NOW VOYAGER THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE KATE MULGREW APPRECIATION SOCIETY * VOLUME III NUMBER 1 THE BUZZ The untold want by life and land ne'er granted, Now voyager sail thou forth to seek and find. --Walt Whitman Now voyager, lay here your dazzled head. Come back to earth from air, be nourish-ed, Not with that light on light, but with this bread. --May Sarton People are always asking me where we got the name for this fan club. No, we're not named after Now, Voyager, the Bette Davis movie--we couldn't be if we wanted to, since Ted Turner holds the copyright. We couldn't namea club after Star Trek: Voyager either, since Paramount owns the trademark. We thought "Now Voyager" was a clever comment on Kate Mulgrew's career--she may be doing Voyager presently, but that's certainly not all she's about, so we didn't want to make it sound like her current role was our only interest. I suspect that neither Kate nor Kathryn Janeway would object to being called a voyager. I did a quick scan of the thesaurus for synonyms for that term, and came up with "traveler, tourist, explorer, trailblazer, pioneer"--each apt in both cases. Yet in some ways these words seem contradictory. I think of a tourist as passive--observing and learning, but not leaving a mark behind, nor changing internally from the experience. A trailblazer by definition does the opposite: boldly goes where no one has gone before, leaving a path for others to follow...not always in keeping with personal parameters or noninterference directives, for better or worse. I've been thinking about "Sacred Ground," by far my favorite episode of the new season because it showed us Janeway confronting the contradictory meanings of being a voyager. She expected to take one sort of journey and discovered that, when one sets out with a rigid set of assumptions, one tends to have those assumptions met. It was moving to watch her recognize the narrowness of her perspectives, and how her certainty in her own beliefs limits her. It was enlightening to see her grow beyond them, at least for a time. So I was distressed to hear that reactions to this episode were not universally favorable. A member of Now Voyager's electronic mailing list pointed out that some fans found the show a bit ponderous--particularly her adolescent male friends, the very people at whom the violent, sex-filled previews of this season are being targeted. Since "Sacred Ground" was really a second-season episode held over from the spring, it's unlikely that the producers would even have considered doing such a show now. Instead they seem determined to portray Janeway as aggressive and decisive even when that means she'll look rigid and pushy. There must be a middle ground. I'm looking at the two "now voyager" quotes above. The first, by America's most celebrated poet of our expansive 19th century, was originally part of the opus Leaves of Grass, in a section called "Passage to India" which is devoted to themes of exploration. Whitman sounds very active and progressive: if you don't find what you want in your present moment, go look for it elsewhere. Ideally, this is what the crew of Voyager should be doing--not just looking for a way home, but trying to enjoy the journey. By contrast, the Sarton poem seems almost counteractive, asking a voyager to stop searching the stars for inspiration which may reside closer to home. This domestic sensibility pervades the rest of the poem, asking the subject to turn around, look inward, not sacrifice the present for a future that may never be--no wait, that was Chakotay in "Resolutions," but the sentiment is similar. Admittedly the voyage home is not the theme I think of when I first think of Star Trek. Yet most of my favorite Treks--The Wrath of Khan, "The Inner Light," "The 37s"--focus not on the endless journey, but on the connections forged along the way. I'm one of the people in the diverse audience who watches not primarily for the science, the action, or the adventure, but to see how the characters learn from thosethi ngs. Maybe I'm as reactionary as Sarton's poem, but for me, Trek is about the people boldly going, not the strange new worlds. Sarton asks her voyager to return to a point of origin, to "lay down the fiery burden." I wouldn't want to see our voyagers do that completely--like Whitman, I want to watch them seek and find. But I wonder whether, like Janeway at the start of "Sacred Ground," our explorers aren't going to find exactly what they seek...nothing more. There has to be a compromise between being limited by one's roots and plunging heedlessly into the thrill of the unknown. Like that old saying, "You have to know where you come from to know where you're going," I want them to recognize their human limitations, which can be liberating, since it establishes a context for growth. Janeway's most compelling when she fulfills both Whitman's and Sarton's dictums: exploring and changing, but not losing touch with her humanity, even her failings. I'd hate to see her shut down as a pioneer, but I'd also hate for "starship captain" to encompass all she ever can be. Isn't there a compromise between the two sentiments, expressed so poetically, and sadly reflecting the predictable gender split? A lot of people watch Trek to see the balancing act between alien exploration and retaining our humanity, reflected by the characters' experiences. Some of the viewers get more excited about new technologies, some about new conflicts, some about new interpersonal interactions, but there's no reason these can't all co-exist on one show, as they did during the best TOS episodes. Which brings me back to season three, and the parameters Voyager's producers need to define. If they ignore the demographics, obviously the series is going to end up in big trouble. But if they target a show for a specific audience, using the expected limitations of those viewers to decide what they will or won't film, they're going to get exactly what they sought--in this case, a rigid audience that wants nothing but the action sequences and sexy babes promised in the previews. That's not a Trek which is going to grow philosophically or demographically. If the franchise is to survive, it has to balance the interests of all of its audiences. Ironically that might also the best way to make a balanced, dramatic Voyager which has engrossing characters and entertaining plots. Which poem do we take our name from? Both of them. I wouldn't settle for anything less. --Michelle REVIEWZZZZZZZZ THE SWARM Yow--what an episode--for the doctor at least! He ate up the screen and obliterated everyone else. They also threw some action in to satisfy the male demographic, but I'm afraid that even they will find it as pointless as I did. Luckily, the A story was all about Holodoc and his deteriorating condition, one very similar to Alzheimer's disease. I have spent quite a few years in nursing homes, and his part was chillingingly portrayed. The B story had no connection to Doc's story--it was just stuck there to conveniently pluck the engineers from the scene, forcing Kes to come up with an answer. Admittedly, her solution was only slightly better than rebooting the system entirely, and I'm not sure that Doc's operatic skills are something I'd save. Yeah, he has a great voice, but I'm not an opera fan. The best part about the opera scene was when it ended with his "Delete the diva." I started cheering at that point. The wig was also unflattering--I think I like his balding pate a lot better. The thing I liked best about the entire episode was that it ended without someone magically solving the problem or anomaly of the week. Usually, Trek tries to tie everything up into a neat little bundle in the last 5 minutes. This ending was a real switch. The B story was about The Swarm. Gasps of fright, or could those be yawns, emerge from the viewing audience. If this supposed to be the new alien threat, they can keep it. I thought the Kazon were boring villains, but all these dudes do is click their mandibles and stand there in what is supposed to be a menacing fashion. We aren't told whether Voyager finishes crossing their territory or just decides to back off and go around. Anyway, they are a major snoozefest and I hope we've seen the last of them! On the romance front, he Torres/Paris relationship is about to fizzle out before it even starts. I'm having a hard time imagining any fire between them, and I can't remember when Dawson and McNeill were so flat as they were here. We're supposed to believe that Tom is jealous of the young ensign who fancies Torres? More yawns from the audience. I enjoyed the flash of Ensign Nicoletti. Could she make Harry forget about Libby or his time with Tom in the prison? Not bloodly likely, but it's fun to think about. Although Jeri Taylor denies that the fire has gone out, there haven't been any decent Janeway and Chakotay scenes since last season. Oh, she stood close to Chakotay in "Flashback," but she did the same thing to Paris this week. Maybe they're just playing with us, who knows? The scene where the officers discuss what to do about the swarm was also enjoyable, mostly because of Tuvok's reaction to Janeway. He couldn't believe she was bucking Starfleet regulations, and I got a definite Us vs. Them attitude on the bridge when she was huddled with Chakotay and Kim. Tuvok looked so befuddled that I could just picture him saying, "This is the thanks I get for melding with the captain." He should have learned his lesson after working with Sulu! If I had to rate this episode on Picardo's performance alone, I'd give it a 10. When you factor in all the other dross, it doesn't fare so well. I hate to say this, but Janeway's mannish and swaggering behavior is causing me to dislike her. As for the rest of the characters, they just seemed bored stiff. --Elizabeth Klisiewicz I almost didn't recognize him. For a moment I thought the tenor was Lord Burleigh without the muttonchops, and I actually started to cringe before it dawned on me that the voice was familiar. And what a voice! The Doctor is turning out to be as talented as the actor who plays him. This part of the show was very well done--believable, funny, and poignant as the Doc goes through the same heartbreaking stages and emotions of memory loss that a human would. He's learned a lot in the last two years and it really showed compared to the emotionless diagnostic program. As if Bob Picardo's wonderful performance alone weren't enough to make me cry, I loved the way Kes argued to try everything else before re-initializing him and the way Janeway agreed. I wonder now if the captain would forget to tell him they were abandoning ship like she did in "Dreadnaught." It was nice to see Kes taking the initiative with the diagnostic program, looking for solutions, although it's not clear how overlaying one program matrix onto another would solve the problem of degrading memory. What's to stop the same thing from happening again? And how much will the Doc end up remembering? The diagnostic program had already started adapting to interactions with humans. I guess we'll have to wait to learn how much of the familiar doctor resurfaces. This week it was tough to figure out which was the main story, but it felt like the new alien threat and the awkward banter between B'Elanna and Tom were secondary to the doctor's story, which far outshined everything else that was going on. I actually thought the two stories would be linked more than they were. As it was, those energy weapons seemed more like a convenient way to injure someone (poor Tom) enough to need surgery that the Doctor would be unable to perform. You know that antsy feeling you get when someone's taking forever to get to the point? That's the way the swarm part of the story felt. There were sneaky aliens (finally a language that stumped the universal translators!), with strange, powerful weapons, and a sensor net on the boundary of their territory which was conveniently too huge to go around or over or under, so of course Voyager was going to go through. We knew from the previews that those little ships would catch up and attach themselves to Voyager's hull, but it took forever to get to that point and then it was over in just a couple minutes. Somehow I thought there would be more to the conflict than there was. However, I really, really liked seeing the bridge crew solving the problem before there was major damage to the ship. A little competence goes a long way. So does a little change. While it's nice to see the crew re-discovering the excitement of being in unexplored territory, I must say that Captain Janeway seemed a bit too happy about tossing regulations aside and ignoring the protocols for approaching alien territory. Such an abrupt switch from several months ago when she made that impassioned speech about standing by the Starfleet way of doing things. There should have been a transition, during which she struggled with letting go of some of that stiff Starfleet formality. Maybe in a heart-to-heart with Chakotay, or a situation in which "the Starfleet way" fails completely and she has to resort to potluck Maquis tactics. Then it would have made more sense for Janeway to loosen up. I like the idea, especially since Voyager's the only one of its kind out there, but it felt rushed and awkward for her to change her mind so suddenly, and out-of-character for her to be so chipper about it. She looked like a kid waiting for candy when she called "Battle stations," and after the incident, when she shifted in her chair, her expression was...well, it reminded me of Lorraine's breathless, lusty grin in "Back to the Future," when Marty takes off on his skateboard after punching out Biff in the diner. A little humor to ease the tension on the bridge is fine, but this seemed more like blatant recklessness to me, and that's not the Janeway I know and love. Tuvok certainly didn't approve. He was almost glaring at her at one point, looking most perturbed that he should have to point out once again that she was straying from the Starfleet path. He seemed surprised by her casual dismissal of his objections as well. It's not clear what Chakotay thought, but it was great to see him actually doing something on the bridge. Come to think of it, almost everyone had a little something to do, and I liked that. Bob Picardo was the best thing about this episode and while I enjoyed it overall and would watch it again, I think it went too far too fast in some places and not fast enough in others. Next week looks interesting. --Meredith Antonelli When I first heard that the Doc was going to lose his memory, I was not worried. Trek doesn't allow its best-loved characters to die or the equivalent within one episode, or without a reason behind the disappearance (i.e. Denise Crosby's decision to leave TNG). So I was not exactly on pins and needles about "The Swarm." By the end, however, I was truly frightened for the fate of Our Dear Doctor. Usually, you can tell if something's irreversable by the Five Minute Rule--if it's five minutes before the end of the show, a plot development's most likely to stick. Which is why I was biting my pillow near the end...the Doc-Singing-An-Aria twist ending was clever and subtle, as close to ingenious as Voyager has gotten in as many days. This was what was great about "The Swarm"--the pace was excellent, and the over-hyped swarm took the backseat to a wonderful tale that can be understood by anyone close to an elderly person grappling with the loss of a life's worth of memories and skills. Robert Picardo shines in this episode, as he does whenever there is a "Doctor" episode. Other details to note: the beginnings of the hinted B'Elanna Torres/Tom Paris pairing in the first five minutes (A story arc featuring a relationship? Who'da thunk it?), the wonderful role-reversal between Kes and her teacher, and the competentcy that is so rarely shown on Voyager's bridge actually making an appearance. If the rest of the episodes of this season go the way of "Flashback" and "The Swarm," I won't be disappointed. --Emily Friedman The Doc and the Diva--I love it! Now there's a holodeck program. Also, I liked the new aliens--the Tick Men and their bio-electric weapons. What makes them Tick? (In both senses.) I hope we get to find out--that Voyager won't be gone from their space in 12 hours (which is unlikely, since we never saw B'Elanna fix the "drag" on the warp engines). The character development of the Holodoc was great. I loved the idea that he was using up so much of his storage capacity with "useless" emotional information and that that precipitated his breakdown--that idea was so clever! But the technobabble fix didn't work for me for that very reason--OK, so they use the Diagnostic Program's "matrix" to reset the Doctor--that's OK, since the Doc was so far gone at that point (losing his "bodily" integrity), that they couldn't just reinitialize him simply. But there was no mention of fixing the real problem--i.e., giving him the additional storage capacity for the "emotional" information that he was storing--fixing him that way shouldn't be too hard, what with the ship's bio-neural gelpaks. One sentence in that direction would have made a lot of difference for me. Presumably they'll do it before next week... Intriguing villains, The Swarm, but the technobabble was inconsistent and as incomprehensible as their language (it was a cool touch, though, to have the UT unable to translate it easily!). For example, when Voyager first encounters the Swarm, it's sending out some kind of shield-neutralizing radiation. The first order that should have been given was: "Remodulate the shields, Mr. Kim." But no--nothing is done and the shields fail, enabling the Swarm, like a cloud of ticks, to attach itself to the ship, and presumably start draining it of energy. At that point, they discover that the radiation put out by the Swarm is lattice-shaped-- presumably attaching each member of the Swarm to the others. So if they kill one, they kill them all. OK, so Janeway gives the order, and a phaser is brought to bear on one attached to the ship--they destroy it, and the others start to explode. I had problems with the proximity of the explosions. These little ticks are capable of warp speed, so the individual Swarm members are powered by something pretty juicy. And Voyager had no shields at that point. I'd expect some serious damage to the ship. Plus the lattice didn't connect them all, so that proved to be false--there was enough of the Swarm left so that Tuvok told Janeway that they were retreating... And the most serious problem, just like the problem with the ending to the Doc story--did they or did they not restore his memory--is the ambiguity of the ending. Did they or didn't they cross out of Tick space? Janeway says "Let's get out of here!" Does she mean "Let's retreat from this dangerous area and go around" or "Let's high-tail it across like we were planning to do," which is more likely? Are they or are they not out? Re the "New Janeway" and her "get tough" attitude. I say "Enough already with the Janeway-as-Kirk imitation!" We don't need Janeway to demonstrate her machisma every week by insultingly ignoringher Security Officer and hurtling into danger without knowing what she's getting herself and the crew into. And it's so easily remedied! One sentence to justify her decision: "Tuvok, this may be the first of many races that will deny us access to their space on our way home. I've thought about it and we can't afford the delays--we'll never make it home if we do . . . and we're going to start here." (Ok, that's two sentences.) Some explanation, not just machisma. And an explanation of what's happened to make her change her formerly by-the-book attitude and almost gleefully violate Starfleet norms--as we all remember, "Alliances" was devoted to maintaining Starfleet standards in the Delta Quadrant! The phrases "I can't tell the crew we're going to spend 15 months...," which sounds wimpy for a Captain, and "We're a long way from Starfleet," quoting Chakotay in the above-mentioned episode--don't do it for me. I'm concerned that the directors are aiming for genre clichés with the actors, because that's the only way I can explain Janeway's uncharacteristic posturing. I didn't like the smug expressions on her face when she gave some of the orders, the way she strode (one might almost say swaggered) into rooms and out of turbolifts. It's almost a caricature of a Captain's behavior. A real Captain doesn't need posturing--she rules by position and force of character, not by over-the-top gestures that look like bad Kirk imitations. The reason I was attracted to Voyager is because Janeway struck me from the beginning as a real person--not an action figure. Yet in these last two episodes, the writers seem to be trying to turn her into a plastic adventuress--interchangeable with any other hero or heroine. Hopefully it's just a temporary hook to reel in the "right" demographics--and once the fish are landed, we'll go back to the person I consider the real Janeway...more thoughtful, more emotional, less hot-headed, more "adult"--and we might also get a little J/C! --Catherine Clark BLAINE: Hello, I'm Blaine Edwards. ANTOINE: And I'm Antoine Merryweather. Welcome to "Men on Trek," a show that looks at Star Trek from a uniquely male perspective. BLAINE: Our sponsor tonight is the Starfleet Photon Torpedo. If you're going to have a torpedo riding your tail, make sure it's Starfleet issue. ANTOINE: Oh Blaine! BLAINE: Tonight we're going to examine a story of male bonding, full of sweaty, dirty men in prison. ANTOINE: Hello! Are you talking about "The Chute"? That was on last week. BLAINE: I don't care. Roll the clip. [Shot of Tom and Harry holding hands and curling up together to go to sleep] ANTOINE: Mmm mmm mmm, that is worth looking at again and again, isn't it? BLAINE: Well lower my shields and let me prepare to be boarded. I can't get enough of that episode! ANTOINE: You go, girl! Moving right along, let's talk about the most recent episode--"The Swarm." The A plot was the story of a bunch of teeny tiny ships attacking Voyager. ANTOINE and BLAINE: Hated it! ANTOINE: That was nothing but filler. BLAINE: You know, they could have made those little ships shoot out of a tube like sperm. Then I wouldn't have been able to tear my eyes away. ANTOINE: Mmm hmm. Another prime opportunity lost. BLAINE: EEEEEEEEK! It's Xena! Save me, 'Twan! She's a killer! ANTOINE: Oh Blaine. That's just our guest reviewer, Siubhan. SIUBHAN: Yo. ANTOINE: Siubhan is here to add a feminine perspective to tonight's review. BLAINE: Did anyone ever tell you that you look like that big butch goddess, Xena? SIUBHAN: Yep. Even my parents think so. ANTOINE: Before we go on to the B plot, how about that flirting in the shuttlecraft? SIUBHAN: Call that flirting? I flirt better than that in my sleep! BLAINE: Besides, isn't little Harry Kim going to be oh so crushed if that slut Tom goes after that hussy B'Elanna? SIUBHAN: Huh? BLAINE: Roll that clip again. [Shot of Tom and Harry holding hands and curling up together to go to sleep] ALL: Sigh... SIUBHAN: Can we talk about the Doctor now? ANTOINE: Ah, the holographic Doctor man. You know, ever since that sexy little Picard guy, I've had a thing for bald mens, and the Doctor certainly fills the bill. I loved the way he took on that diva in the opening scene. SIUBHAN: So that's who you're dressed as. ANTOINE: You like it? SIUBHAN: It's...different. Anyhow, I really did like that diva scene. It showed that he had a lot of range, both comic and operatic. And then when it became apparent that he was losing his memory... BLAINE:...when he was operating on that sexy little Tommy. Roll that clip again! [Shot of Tom and Harry holding hands and curling up together to go to sleep] SIUBHAN: Yeah, and later too. It was just heartbreaking. When they beamed in that alien and he just said, "He's a sick man," I could feel my heart rip in two. ANTOINE: I felt other things... BLAINE: 'Twan, this is a family publication! ANTOINE: But it's so hard! BLAINE: Ooh, let's see you slip that one past Michelle! You know, I long for the days when Tommy boy was the Doctor's assistant instead of that nasty little elf. SIUBHAN: I was totally underwhelmed by Kes in this episode. She seemed to be sleepwalking through many of her scenes. ANTOINE: Kes? There's a character called Kes? SIUBHAN: Short, blond, pixie, dating Neelix. ANTOINE: Must be blocking her out. I agree, put Tommy back in sickbay with that sexy bald man. BLAINE: And little Harry man. Roll that clip again! [Shot of Tom and Harry holding hands and curling up together to go to sleep] SIUBHAN: When Picardo was playing Zimmerman, did he also seem to you to be doing a Matt Frewer imitation? He was Max Headroom/Edison Carter, and Rasmussen on TNG. ANTOINE: Hmm, you may have something there. SIUBHAN: He was still brilliant. ANTOINE: You know it, girl. BLAINE: What about that other diva? ANTOINE: Janeway? SIUBHAN: She was totally over the top in this one. I can't quite put my finger on it. BLAINE: Ooooooh, you bad girl. SIUBHAN: What? BLAINE: Well if you don't know, I'm not telling you. SIUBHAN: Oh, do you think they changed B'Elanna's makeup? I mean, she's always been beautiful, but in her final scene in sickbay, she was so beautiful that it nearly took my breath away. BLAINE: Yawn! Bisexuals are so boring! SIUBHAN: If you had your way, Tom would be bisexual. ANTOINE: Roll that clip again! [Shot of Tom and Harry holding hands and curling up together to go to sleep] BLAINE: So "The Swarm" had a good B plot, and a boring A plot and some silly straight flirting that's going to totally break sexy little Harry's heart. We give it two snaps at warp speed. [Snap! Snap!] BLAINE: Next week on Voyager, Chakotay and Paris in street clothes! SIUBHAN: Be still my throbbing hormones. ANTOINE: That's not the only thing throbbing on me. Maybe Tommy boy will make a move on Chakotay. SIUBHAN: Now there's a pretty picture. BLAINE: I think I'm getting to like you. ANTOINE: 'Bye everybody! ["It's Raining Men" starts playing in the background] --Jennifer Pelland (Siubhan) FALSE PROFITS I remember Chakotay's reprimand in "Maneuvers." The captain looks him square in the eye and says, "What were you thinking?" I have the same question for Joe Menosky and company. On the surface, "False Profits" is a highly entertaining episode that seems to hail from last season. Janeway's recent smirking and posturing were missing, and she seemed like her old self. This is both good and bad--on the one hand, I liked her in this episode, but on the other, she looked really dumb. I certainly don't blame this on Kate Mulgrew--it's the writers who should be hung out to dry. If it's any consolation, they made everyone else in this episode look pretty stupid too. Although they discussed the Prime Directive, what was the point? They've clearly flung it to the high heavens. Janeway's logic swayed even Tuvok, who usually plays devil's advocate. Why in god's name were they trying to hold onto the Ferengi? It cost them a trip home, and you would think that someone as smart as Torres would consider all the options when it came to that wormhole. The real big question I would ask myself is: what happens if they try and get away? We already know the Ferengi are greedy and will try to retain their wealth at all costs. So, we have a notoriously unstable wormhole and a Ferengi shuttle, whose capabilities should be a known element. Voyager should have been able to guess what they would do to avoid capture. If they continue to throw mindless technobabble and poor command decisions in our face, then they deserve the low ratings they're getting. In addition, did we really need to see those mounds of silicone-enhanced flesh? Another mindless ploy to gain market share, and one which I find insulting. It's one thing to go back and capture the feel of TOS, but it's quite another to force that show's outdated stereotypes on us. The adventures with Neelix were fun to watch, and he makes a good Ferengi. However, once again the viewer is supposed to accept this implausible occurrence. The Grand Proxy makes a rather sudden appearance, hot on the heels of Voyager's arrival. If I were one of those Ferengi, I'd be just a tad suspicious, even with the explanation Neelix gave. These Ferengi must be awfullystupid, because both appeared to be equally duped. Later on in this ridiculous masquerade, Neelix is about to be burned at the stake with his newfound buddies. So, what do Chakotay and Paris do? They try to find a way to disable the matter/antimatter generator. Gee, if one of my friends was about to cook, I'd take the short and easy route and fry that machine to cinders. Chakotay appeared to be a little slow on the uptake here, and this was really a unifying theme throughout this episode. Janeway made a number of tactical errors here. After hearing the Ferengi's sob story about not wanting to hurt the indigenous population by removing their sages, she lets them go. Why? If you're planning on violating the vaunted Prime Directive, just do it. Oh, yeah, I get it. This is one of those plot points required to maintain the story line. It goes hand in glove with the one about transporting the Ferengi off their shuttle. Later on, after the Ferengi blast through the shuttle bay doors, they try holding them with a tractor beam. Voyager knows that they're dealing with an unstable wormhole and this may be their last chance to get home. Janeway has stated emphatically