Star Trek Voyager is my favorite of the 2nd generation Star Trek series precisely because of episodes like this. The women in Voyager have serious, raw, powerful acting chops. I have always loved watching Jeri Ryan and Kate Mulgrew, whose portrayals of their characters have always drawn me fully into the show, but until I saw this episode I never understood the range and power of Roxanne Dawson's talent. I can't believe I got to watch a show with 3 such powerful, complex women. Lucky lucky me.
20 Reviews
I like the Vidiian episodes.
planktonrules5 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
For the most part, the early episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager" are kind of dull. Too many non-corporeal entities, too many holodeck experiences and too few interesting enemies mar these shows. However, a bright spot are the Vidiian episodes, as these evil aliens are truly frightening. So, "Faces" is clearly one of the better shows of season one because it features these icky looking jerks.
When the show begins, an away team of three is kidnapped by the Vidiians. What they do with Torres is particularly interesting, as these sick creatures know a way to separate her Klingon and Human DNA and they now have two Lt. Torreses--one of each. Through the course of the show, Torres learns a lot about herself and learns to appreciate both halves of her--much like Kirk did in the old "Star Trek" show where he was separated in two by a transporter malfunction--creating a nasty and evil Kirk as well as a passive and wimpy one. The idea certainly isn't new but combined with the Vidiians, it makes for interesting viewing.
Two things to note: You get to see Roxann Dawson (Torres) without her make-up which is nice and you get to see another Talaxian--and he's even MORE annoying than Neelix!!
When the show begins, an away team of three is kidnapped by the Vidiians. What they do with Torres is particularly interesting, as these sick creatures know a way to separate her Klingon and Human DNA and they now have two Lt. Torreses--one of each. Through the course of the show, Torres learns a lot about herself and learns to appreciate both halves of her--much like Kirk did in the old "Star Trek" show where he was separated in two by a transporter malfunction--creating a nasty and evil Kirk as well as a passive and wimpy one. The idea certainly isn't new but combined with the Vidiians, it makes for interesting viewing.
Two things to note: You get to see Roxann Dawson (Torres) without her make-up which is nice and you get to see another Talaxian--and he's even MORE annoying than Neelix!!
I'm wearing my Durst Mask, Clarice...
milesmark24 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
OK. Let's talk about the elephant (silenced lamb) in the room. I get that people die in Star Trek. It's dangerous out there. I also get that this episode was about the dual Torreses (however you write that). But, the dude was wearing Durst's freaking face! Our heroes were like, "OK, cool. Four to beam up!" I found myself not paying any attention to what Torres was saying at the end of the episode because I wanted someone to address the Durst issue! Come on, Man! Haha!
Voyagers first 10 IMO.
thevacinstaller27 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I have been having an internal debate about whether this episodes warrants a 9 or a 10 out of 10. I have decided that this episode earns a 10/10 for Roxann Dawson's wonderful performance playing her Klingon self/Human self and the episode staying with me after viewing as i was contemplating the parts of myself i do not like yet are actually useful/needed in my life. Excellent star trek has the ability to stay with a person like that.
What a wonderful idea for an episode. Having the ability to sit around a campfire and talk with what you perceive as your most negative personality traits --- really wrestling with yourself in close examination with true honesty. In this particular episode Torres gets to wrestle with the knowledge that her short tempered Klingon half is also the half that is responsible for her courage and confidence. The episode climax comes as Torres works with herself to escape the facility. In a true mind bender Torres Klingon half ends up saving her life.
I am old enough to have made plenty of mistakes in my life and I have regrets. I also have personality traits that can serve a destructive purpose yet if controlled can be valuable allies in my life. Watching Roxann Dawson explore this duality was fascinating and masterfully performed.
What a wonderful idea for an episode. Having the ability to sit around a campfire and talk with what you perceive as your most negative personality traits --- really wrestling with yourself in close examination with true honesty. In this particular episode Torres gets to wrestle with the knowledge that her short tempered Klingon half is also the half that is responsible for her courage and confidence. The episode climax comes as Torres works with herself to escape the facility. In a true mind bender Torres Klingon half ends up saving her life.
