Vis À Vis

Zeke -- 8 Apr 1998, 8:47 PM

Grease monkey Tom. I really think the look worked for him:-D I thought tonight's episode was fun. I was very pleased to see Tom in a major role for once in I don't know how long. I was sort of disappointed in one thing though. We all of a sudden see Tom bored with his life on Voyager and he is having Torres troubles. Well, for me it was all of a sudden. Maybe I haven't been paying close enough attention lately, but everything seemed to be going fine for Tom from my perspective. I would have liked to have seen Tom slowly pull away from the doc and Torres, but I guess that wasn't supposed to be a main plot. More of those silly little problems that arise and are solved in less than and hour:-).

Eric -- 8 Apr 1998, 9:40 PM

Vis a Vis : Just what the Doctor ordered! AAAAAAhhhhhhhh!! You know Vis a Vis wasn't even CLOSE to being one of Voyager's best, but after 10 years of re-runs (grin) I just didn't CARE!! I was a little surprised when we found out Tom wasn't having any fun on board...HUH?? And he was having love trouble with B'Elanna...HUH??? And since its Voyager I have a few nits (so big surprise there!) so let's get down to it :

What was cool :

1) Once again kudos to FI for FX above and beyond the call of duty! Cool Coaxial warp scenes, cool scale shots of Voyager and the AOTW ship. And those HUGE AOTW ships!

2) The role reversals were fun!

3) B'Elanna didn't look as pregnant in this one :-)

4) Holodoc easily accepting Tom was trying to live up to him!

5) Evil Janeway! I LIKE it!

6) The ship was NEVER in danger! Finally! (It was nice, just don't make a habit of it)

7) Seven quoting rules and regulations had me laughing my assimilated butt off!!

My nits :

1) In Scorpian and The Raven we saw Seven had "improved" Borg shields that stopped ALL phaser shots! In BOTH episodes Seven didn't even have to be paying attention for her shields to activate. So....What happened when Janeway shot Seven? Hmmmmmm??

2) Not really a nit but, I have 10 bucks that says we never hear of the CoAxial shuttle again :-)

3) When was Tom having trouble on Voyager? I would have liked to have heard about this earlier...

4) Same with B'Elanna and Tom's relationship!

5) There was something wrong with the ending. I'm not sure, but it just didn't feel right.

Well that's all I can think about right now.

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 9:32 AM

Your nit about 7's Borg shields. I had the impression those shields only work when she is more Borg than human. In "The Raven," her nanoprobes were going nutso and I thought she was changing back into a Borg. In "Scorpion," she was a Borg for 98% of that 2-ep story.

Eric -- 9 Apr 1998, 12:04 PM

That's just IT! Not once did we have a line that said they were removed or not! I thought they were removed in "The Gift" but then we see them in "The Raven". Just like her assimilator needles show up in "Retrospect". So I assume she has ALL her Borg equipment. (At least when the writers need a way out).

(Sigh) I think the writers of Voyager are on crack sometimes :-)

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 12:16 PM

Yes, there was a line, Eric. At the very end of "Scorpion II," Doc said she would still have a minimal amount of nanoprobes in her system and it would take a while for her body to get rid of all of them. That's the reason she needs to regenerate.

If the nanoprobes were completely gone, she wouldn't need to regenerate and would have been given a room by now I think. But that generator thing in VOY's basement is too big, plus she prefers to stand all the time. There also would not have been an episode like "The Raven" because she can't just "turn" Borg unless she still has those little buggers in her system. Or "Retrospect," because nanoprobes were found all over Kovin's lab. Yes, she still has some, but not enough to generate her personal force field. It's when they multiply in amounts large enough to have things pop out of her that it gets to be a problem. (g)

Eric -- 9 Apr 1998, 12:22 PM

But that's a circular argument! Oh ya! We ARE talking about Voyager after all :-)

So basically it sounds like PTB is saying Seven has Borg powers when the script WANTS her to!!

Gosh, we sure are lucky Voyager has writers that are not afraid to make the BIG decisions ;-P

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 12:36 PM

*Anyone* can get any powers when TPTB want them to! Switch personalities, become lab rats, Vulcans suddenly become telepathic. At least they had the foresight to provide a reason in case Seven gets near a Borg cube in the future and goes bonkers. The same for Chakotay; he still has that thing in his neck/head. How many times did Data lose it on TNG, self-diagnostic be damned?

Besides, I think it's good to maintain the possibility she could be reassimilated quite easily and quickly, or could be used to assimilate others with her nanoprobes. Makes her more of threat within the ranks.

She'll always be a wildcard with those probes as well as a test subject for Starfleet if they ever get their hands on her.

Carol -- 9 Apr 1998, 1:07 AM

Voyager's Spin on Face/Off. I enjoyed this episode. At first, I didn't really want to see it. I was hoping they would show it last week so I could see Omega Directive while I was home and I just got word this morning that my Grandmother died today -- we'd been expecting it but even so I really wasn't in the mood to watch it for that matter....(If you haven't guessed yet, I'm having a rather lousy Spring Brake ::sigh::).

But I'm glad I did watch it because it boosted my spirits a little and (maybe because I was expecting nothing from it) I was very pleased with it. Not perfect by any means, but still good.

Points of Interest --

-- I'm glad to see Tom and B'Elanna have a "lover's quarrel." I've always thought they needed one and I'm glad to see it wasn't handled in a temper tantrum kind-of way like I was afraid it would.

-- The last Tom Paris centered episode Voyager ever did was the infamous Threshold so I guess the only way to go from there was up. :-) This episode sort-of reminded me why I love Paris and always used to considered him my second-favorite character on the show. If TPTB keep up with shoving Seven down my throat so much he might just displace her as my second favorite -- which she took from him. Note to TPTB: Let Robert Duncan McNeill act more please! He can do it when he's given something, anything to work with and not just spouting wry jokes! (Though his jokes do lighten the mood now and then :-).

-- And speaking of you-know-who, there was just enough use of Seven this week IMO, so that the show didn't become "How Seven Reacts To Tom Paris." Seven and Paris have very good chemistry together -- more than Paris and B'Elanna sadly though their chemistry has improved by leaps and bounds since last year at this time.

-- I wanted more Evil/Possessed Janeway. It would have been fun to see her interact with other people like Chakotay and Tuvok a bit more.

-- The AOTW was interesting enough to keep my interest. :-).

-- I think that the folding space idea may be coming back now and then and that TPTB might be setting up something, now that its being tested with the shuttle (they could fix it I bet). I was afraid that after Seth's ship left, the crew wouldn't think about the folding space thing again and it would be chalked up as another failed attempt to get home (even I was wondering why Janeway didn't think to try and trade for it). I'm glad it wasn't forgotten.

-- I wish that they had given a small little mention as to the fix-up of the ship after The Killing Game. I'm not a stickler for such continuity all the time, but I still would have liked it.

Anyway that's all I can think of for now. Not many nits. Nothing to big...a small, quiet little episode in contrast to the loud Hirogen Arc which aired last time.

Next Week: Well, I won't get to see it or tape it probably either but ever since I've seen the spoilers I've wanted to see this episode, but...oh well. Maybe.

