Unforgettable

Jason -- 22 Apr 1998, 8:45 PM

It's amazing how a special guest star raises the quality of acting. Virginia Madsen was pretty credible as Kes, UMMM-- Kellin. Well, it's TRUE! There were some major Kes vibes, not only in style of acting, hair and wardrobe, but in psychic abilities. The creepy hallway scene. I could have sworn it was Jennifer Lien.

As a result, not only is Voyager's babe factor radically multiplied this week, but the rest of the cast is forced to the realization, oh yeah, we're actors, we're here to work-- and Robert Beltran delivers his best performance in a very long time. (Any week where the cheese content is low is a good one for a guy who seems more and more to have been a graduate of the William Shatner School of the Performing Arts.)

Garak (um, that Andrew Robinson) did a fairly good job directing for a guy who vowed never to work on Voyager again, and SuzyQ, I really have to disagree with you about Janeway's new hairdo: I LIKE! It looks cared for! It looks stylish! Hurrah!

That said, although I missed the first few minutes, I really liked this episode as soon as I started watching it (the sickbay scene with Kellin and Chakotay). The first thing that struck me was how well used the flashback sequences were. Flashbacks on Voyager have a tendency to mangle an episode ("Macrocosm", anyone?) but in this episode, they were short, sweet and to the point, establishing mood pretty well.

I thought the writing was pretty sharp, the relationship between Chakotay was well developed. However, when it soon became apparent a tracer was after Kellin, I realized "Whoa, we haven't reached the payoff of what so far is a pretty good beginning!" I'm not sure if Seven's gossip was supposed to bring us to the conclusion that Chakotay and Kellin were indeed intimate, but as far as I saw, they never quite reached the depth that we has been lead to believe that they had.

I also thought Chakotay gave up pretty easy, and once again the expected payoff didn't materialize when Kellin said: "I wish we had met under different circumstances." Whenever my father and I watch Star Trek we usually try to anticipate the lines and I felt stupid when I said "We did", yet Chakotay never did. Damn you, Greg Elliot and Michael Perricone, damn you! (These two, by the way, are good. So *why* did they hire Bryan Fuller?) The shots of Kellin as she was about to beam away were particularly attractive. Did I mention she looked good? ;-)

For those who feel that Season 4 has been formulaic, there are some particularly disturbing facts which support this: "Unforgettable" was this year's "Real Life" as "The Omega Directive" was last year's "Before and After". Next week's "Living Witness" promises to be this year's "Distant Origin", featuring in prominence the same guest actor who played Gegen last year in a similar role. (I'm not complaining) but it's an interesting trend.

Mr. Mac. -- 22 Apr 1998, 9:31 PM

This episode was pretty decent. Madsen is nothing to sneeze at but I could swear I was watching Kes. She has a deep voice with similar inflections. Did anyone else notice the scene where she was walking down the hallway thinking she was being watched? This was eerie because I thought it was Kes.

This was the first episode in four years without Torres. SOB! Not even a mention! Just stick that kid in a baby backpack Roxann and take your station!

Major gripe. I can't imagine Jeri Ryan enjoyed delivering those lines about the commander and Madsen being "flushed." Major dorkiness. I mean, why would Seven care? It's irrelevant, right?

Pat thought the scene where Chakotay puts his head in his hand was "cute." Enough said about that. I still think he has fish lips. I had a terrible fear that she was going to run her fingers through his hair and come up with boot polish all over her nails. (shudder)

Overall I liked it. It was a little dull but the acting was good. I almost forgot! The Neelix scene at the end was terrific.

Jason -- 22 Apr 1998, 9:58 PM

I thought the same thing. In my post, I said virtually the same thing.

"Virginia Madsen was pretty credible as Kes, UMMM-- Kellin. Well, it's TRUE! There were some major Kes vibes, not only in style of acting, hair and wardrobe, but in psychic abilities. The creepy hallway scene. I could have sworn it was Jennifer Lien."

I guess great minds really do think alike, Mr. Mac.

Vickie T. -- 22 Apr 1998, 10:10 PM

I said I would, and I did. Like Unforgettable, I mean. I simply refuse to acknowledge several glaring plot holes - and that's hard to do when your 13 yr. old is sitting there pointing them out as they appear. [Picture me, hands over ears, head shaking, now making "Talk to the Hand" gestures]

Virginia Madsen was a great AOTW and like Jason and Mr. Mac, I was having Kes flashbacks throughout. And, like Mrs. Mac, I thought Chakotay putting his head/chin on his hand *was* cute - a clear indication that he was a little embarrassed by the subject at hand...or that he was afraid to put his hand squarely on his face for fear of smearing his make-up :-) Robert Beltran did a fine job on this episode, IMHO. All in all, Unforgettable was a thoroughly enjoyable episode.

Of course, I *do* have just one little complaint. No, make that two, no, three little complaints.

1. Message to Make-up department: STOP WITH THE BLACK SHOE POLISH IN RB'S HAIR!!!!

It's getting blacker and slicker every week. I want the graying crewcut back! [Hands on hips, stomping foot for emphasis]

2. Why on Earth did Chakotay give up so soon? IMHO, Kellin's pre-memory-wipe pleas not to let them take her back and to Chakotay to tell her about them and make her remember if she forgot were certainly grounds to keep her around at least a week or two longer. They could have kept the other alien guy in the brig and told him and Kellin that she had to stay until she was fully recovered from being zapped by the neurolytic thingie, or some other medical gobbledygook. Then, if Chakotay still hadn't been able to bring her around, they could regretfully let her go.

3. Gee, do you suppose that the writers wanted to make sure we thought that Chakotay is a kind person? Just how many times did Kellin need to say that during the episode and do you think there was some point to the repetition?

Well, we seem to be on another end-of-the-season roll. We've had three episodes in a row that I liked and next week looks like a real hoot. Do you suppose we've already had season 4's version of the Trilogy of Terror, or is it still to come?

I read in the paper yesterday that people aren't getting enough sleep because they stay up nights playing on the internet. I'm certainly guilty of that tonight. It's past my bedtime. Good night.

ande -- 22 Apr 1998, 11:27 PM

I was prepared to give this episode a chance, even though I hate it when Chakotay is paired off with some blond nymph. He usually ends being tricked and looking a little on the incompetent side, luckily he faired a little better in this episode.

I haven't decided if I actually liked the show or not, but one thing is for sure: TPTB need to be advised that in the 24th century women have equal rights. Chuck has had several relationships during the run of the show, but Janeway has had no significant relationship, unless you count that monkey from 'Resolutions' (shudder).

I don't mind that TPTB have been doing the "Let's just be good friends" thing with J/C, because after viewing their work with P/T, I would rather they stay good friends than have to endure bad writing and poor relationship development.