I am old enough to have made plenty of mistakes in my life and I have regrets. I also have personality traits that can serve a destructive purpose yet if controlled can be valuable allies in my life. Watching Roxann Dawson explore this duality was fascinating and masterfully performed.
The Old Jekyll/Hyde
Hitchcoc12 August 2018
Torres is captured by those guys who have the phage. They continue to harvest organs from innocent victims in order to return themselves to their original form. Torres is split into two entities: her human side and her Klingon side. The two team up to try to survive. This is a decent episode, again employing science that is pretty much beyond even speculative reality. The acting is good and there are some quite good action scenes. And the pathetic adversaries who have given up heir moral sensitivities make good foils.
Two B'Elannas... one Klingon, one human
Tweekums23 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This episode opens with B'Elanna held captive and looking far more Klingon than she usually does, it turns out that she has been captured by the Vidiians along with Paris and Lt, Durst. The Vidiians have done something to her which has divided her into two people, one Kingon the other human. The scientist who did it explains that he did it because he believes Klingons may be immune to the phage so could help provide a cure. While Klingon B'Elanna is restrained in a lab Human B'Elanna is put to work in the mines alongside Paris and the previously unknown Dunst has the misfortune of being taken to organ processing. The Vidiian scientists things he will be less repulsive to B'Elanna if he has a proper face although when she sees him wearing Dunst's face her reaction is rather violent. The people back on Voyager take a while to realise that they are dealing with the Vidiians but when they finally learn what they are dealing with Chakotay is disguised as a Vidiian so he can help the others escape. When the two B'Elannas get together they must learn that they will need to use both of their innate skills if they are to escape.
This was a pretty good episode which explored B'Elanna's character in an interesting way, it was nice to see her different sides even though it was inevitable that by the end of the episode she would be back to her usual self. When I heard that Torres, Paris and Durst have disappeared while exploring an asteroid it seemed inevitable that Dunst wouldn't be coming back, even though they no longer wear red shirts it still seems that any crew member who gets a major role when we haven't seen them before is likely to die. The moment when we learn just what Dunst has been used for was pretty chilling; justifying the characters inclusion.
This was a pretty good episode which explored B'Elanna's character in an interesting way, it was nice to see her different sides even though it was inevitable that by the end of the episode she would be back to her usual self. When I heard that Torres, Paris and Durst have disappeared while exploring an asteroid it seemed inevitable that Dunst wouldn't be coming back, even though they no longer wear red shirts it still seems that any crew member who gets a major role when we haven't seen them before is likely to die. The moment when we learn just what Dunst has been used for was pretty chilling; justifying the characters inclusion.
B'Elana is beside herself
Ar_Pharazon_the_golden18 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
It's still the first season, and so episodes focusing on developing one of the main characters are in the menu. Here, it is the turn of B'Elana. Surely, Klingon mentality within human societies is always a decent starting point for Star Trek to comment on various aspects of human behaviour. Here, B'Elana's mixed heritage and how both parts of it are fundamental to her identity is the focus of the episode. And while this is a very Star-Treky message, the episode itself is less than stellar:
I mean, the Vidiians capture her and actually split her into two people. This is not just all too obvious a metaphor, it's also plain silly. Luckily (?), the Klingon half dies in the end (after a villain's pretty pointless shooting), and the Doctor announces he can reattach her Klingon DNA back or something. I know Star Trek has never been big in the science, but it would have been nice if during the 90s they had tried to at least avoid such glaring mumbo jumbo.
A second reason the episode disappointed me, however, is because it completely wastes a much more interesting plotline: the whole story is framed as a standard rescue mission, with very little attention given to what is the actual dilemma. Passing a message about the importance of mixed heritage and hopefully helping real world youth accept themselves is all good, but also a rather obvious lesson (which has also been repeated by Worf, Odo and so on in other Star Treks). The question of whether a dying species has the right to use unwilling human (or Klingon if you prefer) subjects in its attempts to find a cure is much more profound, and is largely ignored here. However, since this is the second episode the Vidiians appear, I hope and suspect the issue will receive further attention in future seasons.
