Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) In the Flesh (1998) User Reviews

Really good even though the resolution came amazingly easily.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 25 February 2015]

In the two-part episode "Scorpion", Captain Janeway foolishly aligned Voyager with the Borg. This seemed insane at the time and now a little over a season later, the implications of this insane decision have come back to haunt them.

Voyager has picked up some transmissions in the Delta Quadrant that SOUND like they are Starfleet but cannot be. When Tuvok and Chakotay beam down to investigate, they find a copy of Starfleet! It looks awfully exact and they plan to go back to Voyager to tell the Captain. However, they are discovered in an off-limits area and a guard tries to capture them--so they disable the guy and beam back to the ship. There they realize that he's actually species 8472--a rather frightening looking being who has somehow assumed human form. Why have these guys created their copy of Starfleet headquarters? Well, it's obvious because after their encounter with Voyager, they feel at risk and this could be the prelude to an attack. How can they resolve all this paranoia and preparations for war--especially since Voyager stoked these fires.

This is a very fascinating episode and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only complaint, and I mention it in the summary, is that all this paranoia sure seems to work itself out awfully easily. Still, a dandy show.

My Favorite Martian Meets 8472

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 4 September 2018]

This is an interesting episode in that it never has its principles come to blows. It is more about posturing and trying to prevent a horrible consequence. Janeway and the Voyager crew move in on a San Francisco recreation of Species 8472. They are interested in the plans of this group, the one they attacked several episodes previously. Ray Walston appears as the leader of this species. The whole thing just is to pat and easy and hence my criticism.

Species 8472's Academy

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 19 February 2010]

When this episode opened I feared it was going to be another holodeck based one as the opening scene featured Commander Chakotay walking through the grounds of Star Fleet Academy on Earth. As he is having a drink at the bar it becomes apparent that something isn't quite right when one of the other officers starts to change appearance and the woman he is talking to talks of feeling strange in that form and breathing oxygen... clearly there is something more going on the a holodeck program. Later as Chakoay and Tuvok they are confronted for being in the wrong area and are forced to beam back to voyager along with their would be captor. Here their captor commits suicide and an examination shows that he was actually Species 8472 and had been altered at a cellular level to look human. In order to find out more Chakotay returns to what we now know is a simulation of The Academy to go on a date with the woman from the bar. While talking to her he learns that it is a training facility to prepare Species 8472 for an attack on the Earth which they believe must be preparing to attack them due to previous encounters with Voyager. As Voyager prepares to attack the facility Chakotay is captured and during questioning comes to the conclusion that Species 8472 is only preparing to attack because they feel threatened, the question is can a diplomatic solution be found before conflict begins?

After previous encounters with Species 8472 it is surprising just how little action there was in this episode; it was an almost entirely character driven story where distrust was overcome by discussions and the avoidance of violence, that's not to say it was a bad episode, it just wasn't that memorable either.

Any Excuse to have a Boothby Episode

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 28 September 2013]

...Is a good excuse.

Voyuer finds a bizarre space-station floating in the Delta-Quadrant hosting a perfect simulation of Starfleet Academy, down to Boothby tending his plants.

Chakotay hits it off with a commander "Valerie Archer" (Played by Kate Vernon - descendant of Captain Archer from Enterprise?) and he has his first date in years. Problem is, who is he really dating?

Chakotay and Tuvix are accosted by an overly eager ensign on the way back to the beam-in point and they have to kidnap the poor sap.

But when questioned by Voyeur crew, he self-destructs. "Dr Hologram" tweaks his DNA and out pops Species 857-6309.

So, what the devil are they doing out there in the Delta Quadrant?

But Quasi-Boothby is just as curious of Chakotay as Chakotay is of this Fakademy, so he sets up a trap for him, when Archer smooches with him, she steals some of his DNA and confirms "Actual Hooman". So they trap Chakotay and make potshots at the Delta Flyer and chase it away.

Quasi-Boothby or real Boothby, only Ray Walston could ever pull it off. And Species 857-6309 had done their job too well, they had actually copied his personality. "Targ Manure!"

Even if this is a dupe of the real Boothby, he's got all of his memories and acerbic personality, so it was fitting that he be the one to conduct "Second-Contact" with Voyager- As "First Contact" didn't go too well for them.

Tucker Smallwood is Admiral Bullock, or is it all (Another word that rhymes with Bullock)? Smallwood is Boothby's right hand... Whatever-they- call-themselves. Species 857-6309 never got a name. Or do they even have hands?