About the actual content of the episode: I found the acting to be pretty good. I thought Virginia Madsen did a good job as did RB, but I was embarrassed for poor Jeri Ryan. Her lines this week were either added just to get her in the episode or whoever wrote the episode dropped the ball when it came to writing dialog for 7. It just drives home the point that we have been making for much of the year: TPTB are shoving 7 at us a little too hard (Don't start throwing stuff at me Andy, I think 7 has been a great addition to the crew, but I would prefer that she wasn't featured quite so much).

As a side note, Mr. Mac I would like to thank you for sending me into the best fit of giggles that I have had in a long time. I don't think I'll be able to see Chuck put his hands in his hair ever again without laughing.

As for Kellin looking like Kes, what do you mean looking like Kes? That was Kes, you dolt. She had her ears, her hair and that cute little 'walking down the hall turn' that always indicated someone from the psychic friends network was trying to get in touch with her (it was Eric Kes, it was ERIC).

Ginny -- 23 Apr 1998, 8:24 AM

Did you hear that? It's the sound of hundreds, nay, thousands of Trekkies, still sitting slack-jawed in front of their TV sets this morning and asking, "What the heck was that mess?" I, myself, was so unimpressed with this episode that I couldn't even bring myself to watch it a second time--which I always try to do before posting. It was so bad--How bad was it?--that the Harry Kim/Seven of Nine conversation about courting was the high point for me.

Ack.

GRATIFYING BITS

I'm taking my categories out of order--you'll see why later.

--Neelix finally got to do something other than ask if a crewmember wanted something to eat.

--Virginia Madsen is a charming and capable actress. Too bad the script sucked like a Hoover upright.

GRIPES

--I don't remember seeing these two writers credited before. And I don't really want to see them again. What a snoozzzzzzzzzzer!

--Robert Beltran as Chakotay. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz--I had no idea he could sleep with his eyes open.

--Did I mention how badly written I thought this episode was? Enormous plot holes (from someone who doesn't often notice them), Kathryn once again giving an unknown alien access to major ship's systems, incredibly boring romantic dialogue. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz--clunk (sound of my head hitting the coffee table)!

--Kathryn's hair--made her look frumpy and old.

--Kellin's costume--made her look frumpy and fat.

--That whole conversation between Chakotay and Tuvok. Huh?

--If Kellin was spewing memory-blocking pheromones like Mount Vesuvius, and she spent IIRC two weeks on Voyager the first time and several hours or a full day the second time she was there, why didn't the crew, in general, and Chakotay, in particular, start forgetting things after a few hours, things like, oh, how she got on the ship, who she was running from, how great the sex was the night before?

--Even Pam, the Chakotay fan in our household, said, "I didn't like this one."

--One thing that did amuse me--Kellin very obviously not running her hands through Chakotay's hair when they were kissing. Maybe that stuff he's using really is shoe black.

That is all for now, because just thinking about this episode is making me drowsy again.

Rip van Gin-kle

Jason -- 23 Apr 1998, 2:26 PM

Well *I* liked it ... and much like "Nemesis", it seems like I'm alone on this one. (For a guy who's not the greatest fan of Chakotay, I sure do seem to be the only one who likes his episodes.)

Maybe I was prejudiced having come off watching DS9's romantic episode "His Way", perhaps the most BORING episode I HAVE EVER, EVER, seen in Star Trek. (An episode of Vic Fontaine- who's in virtually every scene, and in each one, insists on performing a number- no one stops him) is like a full season of Seven of Nine. Overload, to say the least.

Whereas, "Unforgettable", unlike other episodes on both Voyager and DS9 of late left me wanting more, not for it to have ended over 10 minutes before I did.

I thought the dialogue was very sharp, and Neelix seemed like a valuable member of the crew for the first time this year.

It has it's share of problems, but there are some golden parts to the episode.

T'Racy -- 23 Apr 1998, 9:41 AM

Under normal circumstances, I like to watch an episode twice before reviewing it, especially when it's a night in which Ehlana decides she has to play/sing/do her hair/dress up in her ballerina costume/and skate around the living room, all while I attempt to watch Voyager. This was not one of those times. What little I watched was enough.

I agree wholeheartedly with you Ginny. What a snoozer. I don't think I have ever seen such poor acting....or been so bored by a Trek Episode in my entire life. And this one was a "romantic" one, for gosh' sakes!

Geez, the Trilogy of Terror was more interesting. At least it gave me something to talk about. With Unforgettable, I have nothing else to say.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

Needless to say, I am looking very forward to next week's episode.

Fliteman -- 23 Apr 1998, 2:45 PM

*I* liked it too, and I think the Mannequin who plays Uncle Chuckles could be replaced by any inanimate object handy... I liked it. Chuck got to show SOME depth; I didn't notice the boot polish in his hair (Note to myself: change brands) but then I wasn't looking at that. I found myself wondering at the end, even reading my own writing, about a love that I would soon not remember; about experiences that I could never feel... - would I believe it..? I think I'd say no.

Also... Neelix impressed the socks off me. Not so much the words he said, but the timing & tenderness SAYING those words... Then, he just walked away. I thought at the time, he knows more about those words than Chakotay, because he recently lost Kes. Imagine Neelix having more experience over ANYONE in a subject. Ginny - your posts seem to have an accent now... I'm not complaining, just noticing.

Ginny -- 23 Apr 1998, 3:25 PM

Eh, law. I reckon that's to be expected. But how come my accent is the only one anybody comments on? The rest of y'all have accents, too, you know.

Neelix was pretty well used dramatically in this episode. And I was quite amused by your "Mannequin" comment. I declare, if Beltran were any stiffer, he'd be Vice-President. Which reminds me of a joke...

Ginny Belle

MEG -- 23 Apr 1998, 9:44 AM

Unforgettable -- "How can I remember. . .the girl I can't forget? All of a sudden I'm writing country-western music." -Charlie Brown in an old "Peanuts" strip.

I paid special attention to this one, Carol, so I could report on anything that would cheer you up. And the first thing I have to tell you is that the spoilers were wrong. The reported big scene between Janeway and Chakotay, in which she was supposed to tell him she had feelings for him but could never act on them and she'd never stand in the way of his happiness. . . Never happened. The closest thing to it was a scene between Chakotay and Neelix in which Neelix tells Chakotay, who's suspicious of Kellin's motives, that maybe it's because Chakotay doesn't trust his own feelings. So -- either the J/C contingent raised enough hell to get a last-minute script change or Braga and Co. really put one over on the spoiler publishers AND had some fun at the J/Cers expense. I'd love to know which it was! At any rate, Chakotay did indeed get the "I wish we'd met under different circumstances" line handed to him -- but by Kellin, not Kathryn.

I think Jules' comment about "Vis a' Vis" -- that it was a flawed but pleasant little episode - applies to this one too. It wasn't great drama, but it was moderately involving, well-acted all around, and had some fun moments. The idea of Neelix giving Chakotay romantic advice struck me as a hoot: the Ann Landers of the Delta Quad. Who knew he could be so. . .profound? I *loved* Tuvok's jokes about assigning Kellin to the mess hall to protect Neelix from the "periodic wrath" of the crew. And Janeway's expression when the Doc claims to be "a master of visual diagnosis" was priceless.

