TF01 3,Video Reviews - Part 2 4, STAR TREK: VOYAGER VOLUME 1.1 - "CARETAKER" ------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- For those of you that don't know, Voyager is the latest Star Trek adventure made by Paramount and is the direct replacement for The Next Generation. "Caretaker" is the pilot story and very briefly introduces to the new ship, it's crew whilst trying to tell you how the USS Voyager is in the predicament it is, i.e. being transported 75 years from home and stranded on the other side of the galaxy. Voyager has already been compared to Classic Trek and it is very reminiscent of it but it is so much better. So much so, that although I do not particularly like Classic Trek, I think Voyager is the best Star Trek series yet. The trouble with a lot of pilots is that the actors have not known their characters all that long and so are a little wooden to start off with (cue Shatner/Frakes jokes). "Caretaker" does not appear to suffer from this problem as all involved appear very comfortable and relaxed and look as though they work well together. To cap it all, the main title sequence is stunning. Classic Trek's was laughable and Next Gen's was merely an updated version. Deep Space Nine's is good, but a trifle slow (even on fast-forward) but Voyager's sequence showing the USS Voyager flying through various spatial phenomena is outstanding. To give you some idea, imagine a sun. Rising up from it, in an arch is a sunflare through which the USS Voyager flies and the camera follow except we fliy through flare. As we get to the other side, the flare fades into the title of Star Trek: Voyager. Good, huh? A couple of points of interest are worth noting. Voyager's human doctor is played by the same actor who played Rogar Danar in the Next Gen' episode "The Hunted". Also, the actor who played N'Vek in "Face of the Enemy" plays a human bridge officer on the Voyager. Overall, if you've bought all the other pilots, you have to get this, and if you didn't by the other pilots, you still have to get this. Highly recommended. STAR TREK: VOYAGER VOLUME 1.2 - "PARALLAX" / "TIME AND AGAIN" ------------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- "Parallax" is the first episode after the pilot and primarily deals with how the Maquis are integrating into life onboard a Starfleet vessell. This is epitomised by the conflict in main engineering where there is literally a fight between a Starfleet officer and B'Elanna Torres over which one of them will be Chief Engineer. To top it all off, the Voyager becomes trapped inside a quantum singularity which will eventually crush it... The first character episode of this new episode introduces us to B'Elanna Torres, an ex-Starfleet Acadamey cadet who joined the Maquis and is now the Voyager's Chief Engineer. As with all character episodes it delves deeply into the backround of the charcter and in Torres' case we are shown a lot of who she is and what drives her. I wouldn't pay too much attention to the subplot of Voyager's entrapment. Whilst it does give base on which to introduce B'Elanna Torres it concerns quantum mechanics and as such is full of techno- babble, although the viewers puzzlement is represented here by Tom Paris' confusion. On the whole a good episode. "Time and Again" concerns Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Paris being sent back in time a day before all life on the planet was destroyed in a catastrophic disaster, in which they also died... As you can gather from the title, this is a time travel story which deals with Kathryn Janeway and Tom Paris trapped in the past and the rest of the Voyager crew trying to rescue them. However, unlike other time travel stories, this one does not use any techno-babble, so even a simple layman like myself can enjoy it without getting a headache. It shows how Chakotay would command and how he relates to Janeway's advisor, Tuvok and it is clear there is no love lost between them as each only just barely tolerate the other. It also looks at Kes and her mental abilities and in one particular scene shows what a good actress Jennifer Lien is. Again, a very good episode. "Parallax" and "Time and Again" combine to make a very good tape, and if these are any indication of how the first season is going to turn out (and they do because I've seen episodes that follow), we are going to be in for a fun ride. STAR TREK: VOYAGER VOLUME 1.3 - "PHAGE" / "THE CLOUD" ----------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- In the third tape of this most excellent series, Neelix faces a life of immobility after he is attacked by a horrific looking alien in "Phage" and in "The Cloud" the Voyager unwittingly injures a spacefaring lifeform... Gosh, all