'Alliances'

Stardate: 49337.4
Written By: Jeri Tayor
Directed By: Les Landau
Rating: **** (out of 5)

This is an issue that I�m glad has been brought up with full force: the Starfleet way versus the Maquis way.  It has always been there and been disputed, but never has Janeway considered doing things the Maquis way.  Even though she tries, in the end Janeway still feels more comfortable with the Starfleet way.  But I think on occasion, the Maquis way should be adapted into situations.

The idea of an alliance with the Kazon is a stupid idea in my opinion.  Not story wise, I mean situation wise.  Sure having a Kazon �friend� would help them get through this area of the Delta Quadrant, but how could Janeway think that these sexist, bumbling idiots that just happen to have powerful ships could ever be agreeable.

And I�m glad the alliance doesn�t work.  Even more surprising is that Culluh and Seska are not the enemies in �Alliances.�  But the people you expect, but not at first, are the aggressors.

The Trabe have a good reason for revenge against the Kazon, for stealing their worlds and technology and decimating them. But the Kazon has an even better reason to kill the Trabe.  The Trabe treated the Kazon like animals, caging them up and killing them off, torturing them while the Trabe where comfortable and rich.

I thought that Mabus was a kind person and he seemed hopeful, he agreed that the Trabe had done something wrong, and his peace offering to the Kazon seemed genuine.

But he in fact planned the whole conference to kill the Maje�s of the Kazon to make it easier to get the Kazon to surrender.  It doesn�t seem logical that Voyager had no knowledge of the Trabe prior to this engagement.  Even Neelix didn�t seem to know anything, which seems a bit off considering what we know about him.

What I�d like to know, does the Kazon sects now believe Janeway is responsible for the whole affair, or do they realize the treachery that the Trabe get up to?

There�s also the Jonas plot line.  He�s sending messages to Seska and Culluh.  What could become of this?

The SFX was nice.  The beginning battle reminded me of DS9�s �The Die is Cast� in some ways, and the Trabe ship firing on the conference looked good too.  On the beginning battle, this was a good way of introducing the episode, the battle served a purpose to the story and wasn�t there to just look good.

I enjoyed �Alliances,� it was a great episode with a plot that twisted around a fair bit and an interesting history on the Kazon.