On the other hand, there were an awful lot of scenes in which people just sat around, talking and talking and talking. In places I wanted to say to them what Chakotay said to Harry: "in a nutshell"! And a few of the camera angles really annoyed me, notably during the sickbay scene in which the camera takes Kellin's viewpoint and keeps looking up at the other actors. Once was okay, but did we have to see everyone from that viewpoint at least twice?

To anyone who is better at stardates than I am: what would have been going on aboard Voyager a month prior to this episode, if anything? I kept picturing Kellin arriving on the ship the first time just in time for the Hirogen wars and wondering why in the universe these things always happen on her watch.

Plot holes, as someone else noted, were around in abundance. My major quibble is actually a question: Why would the crew have been inclined to assist Kellin during her first visit, as opposed to assisting the fugitive she was pursuing? Wouldn't the same logic about allowing people to leave that Chakotay addresses to Kellin's pursuer have applied to the earlier fugitive, and wouldn't the crew have been inclined to at least hear the guy's side of things before they turned him over to Kellin? Or were we, like Chakotay, supposed to be a little distrustful of Kellin's story?

Over all, I had the impression that they were leaving themselves an out on this one, hoping that it wouldn't offend the J/Cers too much. Chakotay was just a little too skeptical of Kellin, especially for him. (Or has he actually learned something from all the times he's been manipulated? Now there's a thought. . .) He didn't remember the initial relationship, he was somewhat hesitant about it the first time until Kellin actually seduced him during their last night together, he couldn't remember his feelings for her even after she reappeared and told him all about it, and the whole thing finally leaves him uncomfortable. Even with his paper memoir to remind him, he'd probably react the same way once the memory engrams of her faded from his consciousness. Saved by the reset button once again! See, Carol, I told you it would work out that way. ;-)

Vickie T. -- 23 Apr 1998, 10:05 AM

More on Unforgettable for Carol. Carol, you *did* ask for spoilers and I know you are a J/Cer, so here's some more info on Unforgettable. First, the full-blown spoiler at Mike Jonas' Secret Transmission site (which I think you saw) was baloney. Oh, he got the general plot right, but you could get that from the press releases.

All the other stuff about J and C was pure fabrication. J and C had absolutely no discussions about C's relationship with Kellin. IIRC, the only person C ever talks to about it is Neelix. I will say, however, that the very fact that C falls in love, relatively quickly, IMO, with Kellin is because he has accepted the fact that he and Janeway will never be anything but platonic friends and has dealt with and gotten over whatever romantic feelings he had.

Seven and Kim had their standard stupid exchange in Unforgettable, too. Seven wants to know why humans engage in this time-wasting process of dating before they follow through with "the act of procreation" (her words). The writers, IMHO, really missed a great opportunity for Kim to intelligently explain to Seven some of the finer points of human relationships. Instead, he made a lame comment about being more comfortable with each other if you get to know one another first and then said "Well, if I have to explain it to you, Seven, you'll never understand." To which she replied something like "Obviously."

Now I really do have to get back to work.

SuzyQ -- 23 Apr 1998, 10:59 AM

Well, Carol, you don't have to worry about no J/C...because this episode probably wasn't worth the concern. It should have been called "Forgettable" IMO. I was *not* impressed. Let me preface by saying that my UPN station did not come in clearly the entire night. With everyone's outlines blurry and close-ups showing four eyes and all, that might have affected my opinion of the episode. And, without a clear view of Ms. Madsen, I also felt like Kes was sauntering across the screen.

LIKES:

- Virginia Madsen was competent. She did the best she could with a badly-written story.

- Chakotay taking charge of away missions; shades of TNG! I think I felt a little tingle up my spine when he, Tuvok and Paris walked into that turbolift. I like a more pro-active Chakotay. Also, Suspicious-Chakotay-with his track record, he ought to be.

- No B'Elanna. Before anyone throws a bat'leth at me, let me say it was better she wasn't in this. What could she have possible contributed? I also think Seven would have been better off being written out of this one. And, Tuvok. And, Tom...

- Neelix playing sounding board, especially that last scene.

- Someone on the crew (Chakotay) actually knows how to WRITE longhand! As someone who treasures seeing the writing of my loved ones on a letter, I had started to wonder if this ability had been lost in the 24th century. Nice to see it used as a romantic plot point.

DISLIKES:

- I don't know what the rest of you saw, but I didn't see *any* chemistry between Madsen and Beltran. Zip. Zilch. Nada. So, she likes pudding and they have a few laughs on his couch. This is enough for Chakotay to fall in love lock, stock and barrel? It also conflicted with the suspicious act .he did so well in the beginning. I couldn't buy the premise that Chak could have strong feelings for someone in such a short amount of time. Has nothing to do with Janeway either. In the end, I still didn't know what he loved about the woman. She kept saying he was kind, but he never gave any indication what he felt for her. And, if I can't buy the romance in what is supposed to be a wistful, .romantic episode, I gotta give it thumbs down.

.- This is in conjunction with the above-I didn't buy Kellins story up until the last 10 minutes of the episode. That made it *really* difficult for me to take anything she said at face value, including her feelings.for Chakotay. By the time I did, it was too late for me to feel anything for the character or her.predicament because she had already lost her memory.

.- The premise of the AOTW-a forgettable people that prefers to be forgettable? OK, I can buy that. .We've seen xenophobic cultures before on ST. What I found difficult to buy is that *all* reference to .them was wiped from Voy's logs before and then AGAIN at the end. Well, aren't these logs are .supposed to be an accurate, complete, factual record of the voyages of the Starship Voyager?

- We're supposed to believe Janeway allows this planting of a virus into Voy's computer to remove all reference to the AOTW and her people? The wiping of logs is becoming rather common this season and it's starting to look silly. Janeway did it last week with Omega and it happens again this week. And, what about personal logs? Chakotay's personal one never *once* referred to his past relationship with Kesen? I find it difficult to believe that the crew would allow their personal logs to be altered. Talk about rewriting history. Thank goodness he still maintained his longhand skills.

- HAIR! Even with all the fuzziness, I could tell Tom's hair was brushed back from his face (yuck), Janeway's was pasted flat against her head (ugh) and Chakotay's was so black it was reflecting other people's faces. And, still have to disagree, Jason, on Janeway's hair. Yes, it's styled-badly. On Gillian Anderson, that style flatters her features. On Kate Mulgrew, it doesn't because it accentuates her already prominent jawline and short neck

I'll watch this again during rerun time to see if my opinion changes. But, for now, I'd have to rate it ho-hum.