I mean, the Vidiians capture her and actually split her into two people. This is not just all too obvious a metaphor, it's also plain silly. Luckily (?), the Klingon half dies in the end (after a villain's pretty pointless shooting), and the Doctor announces he can reattach her Klingon DNA back or something. I know Star Trek has never been big in the science, but it would have been nice if during the 90s they had tried to at least avoid such glaring mumbo jumbo.
A second reason the episode disappointed me, however, is because it completely wastes a much more interesting plotline: the whole story is framed as a standard rescue mission, with very little attention given to what is the actual dilemma. Passing a message about the importance of mixed heritage and hopefully helping real world youth accept themselves is all good, but also a rather obvious lesson (which has also been repeated by Worf, Odo and so on in other Star Treks). The question of whether a dying species has the right to use unwilling human (or Klingon if you prefer) subjects in its attempts to find a cure is much more profound, and is largely ignored here. However, since this is the second episode the Vidiians appear, I hope and suspect the issue will receive further attention in future seasons.
Terrific performance piece for Roxann Dawson, terrific examination of the character
alexandrajade2 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This episode has one of the shortest cold opens in Star Trek history, merely showing a voice calling to B'Elanna Torres and a....fully Klingon woman raising her head to answer?!?!? Three Voyager lieutenants have been kidnapped by the Vidiian Sodality, but Torres gets special attention. A Vidiian scientist believes her Klingon DNA could be the key to curing the terrible phage that afflicts the Vidiians, and with their advanced medical technology he is able to separate her Klingon DNA from her human DNA and constitute them into two separate people.
With the different bodies come radically different personalities. Eventually Klingon B'Elanna and Human B'Elanna meet up and try to team up and escape. They don't seem to agree on much of anything. Klingon B'Elanna simply wants to kill everyone she sees, while Human B'Elanna is more tactical and strategic. Through their combined efforts, they are able to make it back to Voyager safely, though Klingon B'Elanna dies on the transporter pad.
It wasn't the ending I expected, and it was quite poignant. I expected the two halves of B'Elanna would be reconstituted together in the transporter, whether accidentally or intentionally. Instead, there was quite a nice scene with Human B'Elanna in Sick Bay. There's some Treknobabble reason why the Klingon DNA must be reconstituted back into Human B'Elanna - after all, they can't very well just change the character. But the scene with Human B'Elanna and Chakotay in the Sick Bay was very poignant, with Human B'Elanna saying that even though she feels more at peace with herself than ever, she is incomplete without her other half. Anyone who's gone through a major life transition can identify with that feeling. There is a comfort in familiarity, but it's an illusion. You're not yourself unless you're yourself.
The episode does come off as a tiny bit racist, but when you're racist against a fictional race of aliens, that's not a big deal (when the Klingons make their own TV shows, they can be racist against us~!). B'Elanna is described as having her Klingon DNA "extracted," with Human B'Elanna seeming to retain all of the memories and life experiences. The ending certainly establishes Human B'Elanna as the baseline, with Klingon B'Elanna as some sort of cohabitator. However, this is also explained away by details of B'Elanna's childhood (which themselves were interesting to hear).
A great performance piece for Roxann Dawson to play the same character two drastically different ways, and a great psychological examination of those characters. Easily the best episode of Voyager season 1.
With the different bodies come radically different personalities. Eventually Klingon B'Elanna and Human B'Elanna meet up and try to team up and escape. They don't seem to agree on much of anything. Klingon B'Elanna simply wants to kill everyone she sees, while Human B'Elanna is more tactical and strategic. Through their combined efforts, they are able to make it back to Voyager safely, though Klingon B'Elanna dies on the transporter pad.
It wasn't the ending I expected, and it was quite poignant. I expected the two halves of B'Elanna would be reconstituted together in the transporter, whether accidentally or intentionally. Instead, there was quite a nice scene with Human B'Elanna in Sick Bay. There's some Treknobabble reason why the Klingon DNA must be reconstituted back into Human B'Elanna - after all, they can't very well just change the character. But the scene with Human B'Elanna and Chakotay in the Sick Bay was very poignant, with Human B'Elanna saying that even though she feels more at peace with herself than ever, she is incomplete without her other half. Anyone who's gone through a major life transition can identify with that feeling. There is a comfort in familiarity, but it's an illusion. You're not yourself unless you're yourself.