Brynn -- 9 Apr 1998, 4:40 AM

I have a question . . .Were my ears playing tricks on me, or did Harry say he was going to play golf with Ensign Kaplan? Wasn't she the doomed ensign killed by the ex-Borg in "Unity"? I knew Voyager was good at pulling shuttles out of thin air but I never knew they could resurrect dead crew members [with the exception of the major characters, of course ;^)].

Oh well, at least the episode wasn't bad. However, I would have liked to have seen RDM acting like Janeway. Now that could have had some interesting ramifications for Chakotay's relationships with both Paris and Janeway. Picture Paris, hands on hips, barking out orders on the bridge. Or giving Chakotay or Harry "the Look." A squandered opportunity, IMHO.

Ginny -- 9 Apr 1998, 7:36 AM

I notice the Ensign Kaplan gaff, too, Brynn.

She was the ensign who bought the farm after taking a ride in Chakotay's shuttle in UNITY. And nothing was ever said about her being recovered or revived. Someone in continuity or script supervision must have been napping.

Uh, wait, Gin, isn't that...our good buddy Ms. Fatjo who's in charge of continuity? I noticed the blooper, too. Tracy

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 9:41 AM

We need to get one of you guys on the VOY staff... I mean if you guys can spot these easily, why are they paying this lady? She obviously isn't that good at it. There have been so many continuity errors in VOY's 4 seasons, you have to wonder how she keeps her job. Doesn't she have a chart to keep track of whose been mentioned and killed off each episode? Pretty basic continuity method, if you ask me...

Also, if one of you were hired, we'd have an in! ;-) I'll be a redshirt! Kill me off! (g)

Jules -- 9 Apr 1998, 9:53 AM

Too much time on the convention circuit? I have to say, if I spent every other weekend travelling to and from conventions, I'd be too tired to do my job properly too. And it's these little things that slip through the net when you are tired, so I can't help but wonder if that's it. Your eyes slide down a page of script without taking it in properly and suddenly you've lost more shuttles than you had, killed an ensign off for the second time, and not caught the fact that Tom is scripted as praising Neelix's leola root casserole to the skies and it isn't an alien take-over of his body...

I know that a lot of film/television continuity is concerned with making sure that if character A was wearing blue pajamas and carrying a wine glass when they got in the turbolift they're not wearing red ones and toting the wine bottle as well when they get off it, but you'd have thought that names and headcounts came under the same brief, wouldn't you? How hard can it be? Half the internet's counting for them in any case, so all they need to do is bookmark a few sites like Roll Call and they can cross check at the click of a mouse button.

T'Racy -- 9 Apr 1998, 8:17 AM

He's Got the Look: a short take on Vis à Vis. Well, this wasn't Oscar material, but it was fun!

I, too was taken a little off guard by Tom's sudden feelings of insecurity and his neglect of B'Elanna.

The after the episode, I thought about it a little more (while staying up 'til 1 AM making Rice Krispie Treat Nests for Ehlana's preschool Easter Party) and it made sense, considering where they were in the relationship. And because of the nature of a television show, we don't always see what may have been happening within their relationship as of late.

All in all, very fun, although I did want to see RDM as Janeway -- hands on hips, trying to give his best darn red-headed-Captain-Death-Glare. Bummer. (Oh, the fan fic that could be, and probably will be, written...)

Next week, Seven Gets Downright Saucy! (calm down boys...)

Ginny -- 9 Apr 1998, 8:26 AM

Mr. Goodwrench Goes to the Delta Quadrant. Well, folks. I approached this show with some trepidation. Would it be as bad as THRESHOLD (the last solo Paris episode)? Would it be as good as WORST CASE THRESHOLD (the last really good Paris-as-part-of-a-couple episode)? I am both pleased and disappointed to be able to answer no to the both questions. This episode was really cooking, until about 45 minutes into the show, when someone on the production staff apparently remembered this is only an hour-long show. "Wrap it up! Wrap. It. Up!"

The acting was good (more below), the pacing was fine, until the last 10 minutes, and the special effects were nice (I just loved the graphics on Steth's ship). Let's get into the specifics.

GRIPES

--I hate to call attention to anyone's weight, struggling as I have with that same problem all my life, but good heavens, Robbie! Not that I mind having more of you to love, you understand, but I had a disconcerting Will Riker/Jonathon Frakes flashback in the middle of Tom's first scene on Steth's ship.

--Can no one but Tom fly that darn ship? If the pilot is capable of learning surgical techniques, it seems like someone else on that ship ought to be able to learn how to steer.

--I couldn't understand why the male Steth's genome would be unstable, so that he had to take a new (Tom's) body at one point, while the genome on the female Bentha-Steth had managed to remain stable. Shouldn't she also have started reverting back to her original state? Of course, that may be why the Holodoctor was able to return them all to their original bodies so easily--they all would have eventually reverted, anyway.

--"Tom mentioned you. He thinks you're extremely intelligent." Shyeah--I'll just bet he does. And who besides me was surprised and a little disappointed that Tom-Steth didn't put some major moves on Seven, particularly after Steth twice made reference to "pretty women" on the ship?

--And speaking of Seven, she's quite the little tattletale, isn't she?

--I'm probably revealing more about myself than I ought to, but with the myriad possibilities for romantic/erotic settings on the holodeck, Tom and B'Elanna neck in the front seat (the front seat, mind you) of a Camaro!?

And about that Camaro--a Camaro is a boy's car. I'm not sure I like what that implies about Tom.

GRATIFYING BITS

--Wow, did I like the AOTW this week. Dan Butler (Did everyone recognize Bulldog?) did a terrific job with this one. Steth seems to know just how to handle everyone he meets--except Seven, but I blame that on the alcohol. He's so pleasant and likable and ingratiating at the beginning that it makes sense that Kathryn and the crew, and Tom, in particular, would want to help him. And then he plays Tom like a pipe--just for the hell of it. He doesn't have to make Tom question how happy he is on Voyager or tempt him with the prospect of adventures in test piloting to accomplish his objectives--he does it just because he can.

I thought it was an interesting directorial choice to have Tom find the what's-it wrench, and then have Steth turn on Tom and back him up against a bulkhead. Tom is quite a bit bigger than Steth--it made Steth seem vaguely more menacing that Tom immediately gives ground to him when Steth makes his approach.

--The scenes with Tom and Chakotay worked nicely, and I was particularly gratified to hear Chakotay (acting like a real first officer in this episode) reference the changes in Tom over the last four years.

--Some other posters have mentioned that Tom's problems with his work and B'Elanna seemed a little sudden, but sometimes the blues or a sense of vague dissatisfaction comes up on you like that. I thought it made sense within the defined parameters of Tom's character and history.

--The three things, besides Steth, that I found most entertaining in this episode:

(1) Tom-Steth not being able to find SickBay.

(2) The terrifically funny interplay between the Holodoc and Tom. This is a great pairing, with almost

as much chemistry and humor as Tom and Tuvok. And the way that Tom-Steth manipulated the Holodoc in SickBay was a hoot.

(3) Tom's story about taking his father's shuttle for a joy ride, and the shuttle ending up at the bottom of Lake Tahoe.