that her first goal is to get her crew home. Well, duh! She seems more interested in playing footsie with the Ferengi, and no one on her rather clueless staff has any interesting propositions to disable the Ferengi beam. So, our big eared pals are sucked into the wormhole. What a surprise! Harry Kim has cast off his two dimensional self and is back to cardboard. He just stands there and says, "There are no options, Captain." So, not only has Voyager blown its chance, but they've probably also taken two lives. Hmm---maybe they should have followed the Prime Directive after all. Now that my long diatribe is over, you're probably wondering if I liked anything about this episode. Well, yeah! If I can forget about the ridiculous plot, I must admit that I greatly enjoyed the Chakotay and Paris eye candy. Wonderful closeups, humorous lines, great smiles, and oh, those bare feet. Hey, wait, Chak traded his shoes, so where did he get those Birkenstocks? I liked the civvies much better than their boring uniforms, and I also enjoyed the ear fetishes our gentlemen friends wore. And, finally, we get to see Chakotay give Janeway one of those smiles we love so much. I also greatly appreciated the way they wove their arrival in with the story of the two sages. That was extremely clever--the rest of this episode was just plain dumb. --Elizabeth Klisiewicz I like the wordplay on the title, for the characters in this story were certainly false prophets. But I don't know that their profits were false; they had conquered a naive culture, yes, but was that such a bad thing? This culture could have eventually figured out that their Ferengi "gods" were no such thing, and likely would have kicked them out of the camp, poorer but wiser. I feel that coming to such a realization on its own would have made this culture stronger. Instead, the people were led, in the end, to believe that all their myths about sky-gods were true. I'm not sure that they were better off. Still, outside of the sticky issues arising (once again) from the Prime Directive, this episode was enjoyable overall. The writing of the Ferengi characters was consistent with the Ferengi culture depicted in DS9 and TNG, right down to the Rules of Acquisition and the Sacred Vault. (The vault, in fact, was an echo of the Heavenly Treasury, or whatever that nirvana is that good Ferengi go to when they die. It was as if the two Ferengi in this Voyager episode had achieved a sort of "heaven" in the Delta Quadrant.) Neelix made a wonderful, shifty-looking Ferengi, and the two "sages" had some fun dialogue. But I sensed that the man playing the "lesser" sage was actually the better actor, and should have been the sage-in-charge. As it was, the "greater" sage seemed like a teen-age kid in makeup--his speech sloppy, his voice immature, his acting a little stiff at times. Nonetheless, I liked their interaction with the people of the planet, and with the Starfleet crew. Unlike others, I didn't feel that Janeway came across as naive when she let the Ferengi return to the planet. She had great pain in her eyes--as if she knew their ulterior motives, but also knew that the people would indeed be hurt by losing their "gods." Perhaps a line should have been inserted to the effect of "You're not fooling me, buster. But you're right." It would have been particularly appropriate after her bone-chilling greeting to the Ferengi: "Who are you?" "Captain Kathryn Janeway," she said slowly, suspensefully, "of the Federation starship Voyager." The drop-dead tone of her voice, and the cold look on her face, said it all: You are in deep, deep trouble, my friend. You are busted. The biggest gap I see in this episode is the suspense, and the heart-stopping joy, among the crew upon finding a wormhole to the Alpha Quadrant. The Harry-Kim reaction is old: I could have sworn that Janeway told him to contain his enthusiasm once before, when they found the wormhole in "Eye of the Needle." (And, just as she did in this episode, she smiled at him and implied that his enthusiasm was infectious.) Otherwise, there was little emotional reaction at all. I think some more reactions on the part of the crew would have been in order--hope, fear, distrust. We've gotten our hopes raised before; should we again? might have been a prevailing theme. Instead, the dialogue about the wormhole revolved around technobabble. There didn't seem to be a light of hope in many eyes. And when the wormhole was lost in the end, there weren't too many deeply disappointed faces, with the exception of Chakotay's. The drama of almost going home should have been developed a little more. --Jennifer Martin Something is missing this season. We've had violence, action, suspense, space battles and phaser fire, sweaty men, barely clothed women, and challenges to the Prime Directive--seems like every day in the DQ is Prime Directive Day lately. Four episodes in and everyone's had at least a little piece of the camera action. Maybe it's just that the new "adventure" attitude isn't working for me yet. It's too forced, like everyone is walking around in shoes half a size too small. They're the same characters but everything feels slightly off. Even "False Profits." It made me laugh, and it was entertaining, but an entire episode about Ferengi? They just aren't interesting enough to hold my attention that long, even if we did learn a new Rule of Acquisition. The Ferengi have become comical, one-dimensional examples of capitalism at its worst and I just can't take them seriously. They're the sort of tight-fisted spend-thrifts who'd refuse to maintain a flower bed because it's too expensive and yet would tax honey bees for the pollen they collect. And I'm always surprised when they do something that shows they really are as scientifically advanced as the other space-faring races we've met on Trek. They don't come across as potentially dangerous enemies. Aragor and Cole were too cute in their pink and green--if there'd been a third one in orange we could have had rainbow sherbet. Instead we got smart and not-so-smart, which got old very quickly and which reinforced my image of them as naughty children rather than amusing me. The only things that kept my mind from wandering too far were the emotional impact of finding and then losing that wormhole, seeing Chakotay and Paris in street clothes, and Neelix' performance as the Grand Proxy. He was quick to pick up the "out-Ferengi the Ferengi" tactic--just the person to use their own greed against them and almost save the day. Nice touch linking the Song of the Sages with the Ferengi and the role Voyager played in living out the legend. How many cultures have vague prophecies like that which could be interpreted to fit almost any unusual situation? It's too bad Chakotay and Paris didn't figure it out as soon as they saw who the sages were. Then we might have been spared glimpses of more of those harem women's bodies than I ever wanted to see. The street scenes were interesting but I got a sense once the crowd gathered that it was the same small group that's been on all the planets Voyager has visited. The planet scenes in "Time and Again" and "Prime Factors" didn't seem as underpopulated as this city did. And I wasn't convinced they were excited about sending the sages on their way--their actions were too controlled and orderly. I liked Janeway in this one, for the most part. Technically, it wasn't her place to interfere with that society although she did have a point about the Federation's involvement. I was embarrassed for her when she beamed the Ferengi back to the planet and my heart went out to her at the end when Kim told her there were no more options. She just seems so...preoccupied these days. Maybe it's got something to do with her relationship with Chakotay, which is becoming obvious in its absence. I want to know what happened to the Janeway we knew and loved in the first two seasons. The one who interacts with all of her crew and really listens to them, who touches them and feels emotions with them yet is quietly decisive, thoughtful and tough when she needs to be, who commands respect just by breathing and who doesn't resort to posturing to prove she's in charge, and who would have considered the effect the sudden disappearance of the sages would have on that culture before the Ferengi pointed it out to her. I miss her. --Meredith Antonelli REMEMBER So many of the best Trek episodes have been character shows with a deep moral dimension: "City on the Edge of Forever," "The Inner Light", "The Visitor." It was with great pleasure that I saw Voyager continue the tradition with "Remember." Like "Resistance", one of the best of the second season, "Remember" was written by Lisa Klink, a relative newcomer to TV and to Voyager. She brings wonderful character scenes into complex situations, letting the people tell the story, mining Voyager's untapped riches. When they have a script like this one, the cast is unmatched. My respect for Roxann Dawson's acting grows more profound each time she gets to do something substantial. And Robert Beltran had some delicious scenes to play with her, allowing B'Elanna and Chakotay to indulge in what must be a profoundly close friendship. We've seen only tiny glimpses of that relationship before, to my regret, and with some miscalculations such as the fantasy bed scene in "Persistence of Vision." B'Elanna gets a fantasy lover again...but this time, she is experiencing an old woman's memories of love, confusion, and betrayal. Keeping the focus on the individual's experience gives real impact, never straining for the big bang effect instead of the tiny, heartbreaking gesture: the girl looking at the boy's hiding place just long enough to let her father know he's there. It's superficially a Nazi Holocaust analogy, but actually has themes in common with other genocides both older and newer, ones that few bother to talk about. Bosnia, Rwanda, Cambodia, Armenia, St. Bartholomew's Day, Cortez and Columbus. And even those have historical records and partisans devoted to their memories. This was a holocaust without a museum to its name. How many does this planet have? Moral tales are pure Trek, the best kind of Trek, and I applaud writers who keep that in mind. Action and noise and special effects are nothing without the emotional depth that Voyager's actors and characters can offer when they have a chance. "The Swarm" comes to mind as a fast-paced but uninvolving show (the Doctor's B plot excluded) and "Deadlock" as utterly riveting, the final explosion reverberating in memory long afterwards. Over-righteousness and certainty is just as irritating as lack of ethics ("Alliances"), and ambiguity is always essential for a really thought-provoking moral tale. Never presume to close the question! "Remember" kept that very clear--Janeway coolly reminds B'Elanna that they cannot interfere, then urges her to speak to the aliens remaining on board. Kate Mulgrew's role was secondary but pivotal, lending a contrast to B'Elanna's angry passion. Janeway seems remote and legalistic; she won't act openly without objective proof, but she's unwilling to let the memories pass away--leading to the poignant ending, where another young woman rises to let her lover in at the window, and the story begins again, endlessly retold. --L.R. Bowen Now this is the Trek I know and love. Thoughtful. Daring. Riveting. The kind that stays with you even after the episode's done, relating itself to things in your own life. A well-told story that provokes an emotional response. With this episode, it finally felt to me like the third season of Voyager had begun. Everything else was just practice. And you know what I loved the most about this episode--besides Roxann Dawson, that is? It didn't end where I expected it to. I thought for sure it was over after Torres confronted the Enarans with the truth about their past and they refused to believe. Then I thought it was over when the Captain urged B'Elanna to speak with her friends in Engineering. But it kept going! No 30-second wrap up during the last five minutes. The ending lingered, which was nice. And I was so glad the Enaran woman was willing to share the memories. It was also refreshing to see the friendly banter between B'Elanna and Chakotay. Their friendship has been hinted at once or twice since "The Caretaker," but it was nice to actually see some of it. If only we could see more of the other relationships--Chakotay and Paris, Chakotay and Tuvok, Janeway and Paris. It could be very interesting to see what being stranded for three seasons has done to effect the interactions among these people. Another thing I loved seeing was the crew out of uniform and relaxing, Janeway with her hair down, some of the "laughter and fun times" that we haven't really seen since "The Cloud." I want to see more of that bonding--life has to be different on Voyager because they're all each other has. The interpersonal relationships have to take on different meanings than they usually would on a Starfleet vessel. Why not explore them fully on Voyager where they're in this unique situation? Roxann Dawson was wonderful--it was almost like watching two different people play the roles of Torres and Corinna. They looked the same, but there was a clear difference in age and personality and Dawson did a marvelous job weaving the two together. Corinna's love story was convincing, bringing us through the sweet beginning to the frightening suspicions to the bitter ending. My heart broke a little when Corinna gave Daren away, and I cried when he died, for both of them, for the Enarans, and for our own holocausts. It's frightening to think of how effectively these people kept that period of their lives from trickling down through their history, remembering the horror, perhaps realizing how wrong they were too late to do anything about it. What an awful burden to bear. And what a horrifying secret to keep. What if it happened again? Imagine growing up thinking you were part of a peaceful time in history only to realize that your beloved grandparents were responsible for thousands of senseless deaths... Of course it wasn't Voyager's place to judge and sentence the Enarans--it would have been a clear violation of the Prime Directive to do so. But I knew the old Janeway wouldn't stop at canceling trade negotiations and shore leave with them. I was holding my breath to see what the new Janeway would do, because I was afraid of the cold, 3rd season Janeway's response. It took so long for her to suggest that Torres go down to Engineering and talk to the Enarans that I got very nervous. If she hadn't, I would have lost faith in her forever. Holocaust is something no one should ever forget. --Meredith Antonelli In the past month, I've found it difficult to say good things about Voyager. I'm dismayed by the shift in the show's direction, especially when it comes to Captain Janeway. "Remember" did nothing to change my opinion on how they're writing Janeway, but it was head and shoulders above anything they've thrown at us so far. Lisa Klink is probably the best writer on the staff right now, and is known for her sensitive, character driven episodes. I can't help but compare Mulgrew's superlative performance last year in Klink's "Resistance" to her tight-lipped, repressed portrayal here. "Remember" was very reminiscent of TNG, especially "Inner Light," where Picard relives an alien's life and learns to play the flute. The subject matter and the manner of transmitting memories was different, but the basic framework was similar. This is fine, because there's nothing wrong with retelling the same story in subtly different ways. "Remember" is a Holocaust story at its heart, which has little to do with the misleading promos Paramount's been throwing at us. Why are they so afraid to show truthful advertising? In their bid to increase ratings, this is one boneheaded marketing move. The Anarans are a culture who revere technology, much like the Nazis were obsessed with racial purity. The Regressives seemed to be essentially Luddites, and this also parallels what we are seeing today with the explosion of the Internet and knowledge workers. An entire new class has formed around us, and I like the way it ties in neatly with this episode. Roxann stepped us through Corinna's life in a series of dramatic segments that are easily the best work she has done on Voyager. She is clearly capable of stepping into someone else's shoes and making us believe in them. Corinna was a much different person from the strong willed half Klingon woman we are used to. Somehow, I can't see Torres running in her frilly nightgown to let a lover in and ending in a paroxysm of giggles. Hell, Torres would storm past her father and let her lover in through the front door. Some women may have problems with the helpless, giggling female who is swept into her lover's arms and seems to have little will of her own. However, you have to remember that this is someone else's life we are talking about, not that of our favorite chief engineer. I also believe that she was playing someone much younger than herself, and teenagers do sometimes act this way. The scenes with Corinna's father were among the best in this episode. He cut through her objections and poisoned her mind against her lover in one fell swoop. I felt this incredible horror surge through me as I watched her friend being led away, and she didn't even have the decency to meet his eyes. Later, she watches impassively as they execute him, and as the scene fades out, she joins the mob and pumps her fist. Powerful stuff! Too bad they didn't use the splendid Eve Brennan in more scenes. Others may feel that the story was whitewashed, and I understand why they might feel this way. There are never any good reasons for extermination, and these Anarans didn't seem to feel anything very deeply. They discussed relocation of the Regressives in much the same way you or I might discuss a rainy day. As much as l liked B'Elanna in this, I disliked Janeway. She had two decent moments: when she played the musical instrument and when she urged Torres to say good-bye to the engineers. Otherwise, Janeway was tense, unsympathetic, and unlikable. What are they doing to Janeway? What do they think they have to fix? Do they think that showing emotion and compassion is a sign of weakness? On the contrary, I think it takes a great deal of inner strength and confidence to allow oneself the luxury of letting others in and being vulnerable. This used to be what Janeway stood for, but ever since I read Mosaic and Season Three started, I don't know this woman anymore. TPTB obviously think that making her into an unfeeling, swaggering woman will appeal to their all important male demographic, but their target audience continue to criticize Janeway for her bad command decisions. Do you hear that writers? Maybe you should start looking at this instead of taking away every redeeming quality that Janeway has. I loved the Torres/Chakotay interplay and want to see more. We saw glimmers of this last season in "Maneuvers," but it's been dead and buried since then. The teasing flirtation, respectand concern these two have for one another is wonderful to watch, especially since Janeway and Chakotay's relationship is now a distant memory. They are apparently resolving everything offscreen, and this is a big mistake. How much would you have paid to see Chakotay tell Janeway about B'Elanna's sexy dreams? There is no way this man could have stopped himself from flirting with his captain, but I feel shortchanged, because I no longer feel any connection between J/C. Harry got the girl! Tom Paris didn't come anywhere near any alien bimbos--I guess he learned his lesson in "Ex Post Facto." And it looks like they are making good on their promise of making Neelix into a decent cook. So, this is a definite step in the right direction when it comes to story ideas and a giant step backwards for Janeway. I can only hope for some middle ground, or at least something sacred in the next few weeks. --Elizabeth Klisiewicz Who ever would have pictured B'Elanna Torres as a giggly, naive young girl? This episode was a testimony to Roxann Dawson's acting skill. After seeing how Dawson portrayed B'Elanna's human side in "Faces," I would have expected more of a wimpy, cowardly character in her young Anaren girl. But Dawson portrayed the young woman with zest--the kind of carpe-diem surges that only an adolescent can have. It was undoubtedly a difficult task to balance this young girl's courage and strong will (which came out in her sneaking around with her boyfriend) with her meek, naive obedience of her father. Dawson somehow convinced me that the girl had both qualities, reminding me very much of myself as a teen-ager. The girl was living through that heartbreaking phase when we long to live life on our own terms, but are still too insecure to disagree with our parents--outwardly or inwardly. This brings me to a problem I had with this episode. I was expecting Corinna to realize, after her lover's execution, that her father was wrong. I was waiting for her to find the so-called "refugee camps" and realize that the unfortunate "Regressives" had never made it past the vaporizers. And I was waiting for her to learn that painful lesson we all learn in young adulthood--that our parents have flaws, sometimes cruel ones. This didn't happen. Instead, Corinna bought the lie, joined the party and took up her father's cause. This budding rebel ended up wilting before she even bloomed. Why? What was in Corinna's past that made her unable to confront and defy her father? I think of her talk with the little girls--the propaganda she was spreading so cheerfully. But in her eyes, I saw no evidence of a beaten spirit, and in the episode, I saw little of the brainwashing work of the party, other than her father's subtle influence. (This was not like Sophie's Choice, where the German mother was making her Polish servants wash with foul-smelling soap so that the children would feel revulsion around them.) What was it that snuffed out Corinna's spark of rebellion? Why didn't it carry her into the counterculture life? We'll never know, and that's too bad--it really was the heart of the story, in my opinion. The tragedy lies not only in what happens to the victims in a holocaust--it's also in what happens to the perpetrators. Surprisingly, on the flip side of the coin, I was not surprised that Corinna shared the story in her old age, just before her death. She obviously had a guilty conscience and wanted another culture to know what happened before the story died. I just wish the writers had better explained why it took well into old age for Corinna to give herself permission to criticize her culture. This mystery about Corinna, in fact, is a microcosm of a bigger mystery in this episode, and it has to do with the Anaran culture. I didn't quite buy that the poor hygiene and primitive living of the "Regressives" were enough to cause another culture to want to exterminate their entire village. I was itching for a deeper look into the Enaran psyche--where did their hatred come from? What deep-rooted problems caused the Enarans to find a scapegoat? In short, why was this entire culture mentally ill? I would have liked to know. The writers used colonialism as the Enarans' motivation, but hegemony and a holocaust are two very different things. It is inefficient to put a nation's resources into killing every last member of a village if the only purpose is colonial expansion. It's not necessary. Only insane, irrational bitterness can cause a genocide, and I'd like to know where the Anarans' was coming from. Despite the questions this episode left me with, I was impressed with it overall. I liked the ideas it dealt with--the capacity for lies in government, the heartbreaking naivete of youth, the extremes to which the evil will go to suppress the truth. This, at its heart, is what Trek is about--posing moral and philosophical questions that are thought-provoking to the viewers. I hope we'll see the writers continue to take up such meaty issues in the episodes to come. --Jennifer Martin SACRED GROUND God, I loved this episode. Lisa Klink deserves to be worshipped at her own writer's shrine. I'll even withstand the biogenic field if she just promises to keep delivering the goods. After viewing such a brilliant character-driven episode, I ask myself why it's so hard for Trek to be consistent? "Sacred Ground" was every bit as good as last year's "Resistance." Kudos also to Kate Mulgrew: this was easily her finest hour, and she's had more than a few of those in the past two seasons. I didn't realize how much I missed the real Janeway until she reappeared miraculously. Maybe the spirits who watch over Trek fandom were listening. This was, of course, a vehicle for Kate. Everything focused on those lovely blue eyes of hers, and Robbie did a superlative job with camera angles, slow movements following the characters as they walked, and lighting. I really liked the closeups of Janeway as she talked to the three gatekeepers at the shrine. A test of faith for Kathryn Janeway, scientist extraordinaire. All her life she has depended on her gadgets as well as her fine analytical mind to give her the answers she is seeking. Armed with a microprobe, she goes through a ritual that lasts several days and goes back to the ship to swap technobabble with the EMH. The trouble is, none of it works. It is, as the spirits and her guide have told her repeatedly, meaningless. The spirits were right in that Kathryn got everything she came for, but her personal, scientific fulfillment didn't help Kes one iota. I think the best moment in the entire episode was when the camera slowly moved away from the doctor and zoomed in on Janeway. The effect was the same as someone zoning out of a conversation. The sound became muted and Janeway's eyes were slightly unfocused. Of course, one could also say that this is the stultifying effect on all us Trekkers after being injected with our weekly dose of technobabble. This sequence was absolutely brilliant, and I intend to savor it over and over again. This episode also returned us solidly to fertile ground in the J/C ring. There hasn't been any interaction or real conversation between them since "Basics I." I enjoyed seeing Chakotay's concern for Kathryn, both as an officer and as a friend. He was competent throughout the episode, and he almost crossed the line towards the end. I didn't miss that hand that came up haltingly towards Janeway, but when he realized she wasn't going to budge, he gave in and let her pass. Very nice work from Robert Beltran. I also enjoyed Janeway's guide, her wit and irreverence, especially when she popped Janeway's tricorder in her pocket like it was just another toy. I only have a few minor complaints with this story. How did these gatekeepers know so much about Janeway and Starfleet? If they were indeed spirits, were they telepathic? This was never explained to my satisfaction, but I guess we just have to accept this as one of those mysteries that's never explained, much like Kes's cure. I also thought it was pretty stupid of Kes to rush into that shrine without permission. This is the second blunder she's made this season; the first got her captured by natives in "Basics." Kes seems more respectful of other cultures than that, and I also would expect that such a holy place would be guarded in some fashion. I really like stories that focus on the characters instead of just action. I hope Klink gets a lot more air time this season, because she's easily the best writer on the Voyager staff. In conclusion, "Sacred Ground" is a terrific episode, one that will be hard to top. Robert Duncan McNeill and Lisa Klink make a fine team. I hope they join forces again soon. --Elizabeth Klisiewicz "The truth is out there..." What? This isn't X-Files? You can't tell me some of you didn't see the resemblance. Here we have Janeway, the scientist, looking for a factual explanation and cure for poor Kes whose curiosity (like that of the proverbial cat) nearly got her killed. No way will she accept that there could possibly be some sort of mystical, unexplainable reason behind what has happened. On the other hand, we have dear Chakotay, the mystic of the Voyager bunch, who obviously thinks there are spirits at work here that defy explanation. See my point? Scully and Mulder of the Delta Quadrant. All kidding aside, I truly enjoyed this episode. We've known all along that Janeway would go to any length to protect and defend her crew, and here we see a prime example of that devotion. Kate's portrayal was superb! Janeway's beliefs (or non-beliefs if you will) were being tested to their limits, but she never once backed down or gave up. Her transformation into exhaustion as the episode progressed was realistic and the makeup was marvelous. Now for the J/C analysis--you knew I'd have one, didn't you? It's been five l o n g months since "Resolutions" aired and some of us were beginning to think that maybe we dreamed it...maybe it didn't happen. Regardless of what went on behind closed partitions on New Earth, it has appeared all season that Janeway and Chakotay were in denial about the whole thing. There has been no evidence of any deepening of their relationship, not even platonically. Finally, in "Sacred Ground," we see that closeness begin to emerge. You'd have to be blind not to see Chakotay's concern for his Captain as she endures her test. "I'm not leaving sickbay until I know she's safe." 