On May 20th, 1996, (I think it was a Wednesday) millions of Trekkies sat on
their couches suddenly pissed at the world as season two of Star Trek:
Voyager came to a close with an exciting cliffhanger. They would all
have to wait a few months until the premiere of season three to see what would
happen to the crew of Federation Starship Voyager. Well, in case you missed
it the first time (like I did), it’s now available on DVD for you to watch
as many times as you want.
The seven-disc set of Star Trek: Voyager’s third season
is packed solid with the 26 original episodes from the season as well as a number
of special features. This set is fantastic as an amazing season of shows is
complimented by a good helping of extras. Many are the same as the previous
two seasons, just updated for the third season. However this works marvelously
as the featurettes are exactly what people are looking for in special features.
I’ll get more in depth later.
The reason this Trek series differs from previous ones is its setting far away
from the normal Trek universe we have come to know and love. Klingons and Romulans
are now thousands of light years away and the crew of Voyager is alone in the
far reaches of space. This of course is due to incidents in the pilot episode
of the first season, when a powerful alien known as The Caretaker swept the
ship away from its home in the Alpha Quadrant to the vast unknown regions of
the Delta Quadrant. Now the only Federation starship in the area, it continues
on it’s main mission objective: to explore. However, during it’s
course of discovery there is always the intent on getting home. The storylines
included in all the seasons of Voyager also parallel the ship’s journey
home. For those of you who majored in Star Trek, you would know that 75,000
light years is a lot. But for those of you who do not know much about Star Trek,
or astronomy really, just take my word for it – it’s a long way
from home. Even at Voyager’s maximum speed it would take over 75 years
for the ship to return to any previously known portion of the galaxy. Captaining
the lost crew is Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the first female captain in
the Star Trek series’ run (as a mainstay character). Joining her are all
the same people from the previous seasons including Commander Chakotay (Robert
Beltran), Tim Russ’s Vulcan Lieutenant Tuvok, Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett
Wang), B’Elanna Torres (Roxanne Biggs-Dawson), and Tom Paris (Robert Duncan
McNeill). How, though, could we forget the comical holographic doctor played
by Robert Picardo. And of course, the token alien characters Kes (Jennifer Lien)
and Neelix (Ethan Phillips).
Of the seven total seasons Voyager cruised through, season three stands out
among them. The season offers some of the best storylines, as well as perhaps
some of the best writing and character development in any of the recent Trek
series’. I never saw many of the episodes when they originally aired,
because it was around that time when I got my first job and had to work nights
after school. But now, at the ripe old age of 23, as I watch them again, and
most for the first time, it’s painfully easy to see just how good this
season is. Season two began to show how Voyager was expanding past some of the
other Trek series’, both in how the stories came about, and how the characters
interacted. Season three is probably the high point in writing thus far. I’ll
admit that for the same reason I stated above, I didn’t catch hardly any
of the remaining seasons either. However, it will take a lot to top what’s
included here in the third season.
I was most impressed with the improvement in Kes’ character. Jennifer
Lien, though I haven’t seen her in anything but Voyager, has a great acting
range. From her gentleness as Kes, to her portrayal of a raging, villainous
tyrant in an episode, she has a bit of talent I’ll say…not to mention
she’s damn good looking. That was the most noticeable thing character
wise. Captain Janeway continues to dominate as a convincing female captain while
the rest of the main cast hold steadfast as well. I noticed there was a considerable
amount of attention given to incidents involving Chakotay’s character,
but it’s handled well. And I suppose due to the constraints of the show’s
premise the writers cannot simply bring in random Starfleet people as extras.
All there is to work with is the existing crew, and any aliens they chose to
introduce. However it’s the crew of Voyager the viewers have come to know
and love, so I guess there really isn’t anyone else events can occur with.
Like I said though, season three offers an astounding amount of episodes worth
watching. A few even link back to previous Trek series, storylines, and movies.