--Favorite quotes:

"You would be surprised how often I find solutions to 24th century problems in 20th century technology.", Tom Paris

"Reflect on your strengths. Realize your worth.", Holodoc

"I can't putt in your quarters?", Tom Paris

And my personal favorite--

"Why is everybody trying to shoot me today?", Steth-Tom

Diane -- 9 Apr 1998, 9:06 AM

Ginny, Great Minds . . think alike. I had the same reaction, the thought of Will Riker, when I saw McNeill in those work clothes. Considering this was filmed after Christmas, he must have had a great one, or maybe he is talking some type of medicine. I had to be on a cortisone medicine once and I blew up like a sausage.

Anyway, No I didn't recognize Bulldog. The name Dan Butler was familiar, but I couldn't place him.

He was good. For a guy who is head of a gay rights lobby, he must have the last laugh, always playing the letch.

Regarding your comment about the Camaro being a boy's car, did you know McNeill drives a Camaro, at least he did? He acknowledged it in some interview I read. When asked about McNeill, Dawson always has the same statements: he's a Child and one of the few really nice guys in Hollywood. The writers choice of using a Camaro might have more to do with McNeill than anything else.

MEG -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:14 AM

I think Mr. Paris has been indulging. . .in a bit too much of that well-known late 20th century problem solver, the pint of Ben & Jerry's. Ginny, he reminded you of Frakes? When he came out from under that car in his jumpsuit, *I* immediately pictured the chunky garage mechanic from "The Dukes of Hazzard", former Congressman Ben Jones. That's probably your fault, too -- wasn't it you, ages ago on PsiPhi, who pointed out Tom's resemblance to a good old boy?

And why is it that, every time we get one of those tidbits about a character's background like the mention of Tom crashing his dad's shuttle into Lake Tahoe, I see a revolving blue light and hear a voice saying: "Attention, Voyager viewers. We are having a special promotion on Aisle 18 of Jeri Taylor's upcoming book. . ."

MEG (who would love to have a replicator programmed with Ben & Jerry's recipes)

O. Bleek -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:20 AM

You mean, Grease Monkey is really Chunky Monkey? (NIM)

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:22 AM

or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Boy? (snicker) (NIM)

T'Racy -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:41 AM

I was thinking more along the lines of Baskin Robbins. Ah, the 'ole 10 PM jaunts to the Baskin Robbins down the street because pregnant wifey is sick of the heat and wants some orange sherbet NOW! Mike P. went on quite a few of those himself.

Looks like RDM ended up drowning his woes in some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream one too many times. Mmmmmmm.....cookie. dough. ice. cream.....

Vickie T. -- 9 Apr 1998, 10:29 AM

Why don't my mechanics ever look like that? I thoroughly enjoyed Vis a Vis. What a nice change of pace from the Hirogen arc. I thought the idea that Tom might be feeling a little uncomfortable with his life right now was perfectly reasonable. The last 4 years on Voyager are probably the longest period in his life that he has consistently fulfilled the role of "responsible adult." And remember back in Random Thoughts, when Tom seemed just a little disconcerted at Neelix's comment about him (Tom)no longer being able to chase the pretty girls because he was now a one-woman-man? He and B'Elanna have been together long enough now for him to be hitting the "If I'm going to run, I've got to do it now before I get in any deeper," phase of the relationship.

I also enjoyed the character interactions:

Tom and B'Elanna's little spat that (thankfully), as someone mentioned, did *not* turn into a childish Klingon brawl; Chakotay and Tom (nice relationship development, PTB - It's about time we saw something between these two); Seth and Tom-Seth with everybody, wasn't Seth a master manipulator?; And we even got a taste of the old Harry and Tom buddy relationship.

Lots of nits, of course, but I'm willing to overlook most, just because the story was such fun.

One thing I'm curious about: Tom-Seth obviously got it on with B'Elanna and it was obvious that both

Tom and B'Elanna had to have figured that out by the end of the show. Don't you think that would have bothered them? It would bug the h*%$ out of me, I know. But, we saw no mention or indication of the issue and I'm betting we never will.

How about a show of hands: How many of you think we will ever see any mention made of that shuttle with its new kind of warp drive? I'm with Eric - I bet we'll never see it again. Big thumbs down to TPTB if we don't. On the same theme, whatever happened to the trans- warp technology of the Borg that Seven was supposed to be perfecting for Voyager? I know it didn't work the first time they tried it, but why isn't Seven still working on it?

And, like everybody else, I was really disappointed that we didn't get a chance to see Tom-Janeway in action and that we saw so little of Janeway-Seth. Janeway-Seth was delightfully wicked. I wanted *more* .

Finally, how can I end my post without talking about hair. Tommy's is looking good...really good. New style? Rogaine? A weave? Whatever, I like it. OTOH, what *is* the deal with Janeway's hair? Are they having a contest to see just how bad it can look? I did, though, like the way Janeway-Seth "masculinized" the do. It made sense. (Although, just what gender *was* Seth?)

Ginny -- 9 Apr 1998, 10:51 AM

You mean, yours don't? I figured that what happened between B'Elanna and Tom-Steth was, at worst (or best, depending on your perspective), a little heavy petting in her quarters and that they didn't actually have sex. To assume otherwise would mean the writer, Robert J. Doherty (What else has he written BTW?), really, really dropped the ball dramatically.

I mean, talk about your unpleasant rape scenarios...

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:32 AM

I think I know what's up w/RDM's hair...They're parting it on different sides instead of brushing it straight back like they did in the early seasons.

I just received some pics from VaV due to a mailing list to which I belong. Of course, most are of Tom (g) and there are several close-ups that clearly show the alternate parting method to bring the hair on the top of his head more forward.

Few people look good with their hair brushed straight back anyway. Kate Mulgrew is one of the few who actually looks better that way IMO.

O. Bleek -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:37 AM

Voyager hairdos: I noticed that Tom's hair looked better too. But Janeway's coif on the other hand is getting worse. It's all flat and limp. Don't they have any mousse? A captain deserves to look better.

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:44 AM

Well, the it was just supposed to be... a 3-hour cruise after all so she didn't have time to request her personal hairdresser. ;-)

You'll note that most of the ST captains don't put hairdressing on the top of their list. Kirk hardly had any hair, then got a piece so he could just slap it on and go in the morning. Picard - bald. Sisko - very short do, then shaved it because he had more important things to attend to. Hmmmm....wonder, if Kate will go the bowling ball route too? (g)

Mousse, my foot! That woman needs a body wave to maintain bounce and volume through her busy day.

O. Bleek -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:56 AM

B'Elanna with Steth. Oh Voyager, ship of chastity. They finally show a passionate "getting it on" scene, and it's a rip-off. B'Elanna thinking it's Tom but getting Steth instead. Yuck! I agree Vickie, I wasn't dealt with and it never will be. Once again, I don't understand the writer's motives. (Do they even have any, or do they just fly by the seat of their pants?)

Eric -- 9 Apr 1998, 12:45 PM

Its a well known fact Voyager's writers don't wear pants! That's why they are caught with their pants down so much! Yes, Voyager DOES have room for 80+ shuttles really!

