UNCUT - Projections (VOY S2E3) | Star Trek Journey 372
Comments (59)
Really love this episode. Of course i love seeing Reg, and also the Doctor is my favourite in Voyager. High A!
When the Doctor slapped Reg back that was comedy gold. I like the way Kes f*cked with his head at the end of the episode, also comedy gold!
Romance is such a hit and miss thing on Trek, including Voyager. Some 'ships' seem so natural and I want them to spend more time developing them, and others are so forced and awkward. I sort of wish they let actor chemistry lead the writing directions. For Kes, none of her pairings really work for me. Always felt like her developing as her own person was more interesting than her as a foil for some male character.
This is one of my favourite Voyager episodes, Dwight Schultz and Robert Picardo have great chemistry here. As the Doctor keeps evolving and adapting it is only natural that he would start questioning his nature, and this episode is an interesting way for him to examine that, while keeping the audience guessing throughout. And there's some good funny moments too, like the Doctor referring to the Caretaker as "Banjo man". My only nitpick would be that while I liked Chakotay's impassioned speech about it not mattering what you're made of, I feel like Captain Janeway might have been more impactful there. Especially since she is in the holideck at the end, seemingly very concerned. It would further her changing attitude toward the Doctor we had seen developing in previous episodes. But that's a minor nitpick in a really great episode.
The 37s was originally going to be a 2 part finale/premiere but it got reworked into a 1 part episode when they decided to hold it back to season 2.
I've said it before: Kes is fantastic without Neelix dragging her down. Its a real shame. Solid B episode. :) Honestly, I don't think I'd seen this one since the 90's and forgot it completely. Happy to have a resolution without a universe breaking contradiction of Zimmerman and Barclay somehow knowing Neelix and Kes exist and the events that lead to the combined crew.
I'm closer to Josh on this one, but I wouldn't go as far as comparing it to Jetrel or Eye of the Needle. It may have been my #5 had it been in S1, but an HR at least. As you've now seen all the holdovers(37s, Projections, Elogium, Twisted) from S1, I can say Twisted and Elogium would have seriously dragged down the season had they been left in. The 37s was alright and better than the worst S1 eps, so it would have been fine, and Projections would have been another really solid entry. One of the early indications that nothing was making sense was when Kim called down from the bridge to tell Janeway the array was scanning them, when the Doctor(Lewis) had just deleted him a couple minutes before. I do like Kes' little tease at the end though. It could be seen as too much after already having a double fakeout, but I think it worked. I'd also say that while I get the Remember Me comparison, I think Frame of Mind is very valid as well. Crusher never questioned who she was, nor did anyone else. It was everyone else changing and disappearing around her. Frame of Mind made Riker question who he was, and featured a character trying to get him to destroy the "delusion" we've been watching the whole show. It's an apt comparison. And technically, Barclay is not the first TNG crossover. Barclay was a guest character on TNG, but so was Quark who of course cameoed in Caretaker. I suppose you mean characters who ORIGINATED on TNG, but technically, Quark counts. I also wonder, given the Doctor felt pain and suffered an injury, or believes he did, during the whole scenario that played out, will he perhaps be a little more empathetic when a member of the crew comes to sickbay with some injury? So yeah, great episode overall. Not quite on the level of Ship in a Bottle for "getting worked", but still A tier.
This ep is typical of voyager where the performances, in this case, of picardo is better than the writing of the story
I will never get tired of your guys’ wacky off the wall wrestling references that are completely lost on me.
Definitely an A episode for me and the best of the S1 holdover episodes.
Okay, time for some nerd math. When was Reg most likely to have done some project work on Jupiter Station? It's unlikely to be prior to TNG Season 6, since a) most of the crew was still pretty leary of him at that point and b) it'd be pretty far back for a Voyager-specific project. But Season 6 was big for Barclay: he had 2 episodes, "Realm of Fear" & "Ship in a Bottle", and was instrumental in saving people both times. That seems like the most likely point for Geordi and/or Captain Picard to recommend their resident holodeck aficionado for a "special project" that might have filtered across the transfer boards. And, according to the best stardate converters I could find, there's an in-universe gap of about 14 and a half months between "Ship in a Bottle" and Barclay's next appearance in "Genesis". Plenty of time to do the work and get back to the Enterprise. It also lines up with Voyager's approximate commission date, roughly 6 months after the events of "Genesis", which would give sufficient time for the installation and integration of the EMH.
