Where do I start? This episode in my opinion gave us the most information that we were going to get about the character of Tom Paris for the whole season and set up the relationship between him and Chakotay in such a way that we were let down in subsequant episodes. We are told of Tom's involvement in the Maquis where he met Chakotay and the two of them 'did not hit it off'. After that - zip. Anyway before I get too far off track, lets start from the top.....
Tom's attitude
The very beginning of the epsiode - after the titles and the bit in the Maquis fighter - the first scene we see is Janeway talking to a young blond man with a huge attitude problem :) who we are informed, by her first words, is Tom Paris. Now the beginning of their reparte is started with the exchange of 'I guess I'm yours then'. To me this sounds so....resigned, for want of a better word. He sounds as though he is resigned to the fact that everyone uses him. I mean this is only what I have interpreted later on, as I examined the character more and more. But looking back on that scene now you can see the acceptance of doing things against he's will or just for other people, being used.
At the very end after she had told him that he will be just an observer and will be cut loose afterwards he says 'Story of my life'. Read into that what you will. I, when I played it on my audio tape in my room at halls (quite a few times), found myself wondering at his words and wondering what was behind them if anything. We later learn that this could have been referring to his time with the Maquis but he was caught not cut loose, but it probably felt like the same thing.
Our first mention of Chakotay is 'through' Tom. We hear Janeway mention that the ship was under the command of another former Starfleet officer, Chakotay. "I understand you knew him" "Thats right" comes the answer in a tone thats hard to decifer. Okay okay...cos its me and thats the way I like to interpret it. Others might not see it but hey..... :)
Ok, on Voyager we see him being told by the Doctor (the original one) that he was on Caldik Prime the same time he was stationed there. At this point we're not told what happened there but we can see by Tom's expression that it wasn't 'nice'. Same with his meeting with the first officer. Then we have the scene in the messhall with Harry. In telling Harry what happened he tells us as well and you can read the expression on his face when he mentions his father how you will. 'I think it was tougher on my father that it was on me.' Our first insight into the tension between him and his father.
When the Guys first meet
Right onto the nitty gritty stuff!! Chakotay, when he first beams over to Voyager after they come back form the array this is where he first lays eyes on Tom. Who is just stepping out of the turbolift. His first words to Tom are "At least the Vulcan was doing his duty as as Starfleet Officer, but you, you betreyed us for what? Freedom from prison, latinum? What was your price *this* time?" Tom advances towards Chakotay as if to defend himself before Janeway interupts and basically puts Chak in his place. They both step back, Tom with such a look on his face. Hard to describe really. Sort of regret and shame.
This comment, after many listenings, started to sound as though he could have been referring to other things than the standard interpretation. To me that is cos my brain is just wired that way
The business with the cave....
This was set up very well with the animosity that played between them in the two scenes they were allowed ie. on the bridge and in the caves. The fact that Tom now owned Chakotays life was good and it was a shame that it was forgotten later on as it could have been used for quite a few good episodes IMO. The whole 'thing' between them *so* needs sorting out (I just really needed to say right now..at the beginning
Okay in the shuttle when Chak is playing hero
Okay I think thats about it.... :P
Okay.....the bit that comes back to us in many stories...the rescuing of Chakotay from the Ocampan caves by Tom. Just accident? Well, fate then? A convient ploy by the writers to get a sort of 'closure' for the two characters at the end of the episode that cast them as 'enemies' perhaps. But what it turned out to be was the fuel for many an imagination into analysing the whole relationship between them. What can I say? I *love* this bit!! :)