Prime Factors

Voyager Revisited: Prime Factors
Jules -- 21 Oct 2001, 23:58 GMT

"It's the first time we've been on the other side of the fence." -- Kathryn Janeway

"What fence?" -- Tom Paris

"The one that's made of binding principles. We have our own set of rules, which includes the Prime Directive. How many times have we been in a position of refusing to interfere when some kind of disaster threatened an alien culture? It's all very well to say we do it on the basis of an enlightened principle, but how does that feel to the aliens? I'm sure many of them think the Prime Directive is a lousy idea." -- Kathryn Janeway

Jules

I remember being amazed, the first time I saw this one
Nina -- 22 Oct 2001, 02:22 GMT

that Trek would "go there." Put one of its crews on the other side of that famous fence, and explore how they would both feel about the experience and react to it.

I noticed then, and again when I rewatched Friday night (a Voyager tape makes a great "you made it through another week!" reward), that they did not exactly take it lying down. Even the Captain tried to find her way around it...and I was amazed (although not as amazed as Janeway was!) when Tuvok fell from grace. I already knew him well enough so I didn't want to believe it.

This was the episode that made me begin to believe the Janeway/Tuvok friendship. Mulgrew and Russ were playing it in the earlier shows, but I wasn't picking up on it until "Prime Factors." I loved the step B'Elanna took, as she accepted responsibility for her actions and told Seska off when her Maquis friend tried to convince her otherwise. That's my kind of character development, the kind that's more interesting than comfortable.

When the "too good to be true" technology turned out to be just that, as far as Voyager was concerned, I actually felt like crying. Janeway's anger and hurt got to me even on re-viewing, because with the plot twists no longer a surprise I could really watch Mulgrew's performance - and it's beautifully nuanced.

Anything more? That's enough for now, I should think.

Re: Voyager Revisited: Prime Factors
D -- 22 Oct 2001, 19:15 GMT

Janeway's remark in the teaser about the two crews finally coming together - I doubt she had Carey & Tuvok working with Torres & Seska against her orders in mind.

Definitely a pivotal episode for B'Elanna. She's shown her technical expertise. Here she shows the rest of what being Chief means - taking responsibility, thinking of the good of the ship, saying she takes Seska's comment about having changed as a compliment - the things Janeway meant by "there's more to being Chief Engineer..." in "Paralax". Her confession to Janeway and willingness to take the blame as the senior officer even though there were others involved is also the honorable thing to do.

Looking back I think this is when Seska starts to plot her defection. In "Paralax" Chakotay shot down her hints about mutiny. Now B'Elanna's gone Starfleet.

My only real complaint is the magistrate. Not his denying them the technology, there wouldn't have been much of an episode otherwise, and it is interesting to see a Starfleet crew on the other end of the Prime Directive. But the character just grated.

Re: Voyager Revisited: Prime Factors
CAM -- 22 Oct 2001, 21:58 GMT

I really liked the crew interaction. I liked that we had recurring characters from the crew, Seska, Joe Carey and even Ayala. Later in the series this became uncommon. Harry was a painfully straight arrow and completely uninterested in romance. Mulgrew and Russ were great. In fact I thought all the regulars and irregulars did a good job.

CAM

This one was good.
Shadda -- 23 Oct 2001, 00:35 GMT

It was the first in a long line of "lets disobey Janeway's orders" though. Now, here is my problem with this one. The punishment was not sever enough.

As a manager, and Captain, this was the perfect opportunity to show exactly what happens if you disobey a direct order and disobey the prime directive. She also had the perfect opportunity to punish a Fleeter and a Maquis equally. In fact, Tuvok should have gotten it a bit more then B'Elanna. A demotion for both, since that is Janeway's punishment of choice for disobeying a direct order, and then for Tuvok a restriction of priviliges for a few weeks. That would have set the guidelines for all to see and then we would not have had the wishy washy way they wrote from then on. The writers really didn't have any clue how to resolve conflict justly.

I haven't seen this in so long, I am having trouble with the details. I can't wait until they get back to the beginning of the series in the reruns. They are almost into season 7 so the end is near, as is the beginning.