Vicky Gaumer -- 23 Apr 1998, 5:52 AM

I feel sorry for Chakotay. I'm not a big Chakotay fan but I get frustrated *for* him! It seems like he just never quite gets the girl. Everytime we turn around he's getting the short end of the stick when it comes to relationships.

First it was Seska, who turned out to be a traitor.....then his opportunity with Janeway never happened and now in "Unforgettable", Kellan "forgot" their relationship and left the ship before it got any place. (even though they did exchange some kisses but big deal). I just wish TPTB would let Chakotay have a successful romance at least one time. I was also surprised at how easily he let Kellan go for someone who was supposed to be in love. He just kind of smiled at her on the transport pad and he didn't seem too broke up over her going. I guess there's always the Holodeck.

Mrs. Mac -- (25,000 feet on April 23)

Okay, so I'm sitting in a plane, which is one of the most terrifying experiences I can possibly have.

Top Ten Things I Rather do Than Fly:

Climb Mt. Everest
Root Canal
Write a thesis on Baywatch
Clean the toilets
Pull poison ivy (very allergic)
Eat Neelix's stew
Watch 24 hours of repeats of The Rise, Darling, Threshold, Favorite Son, and Concerning Flight
Give Birth (scratch that, based on hearsay)
Have a bikini wax job (scratch that too, based on experience)

If this plane goes belly-up perhaps they can retrieve my last review and testament (to the Nebula). To keep my mind off the fact that I'm not touching the ground (yes, my seat beat is fastened, Mac), I'm on my laptop writing my review of … er … what was the name of this episode?

I think I can sum up this entire episode with a mere shrug of my shoulders. Eh! It was o-kay. Virginia Madsen was impressive (a Kes look-alike at times) and she made Chuckles look good but overall the story was lacking. It really looked like Beltran was trying (for a change) but I still find his character dull, somber, and uninteresting. For the life of me I don't know what the attraction was between these two. Perhaps someone else can explain it to me.

The absolute WORST parts of this episode (and maybe all episodes) were the two scenes with Seven and Harry. It is possible that B'Elanna was written out of this episode quite hastily and therefore the writers may have inserted "filler." These scenes were not only are filler but they were fodder. Yuck! Spit! P-tuey!

Hair today . . . Janeway's "do" has to go. Are they intentionally making her unattractive? She'll die as a Delta Quad virgin at this rate! Honey, go to Voyager's salon and have your nails done, your hair piled away from your face, and treat yourself to a bikini wax . . . forget that. Harry's hair looked like a little Dutch Boy cut. I'll take Chakotay's hair in Caretaker thank you very much. There is just too much black in it now. It's horrible. Did anyone notice Janeway's hair in the upcoming episode? Now that's the way it should be worn. It's a shame it's a lesson in Voyager fiction and not fact.

Things I'm tired of seeing:

1) Aliens who are given carte blanche to the consoles. Someone, even Neelix, should have been watching over her shoulder.

2) Aliens who manage to damage Voyager's shields before Voyager can inflict damage in return.

3) Aliens who board Voyager undetected. For ONCE let's have an episode where the Voyager crew boards another alien vessel undetected. You know, they help themselves to the cafeteria goodies, check out the spa, borrow a couple of magazines, and THEN get detected!

Top Ten Magazines Borrowed by the Crew on an Alien Vessel:

Car and Driver (Tom)
National Geographic (Chakotay)
Cosmopolitan (B'Elanna)
Cuisine (Neelix)
Playgirl (Seven - she needs all the help she can get)
Spank! (Kes - magazine borrowed from Eric)
TigerBeat (Harry)
Tuvok? I can't think of one for Tuvok! Help!
Mother Jones (Janeway)
JAMA (The Doc)

As you can see I'm writing too much which means I'm very nervous. So I'll sign off, do a couple of Hail Marys, a few Our Fathers and land in Boston - hopefully on all tires. Talk to you next week! I'll read your comments in the Archive. Hey Eric! I'll be somewhere on Pittsburgh Street! Come look for me!

SuzyQ -- 23 Apr 1998, 5:47 PM

(ahem) Well, that puts a new spin on the term "Mile High Club";-). First Recipient of the Nebula's Highest, Fastest Review Location Award: Mrs. Mac, travelling 25,000 ft up @ 200mph (Help, Flite; what do passenger airplanes cruise at?)

As for the pearls, I think most of were referring to *real* pearls. There are many good costume jewelry imitations, but real ones are always special.

O. Bleek -- 23 Apr 1998, 12:52 PM

The worst episode of the season.

Sorry, Chakotay fans. I know Carol and Vickie enjoyed seeing a Chuck ep. But the episode was a huge snoozer in every manner! This will be one week where I don't look forward to watching the re-run this weekend. In fact I'm not going to watch it again.

Okay (deep breath) don't hate me, but Robert Beltran was awful! What's wrong with him? He was so wooden. He showed no passion, no feelings whatsoever. Is he gay? He (and I'm stealing from Dorothy Parker here) ran the gamut of emotions from A to B! The premise of the story was not great but it was adequate, but it totally depended on the acting of the two characters. Beltran dropped the ball on his end.

On the other end - why Madsen? Can't get movie work anymore? I wonder why? Her acting was so-so. I hated her look too. With that fluffy big hair and that velvet minidress with black tights and chunky heels, she looked like a country/folk refugee from Lilith Fair!

The two characters had to make us believe that their chemistry was so awesome that could fall in love with each other - twice, in a short period of time. But the actors failed to convey those feelings. Because of that, the episode fell flat like a pooped-out soufflé.

SuzyQ -- 23 Apr 1998, 1:51 PM

Oh, those heels!....They were even more implausible when it was made more clear that she was a hunter/tracer/tracker for her government. She's gonna chase someone in 3 inch heels, and run from her own people in a flippy dress? (sigh) The dress wasn't that flattering either.

I hope fashion in the future doesn't have all of us stuck in jumpsuits, but I *know* pumps won't have any place in the hunting profession. That is, unless your name is Miss Parker and your prey is a guy known as a Pretender. (g) I think her spikes were designed as weapons first...

O. Bleek -- 23 Apr 1998, 2:04 PM

Right. Her outfit didn't match her profession. I have to say of all the costumes so far on Voyager, I liked Kes' wardrobe the best. It was cool. Hairdos is another story. I think the hair person should be fired.

Andy -- 23 Apr 1998, 2:29 PM

Jeri gets around in her heels just fine. I think they are four inches or so. Go back and watch some of the episodes like "The Raven" where she had to do women action sequences in them. She is as sure-footed as a mountain goat. I guess that her Miss America training must have come in handy for this. You know, being able to walk around very gracefully in heels, holding herself well, etc. But maybe she was was giving up all those home runs because of the heels....

SuzyQ -- 23 Apr 1998, 2:49 PM

That's because Jeri gets to sit down between takes. Besides, we're talking about the character (not the actress) realistically holding the job of bounty hunter and wearing 3-inch heels in tracking and in battle with other ships.

