Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Repression (2000) User Reviews

So....What Happened Next?

[spasek · 6/10 · 7 July 2021]

This is an episode that had a great and promsiing premise. Someone aboard Voyager is targeting Maquis crewmen. And based upon the language used in the very beginning of the episode, it's pretty simple to figure out who is behind it.

What we end up having is a sort of "Manchurian Candidate" scenario in which Teero (sounds like an Ewok's name), a Bajoran man with serious grievances, utilizies his "mind-control" abilities to activate Tuvok as well as others to take over Voyager.

In the end, Tuvok is able to get control of himself and rescue Chakotay before any real damage is done.

So...what happened next? There is literally no scenes or even dialogue involving Janeway about what they plan to do about Teero. Are they going to alert Starfleet in the next batch of messages? Are they also going to warn Starfleet regarding the possible dangers within the messages that they receive?

Everything is completely open-ended without explanation. Not quite sure if the director, writer, or editor is to blame for this (perhaps all three), but as soon as the credits began to roll at the end, I was like, "Wait a second? What's going to be done about this?"

What a terrible way to end an episode. Especially one that was actually pretty good!

Who is attacking the Maquis?

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 4 May 2010]

This was an interesting episode which started off much like a classic murder mystery, although the victims were being put into comas rather than being killed. The victims are all former members of the Maquis leading to a sense of paranoia amongst the remaining members. Tuvok who is in charge of the investigation makes a starling discovery; it turns out that the assailant had no idea that he was responsible, a message from home had triggered mind control programming which had been initiated years ago in the Alpha Quadrant. As the victims begin to wake from their comas and hear a trigger phase they seize control of the ship with the intention of abandoning the Star Fleet crew on a nearby planet; will any of them manage to break their programming before it is too late.

I liked how this episode changed as it went along, I was expecting it to be a simple whodunit but we learnt who was responsible about half way through. Even though the attacker is revealed before the half way point I won't reveal who it was here as I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

Kinda weird but pretty good

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 4 March 2015]

Something odd is happening. Several crew members who were members of the Maquis have been attacked and are found in comas. They don't die and actually eventually recover but they have no idea who is responsible. Mr. Tuvok is in charge of investigating the matter and his results are VERY disturbing, as apparently some evil piggy used one of the letters sent through the pulsar in order to brainwash a crew member to do all this. Why? What is the ultimate goal?

This is a pretty good episode overall. However, I did laugh when Tom Paris and the crew were all doing a recreation night where they sat and watched 3-D movies from the 1950s. This technology was CRAP and it's funny that the writer of the show didn't realize that the 3-D films which would come only a decade after the show aired actually DID look 3-D. In fact, my daughter and I love seeing all the 24th century gadgets that actually are possible NOW or in the very near future!

What's the point, Vedik?

[sloopnp · 7/10 · 1 September 2020]

I didn't really hate this episode, but why did that Bajoran bother to trigger the crew? They are 35yrs or so away. What does it accomplish? Who did he want them to fight way out there?

And the Maquis are back again...

[Davidd418 · 6/10 · 25 April 2023]

After having recently just finished watching all of TNG and DS9 this was a decent Voyager episode with a Maquis and Bejoran connection and a nice change from some of the the previous episodes. Although initially I did not like the story it seemed OK in the end. It was interesting to see that even Tuvak was actually connected all along to the Maquis which makes some of Tuvaks actions in previous episodes in the first seasons questionable. Funny to see all of the Maquis officers fall back into that mid DS9 mentality after a couple of years... with their almost complete takeover of Voyager. The part that is not very well understood is what the Maquis would have done with the Voyager after dropping off all the Federation crew? With the death of the Maquis, the end of the Dominion war and peace between the Bejorans and Cardassians. The whole point of the Maquis was to defend the "former" Federation citizens still living in the demilitarised zone along the Cardassian border so what would a Vedek gain from taking over Voyager? It was hard to see the point of the takeover and what good it would have served the former Maquis or Bejoran interests being so far away. Overall I think the episode could have been better and that maybe the writers were just looking for an excuse to have the former Maquis crew members finally take over Voyager.

Nigh unwatchable

[popkiller · 2/10 · 18 November 2013]

A lot of people consider the season 2 episode where Paris and Janeway turn into space slugs, hook up, and pop out a couple of space slug kids as the worst episode of Voyager, and even Star Trek history, but they obviously never made it far enough to watch this steaming pile of crap.