At any rate it was a satisfying, for me at least conclusion of the Species 857-6309 saga.

They had made themselves too Human, and because of this I can suspend any disbelief. They were after all going to Infiltrate Starfleet with these whatever they were, clones, copies. There was no need to explain just how they did it anyway, that wasn't the point. Also, some dolts completely forget that 70,000 (Actually, about 60,000) light years means nothing to a species from Fluidic Space.

Janeway is of course the first one to take her finger off the trigger.

But in all of this, they got one detail wrong: We know from Deep Space Nine, that Starfleet used the Next Generation uniforms. The Cadet's uniforms were very similar to the Voyeur uniforms, but in every place other than Deep Space Nine, they went back to the regular Next Gen uniforms at least until the First Contact uniforms came out.

Continue that Romance

[makiefer-87128 · 8/10 · 12 January 2024]

Can't we continue this romance ark between Chakotay and the Species 8472 lady ? Seriously. For all we know, Chakotay should get arrested after arriving in the Alpha Quadrant at the end of the entire show. A prison cell was waiting for him all along. Species 8472 can jump through dimensions - inside prison cells. Plus, Chakotay is the kind of guy who could have a lasting romance with a slightly-fascist lady. Forget The Next Generation's "Imzadi" Romance between Troi and Riker. I want Chakotay oo Species 8472. In this episode, the two meet when that lady practices infiltrating the Federation. Chakotay is Maquis, not Federation. There is no telling how much Chakotay could be taught about infiltrating hostile species at home.

The episode where species 8472 are humanised and tamed

[tj_moore · 6/10 · 1 March 2010]

This episode serves one purpose. It's clear that by the introduction of Species 8472 an enemy worse than the Borg was introduced. I can understand this may have been seen as a mistake, but this episode so blatantly tries (and succeeds) to reverse their threat and utterly tame Species 8472, turning them from the villain that could defeat the bad Borg into potential best friends with the Federation, and humanising them in the process through their shape shifting abilities. By making them look and act human, they become less threatening after all.

It is like (and I suspect probably was the case), someone said "we can't have an enemy who can defeat the Borg. Write an episode that makes them harmless and we can be rid of them".

It's a shame as the episode is not half bad. It starts off well with the mystery of an alien species recreating Earth with the potential for an invasion (though like so much of Voyager, a rehash of earlier Trek, especially Deep Space Nine's Dominion shape shifting infiltration of Earth).

It disappoints though with no real action, a diplomatic discussion that's all rather too easy and ends with them all effectively shaking hands and that's the end of the threat. The Borg are thus returned to number one evil status. It does the job intended but has spoilt a potentially good truly alien species. Non humanoid species in Star Trek are a rarity (and perhaps a little against the rules), but it's a breath of fresh air to see them, and one that truly could be evil. Perhaps it could have been taken further to develop them as a race to trust with caution and have a kind of Cold War scenario. Although the Klingons before them served that purpose and even the Romulans.

Certainly not a terrible episode, but one that frustrates me for what it achieves rather than the content.

Why is the resolution so easy? Why move on so quickly? Unfulfilling.

[wwcanoer-tech · 6/10 · 7 November 2021]

This episode takes considerable time to set up the situation but the crisis occurs 3/4 of the way through then 1/8th on the crisis & resolution and 1/8th wrap-up. Why isn't more time spent on the crisis and its resolution? Isn't that where the most interesting activity could take place? (Less of Chakotay talking about books that don't advance the plot.)

We should see Species 8472 demand more proof that humans are not a threat. Such as Janeway offering her logs of their previous encounters with Species 8472, to show why Janeway saw them as a threat and later tried to help them (that event is simply ignored). More than just " 'The weak will perish.' Sound familiar?" And Janeway should be demanding more from them. Is 'The weak will perish' a strong philosphy of theirs or just a battle cry? How did they discover so much about earth? Have they been there? Can they get Voyager home?

Janeway meets a species powerful enough to defeat the Borg and advanced enough to take human form, but she only spends a day with them because she wants to get home?! It makes no sense. Why are they not spending a month to get to know each other. So that Species 8472 can truly understand humans and can become allies. Maybe get Voyager home quicker. We don't need to see all that time, just tell us that it happened. Why doesn't Janeway insist on meeting their superiors, having them come to the space station, so that a permanent solution can be reached. Work together on how to stop the Borg threat. (Well, that would prevent further borg conflicts.)