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 10:48 AM

Our Darling Grease Monkey...Eric was right - it wasn't the best VOY episode, but who cares! It was new and had Tom in almost every frame! (sigh) I think I'm going to have to watch it again on Saturday to solidify my critical opinion. But, I do have a few feelings jotted down below:

LIKES:

- Tom Paris - he's smart, he can fix things and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Now if he can just be more punctual for his dates with B'Elanna. (His lateness has been shown in past episodes I believe.)

- The guest AOTW - Dan Butler. I couldn't place him at first, but then the voice clicked. Dan had a good week. On FRASIER, he was part of the main story, too.

- Chakotay leading by instinct

- That coaxial warp drive - I hope Janeway played "Let's Make a Deal" again because that thing will get them home much quicker. And, Tom looks like he understands it pretty well.

- Disappointed Janeway. Boy, the look on her face when Tom is called to her ready room was so sad. You don't want this woman sad at you; her guilt trips are devastating. She must have taken lessons from my mother.

NOT SO CRAZY ABOUT:

- The exchanging-DNA premise. It felt messy, not thought out well. First the impression is given that the AOTW can only maintain the switched DNA for a limited time. Then Steth in the female body said the AOTW had been in *that* body for a year. And, what *does* the AOTW look like? In the end, we still don't know and they don't either. Just stick the AOTW in a bird and put it in a birdcage, for Pete's sake!

- The Ending. It felt like we were watching a round of Musical Bodies. I thought the last switch to Janeway was overkill and quite unnecessary. Would have been much happier if there was no chase scene, we'd see Tom get his own body back and try to explain to B'Elanna what happened. And, see her reaction upon discovering the Tom she made up with wasn't really him, but an alien. I felt like they missed a chance to show Tom appreciating what he has, even if it does get routine now and then. His tantrum in the Mess Hall was *his*, not the AOTW's, and there was more to it than wanting to tinker with engines.

- Acting Possessed. Just felt more could have been done by both RDM and Butler as far as mannerisms, facial expressions, etc. to convey that different identity within. The writers could have had Butler say "Oh-kay" once and done the impatient knee thing Tom does when he gets antsy or nervous. And RDM could have acted a bit more awkward gesture and body-wise since Tom's body was much taller than Steth's.

MISC COMMENTS:

- Doc is *so* easy to bluff when he's distracted by himself. (snicker)

- Seven has an identic memory? Hmmm...maybe if Janeway wrote down the word "NO" on a flashcard and held it up every time Seven said, "But, but..." it would make more of an impression on the child. The verbal reprimands just aren't cutting it lately.

- P/T - I thought Tom became snippety and impatient w/B'Elanna back in "Hunters," but I can see how his anxiousness seemed sudden to some. IMO that should have been the A story and almost losing it to an AOTW a lesser story.

- Gee, never try to cheat on your diet on a Starfleet ship. They can monitor *everything* you eat and drink!

- Uh, Janeway's *personal* logs are accessible to senior staff? That should be changed pronto; at least I would if I was captain. Get thyself a diary with tiny lock and key, Kate.

Jim C -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:30 AM

My short two cents. Well, I was watching this episode and thought, "ah, it's okay." Not the best, not the worst.

I, like most people, wondered about the sudden restlessness in Paris. After thinking about it, it actually wasn't that sudden. If you remember back to MIAB Tom seemed somehow on edge. He even snapped at B'Ellana. In addition, his comment about opening up at the end of VaV was right in line with how he treated B'Ellana when they were talking about his letter.

I loved the look on the Doc's face when Paris was describing the feel of wind in your hair *LOL*.

Did anyone notice when Steth got caught by Seven in the cargo bay/alcove he looked STRAIGHT at her chest as he delivered the line about her intelligence. I don't know if it was on purpose or not, but I thought it was classic.

Ruth -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:36 AM

Hello, My name is Tom . . . How may I help you? Oil change? Blood pressure check? Creation of a symmetric warp field?

Gosh, I guess Chakotay must have skipped Advanced Subspace Geometry on the day they discussed the creation of symmetric warp fields, since he didn't know about it, huh? (By the way, I feel a top ten list coming on -- The ONLY class Tom paid attention to at the academy was Advanced Subspace Geometry? I don't *think* so -- the top ten courses that Tom Paris excelled in at the academy; anybody got any ideas?).

I enjoyed the episode -- good fluffy fun. My favorite part was watching RDM chew the scenery after Steth inhabited Paris' body. I loved slimy, smarmy Tom! I also loved evil Janeway! This kind of thing, in reverse, is what I wanted to see more of in The Killing Game. I.e., Janeway interacting with the crew while she was the only one who knew they were in a holoprogram. This was just as fun, having Steth interact with the crew who thought he was someone else. It gives a lot of opportunity for humor, like his not knowing how to find Sickbay, his interaction with the Doctor, etc. Although, Ginny is right -- any scene with the Doctor and Tommy is fun. I just reran the first few minutes b/c I couldn't remember the name of the maneuver Tom used to save the other ship, and saw I had missed a great throwaway line in the opening scene: Tom's talking about how great it feels to have the wind blow through your hair, and the Doc's reaction shot.

My main problem with the episode is that I wanted more explanations, more interaction between the characters, etc. As others have noted, the pacing was odd, and the ending was really rushed. I was really disappointed when Steth transferred into Janeway, b/c slimy Tom was so much fun. Then, Steth/Janeway was fun too, and over far too quickly. At first I wished they had cut down on the part before the transfer, but there were some good moments in those scenes.

Given the problems the show has apparently had with two-parters in the past, this may not be a great idea, but this probably could have been a good two part episode. Not all two parters have to have the first part ending with the world as you know it getting ready to end. If you stretched out the Janeway part and the part where Tom and the other alien were trying to get back (as well as explaining all that stuff at the end), there would have also been room for some more development of the story. You could insert some scenes with Steth/Tom putting the moves on Seven (which would be an interesting new type of scene for Seven, as well as funny, especially if they showed her uncomfortable with Tom at the end of the episode, the way a teenager would be around an old boyfriend); more of B'Elanna's reaction to Steth/Tom's mercurial attitude; and, after the fact, Tom coming to face all the people that Steth/Tom deceived. Steth/Janeway coming on to a startled Chakotay would have been a stitch; as would her acting totally illogical with Tuvok. I just read SuzyQ's comments, and agree that as fun as Steth/Janeway was, it might have been better to leave that out, and give more time to Tom. But that is a dream episode, not the one we got.

My biggest problem is that I really, really, really, hope they don't want us to believe that Steth/Tom slept with B'Elanna. Yechh! I prefer to go along with Ginny's scenario; but even that deserves a B'Elanna gross out moment.

I also wondered if a Starfleet officer would be allowed to go to the bridge in greasy coveralls. I guess it was an emergency, but if that is the case, he just sort of sauntered onto the bridge like he didn't have a care in the world. Maybe Janeway instituted casual Fridays, and Tom was the only one who got the memo. Earlier in the season he brought coffee to the bridge and she didn't say anything to him then either. *singsong voice* "Captain's pet; captain's pet."