As for Seven, I suspect her feet are part metal, like one of her hands. Therefore, bunions, blisters and the like don't affect her. ;-) If she was affected, I suspect those pumps would be out an airlock in seconds and branded as irrelevant!

O. Bleek -- 23 Apr 1998, 2:01 PM

Great restraint Vickie. Actually I used to think Beltran was pretty hot stuff. But a man's got to have some personality too. I soon got bored with the Chakotay character - and Beltran. If the writers or Beltran think that Native Americans are stoic, they are mistaken. Stoicism is a manner of hiding emotion. Native Americans are , in my experience, not averse to showing emotions. Au contraire, they are culturally do show emotional, especially when it comes to showing feelings of affection.

Shawnster -- 24 Apr 1998, 12:02 AM

Bravo, Bravo...I was afraid I was the only one who didn't really like the episode. Oh, I wouldn't go as far as you did though Ginny, I didn't think it was terrible. It was close though.

I thought about the pheromone thing as well. I wondered how they could keep remembering Kellen, Kellyn, Kellan, Kellin (however) from hour to hour. I finally concluded everyone can remember Kellin for as long as they smell the pheromones. Once they are away from the pheromones for a long period, like a day or so, they will forget. That's why Chakotay could remember her while he was writing at the end of the show. Of course I figured he would forget about her as soon as he fell asleep.

Terry -- 24 Apr 1998, 8:09 PM

Completely Forgettable. I gotta agree with Ginny, Marie, SuzyQ, and O.Bleek on this one. I only disagree to the extent that it was too boring to be truly bad. At least, past stinkers like Threshold or Favorite Son can be laughed at. And I've never seen more unintentionally unattractive hair on an actress than Janeway's do. Weak acting, terrible makeup and hair, stupid writing, blah! Boring.

What else can I say? Everyone has said it all. I couldn't pay attention to this one and dread having to suffer through a repeat.

If this is the best TPTB can do in a non-Seven episode, bring on the Seven-Saves-The-Ship episodes again. Rather All Seven, All the Time than another inane Chakotay episode.

Marie -- 23 Apr 1998, 2:12 PM

O.Bleek, I couldn't have said it better...myself, but that won't stop me from putting in my two cents' worth.

How boring was this episode? Let me count the ways. I nearly fell asleep during it, and just thinking about this hot romance is making me yawn, literally.

First, let me say that you're absolutely right about RB's acting. (Vickie, it's time to leave this post now. I still want you to be my friend.) During the episode I actually found myself thinking, "Oh, look. There is RB using all of his limited facial expressions not once, but twice. Wait, I saw that hesitant one three times.

I saw no passion or chemistry whatsoever between RB and Madsen. Madson also struck me as a poor imitation of Jen Lien. The resemblance was uncanny, but I'm sure that Lien would have acted better. And your comparison of Madson's attire to a country singer is right on the money, O.Bleek. Madson, like RB, seemed to be sleepwalking through this episode.

The storyline had possibilities, but the plot was poorly executed. The glaring holes in the story have already been alluded to, so I won't point them out again.

I tried to like this episode and maintain my excitement about it and Beltran, but really, all I can say is, when are we going to have the next Tuvok episode, and why the hell did the f*#@ing PTB fire Jen Lien?

Vickie T. -- 23 Apr 1998, 3:40 PM

Oh, come on, Marie...RB can muster up at least *4* different facial expressions - and every single one of them is lovely! :-)

I am perfectly willing to admit that my attraction to RB is completely shallow and superficial. So, criticize away, I won't be offended and *may* even agree with you on some of them.

Jason -- 23 Apr 1998, 4:36 PM

As Trek romances go "Unforgettable" blows away most recent installments, such as this week's DS9- "His Way", in which Vic Fontaine was entertaining for about ten minutes, but after 40 All Vic Fontaine all the time, in minutes you're looking for the remote.

"Unforgettable" takes down the somewhat similar "A Simple Investigation" and "Crossfire" (heck, just add every Odo romance episode to the list.)

Trek romances are notoriously bad, but I really don't see why this one is amongst them.

As for Virginia Madsen, I think it's unfair to compare her performance to Lien's. They are two different actresses with different styles and although there are also similarities to their styles, I wouldn't say that one would do better in a given role than the other.

On whether she did "what she could" so to speak with the role, well, at least she wasn't playing Vanessa Williams' role from "Let He Who Is Without Sin"

[shudder]

How could the producers DO THAT to a Special Guest Star?

Martha -- 23 Apr 1998, 1:17 PM

I felt pretty neutral about this episode. I didn't hate it as much as some of you, nor did I care for it as much as others, it was just pretty ho-hum to me. I liked moments of it like Chakotay's and Tuvok's conversation but the plot loopholes really got to me. Aside from stuff already mentioned by others--

--Will they let *anyone* touch their computer system? Or is it merely the most accessible, "welcome hackers" system in the 24th century. Two weeks ago Steth placed a hand held device over the system and it blithely lets him access even the Captain's personal records. This week not one, but two AOTW had access and tampered with the entries. Just what is Tuvok doing anyway?

--How come they couldn't transport her than minutes later they could?

--Why was the doctor scanning her in the post alien mind erasing zap medical examination? Didn't he tell us he couldn't scan her and had to rely on "visual diagnosis?"

--Why oh why did she not record a message to herself, instead or relying on Chakotay. If I knew I would lose all memories of my husband in the next couple of hours, I would make a tape of myself discussing as many memories and feelings for him as I could. I know I would believe myself a whole lot more than a person who would be a stranger to me saying, "look, you asked me to tell you that we were in love."

--And finally, I can't believe there are people who think they didn't have an intimate relationship. IIRC it was intimated that on their first lst night they "got together." And then again when they had their second last night. We just saw the beginning, that's all.

Vickie T. -- 23 Apr 1998, 1:19 PM

You set up a couple of soapboxes for me, O.Bleek.

But I'll try and restrain myself. First, regarding Kellin's outfit (refugee from a Lilith Fair, LOL), when we saw her foot sticking out from under that bulkhead, my first thought was "Another woman in high heels? What is wrong with these people?" There are a lot of ridiculous and implausible things they do on Star Trek (from TOS all the way through Voyager) that I'm perfectly willing to go along with, but the idea that women will still be wearing high heels 3 or 4 centuries from now is just not one of them.

Second, I've never been a believer in love at first, second, or even third sight. Lust at first sight, oh yeah. Been there. Done that. But, in this episode, as O.Bleek mentioned, we were supposed to believe that the chemistry between Chakotay and Kellin was so awesome that they could "fall in love with each other - twice, in a short period of time." And, like O.Bleek, I didn't really see it.