We start off with some Bajoran witch doctor putting some space voodoo on Voyager, then immediately to the "comic" relief in which Mr. and Mrs. Tom Paris go on a date night to a 3D movie theater. On the holodeck. The irony is not lost on B'Lanna, who comments that it seems silly to watch two-dimensional technology using three-dimensional holographic equipment. Not seems, Mrs. Paris, IS. IS SILLY. The most sophisticated entertainment system ever created, and little Tommy Paris uses it to watch 400-year-old movies. That's like using my playstation to watch...well, nothing, because entertainment wasn't even invented until the 20th century.

Back to Voyager - seems as if someone is attacking seemingly random crew people until it's revealed that it's not random, there's a pattern - they're all former Maquis! Hey, remember that thing that stopped being an issue in Season One? Nope, me either.

It's been SEVEN YEARS. Why bother reminding the audience of a storyline so long-abandoned, so mundane, even the characters didn't care about it anymore?

Somehow it's revealed that the Bajoran witch doctor is some kind of Dr. Mindbender, who did a bunch of experiments on Tuvok because he was jealous that the Maquis kicked him out of their club. What?! Why does any of this matter? Seven years ago, it might have mattered. This feels like another "Friday Before A Holiday Weekend" episode, where the writers just found whatever resembled a story and made them shoot it the next week.

Shameful. Anyway, the Bajoran has been using Tuvok to mind-meld with the Maquis people, of which Chakotay states is about 1/4 of Voyager's crew. On the high side, Voyager has 150 crew people, so that makes around 32 Maquis. After Tuvok's mind-melds, all of the FORMER Maquis (because remember, THIS DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE) become all crazy mind-controlled and stage an insurrection, taking over Voyager. Why? Why is any of this happening? Turns out no one knows or cares. Best part? When Evil Maquis Chakotay tells Evil Maquis Tuvok that they still had around 21 of their people who didn't get the mind-meld, so they can't help. 21 of 32 are not helping them. That leaves 11. Eleven former Maquis took over all of Voyager without any pushback. More than 11 people get sick after eating Neelix's cooking on a nightly basis.

All this stupidity ends when Janeway tells Tuvok to remember who he is, and then he does and something happens, the end.

Just a dumb, dumb, useless episode. Which is a shame, because it started out really great with a Ten Little Indians kind of feel with the crew getting attacked one at a time.

Eleven people. Give me a break. They even changed out of their Starfleet uniforms after they took over the ship. So, outmatched around 12-1, the Maquis jerkwads find a way to take the ship and stop by their apartments to change their clothes in the process.

Poo. Utter poo. 2/10 and only because of that horror movie vibe that died around 10 minutes in.

Believability is strained.

[thevacinstaller · 5/10 · 17 February 2023]

What in the world?!

Let me get this straight ---- All of the maquis (at least 30 individuals including Tuvok) had experimental mind control done on them by this lunatic scientist back in the alpha quadrant? Is this a maquis mandated action that all members must undergo? Some kind of Obsidian order 20 moves ahead contingency plan? My man Chakotay wouldn't sign up for this. Did he kidnap all 30 of the individuals?

Wait, what was the goal? Tuvok is a solid sleeper spy ---- Was that the plan? Have a undercover op in starfleet who could save the maquis with a password?

Wait a second. How did this Bajoran scientist send the message to the Alpha Quadrant? Did he hop aboard a shuttle craft and fly to Vulcan and hack Tuvok's son transmission to starfleet? I guess starfleet is openly celebrating contact with Voyager, so that information would be available.

Let's say the plan worked ---- The maquis are still stranded in the Delta quadrant. What's the point?! Just to be a crazy guy?!

What a mess of a plot. Hats off to Tuvok for putting in a solid performance.

Another possession episode

[scott-mcmoran · 2/10 · 17 June 2020]

I love this series, but when I get to this episode, I want to skip it. The old Maquis crew are all taken over by a character that is not in any way introduced or developed. He is there taking over Tuvok and then he is gone. It takes 35 minutes to get the crew members possessed and about 2 minutes for Tuvok to come to his senses and take the ship back. Definitely a forced episode to fill in the last season.

Snooze

[M333missa · 2/10 · 23 July 2020]

What was the point of this episode? It didn't further any character or story development to the series. Especially, in season 7! I probably could have bought it more if it were included in season 1. When the Maquis and the Federation would have still had a lingering distrust for one another. Not after seven years of having each other's back and working together for their very survival. And the conclusion still didn't clarify why a Vedik would try to revive a long dead resistance, with former Marquis members, in an entirely different quadrant of the universe? What is the point? It makes no sense.