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:49 AM

Did you see the look in Janeway's eye...at the beginning when Tom convinces her to let him try his symmetrical warp field thing? Ho, boy! After he's successful, she was practically gushing, "That's my boy!" She's never looked at any other crewmember that way that I can recall.

Teacher's pet! Teacher's pet! (Quite a comeback for New Zealand Prison Boy.)

Ginny -- 9 Apr 1998, 12:29 PM

"Captain's pet", indeed. Forgive an old J/P'er as she takes a momentary trip down AU memory lane.

Gotta agree with you about the coveralls and Tom's attitude, Ruthie. Even Kathryn, who has been known to let Tom get away with everything (except making out with B'Elanna in the corridors--hmmmmm), seemed a little irritated with his casual entry onto the bridge. And another thing--wasn't Tom being just a big ol' baby in the mess hall? Someone else said that they were glad that the spat didn't devolve into a nasty "Klingon" confrontation, but I thought Tom acted like a jerk, and a guilty jerk, at that, and deserved a lot worse than he got from B'Elanna.

Martha -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:56 AM

I *like* a beefier Tom. Personally, I actually think he looks better this way, obviously different strokes...(pun intended :) ) I thought this was a fun, classic Trek episode.

Some thoughts on posts about Vis a Vis--Maybe the alien was unstable after a year and Tom just got kind of unlucky with the timing.

I too thought this episode was sort of weirdly paced with way too much happening in the last 5 minutes, why does this seem to be a recurring problem?

I don't think that Janeway's personal logs are available to senior staff, Steth had that hand-held device that he held over the computer in order to access Tom's records when Seven caught him the first time. Even so pretty easy "hack" for the 24th Century. Seven could tell they were Janeway's logs from the content "I dreamed Chakotay came to my ready room last night again..."

Small nit--why was Steth allowed to roam Voyager unescorted? Surely Tuvok should have someone with all aliens aboard?

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 12:24 PM

LOL! I too wondered what Janeway had written...that Seven would recognize. But, I thought it would be more along the lines of "that stubborn, infuriating Borg woman," etc. (g)

As for Tom, you're right about different strokes for different folks. But, then I think they need to get him a larger turtleneck because I distinctly saw a double chin from several angles.

Mr. and Mrs. Mac -- 9 Apr 1998, 1:20 PM

Hello fellow Nebulites! We're both here! Before we read all of your comments here are our combined thoughts (hey, not much thought here but we're tired):

This was overall a fairly good one. The first thing we both noticed is the sympathy pregnancy that Tom is going through, which wasn't unusual since both of his girls were pregnant.

The first Torres/Paris scene was interesting. It reminded us of the scene in B'Elanna's quarters in Day of Honor. There Tom was the victim of B'Elanna's unnecessary wrath and here we have the opposite. The constraint that B'Elanna showed was necessary to show the contrast of emotions. It was interesting! Again we saw the famous Torres hand shoot up to silence Neelix.

Another parallel that we noticed was the scene where Steth invited Paris to go off on an adventure together to meet up with Voyager later. Didn't we see a similar scene played out with a restless Kes and Janeway? We all know what happened after that. They wrote her a one-way ticket.

Both of us liked Seven in this episode. Why she didn't throw Paris across the room when he grabbed her is beyond me. Why Torres didn't show much anger or puzzlement after Paris grabbed her bothered both of us.

Uh, Ensign Kaplan? Wasn't she deep-sixed in Unity? Can the continuity people of Voyager be THAT bad? Tell them to send the scripts to us before they shoot. That's even very poor preparation on the part of Wang and McNeill. It shows they either don't watch their own episodes or don't take their own notes. NO excuse. When these people are under such a microscope, if they don't want to be burned at the stake perhaps they should pay more attention to their jobs.

O. Bleek -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:34 AM

Chakotay's treatment of Tom sucked.

RANT:

I thought the worst moment of Vis a Vis was when Chakotay lectured Tom about how far he'd come along, and how he hoped Tom wouldn't backtrack now. How condescending! How inept! This is the type of writing that irks me. On DS9, characters have histories with each other. They show respect and affection to each other. Having Chakotay say those lines last night as if 4 years had not passed, as if Tom hadn't proved himself many times and in his day to day actions to be much more than Chakotay thought of him 4 years ago - well, I'm just flabbergasted by the poor character development shown in the writing. (Again!) Why don't the actors REFUSE to mouth these stupid lines! Don't they care about their own characters? It was like Chakotay was chiding a puppy for pissing on his shoes! A good manager would never be so rude to a valued employee.

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 12:06 PM

I didn't like Chakotay's attitude either...in that scene, but I just thought the writers went overboard in stressing Tom's turnaround. Sometimes understatement is better and Chakotay came off a tad overbearing. All that needed to be said was, "You seem distracted lately. We're concerned because you are a valuable member of this crew and we want to help if anything is wrong." Reiterating the four years, come a long way, yadda yadda yadda was unnecessary dialogue IMO.

But, I liked how Chakotay was written to trust Tom's instincts about needing something different to do.

Vickie T. -- 9 Apr 1998, 12:28 PM

True, Chakotay did come off a little too paternal. The two of them are much closer to contemporaries than to father-son or mentor-protege. But, I was so pleased at the indication that the two of them have apparently developed a friendly, trusting relationship (not, of course, that we would know that, based on anything TPTB have shown us in the last 4 years!) that I was willing to cut the writers a little slack on that portion of the dialog.

Fliteman -- 9 Apr 1998, 2:21 PM

Awright... my turn...Overall, I agree pretty much with everyone above; Tom's sudden restlessness threw me, too...

Gripes...

First, I thought Tom flew off the handle too quickly at B'Elanna. Second, I thought SHE should've also flew off the same handle - being half Klingon, I expected it; instead, we see her acting mature; I don't want a mature Klingon, for heaven's sake...

Ginny pointed out it was Bulldog as Steth. Missed THAT completely. I thought he did a wonderful job.

Steth "borrows" Tom's box-end wrench, Tom sees it on Steth's ship... Is it just me? I thought the wrenches would be holo-generated. This may not be a flaw, but WHY would they need a box-end wrench on Voyager? (I dunno.. maybe they do...)

Those are the only true gripes; The ending was SO akin to a "Home Improvement" ending; I told my wife, "And Tim & Jill kiss & make up in the garage." (I liked how she pronounced Camaro, too...)

Well, that's it. I'll have to watch again & check out it's really Bulldog.

Marie -- 9 Apr 1998, 2:26 PM

Vis a Vis: Major Rant coming on...Okay, so maybe my unkind evaluation of this episode has something to do with tiredness and my 3 year-ol partying for over an hour in the middle of the night, but this episode annoyed me quite a bit.

First of all, Tom was a real jerk. I actually liked Steth-as-Tom better than Tom-as-Tom. He deserved the dressing-down he got from Chakotay. He goofed off from his work in Sickbay, he was an *ss to B'Elanna, he just reeked of BAD ATTITUDE. At least Steth-as-Tom was entertaining. And I don't think they resolved the problem with Tom sufficiently.

For the past 4 years they've given the Tom-Aholics precious little to go on, but one thing they have done is develop Tom from someone who had the kind of attitude he displayed in Vis-a-Vis into someone who had grown up. I just didn't believe the "I have it all and I'm bored" stance that Tom affected. (Hey, who wrote this episode?)

