This page contains Voyager Mission Reviews by the Project: Voyager team. This page will be updated each time a new mission is received. Older mission reviews will be archived for your retrieval.
To access the archived reviews, please follow this link: Project: Voyager Review Archive (Updated May 13, 2000)
Episode Ranking Poll
If you've seen the latest Voyager episode, "Lifeline", why not rate it on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being the worst and 10 being the best.
This Week's Episode: "Unimatrix Zero"
Well, season six has come to a close. Only one more year left of the fourth installment of Star Trek...what happened to the time? First, let's have some thoughts on this past season. The first part was very promising, with such highlights of "Tinker, Tenor...", "Equinox II", "The Barge of the Dead", "Dragon's Teeth", "Pathfinder" and my personal favourite, "One Small Step". What was looking to be a good season seemed to stall at the introduction of the Fair Haven program at the second half of the year. From there, I can't say that any one episode has stood out over another. Yes, there has been some good shows, but nothing stellar. It was somewhat anticlimatic, as was the season closer, "Unimatrix Zero". This episode is slightly uninspired, but there is certainly promise there for part two.Now, onto the episode. First of all, I enjoyed it. People have critisized it, saying it was the final nail in the coffin that was the Borg. Yes and no. Firstly, we can't expect to have villains for over a decade, and just have them keep babbling the same line over and over again ("Resistance is futile"). What's the fun there? TNG did little for the Borg except making them a formidable and feared opponent...little more. They were 2-d cut outs. Yes, they were bad. Yes, they were fun to see, but there was no background there, no substance. If Voyager was to keep this 2-d cutout, the Borg would have dried up a long, long time ago. So, the writers had no choice but to take the Borg in a new direction, give them some substance, give them some background. And I like where they are taking them. So yes, they aren't the same Borg. They're better. In "Dark Frontier", we see the Borg Queen still has power. Yet in this episode, a disease is starting to sweep through the mightly Collective. The disease, which will no doubt be the downfall of the unified Borg, is individuality. And the Queen is starting to see the fall, the inevitable. All great empires will eventually fall, and history has shown us that. Look at the Romans. The Queen is slowly starting to lose her control, and she's scared. Maybe she's becoming more human than she thought.
The concept of Unimatrix Zero plays well...hopefully we will get a little more story there, to explain it's existance and formation, and how it came to be. Yes, this episode touched it briefly, but I need more. I feared it a ripoff from the movie "The Matrix" after reading the spoilers, but it didn't turn out too bad. There's quite a bit of development there, particularly between Seven and her love.
That is one thing I like about this episode. We know where we want to be, and the episode doesn't waste anytime to get there. It has direction, and flows well. And there is some nice scenes thrown in for good measure: Tom's promotion, with Harry's objections, as well as the obvious energy which existed between Janeway and Chakotay. I particularly enjoyed the part near the ending where Chakotay and Janeway hold hands and share a moment... I think this is our first clue that the Captain and the crew haven't told the viewers everything, and they are planning something far more risky and dangerous.
I was shocked moreso at the ending. I enjoyed the fact that it is left to the end and Chakotay's one liner to reveal that the assimilation was all planned. Tsk, tsk. Poor Borg Queen, she has no idea what she is up against. And the fact that this is planned makes sure this episode stays far, far away from "Best of Both Worlds" territory. We know that Janeway and company are now part of the collective when the Queen "feels" their presence in the Collective. Nice.
So, the ending isn't terribly cliffhanger-y. But, it will certainly leave many questioning outcome. We are pretty sure that everyone is going to make it out alive, but the most interesting part is what will be left of the Borg? Yes, they are a tired enemy, and maybe it is time to put them aside. Wouldn't it be the ultimate end and ultimate risk of the producers and writers just to have the mighty Borg fall? I certainly think so.
All in all, I enjoyed "Unimatrix Zero". The effects are good, the acting is right on par, and I enjoyed the interaction among the crew. I don't think Voyager has killed the Borg...they've made them tired, yes, but I think they've added much needed depth and character to a 2-d villain. Should be interesting to see what develops in the fall!! Overall, I give it an 8 out of 10.
