Written By: Joe Menonsky
Directed By: Mike Vejar
Rating: **** (out of 5)
�Muse� gives us another wonderful B�Elanna episode directed by my favorite Star Trek director Mike Vejar. We had this in �Barge of the Dead� (my favorite Voyager episode) earlier this season and it really shows that Mike knows how to handle this hot (. . . headed) woman. Of course Mike Vejar adds his tremendously outstanding epic feel to �Muse� and the always fantastic atmosphere and camera work. I absolutely loved the new angles of the Briefing Room and the Ready Room and of the Delta Flyer.
The story has B�Elanna Torres crashing on a planet and inspiring a local writer and director, Kellis, to write stories about her and the Voyager crew. Of course being a primitive species they believe Voyager to a sailing ship and they also believe B�Elanna�s magic powers (technology) to be that of their Gods, the Eternals. It seems these aliens have different beliefs about Gods than others. It seems they believe their Gods to be mortal but with powers instead of some kind of totally omnipotent being.
Things are complicated when Kellis decides to write a play to change the mind his patron who has decided to start a war with one of their enemies.
�Muse� would signify what all writers set out to do, change people�s minds using a powerful message within their narrative. It�s a good backdrop for a story. It may be that near the end of season I�m used to more action, but my honest opinion is that while I liked �Muse� very much I find it very hard to analyze. It could be because the episode is very subtle in its workings or simply that I�m just not looking hard enough into it, but apart from showing what all writers dream of, there�s doesn�t seem to be much of an episode for B�Elanna. She�s simply been stranded on this planet and needs help and so must try to help someone else to get what she wants. From B�Elanna�s point of view, that�s all she�s doing. But by the end she starts to care about Kellis and what he�s trying to do. None of this is out of character for B�Elanna, none of this is unrealistic for Star Trek, but it seems that for an episode that looks as though it is a philosophical piece should have some kind of clear philosophy behind it.
�Muse� probably does have something clear to say but I�m afraid I can�t see it despite the fact I enjoyed the way the story unfolds.
I loved the Kellin character as he continued to become inspired by the great voyages of Voyager. Sometimes when Kellin was spouting out his inspiration I felt as excited as he did finding out what new stories lay within his understandings of what B�Elanna had to say. I really enjoyed the way that Kellin�s innocent understandings proved to be correct in some ways, how he believed that by showing his patron the opposite to hate, love, would bring an end to hostilities. So by showing lots of kissing and love in his play that would kind of neutralize his patron�s hate for his enemies.
I didn�t like the Voyager side of the story mainly because of the crew determination to find their missing crew. Yes, I can understand the determination, but comments like �it�s really quiet without them� and seeing Tuvok suffering without sleep because of them missing seems silly. There have been many times, many more serious times, were the crew have seemed to have felt nothing. While we get some really good and genuine character moments often in Voyager, I�ve never felt that anyone has any comradeship, most especially from Neelix and Tuvok who are the two people that are involved in the scenes in question.
�Muse� is an enjoyable episode with an interesting, if a little slow, plot. I do find it hard to analyze but that doesn�t mean it wasn�t enjoyable. Another excellent episode.