Regarding Robert Beltran's "wooden" acting, I think someone has commented on that subject before, wondering if it is RB himself, or that Chakotay is supposed to be this stoic, impassive Native American and that characterization is getting in the way. I don't know, but obviously, since I like RB, I prefer to believe the latter. Just call me the Queen of Denial! :-)

And, I *still* like Unforgettable! :-)

Carol -- 23 Apr 1998, 4:51 PM

I'm getting a kick out of these reviews...mostly because I have a real sadistic side to me and from most of the reviews I've read hear and on AOL almost everybody hated this episode. J/Cers and NON-J/Cers alike! :D Even the members of Robert Beltrans Online-harem on AOL (too bad you don't have AOL Vickie, I know you'd love it :-) who adore the man hated it and thought RB totally phoned in his performance. That they've seen more romantic chemistry between Chakotay and Paris than between him and Madson. Some J/Cers are even glad that "The Talk" scene was cut because it would have been in such a bad episode.

Wowsers!

I mean, some people have even said that they'd rather watch Threshold again than this episode, which is really harsh. Its getting a high number of votes as the Worst Episode of All Time (the argument being that Threshold and Favorite Son were bad but amusing, but Unforgettable was bad and boring).

"The Talk" was the main reason I wanted to see the episode and I'm disheartened that it got cut. The rumor was that this episode was intended to kill J/C but it doesn't look like it did in a lot of J/Cers opinions. I'd love to know why Braga and Co. cut the scene though. No one even knows if it was filmed or not because Mike Jonas just typed his spoiler from the script.

You know, I'm hearing so many bad things about this episode I might just not watch it at all. Despite the rumor that it was intended to kill J/C I still had hopes for it and I really love Robert Beltran. The man can act when given the material to work with. But it sounds to me like this episode was so disappointing on so many other fronts that the lack of continuity with J/C was a miniscule problem with it at best.

I might watch it just to make up my own mind about it, but I'm tempted to just skip it all together from everything I'm hearing.

Carol -- who wishes they'd let the real Chakotay (the one from Scorpion, The Cloud and even Unity) back from the exile they've placed him in. Who is that shoe-black haired gentleman?

SuzyQ -- 23 Apr 1998, 5:07 PM

Why was this romance bad?

I can only speak for myself, but these were my reasons for feeling ambivalent about this episode:

1) NO chemistry between romantic leads - this will sink a romance *every* time.

2) NO reasons why the characters loved each other. Why did he fall in love with her the first time? The Second? Stay in love the second time around? What did she love about him? Kindness was the thing she kept mentioning, but, I just didn't *feel* anything between them - no passion, no angst, no loss, no heartbreak. Compare this with Beverly Crusher's romance in the TNG EP that introduced the Trill species. Now, *that* was chemistry - and it was done with a character that the audience had no background on just like this AOTW. And, when he's gone, or rather switches to a woman's body, Gates McFadden conveyed that confusion, loss and resignation so well.

I can suspend disbelief when watching scifi; do it all the time actually. But when it comes to a relationship, something HAS to click between the lead actors for it to be successful. In "Unforgettable," we heard a whole lot of talk from Kellen about Chakotay loving her, her giving up her life to be with him, blah, blah, blah. But, there wasn't much heart in it. Just the writers telling us to accept it without allowing the actors to show it.

As someone who never liked Vash on TNG, I at least knew what it was Picard found attractive in her - common interests (archaeology, history), risk-taking adventuress, no commitments and she could stand up to Q. I still have no idea what Chakotay saw in Kellen, or her in him. Just my two cents...

Carol -- 23 Apr 1998, 5:15 PM

Regarding of hair. I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that TPTB seemed to be going for the Dana Scully/Gillian Anderson look with Janeway's hair. It really isn't suited to her face at all. Kate's hair is better pulled back from her forehead, like it was in The Killing Game.

And hey, Robert Beltran's new shoe-black...think the writers are trying to go for the Fox Mulder/David Dechovney look with him (ever notice how dark Mulder's hair is)?

It all makes sense now! Brannon Braga has always said that Voyager should be more like The X-Files -- apparently he didn't just mean in the way of scripts and story-telling! :-D

If Janeway and Chakotay are supposed to be Mulder and Scully, dose that make Tuvok Walter Skinner and Tom Paris Krachyek?

Vickie T. -- 23 Apr 1998, 2:36 PM

It's nice to know, Jason...that this episode appealed to someone besides the truly Chakotay-infatuated like myself. No, it wasn't a perfect episode, but I still enjoyed it and, like you,didn't want it to end so soon.

Shawnster -- 23 Apr 1998, 11:41 PM

Not quite Unforgettable. Well, I wasn't overly impressed with this episode. I thought some of the technical holes in the story were so big you could fly a Borg cube through.

Overall though, my initial reaction was we where cheated out of a story again. I thought the episode could have been much better if it detailed Kellan's initial appearance on Voyager. We could have seen her hunt down the alien, fall in love with Chakotay and then regretfully have to leave him. This would have been a lot better than this different reset button approach episode.

Technically I couldn't wrap my brain around this cloaking ability this AOTW has. The species generates pheromones that cause others to forget them after they're gone. OK. Next, someone asks the silly question if this is why the sensors couldn't detect her. Since when did Voyager and the tricorders acquire a nose? I mean come on! Oh, sure, I understand odor sensors but that's different than olfactory senses connected to the brain.

Kellan (and the other Skip Tracer later) introduced a tapeworm virus to eliminate any reference to her visit to Voyager. Did this program create fictitious data to replace the real files with? Surely Janeway would have several log entries dealing with Kellan. What would happen when she goes back to review these logs only to find no entries for a period of about a month? What happened to those log entries? I'm with Tuvok, there should be some evidence of tampering. And what about the crew?

Anyone who had contact with Kellan for a long period of time would have big gaps in their memory. I would hope I would recognize any holes in my memory and try to find out what happened.

No, overall I thought "Unforgettable" could have been better. It wasn't bad but it didn't live up to it's name.

Riley -- 24 Apr 1998, 1:30 AM

"Unforgettable." Kellin from Ranura is amazingly like Kes...looks, voice, ...everything. Does anyone believe in reincarnation? I'm surprised that no one in the show noticed!

The story follows well, especially in a second detailed viewing. It is hard to imagine being placed in the situation of meeting a past love but not having any memory of it. Of course this happens not once, but twice. Once it works out, once it doesn't. Both Chakotay and Kellin both do very well with the acting of emotions in this episode. There are many looks, glances, inflections (a kiss) that communicate more than any words could and not just when they are with each other. Both positive and negative. While the love they feel is real, so is the initial distrust they each felt too. They work well going through the situation both times. I noted several scenes but I suggest just watching. It's better that way.

Other notable scenes include Neelix in the mess hall acting as a bar tender twice. Do we see any similarities with Picard and Guinan (ST:TNG)?. Interesting interchange between Seven and Kim discussing the importance of interaction before love making. There were also several grammar errors which made it through the review. This was a surprise to me, as language in this series is generally perfect.

