Apologists for the episode may note that Janeway has a tough choice to make in "Deadlock," but that's her character she makes tough choices all the time. Lost completely is any element of character development. The plot is not all that clever, either: Voyager is mystically replicated by a convenient spatial anomaly that can rather incredibly duplicate matter and energy (but not antimatter). Primarily, the result of "Deadlock" is a plot-heavy episode that is ultimately predictable for fans of science fiction (and certainly anyone who sees the preview for the episode, so avoid it, if you can!). It's irritating and it's too clean for pleasant consumption. Everything must be resolved neatly by the end, no harm, no foul. The point here is that the writers seem to have a death wish for the characters on Star Trek: Voyager, but they lack the courage to make the show into a dark, gritty and ultimately deadly series. By next week, everything is fine and dandy again. The cowardice comes in with the resolution, where virtually all is set right and there are no lasting consequences of the episode. "Deadlock" offers a glimpse into what Star Trek: Voyager could be like if the writers were ballsy and willing to take risks the Vidiians are terrifying enemies and the idea of a spatial anomaly of the week that leaves the ship almost destroyed is not a bad idea. This ship and its crew will be duplicated at least one more time and its crew killed off sadly, there are no real consequences to either episode. "Deadlock" is the first of several episodes that mark a shocking cowardice in the writers of Star Trek: Voyager. Sadly, the attack comes rather late in the episode at a plot convenient moment to provide the reversal that seasoned viewers of Star Trek: Voyager have come to anticipate and not exactly cherish. It's wonderfully grotesque and scary, just as it's supposed to be. There are casualties, people having their organs ripped out. The effect is a revelation of one of the most terrifying sequences produced in the Star Trek franchise. "Deadlock" is one of the last times the Vidiians appear on Star Trek: Voyager and here the viewer is treated to an all-out attack by the organ-harvesting villains who were first introduced in "Phage" ( reviewed here!). Fortunes soon change, however and the Vidiians assault the healthy Voyager, leaving the Janeways with some difficult, if preposterous, choices to make. Janeway meets with her alternate Janeway and learns that on their Voyager, everything is fine, save a minor power drain. It turns out that while fleeing the Vidiians, Voyager passed through a duplication field which basically made a copy of Voyager on top of itself. The ship's antimatter supply is gone and Ensign Kim is blown out into space, Wildman's baby dies and Kes disappears while fleeing an explosion before the crew of Voyager figure out what is going on. Voyager is feeling the effects of an attack ruptured power conduits, a loss of power, casualties, and even a hull breach. Wisely, Janeway opts to evade the enemy and in the process, Voyager passes through a spatial anomaly. Voyager is ambling home, waiting for Ensign Wildman to have her baby (longest pregnancy ever!) when it detects a fleet of villainous Vidiian ships. Even years later, watching "Deadlock," all I hear is the announcer's voice goading me. So, when the previews announced "You'll never guess which Voyager survives!" the week before it premiered, there was absolutely no surprise. "Deadlock" is another Brannon Braga Star Trek: Voyager episode, which means that it hinges on a reversal at the end. Sadly, too often, the worst advertisements linger with us as well and when it comes to Star Trek: Voyager, whoever made the preview for "Deadlock" ought to be fired. The best advertisements stick with us, even after years. The Basics: In a shockingly typical episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the ship and crew are replicated so the writers may have the fun of killing off one crew.Ī good advertisement may sell someone on a product, service or experience that they might not ordinarily enjoy. The Bad: Predictable plot, Ruined by advertisements, No character development, Does not hold up well The Good: Decent acting, Moments where the story is interesting, Effects
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