'Scuse me, who's running the ship? I loved his amused indulgence as she was spouting off about science versus spirituality. And the way he reached for her before she returned to the biogenic field. It was as if he caught himself breaching protocol and pulled back just in time. The other players were wonderful! Doc had his usual moments with Neelix and I was pleased to see him acknowlege Neelix's concern for Kes. He's becoming more human with every episode. (Doc, not Neelix!) And Robbie directed this one! WOW! Kudos to him for a job very well done. Janeway has seen a side of herself that she has never seen before. There are a lot of unanswered questions in her mind, let's see if the writers play this one out! --Becky Olsen There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in Starfleet philosophy... Janeway learns something instead of presuming to teach the benighted, and finds something within her that she never believed was there. She's still struggling with it at the end, and should be. What if science, her guiding principle throughout life, isn't capable of describing everything that exists--or worse, hasn't captured its essence? Her resistance to that idea is resistance to something that could destroy her entire way of thinking--or could open it out to things she never dreamed were possible. Not a "moral dilemma," but a spiritual struggle harder than any physical battle could be. Here is where Trek explores strange new worlds beyond Gene Roddenberry's emphatic scientific secularism. In the 1960s, he had to plead the cause of logic and technology, show how they might lead us to a bright future. But he would not admit any role for spirituality in the new order, and repeatedly produced episodes that "exposed" various alien religions as fraud s and impediments to progress. If it had not been for network censorship, he would probably have attacked religion head-on; as it was, he could do it only by analogy and innuendo. The audience got the picture if the network did not. Once, that attitude was liberating; in the 1990s, it seems limiting. So although "Sacred Ground" could be read as a rebuke to "The Apple" or "The Return of the Archons," it actually embodies the spirit of Trek in a way that adhering to the letter of Roddenberry's ideas no longer can. Janeway makes a journey here, and begins to move beyond her fixed ideas into something greater, something she knows nothing about. How can she learn when she does not even know that she is ignorant? Only when she drops her smug expectations and admits that she doesn't know what she's seeking can she begin to look for it. Trek is about going beyond the everyday and examining our deepest assumptions and prejudices. From an alien perspective, our own shortcomings can be clear as the mote in another's eye. Character was slightly distorted to fit story points, which in hindsight has some justification, but jarred at the time. After Kes's accident, Torres and Kim seemed much too belligerent, and Janeway was so hard on the poor magistrate that one began to feel sorry for him. She had to move away from a strongly held stance during the episode, and it was necessary to define her attitude at the beginning, but her bumptious certainty went overboard. The writing was not really at fault--Lisa Klink's script was masterly--but the direction may have been. Apologies to first-time director Robert Duncan McNeill, but a number of scenes felt unsubtle and primary-colored, making their points too broadly. The doctor was so happy during the attempt to treat Kes that it was obvious the attempt would fail. But the scenes of Janeway's self-imposed ordeal on the planet and everything that involved her spiritual guide (a wonderful performance by the guest star) felt much more nuanced. And Chakotay shone as he has seldom been allowed to do, as first officer and as friend. His gentle suggestion that Janeway's approach to the problem might not be the only way to think of it expressed his character perfectly, and his moving concern during her ordeal was a model for their relationship. That he should be the main obstacle to her final act of pure faith was a neat irony. He knows her thinking very well, and to see her actually cast off her need for factual proof surprised and alarmed him. Of course he would think that she had lost her mind--and of course he would then realize that she had not, also because he knows her so well. This episode expressed their bond in a way it's never been shown before, not even in "Resolutions." It left a warm glow along with the lingering questions. --L.R. Bowen So, what did you like about the episode, Alanna? Ummmm...well, I liked the concept. Janeway's ritual was rather silly, so the idea that it was meaningless because it was based on nothing more than her expectations made sense. Although I didn't like the way it was handled... Now, now; we're focusing only on the positives. What else did you like? Let's see...Janeway's makeup job while she was doing the ritual was really well done. It was interesting to see that it changed during the scene by the sea--by the way, the blue screen work there was very poorly done...oh, only the positives. Anyway, her makeup at the end was much more subdued, an outward reflection of inner change, and a nice, subtle touch. Of course, those screamingly blue contact lenses made her eyes look like they'd pop out of her head at any time. (Brief silence) Let's see, what else did I like? Oh--Robbie Duncan McNeill's directing was very solid for a first time out. Nothing spectacular, but a good effort. I hope they'll let him direct more in the future; I look forward to seeing his style emerge. (Long silence) All right, then. What didn't you like about the episode? First of all, one of my usual complaints: the pace of the story was very uneven, starting out slowly in the beginning and then rushing to a disappointing denouement. And what the hell kind of ending was that, anyway? The previews all said it would "blow me away." A tiny brush with a biogenic field--and that's it???? Geez; I wanted Janeway to encounter the damn monolith and have a 2001-type trip. I wanted visions, I wanted hallucinations, I wanted scores of angels singing the "Hallelujah Chorus"...I wanted something that was a helluva lot more than what they gave. Alanna, calm down. Remember, this is just a television show; this is not reality. Take a few, deep breaths and try to relax. No; you don't understand. I've heard that mantra too many times. Yes, I know it's television and yes, I know it's not reality. But for me, it's a passion. I love these characters--and I guess that's what really pissed me off about this episode. Who were these people??? I didn't know them; they were caricatures of themselves. Well, all of them except Kes, who did nothing more than sleep and look in awe at either the shrine or the doctor. B'Elanna's belligerence could, I suppose, be attributed to her half-Klingon nature, although she picks the damndest times to express it. But Harry? What happened to Starfleet tolerance of other cultures' ways--even when they don't understand them? I wanted him to restrain B'Elanna, calm her down, act more the diplomat. Instead, he made threats! Oh, and another thing--these people were supposed to be on shore leave. So why were they in their uniforms? I hate it when they do that. And Chakotay...I have mixed feelings about how they handled him. In a way, it was good to see him acting as a First Officer should--especially at the end, where he's concerned about the Captain's sanity. But then there was that line in sickbay--"I'm staying right by this monitor until the Captain's back." Oh, great. That's a wonderful way to command. And then later he tells her he'd be of more use on the Bridge! Should have thought of that before, bucko. But what I hated most was the way he became as scientific and rational as the Captain and lost sight of his own spiritual heritage and experiences. During the scene in his wardroom, he hinted that the Captain might be leaning a bit much on the scientific side. But then his actions while she was away made no sense. He was more concerned about the scientific information being gathered than what this experience was like for her. He reacted more as I thought Tuvok would (except for his painfully obvious worry that Kathryn Wasn't Coming Back). Chakotay was a mish-mash of contradictions in this episode. I suppose that could be seen as developing complexity in a character, but there wasn't enough time in this episode to do it right. And Janeway... Sigh. She came off as supremely overly- confident in her belittlement of other cultures' spiritual beliefs. Where was the compassion and understanding--the respect--for the ways of other people? She was rigid, she was arrogant, she was downright surly. She was a one-dimensional, archetypal Scientist--not the very complex character known as Kathryn Janeway. Alanna, our time is almost up for today. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about? How about those previews for next week? Janeway, Torres and Kes as "California girls." And I suppose the guys will be Beach Boys. Be still, my heaving stomach. --Alanna Whitestar After watching "Sacred Ground" twice in less than twenty-four hours, I can safely say that this episode touched my soul and made me think as well--the heart of what makes Star Trek so endearing. Although many of the third season episodes have had good messages, this one affected me the most. Reasoning: This episode asked a huge question that is answered differently in each of us: how do we stand spiritually? Is there truly a scientific explanation for everything, or are some things meant to be taken ethereally? Should they be taken that way, or should we try to explain them logically? I really related to Janeway in this episode; I'd rather have things explained to me in a scientific manner, but I was really moved when Janeway realized how to save Kes. Once again, Kate Mulgrew gave us a very convincing performance. This episode really inspired me to think about my own standing spiritually, and made me realize that I have a lot of things to explore about myself, as does Captain Janeway. --Leah Frey Once in a while it's fun to watch a show and step away from the characters, try to see them as the real people they are, and imagine how strange it must be to pretend that you're someone else for the camera that's just inches from your face, walking around on sets that end where the production equipment begins, support crew milling about where viewers can't see... I tried doing that with "Sacred Ground" because I knew Robbie McNeill was wearing the director's hat for the first time and wondered what it would feel like to watch the episode the way a new director would. Robbie's got a good eye, I think, but I wasn't able to concentrate on putting myself in his place because the story grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. If that's a sign of a good director, then let's see more of his work! It's the old question of science vs. religion. Can science be described as a religion and religion as a science? Is scientific proof really that much different than spiritual faith? Or is the dichotomy just the result of trying to describe in words something that can only be understood through the filter of personal experience? Captain Janeway might be able to tell us once she's had some time to mull over everything that happened to her. Kes let curiosity get the better of her and walked right into trouble without thinking. Sure, she has an insatiable desire to learn and discover, but leaving what looked like a guided tour and investigating a deserted room in an alien shrine seemed overly careless. She trespassed on sacred ground; it seemed awfully discourteous of Torres and Janeway to just dismiss Kes' negligence and start demanding answers from the Nikani. Voyager's crew came across as unnecessarily belligerent in this case. Not that I think they should have accepted Kes' collapse as final judgment, but they could have been more diplomatic about the whole thing. Once Janeway decided that she was going to attempt The Ritual, things started smoothing out nicely. Finally we got to see her talking with Chakotay. Really talking. This is the kind of Captain/First Officer interaction that's been missing all season--a closer and easier professional relationship, mutual attraction aside. I thought it was odd at first that Janeway would be the one ready to jump into a spiritual experience and Chakotay urging caution, but it makes a lot of sense when you think of Janeway approaching it as an experiment. Very scientific. Problem. Solution. So Janeway did her homework, studied other rituals to find common elements, and prepared herself for a similar test. Plan of action outlined ahead of time. Chakotay had an inkling that the experience might not be as cut and dry as she expected it would be. His concern for her was touching, especially when played against Tuvok's cold logic and the doctor's almost child-like glee at the medical data they were receiving from their captain. I was a little surprised the Nikani let her wear that chip, although if the ritual is different for each person, I suppose it wouldn't be giving away any trade secrets. And I loved Janeway's guide--she was a delightful blend of encouragement and reassurance. Janeway went in there thinking she knew what to expect. I liked that she was taken aback when the women moved in to prepare her; she probably knew the ritual would involve cleansing of some sort but it was obvious that the experiment had suddenly become very real. Actually, the whole ordeal was surprising in a way. The cleansing, the test for determination, stamina and open-mindedness, creativity, trust and vision questing--everything you might expect for a spiritual pilgrim. That's what she was, after all--come in search of the spirits to ask for Kes' life. It wasn't until she failed that she began to understand what it was all about. And as soon as she began to doubt, to question her own faith, the pieces started falling into place. I sort of wish Chakotay had touched her at the end, but I'm glad he didn't. It would have broken the spell of discovery Janeway seemed to be under. A nit: I couldn't tell from watching whether or not she endured the entire ritual again before having Kes beamed down. A cheer: it always bothers me when people who are sick on TV somehow manage to look like they've just walked out of the powder room. I was really impressed that Kes was pale, and that Janeway looked like she'd been through hell and back--made the whole thing much easier to believe in. Maybe the experience was the key to a paradigm shift for Kathryn Janeway. Her reaction to the doctor's scientific assessment at the end looks like evidence for that. Aerosmith says it well: "Life's a journey, not a destination." --Meredith Antonelli FUTURE'S END Traveling through time is not a new concept in the Trek universe. Brannon Braga specializes in weird temporal displacements, so it's important to be prepared. Proceed as follows: 1. Take all your disbelief and place it in a bag, and 2. Suspend the bag from the ceiling. OK, with disbelief suspended, you are all set to enjoy what turned out to be a fine set of episodes. "Future's End" was most reminscent of The Voyage Home,: crew goes back in time (albeit unwillingly) to save Earth from terrible catastrophe; crew is helped by a woman scientist; crew is forced into difficult situations; and finally, one member of the crew falls in love with the woman scientist. While "Future's End" was a connect-the-dots adventure, it was also an extremely enjoyable episode that was chock full of humor, snappy dialogue and wonderful character moments. TPTB have been working hard to incorporate some of Jeri Taylor's Mosaic canon in the past few episodes. We got some Janeway family background in "Sacred Ground" and we learned about her tennis playing in this instance. I also think we saw some information from Jeri's future novel which gives us the past history for the rest of the crew--the shuttle scene between Torres and Chakotay being such an example. I am happy to report that everyone was in character, including Janeway. Gone was the swaggering, smirking woman from last month's episodes. Here, she wasn't taking any bull from anyone, and she ended the second parter with a real bang. We know Janeway likes to dive in and fix things herself, so I had no problem with her saving the day. And boy do I like her new hairstyle. She looks classy and professional at the same time. I saw the previews for next week and it looks like the new 'do is here to stay. As a staunch J/C supporter, I enjoyed the series of scenes between our heroes. Neither of them made any obvious blunders, and that was a refreshing change. This episode reinforced their friendship and obvious mutual affection. Nice touches: the ship caught on video during a barbeque, using cell phones to communicate with Voyager, the misleading chirp of the comm badge on the boardwalk that caused passersby to check their pagers or cell phones, and the whirring hard disk sounds heard on various occasions. This all showed an attention towards detail that is usually missing from the show. Ed Begley Jr. played against type and gave a solid performance as the amoral Henry Starling. I do think it would have made a great moment to have Mary Woronov and Paul Bartel in a cameo strolling on the boardwalk, but hey, you can't have everything. Anyway, Mr. Starling was supposed to be equivalent to Bill Gates. Did they get permission to parody him? They might want to watch themselves: the Microsoft Network carries Paramount's Web content now. Seriously, though, I liked Begley's performance and he didn't miss a beat. Some things seemed to fall apart during the second hour, especially in the scenes with the Doctor. I was especially amused by the limo scene where Dunbar is trying to make a getaway with all the doors open. One was flung open by Rain, and the other by Doc after punching out Dunbar. The camera work showed two distinct scenes where the passenger side door was open. Then, it flashes to the limo driving away with its doors closed. Yup, I suspended my disbelief all right and just figured it must be some unexplained 29th century technology. Oh, and did you witness how Mr. Footloose and Fancy Free turned into a punching bag and gave as good as he got? Marvelous, and Rain told him so later on--too bad she wasn't there to witness the fight. I know, they must have done it with mirrors. I'm glad that they solved Doc's mobility problem--this opens up a whole word of possibilities for him. And what happened to the homeless Captain Braxton? Janeway said they would deal with him later, but he literally disappeared until the very end of the episode. Huh? What about his presence in 1996? Also, the stuff about the temporal police was kind of lame. Other captains (Kirk comes to mind) have messed around in different times, and no one came after them. I realize that they made this up on the spot, but it didn't fit in very well. Sarah Silverman's characterization of Rain Robinson didn't work for me. While I can buy the 60s throwback stuff, she just didn't ring true as an astronomer or graduate student. She was too young and spoke too much like a Valley girl, but more than that, her clothes were all wrong. To digress for a moment, every time I see the women's clothes on shows like 90210, I laugh hysterically. Real people don't dress like this, or at least the people I associate with don't do so. Anyway, Rain would fit in real well with the bimbos on 90210, and her character reeked of fake Hollywood. I could not buy a scientist running around with a bared midriff and skintight pants. The chemistry between Tom and Rain was also pretty flat, much as it was between him and B'Elanna. I think the writers need to work on that--it's certainly not Robbie's fault. Finally, how did someone who couldn't type become an expert in a matter of minutes? Janeway might be a quick study, but no one learns that fast. Despite some continuity flaws, "Future's End" was a real gas. Everyone turned in good performances, and I was especially pleased with the way Janeway and Torres were written. Case in point: Janeway launching the torpedo and Torres kicking the heck out of that survivalist type. Good work fellows, and please keep it up. --Elizabeth Klisiewicz Okay, so I was hoping someone from Voyager would be wearing a communicator and that one of the "natives" would recognize it and start a conversation about Trek. It would have fit right in with the tone of the rest of the story. This one was a lot of fun. Well-paced, good balance of action and character interaction between the two episodes, and lots of loose ends tied up. What I liked: Janeway. This is the Captain we've been missing all season. Confident in her command, comfortable with herself (and with her First Officer), warm, compassionate, determined, someone I'd gladly serve if I was on Voyager. Other things I liked: Janeway, Chakotay, Paris, and Tuvok in civvies, Janeway's new hairstyle, the way Chakotay walked so close to Janeway and called her "Kathryn," Janeway's hand on Chakotay's chest, the whole bit in Starling's office about typing and temporal headaches. The way Paris and Tuvok didn't quite fit in and the way Rain picked up on all of it. Chakotay and Torres' interaction in the shuttle, even if the conversation was a bunch of clichés. Paris taking a new look at himself after Rain complimented him. The doctor going mobile, even if the new technology was a handy plot device. The spoof on UFO sightings. The Temporal Prime Directive. Actually, I like the way it sounds more than I like the idea itself. Starfleet has enough problems interpreting the current PD, never mind adding something as complicated as temporal mechanics. But a lot can happen in 500 years. And finally, I loved Chakotay in this episode. Backing up his captain all the way, taking charge on the bridge--it was good to see Kim running things, but I could almost feel everyone's relief when Chakotay walked in and took over. I love that stuff. This is the highly competent First Officer we don't see often enough--the one I'd gladly serve if I was on Voyager. Things I didn't like: cheesy, contrived dialog in places. The para-military guys--they're overdone these days. I figured out the 18-wheeler was a decoy before they did. And the toast scene at the end. It was cute, but it seemed like part of some other episode. Things from this episode I'd like to get my hands on: Rain's dragon snow-globe just because it's neat, and Starling's computer. He must have a 29th C. mainframe connected to his late 20th C. terminal if Voyager managed to upload over 3,000gb of info in just under 10 seconds. And Starling downloaded 20% of their shipwide programs from a transporter lock? Hopefully the programs that can't be replaced aren't critical. The alien in "Twisted" uploaded 20gq of info and they acted like it was nothing. Starling must have had a whopper of a machine to store even 1% of Voyager's data. Think of all the reviews and Now Voyager articles we could store on there! So, is it better to be in the right place at the wrong time, or at the wrong place in the right time? I suppose it depends on the circumstances. It would have been really interesting to see how they'd deal with being stuck in 1996 for a while and then catapulted back to the 24th Century and the Delta Quadrant. But thanks to the Temporal Prime Directive we'll never know. I'm just not sure whether to be relieved or alarmed by the idea, no matter how freakasaurus-like, that all of Windows' bugs and quirks could be the result of someone not quite understanding technology that's here 900 years too early. --Meredith Antonelli Well, Alanna, how are you doing today? Much, much better. So you liked this episode? Oh, yes. Definitely yes. In fact, I think it's the best Voyager story to date. It was well-written, acted and directed. What did you like most? The way it recalled some of original Trek's best time travel stories, such as "Assignment: Earth." I especially enjoyed Janeway's requote of Spock's famous "stone knives and bearskins" line from "City on the Edge of Forever." I just howled over that. But it reminded me most strongly of STIV: The Voyage Home. It had the same blend of action, humor, and rollicking fun, with the added benefit of a clear-cut villain. Henry Starling was a deliciously unrepentant evil genius, delightfully played by Ed Begley, Jr. Truly, a man you love to hate. And the trusty, gutsy, and smart 20th century accomplice--Rain--reminded me of a Valley-girl version of Gillian Taylor, the cetacean biologist from STIV, although in Part I she reminded me a bit more of Teri Garr from "Assignment Earth". In fact, I really wish TPTB could have found a way for Voyager to take Rain with them. She'd make a great recurring character. All the regular characters were well-written and wonderfully acted. I especially liked how Paris and Kim were handled. Tom finally came across as something a little more than just a cocky pilot and flirt. I liked the way Paris tried to refrain from becoming romantically involved, knowing it was doomed, anyway. The situation showed new depths in Tom that I hope will be explored in future episodes. I thought it was kind of strange to put an Ensign in charge of the ship. In the original series, Scotty was third in command. On Voyager, Tuvok has that honor, and I've always assumed B'Elanna would follow him. But I really liked the way Harry carried himself while in command. He was forced to mature very quickly in "The Chute," and it showed in "Future's End." Gone was the whiny, "they're killing me again" character of the last two seasons--and good riddance. As for Janeway...if TPTB are trying to make her into a more Kirk-like character, they're succeeding. In this single episode, Janeway probably surpassed Kirk's record of 71 temporal violations as mentioned in the excellent DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations." Fortunately, all Janeway had to deal withwas a Temporal Prime Directive, not the pinstriped Temporal Inquisitors who confronted Sisko about his time travel escapades. And the scene in the photon torpedo launch bay was an eerie echo of Kirk pulling isolinear chips for all he was worth in the belly of the Enterprise-B, in Generations. The glaring exception was Janeway's acceptance of going back to the Delta Quadrant. Kirk would have thumbed his nose at Braxton and pulled a loop-around-the-sun maneuver. I wish Janeway had at least tried something like that, but there wasn't (excuse the pun) enough time. As for Janeway and Chakotay--obviously they have become very comfortable in their relationship, whatever that might be. In fact, I no longer care if they're romantically involved. As long as the writers have them interacting the way they did in this episode, I'll be happy. They are, by far, the best Captain/First Officer combo since Kirk and Spock. And they got the Doc out of sickbay! Yes! I'm glad he'll be more "footloose and fancy free"; Picardo is much too fine an actor to limit him to that set and the Holodeck. And the idea of expanding Kes' medical role is also appealing. They really haven't done much with her character as yet--the previews of next week's episode notwithstanding. Oh, and the sight of she and Neelix getting wrapped up in a non-interactive soap opera was a hoot. Well! That's quite a list of positives. Was there anything you didn't like about the episode? Well, I could nitpick the temporal conundrums from now until eternity--but I enjoyed the episode too much to do so. Besides, I agree with Janeway; I hate time paradoxes. I have ever since I took a philosophy course in college called "Time, Time Travel, and Personal Identity". Required reading included Heinlein, Bradbury, Nietzsche and Einstein. Like "Future's End", it was mind-boggling. The biggest plot hole I could see was Tuvok and the Doctor getting to Arizona so swiftly. And the whole thing with the militiamen seemed sort of tacked-on, as if to fill in time. I'd like to know how the Holodoc could be solid enough to punch and fire a phaser, but immune to the effects of being punched and having bullets shot at him. Oh well; maybe the answer to that one will come up in a future episode. Also, I had a major beef with the doctor diagnosing Starling as being bipolar because he was showing signs of paranoia. Having recently been diagnosed with manic-depression myself, I was kind of sensitive to it. Extreme mania can produce paranoia, but simply being paranoid does not imply one is bipolar. Our time is almost up, Alanna. Anything else you'd like to add? Just that having two great Star Trek time travel stories in one week was really wonderful. And that I hope Voyager does more of these kinds of stories: action and adventure mixed with great characterization and humor. "Future's End" was a real joy to watch. --Alanna Whitestar KATEWATCH MUSEUM OF TELEVISION AND RADIO FESTIVAL 12 OCTOBER 1996, LOS ANGELES, CA Kate Mulgrew was the star of the Star Trek: Voyager edition of the William S. Paley Museum of Television and Radio Television Festival, held at the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex in Los Angeles. 