Steth was a far more entertaining alien than we've had in a long time, but I found him disconcertingly human from the start. Sure, they plastered that nose thingie on his face, but if it weren't for that, you'd never have a clue that this guy didn't come from Cleveland or Iowa. The writer didn't even make an attempt to convey any true alienness, except for the FX that show him changing.

Anyway, I couldn't quite get past Tom's silly behavior. If I were Janeway, I would have put on my best Abbess Kate demeanor, taken out my 24th century version of a ruler, and whacked him with it, but good. I also think B'Elanna let him off the hook far too easily.

BTW, Eric, Seven's scenes were brief but good, not to mention funny.

"Why was Steth allowed to roam Voyager unescorted?"... Martha, you hit on another point that bothered me in this episode...

THE RANT, Part II

Not only did this alien walk, talk, and act about as human as could be, but Janeway let him waltz around Voyager like he owned the vessel. When he first responds to their hail, they just immediately take his word that he's a nice guy in distress. Doesn't Janeway ever learn? And what kind of security officer is Tuvok, anyway? He made no protests or even the suggestion that they should either keep Steth in his vessel or under guard until they checked him out.

Despite the presence of Tuvok and his security officers, Voyager appears to have no actual security system in place. Every alien, every crew member, who wants to hack into a computer, access info, change it, override command codes, etc...has absolutely no problem doing so.

If I commanded Voyager, Tuvok and company would have been reassigned a long time ago.

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 2:50 PM

I also liked RDM better as Alien Tom... Maybe that's why I had an unfinished feeling at the end of the episode. RDM as AlienTom was more entertaining to me than RealTom, but what we're left with is RealTom. And RealTom didn't resolve his boredom/snippety attitude problem whatsoever. There's an entire beware-of-what-you-wish-for-for-you-may-get-it issue in there somewhere that's not being fleshed out.

So I felt like, OK, we're back to Square One with Helmboy. How...typical...and how sad that I'd rather see RDM play an evil alien than Tom at this point in the series. I mean, AlienTom even *kissed* better than RealTom.

O. Bleek -- 9 Apr 1998, 3:06 PM

Who wrote this episode...indeed Marie!. I think a lot of the comments here about VaV have to do with the poor writing. The writing is one reason I refer (affectionately) to Voyager as being the "bastard child" of Star Trek. Voyager, the series, is given no respect by its writing staff or producers. I feel like us fans care about and respect the show much more than they do. Do they hate working there? Is it so terrible? They can't even keep shuttle craft, technology or dead crewmembers straight for crying out loud. (Don't they have a script continuity person?)

Another glaring character goof last night: When Steth as Tom was belligerent to Seven and grabbed her, he should have ended up with a mouth full of teeth. Even a more "humanized" Seven wouldn't have taken to being victimized and threatened with bodily harm.

Zeke -- 9 Apr 1998, 2:56 PM

I think Tom's a little too smart. He's Voyagers best pilot and I like that but come on. Is there anything he can't do? He has half a semester of biochem as Starfleet academy and he's the most qualified one on the ship to assist the doc? What's wrong with everybody else? And when he was going on with all the technobabble about the coaxial drive, I was thinking, sure if he's a pilot he's gonna know a little, but wouldn't Torres be the one to understand that sort of thing the most? I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining too much, I'm glad that they are using Tom.

Zeke -- 9 Apr 1998, 3:09 PM

If you were the captain wouldn't Tom be your pet too:-). I agree that Torres was sort of acting like a wimp in this episode. The scene in the transporter room with Tom/Steth, I don't think Torres would have just said "Tom you're hurting me". I was waiting for her to knock him out. We've knew before that she has a temper. Where did it go?

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 3:12 PM

That's funny, 'cause people have complained he's too dumb...sometimes. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Medical experience is *not* the reason he's assisting Doc. Bedside manner has *everything* to do with it! (g) Janeway's a smart girl and would rather see his smiling face when she opens her eyes than someone else's. And, she is in SickBay a lot lately.

As for his warp knowledge, well, it's part of the ship's engine and he quite obviously loves to tinker with engines from all centuries. Makes sense to me he would be interested in that part of engineering more than the others. But, Harry doesn't have anything to worry about IMO. ;-) He's still WonderEnsign.

Marie -- 9 Apr 1998, 4:15 PM

Why don't my mechanics ever look like that? Mine does, Vickie. Actually, he has dark wavy/curly hair that's just a little longish in back, but carefully groomed. He's tall, with chiseled features and an intelligent face.

Darn, if I'd known the head mechanic at Saturn was so good looking, I wouldn't have fought my hubby over buying a Saturn when I wanted a BMW. :-)

But, Aaaaccckkkk, Vickie! We're actually in strong disagreement about this episode. Our comfy little mutual admiration society has come to a grinding halt. So, how about, you're right and I'm right. We're just looking at the events from different perspectives. (Oh, we are so gracious, witty, intelligent, etc, et....)

SuzyQ -- 9 Apr 1998, 5:45 PM

(whoosh>>>) You best be wearin' flame retardant underwear, missy...'cause I'ma gonna fry you! ;-)

No, I understand that you *could* think that. It's obvious that RDM has more of an affinity for lighter fare (Worse Case Scenario), but I also think the direction was off this episode. I didn't really like how Chakotay, Neelix, and B'Elanna came off in some scenes either. Actors also need to know in what direction their character is going, and Jeri Taylor effectively cut off many avenues for Paris to go as past interviews have indicated. AlienTom clearly had a purpose and direction. RealTom - well, what *was* his problem? I don't buy that kiss-n-makeup at the end w/B'Elanna. That didn't explain his tantrum in the Mess Hall. RDM and the writers probably didn't know either so he could only play it in shallow, superficial, self-pitying way.

Talent does have a little to do with it also, but that's so nebulous I can't even pinpoint it. I can't believe RDM graduated from Julliard and won an award playing Romeo because he's a hack. He must need stronger writing and direction that Picardo or Russ. Some actors do.

Jules -- 9 Apr 1998, 5:56 PM

But Tom's always had flashes of brilliance. Or at least he used to back in the days when he last got featured in episodes. :-) He was the one who thought up the idea of sending the holodoc into the holodeck to rescue Harry, Tuvok and Chakotay in Heroes and Demons, and he's come up with several other lateral thinking type solutions to other problems since.

Okay, so he's not the dedicated all rounder that Harry is, or even B'Elanna. It's been established well enough that he's prone to laziness, and also that he bunked off during much of his time at the Academy. I suspect that he only really pays attention when it's a subject that interests him sufficiently. Cars, spaceships, engines, holoprogramming (Message In A Bottle excepted) and apparently ancient Earth history all interest him; but he's not wild about medicine. It doesn't mean he can't do it if forced into a corner where he has no choice. I suspect he's got a good enough brain - you'd have to have to spend all your Academy time in bars and not actually get thrown out of Starfleet, Admiral father or no Admiral father - it's just that he doesn't apply himself to using it if he can't be bothered. All perfectly in character.

