'Living Witness'

Stardate: Unknown
Written By: Brannon Braga
Directed By: Tim Russ
Rating: ***** (out of 5)

What we have here is one of the only Voyager episodes I was considering giving 6 stars.  This is one fantastic episode, an episode with substance, and an episode that places a lot of meaning on the truth and the past.  It�s hard to believe Brannon Braga wrote this.

This is a story that could only have been done with the Trek Universe, making it original and it�s thought through to the fullest, pulling all the right notes, and is a lot of fun too!

Seeing the crew in the simulation was wonderful - and the details that where wrong make for interesting viewing.  Seven and her Borg Drones assimilating the aggressors, Janeway a violent and ruthless captain, Tuvok with emotion, The Doc�s an android who tortures people and develops weapons, a Kazon officer!

What�s even more interesting is how the events have been changed.  Changed to suite the Kyrians, and changed because of assumption by historians.  I wonder what historical facts we have wrong, we might think they are right, but aren�t.

The Kyrians believed Voyager was working with the Vaskans to destroy their leader Tedran and that Janeway instead decided to kill all the Kyrians.  I�m glad the simulation showed that the Vaskans didn�t want to destroy all the Kyrians, even if that put more damage under Janeway�s reputation.  The simulation then shows how Janeway kills Tedran and how these events have shaped a society where racial hatred is strong and common.

But Doc is found, well, his back-up program, at some ruins and he shows them the truth.  He shows that Janeway and the Vaskans where trading when the Kyrians, led by Tedran, decided to use that opportunity to start a war, and that it was the Vaskan on Voyager that killed Tedran, not Janeway, and after his death Kyrian ships attacked Voyager.

Seeing Doc rectifying the simulations was great, his line, �I hope, somewhere across the galaxy, that Captain Janeway is spinning in her grave� was fantastic!  And seeing these events unfold through Quarren�s eyes is also great.  He also believed that the Kyrians where the victims, but begins to understand that theses events must be true.

And when word of the truth gets out, racial violence spreads across the planet, riots erupt, including an attack that destroys the museum.  Doc believes the only proof of what he�s said is the Tricorder he used to scan Tedran, which is an artifact in the museum.

I loved how everything we�ve seen has also been a simulation centuries after those events, and how the Doc had a �longing for home.�  Sometime within the next millennium, Starfleet, if it exists, will find another HoloDoc. 

What I do want to know, is whether Starfleet has at all extended into the Delta Quadrant and whether the Kyrians or the Vaskans had seen any more Starfleet.  I�m also interesting to know more about the cultures: we are only shown the racist side of their cultures, not the other side, their technologies, their society, are the Kyrians and the Vaskans of the same planet?  I�m assuming yes, because they live on the same planet, but I would�ve liked official conformation of this.  I guess it isn�t pivotal to the story, but I�m just thinking anyway.

The only reasons why I won�t give �Living Witness� 6 stars is because it does have some flaws, how did the backup module get where it did?  Why did the back-up module have the Doc�s memories.  Surely the Doc wouldn�t need to store his memories And how did the Tricorder get where it did?

�Living Witness� is written very well, the acting brilliant.  I can�t possibly give higher praise for such a fantastic effort.