'Hunters'

Stardate: Unknown
Written By: Jeri Taylor
Directed By: David Livingston
Rating: **** (out of 5)

From the fun �Message in a Bottle� we get a pretty serious sequel dealing with the consequences of returning home and of families in the Alpha Quadrant that have moved on and or had lost hope.  And the most tragic story is of Captain Janeway, who had been looking forward to seeing her fianc�e, and using him to help her get through the times, only to discover he has gotten married in the meantime.

The Maquis issue is another tragic ending.  But because we never met a lot of the people mentioned by Chakotay we don�t really �feel� for the Maquis� loss.  Torres was very upset and this could mean we�d see more of this issue in the future.

Tom Paris got the rough end of things.  He didn�t want to see his letter, and he didn�t want any part of the communication with the Alpha Quadrant, but as he begins anticipating his letter he doesn�t even get it.  While Harry is opposite to Tom, he can�t wait for his letter and is very disappointed seeing everyone else getting letters and he only just manages to get one.

Tuvok, no matter how Vulcan, is also glad to here from his family.  Neelix looks forward to seeing Earth while Seven is encouraged to enjoy the anticipation, Janeway telling her she might have relatives in the Alpha Quadrant.

I loved how all the different characters, from what we know of them, reacted to the communication and the news in the letters.  All the characters had something new to learn, and I�m glad that this occasion was not only one of happiness.

The Hirogen story was nothing brilliant, but it was still enjoyable with a nice, typically reckless Janeway, ending with some nice SFX.  We learn more about the Hirogen, who at the moment are nothing more than nomadic Klingons.  Hopefully they are given some kind of a new perspective during the future encounters that will probably happen.

This is the kind of continuity Voyager needs and should continue with.  Not only did �Hunters� have good continuity, it also told a very nice and very interesting tale that is a major development in Voyager�s saga.