Jules -- 9 Apr 1998, 6:21 PM

To be fair to Wang and McNeill...Neither of them was actually in a scene with Kaplan in Unity. In fact, I'm not sure that they had anything much to do with her in her earlier, establishing appearance either. Probably they just learned their own parts in detail and let Chakotay worry about his supporting redshirt. It's not a particularly uncommon practice.

Although, waitaminute... didn't McNeill direct Unity? Oops. I guess he did forget to re-read his notes then.

Diane -- 9 Apr 1998, 8:49 PM

Torres' lack of punch. Zeke, This episode was filmed 4 or 5 days before Roxann Dawson gave birth to her daughter. In fact, it may be been only two days. Hopefully next season we will see the return of the old Torres.

RDM went to Julliard. I thought he did a good job with the material he had to work with. He was pretty good in Caretaker and The Chute and TNG First Duty. I think McNeill's problem is that he is a stage actor, not a TV actor. He has won a Dramalogue award for playing Romeo in Shakespeare R&J. This award is LA's equivalant of the Broadway Tony Award. He played Jack in the national touring company of Sondheim's classic "Into The Woods." He also played Rick in the Lincoln Center's original production of "Six Degrees of Separation." I read an article where he admitted he really loves the stage, but stated "you can't raise a family on $300 a week." Always remembered that.

Mike D -- 9 Apr 1998, 9:51 PM

Do holo-grease monkey's use real grease? I'll start by saying I really liked this episode. I'm not sure if it's because it wasn't a repeat for a change, or because it didn't feature Seven for a change or because it did feature Tom for a change. Tom has become one of my two favorite male characters on Voyager, along with Chakotay. This is quite an achievement considering that at the beginning of the series I couldn't stand him. Now I look forward to scenes with Tom. Maybe it's cause I like some of the things he likes, horror movies ('Future's End') and working on muscle cars ('Vis A Vis'). In fact that scene with Tom in the garage working under the '69 Camaro could have been me fifteen or so years ago. I owned a beautiful blue '68 Firebird that was a real peach. I loved tinkering under the hood of that car with the radio in the garage playing. There's just something about guys and their cars that women rarely seem to understand (no offense meant, ladies). It's probably one reason why guys like making out in our cars. What could be better than having both your sweet hearts in the same place together, your car and your girl (in that order ;^). Anyway, I digress, I just wanted to say that I really like Tom nowadays. I used to think that Chakotay was more like me than any other character, but now I'm starting to identify a little with Tom too.

Did anyone else notice how seriously Tom takes his "Grease Monkey" holo-program? For one thing he uses real tools, not holo-tools. This was proven by the fact that the box wrench existed outside the holo-deck. Those tools must have cost him more than a few replicator credits. And. BTW, Tom must also deliberately smear real black grease on his face and work clothes before he uses the program, other wise how could the grease have appeared on him when he rushed to the pilot's console still wearing his mechanic's clothes. Holo-grease from his tinkering would disappear the minute he left the holo-deck.

Likes:

1. A refreshing change from the usual Seven of Nine show. Like I said before, it was nice to see Seven play an ensemble role in the cast. I like her best that way - as a team player rather than the main event.

2. Most of the story line was good. Also, liked the scenes between McNeill (real/false Tom Paris) and Picardo.

3. Liked the way the story brought out Tom's realization that he appreciated his responsibilities and life on Voyager and that his days of reckless abandon were behind him. I also liked how he allowed B'Elanna into his private life at the end, by showing her where he spent his time. That was cute when B'Elanna mispronounced "Camaro".

4. I really liked the make out scene with B'Elanna in the front seat of the '69 (sigh) Camaro. I was inspired to take the wife out to the garage and maybe take a ride to the submarine races (remember that :^) or maybe just stay right there. BTW, I thought it was a '68 Camaro, but it was hard to tell.

5. The love of cars was very much in character for Tom. Remember his advice to Doc back in 'Life Signs'? Even the Doc got to make out with his girl in a great old car (wasn't it a Chevy?).

6. Roxann was very good at expressing her emotions with her eyes when the phony Tom said he didn't know what he ever saw in her. You could see the hurt in her eyes. I really feel these two have an on screen chemistry together. I know others disagree.

Dislikes:

1. First Doc says Tom's studies in sick bay were voluntary, then Chakotay scolds Tom for not devoting more Time to the Doc and his responsibilities in sick bay. Which is it, voluntary or required duty?

2. When is Voyager finally going to meet an AOTW that doesn't want to harm or trick them in some way?

3. You just know that the coaxial warp technology installed in the shuttle will mysteriously disappear next week along with Tom's knowledge of it, just like Voyager's new cannon did after 'Retrospect' and Seven's knowledge of how to install transwarp technology disappeared even though she seems to remember everything else assimilated by the Borg including each species' number.

4. What the heck was wrong with Kate? She seemed to be in the dumps even before the trouble started. Mulgrew seemed to sleepwalk through this episode. And remember I'm a Kate fan, I don't criticize her lightly. Maybe Kate finally had time to brood over her lost love, Mark (do I take this show seriously or what ;^).

I've been too busy to post much lately, but I couldn't resist taking time out to discuss a new episode. Can't wait to read what you all thought of it. I usually write my reviews before I read everyone else's.

Mike ('Legs') D. (Two more working days till I leave for the VQ (Vegas Quadrant) and my rendezvous with the Coffee Neb gang !!!)

Terry -- 9 Apr 1998, 10:31 PM

Vis À Vis: The spirit was willing but the plot was weak. I just watched Vis À Vis and haven't had time to read anyone's comments yet. I must say that I enjoyed the episode but still recognized that the plot was lacking. Still, I expected a much worse episode seeing that the tired old alien possession chestnut was being reused. And because TPTB haven't written any really good episode featuring Paris for years.

About the plot. This was the extreme of the abrupt Trek ending. In fact, the setup of the story was stretched to encompass most of the episode's time. The alien didn't switch bodies with Paris until the show was about half over and didn't switch with Janeway until near the end. No one had time to get suspicious of the faux Janeway before she revealed herself by running.

And while I enjoyed seeing Paris written with some complexity, his dissatisfied attitude came out of the blue without any previous setup. And will possibly disappear, never to be seen again. Note that no one really suspected that Paris was anyone but himself, screwing up again. That's rather disappointing that everyone so easily believes that Tom could behave so badly.

Still, I enjoyed the scenes in the garage. And I liked Steth; from his voice, I suspect that he is the actor who plays Bulldog on Frasier. He was a fun character before the first body switch.

Seeing as we haven't seen Paris featured for years, I enjoyed this ep and can overlook its rather shaky plot. At least, the action avoided getting in the way of some interesting interactions between the regulars. It was nice to see the writer actually utilize Paris' piloting abilities. And renew the interesting relationship between Paris and Janeway that I didn't realize was missing until I saw it again. And Seven played a bit different role here.

The first hour was very good but too slow. That pace was more suitable to an episode twice as long. This story has some great possibilities. Body switching is much more interesting than simple alien possession. Unfortunately, there were too many possibilities to fit into one hour. Paris out on his own in a strange ship; B'Elanna getting suspicious of Paris; Janeway acting masculine; Paris acting feminine; the crew getting suspicious of the captain; post-story repercussions, etc. Too bad none of these was explored in any depth or even at all.