Shadda

"Home is Home. Its where we belong."
Deb47 -- 23 Oct 2001, 03:03 GMT

If I may steal a line from Janeway's final scene with Tuvok..."I don't know where to begin."

"This kind of Bonding will increase performance and maximize efficiency."

So many different kinds of bonding are seen and hinted at in this episode.

B'Elanna checking out Murphy's "caboose", Seska showing her "knowledge" of B'Elanna's moods, B'Elanna claiming "her" Harry wouldn't keep secrets from her and then confronting the hapless Ensign over his disastrous date with Jenny Delaney, Tom not only letting his best friend twist in the wind but helping Torres kick the chair out from under his feet, and The Captain enjoying it all with her best bud of so many years... Tuvok.

And to think... that was just in the first 3/4's of the teaser!

The bonding certainly continued... as we saw the senior staff bounce their problem off each other in that first conference room scene, and later saw Harry seek to understand and reassure B'Elanna as it ended.

To see B'Elanna do the same with Seska as the witch sneakily worked her sobstory on our gullible engineer was not a surprise, but to see the Starfleeter Carey ensconce himself into their plan was a surprise.

Each scene seemed to show our Maquis and Starfleet crews molding together to solve disparate problems. Harry telling Fleeter Tom and Maquis B'Elanna and Seska about his secret rendevous before he even told the Captain.

Starfleet Tuvok coming to the transporter room not to arrest the conspirators but to assist them.

Two crews showing exactly how well they work together when they want to...

... and yet...

Two crews showing WHY they need a Captain to follow.

A Captain who not only HAS almighty principles, but the cojonnes to stick to them when the going gets tough.

I absolutely love this episode... icky Gath aside. (What kind of accent is that anyway? Finnish?)

I love the way the crew bonded... I love the way Harry told the alien girl the story of how they came to be in the DQ ( A Noble story!)... I love the little touches like the aliens "hearing" of the ship from another part of the galaxy and coming to seek them out for a "cultural exchange" ... I love the way Neelix was busy showing his hearsay knowledge of the aliens and pushing to gain additional foodstores and seeds for their cupboard... I loved watching Harry interrupt the first kiss Janeway was "offered" in the DQ... (AND still maintain THAT'S the real reason why he never got promoted in SEVEN seasons! )

But most of all, I love "the dilemma".

Above all.. "To thine own self, be true."

Seska manipulated B'Elanna like the pro she was... and B'Elanna "fell" for it... until the end. "We don't have to take the blame for this!"... "Yes we do... it has something to do with being able to live with yourself".

Tuvok "allowed" his logic to be confounded by what he "thought" was the Captain's one true goal... "To get home", but in the end he realized how he completely he failed the woman he swore to serve. "My logic was not in error... but I was."

That final scene... with B'Elanna, and Tuvok, and Janeway will forever be in my Voyager Hall of Fame for fantastic endings.

Punish B'Elanna??? ... LOOK at that face! Its been done! In the next 6 years, name me a single instance when B'Elanna disobeyed Janeway again in this manner.

Punish Tuvok??? ... Its been done! LOOK at his face as she circles him and explains how completely he's betrayed her trust! Other than Bajoran mindcontrol, when did he do that again?

Punish Janeway??? ... Yes... unfortunately thats been done too. Because now she believes there's "no-one" on this ship to whom she can ever truly trust her deepest feelings/doubts.

A lack that will take years to fill, for as she herself said in this episode...

"We prefer permanence... the reward of relationships that mature ... and grow deeper with the passing of time."

The season is not even a year long yet... the garden is planted but those relationships will not be in full bloom for several more years.

D47

Thanks, Deb. That about sums it up! nim
Janey -- 23 Oct 2001, 05:35 GMT

On the contrary, Janey...
Deb47 -- 24 Oct 2001, 02:09 GMT

I think there are SEVERAL paragraphs left to be written just on the way Janeway turned Gath's flirting around on himself.

Can you supply them for us?

D47