The episode does come off as a tiny bit racist, but when you're racist against a fictional race of aliens, that's not a big deal (when the Klingons make their own TV shows, they can be racist against us~!). B'Elanna is described as having her Klingon DNA "extracted," with Human B'Elanna seeming to retain all of the memories and life experiences. The ending certainly establishes Human B'Elanna as the baseline, with Klingon B'Elanna as some sort of cohabitator. However, this is also explained away by details of B'Elanna's childhood (which themselves were interesting to hear).
A great performance piece for Roxann Dawson to play the same character two drastically different ways, and a great psychological examination of those characters. Easily the best episode of Voyager season 1.
The first truly excellent Voyager Episode
newsjunkie356-13 May 2009
After the pilot, this the first Voyager episode that doesn't come off as the weak sister of a TNG ep. Some of the previous episodes were clearly recycled TNG (and even TOS) episodes. Some were just ho-hum.
This is the first one with a tightly written plot and sharply drawn characters.
THIS is the kind of episode that I've been waiting for. A desperate situation. Wonderful acting by Roxann Caballero Biggs Dawson (can we just call her the most beautiful Klingon-Human hybrid since Susie Plakson?). If ever there's been a Star Trek race more deserving of extermination, it's the Vidiians--truly morally (and visually) repellent aliens.
It's rather amazing that an alliances of Delta Quadrant species hasn't banded together to wipe them out--given what a threat they are to every humanoid their sociopathic evolution of their culture presents. Every further encounter with them, with the exception of the Doctor's romance with the Vidiian hematologists Dr. Danara Pell, always results in an attempt to murder everyone aboard Voyager and steal the usable organs.
Whether this has been in the minds of the writers I don't know, but I'm led to think of the Chinese Communist government's execution of 10-15,000 "criminals" (the only "crime" many have committed is demanding freedom and an end to repression) and the subsequent sale of the victims' organs to foreigners who can bring the Chinese foreign currency--a must for their frenzied defense build up targeted against the United States and Japan. However sinister the end, it's the means that most disturb me--both with the fictional Vidiians the real life corollary in Red China. It's a scheme so repulsive its hard to imagine even the Ferengi participating in it.
This is Star Trek at its best: riveting story telling coupled with a look inward at the early 21st Century from the perspective of a fictional, Utopian future. As Nicholas Meyer, direction and writer of Star Trek II & VI and writer of Stark Trek IV, puts in the commentary to "Wrath of Khan" (on the now out of print "Director's Cut"): "The job of the artist is to ask questions. It's the job of the audience to supply the answers." If you're reading this what answers do YOU bring to Vidiians and their relevance to the societal crimes of our species?
This is the first one with a tightly written plot and sharply drawn characters.
THIS is the kind of episode that I've been waiting for. A desperate situation. Wonderful acting by Roxann Caballero Biggs Dawson (can we just call her the most beautiful Klingon-Human hybrid since Susie Plakson?). If ever there's been a Star Trek race more deserving of extermination, it's the Vidiians--truly morally (and visually) repellent aliens.
It's rather amazing that an alliances of Delta Quadrant species hasn't banded together to wipe them out--given what a threat they are to every humanoid their sociopathic evolution of their culture presents. Every further encounter with them, with the exception of the Doctor's romance with the Vidiian hematologists Dr. Danara Pell, always results in an attempt to murder everyone aboard Voyager and steal the usable organs.
Whether this has been in the minds of the writers I don't know, but I'm led to think of the Chinese Communist government's execution of 10-15,000 "criminals" (the only "crime" many have committed is demanding freedom and an end to repression) and the subsequent sale of the victims' organs to foreigners who can bring the Chinese foreign currency--a must for their frenzied defense build up targeted against the United States and Japan. However sinister the end, it's the means that most disturb me--both with the fictional Vidiians the real life corollary in Red China. It's a scheme so repulsive its hard to imagine even the Ferengi participating in it.
This is Star Trek at its best: riveting story telling coupled with a look inward at the early 21st Century from the perspective of a fictional, Utopian future. As Nicholas Meyer, direction and writer of Star Trek II & VI and writer of Stark Trek IV, puts in the commentary to "Wrath of Khan" (on the now out of print "Director's Cut"): "The job of the artist is to ask questions. It's the job of the audience to supply the answers." If you're reading this what answers do YOU bring to Vidiians and their relevance to the societal crimes of our species?
