S7 E18: Human Error

Seven is covertly working on her social skills by engaging in some Holodeck Reality AvoidanceTM. This involves seducing a holographic Chakotay and neglecting her astrometrics lab work. Janeway is distressed when Seven's sudden unreliability puts the ship in danger, but the Doctor gets to the bottom of the situation when Seven's cortical node misfires and she winds up in sickbay. It turns out that the node has a failsafe that will incapacitate any drone that is exhibiting too much emotion, and Seven has reached that point. She turns down the Doctor's offer to deactivate that function (which would take several surgical procedures) on the grounds that she is embarrassed by the things her emotions have caused her to do.

I sure hope there is someone out there who isn't uncomfortable with the Voyager writers' idea of romantic and flirtatious dialogue, because I can hardly stand it. When it shows up in a scene between one character and a hologram of another, and I'm spending half the episode waiting for the real Chakotay to walk in, it becomes very difficult to watch. After season five's Someone to Watch Over Me, another Seven and romance episode, I had no reason to believe the writers wouldn't go for the trite resolution, so all I could do was grip the couch in dread.

Of course, that moment never came. This is season seven, the one where my expectations are routinely subverted, and it has happened again here. That doesn't mean those scenes weren't awful, but since there were several other interesting things going on in this episode, it was spared the fate of Someone to Watch Over Me.

Good thing number one is the bizarre scene about halfway through when Seven begins to have a massive breakdown. The surreality of her reality and fantasies blending together, evocative imagery of her looking into the mirror and seeing herself as a Borg, and the haunting piano melody in the background all work together to give this montage an honestly angstful feel. Now, I have ranted about angsty show elements in the past, and I'd do it again, but for the most part I do it when those elements are draped on overused plots. When it is angst for angst's sake, when it is accomplished in a way that is no different from any generic teen romance story, I'll rally the troops to march on Starfleet headquarters. But Seven's breakdown is presented in a relatively unique and interesting way, which I applaud.

Also, hologram-Chakotay isn't just an object for Seven's lust. His piano lesson with Seven, while it is kind of a WTF moment because Chakotay has never shown any interest in music or in Seven's quest to be human, gives a nice, subtle subtheme to the episode (and its title). He argues with her - showing himself to not just be the sock puppet I expected him to be - it is human error that makes a human endeavor emotionally significant. He ties his argument into her playing when he stops the metronome, saying that her errors in tempo are part of what makes the performance her own. I think that's an interesting take on the more trite "emotions make humans special" argument that usually gets thrown into Seven, Data, and Vulcan episodes. I'll applaud this part too; if you can take something I didn't like in other episodes, and repackage it in a way that it takes a while to recognize, and presents the argument in a new light, I'm happy.

That whole bit contrasts starkly with the dumb holo-Neelix scene where he suggests that Seven should decorate her new quarters in a way that suits her individuality. He goes on to tear down her suggestions that would match her own personality, instead making suggestions that would make her quarters look like everyone else's. I'd mostly like to pretend that this scene didn't exist, but it was holo-Neelix, so maybe it's just a manifestation of Seven's own insecurity about being different. I'm feeling charitable, so I'll go with option B.

Furthermore, the Doctor's part in this episode is perfect. Once he comes in and realizes what it going on, returning her to sickbay, that's when it is pretty clear we're not going to have the "Chakotay walks in" scene. Sure, that point is three quarters of the way into the episode, but I was grateful for the reprieve. The way in which he shows his disappointment that Seven is interested in Chakotay isn't in the script, it is all in Picardo's delivery. His reaction gives his next offer, that of helping defuse Seven's implant, more poignancy. He's too mature, too good a friend, to be bitter. Another show might've dragged on with a plot about the Doctor's unrequited love; this is where I'm glad I'm watching Star Trek.

I suppose it is also worth remarking that this, the eighteenth episode of the last season, is the very first indication of any sort of romance between Seven and Chakotay. They've scarcely had any time together so far, and in the scenes that they have had, they haven't gotten along. Even if we ignore for the moment episodes like One Small Step, they don't seem like a terribly natural pair. Chakotay has been so poorly developed in the episodes since Seven joined the cast that it is hard to have any idea of what she sees in him: "Oh, Chakotay, you're so... neutral, so beige!" That's not really this particular episode's fault though, and it does what it can to cast him as the embodiment of the natural humanity she wants to possess.

Watchability: 4/5

Bottom Line: I know, I did say that 75% of the episode was unbearably difficult to watch. But I do try to be fair, and the other 25% was awesome. That, and the main reason why I hated the other parts so much is that I'm so scarred from the first six seasons of this show.

I have to say, though, that I am incredibly disappointed that she didn't wind up with a uniform outside of her fantasy. I've been waiting so long.