We always need to suspend "reality" to think that the Voyager and the Delta Flyer could covertly approach a space station, scan it and beam down, but we accept that. And that Species 8472 isn't telepathic for this one episode. Only 2 episodes ago they were going stir crazy in a void and now they have a massive recreation of Earth yet they don't take any R&R? Sure.

The idea outshines the execution.

[thevacinstaller · 6/10 · 23 December 2021]

Well, it turns out that species 8472 are not psychopathic telepaths after all. Nope, they are hard working good natured people just like you.

The idea of the episode is solid ---- misunderstanding of a situation leading to catastrophic consequences but I find the execution of this episode to be unsatisfactory.

Maybe it was the actor that played Boothby? I LOVE old people but I did not find his performance very convincing. Maybe the climax of this episode could have been designed to have a bit more tension instead of them just sitting around the table? This episode is missing a few elements to really keep me engaged. I don't know man ---- Maybe Janeway needed to stand up and deliver a passionate speech in a Kirk/Picard esque fashion? With this episode the scene in the ready room felt like it could have taken place in a high school with hyper hormonal teenagers stumbling towards a compromise.

Voyager Clichés

[deronboyd · 4/10 · 11 October 2013]

If it hasn't already, by five seasons into Voyager it's become apparent what the producers use as their template to crank out cookie cutter episodes. The Voyager Clichés. This one is full of them.

First off, for a series that based itself on flinging the ship 70,000 light years away from ANYTHING previously known with the enticement of discovering "strange new worlds and seek out new civilizations", once AGAIN, we end up back with familiar characters and locations. Just plain lazy. The first shots open and we're back in that mysterious, mystical, 70,000 light year away location…. San Francisco! What, what? Well, I guess nothing sets a genuine Star Trek puppy to tail wagging than a breathtaking look at Star Fleet Command.

Once again Voyager starts the episode somewhere in the middle of the narrative, leaving you to figure out what the hell is happening. San Francisco? Chakotay? That's funny, because I THOUGHT WE WERE 70,000 LIGHT YEARS AWAY?? Kind of a lazy way to surprise the viewer, because you're basically cheesing out and only giving them a portion of the information. Now, while this basically can work once and still make for a good episode, they use it in Voyager more than Neelix uses some unheard of Delta Quadrant makeshift ingredient to make an ordinary dish even less palatable.

Love? Exciting and new? Well, you've got to have a love interest! And why not employ the least passionate character and force passion on him. Again. Yup, our calm, cool, spiritual Mexican Elvis gets the "girl" once again, using that wooden gaze and cement tongue to land himself a Delta Quadrant faux hottie MILF. Which leads to another popular Star Trek gag. Got to have someone make out with someone that really isn't human, only pretending, so we have that underlying "creepout factor". Tongue you some alien species, dude! Soon we discover it's not Star Fleet Headquarters at all but a war game simulation by Species 8472. You remember those fun cats? Kicking Borg ass from some liquefied dimension, vowing to eradicate inferior species from the Galaxy? A race so flipping frightening and all powerful, even the Aryan Borg wet their pants, and sucked up to Janeway and the SS Minnow to bail their cybernetic asses out. Even though Skipper Janeway sent them packing with a mean cocktail of Borg nano-babble (and no one thought to ask how the Aryan Borg didn't think of THAT one), 8472 figured it was time to infiltrate Starfleet. Apparently, in their exhaustive search on everything there is about Starfleet, someone must have watched Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers and felt inspired.

But wait! It's all just misunderstanding! The Skipper isn't a war monger! These aren't xenophobic inter-dimension dwellers eradicating the inferior! Even over the two dimensional protests of one of the "Admirals", both species apologize and play nice. To highlight part of this ridiculousness, not but a few scenes before Janeway was warned dozens of similar simulations scattered throughout the quadrant implying these fellas mean business. But, hey, wait, perhaps we should be reasonable? Oh, sounds great to me! Faster than a teenage klatch of bitchy young girls making up and once again becoming BFFs, we've arrived at our mutual admiration conclusion. It's another beautiful day in faux San Francisco! Ultimately as a viewer I feel cheated. They start the episode in the middle of the plot, and before you now it, it's neatly wrapped up in a little bow, sun shining, birds singing, everything right in the Delta Quadrant, and I'm thinking "where the hell did this episode go?" Nowhere.