600 Voyager fans greeted the entire cast, as well as Jeri Taylor, Brannon Braga, Richard James, Michael Westmore, and other writer/director/editor/producers. The audience was treated to a big-screen, full stereo screening of the "Deadlock" episode, which was followed by a museum moderator asking questions of the panel. Finally, the audience members asked numerous questions, and the two-hour event was over all too quickly. Kate was the only cast member who received a shouting ovation from the audience upon her introduction (as "Captain Jane-a-way"). For the fashion and coiffure cops among us, she was dressed in a gray/green (or gray, or green) pantsuit, her hair in a ponytail, and her purse slung over her shoulder (the "uniform" of the evening for all the women present; the men were equally casual, mostly in blacks and grays). Kate's sonorous voice seemed to cut through all conversation--when she had an aside (and there were many), we knew it--she was sharp and witty throughout the evening. When asked about changes in the shows two seasons, Kate said that in the first season, she was "just trying to be credible" (citing, among other things, "technobabble," about which she feels the cast needs a physicsseminar in order to understand what they are saying). In the second season, "I feel as if I'm suddenly breathing"--that things are more spontaneous. "I want to leave Voyager [when the show ends] having done something quite original with Kathryn Janeway." Asked about the responsibility of being the first female captain on Star Trek, Kate responded, "You have to know how happy I am playing such a beautiful character. At this age of 41, to find a character I revere is a great gift. I go to work on wings of great happiness." Kate said that she had not studied previous Star Trek series in order to perform as Janeway and felt it was good that she hadn't been familiar with the series. Questioned about whether Jeri Taylor's new Voyager book, Mosaic, which traces the early life of Kathryn Janeway, has had any influence on her acting the part of this character, Kate said that she and Jeri had the same view of this background material--a passion for science--and men!--and of course it influences her. When an audience member asked if the Starfleet standards would be relaxed in future episodes, Kate quipped, "Captain Janeway running naked across the bridge?" Robert Picardo (who displayed a wonderful sense of humor throughout the evening) said that on the show, he was doomed to be given names by beautiful women. Kate referred to him as an "oversexed holograph"! Asked why B'Elanna Torres had stopped having erotic dreams about Chakotay, Roxann Dawson replied that she thought he was falling in love with the captain. Robert Beltran scored lots of points by saying, "I think I'm falling in love with the captain, myself!" There were ooohs, aahs, and applause from the audience. When it was suggested that the relationship would have to be approved by his spirit guide, Kate added that the entire issue would probably be decided by Chakotay's father. The audience begged Garrett Wang to do his Captain Janeway imitation, which he proceeded to perform--body language (hands on hips), voice, and all. Kate said that she stands with her hands on her hips as Janeway because there are no pockets in her uniform. When the cast was asked when "it all came together" for them (in a particular episode), it was interesting that Kate proclaimed she had never seen "Deadlock" in its entirety before; she said she was "very moved" by it. Kate appears to have transferred her leadership role in the part of Janeway to a leadership role among the cast members. She was totally at ease, very warm, and full of laughter--and the rest of the cast seemed to come to attention when she spoke. It seems natural that the confidence that has grown in her part should transfer itself to her reality. As far as the other cast members, there was a quiet group that all seemed to end up sitting together--including Ethan Phillips, Roxann Dawson, Jennifer Lien, and, surprisingly, Robert Beltran. None of them said much, but then, neither the moderator nor the audience asked them much. Jennifer, especially, was quiet to the point of introversion--the audience finally urged her to talk--and she did, but not much. Robert Duncan McNeill was charming, not at all the smart aleck of his Voyager role. Picardo is as acerbic in real life as his Doctor character. Tim Russ spoke very eloquently. But it was Wang who was the most animated of the rest of the cast. In addition to his Kate impersonation, he also did Captain Sulu. And, with encouragement from the audience, he and Beltran sang a little duet, which loses something without the music: "You ain't got no peers/When it come to those ears/Tu VOK Tu VOK Tu VOK!" The Museum has branches in L.A. and NYC; whether there is a festival on the East Coast, or whether it has occurred, or whether, in any event, Voyage r is/was featured, I do not know. I feel that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all the cast live and together, interacting as a family, with a chance for audience participation. It was well worth the price of admission. --Sue Rosenberg CREATION CONVENTION 27 OCTOBER 1996, SAN DIEGO, CA I couldn't write this until I had consumed two glasses of wine to settle down from my natural high after attending the Creation convention with Kate Mulgrew in San Diego. I was already in high anticipation when she took the stage at the end of the day because of all the wonderful stories I had read about her in Now Voyager, and I knew that actually seeing her in person would be a treat. But no amount of reading could have prepared me for the absolute breath of fresh air that she brought on to the stage with her. Wearing a black suit with white blouse and her lovely hair down, she took the stage in a flurry of hellos and "no, please sit down" and quickly began her monologue. Many of her stories she has already shared in other venues, so I won't repeat what we already know--just things she might have added. She started with her story of being cast as Janeway and stated that one of the other actresses at the final audition began complaining about how long it was taking; she really needed to get home to her party. Kate promptly replied, "Just go on home and I'll stay here!" She told us of her breakfast conversation with her sons that very morning: "Mom, do old people have sex?" and "Can old people enjoy sex?" She complained that she cannot lecture her boys on the evils of drugs because they just tune her out. Judging from some of the comments I heard from the people seated around me, I think some of the audience were not aware that she was in real life a mother, and were pleasantly surprised to learn that piece of information. She talked a little about the Janeway/Chakotay romance thing and stated that she believes the two characters should just become the very best of friends, because "women have a different need for sex than men do." She tried to sound convincing but I really didn't buy it! Kate said that a "male-written" version of "Resolutions" had Janeway and Chakotay in the sack by the end of the first act. She mentioned some changes coming soon to Voyager: no more "helmet head" as she called the bun, but a basic ponytail; Q reappearance on Voyager and his desire to procreate with Janeway; and a yet-to-be-filmed episode centering around her character's father. A prepubescent male asked her about the new holodeck program that supposed to be a beach resortfor the crew, and whether Janeway would be appearing in a bathing suit; Kate replied that, while other members of the cast probably would, she herself would not! A woman asked Kate if she had done her own singing in an old episode of Dallas which had been rerun the previous week. Kate answered by singing several lines of the song--complete with perfect Southern twang. That alone was worth the price of admission, and several minutes passed before the audience calmed down enough for her to continue...and yes, she can sing. Kate called every child who wanted to ask a question up onto the stage, which of course frightened a few into frozen terror. She asked one ponytailed moppet if she could read, and the child answered, "No, but I can jump." Kate said it was very important to know how to do one or the other, asked for a demonstration and got a very enthusiastic one which brought her as well as the audience to hysterical laughter. Half the fun of watching her relay her stories was not in listening to her words, but watching her facial expressions and body language. She really is a very funny and animated lady who uses her hands a lot to get a point across. She said that she was glad to be back in San Diego, saying that she had done summer stock at the La Jolla Playhouse, although she didn't say when or what play. She talked very little about the other cast members, but mentioned that Ethan Phillips was very funny and doesn't have two working brain cells inhis head. She briefly alluded to the prank wars between herself and Tim Russ ("the dead man") and mentioned how Tim's natural state is complete nudity. Roxann Dawson and Robert Beltran were mentioned only in passing. She admired Roxann's and Ethan's abilities to sit in a makeup chair for hours preparing for filming. Kate doesn't like the constant picking at her hair and makeup, and stated she would go mad if she had to sit in the chair that long. Unfortunately for us, the time set aside for Kate to be onstage had been cut short by the convention running behind schedule. Many people in the line to ask questions were told they would not be able to and had to sit down. One lighthearted moment was when Kate was trying to understand what a convention coordinator offstage was trying to tell her--the confused look on her face was priceless. Then she said to the audience, "See--if it's not technobabble and difficult to understand, I just don't get it--he's only trying to tell me I have five minutes left." For autograph singing, she was on the stage and fans were brought up row by row. When she first came out, she went over to the front row and shook everyone's hand. We went through the line and I noticed everyone got an autograph, plus she held eye contact and gave a greeting--a hello or thank-you. After my friend and I went through the line, we sat back in the front row, about 20 feet from Kate, and just watched. Then I noticed Rick Kolbe sitting very quietly behind her. I decided that I would like to get his autograph--I have always enjoyed the Trek episodes he directed. I asked on of the Creation people if we could get his autograph, thinking that she would just take our books up to him. She went to ask him, and he came over to see us! The three of us stood around and chatted for about fifteen minutes. I was very impressed by how personable and nice he is. We talked about Star Trek and I told him I tried to watch the premiere of Millennium, a show he's directing some episodes of, but that I got scared and had to turn the program off. I was competely in awe of both these people, how easygoing and pleasant they are in person. I have been to many conventions and have never been treated to such kindness and generosity. When Kate was onstage, sometimes I felt like it was just she and me sitting down for a chat. Aside from being incredibly funny, she was also understanding and patient and never condescended to anyone--especially the children. She really connected with the audience and kept us entertained. It's pretty obvious that she is a devout Catholic, enjoys her faith and is happy to give thanks for all the current happiness in her life. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her on stage and would recommend to anyone that if they ever get the opoprtunity to see her in person, they should jump at the chance. --Annmarie Daneker I'd never been to a con before, was totally clueless about what action figures and collectible cards were, and have no idea what is de rigeur on the con circuit--so therefore what was interesting and new to me may be old hat to you. The very first thing I got to see, after a bunch of Now Voyager members met for breakfast before the con, was a Video Salute to Dax--which explains why not too much later, I left to go be tourists at Seaport Village. We saw a hilarious bit by the entire Voyager cast except Kate from Grand Slam #4 (she was in Denver with a lot of you people)--they were imitating her big speech at the end of "Caretaker." Garrett Wang was pretty sharp and not necessarily flattering (and he does a great dead-on of Sulu). Roxann did her piece with a lot of J/C innuendo. There was also a Salute to TOS video which actually brought a lump to my throat and made me realize that if I was stuck on a desert island with only one of the Treks, it would be TOS, hands-down! But after we got back from Seaport Village, we saw the costume contest and the auction, and then Kate came on at 1630. She was lovely and charming--everything I expected her to be. She talked first about her boys and how it's a family thing to have a Sunday breakfast that she cooks and they all sit around and talk. She said she loved this season, better than the previous two which I took to mean she was really comfortable with the show this season and she was very happy. She also said she just got a new script and didn't understand it at all--she said she often had to read them twice or so before she got it. And she said an upcoming script will deal with Janeway's father, who was "everything to her." She mentioned a "Rambo" show she just finished filming--Janeway versus an alien. As for J/C: she threw out "Chakotay may find someone he likes better than me" as an aside while mentioning the upcoming Borg episode. And then she talked about this "attraction thing" Janeway and Chakotay have (someone yelled out that Chak had the hots for the Captain and she said, "Yes, he has the hots for the Captain"). She said she and Beltran have talked about how to play "their relationship," to keep it emotionally charged without consummating it, and that she was having a tough time with it in her own head, having this relationship at all. In an early script for "Resolutions," she said, they wanted to have Janeway and Chakotay get intimate. She wasn't for that because it would have made their relationship awkward back on Voyager--"Red Alert! Commander, to my ready room!" would have taken on a whole different meaning. I think we all know she doesn't like the idea of J/C--I took these words to mean that it was definitely there whether she liked it or not, and she would have to find some way to play out this "passionate attraction" sans sex. That definitely sounds like lots of J/C as far as I'm concerned. Kate was asked the question if she did her own singing on Dallas. She then broke into song. The girl said she thought Kate's singing was great, and Kate told her to stop lying and thank you for the compliement. She then said that between Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy, she must have wet her pants laughing 10 times a day. She was surprised they even finished shooting the episode. Kate signed autographs--I got a printout on cardstock of the Now Voyager web page signed by her. I had one second to mention that that was what it was (because she looked at it oddly) and she was very gracious albeit clueless about it. Rick Kolbe was sitting behind her--very nice looking!! --Cheryl Zenor UNITED FAN CON 1-3 NOVEMBER 1996, SPRINGFIELD, MA I attended my first real con this weekend, meaning that I stayed for the whole event, I wasn't just on a one day pass. This is also my first time attending a fan-run convention, and it felt much different than those run by money-hungry corporations. The two main guests were Robert Beltran of Voyager and Jeff Conaway of B5 fame. Both men were well worth the price of admission, but I didn't know at the time that I'd be paying to see two stand-up comics. Jeff Conaway was a delight and a surprise, and I laughed my way through his sessions on Saturday and Sunday. He clearly is thrilled to be working on Babylon 5 and has apparently been a science fiction fan for a good many years. This Robert Beltran report is probably more analytical than you'd like, but what do you expect from an engineer? He was very funny on both days, but I liked him better on Sunday. I think we got to see more of the real Robert and he made much more of an effort to answer people's questions. He sings and plays guitar and when asked if he's ever recorded anything, he said no but said it was a fantasy of his to do something like that some day. They were searching the hotel for a guitar, and if they'd found one, I think he might have actually played something for us. Instead, we got impressions of Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, and everyone was rolling in the aisles, especially when he serenaded the Janeway doll. Well, OK, actually it was a Captain Kirk piñata. It had a rope attached to it, and it was propped up in a chair wearing a little Star Trek uniform. The gender wasn't clear. Robert propositioned it--"How about it, Kathryn, my quarters or yours?" Then he proceeded to, ummm, caress and hug her and tell her he loves her. He called the doll "Captain" and "Kathryn" and "Kate." Asked about Chakotay's own first name, Robert joked that "Dances with Janeway" sounded pretty good, then picked up the doll and started dancing with it, humming the theme music of "Voyager." At one point he wished for B'Elanna Torres to come rub his shoulders, then looked over at the doll and said, "Don't worry, Kathryn. We're just friends." Later, after one of the hecklers pointed out that the doll was actually supposed to be James T. Kirk, it wound up on the floor, ready to be stomped on. There were numerous references to the "Resolutions" episode: jokes about Janeway liking the monkey better than him, and how, if she wanted a banana, Chakotay could give her a banana. Despite all his kidding, Robert seemed quite sincere in stating that he hopes to see the Janeway/Chakotay relationship continue. He finds it intriguing and would like to see some follow-up to "Resolutions," which, he said, "just broke my heart." Regarding Janeway, he added that "we do spend a lot of time together; she's my Mom's favorite." My husband Steve asked Robert what Voyager would be like if Paul Bartel, who directed Eating Raoul, wrote for the show, and Robert replied that Chakotay would probably spend a lof of time in Janeway's quarters. I was dying to ask him if we can expect Mary Woronov and Paul Bartel to show up in Los Angeles during "Future's End" (after all, Ed Begley is a guest star). Robert didn't give out many spoilers, but he did say they might do some shooting on location in Arizona later in the year. Robert claims that he puts a lot of himself into Chakotay's character except for his sense of humor. He said that his particular brand of humor, along with many of the pranks the other regulars play on one another, would have to be censored (like Tim Russ running around naked because our Kate stole all his clothes). He said people are often shocked when they visit the set and see everyone carrying on--"Why is Kate Mulgrew goosing all these guys? Why is Chakotay smiling?" Robert joked that the running gag between Tim and Kate is getting out of hand: they are now resorting to shooting one another with BB guns. That seems to jibe with other published con reports about the antics on the set. Robert is especially adept at dodging questions and making silly remarks, so I didn't come away with a lot of solid information. I believe he is misunderstood by some Trek fans who believe he is arrogant because he makes light of their questions. I wouldn't say he is rude, but there is definitely a healthy ego at work there. However, l think this is something that most actors have or they wouldn't be up there performing for us. I also feel that Robert is a very private person and doesn't want his personal life displayed for all to see. Some of the remarks he made were very telling, especially when he called his fellow cast members an extended family. I think he is protective not only of his blood relatives but also of his Trek family. He said very little about anyone or anything related to Voyager. In the autograph line, he was gracious and accommodating. He personalized my photo and posed for a few pictures. On Sunday, several members of of an online fan group who are also members of Now Voyager presented Robert with a donation to a charity along with a birthday card. He hugged and kissed all of us: that part is still a blur but it really happened. All in all, I enjoyed myself immensely and would pay to see Robert again. --Elizabeth Klisiewicz KATE'S CONS AND APPEARANCES Remember: ALL DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Please contact the event organizers before purchasing tickets to see a guest. TrekProductions in Chicago, 7 December (203) 735-7633. Creation in Portland, 11-12 January (818) 409-0960. Creation in Pasadena (Grand Slam), 21-23 March (818) 409-0960. THE FUNNY PAGES A BRIEFING WITH NEELIX By L.R. Bowen Hellooo everyone! It's a beautiful evening here on the starship Voyager, and it's time for an extra-special installment of "A Briefing with Neelix"! Today I'll read your letters and notes--pleas for help and understanding from your fellow crewmembers. Then I'll offer sincere, thoughtful replies from your capable Morale Officer! Everyone can benefit from hearing about your dilemma--after all, we all need a wise friend's advice once in a while. Don't be ashamed--you won't be blamed! And every query is anonymous, of course. No one will know who you are! First letter--from a fellow who may not know how to look inside himself for his own solutions. Let's see if we can give him a hand. Dear Neelix: I'm not the kind of man who only has one thing on his mind, but it's been so long since I got any lovin' that I think I've forgotten how to do it. I've always thought I was pretty good-looking, and I try to be a sweet guy and smile and cooperate and offer back-rubs and all that. So why is every woman I ever liked dumping on me? First, I had this girlfriend a while ago, and after we broke up, she went a little nuts. She hooked up with the ugliest, hairiest, creepiest guy I ever saw, let him and his flunkies beat me into hamburger when I ran into her again, and then told people I forced myself on her. What did I ever do to deserve that? But she's gone and I can't even ask her why. The other one's around every day, but I can't ask her why she's treating me like a hound dog either because she outranks me. Get this--we were all alone together for months and I never got to first base. She wouldn't look at me twice when I was literally the last man on earth. How the hell does she think that makes a guy feel? Here I go building bathtubs and trying to cheer her up when things look stormy, and all she'll do is hold hands. I'm really depressed. To top it all off, one of my old friends started telling me about her sexy dreams, which I thought was an obvious come-on. I was getting all warmed up--and then it turns out they were really someone else's memories and she wasn't even sublimating. Boy, do I have egg on my face. What am I going to have to do--start acting like Tom Paris? Break into the laundry and steal used underwear? What's the point of being Mr. Nice Guy when there's no percentage in it? Angry Warrior Well, Angry Warrior, I don't think we need to look very far for the source of your problem! If this is a pattern, there's good reason for it. And the problem is you. Take a good look in the mirror, my friend. You may not be as attractive a fellow as you think you are! Remember, there are some very good-looking officers on board, especially among the bridge crew, if I may say so, and I'd bet you don't hold a candle to them! Lose that vanity! And for all your over-protestations about being nice, you might come on too strong. If you were the last man on earth, you probably assumed that she'd just fall into your arms, and acted like it! Come on, admit it--you kept grabbing her and making suggestive remarks, didn't you? And I'd bet you even spied on her in that bathtub! Don't blame women for your own faults. No one likes a posturing, macho chest-beater who never takes the time to meditate on his own deficiencies. Better change your style! What's next in the mailbag? Ah, here we go... Dear Neelix: I think I'm developing a split personality. Sometimes I feel tender and compassionate and misty, and muddleheaded enough to take Ferengi seriously. Then I get all tough and cocky and threaten heads of state and lead raids on alien prisons with a phaser rifle. I hardly know myself from week to week. And these erratic changes are spilling over into my personal life as well. I can't make up my mind about a man I think I'm interested in. It's so strange--sometimes I want to grab him and make suggestive remarks, and sometimes I use him as a stooge for setting up spy plots, and sometimes I ignore him altogether. And I can't tell what's on his mind either. He used to flirt back, but maybe he's so confused at my multiple personalities that he's given up. Is this lack of, ummm, resolution my fault or his? Is he even interested? Maybe I should keep my bets hedged until I really know for sure. Though I wonder...someone keeps stealing my underwear out of the laundry. Changing Woman Lady, you can't hedge those bets forever! If you want results, you need to take action. This is a wonderful opportunity to knock yourself out of this rut of indecision. No one's forcing you to waffle! Don't leave him in any doubt of your feelings--invite him to your quarters for dinner and a nightcap, and wear something brief, bare and outrageously sexy! What have you got to lose? It's not as if you were in charge of the ship and had to keep everyone's respect and awe! Better yet, tell all your friends you think he's a bodacious studmuffin. It'll get back to him, never fear! If he's the man for you, shout it out loud. Maybe not when the captain's around--just between you and me and the bulkhead. But off duty, let your hair down! Dear Neelix: I am concerned about an imminent biological crisis to which my species is unfortunately prone. The usual way of dealing with it would be to return to my homeworld and family, but obviously that is not possible. I do not have much time left before the next cycle will begin, and I hesitate to ask anyone to assist me with the process, as the subject is an intensely embarrassing one. The option of suicide has occurred to me, but it would not be logical to deprive the ship of my training and abilities. Can you offer an alternative? Seven Year Itch Good grief! Everyone on Voyager is your family! You don't need to be embarrassed! And I'm sure all of us would be glad to help you in your time of need. I mean, anything for a friend! Well, up to a point, of course. If you're looking for a partner in a violent, mindless, uncontrollable mating rut, you might be out of luck, though I'd ask Tom Paris before giving up! Sorry, my little joke. Heh heh. But I'll step forward as the first volunteer--and after this live broadcast of "A Briefing With Neelix," I'm sure you'll get dozens! Please, let us all get closer to you in this way. Sharing your crises with as many friends as possible brings us all together as a ship. Dear Neelix: I'm feeling confused. I recently spent several days in an alien prison with a good friend of mine, and I had to take care of him when he was hurt. This involved changing dressings and cleaning him up, and I, um, kinda saw a lot of him. And now I can't get that off my mind. I want to go up to him and say, "Let's play doctor." Am I weird? Would my parents think this was wrong? Will my friend hate me forever? Please reassure me, 'cause I'm feeling really vulnerable. Candy Striper I gather you're considering a career change! Well, more power to you! I know our medical staff is stretched pretty thin and could use a helping hand. Even if your parents didn't intend for you to go into medicine, open up to the big possibilities in your future. There's no reason to be afraid of exploring new parts of yourself! Read up on physiology and biology and nutrition to smooth your way--a gram of prevention is worth a kilogram of cure, you know! Then when you feel you're good and ready, talk to the doctor about sliding into a training program. You can move back and forth from that to your regular job. Maybe your friend will let you practice on him to firm up your technique! Let me know how it all comes out. Say, here's a new one just coming in on my e-mail! Dear Neelix, It's obvious that everyone thinks I'm a lecher, but I haven't gotten any nookie all voyage either. I just sit behind the wheel and do my job. It sure gets tiresome being dumped on all the time for things I haven't even done. I'm really no more oversexed than anyone else on board. Your show is really dull, just like the night life around here, and I'm going to go to my quarters and read in bed. Literary Buff Well, nothing like improving the mind with a good book! Watching vidshows all the time rots your brain, I'll be the first to admit! Here's our last letter! Dear Neelix, No one knows I'm on board. Actually, I'm a Kazon stowaway. It isn't easy on a ship this size, but I move from cargo bay to empty quarters to mess hall and back again, scrounging what I need. Heck, it's better than living on a Kazon ship. Culluh would hunt me down and torture me to death if he found out I deserted. I'm sure your wimpy woman captain wouldn't dare do anything to me even if I got caught! Sure is fun prowling around on this ship. The first officer has a lot of used satin underwear in his quarters. What a maroon! I truly relish the memory of pounding him into hamburger some time