S4 E07: Scientific Method

Tempers are running short on Voyager (particularly Janeway's) when people start undergoing strange genetic mutations. When the Doctor uncovers something that looks like a bar code on Chaktay's DNA, he finds that someone unseen is trying to delete him, so he hides out on the holodeck. There, he covertly contacts Seven and adjusts her optical implant to allow her to see phased entities on the ship, and it turns out that there are a whole lot of them, performing experiments on the crew. Seven forces one to become visible in front of the crew; these are scientific researchers, who are using the Voyager crew as guinea pigs, hoping to glean new insight into medical treatments for their own species. Janeway won't allow this to continue, so she pilots Voyager into a dual pulsar system, threatening to tear the ship apart. Her gambit works, and the researchers depart - leaving Voyager to narrowly escape from the gravitational pull of the pulsars.

I'll come out and say it: I like angry Janeway. She's not condescending or passive-aggressive when she's furious, and I consider that a serious improvement. You know exactly where you stand with enraged Janeway, and the writers also don't make her right all the time when she's fueled by hate either. Also, it gave us the scene with Tuvok, where she dresses him down for not expecting more out of the various department heads that report to him (shouldn't they report to Chakotay?), and tells him to berate them into giving better performances. He says sure, then deadpans: "Shall I flog them as well?"

As an episode, I find it highly reminiscent of Schisms (TNG, Season 6), only with better pacing and more creepy. I also like that we actually get to meet the perpetrators this time, and explore their motivations. Voyager is getting good at coming up with "sneaky villains" - ones that go to great lengths to view themselves as not being evil, while still performing very villainous acts (I'm thinking in particular of Displaced from season 3). I'm pleased with this direction, as it is a change from the Vidiians, who could have gone in that direction but the writers seemed to shy away from it.

I could have gone for a different title though. I was very relieved that there was no "science is bad" moral here, but I was definitely worried once the connection was drawn between the title and the events of the show. Also, as interesting as these villains are, I would be amenable to the Voyager ending an episode on good terms with the species they meet in it. When was the last time that happened? The Talaxians? I guess the guys from Rise count.

Watchability: 4/5

Bottom Line: Good pacing throughout, and while this episode is reminiscent of a TNG episode, they have refined the approach since then. Keep it up.