What would you do if you were told that your child fulfilled a prophecy that would change peoples lives. B’Elanna and Paris face just that on the episode that originally aired on February 7, 2001. This is Prophecy.
The Episode:
Captain’s Log Stardate 54518.2 Prophecy
When a ship full of Klingons encounter Voyager, B’Elanna and Paris are shocked when they learn that their child is believed to be the savior of the lost Klingons.
The Story:
Voyager finds itself under attack by an ancient Klingon ship only for Janeway to end the hostilities by proving that the Federation and the Klingon Empire are allies by introduciong them to B’Elanna.
Meeting B’Wlanna Captain Kohlar is shocked to learn that Torres is pregnant and returns to his ship with news that they have found the one they are looking for. Soon, however, the Klingon ship’s Warp Engine goes critical forcing Janeway to evacuated the Klingon crew and flee to avoid the blast. Soon Kohlar informs B’Elanna and Tom that their child is the Kuvah’magh and this child will be their savoir.
Needless to say B’Elanna is skeptical, Paris finds it humorous and the rest are just concerned about the safety on Voyager. Kholar confides in Torres and Paris that there are two factions, one that believes in the child and another, led by his crewman T’Greth, that doesnt. He needs their help to prove to his crew that the child is indeed their savoir so he can get his people to safety. After they agree, both Paris and Torres are forced to undergo trials which proves their worth. During these trials it is discovered that the Klingons have a disease known as nehret which is deadly. The Doctor discovers that not only do these Klingons all have the disease but B’Elanna and her child are carriers as well. This sparks another battle between the two Klingon factions with T’Greth fighting Kholar over which is stopped by Tuvok.
T’Greth awakes in sickbay only to discover that he has been cured by the Doctor who created an antivirus using the unborn Childs stem cells. This convinces T’Greth that the child was indeed their savior as the full Klingon crew has been saved. Voyager finds the Klingons a world of their own and as they depart, Kohlar gifts B’Elanna with a bat’leth to give her daughter one day. The Klingon’s leave, leaving Paris and Torres to wonder if their child is indeed part of a prophecy.
There is also a B story where a Klingon Woman goes after Harry Kim only for Kim to get frightened by her advances. So, Neelix steps in and…well, finds himself in some rather intense diplomatic relations in quarters he ends up sharing with Tuvok. Needless to say, none of them will forget the event for some time.
Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:
I LOVE Klingon-centric episodes and this is certainly one of my favorite. The idea that a generational Klingon ship set course for the far reaches of space on a holy mission only to end up in the Delta Quadrant is tremendous. These Klingons have been traveling for four generations meaning that they could be some of the decedents of Klingons from the Original series, heck, some of Kang, Koloth and Kor could have some family among this wayfaring crew. While this itself is not explored, we do get a chance to see B’Elanna finally interact with people who share her heritage. While it isn’t exactly what she had hoped for in a family reunion…it is certainly not the least interesting situation they could have found themselves in. I mean, Paris even manages to get into a honorable battle with one of them. After this, they will certainly have some tales to tell their child.
The story itself is very similar to another film called Little Buddha from 1993. In the film an American child is believed to be the reincarnation of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk. During the film, the child and his mother learn about the life of the Buddha Siddhartha, played by Keanu Reeves, while they both struggle with the idea that the child could be a predestined spiritual leader. There are many parallels in these stories as both B’Elanna and the Mother of the child in Little Buddha have to learn about a culture that neither fully understand. Both are touching stories with different but spiritually similar endings.
Outside of the really fun and enjoyable episode that not only provides some cool Klingon spiritualism but also gives Neelix a fun adventure of his own with his first real relationship since Kes left. Now, as I understand it, Klingons typically don’t mate just for the heck of it so there is a very good chance that Neelix has a Half Klingon kid running around the Delta Quadrant after all of this. I mean, it only took Worf one time and he ended up with Alexander…
Also, the Klingons settle on a planet in the Delta Quadrant starting a colony that is seperating from the Traditional Klingon ways. This means there is an entire colony of Klingons currently living in the Delta Quadrant that we have not caught up with since this episode aired. I have to wonder if we will ever see or hear from them again, heck, this could make a really fun plot point on Discover since they did jump ahead 900 years in the future. Who knows, maybe the Klingons have a new empire somewhere out there. Either that or, how about a series about these Klingons leaving their homeward in search of the Kuvah’magh. You could certainly have more than 7 seasons as the ship would end up being generational with them traveling into unknown and mostly unexplored territory. I mean, there has been talk about a Klingon series for some time…why not take a break from the Federation and tell this story? CBS? you listening?
All in all, this is one of the best episodes this season that really gives B’Elanna and Paris the spotlight as it explores not only more Klingon Heritage but also dives into just how close this unlikely couple really is.
Gleanings and Cool Bits:
- 0 photon torpedoes fired, -24 remaining.
- 0 shuttlecraft lost or destroyed, -6 remaining
- We learn that B’Elanna’s grandmother was named L’Naan
- We never hear from the Delta Quadrant Klingons again but man we really should some day!
- Wren T Brown plays Captain Kohlar and also appeared as a pilot in the second season of Star Trek The Next Generation.
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: The Void
For more reviews: check out the weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and for more retro TV goodness check out the rest of the Retro TV Reviews here.
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Late To The Game 3/31/2021
Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available. Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.
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