Worst Star Trek Episode
sang_w4 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Just rewatching Star Trek Voyager from the beginning.
This episode is basically good, good pace, centered on Belana Torres inner conflict.
But first of all, the fate of Durst bothered me too much to be honest.
And then: Why did they not rescue the other slaves??? Captain Janeway SWORE to destroy the Viidians, would they ever try to harvest organs again. And then: nothing.
Surely, Picard would have rescued the slaves. Kirk would have nuked all the Viidians in the process, too.
This episode is basically good, good pace, centered on Belana Torres inner conflict.
But first of all, the fate of Durst bothered me too much to be honest.
And then: Why did they not rescue the other slaves??? Captain Janeway SWORE to destroy the Viidians, would they ever try to harvest organs again. And then: nothing.
Surely, Picard would have rescued the slaves. Kirk would have nuked all the Viidians in the process, too.
Memorable B'Elanna story
snoozejonc14 June 2022
Three Voyager crew members are abducted by the Vidiians.
This is an enjoyable B'Elanna Torres episode.
The plot is reminiscent of the original series episode 'The Enemy Within', as it takes a similar concept and applies it to a different situation that emphasises the mixed racial heritage of the character and the various aspects of her personality. For me B'Elanna's portrayal is the strongest aspect of the story and Roxann Dawson gives a great double performance.
As good as the story is I think it has a bit of a contrived ending involving the Doctor for the purpose of returning B'Elanna to normal for the rest of the show. That being said the emotional and psychological affect on the character is nicely addressed in the physical gesture Dawson makes in the final scene.
I enjoyed the design and alien effects of the Vidiians. The make up is pretty creepy and one scene in particular involving Durst is a great horror moment.
Robert Duncan McNeil makes a good contribution and this shows some good early chemistry between his character and Dawson's. Brian Markinson also delivers a good duel-role performance.
For me it's a 7.5/10 but I round upwards.
This is an enjoyable B'Elanna Torres episode.
The plot is reminiscent of the original series episode 'The Enemy Within', as it takes a similar concept and applies it to a different situation that emphasises the mixed racial heritage of the character and the various aspects of her personality. For me B'Elanna's portrayal is the strongest aspect of the story and Roxann Dawson gives a great double performance.
As good as the story is I think it has a bit of a contrived ending involving the Doctor for the purpose of returning B'Elanna to normal for the rest of the show. That being said the emotional and psychological affect on the character is nicely addressed in the physical gesture Dawson makes in the final scene.
I enjoyed the design and alien effects of the Vidiians. The make up is pretty creepy and one scene in particular involving Durst is a great horror moment.
Robert Duncan McNeil makes a good contribution and this shows some good early chemistry between his character and Dawson's. Brian Markinson also delivers a good duel-role performance.
For me it's a 7.5/10 but I round upwards.
Bothered by one thing
sigelm29 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I am not going to repeat the praises of the other reviewers for this episode as I concur with them. But I am really, terribly bothered by the way they left the other captives to be further exploited and eventually harvested for organs. Would it have been so difficult instead of issuing the order of beaming humans + Klingon aboard to issue the order "Beam all non-Viidians aboard"?
"Genotronic Replicator"
XweAponX16 July 2022
We have heard the word used once before on TNG, when they were fixing Worf's spine.
Apparently these Vidiians not only know about that process but they have perfected it beyond all Starfleet imaginations.
But there was another reason why I decided to write a review about this episode today.
"Organ Banks"
The Vidiians keep Organ Banks. Organ Banks where a gimmick thought up by Larry Niven in his stories about "Gil the Arm", A "belter" Who had lost his arm in a belting accident in the belt, where of course you would see such things happen. He had attempted to pick up a shot glass and he had forgotten he had no arm, but he picked it up with his mind, which started off that whole set of stories, he kept the telekinetic gift even after getting a replacement arm from an Organ bank, which had come originally from "Organleggers", bootleggers who kidnap people and take their body parts to sell on the black market. Which was what caused him to become a cop enforcing the laws of the "amalgamation of regional militias", which was the police "arm" of the UN in those stories. Actually those stories are related to what has become "The Expanse", except that the author of the Expanse books never included "Organ Banks".