Reasonably good episode with standout moments

[snoozejonc · 7/10 · 20 August 2023]

Voyager crew members appear strangely to be on a mission at Starfleet HQ.

The story starts off with mystery before it inevitably reveals a premise that is somewhat silly, but enjoyable if you can suspend the disbelief.

For me the strongest moments are the character exchanges between the likes of Chakotay, Janeway and the guest characters. All the respective actors do a good job with the material they have, particularly Ray Walston.

The themes of mistrust and Cold War type relations feel close to the original series, The Undiscovered Country and TNG, whilst the setting and aspects of the plot resemble the DS9 episode Homefront.

I think your appreciation of the episode will be impacted by its portrayal of a previously seen antagonist. For me it does not quite gel with what we saw in other episodes, but it gives a consequence to actions previously taken by Janeway and fits with the positive Trek ideals.

For me it's a 6.5/10, but I round upwards.

Second contact is the way to go

[tomsly-40015 · 7/10 · 3 January 2024]

Voyager encounters an alien space station that emulates Starfleet headquarters in every detail. Chakotay infiltrates the installation to find out more about what is going on. Soon they find out, that species 8472 uses this compound to make themselves familiar with Starfleet and alpha quadrant species in order to launch a preemptive strike against the Federation headquarters on earth. They even altered their appearances genetically to look like humans, Vulcans, Boleans and other members of Starfleet.

After Chakotay has been uncovered amd taken hostage, Janeway suggests a diplomatic meeting with species 8472. And she wouldn't be Captain Diplomacy if she wouldn't succeed in convincing them, that the Federation is peaceful and doesn't seek to destroy them.

Considering the fact how hard diplomacy is among our human species already, it is all resolved too quickly in this episode. One meeting, an exchange of technology and intelligence and all are buddies afterwards.

Also, when they uncover Chakotay and interrogate him, they tell him his name, rank and species. He returns in telling them that he knows they are species 8472. Why don't they tell him their real name? Species 8472 is a Borg designation. Chakotay isn't referred as species 5618 either but as human.

And how comes, the species are able to even copy the voices of Boothby and the others by just having studied some information about Starfleet? They hardly have encountered humans directly before either, so they would have a hard time knowing about all tiny details like walking and acting as a human.

Nice beginning but ultimately ridiculous

[vsek · 4/10 · 22 June 2021]

4/10 The fun concept of Aliens training to be humans is intriguing but the authors and producers have to castrate another mysterious and dangerous alien species (see Hirogen): Species 8472 just to have an excuse for the plot.

Having an (usually grotesque looking) Alien pretend to be the old groundskeeper Boothby (remember him from Next Generation?) and presenting Janeway with a pretty flower to which she reacts like a schoolgirl is just too goofy. The same Alien wants to have a look at Janeway's Borg weapons because they "scare the hell" out of him.

And this comes from the Species who roughly a year ago wanted to "cleanse" the galaxy. And what are they afraid of? As 8472 was introduced, they destroyed a whole planet with 9 ships! Just go to Earth and destroy it! Why do this elaborate song-and-dance to infiltrate Starfleet?

It's also never brought up again that Janeway gives Species 8472 knowledge that makes them even more dangerous (and unstoppable). But this is par for the course of Voyager. They're just flying by and seldom do they feel the effects of their decisions.

It goes as far as Chakotay flirting and kissing a known disguised 8472 ("For what it's worth, you made a terrific human.") to which the other replies "It's too bad our species are so different, otherwise I'd ask you for a second date." (????) It's just silly and too neatly tied up, sorry. I am glad for the cast and crew shooting outside for a change but this episode is a stinker. Just look up a picture of an 8472 if you're looking for a hot date. Not even the technology of the whole base matches the visual style of 8472!

The beginning has a decent mystery in it but then the episode falls apart and the writers try to be funny but it just comes off as inappropriate. The moral dilemma of Janeway's isn't played up enough and the discussion is too easily brought to a happy ending.

It's strange that after only 3 episodes into season 5, the producers already delivered a wonky episode.

Decent Episodes

[mjp-85981 · 5/10 · 3 December 2018]

Wouldve liked to see a better episode of this. They wae cool at first and then we get a cliche of Starfleet species 8472. I do like the actor Ray Watson tho so this made it better. Byt I wish it was different.