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We kick off Star Trek: Voyager’s second season with “The 37s”, where the crew is now tempted by an offer of a new home. Then, in “Initiations”, the Kazon are tempted by Chakotay. Well, someone’s got to be.
HabsFan29
-I know A LOT about ST and I never heard that thing about the Kazon representing LA gangs. That makes a lot of sense! Makes them more interesting thinking about that (though I always liked them, that adds a layer). Thx for that info.
I loved the ship landing – one of the best things VOY ever did!
***SPOILERS AHOY STOP READING RICHARD***
– In retrospect, it cracks me up that Janeway said they need 100 crew to run the ship, when later on a single Borg and a hologram managed to do it for months through that nebula. And then Seven on her own for a while! Of course she went mad but that wasn’t really her fault.
– And congratulations Richard (even though you are not reading this) for guessing the end of the series! Very impressive. When you get to the end I’ll remember this moment.
emci13
-I was actually surprised that you guys didn’t talk much about the opening of The 37s. Tom Paris’s “antique car fetish,” B’Elanna Torres’s inability to identify manure even with a tricorder (or perhaps in spite/because of it), Janeway’s bizarre ability to recognize alfalfa sprouts–I felt like these were all moments that stretched the imagination a bit too far, even for the show.
As someone who “grew up” with VOY as the Star Trek, landing the ship was one of the cooler sequences. (Spoiler ahead) It alternatively frustrated and entertained me that they did not use the sequence as much as they could have, or that they didn’t quite figure out what to do with that ability. But to me watching it as a kid was akin to what I imagine was watching the Enterprise-D separate. I suppose that it was perhaps a quick and dirty way to have the full cast on a planet, as this episode demonstrates, without the need for an on-ship B-plot or “shore leave.” That said, I wish it got pulled out a bit more often and with purpose.
More on The 37s from a production standpoint, but I feel like Sharon Lawrence as Amelia Earhart also represents a different moment in Star Trek history (as far as I know), which is that rather than relying on a pseudo-in house group of secondary and tertiary guest actors, falling in line with regular tv shows and tapping into the sphere of guest actors who were circulating around television in general. I don’t have much actual support for this point, but to me Sharon Lawrence was the first guest actor appearing on a Star Trek show who I recognized from prior appearances on other television shows, and if I remember correctly the ads for The 37s touted her as the special guest star, unlike the uncredited Frank Langella appearances from DS9. It’s a rare occurrence even after this, but this does lead to (Spoiler alert) Jason Alexander showing up on the show *rolls eyes.* At any rate, I just feel like it’s a moment that subtly leans towards guest star billing in the show as becoming slightly more important. Perhaps it’s a function of VOY being a network show, UPN’s early clout, or something else. But it’s fascinating to observe.
Richard
-I skipped past the spoilers bit! Thank you for warning me!