Average idea with an average execution

[snoozejonc · 5/10 · 1 August 2020]

Tom and B'Elanna go to the holodeck to watch an old 3D movie when another crew member is attacked. Tuvok investigates as more crew members are targeted.

This one starts off quite promising. We have an enjoyable scene in the holodeck that sets up for a bit of mystery and intrigue. Then the plot twists in an good way before it all goes down hill and events unfold in a series of a daft situations.

I can imagine the writers scratching their heads for ideas and then: 'Eureka! Let's do a sort of Sherlock Holmes meets The Manchurian Candidate tribute.' 'Cool, what happens?' 'Ah, details details, we'll figure that out later.'

The actors do a pretty good job considering their characters are being used to unnecessarily resurrect the Marquis story. It might have worked if they put some suspense or excitement into the closing scenes but it all resolves itself in a pretty uninteresting way.

Slightly Better Than Spock's Brain

[Hitchcoc · 2/10 · 15 September 2018]

So many plot holes. Such a ridiculous premise. This two bit Manchurian Candidate plot goes nowhere. When we FINALLY get to the climax, most people would already be asleep. The old Maquis rebellion rears its head. Of course, Tuvok using only Vulcan evidence to solve a murder mystery (where no one has been murdered) is kind of interesting. I can't think of anything to say. Just awful.

Absurd Premise

[markbyrn-1 · 3/10 · 30 December 2023]

This episode was a bad case of absurd premise plus logic gaps wider than the Grand Canyon. We're suppose to believe a crazed Bajoran Vedek in the Alpha quadrant was intent on sending a subliminal mind-control message to the Marquis that are aboard Voyager in the Delta quadrant. We're supposed to believe that the Marquis (inc. Tuvok who was undercover as a Marquis) were brainwashed during their training to receive such a subliminal message that would cause them to mutiny and exile the Starfleet crew (inc. Janeyway) to a planet while they would return to the Alpha quadrant and resume the Marquis resistance. And when the mutiny was eventually foiled, everything was back to normal as though had nothing had happened. Even if the mutiny had succeeded, it would still take decades for Voyager to get back to the Alpha quadrant and perhaps never considering they intended to leave the Starfleet crew behind.

Tuvok becomes the Bajoriun candidate

[tomsly-40015 · 4/10 · 30 January 2024]

This episode could have been interesting and exciting if the plot had at least been plausible. But why a Bajoran would send a subliminal message to Tuvok, who is traveling 35,000 light-years away from home, so that he can then start a Maquis uprising on Voyager simply makes no sense. What would he gain if Voyager came under Maquis control? Given the distance it still has to travel to get home, he would have to assume that the ship will still need decades.

In addition, some viewers don't seem to have fully understood who Teero actually made into a "Bajoriun candidate", so to speak. He didn't brainwash all members of the Maquis, just Tuvok. Using his special psychic abilities, Tuvok then transmitted his own manipulated thoughts through the attacks on the Maquis members of the crew using mind meld.

What's particularly bad about this episode is that you're left completely in the dark about what actually happened afterwards when all the Maquis members were in control of their own senses again. Janeway does not warn Starfleet about Teero - after all, more such messages could be sent - nor do there appear to have been any consequences for any crew member. From one minute to the next, Chakotay, for example, became the ringleader of a ship-wide rebellion. But in the end everything is forgotten and Janeway trusts him as her number one again. Anyone who can be so easily manipulated into falling back into the old Maquis traditions seems to have never really given up on their criminal past. As soon as the attacks on the Maquis members started, distrust was seen growing not only among Chakotay but also among the other Maquis members and Chakotay himself spoke of the Starfleet crew members of "Janeway's crew". Apparently most Maquis crew members have not really internalized the fact that they are now all serving on a Starfleet ship and are just one crew.

And please, dear science fiction authors: stop constantly including late 20th century and early 21st century references in your stories that take place hundreds of years in the future. I understand that as a viewer of today you build up a kind of emotional bond with the characters. But it is unrealistic and ridiculous. That would basically be like someone working on 17th century horse carriages in their garage and then driving them through a city of today - but in tails and frills, just like back then. And imagine if holodeck technology existed today and the first thing someone would program was an authentic 17th century theater. And then he would invite friends and colleagues to an authentic theater performance of that time, including food and drink of that era. Ridiculous. These references to the here and now are also constantly present in The Orville - from Kermit the Frog to Dolly Parton. Or does anyone remember Demolition Man with Stallone and Bullock?