'The Killing Game II'

Stardate: Unknown
Written By: Brannon Braga and Joe Menonsky
Directed By: David Livingston
Rating: *** (out of 5)

As a conclusion to an already iffy story line, �The Killing Game II� fares ok.  But if this is the �big episode� the Hirogen Arc was leading up to, I would�ve preferred more thought and effort in the story line.

Like the future two-part episode �Equinox,� this could�ve been fantastic with another episode tied into it to make the story better.  But at least Equinox did well with only two episodes.  �The Killing Game� definitely needed to be three parts.

I still can�t fully buy the Neural Transmitters; I still can�t by this kind of use of the holodeck either.  I liked seeing some of the users mannerisms showing through the holographic characters.

I admired what the Alpha Hirogen was trying to do, and how he and Janeway cut a deal.  His death was very sudden, but what I�d like to know is whether there is any chance for survival for the Hirogen.  What will come of these events?  It didn�t seem to me the Alpha Hirogen could�ve made any difference, he seemed not to be very popular among his people.

The ending was sudden and rushed, the entire concept was rushed, really, but it does a good job of not looking rushed.  Like not seeing the fighting between the Hirogen and Voyager.  They just handed over the technology and that was that.  And the crew looked nice and healthy despite everything that�s happened.

I didn�t get how exactly Janeway got that rifle from the Hirogen chasing her, if it dissolved than it would�ve been lost in memory and irretrievable so soon after.  Isn�t that how it works?

And other annoying things, the dynamite, would it have caused so much damage to such strong and high-tech metals probably used?  And when Seven goes to throw that grenade, isn�t it supposed to disrupt ALL holographic activity?  So why was the holographic floor and other surroundings still there?  And at the end, an overload shuts down the program - so why not the rest of the surroundings, and B�Elanna�s holographic pregnancy, I don�t recall it going in the holodeck.

So Voyager has suffered heavy casualties, and is extremely damaged is it?  Lets just see how much of this is mentioned in the next episode . . .

On the good side, I did enjoy the story, despite the flaws, and I enjoyed the SFX (the Hirogen falling needed a bit more texturing, when you look closely it has none), and I really enjoyed the basic, the very basic don�t think, concept.  I loved the Klingons running in to save the day, which was very amusing to me!  I also thought Ethan Phillips played not a bad Klingon.   But when you think about it, plot problems related to the holodeck crop up and spoil it.

What I wanted? - a third part.  So in Part I we are shown more of how Voyager is taken over, Part II we see some of the events that became Part I and some of the events shown in Part II, than Part III shows the end of what became Part II, and more about the end battle when the holodeck is non-operational.  To think this actually had potential to become a classic, and it seriously did.

All in all, it�s similar to Part I, not exactly riveting, but enjoyable to watch anyway.