ago. And your stupid pilot has the damndest dirty fiction collection I ever saw. Hides it under his bed. Anyway, I thought you ought to know that you have Cardassian voles infesting your food storage compartments. They're pretty good skinned and roasted, but they're making big inroads in your supplies. Could you send down a few Hav-A-Heart traps? I wouldn't mind making myself useful, but don't tell anyone I'm here. The Shadow Oooops. Sorry. I just heard a Red Alert go off...Wow, sounds like the whole bridge crew stampeding down to the cargo bays with phaser rifles! But thanks for the warning about the voles, friend. They're nasty customers. That's all we've got time for today, fellow crewmembers! Tune in next time for "A Briefing With Neelix"! I'll get the doctor on soon, I promise--he's prepared a segment on "Creative Ways Around The Impending Prophylactic Shortage!" See, not everyone's lonely! Don't despair! WELL, KATHRYN, YOU GOT US HOME We had to cite some of the best quotes from"Future's End, Part I," though we couldn't fit in "stone knives and bearskins," Tuvok's ears explained, the KGB, or Janeway's dislike of temporal anomalies. Season Three Touchy Feely Captain Count with totals in parentheses: Chakotay: 8 (44) ("She does have your legs.") Kes: 4 (20) ("It's fun to get swept away by the narrative.") Paris: 2 (17) ("You are not going to scream!") Tuvok: 8 (16) ("What is that thing in your pants?") Kim: 1 (9) ("Not bad for your first day in the big chair.") Neelix: 0 (8) ("Exploration of human relationships is fascinating!") Torres: 0 (7) ("Klingon engineer seeks employment...") Doc: 0 (3) ("In short, I am footloose and fancy free!") KATHRYN JANEWAY, FEMINIST HEROINE THE CAPTIVATING CAPTAIN KATHRYN JANEWAY by Jen Hill The moment she steps on the bridge, the air crackles with intensity. From the minute she opens her mouth, we listen intently to her words. Every nuance, every movement speaks volumes about our favorite character aboard the Federation Starship Voyager. You know whom I speak of. Captain Kathryn Janeway. Why is she so fascinating? Why does she inspire us? How is it that we can watch her religiously, critique her on every decision, analyze her thoughts, her feelings, her actions? What is it about the Captain of Voyager that makes our dreams take hold, our minds make up new scenarios and situations, and our mouths drop in disbelief? I speak as a fan of Kate Mulgrew and of Kathryn Janeway. I also speak as a writer who finds great joy and pleasure in writing, especially in taking my hand to the myriad of adventures that surrounds the Starship Voyager. Every since day one, there was something about Kathryn Janeway that intrigued me, maybe her devotion to her crew, maybe her absolute control, maybe everything that she was. I want to be her. I want to be flying in uncharted space with my technology in one hand and my wits in the other. I want to be intoxicated with the discoveries of the universe, I want to explore and discover new worlds and new civilizations. I want to be the one who dares taste Neelix's cooking, and it is I who will practice tennis in the ready room. I will be the one who will dare stand up to the Kazon, who will dare sacrifice her life for a member of her crew, who will dare to defy the laws of the universe time and again. It is me. Watching Voyager enables me to transcend the monotony of this existence, the endless repititions of day-to-day life, enables me to fly in that starship, to take command. In this sense, Kathryn Janeway is not merely Jeri Taylor and Kate Mulgrew and a figment of someone's imagination. Captain Janeway is me. And in a world where technology is just beginning to overwhelm us, when social problems are getting worse and worse, where disease and death reign, it brings me peace to think of an existence where these things merely do not exist. And if they do, they will eventually be conquered and brought low due to the enigmatic power of humanity. It is a bright future to look forward to, where science merely exists to bring joy, and humanity has the power to overcome its technology. The power of Star Trek lies in that everyone wishes to believe that such a future could exist. That space exploration and the meeting of different peoples and civilizations is actually a reality, not a promise of better things to come. But it was not merely Star Trek that led me to realize this. It was also the amazing character of Captain Janeway that led me to this conclusion. The Captain of Voyager has so enthralled me that I almost come to the point of believing that she actually does exist. Her experiences captivate me, her intellect motivates me, her compassion shames me, and her entire being is the catalyst of my creative soul. I don't know how else to put it. She has been the single driving force in my struggle for literacy, she fascinates me to the point that she is raised on my pedestal, being more than human and more than captain, almost to the point of being a deity. I guess it is because of that reason that I feel the need to bring her down to the earth. And if she could but believe in me as much as I believe in her, then she finally understand that her mission is not just to get her crew home, but to stand as an idol for the thousands of people who feel the same as I do. As I watch her, week after week, I sometimes wonder if she is aware of us. If that through some awesome telepathic ability, she is able to sense and respond to the feelings and cares of a generation that cries out for her. That she understands the incredible responsibility of being an idol, of being a role model for a new generation that believes so whole-heartedly in the blessings of the future. My Captain Janeway does understand this, and it motivates her to greater heights never before dreamed. It is for us that she battles the hidden beasts, it is for us that she keeps striking out into unknown depths, it is for us that she makes a stand in her integrity, day after day, knowing that home is so very far away. Without Kate Mulgrew, my Captain Janeway would not exist. She breathes life and soul into the person up there in the heavens. I think she also understands the great responsibility she has, to be a link between the REAL Captain Janeway, the one that cares and understands our innermost thoughts and feelings, and the character she plays every week on TV. Kate Mulgrew lends so much heart and soul to her creation that it prompts us to believe in the existence of Captain Janeway. Call me crazy if you will, but I will be forever indebted to Kate Mulgrew for bringing Captain Janeway into my life. Through the influence of Captain Janeway, I have been given wings to fly. I have struck out on my own, knowing that other women have done so before me. With the shining light of Janeway behind me, I will soar to heights only imagined. Through the example of Captain Janeway, I have been given the power and the courage to write better and imagine more than ever. And when all is said and done, I will stand high, head proud, and tell the world that Captain Janeway was the greatest influence in my life, and a debt goes to Kate Mulgrew for bringing her to me. So, thank you, Kate Mulgrew. You have given me a gift whose worth is more than the most precious gold, whose gentle hand guides my dreams, and whose power affects every aspect in my life. God bless you and keep you, to help you keep inspiring people like me to become like Captain Kathryn Janeway. JANEWAY, CHAKOTAY, AND MYTH by Kathy A. Altom A Janeway/Chakotay romance is certainly alluring. If Star Trek were simply entertainment, I'd agree to let them be role models of a successful couple in a relationship, working together happily. Surely they can do it even in the worst of situations, because they are the best of the best. But, if Trek is truly myth, if we accept that it invokes important archetypes of our own journeys through our less exciting lives, then Janeway and Chakotay are far more important than just one couple who may pull it off because they are special. Since we have been told that Voyager was built for combat, the life of Captain Kathryn Janeway in the Alpha Quadrant at the beginning of "Caretaker" is analogous to the life of a warship captain today. In her ordinary world, Janeway is presented as a wonderful role model of a tough, successful, professional woman with a tender, successful, romantic relationship with Mark. I never felt any indication that her relationship with Mark diminished her power. Then, the Caretaker changed everything. In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell summarizes the mythical hero's journey. "A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man." In ancient myths, Campbell's "region of supernatural wonder" lies in nonordinary reality, the realm of the shaman, where Chakotay and Janeway work with their spirit guides. For many people today, the very strangeness of that world interferes with their ability to identify with the characters of the myths, while science fiction provides a more believable, material, yet fantastic region of wonder. In the Delta Quadrant, Janeway takes up the hero's journey on a grand scale; she is no longer "a mere private person," as Campbell phrases it. She chooses to sacrifice the hope of an easy way home to set right the damage of her interference in the Caretaker's plans to protect the Ocampa. In the greater scheme of the whole Voyager story, we can expect that she will eventually face a much greater test that will have far-reaching consequences, as in the Furies novels. Furthermore, Janeway starts out as a highly evolved hero who usually sees many sides of each issue and therefore feels compassion for those who set themselves up as her enemies. In the first two seasons, she approaches each encounter by seeking ways to transcend her enemies rather than fight or destroy them. That makes her hard to write because there is not much room left for growth in her character, in contrast to Kirk, for example. Perhaps one reason why so many women want to see Janeway in a personal relationship with Chakotay is to give her another avenue for growth. But the hero's journey is primarily about her sacrifice for her ideals and/or the greater good of the community, and the sacrifice is the hero's personal life, if not her actual life, or even her soul. "Tuvix" was so unsettling precisely because she risked her very soul to put right the natural order of things. Until Janeway completes her hero's journey in the Delta Quadrant, any strong commitment to any other cause, especially to any personal relationship, diminishes her not as a woman or an ordinary leader, but as an archetypical hero. In the first two seasons of Voyager, Janeway shows us a wonderful synthesis of the best of her predecessors. Like Picard, she never sought revenge. With Voyager highly vulnerable, she still embraces all life forms. She shows us the highest form of hero who lets her ship take a pounding while trying to resolve confrontations without firing back. Faced with aliens who refuse reason, she exhibits anger, but still uses no more force than is necessary to escape. She argues with Caretakers and Qs for her rights to exist without their interference, but does it diplomatically, without Picard's arrogance. Janeway exhibits compassion not just as a logical decision but as a positive emotion arising from her love of life. There is a Vulcan on her senior staff to balance her emotions, but Tuvok's logic seems rigid and deficient in contrast to Janeway's positive emotions. "Flashback" set me thinking along these lines because of the moral ambiguity that went unresolved. Sulu was willing to disobey orders and risk starting a war with the Klingons to try to rescue his friends. He set apart the smallest possible "in group," his closest associates, and overrode logical forbearance as well as compassion toward humanoids outside that group. He had Tuvok to provide Vulcan advice, but Sulu didn't listen. He appeared to get away with it except for the loss of a few crewmen by falsifying records. Trek has a history of pointing out ambiguous moral dilemmas for us to contemplate. Because we know that in a short time, Sulu will help save the peace by again disobeying orders, we find it easy to overlook and forgive. In "The Chute," because Janeway can never really know all the history and details, she cannot logically judge the young terrorists or the other prisoners. She keeps trying to work within the local legal system, in spite of its immorality, for as long as she can. In the end, her subterfuge works so she does not have to resort to violence. I assume she has her phaser rifle set on stun, and I could not fault her had she had to shot her way out because the whole scenario, like many in our world today, is so morally ambiguous. In contrast, "The Swarm" is not ambiguous. When Janeway rejects the Federation principle of not trespassing in another species' space, she suddenly redefines her circle from all beings to only her crew. Now she needs Tuvok's Vulcan advice, but she rejects it with less explanation and compassion for her friend than Sulu showed him. Janeway casts aside both law and morality when she has nothing to lose except time. When she fails to escape, she kills humanoids that she knows are only the local authorities defending their space from her unlawful intrusion. She kills by the cruel, exclusive logic that the convenience of her immediate group outweighs the lives of outsiders. After thirty years of looking to Trek for uplifting myth, this signifies the most subversive possible shift--to lead us to doubt our own vision and suppress our own "moral compasses." I prefer the heroic Janeway. Heroes do traditionally get rewards along their journeys--sex is a very common one, hence Kirk's "alien of the week." But whenever Kirk or Picard became too emotionally involved with a woman, the end result was tragic. Tragedy is the mythic device for teaching the audience a lesson through the hero's failure. I would not like to see either Janeway or Chakotay doing the "alien of the week" because they presumably have higher romantic ideals, but seventy--or even seven--years is too long, too. Although I hate gothic romances, Janeway's holonovel served to humanize her as a woman as well as a Captain. Janeway should have transcended her grief over Mark in "Resolutions." She should occasionally find a charming alien to love, even if she has to lose him tragically to show us the error of her ways. An occasional good cry is therapeutic. Meanwhile, let Janeway and Chakotay flirt lightly; they do it marvelously. Let them be good, close friends who provide each other the emotional support that Tuvok is not Vulcanly capable of providing Janeway. Voyager works, in part, because we can tell that the senior officers have bonded, but it is still too subtle and often seems like the actors are managing it in spite of the stories. I would like to see Janeway have friendships as passionate as Kirk's. Leave romance among the senior officers to fantasies and fan fiction where it can stay safely in the minds of consenting adults, without diminishing the myth. Besides, when the hero rises to the challenge, myths can have happy endings, so there's always the potential for Admiral Janeway and Captain Chakotay, no longer under her command, to eventually live happily ever after on Earth. THE PROBLEM WITH CHAKOTAY by Diane Nichols I love Chakotay. Voyager's first officer and his relationship to his captain is of--pardon the pun--paramount importance to me. As time goes on, my emotional investment in the show deepens. It seems to work the same with television shows as it does in real life: the mere passage of shared time reveals new aspects of each character, so that the image we had of them when we first met may well have altered dramatically now that we know them better. Chakotay drew my interest from the beginning moments of "Caretaker", and I have continued to love him devotedly through nearly fifty episodes. Fifty episodes! It seems like a lot, doesn't it? Why, we should know practically everything there is to know about him by now, shouldn't we? And yet, although I know certain things about him--that he's a man of honor and courage, that he's a contrary, that his path has been a difficult and painful one, that he's been involved in a lifelong search for personal meaning--I can't say that I know or understand him. It's as if he's out of focus, and no light shed on him lends clarity. Is the problem that Chakotay is written badly or inconsistently? He has certainly turned out to be very different from what we all expected, from what we saw in the early days of the show. Each new revelation about him has posed new and unanswered questions. Did he join the Maquis because he believed in the cause, or because the guilt he felt for turning away from his heritage became impossible to bear when his father died while fighting for that cause? Is he a man of peace, or is he simply searching for peace? What happened to the fierce Maquis warrior when he put that uniform on? Was that fiery, committed Chakotay real, or is the Chakotay who sits passively on the bridge and occasionally voices a quiet "Aye, Captain" the real one? Does Captain Janeway's strength of character somehow diminish him, so that when she is at her commanding best, it follows that he will seem weaker in comparison--or is he simply the perfect subordinate officer, strong only when he needs to be? Was the Maquis cause ever enough for him, or had he been waiting all of his life to find his true place, and is that place at Janeway's side? Does Janeway believe that? Do we? Is it at all possible to know who this man really is, given the clues Voyager's writers have given us? Answers to these questions don't come easily. It's possible to watch Voyager and to believe that Chakotay is totally without a center, that his character is all shades of gray. Contradictions abound in him. For example, in "Maneuvers," he reacted to Seska's threat by striking out on his own against her on what seemed to be a fool's mission. His ego and stubbornness nearly got him killed, even though he succeeded. And yet, shortly afterwards in the course of certain "Investigations," we saw a dramatically different Chakotay, one who was blatantly excluded from secret plans which as first officer he should have been privy to--but this time around the ego and stubbornness we might have logically expected to see were totally absent. When the plot was explained to him and it became clear that he had been duped, his only reaction was to scowl briefly. With his apparent acceptance, the issue was closed, never to be revisited. Tuvok's slurs against him were forgotten. That his captain either trusted him insufficiently or believed him incapable of playing a part in the covert operation didn't seem to matter to him--or did they? Knowing what we know of Chakotay, can we even tell? With a lot of creative brainstorming, it's possible to answer some of these questions. I can consider apparent contradictions like the one I've just described and find some sense in the idea that, having behaved badly in "Maneuvers," having disappointed and disillusioned his captain, perhaps Chakotay actually agreed with her subsequent assessment that he was not entirely trustworthy, and that she could not rely on him to either follow orders or execute a surreptitious plan convincingly. Perhaps he felt he deserved to be treated that way, and therefore he had no reason to complain. We've all been there--haven't we?--behaved badly or showed poor judgment, then paid for it somehow and realized that we got what we deserved. It's an explanation that fits, and it apparently resolves what otherwise is an insurmountable contradiction. In fact, I can go right straight through Chakotay's entire storyline from the very beginning of the series and piece together further explanations for his actions--or lack of actions--one by one, slowly building a case for the idea that we're looking at a man whose inner conflicts rule his life. Maquis/Starfleet? Seska/Janeway? Tradition/science? Self/others? He's a man torn, a self-proclaimed contrary, always doing things the hard way, always taking the rough path, always fighting himself... Or is he? As a writer, I've taken a lot of pieces and dealt them into a whole that makes sense to me. I've picked up a hint here, a line there, traced the merest sketching of detail, like the start of a drawing--and I've stepped back and squinted hard, until I think I can see what the picture really is. And the real problem--whether it's Chakotay's, or mine, or the writers'--is that I honestly don't know if what I see is what's really there. I've had to struggle to find explanations that make sense to me, and each new episode strains the fragile seamwork of Chakotay's character as I see it. Should I really have to work this hard? How do I reconcile each new revelation, each smudge of fresh color that seems to directly contradict what's already been drawn? I'm not sure if Chakotay is growing and changing, or if the changes I see are simply indications that no one knows who he really is at all. How, for instance, do I explain "Resolutions"? It seemed so straightforward--a man building a life for himself and for his partner, confiding his devotion, proclaiming his purpose in life, declaring his love. He was so unambiguous, in spite of the trappings of "ancient legend" with which he dressed his words. I had no doubt of what he meant; nor did Janeway. Truth spoke in him, in his words and his gestures. It was the most open we'd ever seen him, and it seemed that the conflicts, the contradictions we'd come to expect from Chakotay, might have been resolved by his simple words--except that in the aftermath of "Resolutions", the words seem to have been forgotten. Does this mean that everything was resolved, or nothing? Were the feelings left behind along with the home Chakotay had begun to build for Janeway? Was their life together left behind as well? I don't know. The characters don't seem to know. If the writers know, they aren't saying. The hints, the lines, the telling details--I squint harder and harder, but the picture doesn't emerge, and I realize that the problem with Chakotay is that as much as I love him I just don't know who he is... A DEVELOPMENT ON RESOLUTIONS by Rachel Gluck To all those who are wondering about whether or not Janeway and Chakotay made love on "New Earth," please think about what "make love" really means. Nowadays, it is as though we have to see naked skin to believe that love is shared between two people. I can, however, remember a quote to the effect of the need to call 'sex' something else, and let it include everything from holding hands to exchanging glances to just being close for an evening together. Sometimes, we need to remember what love is. We should also think about the fact that in some ways Captain Janeway is still grieving for the love that she had to leave behind on Earth when the ship became lost in space. Of course, she would have trouble actually telling Chakotay that she loves him. How could she entirely forget what existed before they were stranded together too many miles from home? It is obvious, through episodes such as "Death Wish," that Janeway doesn't really feel closure from her relationship with Mark. Maybe this is a cue to Jeri Taylor and Co. to find a way to give Janeway that sense of closure, so that she could feel more comfortable in actually developing a relationship which wouldn't always have to include some set of "parameters." Speaking of developing their relationship in the current season, however, did anyone notice just how protective Chakotay was of Janeway toward the end of "Sacred Ground"? He just plain didn't want her to take Kes with her back into that electro-magnetic field. At least we are seeing that Voyager's writers aren't quitting on developing their relationship. I just wonder what would happen if Janeway felt less of a connection to the person she left back home. It's about time for the writers to keep brainstorming on resolutions for this. A LITTLE MORE OF THE NON-J/C ARGUMENT by Anne Davenport Do they, or don't they? That's the usual hook that Hollywood uses to perk up the audience interest when woman meets man and they find each other agreeable. But romance happens so often that one would begin to think any two people couldn't be in some crisis together without falling for each other's charms. Intimacy automatically segues into sex as if it were a requirement. Can Janeway and Chakotay get closer without passing the lust test? I'd like to think so. There aren't enough male/female couples in the media who don't fall to terminal hormonal tension. The writers go straight for the crotch as the easiest route to the emotional core of the characters. Skin on the screen will get an audience's attention, but it happens so often that it sometimes seems to be there to substitute for good dialogue and story, as if the writers can't handle men and women together without taking their clothes off. In my uncharitable moments, I credit lazy writing like this to male hacks who 'just don't get it,' but I'm sure there are women who do the same thing. Perhaps it's easier to go for physical action than to write intense dialogue? So often it seems that sex is put in as pseudo-emotional tension, like car chases, used as a replacement for story. Neither has complicated dialogue for the writer to strain any brain cells over. Janeway and Chakotay are attracted to each other; they flirt a bit, and they can obviously live together after all the weeks they spent on New Earth in "Resolutions." But they seem to have looked at the prospects of a ship-board romance and decided against it. If their passion toward each other ended there because they couldn't sleep together but were still tragically pining for it, then they would slip into being another TV-land male/female mismatch, for whom sex is a requirement for intimacy. Lustful looks and panting are easy to do, but I'd rather see what happens with the rest of their lives. BOOKS AND COLLECTIBLES INTERVIEW WITH JOHN ORDOVER by Joan Testin I met with John Ordover, Senior Editor of Star Trek for Simon and Schuster's Pocket Books division, in his New York office in September. The space was crammed with boxes, papers, computers, layouts for art work, and ringing phones. During the course of our talk, John was interrupted several times by people wanting his opinion on many aspects of the Star Trek books published by Pocket. He seemed to enjoy his work and love Trek. NV: What are the steps that an author takes to get a Star Trek novel published? JO: The very first thing that any author should do is send us a self-addressed stamped envelope to get the guidelines. They should read and believe the guidelines. I can't tell you how many submissions I get that say, "I sent away for your guidelines before I started writing this book, but I ignored them and I'm certain that my book is so wonderful that you'll publish it anyway." It just doesn't work that way; you have to write to the guidelines. Basically, they come down to this: If you're going to write a Star Trek novel, abandon the continuity premise. Don't bring characters back, don't bring favorite past events back, don't do sequels. What you should do is come up with your own story. The optimum thing is some kind of problem on planet, problem on ship kind of story. Something very straightforward, that introduces something cool, and gives us opportunity for really good character work. But don't bring back the other stuff. Jeri Taylor actually says this wonderfully. She says, "We know the other stuff is there, and if we wantto do them, we'll go to one of our regular writers and say 'We want to see an episode where this comes back.'" The other thing is, the Star Trek characters have to be the ones who save the day and 'star' in the books. The best way to describe this is just like Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. The Hardy Boys never just sort of sat there while their third cousin Biff from out of town saved the day. NV: So, no 'Mary Sue' stories. JO: Yeah, that's a large part of it. Another thing is, don't portray the characters the way you think they should be rather than how they actually are. Another Nancy Drew example, you can't have Ned go to her and say, "I'm leaving you for Bill--I've decided I want to live a whole new lifestyle." Or, have Nancy say to her best friend, "I've always wanted to take a shower with you." Or even have Nancy say, "No, let's not investigate the haunted house. Let the boys do it." NV: Nancy Drew 'slash'; it's just a really interesting concept. JO: (laughing) Yes, well, the point I'm trying to make is you have to keep them in character. A large number of our submissions come in here with the attitude of fixing something that they think went wrong. We don't do that. The novels have to tell a new good story, not respond to something from the show. Now, you do have to have an agent to submit. This is simply because as you can see looking around, how many people do we have? It's me and Carol on the novels. We get about a thousand submissions a year; we just can't read them. There's only two of us! We do send out some [to readers], but my attitude is this; it is tough to get an agent, but not being willing to get one is like saying "I want to go to Harvard, but I don't want to do the schoolwork to get good grades first." If you want to make the cut, this is what you have to do. Believe it or not, it's not