Written By: Kenneth Biller and James Khan
Directed By: Terry Windell
Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)
Looking away from the inevitable finale, �Natural Law� brings up some very nice issues, but leaves it until the last ten minutes to actually explore any of them before taking a bad turn and using the issues as an excuse for an action climax, forgetting the plot entirely.
The buildup throughout the episode is very pleasant. The crash scene is well executed, we�ve seen plenty of shuttles crash but this is the first time we see it from outside. Chakotay and Seven working together outside of the holodeck was something we�ve never seen before and so that was a nice change too. From two perspectives the entire relationship that Chakotay and Seven build with the Ventu people is interesting; first Chakotay who himself is of a tribe and understands the simple yet fulfilling life the Ventu live, and Seven who is so used to the complicated technological way of life that simply living isn�t enough for her like it is for the Ventu. For the Chakotay-Seven romance this would�ve been a good opportunity for it to ignite, Chakotay could�ve made Seven realize the value in a simple living.
�Natural Law� beautifully captures the simplicity of the Ventu and nicely conveys how precious and unique such cultures are to a modern society. �Natural Law� shows a good Prime Directive issue, not only in terms of the influence from Chakotay and Seven but from the potential forced development of their culture by the Ledosians once the alien force field protecting the Ventu is down.
I�m hugely disappointed that an episode with so much obvious potential is completely ruined by lack of any direction whatsoever. �Natural Law� could�ve been about Chakotay and Seven�s relationship, it could�ve been about Chakotay and Seven�s relationship with the Ventu, it could�ve been about the Prime Directive, it could�ve been a social commentary on indigenous peoples, it could�ve presented good conflict between the Ledosians and the Ventu. Not one of these potential issues is properly dealt with and all of these issues are shown here to be full of juice!
After the good buildup �Natural Law� simply goes nowhere. There is one scene that touches on the issue of whether the Ventu would benefit from Ledosian influence but the entire conversation is ridiculous as it was Voyager�s fault that the field came down, therefore leaving the Ventu unprotected would be against the Prime Directive.
The B-plot involving Tom�s flying lessons was the biggest waste of time and SFX money in the history of Voyager and maybe even Star Trek, it was as pointless as the A-plot turned out to be. At least the A-plot had potential.
The acting was great from everyone but no particular special mentions to anyone and the CGI was great as usual. Dennis McCarthy�s score, possibly his last Voyager score, was very nice and at times thrilling and epic.
I�m generous with the ***, I have every inclination to give this a 0, but despite the obvious flaws �Natural Law� is still enjoyable for the nice relationship Chakotay and Seven develop with the Ventu. This is still the biggest wasted opportunity this season and maybe even in Voyager�s entire run. It was so obvious that there are at least four worthwhile issues to be dealt with here and all of them are pushed into the background for a ridiculous climax. Nearing the end of the series I can�t believe that �Natural Law� is so disappointing, here�s hoping this is the last average episode of Voyager ever.