exciting stuff isn't it? We've only reached the fourth episode (I'm counting the pilot as one episode) in the first season and already one member faces his own mortality. The "Phage" in this episode has decimated a race known as the Vidiians and as yet there is no cure. Because of this, the Vidiians have remarkable medical technologies (outclassing the Federation even) and have resorted to harvesting much needed replacement organs from other species. Unfortunately, a Voyager away team, whilst looking for Dilithium deposits, encountered a Vidiian who harvested Neelix's lungs. I like this episode a lot because, while it's not actually gory, it does have the capacity to be that (and I must admit, I like gore). I mean the phrase "harvesting organs"? Positively gross. And when you finally see the Vidiians in all their splendid hideousness (if there is such a word) they look as though they've come out of a top class horror flick. Full credit should go to Michael Westmore and his team for creating such a monstrous looking species. Kate Mulgrew should also be applauded for playing Janeway so well when the Captain was face with a tough dilemma (although the final decision was met with cries of "WHAT!" and "Oh, come ON!" when I watched it). The thing I didn't like about this episode is the fact Paramount/Viacom seemed to be capitalising on the fact that there were a lot of disease related stories/films/episodes at the same time this was released. Now I understand that you have to go with what's popular, but I remember getting sick to back teeth of diseases. But that's just me anyway. On the whole a very good episode. In the next episode "The Cloud", Voyager is still looking for a way to replenish their energy reserves when they run into (maybe that should be fly in to?) what they think is a nebula. This is, to date, my favourite episode of the series although some of the scripting leaves something to be desired. This episode is in essence a good samaritan and the dilemma facing the crew is basically "We've injured this creature - now do we leave to heal, or do we waste our precious energy reserves and aid it?" And one that is handled quite well with a good measure of light relief provided by Neelix (who appears to have got over his problem from "Phage"). Unfortunately, the special effects team seemed to have an off day when making this as they are a bit lacking. The worst part is when Voyager is out of control and the shot wouldn't look out of place in Space Precinct. Aside from that though "The Cloud" combined with "Phage" make a very pleasing tape and worthwile spenging your hard earned dosh on. STAR TREK: VOYAGER VOLUME 1.4 - "EYE OF THE NEEDLE" / "EX POST FACTO" --------------------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- In the fourth volume of the latest Star Trek saga, we see the familiar face of an old adversary give hope to the crew of Voyager and also one of its crew is convicted of murdering a prominent scientist... In "Eye of the Needle", Voyager's crew becomes filled with hope when Harry Kim discovers a wormhole that has a one in four chance of leading to the Alpha Quadrant and home. These hopes are dashed when the wormhole is discovered to be only thirty centimetres in diameter and obviously in the final stages of collapse. They decide to send a probe through too find out where it does lead. However, this becomes mired but someone or something from the other side scans it. Eventually, they manage to use the probe as a courier for a message stream and open a channel, only to come face to face with a.... Romulan. I must admit I am still undecided about this episode. On the one hand, it is well acted by everyone, especially Mulgrew as she pleads with the Romulan commander for any kind of help. On the other hand you know perfectly well with any episode like this, this early on in the series, what the final result is going to be. For those of you that haven't seen it yet or can't figure out the ending, I'll give you a clue - this is the FIRST episode on the tape, okay? And, as per usual on two episode tapes, there is usually a good episode and a bad episode. On this tape "Eye of the Needle" was a bad episode, which makes "Ex Post Facto" an even worse episode. In it, Tom Paris is accused of having an affair with a scientist's wife, and then murdering the scientist when discovered. And that's it basically. Oh, there is a subplot in there somewhere, but I shouldn't give too much thought about that. As for the main, erm, plot I suppose - seen "Matter of Persepctive"? Well "Ex Post Facto" is an exact remake with Paris in Riker's role, except Riker played it better in Next Generation's version. And as for Tuvok's method of