2.22–”Innocence”
Plot: Tuvok is stranded on the surface of a moon, where he finds three children who claim to be stranded and orphaned by their own shuttle crash. Can he protect them from danger? Meanwhile, Janeway attempts first contact with the adults in the planetary system.
Thoughts: Let me get this straight. They decide to start strip mining the moon first, and to make contact with the planet’s inhabitants second? They don’t bother to keep in touch with Tuvok’s shuttlecraft, so don’t know that he’s missing for an extended period of time? It’s painful to read Memory Alpha, which contains accounts of the writer and producers of congratulating themselves on how the episode turned out. The episode should be retitled “Incoherence.” Or maybe “Never Mind Why.”
I can’t make sense of anything that happens. All that is clear is that the kids are giant liars, and Tuvok is a terrible investigator. Why have the ship’s scanners and transporters essentially never worked since the show’s premiere? How come the co-pilot died if Tuvok isn’t injured and the shuttle can be repaired by modest tinkering with handheld parts?
The point must be to get to the scenes of Tuvok interacting with the kids and reflecting on the development of Vulcan children. Which are mostly nice, until he starts raving nonsense about Vulcans believing in deities and having a personal crisis of faith, which is the opposite of what Vulcans stand for.
What do you think of the Vulcan lullaby?
I enjoy the B story scenes where the aliens tour Voyager and lecture Janeway on the shallowness of her values. What you show a guest first does seem like it says important things about a society.
But ugh. This episode makes “Miri” and “And the Children Shall Lead” look brilliant by comparison.
1.5 incorporeal cave monsters. Which I guess are cheaper to film than tangible ones.
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