Voyager faces con artists and scams in the episode that originally broadcast on April 19, 2000. This is Live Fast and Prosper.
The Episode:
Captain’s Log Stardate 53849.2 Live Fast and Proper
When Voyager discovers that a team of con artists have been impersonating members of the crew, Janeway and team must work to repair their own reputation and end the schemes of this terrible trio.
The Story:
After we witness imposters of Janeway, Tuvok and Chakotay con some minors out of bolomite, the real Voyager soon finds themselves questioned when the miners come to claim the dilithium that has been promised. Voyager itself is experiencing some problems of it’s own when key components malfunction in the galley due to a heating element that Neelix obtained from Sister Dala in a trade. Little does he know that Sister Dala is one of the con artists who recently impersonated Janeway.
After explaining the situation to the Miner, Janeway makes the connection between the con artists and Sister Dala revealing that Neelix and Paris had been conned themselves resulting in the loss of a significant portion of the Delta Flyer’s database. So, after what comes down to a fetch quest wit Voyager tracking down the con artists through their various schemes, the crew find Dala and try to get her to turn on her fellow criminals. Dala ultimately escapes with the Delta Flyer which turns out to be a ruse if it’s own as Paris and The Doctor quickly replace Dala with the Doctor and capture her partners in the process.
In the end, after managing to fleece the fleecers, Janeway and the crew continue on their way.
Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:
Live Fast and Prosper is not an episode that pushes the overarching story forward or even builds much in the way of character development but man is it not a fun episode through and through. To see the crew of Voyager, particularly Tom Paris and Neelix, being conned themselves is tremendous, especially with the fact that these two have a shady past themselves. Although much of the story deals with Janeway and crew attempting to repair the damage done by Dala and her team, the subplot involving Tom and Neelix believing they have ‘gone soft’ is one of the best B story lines we have seen in a while. They are truly worried about losing their touch and actors Ethan Philips and Robert Duncan McNeil do a tremendous job making it feel real through and through.
While this is just a fun ‘filler’ episode that doesn’t do much to further the overarching story, it is still one of the most light hearted and enjoyable adventures this season. It’s a blast when a series like this lets itself have fun with the characters every so often and, to me, this one is up there with another of my favorite Trek episodes “The Magnificent Ferengi” from Deep Space Nine. What makes this even better is that it was directed by LeVar Burton and boy does he do a tremendous job pulling it together.
Gleanings and Cool Bits:
- 0 photon torpedoes fired, -16 remaining.
- 0 shuttlecraft lost or destroyed, -4 remaining
- We never see Dala or her crew again, and never learn what species they were from to start with.
- One cool thing is the size of the imposters com badges and rank insignia. They are considerably larger making it clear that they are fakes.
- Paris and Neelix get a chance to redeem himself by turning the tides on Dala by replacing her with The Doctor in the final gambit. It’s a great moment that serves as a nice spin on the original con.
Thanks for reading the Retro TV Review, I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you, one episode at a time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Next Review: Muse
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Late To The Game 2/17/2021
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