I don't think I need spoiler warnings for this one, but if you're over a year behind on Voyager, don't read any farther.
I must say I've been grooving to the recent daily reruns of Voyager. It's surprising, actually. Everyone's assumption, mine included, seems to have been that Voyager simply wouldn't hold up under repeated viewing. That might still be true, after all I've only seen a handful of repeats out of five seasons so far. But they've held my interest.
At any rate, we come to the season finale for season four. Good stuff, I have to say. A few things I wanted to comment about.
One, I really like the parallels between this and "Scorpion". Arturis, our revenge-minded alien friend in this episode, comments that he doesn't hate the Borg because they're a "force of nature". I like that view. Even more, he actually believes it, and repeats such a belief after his nice guy charade has ended. Good stuff, and it seems to link up with Chakotay's scorpion story.
Two, plot hole! I think. This didn't bother me the first time around, but perhaps I was inattentive. How exactly does Arturis, or anyone else for that matter, know about Voyager's involvement in the Borg/8472 conflict? Did the Borg go around for awhile broadcasting "Resistance is futile, thanks to Captain Janeway! Thanks, Voyager!"? I mean, he could have learned of it while tapping into the ship's computer, but the whole reason he tapped into the computer was to further his goal of revenge. So I'm confused. Any ideas?
------------------ "If you are going to be my girlfriend please don't dump me after I like you." -- Michael
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
It's likely that his race had been monitoring the Borg's activities. He said they'd always managed to keep one step ahead of them (although how does a planet keep one step ahead of anything?). They probably have advanced sensor equipment that allow them to "see and flee". That sort of thing.
------------------ "Resolve and thou art free."
Posted by Obi Juan (Member # 90) on :
When the borg suddenly halted centuries (presumably) of outward expansion to focus on an internal problem, people ar going to take notice and try to gather intelligence on why. Those on the periphery of borg space (the next victims) may have been watchin the conflict cheering on 8472. Given the fact that 8472 aren't really such bad guys after all and they apparently were exaggerating when they said they were going to purge our whole universe of life, it probably would have been prudent for Janeway to leave them alone and finish the job. I just saw "In the Flesh Again" and had to take at least one stab at it.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
I think the reason Arturis knew was because of his gift for languages he might of intercepted Borg transmissions and was able to understand them. It would explain how they could keep ahead of the Borg.
------------------ Calvin: "I'm a man of few words." Hobbes: "Maybe if you read more, you'd have a larger vocabulary." Federation Starship Datalink - Now with a pop-up on every page...damn you Tripod!
Posted by Wes (Member # 212) on :
I agree with Hobbes and Obi Juan, their races seemed to avoid the "Storm" for some time before they were assimilated, also about this episode, the Borg assimilated the USS Dauntless-A, wouldn't this mean the Borg would acquire at least slipstream and particle synthesis? Or is quantum slipstream less advanced then Tanswarp?
I find it highly unlikely that anyone could translate the thoughts of the Collective like that, unless they had access to some physical data storage system (Picard pulling the guts out of Ensign Unlucky), or had some connection to the Collective themselves.
As far as 8472 goes...well, it's a little unfair, isn't it? The Trek "gods" trot out these nasty tripedal things and send them off killing things. How was Janeway to know that their whole M.O. would change a season later?
------------------ "If you are going to be my girlfriend please don't dump me after I like you." -- Michael
Posted by Individual 5748 on :
In "Hope and Fear," Seven notes that the quantum slip stream drive is very similar to the Borg transwarp conduit. One's probably just as good as the other.
------------------ "Questions, comments, bring them to me. Problems, take them to Kinis."