Not to mention the season begins with the conclusion of the season two cliffhanger
(“Basics Part II”), and ends with another cliffhanger (“Scorpion”)
– only this time it packs a much greater punch, as Voyager, finally, after
three years, runs into the Borg. Some of the other most notable episodes include:
“Flashback,” “The Swarm,” “Future’s End
Parts 1 & 2,” “The Q and the Grey,” “Macrocosm,”
“Coda,” “Warlord,” “Unity,” “Rise,”
“Before & After,” “Real Life,” “Displaced,”
and “Worst Case Scenario.” In one particularly great episode, “Distant
Origin,” Voyager tackles the issue of creationism versus evolution. Only
this time it’s not the humans dealing with the controversy – it’s
an alien race, and one of them believes that they originated on Earth, while
the government forces everyone to follow “Doctrine,” which says
they were created out of thin air and meant to roam the galaxy. I found it to
be an intriguing and overall good episode. Also definitely noteworthy is “Flashback,”
where the original series’ George Takei reprises his role as Sulu. It’s
an intricate episode that plays heavily off the sixth Trek movie – The
Undiscovered Country. There’s just so much excellence in season three
it is hard to keep it short in this review. You’ll just have to experience
it for yourself I guess. And I haven’t even gotten to the special features
yet. So I’ll do that now.
As with the two previous season releases of Star Trek: Voyager,
the special features are fairly strong. They continue the same foundation featurettes
that were in the first two sets, except are now done for this third season.
And as before there are a number of hidden (but not hard to find), little features
that have special interviews or selections for the viewer to enjoy. Here’s
a rundown of what we’ve got:
-Braving The Unknown: Season Three – The writers and producers discuss
the events of season three, and the direction they decided to take Voyager in
during this pivotal season. I say pivotal because of friends, enemies, and alliances
Voyager forges and breaks during the season. Worth a watch.
-Flashback To “Flashback” – A special look at the episode
that features George Takei’s Sulu, and how many of the scenes from Star
Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country were recreated for the episode. A good watch,
especially if Star Trek VI was your favorite movie, like me.
-Voyager Time Capsule: Neelix – Features behind the scenes interviews
and footage with Ethan Phillips and his character Neelix – his history,
and where he’s going. Not to mention hours of makeup.
-Voyager Time Capsule: Kes – Many of the actors discuss Jennifer Lien’s
character Kes, and her presence on the show. Jennifer also offers some insight
into her character and how she has developed since the first season. She’s
just so damn cute you have to watch.
-Red Alert! Amazing Visual Effects – Just like the previous season’s
sets, watch this to get an inside look at some of the visual effects used during
season three. I wish they included more than what’s reviewed because there’s
definitely more to bed covered in special effects when it comes to Star Trek.
This is adequate at best.
-Real Science With Andre Bormanis – Once again, Andre discusses (this
time with the help of some astrophysicists) the mechanics behind some of the
scientific things on Voyager, including supernovas and wormholes. Science people
will give this a good look I think.
-Photo Gallery – Always not worth a damn. I can look at picture anywhere
man! Give me something I can use!
So with a decent helping of extras, the third season of Star Trek: Voyager
should definitely work its way into your collection. Of course I’m going
to assume this isn’t even in question for Trekkies like myself. If the
26 wonderful episodes, 5.1 surround, and good extras aren’t enough to
convince others, then I don’t know what would. The writing for season
three is superb to say the least and a lot of the episodes are exciting. The
end of the season will definitely have you waiting for the fourth set of Voyager.
The one drawback, as I have always stated, is this set’s packaging. It’s
downright stupid – but it’s not going to change at all and all seven
sets are going to be the same. Oh well. Life goes on.
At post time of this review, Voyager will already have been released. If you
had any doubts about whether or not to invest your time and money into this
set, I hope this review has swayed you in the correct direction. Do not hesitate
one bit to add this gem to your Star Trek collection. And for you non- or quasi-Trek
folks maybe looking to get in on something good – go pick up the first
two season of Voyager, and work your way here. You won’t be sorry.
Season 3 Episodes: A hearty A+
Season 3 Extras: B
Overall Score: A
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