Shawnster -- 9 Apr 1998, 11:35 PM

I had the same thought Eric. About the Coaxial shuttle that is. As soon as they introduced it I thought hmmm...You're right, the FX shots are superb. Why do these shots look better than B-5's? Is it because they try to cram so much texture in B-5 ships?

You fail to take time into consideration. The Camaro is a boy's car now, only a few years after being built. Contrast this to Tom Paris' time of 300 years in the future. To him, it's just another example of classic 20th century hardware. I'm sure if someone from times past could look into the house of someone who likes antiques, they'd shake their head and go "that's silly."

Now, what does the choice of the Camaro say about the writer?

When Steth took it I thought "Tom must have replicated it. After all he said it was his lucky tool box." But, on second thought, why would Tom use precious replicator rations on a 20th century tool box.

With all the high-tech equipment on Voyager, you sure wouldn't need that box of tools to fix anything in the real world, only on the holodeck.

Speaking of replicators, I thought the replicators could only produce synthohol, synthetic alcohol void of any intoxicants. At least, that's how it was on the Enterprise. Guinian had to keep a secret stash of real alcohol under the bar.

I seem to reflect everyone else's comments. It wasn't horrid, it wasn't superb but at least it wasn't a rerun.

My dad didn't like it all that much. I didn't have time to find out why though.

I didn't have a problem with Tom grumbling and wanting a change of pace. In fact, I really enjoyed it.

I could just hear Tom tell Steth "You know, I've been stuck on this ship for four years and I haven't had a vacation yet. I would like to see some new places, meet some new people. Just take a break and get away from the ship for a while."

Personally, I think we need more episodes with disgruntled people like this. Like I said, it has been four years with no break. Oh, sure, they have the holodeck but that's not the same. That's not reality, that's fantasy.

I also didn't have a big problem with Seven's lack of shields, unlike Eric. Of course, that's before he reminded us about Seven still having her assimilator claws.

My biggest gripe was someone at my local UPN affiliate was playing editor or something. The seen when Steth, as Tom, is talking with the Doc is interrupted and then jumps to Tom in B'Elanna's quarters. She comes in, they talk a bit and the scene jumps again to commercial. I'll have to watch it again Sunday to see if it happens again.

Vickie T. -- 10 Apr 1998, 8:47 AM

First, it's good to have you back, Mike. I know you've been busy, but we missed your comments. About the tools, I think someone in an earlier post wondered how Steth could have taken a holobox wrench to his ship. But, you pointed out, correctly, that Tom replicated real tools. He was carrying his tool box into the holodeck from his quarters when he and Steth were going to look at the carburetor.

Roxanne -- 10 Apr 1998, 9:53 AM

Most of my thoughts have already been stated. I'll have to watch it a little more closely when it comes on Saturday. However, my first thought when they brought the alien on board, was "Don't they ever learn?" Then when they allowed him free access to the ship without even an escort, I don't know. I like Janeway, but there are only so many dumb mistakes that I can allow with excuses like human weakness or naivete. It was kind of a fun story though. Boy did making out in the car bring back memories.

SuzyQ -- 10 Apr 1998, 12:18 PM

I think it depends on the person using the program...The crew can do it either way - go into a program in their uniforms or choose to dress up. On TNG, the crew was usually shown walking down a corridor and entering a program dressed for the occasion. But, then the Enterprise didn't have to ration its replicating capabilities like Voyager does.

Don't think there is such a thing as "holo-clothing." I've never seen a holoprogram come on line and the crew's dress magically change with the program upon entering or exiting. Janeway has been in DaVinci's lab with her uniform on quite a few times. And, the swimsuits that Kes and B'Elanna wore in the Beach Resort program *had* to have been replicated. We know Tom has the Big Daddio Special hanging in his closet. (g)

My answer: the coveralls were replicated and Tom splattered leola root juice on them to stand in for grease! ;-)

Vickie T. -- 10 Apr 1998, 12:52 PM

What about the coveralls? The scene where Tom carries his tool box to the holodeck is later on in the show. We never see him going into the holodeck at the beginning. But, since the coveralls remain when he goes to the bridge, we can only assume that he indeed replicated them before going to the holodeck. I mean, TPTB of Voyager would *never* be guilty of such an obvious error as to let holodeck generated items leave the holodeck, would they? [wink, wink, nudge, nudge, grin]

Jason -- 10 Apr 1998, 1:54 PM

Now, Roxanne, we can't blame Janeway for everything. In defense of Janeway, it's not her job to determine whether aliens are trustworthy or not. She would have gotten reports from Tom & Chakotay on whether or not to let him have free rein of the vessel. Since Steth's body was stolen, his computer would probably support his backstory that he was an alien test pilot. (Which I am assuming was the job of the alien woman whose true body was that of Steth. I think. I'm confused.)

Yes, Janeway is the captain, but you can't blame her for not doing other people's jobs. And Steth appeared to be quite honest to everyone. It's not like they could have forced him to undergo testing to make sure he really was who he claimed to be.

Otherwise-- I haven't talked about this episode yet, because I think weveryone summed it up well. "Vis a Vis" was not one oof the epsides I was looking forward to, but I thought it would be better paced. At the end, we see Janeway/Steth attacked and then we go straight in to a Captain's Log made by her, without us seeing that the Doctor switching the bodies back to normal beforehand. It felt a little off.

Roxanne -- 10 Apr 1998, 5:31 PM

Yes, you can blame Janeway:

#1 It's her ship, and she's the captain. Ultimately everything comes down to her decisions, etc.

#2. She didn't even make sure that the alien was covered by security. Tuvok did fall down on his job as did Tom by not ensuring that someone was with him all the time, but Janeway needed to make sure it was done.

#3 How many times does she have to be hit over the head that the Delta Quadrant does not seem like a safe place for Voyager?

AC -- 16 Apr 1998, 10:36 PM

Finally saw Vis a Vis. Overall, a fun episode. Not great, the pacing needed improvements, but fun. Everyone else has hashed stuff out, so I'll just mention a few points. "Can't I putt in your quarters?" "No!" LOL! And here my husband and I have been insisting that unapologetic flatulence in front of one's beloved was a true sign of intimacy. I'll stop here before you feel you really know more about our relationship than you wanted to know. (Too late! I hear you cry. Oh well.)

From my knocked-up point of view, the most impressive part of the episode was where Torres bends down, picks up the golf paraphrenalia, and straightens without wincing or clapping a hand to her back. And this was a week or so before Dawson gave birth? I'm having a hard time *now* bending over, and I still have 2 months to go! Guess I need to do more back strengthening exercises. On the other hand, maybe it was uncomfortable and it helped her little spat with Tom gain that much more invective.

I loved the mispronunciation of Camaro, and the "It's a lovely garage, Tom" tolerant tone of voice.

Torres sounded like my mom when I show her a new piece of SCA garb -- she likes it, but doesn't completely relate to it. (BTW, just curious, anyone else in here involved in the SCA?) At any rate, it was fun to watch it last night after we'd gotten our taxes to the post office.