The conclusion with Chakotay recording the events permanently with pen and paper makes you wonder...since you will lose all memory of the events...what would it be like to read your writings? You would recognize your writing, but would you see yourself in it? Would it feel like someone reading your thoughts, or reading the writings of a stranger?

47's? I missed any there were. Anyone catch one?

Notable Quotes:

"So, you are going to realign your sensors with Seven's. Sounds like fun." Paris jokes to Kim.

"Life support is unstable." Tuvok in closed captioning but not spoken.

"Well... I have several days' of inoculation records to catalog. I suppose I'll get to it." Doctor to Chakotay.

"I know you want everything in a nutshell. That's the way you work." Kellin to Chakotay.

"That's what I always liked about you two--such unyielding logic, such refreshing skepticism." Kellin to Tuvok and Seven.

"As a matter of fact, I was quite fond of Neelix's cooking." Kellin to Chakotay.

"I'd rather not engage in speculation. It is a dangerous pastime." Tuvok to Seven (haven't we hear this line before?).

"Let's take it one step at a time." Chakotay to Kellin.

"I felt an attraction right away but I couldn't afford to be distracted. I had work to do." Kellin to Chakotay.

"You keep trying to jump to the end. You're skipping all the parts about us." Kellin to Chakotay.

"You might remember a relationship between us, but as far as I'm concerned...it didn't exist." Chakotay to Kellin.

"Can I have your pudding?" Kellin to Chakotay.

"There's always a first time." Chakotay to Kellin.

"You are such a kind person. It's what I remembered most. It's what made me turn around and come back." Kellin to Chakotay.

"It just doesn't seem like me." Chakotay to Neelix.

"Voyager is a very...powerful ship. And very fast." Kellin to Chakotay.

"We've met people with ships that are faster and more powerful but Voyager's always managed to be a match for the best of them." Chakotay to Kellin.

"Kellin...we'll keep you safe. That's a promise." Chakotay to Kellin. (Don't make promises you can't keep.)

"Mr. Neelix could use an assistant in the mess hall...It's perfectly logical. All the qualities you mentioned would help in defending Neelix against the periodic wrath of the crew." Tuvok makes a joke to Chakotay concerning Kellin's possible position in the crew.

"I suspect the commander and Kellin are engaged in a courtship ritual. It seems an unnecessary and complicated precursor to the act of procreation." Seven to Kim.

"Then I fail to see what is accomplished by all the talk." Seven to Kim.

"Promise me..If I forget why I'm here...If I forget you...do what I did...and you tell me all about us...and you'll help me to remember." Kellin to Chakotay.

"You sound desperate, Commander. Does Kellin mean that much to you?" Curneth to Chakotay.

"That would suggest that we don't care about them. What a terrible message." Curneth to Chakotay.

"Forgive me. You're ... certainly attractive but ... what you are telling me seems very unlikely." Kellin to Chakotay.

"I wish...... I wish we had met under different circumstances." Kellin to Chakotay.

"You are such a kind person. I won't forget that." Kellin to Chakotay.

"I've been trying to make sense of it. I fell in love with her twice. I thought she could do the same. We were the same two people on the same ship. Why didn't it happen again?" Chakotay to Neelix.

"Commander, I don't think you can analyze love. It's the greatest mystery of all. No one knows why it happens or doesn't. Love is a chance combination of elements. Any one thing might be enough to keep it from igniting--a mood, a glance...a remark. And if we could define love...predict it...it would probably lose its power." Neelix to Chakotay.

Roxanne -- 24 Apr 1998, 9:31 AM

That last quote with Neelix. When I heard him say it, I thought how true, to a degree. Love when it first starts out is a chance combination of elements. Who'd have thought that Neelix could be so profound. However, after the initial bout of love, it takes work and commitment to keep it going. Did Chakotay lack the commitment to work it out, or did he just realize the futility of it and let her go out of love?

Andy -- 26 Apr 1998, 9:46 AM

Ah--Treat me like a fooool, treat me mean and cruuuel......At least that's how I felt the writer of "Unforgettable" was treating me. (Did I hook any of you girls with the lines from "The King?" Did any of you get to see the Elvis statue at the Hilton?)

Any way, before I digress completely, I know none of you gives a damn about this now and you may have already discussed this, but I watched "Unforgettable" last night and something really bugged me (besides the fact that watching Beltran act is about as enjoyable as digging out an ingrown toenail.)

Just a couple of episodes ago, we had the huge discussion about Seven being wrong to hand over the 8472 to The Guys With Really Lumpy Faces. (The Hydrogens?) Well, here I am watching this crapfest last night (no offense Flite, I'm still thrilled to have the tape for the all to few moments of you-know-who), when Voyager takes in an alien asking for asylum. A couple of ships come in looking for the alien, attack Voyager with Delta Quadrant standard weapon's that slice through Voyager's shields with the greatest ease (Poor shields. They really do take a beating), when Janeway turns to Chakotay and asks, "Well, do we hand her over or fight?" or something else to that effect.

Well, duuuuh!!!!!

Let's see. In "Prey," Janeway was prepared to fight to the death (certain death, BTW), to protect the 8472. But she is ready to hand over Virginia Madsen at the drop of a hat (much the same way she had handed over the alien Madsen was following only a few weeks earlier. Even helped hunt him down.) So let me get this straight. We fight to protect rotten, ugly aliens who tear up our ship and constantly threaten us with a mantra of "The Weak Shall Perish," but we hand over sweet, personable little aliens with blonde hair. Give me a break.

Oh, and I agree with those of you that think Beltran must be using a lot of Kiwi (not our kiwi—the shoe polish.)

Forgive me if I am re-hashing old ground. I'm just tired of filing episode after episode under the "zero consistency" heading. Another thing--how is it that Seven was able to read Harry's attraction to her so easily in Revulsion ("your pupils are dilated") but couldn't figure out the flushing faces in this one.

Granted, I never had the slightest clue that Beltran was supposed to be playing a man in love. Or a man with a heartbeat, for that matter. Someone should check this guy's birth certificate to make sure he wasn't still born.

And another thing. Why does this guy, Andy, like to (use parenthesis so much?)

Jason -- 26 Apr 1998, 12:16 PM

Now you're really reaching...How can you tell that Janeway's been doing a good job for the past few weeks?

When we have to resort to blaming her for consulting with other crew members whether or not to accept someone's asylum request or not!

FOR SHAME, Janeway! Why didn't you use your psychic skills to tell whether Kellin was telling the truth. Why, in the good name of god, did you assign *other crewmembers* to determine whether or not Kellin was telling the truth instead of doing it yourself? How irresponsible can a Star Trek captain get. Delegating tasks to other crewmembers? It's the final straw. Janeway and Mulgrew have to go. The inconsistency has finally too far.

Andy, needless to say, I strongly disagree with your assessment of Janeway's actions in this episode (It amazes me that she can be in the show for only five minutes and still get people angry at her)...