investigation. Yes, well! And when he calls his final witness I didn't know whether to laugh at the episode or cry over the fact that I'd just paid £11.00 for this pile of rubbish. My recommendation? Avoid buying at all costs, or give it to someone you don't like. STAR TREK: VOYAGER VOLUME 1.5 - "EMANATIONS" / "PRIME FACTORS" -------------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- In this next volume in the Voyager saga, Harry Kim disappears whilst on an away mission and reappears in a culture that thinks he came from the afterlife and also Voyager responds to a distress call from a race called the Sikarians only to find it is they who are in distress... On their long journey home, the Voyager's crew believe they have found the 238th element on an asteroid. Naturally curious, Janeway dispatches an away team who discover a grisly secret. Unfortunately, the asteroid is prone to subspace vacuoles which envelopes Harry Kim and transports him to a strange new world where it appears they use the vacuoles to send their loved ones to the afterlife. And, as such, they believe Harry Kim has come from the afterlife, the next emanation. The number 47 is a running joke in Star Trek - the Enterprise had 47 decks for example, or it is oft quoted that someone has only 47 minutes/hours/days remaining to live/save the universe etc. The point I am trying to make here is that whilst you're watching this episode they say the word "emanation" so many times that you begin to think the scriptwriters put it in 47 times (they didn't, because I counted - it came pretty close though). However, saying that, this is not a bad episode with fine acting by Garrett Wang as Kim and Jerry Hardin (Deep Throat from season one X Files and Mark Twain from Next Gen's "Time's Arrow") as the Thanatologist. You remember the fable from the Bible about Jesus resurecting Lazarus? This makes me think that someone asked "Okay, he came back from the dead, but what happened next?" and built a story around that and it worked pretty well. It's a pity that the ending, how Harry Kim gets back is so obvious and, as I've already mentioned, the script is peppered with the word "emanation" but those are only minor irritations. In "Prime Factors", Voyager responds to a distress signal sent by the Sikarians only to be baffled when the Sikarians tell them that they have come to offer aid to Voyager's crew by offering a little R & R. Whilst enjoying shore leave, it is soon discovered that the Sikarians have the ability too fold space. This could mean that they could help Voyager traverse 30,000 light years of their long journey in no time at all. However, the Sikarians own canon of laws, their own prime directive, forbids them in helping the crew of Voyager. For those that may have read my article on the Prime Directive elsewhere in this issue, you know that I am not a stong proponent of it. In "Prime Factors" this is the first time when we have seen it used against the Federation and they do not like it one bit. I must say that the scene in the briefing room when the Captain and company is arguing about what to do is acted extremely well by everyone involved. In fact, I applaud the whole episode, as the acting throughout is of exceptional quality. "Prime Factors" is, I think, going to be an all time classic in the same vein that "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "Sarek" is. A lot of episodes have touched on the Prime Directive, but this is the only episode I can think of that deals with it effectively. I have to admire Kathryn Janeway for sticking to her guns but if I was was in the same boat, sorry - ship, I'd certainly know which side I'd be on. A point aside, look out for Martha Hackett as Seska (the Bajoran engineering babe) as this episode sets a story arc in motion that concerns her and finishes in "State of Flux", the next episode. Overall, a fine tape and well worth buying. STAR TREK: VOYAGER VOLUME 1.6 - "STATE OF FLUX" / "HEROES AND DEMONS" --------------------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- The Voyager and the Kazon cross paths again, but this time there is a traitor aboard Voyager and the holographic doctor chooses a name for himself before going on an away mission to find some missing crewmembers on the holodeck... In "State of Flux", the Voyager's crew go to the aid of a Kazon vessel which appears to have suffered some sort of explosion that has left only one of its crew alive. Upon investigating the cause of the accident, it transpires that the Kazon were trying to install some new technology to the vessel that simply wasn't compatible. Voyager's crew later discover the new technology is actually Federation technology from the Voyager herself. This