Workforce, Part II

Sometimes when the setup is really good for a two parter, the conclusion doesn't quite live up to it. Here there is a bit of sluggishness, but there are so many positives that it doesn't matter. One thing that we can bank on (and sometimes it detracts) is that the Doc can solve almost any medical situation. The race that erased the memories and built new ones never had a chance against him. The slow realization of what is going on by Janeway is quite good. Once again, she ends up married to the ship. All in all, it is a satisfying piece.

In Workforce: part 1, The crew of Voyager carry out their normal lives as workers on an industrial planet called Quarra, totally unaware of their time on Voyager or their situation in the Delta Quadrant.

Chakotay, Kim and Neelix, return from their trading mission on the Delta Flyer to find the ship abandoned and adrift in a nebula, with only the Doctor on board.

The Doctor informs them that the ship fell into a trap which forced them to abandon ship in the escape pods, allowing them to be captured. The Doctor has heard nothing from them since.

After going undercover on the planet, Chakotay, Kim, Neelix and the Doctor must now find a way to return the crew and restore their memories, while evading local authorities who have uncovered their plan.

In Workforce: part 2, Chakotay must convince Janeway and the other crew members of their past lives on Voyager. Matters are complicated when Chakotay is exposed and taken for interrogation.

In the second episode of "Workforce", Janeway has settled into her new life as a worker bee and moves in with her new partner quite quickly. At the same time, Chakotay, Kim and the doctor try to free the crew from the clutches of their seemingly happy working lives. In the end they receive support from a local doctor and a crime investigator who are also on the trail of this plot.

The story could easily have been told in just one episode. Especially since apart from Janeway, Tuvok, Seven, Paris and B'Elanna, we don't see any of the other kidnapped crew members. A lot of time is spent showing Janeway's new relationship in all its details - including the decoration of their shared apartment. Or with conversations between Paris and B'Elanna, which made the whole story a bit too maudlin in the end.

The little "who is the best replacement captain" competition between the doctor and Kim is quite amusing. Both want to constantly prove to themselves and the other that they are special and better than the other. However, the doctor should probably be consulted more often in the role of the ECH. His built-in tactical knowledge of combat maneuvers could have come in handy a number of times. Of course, you then ask yourself why all of this data isn't already part of the on-board computer so that it could control the ship autonomously in difficult situations.

Also, Janeway should just relax a little. None of the crew would blame her if she had a partner. For one thing, Voyager has been stranded in the Delta quadrant for seven years and who can demand abstinence from Janeway in such a situation. On the other hand, her partner does not belong to a species that is part of the Federation, he is not a Starfleet officer and is not part of her crew. He could have spent time aboard Voyager as a guest. Who should have cared that this guest was the captain's partner? This would certainly hardly compromise her competence and decision-making. And her crew wouldn't have to worry that this guest would be given preferential treatment when making any critical decisions.