Species 8472 did not directly ask for asylum (it wasn't exactly in a condition to) but it did make a request for assistance. Janeway essentially immediately offered it protection. (It's story seemed legit considering the situation and a few dead Hirogen)

Kellin came on board and asked for asylum using a questionable story, THEREFORE, she assigned OTHER crewmembers to determine whether Kellin was, in fact, telling the truth. At that point, Tuvok had already reported that she gives the appearance of being honest, but there were avenues still to be explored. When they were confronted with the alien ships, they had not yet decided whether or not to grant Kellin's request, and she asked for the judgement of the officer she put in charge of evaluating Kellin's request. And I hope she gets court-martialed for it.

Eric -- 26 Apr 1998, 12:49 PM

I think Andy's on to something...Maybe its because Unforgettable made me so sleepy (I was only really awake when Kes, err, Kellin was on screen) but I didn't make the 8472-Kellin connection Andy did.

But now that he mentions it, I agree. The Janeway is Prey, is not the Janeway in Unforgettable.

But hey, that's nothing new right? I think we are up to 47 Janeways since the show started ;-P

Andy -- 26 Apr 1998, 1:56 PM

No way, Jason. The fact that Virginia Madsen's bunch just came in shooting--no communication, no request for her, nothing--we be enough for me, as captain, to say--"Hey, I'm not playing these guy's game. They shoot at me, I shoot at them. Let them act like civilized people and I'll listen to their side." But no.

Captain Silly Putty is considering giving her to them for the reason that she is under threat of violence.

There is no other reason. How could she be possibly be even thinking about handing her over under the circumstances--given her past actions? Think about it.

Just as an aside--Tammy, who isn't a Voyager fan but has watched it occasionally with me, especially during the first season, watched it last night with me and said something to the effect, "I used to like Janeway, but she has changed. I don't care from her anymore." She also commented on how ugly her new greasy hairdo is. And in case you are wondering, Tammy knows how much I dislike Torres but I've never talked about Janeway with her.

Marie -- 26 Apr 1998, 7:02 PM

Kellin & Seven: Their circumstances were similar. I had just about managed to forget UNFORGETTABLE when I read your post, Andy, and you're absolutely right. I could never figure out why Janeway handed Keelin over, or helped her hunt down the other alien. If ever an alien had a legitimate request for asylum, it was Kellin. TPTB tried to get around this with her loss of memory--i.e. her memory was zapped, and now she wants to go home, so of course we must let her, and not hold her against her will.

That line of thinking is utterly hypocritical, however, when you take into consideration Janeway's treatment of Seven. Seven asked--in fact, begged--Janeway to let her go back to the Borg, but Janeway refused. She took the stance that Seven was unable to act in her own best interest because she was under the influence of the Borg.

When Kellin lost her memory, she was clearly not in a position to make a decision in her own best interest. The Kellin who was fully aware, who had not had her memory forcibly removed, knew what she wanted--to stay on Voyager. She had officially asked for asylum; she had told Janeway and Chakotay her wishes, and had begun life as a productive member of Janeway's crew. She was now Janeway's responsibility. And what does our brave, loyal captain do? She hands Kellin over, in a victimized, mentally incapacitated state, to the alien hunting her down.

Remember when Janeway risked all to go after Seven in RAVEN? At that point, Seven was still an unwilling member of the crew, who was desperately trying to get back to the Borg. But Janeway went after her, because she considered Seven both unable mentally and emotionally to make that decision, and because Seven was now a member or Janeway's crew.

This episode was not only a total snooze, but it gave the writers once again the opportunity to show Janeway making poor decisions. I can only shake my head in bemusement.

Andy -- 26 Apr 1998, 7:13 PM

Remember too, that I am not always down on Janeway. There have been a number of episodes where I found the captain perfectly respectable and enjoyable to watch. You mentioned "The Raven," Marie. I really liked Kate in that one. Similarly, in "The Gift," (where I for one found her decision regarding Seven to be reasonable), Scientific Method, and last weeks "Omega Whatever."

She can be just fine at times. She wouldn't be my favorite, but if she maintained the persona that she had in these episodes my blood pressure wouldn't rise when someone said "Janeway."

If Kate Mulgrew was the actress that some of you think she is, I think she would storm the writer's office when a script like last week's episode came down and said, "Hey, this reeaaalllly sucks!" As it is, she just goes along with it.

Vickie T. -- 26 Apr 1998, 9:41 PM

I agree, Marie. I still can't imagine why Janeway and Chakotay let Curneth take Kellin away so quickly. It made no sense. They should have kept Kellin on board for at least a few weeks to make sure she understood everything that had happened to her over the previous month. Then, if she still wanted to leave, they could have let her go.

I also do not understand what supposedly happened the first time Kellin was on board. Why would Janeway have let Kellin zap the stowaway with her memory eraser when his only crime was to want to leave his xenophobic and dictatorial homeworld? Now *that* is the guy Voyager should have been fighting to protect.

Darn, I said in my initial post after seeing Unforgettable that I was *not* going to get started on the many plot holes. But, here I go, diving right in. It must be because it's Sunday evening and I'm tired - my resistance is down. Well, I'm going to stop right here before I really get wound up.

And I still liked Unforgettable, if for no better reason than the Chakotay-gazing it offered!

Diane -- 28 Apr 1998, 8:16 AM

Finally, my Forgettable, I mean Unforgettable Random Thoughts. I put my thought together on Friday, but, due to work and home duties, have been unable to post this until today. It was quite a week!

MY FORGETTABLE RANDOM THOUGHTS

This story had as much action as a Jane Austin novel—Yawn! The story kind of just dragged on and on and on, like an Austin novel. However, I always try to find something positive and I did come up with several good points, but first the "Rants."

Am I the only one noticing that Beltran acts as if he is bored with his job? He has expressed that he considers his role as something that pays the rent. Unfortunately, I am noticing that this is coming through his actions. I don't like it. I recently received my second installment of Voyager Tapes and find his acting really believable in Caretaker, Parallax, and Time and Again. He really portrays strength and wisdom well. What happened? Is he bored? Is he dissatisfied with his role?

The rest of my rants seemed to be covered by everyone else, so I won't go on and on and on, like an Austin novel.

My Ravens:

Neelex. I really like him as counselor. Phillips can really dig deep and strut his stuff when given good material to work with.

Tuvok told a joke. Russ' delivery was superb.

Here's the deep stuff. I did liked the themes of: We have become so dependent on technology, what happens when it fails us; what happens when you have a system failure or hit the delete key and you loose everything; and what's it like to have Alzheimer disease (I know we did this theme before)? Neat things to explore, I only wish there was some more action, verbally or situation.

Tom's hair. I may be the only one who likes it combed back. It makes him look more his age, mid thirties, and more distinguished. It makes him look thinner. I don't like it combed front. His face is too full right now. Just my opinion.

Awaiting Tim Russ' directing debut, Diane.