means someone in their midst is a traitor and all evidence points a finger to either Carey or Seska. "State of Flux" is a classic whodunnit in which we also learn some of the background of Chakotay. Visually, the episode is stunning with some great shots of the interior of the Kazon ship where bodies have become fused with the bulkhead and continuing with shots of Seska letting her hair down - quite literally (WHAT is it with Bajoran women? Why are they so attractive?). There are some nice twists and turns in the story with a nice surprise at the end. Acting throughout, particularly the scenes between Seska and Chakotay, was nothing less than remarkable. In fact the only niggles I have are that facts that this is the last episode in which we see Martha Hackett (although we might see her again) and the Kazon. What I mean by that is they are very similar too the Klingons - whether this was intentional (which it probably was) or by pure coincidence remains to be seen, but I keep expecting one of them to say "Qa'pla!" With "Heroes and Demons", Harry Kim and later, Chakotay and Tuvok all disappear from the holodeck. It turns out they have been converted from matter to energy by some unknown agent. Surmising that anyone else who enters the holodeck is also likely to suffer the same fate, it is agreed that the Doctor should investigate as he is already energy. But, before he goes, maybe now would be a good idea to choose a name for himself? Although "Heroes and Demons" touches lightly on the basics of first contact, it actually deals with the Doctor, and how he is slowly learning to deal with others as well as come to terms with himself. There is a mixture of everything in this episode - humour, grief, suspense, daring-do and... swordplay? The episode is set around the oldest English text ever recorded, the poem "Beowulf". That's not to say you need to read "Beowulf" to know what's going on as the basics are thus - village in Denmark lives in peace. Village then attacked by monster (Grendel). Brave village warriors go off to slay monster - don't come back. Enter hero (Beowulf). Beowulf sees villages plight and instead of getting out of there pretty sharpish, goes off to slay monster. Get the picture? On the whole a very good episode with some fine acting by Robert Picardo. One point I would make to those who feel like reading "Beowulf" after watching this - don't expect to find Freya in it. She was made up for this episode. STAR TREK: VOYAGER VOLUME 1.7 - "CATHEXIS" / "FACES" ---------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- In the seventh volume Tuvok and Chakotay are seriously injured after being attacked by an unknown entity and afterwards it appears that Voyager now has a poltergeist aboard. Also, the Vidiians are back, and this time they have captured B'Elanna Torres and extracted her Klingon DNA to make a full Human version and a full Klingon version who, they believe can aid them in their quest to defeat the phage... Starting off with "Cathexis", Tuvok and Chakotay are discovered unconscious in a shuttlecraft after travelling through a dark matter nebula. Whilst Tuvok comes around, Chakotay is in a critical condition - he is effectively brain dead. Soon afterwards, people start exhibiting strange behaviour with no memory of their actions. It is founf that they are being possessed by a non-corporeal entity which seems determined to keep them out of the nebula in which Chakotay and Tuvok were injured. "Cathexis" starts out simply enough as a good ghost story which evolves into a brilliant piece of paranoia at play in a closed enviroment immortalised in such films as John Carpenter's "The Thing" in which we have crewmembers watching each other for the slightest deviant in their behaviour. This could have easily been so very serious an episode, but a very humerous scene between Neelix and the Doctor helps blow off some steam which is exactly what's needed. As the episode goes along you find yourself getting involved and just when you think you know what's going on, it throws something up at you and so keeps you guessing until the end. As such, when you watch for repeat viewing, you can see what actually happened and go "Oh, yes, now I see!" This is a good episode which involves the entire cast (except for Robert Beltran, who spends the entire episode on his back alseep) and one well worth watching. In "Faces", an away mission led by Tom Paris is captured by the grisly looking Vidiians. This time they suspect that Klingon DNA has phage resisting properties and so they extract all the Klingon from B'Elanna Torres to construct a full blooded Klingon version of her leaving a full Human version her weak and terrified. With "Faces" the first