In the Larry Niven books, organ banks were the standard punishment for all crimes going all the way down to traffic violations. But in the case of the books, it is because people wanted to live forever, so whenever they smoke too many cigarettes, they get their lungs replaced. Or their heart or liver or knees or skin or whatever body part they damaged due to indulgences.
The Vidiians do it because they are basically rotting away.
It is interesting that whoever thought up the Vidiian culture for Star Trek, tapped into classic science fiction to bring out something that was a big part of stories written through the 60s and 70s...
When you think about these Vidiians, they are just as criminal as the Organleggers from the Larry Niven books. And it was because Janeway had a conscience and standards that she did not punish the two original Vidiians that had stolen Neelix's lungs.
But even from that original introduction, we never knew how bad these guys were.
Now, we know.
Also it is an excuse to learn a lot more about Be'laana Torres, A character that I did not really like that much until this episode was originally broadcast.
It was the depth in which Roxanne Dawson plays her separate sides, that really started making me like the character from then on.
Apparently these Vidiians not only know about that process but they have perfected it beyond all Starfleet imaginations.
But there was another reason why I decided to write a review about this episode today.
"Organ Banks"
The Vidiians keep Organ Banks. Organ Banks where a gimmick thought up by Larry Niven in his stories about "Gil the Arm", A "belter" Who had lost his arm in a belting accident in the belt, where of course you would see such things happen. He had attempted to pick up a shot glass and he had forgotten he had no arm, but he picked it up with his mind, which started off that whole set of stories, he kept the telekinetic gift even after getting a replacement arm from an Organ bank, which had come originally from "Organleggers", bootleggers who kidnap people and take their body parts to sell on the black market. Which was what caused him to become a cop enforcing the laws of the "amalgamation of regional militias", which was the police "arm" of the UN in those stories. Actually those stories are related to what has become "The Expanse", except that the author of the Expanse books never included "Organ Banks".
In the Larry Niven books, organ banks were the standard punishment for all crimes going all the way down to traffic violations. But in the case of the books, it is because people wanted to live forever, so whenever they smoke too many cigarettes, they get their lungs replaced. Or their heart or liver or knees or skin or whatever body part they damaged due to indulgences.
The Vidiians do it because they are basically rotting away.
It is interesting that whoever thought up the Vidiian culture for Star Trek, tapped into classic science fiction to bring out something that was a big part of stories written through the 60s and 70s...
When you think about these Vidiians, they are just as criminal as the Organleggers from the Larry Niven books. And it was because Janeway had a conscience and standards that she did not punish the two original Vidiians that had stolen Neelix's lungs.
But even from that original introduction, we never knew how bad these guys were.
Now, we know.
Also it is an excuse to learn a lot more about Be'laana Torres, A character that I did not really like that much until this episode was originally broadcast.
It was the depth in which Roxanne Dawson plays her separate sides, that really started making me like the character from then on.
One of my favorites
Lornad992 August 2023
I was always partial to the Torres episodes and this was the one that started it. I was very surprised how good Ms. Dawson portrayed the human side struggling to accept her Klingon roots. It was early in the show, the first season and it amazed how well she understood her character and how hard her struggle must have been keeping the rage in check for years. It was so heart felt and raw that I really believed she knew exactly what the character was going through. A very good performance that set the stage for Roxann Dawson's other episodes throughout the series. Of all the Star Trek series this is the one I rewatched the most because of all the characters and their relationships with each other, they did a good job of building a bond between these characters that makes me keep coming back.
A dark and dreary episode
Paularoc18 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I'm just not feeling the love for this episode that other reviewers are. One episode a year with the doomed Vidiians is quite enough. In this second venture, the Vidiians believe that B'Elanna's Klingon DNA will provide a cure for the phage and the scientists split B'Elanna into two people - one Klingon and one human. Of course the two meet and the different personalities are explored in a much oversimplified way. They join forces to escape (with Lt. Paris) the ghastly, grim and really horrid Vidiian prison. Even though a terrible fate awaits the Vidiians, it's hard to dredge up a lot of sympathy for a people that horribly kills and mutilates others to save themselves. At the end, the Klingon and human DNA must be re-integrated. It was nice that Roxann Dawson Biggs- Dawson got the chance to flex her acting muscles - she must have enjoyed doing this episode and she did a fine job with the dual roles. I was somewhat surprised at B'Elanna's remarks at the end. This is a very dark episode and I hope this is the end of the Vidiians - but I somehow doubt it.
