Story By: John Bruno and Robert Picardo
Directed By: Terry Windell
Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)
What could be better then two Robert Picardo�s in one episode? Okay, so three Robert Picardo�s would win that one, but �Life Line� has two and with very successful outcomes. �Life Line� is a light drama revolving around the Doctor wanting to cure, using his Delta Quadrant knowledge, his sick creator, whom Doc considers his father in the Alpha Quadrant. The problem is that Lewis Zimmermann doesn�t want his failed EMH program around, certainly not to treat him.
In the end we discover that Zimmermann has had to face the humiliation of EMH Mk. 1�s in his image doing chores on waste vessels instead of treating patients. With the help of some interference from Barclay and Deanna Troi, Doc and Zimmermann manage to help each other and gain a mutual respect.
The story really isn�t at all that complicated and tries to sit back and have a good time more then delve deep into the drama of Zimmermann�s life and the Doc�s struggle for acceptance. In my opinion, this was the best attitude �Life Line� could�ve taken, as it really doesn�t have the substance for a real drama. Don�t get me wrong, �Life Line� has plenty of nice drama but nothing that will permanently change Doc. I do, however, hope that we see more of Doc�s development with Zimmermann.
Like I said, �Life Line� doesn�t try to take itself seriously, but it does take advantage of the fact that technology has allowed for Doc and Lewis Zimmermann to seamlessly interact with each other. And interact they do, even going so far as to have the Doc grab a Tricorder from Zimmermann�s hands. It�s all very clever, even if the Tricorder bit, upon close examination, doesn�t look 100% right. The two Rob Picardo�s do look very realistic together though and fit in better then previous efforts at two of the same person on the screen. Talking Voyager-wise, we had two Captain Janeway�s interacting in �Deadlock� and it didn�t look all that convincing. The method has improved a great deal.
Apart from the excellent story and SFX there is also the A++ performances from everyone involved. After �Fury�s� tragically bad acting we get some of the best performances ever. Robert Picardo is of course why �Life Line� succeeds. He thought of the story, but more importantly brings life to two of the most beloved Trek characters. The Doc, as always, and Lewis Zimmermann who has a distinctly different attitude to Doc but stays true to their natures. Zimmermann is a character I love to dislike. Dislike and not hate because Zimmermann isn�t an enemy, he�s simply a very difficult person.
Marina Sirtis plays Troi a bit better here then she did in �Pathfinder� and surprisingly Dwight Shultz does a slightly worse job of Barclay then he did in �Pathfinder� but then again he had very little to do so it shouldn�t be put past him. A character I really want to see again is Haley, Zimmermann�s holographic helper, played by Tamara Craig Thomas. She was a very sweet, caring and very humble character who would be a pleasure to see again. Ms. Thomas could�ve been a candidate for playing Kes if Jennifer Lien wasn�t available.
Some of the very good scenes here are the look at Earth and then the MIDAS array; Doc talking to Seven about his enhancements; all of the Doc-Zimmermann talk; Troi�s �You�re both jerks!�; anything Haley said and Admiral Hayes mentioning of the Maquis.
The Maquis issue is going to be a very interesting issue as the crew get closer to Earth and I�m glad we are reminded that TPTB haven�t forgotten, although something interests me, something Hayes said. He says that Starfleet have dispatched two ships that could rendezvous with Voyager in six to seven years. Is Voyager six to seven years away from Earth or six to seven years away from the Alpha Quadrant? This is a big question because it would take years to travel across Federation space, and even further to traverse the Romulan�s space or the Klingons space or whatever other aliens� space surrounds the Federation in the Alpha Quadrant. There is a big difference between the two, which could have different consequences either way.
One final comment; we saw Zimmermann in DS9�s �Doctor Bashir, I Presume� and he was a lot younger. It couldn�t have been more than six years since he was at Deep Space Nine so I don�t see why he�s aged so much.
�Life Line� is a winner no matter which way you look at it, but it isn�t a classic. Somehow some of the dialogue seemed a little forced which doesn�t help. But I always enjoy seeing the normal life of the crew in Star Trek; that�s why I love �Lower Decks� and �The First Duty� from TNG and �Homefront�/�Paradise Lost� and �Image in the Sand� from DS9 and �Someone to Watch Over Me,� �Pathfinder� and �Good Shepherd� from Voyager. �Life Line� is no exception. I look forward to future communication with Starfleet as the series ends!