thing you start doing is compare Roxann Biggs- Dawson's normal human face with her in full Klingon makeup and you think "Wow!" Full marks must go to Roxann Biggs-Dawson as she must have acted her cotton socks off in filming this, and also to the Special Effects crew which made it possible to see them on the screen at the same time. I know they've done it previously with Brent Spiner in all the Data/Lore episodes and with Jonathan Frakes and Patrick Stewart, but it always amazes me how they do it. Not forgetting, of course, Michael Westmore and his make up team, not only for making a splendid full Klingon out of Roxann Biggs-Dawson, but also for their excellent work in creating the Vidiians and also turning Robert Beltran into a Vidiian as well. Overall, another excellent episode in a season which has so far outclassed Classic Trek's, Next Generation's and Deep Space Nine's first seasons. Combined with "Cathexis", this is a must buy for any fan. STAR TREK: VOYAGER VOLUME 1.8 - "JETREL" / "LEARNING CURVE" ----------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- In episodes fourteen and fifteen (again, counting "Caretaker" as one episode), Neelix is forced to face the horrors of his past and in himself and Voyager falls ill as Tuvok tries to instill some Starfleet protocols in rebellious Maquis crewmembers... "Jetrel" is named after a scientist that has come to visit Neelix aboard the Voyager. It transpires that Jetrel, a Haakonian, is the scientiest that was responsible for the mass destruction of one of Talax's inhabited worlds. Under the pretense of trying to find a cure for a fatal disease that Neelix has contracted as a reult of exposure to the weapon, Jetrel still appears to be carrying out some experiments. Poor old Neelix - he isn't having much luck, this season, is he? Earlier in the season, he had his lungs removed and now he is apparently suffering from a disease that will result in his death. Saying that though, "Jetrel" is a brilliant episode with some of the best acting I've seen so far this season. This particularly comes from, as you might of guess, Ethan Phillips who plays Neelix, Jennifer Lien as Kes and James Sloyan as Dr. Jetrel. For those that think Neelix was put in Voyager for a little light relief, watching this will change your mind as some of the scenes involving Neelix and Jetrel are simply stunning. There are no explosions, no space battles or anything like that as "Jetrel" is a pure character building episode, and in one episode the amount of character that Ethan Philips injects into his character is incredible. Overall? Brilliant. In "Learning Curve", Tuvok berates a former Maquis member for carrying out unauthorised repairs on a faulty gel pack. Not only does this lead to a confrontation between the Maquis and Starfleet, but also uncovers a more serious problem - the gel packs which contain the biocircuits that runs the ships systems are failing. After the seriousness of "Jetrel", "Learning Curve" is somewhat considerably lighter in nature, this time focusing on Tuvok. Again nothing major happens in the episode as it focuses purely on character and you're given the feeling that there is a lot more to Tuvok than meets the eye. It also shows that some of the Maquis members have not intergrated fully into the crew, which is a lot more true to life. After "Caretaker" there was only "Parallax" and, to a small extent "Prime Factors" that gave any indication that the two crews weren't getting along that well, but they are finally learning to tolerate each other. On the whole an excellent tape, one you should well consider adding to your collection. STAR TREK: VOYAGER VOLUME 1.9 - "PROJECTIONS" / "ELOGIUM" --------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- In the penultimate tape of the first season of Voyager, the holographic doctor faces an identity crisis and Kes goes through the Ocampa version of puberty. In "Projections" it appears that the Voyager has encountered the Kazon again, but this time, the unique technologies at Captain Janeway's disposal have not helped and the crew has been forced to abandon ship. Or so the doctor is told when he is activated and finds the ship deserted after a red alert signal is given. He finds however, that B'Elanna Torres, the Captain and Neelix are still aboard together with one of the Kazon that attacked them. Forcing the Kazon to submit is not an easy task, and in the ensuing fight, the doctor finds himself, impossibly, injured. When I first watched "Projections" I thought at first that this was a standard ship disaster story and so I got into that mind set. Until about ten minutes later when I got a bit confused. Half an hour later I was totally and utterly baffled