Just leave after they mutilated (another) one of your own?
mer_mer-8139222 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Ok, I get that Star Trek personnel have an air of moral superiority, but come on! These Vidiians have previously harvested lungs from one of the crew and now obscenely murdered another one for his organs and specifically his face so that it can be used as makeup to impress another captured female crew member. And we now see the Vidiians are literally slave owners subjugating other races for their own evil purposes. The Klingon B'Elanna is the only one with the appropriate response to Durst's fate. Too bad she was interrupted. In the end, the Voyager personnel simply beamed up and left, without so much as an afterthought for Durst or the captives still held in their cells.
Creator Hater
jaredd9 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
In this episode, we get to see the horror that the creators of the show have inflicted upon us: covering up Roxann with all that makeup for the entire series. What a shame they felt obligated to continue some of the silly traditions of the Star Trek universe such as having other aliens in high positions. We GET IT ALREADY, the future has lots of aliens, just tell your story. The problem is, sometimes there is no story, which is why you have fall back on some contrived fight in order to fill air time. You have a Vidiian who takes the face of a fellow Voyager crew member and he's surprised at the response? It smacks of forcing the issue again to fill air time. Feels like lazy writing. To top it all off, the killing will continue since the Vidiians no longer have the Klingon DNA to help solve their problem. Yay for more madness from the writers.
Done Better in "The Enemy Within"
carolhendry-251264 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The concept of dividing a character into two parts, both of which are needed for the whole, was done before, and much better, in the original Star Trek episode, "The Enemy Within." In the original Star Trek, Kirk was divided into good and bad, where as Torres was divided into human and Klingon.
What bothered me about this episode the most was that the human Torres was written as such a stereotypical idea of a weak female. Even though she was a Star Fleet officer with the training, she was cowardly and did not stand up for herself.
The other issue I had with the episode was bad dialogue. When Torres was working on the computer to try and get a signal out, she was grabbed and dragged away. When she asked where they were taken her, she was told something like, "To dinner and a hot shower." What?
I found this episode sloppy and stereotypical. I recommend watching the original instead.
What bothered me about this episode the most was that the human Torres was written as such a stereotypical idea of a weak female. Even though she was a Star Fleet officer with the training, she was cowardly and did not stand up for herself.
The other issue I had with the episode was bad dialogue. When Torres was working on the computer to try and get a signal out, she was grabbed and dragged away. When she asked where they were taken her, she was told something like, "To dinner and a hot shower." What?
I found this episode sloppy and stereotypical. I recommend watching the original instead.
Faces
Prismark1020 October 2023
Captured by the disease ravaged Vidiians. B'Elanna Torres is experimented by Vidiian scientist, Sulan who splits her into two people.
She is made fully Klingon so Sulan can infect the disease in her to see if a full Klingon can resist the phage.
With the human genes leftover, a human B'Elanna is created. She ends up with Tom Paris who had also been captured.
It is up to Chakotay and Tuvok investigate what has happened to them.
Although the story wants to emulate body horror. It really is a conflict of someone living a mixed race existence.
The Klingon B'Elanna is very belligerent and volatile. The human one is very passive and cowardly. It all plays to stereotypes.
Of course you just know one version will have to conveniently die so B'Elanna Torres could once again be mixed up.
She is made fully Klingon so Sulan can infect the disease in her to see if a full Klingon can resist the phage.
With the human genes leftover, a human B'Elanna is created. She ends up with Tom Paris who had also been captured.
It is up to Chakotay and Tuvok investigate what has happened to them.
Although the story wants to emulate body horror. It really is a conflict of someone living a mixed race existence.
The Klingon B'Elanna is very belligerent and volatile. The human one is very passive and cowardly. It all plays to stereotypes.
Of course you just know one version will have to conveniently die so B'Elanna Torres could once again be mixed up.
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