live on the planet forever. But this serves to give the Doc a very, very swelled head and soon it's practically impossible to live with him. So what's next? See the show yourself.

One very odd thing is that the famous singer/song writer Paul Williams appears in this one but his part is very small. I saw a documentary about the guy recently and apparently he was struggling with addictions until he ultimately got straight and is now an addictions counselor. Perhaps this was during his chemically dependent period, as this would seem the only reason to have such an impressive guest and barely use him. Oh, and good luck to you, Mr. Williams!

The Doctor sings amazing. I loved this episosd. Robert Picardo is an outstanding singer.

Another marvelous Doctor episode!

Doctor's ego is both a benefit and a curse to those who love him, but we have to take each other as we are.

He learns this is a two way street, that in as much as his friends have to accept his own capacity for ego he has to accept that they will not always feed that ego --- autonomy is a double edged sword.

If your friends are happy to inflate your ego without respecting their own individuality then they are fake friends; the real ones won't debase themselves to prop you up on a pedestal.

So bravo, Doctor, for embodying our own experiences of painful lessons, they are valuable and through you we laugh at our own inflated egos!

5/5, a lovely episode.

While assisting a group of technologically advanced aliens, they hear the Doctor sing and instantly become mesmerized by his voice. Voyager returns the aliens to their home world where the Doctor becomes adored like The Beatles when they first came to America. The Doctor must decide if he wants to stay on this planet where he is worshiped as a singer or remain with the Voyager. There is also the question of if he should be allowed to leave the ship, since he is in essence an Emergency Medical Hologram.

Robert Picardo turns in a fine performance in this episode, and there are some great scenes with him and Kate Mulgrew, but this is one of the show's weaker episodes.

It's still worth watching as it brings up some interesting concepts about exactly how to classify the Doctor now. Hologram property of Starfleet or a sentient being. In a way this is a courtroom episode, but instead of a courtroom it takes place in a concert hall.

This episode can be underrated because it's not the best executed. But as all Star Trek, it's the interesting idea and the anti-climatic ending that really sticks. I have always remembered this episode and everytime I encounter themes of fame and proclamations of pop-talent, I think back to this episode.