and enjoying every minute of it. I'm not going to tell you why as that would completely ruin the plot for you, suffice it to say that the story has more twists than someone who has been playing Twister for an hour. This was written surprisingly enough by Brannon Braga, whose past efforts have been, well, rather lacking. Not only that, it was directed by THE best director (in my own humble opinion), Jonathan Frakes who has not directed a single bad episode yet. If that wasn't enough to convince you watch this, then what if I mention Dwight Shultz reprises his role as Lieutenant Reginald Barclay. "How?" I hear you cry. You'll just have to watch the episode I'm afraid. In "Elogium" the Voyager encounters a spaceborn lifeform who seem to think that the ship is one of them and subsequently tries to mate, which (understandably) annoys the real mccoy who sees the Voyager as a threat. This desire also triggers a response in Kes and forces her into puberty, the Elogium, sooner than expected. Unfortunately for her, however, this is Kes' only time to have a child so she must conceive within the next few hours if she decides to have a child. Star Trek has been known in the past for dealing with taboo subjects like racism, drug abuse, death and so on. It has now turned its attention to what is still a very delicate subject even in today's society even though everyone goes through it (well, nearly everyone). Not only that, it also shows the decisions every parent-to-be must make if they are considering having a child. We have seen, thanks to Miles and Keiko O'Brien and to some extent Benjamin and Jake Sisko, how families sometimes work, but this is the first time we have seen the start of that process. On the whole very nicely handled by all concerned with some particularly fine acting by Jennifer Lien, with some humourous moments to lighten the episode. Overall, we have another superb tape containing two fine episodes which, for the nth time this season is a must for any collection. STAR TREK: VOYAGER VOLUME 1.10 - "TWISTED" / "THE 37'S" ------------------------------------------------------- Reviewed by Simon Plumbe ------------------------ Contrary to Paramount's broadcast schedule, Volume 1.10 contains the final two episodes from the first successful season of Star Trek: Voyager. Kicking off this tape is the penultimate episode, "Twisted". The crew of the Voyager decide to throw a surprise party to celebrate Kes' second birthday. While most of her friends are on the holodeck in Paris' re-created French bar, Tuvok and Kim remain on the bridge. Then the Voyager encounters a strange spacial distortion wave that begins to affect the Voyager in a rather strange way... No matter what the crew do, they find that the layout of the Voyager isn't what is used to be, and no matter where they go, or what part of the ship they try to reach, they always end up back at Holodeck 2. The crew soon discover that the spatial distortion wave is changing the interior of the ship, Janeway becomes injured, and it is only a matter of time before the Voyager is destroyed... No matter what you think of the scientific principles behind this story (which, I must admit, are rather far-fetched, even for Star Trek), it is a wonderful light-hearted story, with plenty of humour. Acting all round is, as usual, superb, although some of the best scenes are left to the Doctor when he is having trouble leaving the holodeck and returning to sickbay. This is made worse when he is having trouble averting the attention of one of Tom's holographic characters! A great fun episode, and a good start to the cassette. Fortunately, the quality is maintained with the season ending "The 37's". While travelling through space, the Voyager encounters a strange space phenomenon... rust! Upon further investigation, the Voyager comes across an abandoned 1936 Ford pick-up truck! The truck is brought on board the ship, much to Tom Paris' delight (he has an interest in antique vehicles), where Tom proceeds to start the truck's engine... and terrifies the rest of the crew in the process! While trying out the engine, Tom turns on the car's radio only to receive a surprise broadcast - an old S.O.S. signal. Janeway decides to head towards the source of the signal, to try and discover who it is who is in need of help. The signal promptly leads the Voyager to a distant planet, although unfortunately because of the composition of the atmosphere, transporters are redundant and shuttles would be too dangerous. Left with no alternative, Janeway decides that if they are to get to the bottom of this mystery, they need to land the ship!! Eventually, the crew find the source of the signal, coming from an old WW2 plane, and they