In “Scorpion, Part II”, the USS Voyager gains a crewmember, and in “The Gift”, the USS Voyager loses a crewmember. Hmm… that’s pretty suspicious.
Trekabout Episode 280: Scorpion, Part II/The Gift

In “Scorpion, Part II”, the USS Voyager gains a crewmember, and in “The Gift”, the USS Voyager loses a crewmember. Hmm… that’s pretty suspicious.
Christopher Rollins
-Welcome to Star Trek: Voyager Season 4. We lose our blond elf and a shuttle, and gain a blond Borg drone. Should I say more now, or save it for later?
Eric Brasure
-Say more now!
Christopher Rollins
-Where do I start? Well, I did hear about Garrett Wang being on People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People list in 1996-1997, so if nothing else for a network Star Trek show, the more “sex appeal” the better. But, on the other hand, the way it’s done (by putting a lady in a catsuit) is very lowest common denominator for Voyager, Enterprise, and to a lesser extent TNG.
Cliffy
-Are you up on the story of Mukgrew and Ryan’s relationship? It’s fascinating. Mulgrew hated what she thought Seven represented so she was horrid to her on set (feeding her lines while sitting and reading magazines, sometimes not even showing up to play against Ryan when she wasn’t in the shot.) Amazing considering how good those scenes between them played.
Christopher Rollins
-Was it severe enough that it was harming the show in any way? Because, I listen to wrestling podcasts as well, and there were whole shows and storylines were changed or rushed because of backstage hatred and politicking being acted out on screen. Case in point: The Montreal Screwjob and everything leading up to it.
Richard Goodness
-We’ll talk some about this on the show, but I find all of this REALLY funny in light of how 7 and Harry are actually presented on the show. 7 of 9 may be played by a sexy lady in a catsuit who’s responsible for most of the show’s fandom (every straight guy I’ve ever talked to about Voyager says something appreciative about her, with good reason–she’s a beautiful lady), but as a character she’s more concerned with her scientific/intellectual/philosophical challenges, and so far her only interest in sexuality has been with scientific detachment. Meanwhile, Harry Kim may look like one of People Magazine’s 50 Sexiest Men, but he remains a dweeb who’s never quite managed to learn the lessons in charm that Tom Paris has been trying to teach him. There’s this weird divide–the production side wants it to be the sexiest show of the late 90s, but the writers and actors don’t want it to be, and it seems like they’re actively rebelling against it in any way they can. I’m pretty eager to see where this is going–if Harry and 7 actually end up copulating, it’ll feel like giving in; having him freak out when she offers is totally the right decision.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. You kids know we’re a couple episodes ahead of the game 🙂
Christopher Rollins
-Well, maybe not ahead of the game. I was watching Voyager at the time, and I was ready to give up on all of the cast besides Seven and the Doctor. It’s just been simmering for the last 20 years. Harry Kim at this point is pretty much the whipping boy. Given how the women on the show treat him, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t fanfiction of Harry wearing S&M clothing under his uniform.
Richard Goodness
-I really love the moment where they need a distraction, and Seven immediately, exuberantly provides it by beating the shit out of Harry.
Christopher Rollins
-I can remember the exact quotes from most of the episodes and films, even the Spock/McCoy argument in Star Trek 2 from memory.