TV #25 of 2022:
Star Trek: Voyager, season 4
This is far and away the best run of the series yet, partly because the writers have gotten much of the early silliness out of their system as they determine what stories work well for the premise, but mostly because of the introduction of new main character Seven of Nine, a Borg drone soon cut off from the Collective and given a strained position aboard Voyager. Her unique perspective makes her a fascinating addition to the ship, and perhaps the only protagonist besides the EMH to still be meaningfully challenged and grow now that the former Maquis are so settled in their Starfleet roles. Her reluctant mentor-mentee dynamic with Janeway shines a more interesting light on the captain, too.
On the downside: Seven’s other major “relationship” this season involves Harry Kim’s obnoxious crush, and the bits of serialization unrelated to her often feel pretty halfhearted. The departure of original cast member Kes, for example, plays out rather suddenly and without clear ties to any driving motivation outside that particular hour. And although the episodic plotting is generally tightened, there remains a degree of pulpy genre nonsense like body-swapping or Holodeck programs run amok. Even our newest star, though provided some genuinely strong material throughout the year, is sometimes saddled with absurdities like visions of a raven to represent her traumatic past or the infuriating storyline where she mistakenly claims someone has medically abused her — an episode whose ultimate moral is apparently that false assault allegations can ruin an innocent man’s life. It’s gutless and gross, even by 1998 standards.
With those weaknesses in mind, I continue to deem this show at least slightly more good than great overall. It’s improving, and adding Jeri Ryan to the mix is certainly a step in the right direction, but it has yet to completely win me over.
★★★☆☆
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