the reading that takes the time as much as writing the letters, filling the envelopes, making the contacts - and we just don't have the time. So if it's not agented, it will get bounced right back with a copy of the guidelines. NV: So. I've written the most wonderful Star Trek novel in the world, I've got an agent, I've submitted it to you, you are in raptures over my glorious prose. What happens now? JO: Well, first I need you to give me an outline, because Paramount needs to approve an outline before I can publish a book. Assuming they approve it, then I call your agent and we work out the deal for your book. Then it gets published--probably in about a year. NV: And how much editing happens on your end? JO: As much as is necessary for each book. Of course, we've started on the assumption that your book is glorious (laughing), so there's no editing there! But normally, we do a lot of editing with our authors; the books and the story proposals. And then, when the manuscript comes in, there's a story edit; we go through and make sure the story works, and that the characters aren't acting out of character. You do the whole thing that you would do on anyone's book. Then there's a line edit, where you go through and make sure all the sentences are correct and it all looks good. And that's about it. Then, the manuscript is approved by Paramount. What it comes down to for me is this: interesting characters under stress. Which is what all fiction is about. What I'm not looking for is a novel that's all a space battle, and I'm not looking for a romance novel. Star Trek books, uniquely almost, are neither 'girl' books nor 'boy' books, but optimally both. Characters under stress--there's a lot of character interaction, character movement, character experiences pain and growth and all that kind of stuff--but against an action background so it's not just angst-ridden emotional "my god, what if this would happen" kind of stuff. Optimally, we'll do 50/50--oh, Ragnorak for example which is mostly a battle book, and Murdered Sun is more of a character book. And what we try to do is something like Violations which is both. But we're always going to end up tilting one way or the other. What's very important to me is that the books don't hit the same tone over and over again. Even if you look at the shows--original series "Amok Time." Lots and lots of character, but also a nice little fight to the death there! That's what we're looking for. NV: The thing that they can do in the series though that, via your guidelines, you can't do in a book is any real character development. That must make it hard for your authors. JO: Well, it makes it a challenge. You know, Jeri and I were talking about that. She said, "John, I don't know how you do what you want. We can do anything--we can decide Janeway has a baby next Monday if we want to." NV: Don't...even...think...about...it. JO: No, no, not gonna happen. But she asked, "What do we do?" And I said, "Let me take it from what you just said. If I wanted to do a 'Janeway has a baby' book, I would throw Janeway down on an alien planet, crash landed or she's beamed down and Voyager's under attack, she's isolated. A bunch of helpless people are being shot at by bad guys, they kill a mother, and the mother gives her baby to Janeway. Janeway spends the rest of the book dealing with the baby while fighting off the bad guys. At the end, she has to go through the pain of giving the baby to the mother's sister or whatever. Then she goes back to being the captain." And that's how we would handle it; give Janeway a baby, but take it away at the end of the book. Everything has to go back to ground. Here, we sweep up after the show to a large extent. They'll drop one line about something, and then we'll do a whole book about it. We've done that a lot--Imzadi was a book like that. Or like Mosaic; take the character where they are, but then do what they'll never do in the show, which is, drop all the way back to their childhood and take it up from there. Of course, the only reason we were able to do the definitive "Janeway childhood" is because the author is Jeri Taylor who created the character. And I 've got to say, it's perfectly okay not to like Janeway's childhood, but what gets me really frustrated is when people say, "No, this really isn't Janeway's childhood." You can wish it were something else, but this is the person who created the character. It's real--whatever real means. This is the definitive, the canon of Janeway's background. NV: The scenes from Janeway's background that were seen in this particular book anyway. Have you gotten any novel submissions that you can't use; Janeway/Chakotay romances or the like? JO: I really haven't gotten anything like that at all. Mainly because the authors know that we can't do anything like that. Remember, the novels we're reading are the professional ones submitted through an agent. So they know not to put Janeway and Chakotay in bed or anything like that. If you think about it, "Resolutions" just came out in May, so until then, there wasn't a relationship like that between the two characters. As far as I'm concerned, in the first episode when they got within a foot of each other--you felt...whoa...but the books have to follow the show; not the other way around. So right now, if I get a scene in a book where it says, "Janeway kisses Chakotay," I'll have to say, "Oh no she doesn't." NV: I would think that with the original series and Next Generation, that you would have a bit more freedom; yet the guidelines don't reflect that. JO: Actually, we are enjoying a bit more freedom with the Original Series--Next Gen is still doing movies. We're doing a wonderful original series book that's for next June called Vulcan's Forge. It's a two-storyline book like Mosaic which takes place after the first part of the movie Generations. Kirk has vanished, but everyone else is still around. How does Spock cope without Kirk, and how does he forge a relationship with Dr. McCoy now that there isn't someone to stop the fights. It's also a flashback to Spock's childhood and an adventure that first put the thought of Starfleet in his mind. We're also doing a book called Mind Meld which is set just after Star Trek VI. It's about--well, you know, the bonding ritual that Vulcans go through at age 6 [the kas wahn]. The story is about a young relative of Spock's; he is involved in bonding her to a young Romulan boy so that the races can begin to come back together. So, Paramount is letting us do things like that--but case by case. NV: Let's talk about the Internet. How has that changed how you deal with fans or how Paramount deals with fans? JO: I have no idea how Paramount deals with the Internet. For me, I chat on the Internet the same way I do with a person. There are a lot of people who are very different on the 'net; I'm not one of them. I'm exactly the same way on the 'net that I am in person. It hasn't changed things as much as made them easier--to get word out to the fans, to set up things like the Jeri Taylor chats, that kind of thing. We also have a Pocket Books web site at www.simonsays.com/startrek/ which has upcoming books, a whole John Ordover section where you can ask questions directly--it's a lot of fun. The fans on the Internet, as Jeri Taylor says, tend to be particularly passionate, but they're also a very small section of the audience. They tend to be both richer and whiter than the audience as a whole. And so you have to take that into account when you're dealing with them. I like the instant feedback, but what's difficult is that every single book seems to get the same number of positive and negative letters. I did a thing on AOL in fact where I collected all of the letters I got on the Invasion series. Every single book was someone's favorite book and someone's least favorite book. And so it's hard to respond to the fans as a whole when the mail runs 50/50 on everything. You hope that more people will like it than not, but I find it very difficult to determine from the 'net response what people actually think. I get a much better sense when I go to a Star Trek convention and ask which books people like, or ask if they'd like to hear more about something, and judge the applause. NV: I happened to be on Usenet last night and there's a post--basically one of the fans came back from World Con and said that he was "... told by the publishers that they vehemently oppose alt.startrek.creative (a bulletin board for Trek fan fiction) and will be going after the authors once the... JO: (interrupting) That is absolutely not true. We weren't at World Con, so they couldn't have talked to us. (At this point, John turned to his computer and called up the post--and typed his post "talking" it to me.) 'No one from my office was at World Con, so this information is not possible. As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as alt.startrek.creative, so how can I possibly object to it? If there were such a thing as a.s.c. I might have to object to it, but since there isn't, I don't.' NV: You know what you're going to get in response, so I'll ask: Why would that be something that Pocket Books would have to object to? Fanfic and Star Trek go together like...Picard and Crusher. JO: Fan fiction is illegal, whatever anyone says to you about it, whether you're making money or not, because you're violating copyright law. The copyright laws say that you must vigorously protect your copyright in order to retain it. Copyrights have been lost by people who didn't vigorously protect them. In order for Universal to be prevented from making a Star Trek movie, Paramount can't say, "It's okay for these people to violate our copyright with their fan fiction, but it's not okay for you guys." So they have to keep an eye out for illegal publications or places like Universal could go to court and claim that Star Trek is now public domain. This isn't Paramount, they don't have a moral or financial objection to fan fiction--this is copyright law. They have no choice. All I can say on this subject is, as far as I know, there are no Star Trek police. NV: Have you ever considered not publishing books on the ongoing series? JO: No. Sales are great; the ongoing series give us some great material, and we can do things like publish Jeri Taylor's books. Hopefully, there will be others--Ira Behr and Robert Wolfe from DS9 are doing The Legends of the Ferengi. It's going to be really funny; the "Aesop's Fables" behind the Rules of Acquisition. NV: That's good, because sometimes, Star Trek needs to remember to lighten up. I liked the Invasion series...except the Voyager book. JO: Yeah, yeah. It was done very early in the series when B'Elanna was being written as insecure. At that point, we were considering this as a transition book where she started out insecure and gained confidence as it went along. There is a six to nine month lag time between the series and the books. As a fan, I love it that the shows change so quickly, but as an editor, it drives me crazy. Jeri Taylor's next book is called Pathways and it tells the story of the rest of the Voyager crew before they come to Voyager. It's gotten very complicated, and she's having a lot of fun with it. In fact, she's asked me if she can go a couple of hundred more pages, 'cause she's going to need the room. Pathways is going to start when Tuvok leaves the Excelsior, tracing his life until he comes back to Starfleet. And that will happen with each of the characters; following their story until they come onto Voyager. We know that Tom Paris was thrown out of the Academy, and joined the Maquis, and had a thing with Chakotay, and got captured and thrown in jail, well now we'll see it. We know B'Elanna left the Academy--how did she end up in the Maquis? NV: It's interesting to see how Jeri writes these characters. She did invent them after all, so what she writes, we like to see. And then argue with her about it, of course! (Laughing with John.) That's part of what being in Trek fandom is all about. COPYRIGHT VIOLATION CORNER The authors are both long time sacrilegious who have devoted their lives to the study of fan theology and fan liturgy. Both have voluntarily consigned themselves to Fan Purgatory to begin their penance for this particular work, and gently remind the Viaborg and that they both took involuntary vows of poverty during the Bush administration. Sr. Mary Kathryn continues her research into Voyager fan fiction. Sr. Mary Data has begun a thesis examining the semiotics of the preceding text, with a particular emphasis on the meta-meaning of Tom Paris' coming out of the closet in chains. This is the full version of this story; the one which appears in the print version of Now Voyager was severely edited to fit. This version can also be seen in alt.startrek.creative by everyone but John Ordover. If there were such a thing as official Star Trek fiction, we might have to object to it, but as far as we're concerned, there is no such thing. Paramount owns the characters along with Jeri Taylor, but since this is parody, we can borrow them legally. HOW KATHRYN GOT HER GROOVE BACK by Sister Mary Kathryn and Sister Mary Data [Begin italics] "Report, Mr. Kim!" "It's a Class IV Serling anomaly, Captain!" "My God!" Janeway rose from her chair to step closer to the view screen, as if that would help her better discern the secrets of the coruscating phenomenon displayed before her. "Captain, I thought a Class IV Serling was only a theoretical construct?" "A theory is always a possibility, Ensign. I expect you to keep that in mind," Janeway snapped. Paris hunched over his station. Geez, another one of *those* days, he thought. The Captain'd been having more and more of them since they'd recovered Voyager from the Kazon. All steel and icy determination, a pure dee witch, throwing the Prime Directive to hell and playing cowboy. Not that he had minded, back in that Akitarian prison. Of course, he would be unconscious, and miss the fun of seeing Janeway come down the chute with her rifle blazing. Well, he'd ask the question anyway. Somebody had to do it for all the poor yokels who weren't in on the secrets of the cosmos. "Umm, just what is a Serling anomaly, anyway?" "Serling, the theorist who discovered the phenomenon, called them a gateway to the fifth dimension. A place as vast as space and as timeless as infinity." Torres stared at the view screen, fascinated. "And here I thought the Fifth Dimension was a singing group." "Mr. Paris!" "Sorry, Captain." Paris hunched further into his station, staring at his readouts. Just then, the blip caught his eye. "Captain, I'm holding at full stop, but we're being drawn closer to the anomaly." "Full reverse thrusters, Mr. Paris." "Aye, Captain. No good." "Go to half impulse. Report!" "It appears that we've been caught by a tractor beam or gravitational wave, Captain. According to my readouts, its power levels appear limitless." Tuvok's voice remained steady, even as the deck began to shudder beneath their feet. "Impossible! Mr. Paris?" "Half impulse is having no effect, Captain. Going to full impulse. Still no effect. We're accelerating, Captain. Impact in thirty seconds." The great ship was shaking in the grip of the unknown force. "Torres! Can we go to warp?" "The warp engines are online, Captain, but I can't guarantee hull integrity under these stresses." "Well, we'll try it anyway! Go to warp, Lieutenant." Boy, was she playing cowboy today. "Captain?" "Impact in ten seconds," Chakotay called out. "Eight ... seven ... six ... five ... four ..." "You heard me, Lieutenant! Engage!" Paris shrugged, and thumbed his panel just as Voyager entered the anomaly. The ship leapt and lurched as if thrown by a great wave, scattering the officers across the bridge. [End italics] ::::Kathryn's head swims as she struggles to sit up. The lights are just too bright. Suddenly a hand steadies her.:::: Kathryn: Thank you --- Mr. Paris? Chakotay? Mary: Wrong. Sue: And wrong again. ::::Kathryn's eyes fly open to take in the two women squatting next to her.:::: Kathryn: Who the hell are you and what are you doing on my ship? Mary: Excuse me? Seems like it's me should be saying "Who are you and why are you on my front lawn," except of course, I already know who you are. You're ... ahem. :::Mary strikes a pose, hands on hips:::: Mary: "Captain Kathryn Janeway, of the Federation Starship Voyager." (Relaxes.) I am a little curious about why you parked Voyager on the front lawn, though. ::::Chakotay groggily lifts himself off the floor with his elbows.:::: Chakotay: We didn't park. At least we didn't mean to park. Sue: That seems obvious. You crushed a few acolytes, but that's no great loss. Chakotay: Acolytes? Sue: They belong to the Woman in White. They've all been assimilated by the Viaborg. Mary: (Pokes Sue.) Hey look Sue! Her hair is all messed up! I love it when her hair is all messed up. ::::Mary pulls out her copy of The Book and studies the cover, then studies Janeway.:::: Mary: She does kind of look like her picture, but I still maintain that the little picture in the corner is of the Woman in White when she was young. ::::Sue gives Mary a swift elbow in the side.:::: Mary: Oooooooeeewwff! Stop that! Sue: Don't be rude to our guests! You know how little they ever venture near here. Mary: Little? I'd say more like never. Boy is everyone here going to be excited when they find out about this! Kathryn: Do you mind telling me just exactly where "here" is? Mary: Well, it ain't the Delta Quadrant, Kathryn. I can sure tell you that much. Sue: Nope. You've just landed in Fan Purgatory. Kathryn: (Raising one eyebrow and rubbing her forehead.) Fan Purgatory? Sue: Yeah, it's the place where The Powers That Be send fans who've sinned. ::::Suddenly, the bridge shimmers out of existence, and Janeway and Chakotay are standing on the lawn of Fan Purgatory in front of Voyager. All around them are groups of people engaged in various activities. Mary points to a group drawing graphs and placing stuff on charts.:::: Mary: Yep. See that group over there? They're what The Powers That Be call Nitpickers. They know everything from how many photon torpedoes you've used since being pulled into the Delta Quadrant to how many bathrooms there are on Voyager. ::::Sue points to a group with glazed over eyes who are madly pounding on keyboards.:::: Sue: And these folks are commonly referred to as Trek Net Nerds. They start a lot of rumors. The Powers That Be can't stand 'em, but I've always found them to be fairly harmless, and, on occasion, quite entertaining. Now this group to your left, here, refer to themselves as J/Cers. They think a relationship between you and Chakotay should be developed. ::::The J/Cers are the largest group Kathryn and Chakotay have seen yet. Kathryn eyes them suspiciously.:::: Kathryn: What are they doing? Mary: Watching Resolutions. They've been watching it frame by frame since the middle of last May. ::::Mary takes Kathryn by the arm and leads her toward another group of people in Fan Purgatory who are madly shuffling papers and giggling.:::: Mary: These people are the Fan Fiction Writers. They are one of my favorite groups of people here. ::::Sue notices that Chakotay has lagged behind. It would appear that he is mesmerized by the J/Cers. She grabs him by the arm, and pulls him back up to where Mary is talking with Kathryn.:::: Chakotay: Hey! They were just getting to my Angry Warrior legend! Sue: Don't worry, they have a rewind button. They'll be on that legend forever. :::Mary turns Kathryn around and points in the opposite direction from the Fan Fiction Writers.:::: Mary: These people --- the ones who are panting and drooling --- got here because they read too many of the Fan Fiction Writers' stories. ::::Janeway and Chakotay see a hapless fan carrying what looks to be several hundred copies of Janeway's official personnel file photo.:::: Chakotay: What about him? Mary: (Shakes her head.) He's the worst kind. Even we don't care too much for him. Kathryn: What did he do? Sue: He tried to crash the reserved seating line twice at a Creation con so he could get an extra Kate Mulgrew autograph. Kathryn: Kate Mulgrew? Mary: You wouldn't know her. Chakotay: (Obviously very interested in this whole situation.) How did you two get here? What were your sins? Sue: (Hangs her head in shame.) I wrote a letter to the Woman in White that she didn't like. Mary: You should have seen her reply. Whew! Talk about hot and nasty! Now me, I have no sins. I just kind of happened along and liked it here, so I stayed. ::::A bolt of lightning strikes at Mary's feet.:::: Mary: (Mutters.) I'm getting kind of tired of that Woman in White. ::::Mary continues the tour by pointing to a group of fans who are loudly arguing.:::: Mary: Now that group over there are our philosophers. They try to find deep meaning in all the episodes. They are still trying to figure out those three little salamanders in Threshold. I kind of like them --- the philosophers, not the salamanders --- but you'll probably think they are vulky. Kathryn: Vulky? Mary: Yeah, you know, vulky, like Hobbes. Kathryn: Hobbes? Sue: Hobbes, later to be called Mark. Mary: (To Sue.) Boy, who couldn't see that one coming? Kathryn: And just how do you two know about Mark? Mary: Oh, we know all about you. Like for example, we know how you prefer sitting under a desk instead of behind one. Sue: And all about your obsessive desire to please your daddy and your desperate attempts to keep that goofus, Cheb. Mary: Not to mention Justin. Boooooring! Sue: Or the little Riker ruckus. (Shakes her head.) Mary: And let's not forget all that daydreaming on the bridge that we all know you do. ::::Kathryn looks like she's about to pull a big bazooka on Mary and Sue.:::: Kathryn: Daydreaming on the bridge! Just what are you two talking about? I never daydream on the bridge! Mary: We're talking about this. ::::Mary pulls The Book back out. A fanfare of trumpets can be heard and Mary and Sue reluctantly genuflect.:::: Mary: The Woman in White says you daydream on the bridge, and who are we to argue with her? What she says goes. (Leans in close to Kathryn and whispers.) Personally, we don't care much for it at all. Sue: (Taking The Book from Mary.) Yep. This is it. Your life story. Kathryn: My life story? ::::Kathryn snatches The Book from Sue and begins to examine it at arms' length.:::: Sue: Hey, it took us four weeks of nagging the bookstore to get that --- Mary: And we waited a year for it to come out! Chakotay: (Looking over Kathryn's shoulder.) Well, the cover photo's good, Captain. Kathryn: Who's this wimpy looking female down here in the corner? Sue: You, I think. Mary: I still maintain that the little picture in the corner is the Woman in White. Kathryn: Feh. What does this say about me? Sue: You're from Indiana, you have an authority problem with the men in your life, always deferring to them --- Chakotay: Captain! How come I never see that side of you? Sue: (Rattling on.) You get into a wimpy cat fight with your sister, your mother is a nonentity who bakes brownies, and you ran away from Will Riker in a fit of fearful sexual attraction. Kathryn: (Curling her lip.) *I* ran away from Will Riker? Because I was *attracted* to him????? Sue: Or something like that. Kathryn: Libel. Purest calumny. I trust this is another one of those "fan fictions" you were talking about? Mary: Nah. It's *Canon*. Think the Talmud, or the Bible. They might as well have published it in Hebrew or Latin or Elizabethan English, just to imbue it with even more authority. Kathryn: And just who's decided this? Sue: *She* has. ::::Sue points to the low rise just beyond the lawn where Voyager sits. There stands a female figure, robed in white, holding a copy of The Book above her head, displaying it for the masses. In her hands, The Book glows. Attending her is a host of acolytes; some gently shake Vulcan chimes, others occasionally strike gongs; several swing censers filled with burning incense.:::: Sue: (In hushed tones) It's the Woman in White. One of The Powers That Be. Kathryn: And that gives her the power to write this? Mary: Well, at least she *thinks* so. ::::Another lightening bolt strikes the ground at Mary's feet.:::: Mary: (Quickly and a little too loudly.) Um, YES IT DOES. (Muttering again.) I am *really* tired of the Woman in White. Kathryn: Indeed. Mind if I borrow this? Sue: Well ... Kathryn: Fine. ::::Kathryn sits down on a convenient boulder and starts to look through the book. As she reads, she turns red and begins to mutter to herself.:::: Kathryn: Outrageous ... I can't believe ... never in my lifetime ... (Stands.) Canon! Who says this thing is canon? Just give me a cannon and I'll show them exactly what to do with this book!! (Taps commbadge.) Janeway to Voyager. Two to beam up. Prepare to go to warp ten. Chakotay: Warp ten? Captain --- Kathryn: (Waving The Book in Chakotay's face.) I'll be the laughingstock of Starfleet Command. I've got to get back to the Alpha Quadrant and make sure none of this gets back to the Admiralty --- or Wil Riker. We're going to warp ten, and damn the consequences. Chakotay: You don't want to do that, Captain. Kathryn: Why not, Commander? Desperate times call for desperate measures. Chakotay: Two words: salamander babies. Kathryn: Oh. ::::Kathryn flushes a lovely shade of pink, then recovers and glares at the Woman in White.:::: Kathryn: That woman isn't going to turn me into a poster child for Starfleet Psychiatric if I can help it. ::::Chakotay, Mary and Sue watch in disbelief as Kathryn marches up to a group of Klingon fans, seizes a bat'telh , then strides across the lawn to where the Woman in White is holding court.:::: Mary: Oh, no. We're in for it now. Chakotay: What's wrong? Mary: The acolytes are scattering. The Woman in White's pulled out the big gun. Sue: Lordy, Mary, you don't mean the *CANON*, do you? Mary: The very thing. ::::Chakotay looks over the lawn and sees the howitzer the Woman in White has aimed at Kathryn.:::: Chakotay: Has anyone survived the Canon? Mary: (Shaking her head grimly.) Never. The Trek Technobabblers --- we didn't introduce you to them; I never understand a word they say --- have tried everything. Even dual tri-cobalt devices have failed to budge the Canon. Chakotay: KATHRYN! Come back! We love you just as you are --- even if you did wimp out in front of Lech-boy! ::::Chakotay runs behind Kathryn, executing a perfect flying tackle to bring down his Captain. Mary and Sue watch as they roll around.:::: Kathryn: (On top.) I never wimped out in front of Wil Riker! Chakotay: (Now on top.) It doesn't matter, Kathryn. Kathryn: (Back on top.) I never daydream on the bridge! Chakotay: (Struggling to get back on top.) None of us ever thought you did, Kathryn! Kathryn: (Pinning him down.) Let go of me! I'm going to get that Woman in White, and when I'm through with her --- ::::Yet another bolt of lightning strikes at Mary's feet. She is clearly angry now, and has had about all she can take of the lightning bolts.:::: Mary: Hey! *I* didn't say that! I'm not going to take any more of this nonsense. Come on Sue! Sue: What are we going to do? Mary: We're going to help Kathryn! ::::Mary and Sue jump into the fray, and in no time at all, they help Chakotay sequester Kathryn and pull her to the roof top garden located atop the east wing of the Fan Purgatory dormitory. Kathryn mutters and swears loudly as she paces back and forth, swinging her bat'telh. Mary begins to get dizzy while watching Kathryn pace. She dodges the bat'telh and grabs Kathryn by the shoulders.:::: Mary: Kathryn, Kathryn, Kathryn. I have something that will help you. Kathryn: I hope it is something that is either very sharp or makes a big boom. ::::Mary reaches into her pocket and pulls out an ink pen which she gives to Kathryn as she carefully takes the bat'telh away from her and hands it to Sue.:::: Mary: The pen is mightier than the bat'telh, Kathryn. (Looks at Sue.) And I'm hoping it's mightier than the canon. ::::Kathryn looks over the ink pen, aims it at the Woman in White, and pushes pocket clip on pen. Nothing happens.:::: Kathryn: This thing seems to be malfunctioning, Mary. ::::Mary and Sue rub their foreheads. Sue watches as Kathryn tries to shoot the pen again, raises one eyebrow, and turns to Mary.:::: Sue: Mary, are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting? Mary: Yep. I don't see any reason why, just because this one is canon, we can't rewrite it. Sue: You know some people around here are going to consider that irreverent. ::::Mary gestures toward the giggling group of Fan Fiction Writers.:::: Mary: *Some* people around here do it all the time. (Grins at Sue.) Anyway, we've never let irreverence stop us before! ::::Kathryn is still aiming at the Woman in White with the ink pen and pushing on the clip.:::: Kathryn: Will one of you show me how this thing works? ::::Sue pulls out a legal pad, takes the pen, and shows Kathryn how to use the pen by writing on the pad "For a few, magical moments, Kathryn Janeway felt as if she were back home in Indiana." Catching on, Kathryn begins to nod, understanding their purpose. Mary gives Chakotay an ink pen and pad and takes one for herself.:::: Chakotay: Where do we start? Kathryn: (Snarling.) The beginning. ::::Mary, Sue and Chakotay sit down and begin to rifle through The Book while Kathryn whimpers impatiently, pacing and throwing vile comments in the Woman in White's direction. Sue and Chakotay begin writing at once, but Mary seems to be blocked. Finally Mary remembers reading