In the next episode of Young and the Holographic we find the crew upset over nonsense…
Originally broadcast on April 18, 2001, this is Author, Author.
The Episode:
Captain’s Log Stardate 54732.3 Author, Author
The doctor finds his creative endeavors are not appreciated when he writes a rather unflattering holonovel and Seven finds a relative she never new.
The Story:
After establishing an intergalactic phone line with the Alpha Quadrant for 11 minutes a day, the crew begin taking turns contacting their friends and loved ones. The Doctor meanwhile has been writing a holonovel that he intends to sell via his agent on Earth. When Paris is allowed to critique the holonovel, what Paris finds is a dark parody of life on Voyager. From a murderous Captain to an overbearing Engineer, everyone is depicted in a terrible light, save the Doctor himself. Soon Janeway get’s involved informing The Doctor that what he has written is inflammatory to the crew and that these depictions are nothing like them. However, things take a turn for the worse when the holonovel is accidentally published resulting in a tribunal to determine The Doctor’s rights in producing such a work if, in fact, that he is not an actual person.
In the end it is established that, while the Doctor can not yet be determined ‘alive’ he is an artist and retains the rights to his work. He orders copies of the Holonovel recalled. This judgement is the fist step in holo-rights and we see the beginning of this when other EMH Mk1’s begin distributing copes of The Doctor’s holo-novel ‘Photons Be Free’
There is also a B story where Seven contacts her Aunt Irene and they get to know each other. It’s sweet.
Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:
I see the intent of this episode but man is it poorly executed. Seriously, another holonovel causing problems and the Doctor’s rights being questioned? So, basically it’s a lesser Measure of A Man but with very little repercussions or only a hint of something that never comes to pass. The implications of this episode are tremendous as it sets up the entire idea of holographic rights, even giving us a glimpse of a potential holo-revolution with the EMH Mk1’s. However, not only does nothing come of it, but the Doctor manages to make Voyager look bad to pretty much anyone who happened to watch the holonovel. Seeing that Voyager has been out of contact for most of seven years, this program could be very dangerous to both the Voyager crew and Star Fleet itself. Sure, the message was a good one, but man he really chose to do it in a very inflammatory way. You would really think that The Doctor would have thought about his work and how it reflects on his fellow crewmates but, no, even after all this time and the deep friendships he has made, he didn’t learn a thing. I can see this story working earlier in the series or if there had been significant development concerning The Doctor’s humanity, then maybe, otherwise it’s just a pointless filler that really has no place in this season.
There is also a minor story where Seven reconnects with her aunt and discovers the meaning of family. It is pretty lackluster at best and kind of messes up the timeline indicating that Seven spent time at her Aunts House on Earth while Seven was a child, but Seven was on the Raven and could not have been on Earth.
Overall, this is another episode that feels that it is trying to hard to make two side stories much more than they are. Much like the Doctor’s own program, this is one that probably needed some revisions before being released. Not a bad concept, but an episode that had a completely unearned resolution and one that sadly, has no repercussion in the future of Star Trek. In fact, after the events of Picard, it is clear that Holograms were never given their rights.
Gleanings and Cool Bits:
- 0 photon torpedoes fired, -28 remaining.
- 0 shuttlecraft lost or destroyed, -6 remaining
- Dixon Hill is referenced.
- In the end segment it shows the EMH mk1 being used for mining…my question is how? How did they install holo-emitters in a mine that people are digging in. None of them have mobile emitters so…
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: Friendship One
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Late To The Game 4/12/2021
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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