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Equinox Review by Steve Perry Airdate: May 26, 1999 Written by: Brannon Braga and Joe Menosky (teleplay); Brannon Braga, Joe Menosky, and Rick Berman (story) Directed by: David Livingston Short Take: The concept we've been waiting to see tautly presented Brief Summary: Voyager encounters a Starfleet vessel - one nowhere near as lucky as itself Note: Yes, this is late. Alas, Voyager does not air here, and I had to wait for Steve K to send it on tape. Tanks for waiting. Review: Every bloody fanfic writer has done something about Voyager meeting another Starfleet ship. But I doubt any of them were this good. Ron Moore is moving over NEXT season? Given the plot here, I'm surprised that he wasn't already aboard. Anyone who reads my DS9 reviews knows I like sticky issues that challenge Federation morality, for only by challenging it can it become stronger. You might say, ho-hum. Geez, the Equinox people were bad guys. Of course what they did was wrong, let's move on! But I'd disagree with that statement outright, as only the captain seemed to be hard-hearted, and maybe the first officer, with everyone else wavering a bit. I'd like to think that it was more than just a shower and a hot meal at work there. But this really was an intriguing issue. Admit it: you're alone in space, and in desperate straits. Do you simply let yourself die??? What if killing off a seemingly unsentient creature, after discovering the process by accident, would keep you alive? Wouldn't you be at least tempted? Federation morality only means something when it becomes an inconvenience to follow it. Janeway's broken (she said "bent," but she can be a dictatorial liar, after all), but never gone that far. It was a nice compare and contrast, and a far more disturbing "what-if" than even Course: Oblivion was, since we really don't know what Voyager would have done had it ran into the Krakorian (or whatever it was called) Guard at its start. But what made it so good, I think, was how it was presented. Rumors abounded that the episode came up short on time. I couldn't see any indications of it. Everything set itself up nicely. We meet a ship in distress. Everything seems reasonable. Then, slowly, we get signs that this crew has done more than taken a few hit from aliens... they've also compromised their oaths. Very nice buildup to a disatrous end for Voyager, culminating in the scene where the Doctor is suddenly attacked by an equally clever but far less ethical EMH counterpart. I could also comprehend the plot, a relief after the wild Relativity. The Equinox crew was sneaky, grabbing the device and going. There wasn't a lot of technobabble here, and I like that. I'm struggling to find a nit somewhere, but I don't think I can. Maybe I'm rusty, but I'd like to think it was because it was well written. The only problem with plotting came at the end. Boy, that was a bit cheesy, having it zoom in on Janeway. I don't buy that it is out of necessity, because of her contract problems. Even if she died there, she'd have to be in the season premiere, just like Kes made it two episodes last year. As it was, it came off as hammy. But I say that while admitting that the one plotline that worried me - the return of the boyfriend of Belanna, err, "BLT" - actually worked. It worked because we didn't see too much of "jealous" Tom, like I feared. It made for amusing conversation, but, more importantly, it made for an easy avenue for the old boyfriend to get into position to make the Equinox's plan work. Maybe it's a bit coincidental that he shows up here, but the look on Belanna's face when she blows him away in the next episode should be great. Equinox works because it has so many possibilities. That's what a good season finale should do. Some haven't had that. Basics meant Voyager's had to retake the ship, end of story. It was also pretty goofy to begin with, but the fact it left only one way to solve things after the first hour greatly hurt it IMHO. Here, they can go after the Equinox, but will the aliens intervene? What they are about? I'm a little concerned that the aliens are a bit too ghoulish (how can you make peace with something that screeches?), but all in all Equinox had a great premise, a real issue to deal with, and exciting finish that capped off a well developed plot. I don't see how anyone can say that this is NOT a cliffhanger. Voyager is in great distress and frankly pretty much screwed. I know I'm pumped for next season. Maybe not as a good as Scorpion, but still a great way to end the season, bringing together a tantalizing plot idea with a nice dilemma. Nice work. Some short takes: - Odd that the Y'Ridians were considered extinict... maybe they are a nomadic race? - What's the big deal with John Savage? Why is he a Special Guest Star? Is he Fred Savage's dad? - Boy, those aliens looked like Slimer! I wonder if JMS will claim that Voyager ripped them off from his cartoon! Rating: A | |
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