in TV Guide about the new ActionJaneway (tm) she would be seeing this season, and pulls out her trusty toy phaser she bought in preparation for the new ActionJaneway (tm), thinking that perhaps it will help to inspire her. Kathryn, seeing Mary's phaser, backhands Mary and kicks the phaser out of her hand. Mary hits the wall with a great big thud, then slides down it. She looks up at Kathryn and thinks of a whole bunch of inappropriate things she could say, but controls the tongue which is firmly attached to the inside of her mouth.:::: Mary: Why did you do that? ::::Kathryn eyeing the bat'telh which is being carefully guarded by Sue again, as she waves her ink pen and The Book in the air.:::: Kathryn: I don't know. I don't know why I do anything any more. Half the time I want to crawl under a desk. The other half, I have an uncontrollable urge to shoot down a chute like a gorilla with a big gun. Mary: (Checking to make sure she has no broken bones.) Yeah, well, the next time you do that to me, I'm going to stuff you in a jeffries tube with a swarm of killer bees. ::::Obviously not the Captain Janeway any of us know and love anymore, Kathryn sits down and stares at her boots. Sue, Chakotay and Mary notice that one boot is high heeled and one isn't.:::: Kathryn: I don't know who I am any more. Mary: Well let's hope that Mulgrew woman does. Kathryn: That Mulgrew woman? ::::Sue thinks this might be a good time to change this line of conversation.:::: Sue: Uh, never mind that, Kathryn. Look, I broke it down, and I figure we'll only have to redo about fifty pages each. We can pretty much leave the Voyager parts the way they are --- ::::Kathryn keeps staring at her boots and begins to look mighty wimpy and pitiful.:::: Kathryn: Except the parts about me daydreaming on the bridge. Mary: (Holds up a stack of pages about eighteen inches thick.) I've made a list of all the scenes we'll have to rewrite. Chakotay: I've finished my first rewrite! ::::Kathryn lunges for Chakotay's pages, but Sue grabs them first. Mary is relieved. She's seen about as much ActionJaneway (tm) as she can take for one day. Sue looks at a big outline and graph on a poster size paper they have taped to a wall.:::: Sue: Where does this fit in, Chakotay? Chakotay: Page 10, right after the fifth paragraph. Kathryn: That would be where I mistake you for my daddy --- I mean father. Mary: (Still peeved at Kathryn for kicking the toy phaser out of her hand and knocking her into the wall.) That would also be the part where Chakotay saves your butt after you go flying off like a bat out of --- ::::Sue elbows Mary again, then Kathryn and Mary look over Sue's shoulder and begin to read. Chakotay sits back and grins.:::: "Kathryn," Chakotay whispered. Mary: Well the J/Cers ought to be able to discuss the meaningfulness of that for the next fifteen or twenty years. Sue: Stop being obnoxious, Mary. ::::All three begin to read again.:::: "Kathryn," Chakotay whispered. He leaned in closer and gently rubbed her cheek, then pushed a stray wisp of hair from her face. She gazed into his eyes for an almost imperceptible moment before speaking; her feelings for him were unmistakable. "The crew?" "Everyone is safe." Chakotay reached into the bundle of supplies they had brought with them and took out the container of water. Janeway watched as he poured a small amount into a cup. The smile that formed on his lips as he handed it to her before turning to Tuvok was reassuring. "Thank you, Chakotay." The cool water soothed her throat, and she sat up. ::::Sue and Mary hold their breath as they await Kathryn's reaction. There is a long silence. Sue and Mary begin to feel uncomfortable. Chakotay looks miserable.:::: Chakotay: Well? :::Kathryn is clearly touched by Chakotay's efforts. She reaches out and offers Chakotay her hand.:::: Kathryn: Just reading it makes me thirsty. ::::Mary goes for lots of coffee while Chakotay and Sue continue to work. When she returns she discovers that Kathryn has gotten impatient with the slowness of the rewrite effort again. Kathryn's donned a black leather cat suit and high heeled boots and is crawling through the bushes on elbows and knees with a big gun as she uses the action figure topiaries in the roof top garden for target practice.:::: Mary: Back to Gorilla Girl again, Chakotay? Chakotay: Beats me. Sue started to play her tape of British invasion bands and all of a sudden Kathryn jumped up and shouted "Mrs. Peel." Next thing we knew --- ::::Kathryn rises from the foliage and aims her rifle. Suddenly, a particularly athletic depiction of Kathryn and Chakotay in rosemary which was planted in the garden by one of the J/Cers is vaporized.:::: Chakotay: Gee, that was one of my favorites. ::::At his words Kathryn turns and notices that Sue's stopped writing to stare at the Woman in White for inspiration. Kathryn levels her weapon.:::: Kathryn: WRITE. ::::Startled, Sue picks up her pen and begins to scrawl words on the page.:::: Mary: I was afraid it would come to this. Sue: Deadlines. (Snorts.) Y'know, "deadline" originally meant the line or ditch that a prisoner couldn't cross without risking being killed by the guards. Chakotay: (Eyeing Kathryn nervously.) Just keep writing, Sue. ::::Mary has had about all she can take of Kathryn's foul mood and one track mind, and begins to wish she would go crawl under a desk.:::: Mary: Yeah, or the first thing you know, she'll take us prisoner, and give us a hot meal and a bath. ::::At Mary's words, Kathryn turns, levels her weapon, and another topiary goes up in smoke. Hastily, Sue holds up a few pages of manuscript in the air with one hand while she keeps on writing.:::: Sue: The first part! Tape it into the outline at page 152! ::::Mary grabs the pages and begins to read until an elegantly spike-heeled foot smashes the pages from her hand.:::: Kathryn: (Delicately retrieving the pages from the ground.) Allow me. ::::Kathryn settles herself in the chair across from Sue and begins to read as Mary mutters something about killer bees.:::: She looked up as a couple strolled by laughing. Kathryn: She? Sue: You. She looked up as a couple strolled by laughing. The tall young cadet she knew from afar; his name was William Riker and she had spotted him during her first weeks at the Academy two years ago. And had just as promptly dismissed him. He looked so much like Cheb Packer she immediately assumed that Riker must be just like Cheb: manipulative, self-aggrandizing, self-important. Kathryn had no need anymore for that kind of emotional turbulence, and so she vowed to keep her distance. Besides, she wanted that episode behind her, and didn't even want to be reminded of Cheb, or the fact that she'd been that emotionally needy. Adolescence, she grimly reminded herself, sucked; she would've been better off with her dog. Briefly, she regretted that she'd betrayed Bramble by dating Cheb. She'd managed to get through two years in school without having met William Riker, or having a class with him. Understandable, given their different interests and career tracks. Not that he'd necessarily have taken notice of her --- he seemed attracted to the showily attractive type, galvanizingly beautiful and supremely confident in their attractiveness. Just like his breed, Kathryn concluded. She smiled inwardly as Riker and his date passed; *she* had an interview with Admiral Paris. It was up to her to pull off this coup. Mary: (Reading over Kathryn's shoulder.) A *little* over the top, maybe? Kathryn: (Caressing her rifle.) *I* like it. Mary: *I'm* hungry. I'm going to get us all something to eat. ::::Mary heads into the main building toward the cafeteria, where she procures lots of goodies for the four of them. On her way back up to the roof top garden, she sees a most frightening sight: a huge leather cat with the ugliest, nastiest hair Mary has ever seen.:::: Mary: Oh, no! An alien of the week must've slipped through with Kathryn and Chakotay! ::::To make matters worse, this truly hideous being is stuffing something at an alarming rate into its mouth. Mary runs, hoping that the alien isn't consuming anyone she knows, when she realizes after a closer look, that the alien being is a most disheveled Kathryn. Mary watches as Kathryn stuffs two more brownies into her mouth, then Mary grabs a third caramel brownie from Kathryn's hand just before it hits Kathryn's mouth.:::: Mary: What's wrong with you now? Kathryn: (Spewing half-eaten brownies as she hisses) This! (Flings open The Book and jabs page, then flips pages.) And this! (Flings pages some more.) And this! (Flips pages some more.) And --- Mary: (Grabs The Book and looks at the page Kathryn has flipped to this time.) Oh-oh! Looks like you discovered all the bad hair parts. It also looks like you discovered all the caramel brownie parts. You know, Kathryn, I'm sick of the bun of steel talk too. I don't know why the Woman in White had to pick on your hair. It looks fine to me. (Looks Kathryn over.) At least it did before you smeared brownies into it. Kathryn: (Whimpers again.) There are millions of bad hair references in The Book. Mary: (Speaking rather soothingly, considering all the bashing she's taken from this version of Kathryn Janeway.) We'll fix it, Kathryn. We'll delete all the parts about bad hair. Kathryn: We can do that? Mary: I don't see why not. That seems kind of minor, compared to some of the other stuff we are doing. (Suddenly wonders about Chakotay and Sue.) Now, give me the platter of caramel brownies and tell me where Chakotay and Sue are. ::::Kathryn hands the platter to Mary, who tosses them into a nearby trash can.:::: Kathryn: I don't even like those things. Mary: Kathryn, where are Chakotay and Sue? Kathryn: I chained them to the table in the roof top garden. ::::Mary really wishes that the old Kathryn was back --- the one who was authoritative *and* nice.:::: Mary: Kathryn, Kathryn, Kathryn. Why did you do that? Kathryn: So they couldn't take a break from the writing. Mary: Well, go back up there and take these things with you while I go for more paper and pens. ::::Kathryn docilely takes the tray of drinks and snacks up to the others, which kind of surprises Mary. In no time at all Mary has returned to the roof top garden with fresh paper and pens. She sees, however, that Chakotay and Sue are still chained to the table. Mary nearly drops the paper and pens in shock when she sees that they are sharing a drink and exchanging meaningful looks.:::: Chakotay: (putting his straw into Sue's glass as he gives Meaningful Look #1) *Thanks, Sue. I can't believe Kathryn gave you the Diet Pepsi. She knows I hate Diet Coke.* Sue: (Meaningful Look #2.) *No prob. Say, am I wrong, or has the Touchy-Feely Count gone to hell this season?* Chakotay: (Meaningful Look #3.) *Nope. You're right. You could dust every crewman on Voyager, and not find a single fingerprint. And you've given me more Meaningful Looks in two minutes than she's given me all season.* Sue: (Meaningful Look #4) *Sorry, Chak.* Chakotay: (Meaningful Look #5) *Thanks.* Mary: Stop it you two! Chakotay! How could you!? Sue, I thought you were a loyal J/Cer! Chakotay: Mary! What are you talking about? Mary: Those Meaningful Looks --- Sue: Ahhh, don't worry. It's the only way we can, uh, communicate. ::::Sue lifts the tablecloth to reveal Kathryn hiding under the table with her bat'telh.:::: Sue: Goldie here is still feeling a little insecure. ::::Sue collects both her pages and Chakotay's pages of manuscript together, and holds it out to Kathryn.:::: Sue: Let's see if we can entice her out with this joint addition to the outline at page 162. I think we're about to see a great improvement. ::::Kathryn grabs the manuscript and retreats back under the table to read. Mary squeezes under the table to read too.:::: Sue and Chakotay: Hey! Watch the toes! And Kathryn found herself looking right at William Riker. Kathryn pulled out the chair and turned it around and sat slowly, straddling the chair. She barely heard the introductions as she thought about the fact that fate had brought her together with the image of her old nemesis. Well, what the heck, Kathryn thought. Might as well see what he's made of. I need to eat anyway, and I can leave in an hour. She toyed with the pocket bat'telh in her jacket pocket, but decided against throwing it down on the table as she'd done on the previous blind date Lettie had set up for her. If things developed, that sort of challenge could be made later. "Do you like to be called Kathryn? Or is there a familiar form you like?" "Just Kathryn." She gave Riker a slow, seductive smile. Riker smiled in return, displaying deep dimples. Hmmm, just like Cheb, he was a fine specimen of male pulchritude. But did he resemble Cheb in other ways? "How about you? Is it William?" "I'm usually called Will." "Then Will it is." "I'm surprised we never met. We're in the same class; you'd think we'd have run into each other before this." That's because I decided a long time ago that you weren't worth looking up, thought Kathryn, but said instead, "We've just been in different classes." No sense in puncturing his opinion of himself just yet. "I hear you landed the Scorcher for your junior thesis." "Yep. He's demanding, but nothing I can't handle. Are you doing a junior thesis?" "I'm focusing on exopaleontology. Someday I want my own ship." Kathryn's smile grew broader. *Of course* he wanted his own ship. Didn't they all, these young cadets filled with Kirkian dreams? If she had a credit for each time she'd heard a cadet like Riker proclaim that they were going to command their own ship ... "I'm devoted to my sciences. I'd rather be a science officer; so much more thrilling to be the one observing and interpreting on an exploration into deep space." His smile broadened as well. "Perhaps we'll end up together. You as science officer on my ship." "Perhaps, if your mission is worth it." Lettie kicked her under the table, but Riker only smiled all the more. "My missions will always be . . . worth it." Well, well, thought Kathryn. Maybe there is more to Cadet Riker than I thought. One last test. "My thesis is on massive compact halo objects. Are you familiar with them?" "A little. One of my former teachers back home did some study of them, got me interested. What tack is your thesis taking?" Hmmm. There *was* potential here. Teach me to prejudge a man, thought Kathryn. She leaned closer to engage in a bit of scientific tete a tete, but the arrival of their coffee and sandwiches forestalled the conversation. An hour later, Kathryn and Lettie were strolling back to their dorm room. "Well?" Lettie demanded. "Should I have Howie get Wil to call you?" "Nah." "No? Kathryn, he's simply the most attractive man in our class. And the way he looked at you, I know he's interested. At least think about it." "I have thought about it, Lettie. I don't think so." And she had. Despite his obvious charms, Cadet Riker looked to be high maintenance, given his propensity to chase anything in a skirt, and she had other things on her plate right now. "Kathryn --- " "Lettie, let's just say he doesn't make my fingertips tingle in quite the same way as my thesis proposal does." Kathryn keyed in the code to their room, tossed her jacket on her bed, and began to address that tingle by doggedly inputting information into her terminal, determined to meet the Scorcher's deadline. ::::Finished with the manuscript, Kathryn emerges from under the table and tosses a pocket bat'telh on the table in front of Chakotay.:::: Kathryn: Game, Commander? ::::Chakotay's pleased to see a bit of the old Captain back.:::: Chakotay: Sure, Kathryn. One thing though. Kathryn: What's that? Chakotay: Unlock me. ::::Kathryn unchains Chakotay and Sue, and she and Chakotay head to a far corner of the roof top garden while Mary flips through The Book and Sue rubs her wrists and ankles.:::: Sue: Boy, bondage isn't always everything it's touted to be. Who'd have thought Kathryn would go so bonkers over that stupid book? Mary: Sure isn't the Kathryn I've come to love. You should have seen her wolfing down the brownies. It will take me forever to delete all the bad hair parts. Sue: At least she didn't chain you to a table. Mary: You were chained to the table with Chakotay, Sue. Billions of women would have given anything to have been in your chains. Sue: So I'm one out of a billion. Chak's a swell guy, but give me my rakehell pilot any day. ::::Sue looks over to Kathryn and Chakotay, sees the Captain start gesturing with more emphasis.:::: Sue: Better get writing, Mary. We don't know how much longer Chakotay can keep her appeased. Mary: I know. What I don't know is where to start. Sue: Just let The Book fall open to any old page and begin there. ::::Mary decides this is a good strategy and does just that.:::: Mary: Page 220, hmmm. Whew! That's the part where poor old Phoebe tries to give Kathryn and Justin --- who has the personality of a door knob --- a dog. Well, let's see, I'll just put the seventh paragraph after the fifth, then start the rewrite with the sixth paragraph. ::::Mary scribbles away.:::: Phoebe stared at Kathryn and Justin. It was really beyond her comprehension that Kathryn would become involved with anyone who didn't like dogs; maybe Kathryn was making a mistake. An uncomfortable silence fell on the group, and Kathryn jumped in to appease. "We have plenty of time to discuss this later." Her smile melted the iciness that had penetrated the air. ::::Mary pauses and reads a few more paragraphs.:::: Mary: Let's see, daddy talks to Justin. We can leave that part and just skip to the confrontation between Kathryn and Phoebe. ::::Mary begins to write again.:::: When they had gone, Kathryn turned to Phoebe. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you or Justin, Kathryn. I just never dreamed that you would think about marrying someone who didn't like dogs." "We never discussed it before." Kathryn began to gather the dishes from the table. Maybe there were a lot of other things that she and Justin should discuss. Gretchen looked at the two girls. They had been competitive in their youth, but it was pleasant to watch the interaction between the two now. There was a bond between them now that only two sisters could share. "Girls, neither of you should have to change to accommodate someone else. Both of you have good heads on your shoulders. You are kind and compassionate. Anyone would be very lucky to have either of you, and I don't want you to ever forget that." Kathryn looked toward her father's study. She was glad that her father was here this evening. "Justin didn't seem upset. I don't suppose any harm was done," she said as she started toward the kitchen with the armload of dishes she had gathered. "Kathryn," Phoebe grabbed hold of her arm, and she turned to look at her sister. "I'll get you the candlesticks, but you can still have the pick of the litter if you and Justin decide you'd like that." "I know, Phoebe." Kathryn felt her sister's genuine concern and was touched. "Let's finish the dishes. I want some time to visit with Daddy this evening too." "Why don't I show Justin the town while you do that? Maybe he'd enjoy seeing where you grew up. Anyway, if he is going to be my brother-in-law, I'd like to get to know him better." "That would be nice, Phoebe. Thank you." A sudden sly grin came over Kathryn's face, "Maybe you should leave Blanca with me, though." "I don't know," Phoebe laughed, "taking Blanca just might help break Justin in to the idea of pets." Kathryn laughed. "You just might be right, Phoebe." ::::Mary hands the pages to Sue, who looks them over.:::: Mary: What do you think? Sue: Looks pretty good to me, but we'll have to give it to Sybil over there and see what she thinks. ::::Suddenly loud noises can be heard coming from the far corner of the roof top garden.:::: Chakotay: I wasn't accusing you of daydreaming, Kathryn! I just asked what you were thinking about! ::::Even louder noises are heard.:::: Chakotay: Help! Mary! Sue! Ouch, Kathryn! Please stop! ::::Mary and Sue run to the far corner of the roof top garden where they find Kathryn on the ground atop Chakotay. She has one of his arms locked behind him and is pushing his face into the ground.:::: Kathryn: You were too accusing me of daydreaming. I know you were! ::::Mary and Sue grab Kathryn and pull her off of Chakotay. In a flash Chakotay is up and helping Mary and Sue drag Kathryn into Mary's private Fan Purgatory suite.:::: Chakotay: Calm down, Kathryn. Kathryn: Don't you tell me to calm down, you overgrown baboon! Sue: I'd take that as a compliment, Chakotay. Kathryn likes monkeys. Mary: This has gone too far now. ::::Mary grabs her tapes of Caretaker and Resistance and flips one into the VCR.:::: Chakotay: What are we going to do? Mary: We're going to make Kathryn watch these videos over and over until she starts to remember who she is. ::::Chakotay, Mary and Sue make sure Kathryn is secured to the recliner in front of the television, and then they sit down to resume the monumental task at hand.:::: Mary: Guess I'll back up and redo chapter two. Chakotay: What's in chapter two? Mary: (Writing away.) Four year old Goldenbird spends an hour and a half under a desk to please her daddy. Chakotay: Under a desk? Sue: Yep. She has to stay quiet so daddy can finish his work. She figures if she's quiet and learns her multiplication tables, her father will lavish her with praise. Chakotay: (Horrified.) She thinks she has to earn his praise? Mary: (Still writing away.) Not only that, later in The Book, when she's twenty seven, she crawls back under that same desk. Chakotay: (In disbelief.) Why? Sue: Insecurity mostly. Chakotay: (Looks toward Kathryn.) Poor Kathryn. That's hard to believe. Mary: (Hands a page to Chakotay and Sue.) We thought so too. That's why I changed it. Sue: Mary, you've just turned a whole chapter into half a page. Mary: Who wants to pay twenty bucks to read about a father torturing a four year old by keeping her pinned under a desk for an hour and a half? Anyway, if the Woman in White had written it this way, maybe she would have had some room in The Book to write about that two year stint Kathryn did in deep space. Sue: Or spend some time on her becoming a Captain. ::::Sue and Chakotay begin to read.:::: Edward Janeway cleared his desk of the work he'd finally finished and looked over at four year old Kathryn, who was still working at the little desk he'd put in his office especially for her. Quietly he crossed the room and stooped down. "You about ready to call it a day, Goldenbird?" Kathryn looked up at him and put her hands on her hips. "Quiet Daddy, I'm not through yet. Anyway, I told you not to call me Goldenbird any more. I'm a big girl now." Janeway watched with pride as his daughter punched the padd a few more times before handing it to him. "I see. And just what have you been working on, Kathryn?" "My multiplication tables." Kathryn beamed. "All the way up through ten?" "Oh, Daddy, tens are easy. I went all the way up through twelves. And I figured elevens and twelves out all on my own!" She shrieked with glee as her father picked her up effortlessly and swung her around the room. "More Daddy, more!" Edward laughed as he brought his Goldenbird back to the ground. "Let's feed the lionfish first." Just then Gretchen came into the room. Right away Kathryn noticed that her mother was holding a blanket that she was pretty sure contained Your Sister. So far, Kathryn hadn't found Your Sister to be of much use. She mostly just squirmed and cried, and Kathryn had no interest in things like that. She was, however, interested in what name they were going to give Your Sister. She had a few thoughts of her own where that matter was concerned, but no one had asked for her opinion. "It's a beautiful evening, Edward," Gretchen announced. "Let's take the girls for a walk to the cornfields." "Yes!" shouted Kathryn. Kathryn's favorite place on Earth was the cornfields of the agricultural park in which they lived. Sue: Great. That'll help me deal with the mucus. Chakotay: Mucus? Sue: Yeah. Right here on page 224, it talks about Kathryn dealing with all the hurt her father caused her with "an expiation of mucus" and "gurgling shudders." Yick ... ::::Sue wipes down the page and holds up her dripping hand.:::: Sue: Anyone got a Kleenex? Mary: Eewwwww. Have I told you recently how sick you are? Sue: Hey. I gotta scrape it off before I can start editing it. ::::Mary hands Sue a carton of Kleenex and closes her eyes as Sue wipes her hand, then begins to write.:::: Phoebe was as good as her word, and had spirited Justin away for a tour of the agricultural park after he'd emerged from his talk with Edward Janeway. Kathryn was with her father in his study, the study where she'd spent some of the golden moments of her childhood. Memories of those times flooded over Kathryn now, producing a quiet joy as she recalled the time they'd spent together here, before the Cardassian situation had stolen Edward Janeway from his family. She watched as her father ran his hand through his hair, hair that was thinning and flecked with grey. Just when did her handsome father begin to age? "I've just spent a very worthwhile hour with Justin, Kathryn, going over these plans, and I'm quite taken with him. He's smart, sensible --- and he's tough." Edward Janeway smiled at his grown daughter, standing before him wearing her newly-won Lieutenant's pips. "He'll need that, to be married to you." Kathryn paused, uncertain how to respond. Did her father think her so flinty that any spouse would require something beyond love in order to live with her? Was he so unfamiliar with her? Perhaps a simple generality was best. "He's a very special man, Dad. He is hard to get to know, but once you do..." But her voice caught, and betrayed her. "Kathryn --- what is it?" "I ... " She tried to make up a comforting excuse as she always had for her father, but her years in the Academy, her tour of duty in deep space, and the risks she'd endured while out there had brought her to a place where she required, no, demanded, basic honesty in her relationships. Even with her beloved father. "It's just that I feel you don't really know me anymore, Father." "Kathryn!" He looked at her with a stricken face. "So many birthdays, so many holidays ... you missed my graduations. You were --- you are --- always gone, Dad, for months at a time, and then not really with us when you are here." She turned away from her father's sudden hurt, and realized with a start that the aquarium was gone, a Starfleet console in its place. When had the lionfish been replaced? Where had she been? "I know it's been important to be strong, and not to be a burden to you, but ..." Edward gently grasped his daughter's shoulders and turned her to face him once more. "Kathryn, I'm sorry ... " "Dad, I'm sorry too. I thought I was beyond that weakness, that I could deal with it. But I can't, anymore. I guess I just want you to be proud of me, at least." "Kathryn, I am proud of you. There aren't words to tell you how much. Ask anyone I work with --- I'm afraid I drive them crazy talking about my daughter." "You do?" Her blue eyes were questioning, doubting. "I've told my colleagues about every honor, every accolade, every commendation you ever received. And I know there were a potful of them. I'm a terrible braggart about my Kathryn. How could you think I wasn't proud of you? How could you imagine it?" "You never told me," she said simply. Edward turned abruptly, walking away from her, clenching and unclenching his fists in his distress. "War takes many tolls, Kathryn. I'm all too aware of the massive ones --- slaughter, torture, misery, starvation. Those things you can't ignore." He bowed his head. "I guess I didn't pay attention to some of the others." He turned and looked solemnly at her. "I was asked to prevent war from befalling the entire Federation, and I've never hesitated, Kathryn. You and Phoebe and your mother paid the price. I know I wasn't there when you were growing up, and I hoped your mother's love would be enough. I swear to you, I thought of you every day, every hour. I missed you so much it was like a physical pain. I'm sorry if it seemed if I was neglecting you. You always flourished, Kathryn. Phoebe was our real worry. She seemed to lack direction, lack motivation. Remember when we were all so glad when she found that she loved painting, because it gave focus to her life? But you were never a concern for us, Kathryn. You've always been strong." "Daddy ... " Kathryn's throat closed. It was the first time she could ever remember her father talking to her like this, talking to her as an adult. For all that she cherished her memories of her childhood romps with her father, this new bond meant so much more to her. She moved into her father's embrace, enjoying the comfort of his arms for several minutes. Then she pulled away, and led her father to the kitchen, knowing that they had to talk, realizing that she and Justin would face the same issues, the long separations, the need to place duty before their relationship. And if children came ... she and Justin really did need to talk some more. Kathryn made popcorn and hot chocolate, and they savored their snack as they talked into the night. Eventually the conversation turned to Admiral Paris' advice that Kathryn pursue a career in Command. Her father favored the idea. "You'll value command training, Kathryn. It teaches certain habits of discipline and decision making that you'll find valuable beyond your precious scientific