subsequently come across an underground chamber where they discover a number of humans in cryostasis chambers, including the famous aviator, Amelia Earhart... who went missing while on a routine flight on Earth in the 1930's!! All I can say is - Wow! This is a great way to end the first season. Not only is the story well written, dealing with a somewhat topical subject (I'll leave you to discover what that is!), but it reveals a great deal of information about many of the crew and acts as a wonderful character story. Interesting pieces of information are also revealed including the newly-adjusted crew size of the Voyager (152 as opposed to the original 141) and a new alert status on board in the shape of the Blue Alert! The highlight of the episode has to be the landing of the Voyager itself. Not only is the reason for doing so valid and acts as an important element to the story, but it is done remarkably well. In fact, I would say that the landing sequence and subsequent effects are amongst the best ever seen in Star Trek. When the ship lands, a number of landing struts protrude from the underside of the ship, and the shots where you can see Voyager crew members walking around on the planet in front of the ship are simply astonishing. I dare anyone not to be impressed when they see this for themselves! Comparisons are naturally going to be made between this episode and TNG's "The Neutral Zone", but other than the initial discovery of the humans, there is really nothing similar between the two. Not only does "The 37's" stand up on its own merit, but is a far stronger story with better performances, character development, and will generally keep your interest more than "The Neutral Zone" managed to. Overall, this is an excellent tape with two extremely good episodes which only reinforces my opinion that Voyager is set to not only last for a full seven seasons, but to become more popular than any of the other Trek shows to-date. This should be an essential part of any Trekkers video collection. Reviewed by Marcus Priddey -------------------------- In the final tape of this season, the Voyager encounters a phenomenon which could destroy the ship and all those aboard and they also come across humans that have been abducted by aliens. "Twisted" starts off lightly enough with Kes's first birthday party thrown in Chez Sandrines. The proceedings are cut short, however, when they are surrounded by a phenomenon which is twisting and distorting the ship. Desparate to stop this, the crew try everything they can think of but nothing works and it's not long before they are all trapped on the holodeck about to suffer the same fate as the ship. As I said "Twisted" starts off lightly, but before the teaser has finished, the episode takes a darker tone which gets darker with each passing moment as the crew realise that time is running out. There are some very nice touches in "Twisted" that I liked such as B'Elanna calling Harry Kim, "Starfleet" - something I don't think she's done since the pilot and rivalries arising yet again between the Maquis and Starfleet, this time between Chakotay and Tuvok. All throughout the episode, you keep wondering how they are going to get out of this when every attempt fails although their final solution may seem a little odd. The only thing I didn't like was the ending which is a bit of an anti-climax and left me feeling a little let down. Apart from that a fine episode but one that will not stand up to repeat viewing. Finally, we have "The 37's" in which Voyager comes across an old (even by our time) vehicle from Earth's past. Things become even more strange when Voyager lands and they discover a thriving Human colony descended from abductees snatched from Earth on 1937. "Hold it, wait just a minute!!!" you ask. The Voyager... lands? Yes. The mind boggles doesn't it? Due to some atmospheric disturbance which makes transporting down impossible and shuttle landings hazardous, they decide to land Voyager. I know, I know, I didn't believe it when I was told it either, but the effects shots are superb. Aside from that though... HEY! I've started a new paragraph here - get your mind off the landing and stay with me okay? Aside from that "The 37's is a virtual remake of Next Gen's "The Neutral Zone". They've done this once before, with "Ex Post Facto" and failed, but this time they've succeeded admirably. The only thing that I do have a slight quibble with is that an entire colony has descended from a few abductees. Now you need about ten thousand individuals for a viable gene pool but I suppose this could be explained away with cloning and the like. On the whole, this is a nice finish to Voyager's debut season and I eagerly await season two.