method. And beyond that, the best of the best should be in Command. That's you, Kathryn." After they'd gone to bed, Kathryn found that she still could not sleep. With the house dark and quiet, she crept up to the attic and found the tiny desk she'd sat at so many years before and placed her hand on it. She could only hope that her own children would sit at this desk and absorb the lessons she'd learned from her parents while sitting at it. Smiling, she crept back down the stairs to her bed and slept contentedly through the night. ::::Mary watches as Sue puts the final period in the rewrite.:::: Mary: Nice work, Sue! I really like that. How about you, Chakotay? How are you coming along? Chakotay: Done! Sue: What is it? Chakotay: You remember that part where Kathryn is amused over me ordering her to her quarters to rest? Sue: Yes. Chakotay: Well, I thought there wasn't enough of me in that scene. Mary: There wasn't any of you in that scene. Chakotay: There is now. ::::Chakotay hands them his rewrite.:::: Kathryn Janeway didn't even notice when Chakotay entered her ready room. He watched as she gazed at the monitor, then reached for her cup of coffee. He knew how long it had been since she'd taken a break, and the dark circles under her eyes showed just how tired she was. "How many cups of that stuff have you had today?" Chakotay's voice was quiet, and his concern was obvious. "This is just my fourth." She eyed him and knew what was coming. "Would you believe it's half decaf?" Chakotay crossed the ready room and took the mug from her hand. "If Tom were to start a betting pool on your coffee being decaf, I'd bet a lifetime supply of replicator rations that you've never touched a cup of decaf in your life." It was no use trying to fool her first officer. "And you'd win, Chakotay," she laughed. "Go to your quarters and get some rest, Kathryn. It's no good for any of us to be tired. We all need to be fresh when we go back to the planet." Kathryn sat back in her chair and looked at Chakotay for a moment before responding. "Is that an order, Commander?" Chakotay's only reply was the slow smile that crossed his face. ::::Sue notices that Mary is drooling, and shoves the carton of Kleenex back at Mary.:::: Sue: Better wipe your face, Mary. Chakotay: Of course, we'll have to get rid of the Woman in White's part of the story where it says Kathryn limits herself to two cups a day, but stretches it to four by mixing it with decaf. Mary: (Reads what Chakotay has written again, then grabs another Kleenex.) We can do that. ::::Suddenly Kathryn squirms in the recliner, trying to work her way out, but to no avail. She speaks, still sounding kind of sharp, to say the least.:::: Kathryn: What are you three whispering about over there? Give me what you've done right now. ::::Chakotay reaches over to give the three new rewrites to Kathryn, but Mary grabs them from him.:::: Mary: Ask us with the command authority you had in Caretaker, Kathryn. Sue: And add a little of the compassion you showed in Resistance. ::::It is a struggle for Kathryn, but at last she manages to do so. Mary hands her the pages, then turns back to consult with Sue and Chakotay.:::: Sue: This next part is the hard part. We have to make Kathryn *remember*, so she doesn't daydream on the bridge. It's so difficult. Mary: She daydreams twice on the bridge, Sue. Sue: Yeah, well I can only rewrite one part at a time, Mary. Chakotay: Remember what? Sue: (Sadly.) How she couldn't rescue her father and her fiancÈ. They both died, while she watched. Chakotay: That part came as a shock to me. Why does she need to remember it at all? Mary: (Rolls her eyes) Because in the book, she represses everything and becomes this emotional wreck. But if she *remembers*, it will be a source of strength for her, so she'll be able to go back to being the Captain we know and love. Sue: Hmmm ... I've got it, here, now ... on page 231, we cut everything in the chapter after the sentence "There must be water there." Then, we go to page 298, and begin there ... ::::Mary and Chakotay watch over Sue's shoulder as Sue writes.:::: A huge shard of jagged ice, jutting ... from ... from ... the ground. No, icebergs didn't form on land. There must be water there. She looked into the middle of the dark sea --- the frozen sea which had been so cruelly penetrated by a flaming object from the heavens, and saw no iceberg. It was the ship, nose up, violated and broken, looming out of the water like a huge and formidable iceberg. Kathryn could clearly see her father and Justin, dazed and bloody, but alive, in the ship's cabin. She immediately went into action. Of course she would. She --- Kathryn Janeway --- was accustomed to the pressure, to emergencies, to disasters. They were simply challenges, and Kathryn Janeway had always risen to conquer her challenges. She would not fail to save the two people she loved most in life. Sue: (Looks up from her writing.) We can keep all the technobabble, struggle, and angst on 298 through 301, transplanting it back to 231, and then we'll pick up again in the middle of 301 to end the chapter. She had lost them both. She stood, numbed, looking at the black pool of water as it churned from the upheaval it had undergone. Her father and her husband-to-be were now entombed beneath that ravaged sheet of ice. Kathryn stood there, staring, unaware of the pain in her broken leg, overwhelmed by the fact that she had failed --- that despite her ability to analyze, her store of knowledge, her years of training, she could not pull forth the solution as she'd always done, could not solve the dilemma ... could not save Justin, could not save her Daddy. Daddy. Justin. Kathryn allowed her legs to collapse beneath her, sliding down the face of the console, huddling close to the technology in which she'd placed such faith, the technology which had ultimately proven untrustworthy and useless. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to cry, deep, soundless sobs that racked her body, not stopping until the frozen air burned her throat and numbed her chest, forbidding any further physical mourning. She turned inward then, to her interior self, shutting her eyes to the glaring whiteness as she cataloged each touch, each word, each glance shared with both of them on this final journey, hoarding and storing each precious moment in her memory, determined to hold on to her loved ones beyond their dark and lonely grave, and praying with all her soul that her father and her fiancÈ would forgive her first and only failure. Sue: (continuing to write) Then, we can begin Chapter 20 with this, instead. Kathryn and Phoebe Janeway walked slowly along the frozen furrows of the barren cornfields, picking their way amongst the icy clods of earth under a weak and watery afternoon sun. Kathryn looked over at her sister and smiled. These afternoon hikes in the fallow fields had become a regular part of each day, a comforting habit shared between the two of them ever since Kathryn had been released from the hospital at Starfleet Headquarters six months ago. At first the hikes were necessary physical therapy; then they'd provided spiritual solace and a time for mental ordering. The two sisters would talk, or not, as their fancy took them. Sometimes they ended up embracing, comforting each other in their mutual loss. The wind whipped some icy shards of snow into Kathryn's face, stinging her eyelids and causing a momentary sense of panic. She stopped and took a deep breath, calling on the centering exercises the counselors at Starfleet Medical had taught her, knowing it would be a long time before she would ever feel completely comfortable in a frozen landscape again. The rescue ship had found her only at the last moment, her body temperature dangerously low, frostbite threatening her extremities, her life force ebbing away. Her healers had kept her for weeks at the headquarters hospital, less for her physical injuries than for her emotional pain and trauma. She tried, at first, to withdraw into herself, to hide from the reality of her father's and Justin's death, and her part in it, by disassociating herself from the world, sleeping away each painful day. But with the help of a concerned half-Betazoid counselor whose empathy was palpable, she confronted her pain and learned to deal with the loss, learned to deal with her guilt and sense of failure, learning, finally, to forgive herself. She'd come home then, home to Indiana, where Mom and Phoebe waited. Sharing this time of mourning with her sister and mother had completed her recovery --- as much as anyone could ever recover from such an ordeal. The three of them had drawn together and remade their family as best they could, forging new links from their bitter losses. Kathryn would be the first to break that circle, now, for her orders had come through from Starfleet. In three weeks she had to report back to San Francisco. Phoebe's hand touched Kathryn's shoulder and called her back to herself. "We should be getting back. Mom will have dinner ready soon." "Wasn't she making beef stew from scratch?" The pair smiled at each other, remembering their childhood complaints about having to eat "real food." Phoebe winked at her sister. "Don't worry, Kathryn. I'll make the coffee, and replicate your dessert." It was unquestioned that Phoebe made the best coffee in the family. Kathryn laughed. "You needn't indulge me that much, Phoebe. In three weeks I'll have all the replicated food I want. I should enjoy Mom's cooking while I can." Joining their arms, they turned and began their hike back to the comfortable farmhouse where their mother waited. "Have you decided what you're going to do?" "Yes. I'm going to turn down the expedition to the Beta Quadrant, and take up command training. Admiral Paris promised to help arrange for a postgraduate program." Phoebe looked sharply at her sister, recalling her sister's initial elation at being asked on the Beta Quadrant mission. "You're not doing this for ... " "For Dad? For Justin? No, Phoebe, I'm doing it for me. I love my sciences ... but it's come too easily. I've always shied away from the real challenge in Starfleet --- taking the ultimate responsibility, leading a crew on a mission, making the decisions that need to be made. I avoided learning those skills and didn't have them when I needed them most." Kathryn paused, briefly seeing another frozen landscape, one in which a young lieutenant confronted her own personal Kobayashi Maru test --- and failed, failed to make the tough decision that would have obtained the best result possible from that awful tragedy. Kathryn turned to her sister. "It's time I grew beyond myself, Phoebe. And if I can honor Dad's and Justin's memory in the process, I'll be very happy." Phoebe searched her sister's face, and satisfied with what she saw there, she smiled and patted her sister's mittened hand. "As long as it's what you want, Kathryn." "It is. Besides," Kathryn said slyly, "You know I've always wanted to run things my way. Just think of me with a whole ship under my command." "God help that crew." "Oh, is that what you think of me ... " Kathryn scooped up some snow, made a soft ball, and caught her sister on the back. Phoebe ducked behind a tree and grabbed a branch, showering snow all over Kathryn's bare head. Kathryn looked about, seeking a means of returning the favor. In the kitchen Gretchen Janeway looked up and smiled, glad to hear her daughters' laughter carrying over the fields. Quietly she stood at the kitchen window and watched as Blanca and three pups bounded into the midst of the fray between her two daughters, no longer children, but grown women. She shut her eyes and a lifetime of memories flooded past, memories of earlier walks in the cornfields, birthday parties, tennis matches and graduations, as well as memories of the lonely nights wishing Edward could be home with her, with his family. As she opened her eyes and watched Kathryn and Phoebe romp in the snow, a warmth suffused her, and she felt sure he was with them now. She stirred the beef stew again, then called her girls inside. Phoebe took one last shot at Kathryn with a snowball as Kathryn scooped up the smallest of the puppies, her favorite, then they headed toward the house. "Kathryn, why don't you take that one with you to keep you company while you're at the Academy?" "I'd like that, Phoebe." "What will you call her?" Kathryn raised the pup close to her face and studied its wrinkled, immature countenance. Was there the impress of a blossom on its face? "Petunia, maybe." "Oh, Kathryn," Phoebe grimaced as they walked through the back door, "anything but Petunia." ::::Chakotay and Mary are speechless. Sue shrugs and hands the pages to Kathryn who reads them. A noticeable improvement comes over the Captain, as the three watch her sit up a little straighter and begin to resemble the Kathryn they love again.:::: Kathryn: This is beautiful. I don't know what to say. Mary: (Needing to make a light moment of all this solemnity.) Maybe we could all just hold hands or something. ::::Sue thinks about elbowing Mary again, but doesn't.:::: Kathryn: Do you think you could let me out of this recliner now? Mary: Just unfasten the seat beat. Kathryn: (Tugs at the strap across her lap.) Seat belt? Mary: Oh, I forgot you don't have seat belts on Voyager. ::::Mary goes to Kathryn and unfastens the seat belt.:::: Sue: Mary, what are you doing with a seat belt on your recliner? Mary: Every time I watched Voyager, and they got in a battle, I kept flying out of my chair and busting my head. ::::Kathryn suddenly notices her leather cat suit attire and looks at herself at the mirror over the fireplace.:::: Kathryn: Would someone mind telling me how I got into this getup and what this sticky stuff all over me is? Sue: We aren't sure how you got into that outfit --- Mary: But we can tell you that the sticky stuff is caramel brownies. ::::Kathryn touches her hair, grimaces, and then straightens.:::: Kathryn: I need a bath, some shampoo, and my uniform. Mary: You can say that again. With the brownies you rubbed through your hair, you look more like a Kazon than a Captain. Bathroom's second door to the right, down that hall. There's a replicator in there, too. Kathryn: You have a replicator in the bathroom? Mary: We like those things. Sue: While you're soaking, I'll finish cleaning up those little "drifting off" moments on the bridge. Kathryn: (Shaking her head.) I just don't understand what got into that Woman in White with all that daydreaming and drifting off she put in The Book. ::::The three watch as Kathryn walks down the hall toward the bathroom and shuts the door behind her.:::: Sue: (Picking up her pen.) Kathryn seems better. Mary: A *lot* better! Not only did she not whine and snivel, she didn't reach for a weapon or threaten to plummet down some chute. Chakotay: (Still looking down the hallway.) It sure is nice to be seeing the old Captain again. Sue: Hmmm ... we merely have to drop the daydreaming reference on page 241. Now that the Captain remembers everything, she doesn't have to spend the entire novel playing Let's Make A Deal, trying to find the repressed memory behind Door Number One or Door Number Two. Then all we have to do is drop this in at page 296. She looked back at Chakotay, whose wise, patient eyes held hers, reflecting concern and empathy, and nodded once. It was over. She'd fought with every bit of her skill and ingenuity, and she'd lost. The defeat was palpable. A chill passed through her, and for the barest moment she was back on the frozen planet, seeing the shattered cabin of the starship begin to sink ... and then she was on her feet, moving toward the conn, away from the place she vowed she'd never return to. This was not the end. She had her ship, had her crew and knew in ways beyond knowing that the away team was still alive somewhere on that planet. Until one of those things changed, there were always options, and it was her job to create them if none were immediately apparent. "All stop, Mr. Paris." Tom's tousled head swung around to her in surprise. "Captain?" "Come about, Mr. Paris. We're not leaving the away team. We're going to go back and get them." "Do you have a plan, Captain?" Chakotay's brow was furrowed in puzzlement and concern. Janeway turned to stare at her First Officer. A plan? No....not yet. Crunch time, Kathryn, she thought, turning back to study the star filling the Voyager's view screen. Time to come through again, time to show the crew --- and yourself --- that you can do this. The answer's here, she thought, and closed her eyes to visualize the Tokath, reviewing what she knew about them ... ::::Mary and Chakotay read over Sue's shoulder.:::: Mary: You better redo all that silly applause stuff at the end, just to make sure Kathryn doesn't have any relapses. ::::Sue turns back to her legal pad and begins to scribble.:::: Sue: Then we'll be finished, and Chakotay and the Captain can get back to business in the Delta Quadrant. Chakotay: I'm going to miss you two. You've been a great help in restoring the Captain's determination and passion. Mary: Actually, Chakotay, you ... uh ... um ... you could do us one favor. Take us with you. Sue: (Looking up.) Rescue us from Fan Purgatory. Chakotay: (Shakes his head.) You're not part of the crew. We couldn't take you away from here. Mary: But we have our uniforms already. ::::Mary goes to the closet door to pull out her uniform. Sue jumps up, suddenly agitated.:::: Sue: Mary! Wait, don't go in there! Mary: Hey. Who put this bolt on the closet door? ::::Mary shoots the bolt with her toy phaser and opens the closet door. Instantly, an exasperated Tom Paris bursts out of the closet bound hand and foot by chains.:::: Paris: Finally! Chakotay: Paris! Where did you come from? What are you doing in that closet? ::::Paris glares at Sue and points.:::: Paris: She locked me in there. When we came to, you and the Captain were missing from the bridge. We've had away teams looking for you all over this place. When I came up here to look, she tripped me, put these chains on me, and threw me in the closet. Mary: Sue!! Sue: (Defensively.) He was going to interrupt the rewrite process. And I kinda thought we might try to keep him around. I didn't think they'd miss him. At least, not much. ::::Mary begins to unlock Paris.:::: Mary: I wondered where these chains had gotten to. ::::Chakotay eyes the several dozen Voyager action figures which have tumbled out the closet and onto the floor, and spots one of himself glued together with a Janeway figure.:::: Chakotay: I'm beginning to see why you're both here. Mary: You've got to take us with you. According to rumors that the Trek Net Nerds are passing along, the Woman in White has already started another book. This one's everyone else's life story. You might need a rewrite, too. Chakotay: (Muttering as he looks at Paris.) You'd think I'd get a book all to myself. ::::Chakotay then sees the seven pips going around the collar of the uniform Mary is holding.:::: Chakotay: Ummmm, I still don't think so. Mary: But we can pull our weight! We have lots of great ideas we could start working on with B'Elanna. Like, we could work on a seat belt. We'll call it the Gravitational Constrainment Apparatus. The Technobabblers should love it. Anyway, it would automatically engage any time Voyager goes in for a rough ride. It'll keep Kathryn from being thrown all over the bridge and getting her noggin knocked anymore. As many times as the poor woman's been bashed in the head since you guys got pulled into the Delta Quadrant, it's a wonder to me that she's got any sense left. ::::Sue nods in agreement.:::: Chakotay: But how would we explain you to the crew? Sue: That's easy, we'll be the Delaney Sisters. No one's ever seen the Delaney Sisters, so we'll fit right in. Mary: Yeah. (Stands at full attention.) Jenny Mary Delaney reporting for duty *SIR*. Sue: (Grins and salutes.) And Megan Sue Delaney, *Sir*. ::::Chakotay and Paris stare at each other for several seconds.:::: Chakotay: Any ideas, Lieutenant? Paris: Two words, Chakotay. Prime Directive. Chakotay: Works for me. Chakotay and Paris: (In unison, to Mary and Sue.) No. ::::Suddenly, an authoritative voice cuts through their conversation.:::: Janeway: What's going on here? ::::The four look up to see the Captain fully uniformed, neatly bunned, and looking like the best Captain anyone has ever seen.:::: Chakotay: We were discussing our departure with our hosts, here, Captain. Janeway: Good. We need to gather the crew and find our way out of here. And just what are you grinning at, Mr. Paris? Paris: (Noting the difference in his Captain.) It's good to have you back, Captain. Janeway: I'm glad to be back. ::::Janeway turns to Mary and Sue and touches Mary on her shoulder, which really gives Mary a thrill.:::: Janeway: I can't thank the two of you enough. Sue: Anytime, Captain. Mary: Well, if you really wanted to thank us you could grant us asy --- oooooooeewwfffff! ::::Sue elbows Mary hard.:::: Mary: (Rubbing her ribs and frowning at Sue.) Uh, yeah, anytime you need help, Kath --- *Captain,* but I was thinking --- Janeway: Let's go, gentlemen. Sue: Wait, Captain. You haven't read the last part, yet. ::::Sue offers Captain Janeway the last few pages of manuscript. The Captain takes them and begins to read silently.:::: Chakotay: Read it out loud, Captain. Janeway: All right. Hmm. "And when the transporter chief reported that all hands were safely on board ... ... Janeway felt a moment of quiet relief. The crisis was over. She stood, wanting to go meet the away team in Sickbay. "The bridge is yours, Commander." "A good job, Captain." Chakotay's soft voice conveyed his approval. But that was all she had done. Her job, her duty. To lead her crew and keep it safe as they explored and encountered the secrets of the Delta Quadrant together. And finally --- eventually --- to bring that new knowledge, and the crew that had gathered it, safely home. She'd done no more than the rest of the crew. Janeway looked around her bridge, watching the crew members go about their duties, beginning the necessary repairs, restoring Voyager so that they could continue their journey. "We've all done a good job, here, Commander." Chakotay nodded. "Aye, Captain." "Mr. Paris, resume our course for the Alpha Quadrant." "Yes, ma'am!" And Janeway turned and walked to the turbolift, anxious to get to Sickbay to welcome back the away team, and assure herself that they were safe. ::::As the Captain reads the manuscript, a shimmer envelops the three officers, growing brighter and brighter with each word the Captain reads. The light becomes dazzlingly bright, blinding Mary and Sue. Suddenly, the light winks out, and the Captain, Chakotay, and Paris have disappeared.:::: Mary: Hey! They're gone! How'd they do that? Sue: Probably another stupid anomaly. Or maybe they're just outside. ::::Sue runs over to the window and searches the grounds below.:::: Sue: Hey, look, Mary! The Woman in White's canon is looking a whole lot smaller! Mary: (Looks down on the grounds and sees that Voyager is no longer there.) So what? We're still here. I was just about to ask Kathryn for asylum and you had to go and elbow me again. We've never heard her refuse anyone asylum. We could have been out of this joint. Sue: Come on, let's go see if the Fan Fiction Writers have come up with anything new. ::::Mary and Sue head out onto the grounds toward the Fan Fiction Writers.:::: Mary: (Glaring at Sue.) Fan Fiction Writers, humph! All they are a bunch of closet Mary Sues wanting to put themselves in the story and save the day. We could have had the real thing, but *no,* you had to elbow me. And that old Chakotay and his silly Prime Directive. The Captain's been breaking the Prime Directive all over the place this season, but what does he come up with for not taking us? You just wait until next year when the Woman in White's new book comes out and Chakotay discovers he got his start as a fire eater in the circus. See if I lift one little finger to help him out! Sue: Do you ever hush, Mary? Mary: Rarely. Why the next time something like this happens ... [Begin italics.] "Report, Mr. Kim!" "It's a Class IV Serling anomaly, Captain." "My God!" Janeway rose from her chair to step closer to the view screen, as if that would help her better discern the secrets of the coruscating phenomenon displayed before her. "Captain, I thought a Class IV Serling was only a theoretical construct." "That's why we're out here, Mr. Kim. To discover that a Class IV Serling can exist in real space and time. Make sure you get a comprehensive sensor scan." "Aye, Captain." Janeway stepped up to the conn and gently placed her hand on her helmsman's shoulder. "Let's keep reverse thrusters engaged, Mr. Paris. We don't want to get caught up in anything here." As Paris engaged the thrusters, he glanced up at his Captain, who was gazing with undisguised curiosity at the anomaly displayed on the Voyager's viewscreen. Paris shook his head and smiled to himself. No question about it, Tommy boy. You may have had to get tossed in prison and flung halfway across the galaxy to find her, but somehow, you've ended up serving under the best damned Captain in the 'Fleet. "Is there a problem, Mr. Paris?" He looked up, seeing her clear blue eyes regard him with concern. Paris suddenly realized he hadn't acknowledged her command. "None, Captain. None at all. The thrusters are engaged, and Voyager is pulling away from the anomaly ... " Finis ... ALL ABOUT NOW VOYAGER Welcome to the officially sanctioned Kate Mulgrew Appreciation Society. This newsletter is published bimonthly by Michelle Erica Green and Paul Anderson, P.O. Box 34745, Bethesda, MD 20827-4745. You can reach us online at tigger@cais.cais.com or thepooh@aol.com. Send SASE for information or $5 for sample issue, or e-mail us for the electronic edition. Current yearly dues, $25/U.S., $32/Canada-Mexico, $40/Overseas (U.S. funds only), are subject to change without notice as rising printing and mailing costs affect our ability to produce this newsletter. Now Voyager is on the World Wide Web at http://www.engr.umbc.edu/~mpanti1/mulgrew/. This is a not-for-profit, amateur publication and is not intended to infringe upon the rights of Paramount Pictures or any other broadcasting or motion picture corporation. All material herein is copyrighted by the authors, except for the copyrights, trademarks, and patents of Paramount Pictures and its licensees. You may not reproduce any part of this newsletter without written permission of the editors and writers. If you received this newsletter electronically, you may not forward it, excerpt from it, post the illustrations, nor disseminate it in any other manner without permission of the editors. The opinions expressed in Now Voyager are not necessarily those of the editorial staff, Kate Mulgrew, or Paramount Pictures. If you are interested in contributing, please write for guidelines. IMPORTANT NOTICE CONCERNING SUBMISSIONS If you wish to submit an article to Now Voyager and cannot do so electronically--i.e., sending a file over the internet or a disk to the club's post office box--we now have a volunteer to transcribe such material into a format the newsletter can use. Please direct ALL handwritten or preferably typewritten submissions to: Ms. Nancy Molik 306 East Magnolia Avenue #328 Auburn, Alabama 36830 PHOTO AND ART CREDITS 3, 7, 11, 12, 19--Photos © Paramount Pictures 1996. 4, 9, 18--Illustrations © Jennifer Pelland 1996. 14--Photo © Shooting Stars 1996. 15--Courtesy Museum of Television and Radio 1996. 16--Photo © Barbie N. Spots 1996. 17--Photos © Lauren Baum 1996. 23, 29--Illustrations © Yul Tolbert, Timeliketoons 1996. 32--Illustration © Maryann Jorgensen 1996. To order copies of the Emmy Awards photo on page 14: Shooting Stars P.O. Box 1597 Lucerne Valley, CA 92356-1597 starz777@aol.com Ask for #72, Kate Mulgrew WE ARE FAMILY NOW VOYAGER Official Kate Mulgrew/Kathryn Janeway Fan Club c/o Michelle Green and Paul Anderson P.O. Box 34745 Bethesda, MD 20827-4745 THE COMMANDER Official Robert Beltran/Chakotay Fan Club c/o B.J. O'Leary 330 Greenwich Street Reading, PA 19601-2821 B3 PRIME Official Roxann Biggs-Dawson/B'Elanna Torres Fan Club c/o M. Russell 1630 Ft. Campbell Blvd., Suite 143 Clarksville, TN 37042 blilsism@aol.com RANDOM FLIGHT Official Robert Duncan McNeill/Tom Paris Fan Club c/o Pam Buickel 850 Mellowood Avenue Orlando, FL 32825-8085 ricknpam@iag.net EPIC (Ethan Phillips International Club) Official Ethan Phillips/Neelix Fan Club c/o Joe Christiano and Rande Goodwin P.O. Box 4818 Waterbury, CT 06704 randeg@aol.com CARPE (Central Alliance of Robert Picardo Enthusiasts) Official Robert Picardo/The Doctor Fan Club c/o Tracey Ledel, RNC Box 373, 1277 Linda Mar Shopping Center Pacifica, CA 94044 traceldel1@aol.com CERES 1 Official Garrett Wang/Harry Kim Fan Club P.O. Box 13767 Sacramento, CA 95853-3767 VULCAN INSIDERS Official Tim Russ/Tuvok Fan Club P.O. Box 8248 Long Beach, CA 90808 THE MASTHEAD OF NOW VOYAGER Kate Mulgrew, our inspiration. Michelle Erica Green, president, publisher, and party responsible. Paul Anderson, treasurer and associate editor. Jennifer Pelland, electronic listserv owner/coordinator. Michael Pantiuk & Cheryl Zenor, web page owner/designers. Joan Testin, new member coordinator. Anna Shuford, director of membership. Anne Davenport, back issues, art, and advice. Lauren Baum, scanner/copier/photo goddess. Alanna Whitestar, Rachel Wyman, Sashi German, collators. Barbe Smith, charity coordinator.