Voyager sex scoreboard “It’s bigger than I thought” deserves a +1 but no.. of course we at the Sex Scoreboard hear that EVERY NIGHT (we are available to anyone with the money). Three questions for this Ep. 1. Did Broccoli and the Doc bang? 2. Did the Doc and “wife” Kes bang? 3. Did Riker bang someone because Frakes directed the ep? Answer to all is NO but fun to think about. All great outcums but clearly no time for it to be assumed SCOREBOARD Paris – 2 Neelix - 1 Kes – 1 Chakotay 1 GUESTS Broccoli 2 DETAILS No new scores
PS we are all part of a simulation and do not exist. I am actually married to Sydney Sweeney
I consider the future portrayed in "All Good Things" as more than service for the finale's plot, but the TNG writers' Epilogue. Beverly commanding a medical ship. Data a professor at Cambridge. But, Worf and Riker did agree not to make the same mistakes twice, and Picard sat to play at the poker table. The movies and later shows are open to choose a different path.
This actually had a lot in common with that Total Recall scene with the "Peak Performance" actor trying to convince Arnold he's actually dreaming and he's talking to him from outside the simulation in a 'control booth'.
I am a bit torn on how I feel about this episode. I did like the double fake-out like Josh mentions - worked me, too. I am somewhere between Alex and Josh, probably closer to Alex. I'd give it a B+/A-.
Awesome discussion! And a rare discussion that not only made me hyped for the rest of voyager, but also for the rest of d9. And the upcoming movies! Def gonna take advantage of the annual membership discount
Computer, delete Paris.
Pretty good episode. I always love the Doctor. B for Banger.
Oh can't wait to watch this one later, a few episodes behind though
Sometimes if a patreon doesn't snipe your Take, then T.A. already noticed what you try to point out or bring up a question about and have naturally discussed it. Like when Alex kept pointing out the way Barclay mentioned being a Hologram with that look of disgust multiple times. I was like ... Damn. Guess I'm not getting picked this episode 😅
When I first saw the TNG finale, I always thought that Worf wasn’t going to keep pursuing Deanna after the poker scene. That that line he said to Riker meant he was stepping aside. Which I didn’t like at the time.
Its too repetitive because nothing happens. We got the picture very quickly, so now what happens in the rest of the episode? Absolutely nothing. Its like when the alien comes on the Enterprise in "Transfigurations" and he is moving into godhood but there is no story, nothing happens until 5 mins before it is over someone said "oh shoot, we better put something in here". It's the alien who came on DS9 and OBrien says he likes him but he is hiding something, and then 30 minutes later when nothing happened whatsoever, OBrien says again the guy is hiding something but he likes him. It's the girl who came on the Enterprise that Q thought was a Q and for 20 minutes it was scene after scene of Beverly asking this girl how she felt--and nothing else. They're all poorly constructed.
Well, you're not wrong when you say "nothing happens", but when you read things like lord of the rings, a good 40-50% of the book "nothing happens" other than internal musings, location descriptions, lore drops, etc. I'm not sure that an episode of TV should be boiled down to the number of phasers or punches thrown, distance traveled, or nebula's entered for coffee. Don't get me wrong, I also like episodes when its just battles non-stop, and we have many of those upcoming, but I don't think an episode where that doesn't happen can be said to be poorly constructed because it doesn't have much of consequence happening. And, to be clear, this reply is not meant in an antagonistic way, looking forward to your response and chance for discussion
In Parallax, it is mentioned that the Doctor is based off a human. Alex, had some good points but I agree with Josh that this is a really good episode. Evidently, Braga originally wanted The 37s to be a two-part episode to bridge the seasons. I think that would have sucked, so the way it happened worked out for the best. Initiations was still intended to be S2 E2.
I couldnt handle much more of Earhart's navigator if this was extended. But if they did make it a 2 parter I would hope they would use the budget to actually show the human city they're so proud of
S.
This episode was FUN.
If wishes were horses and a TNG episode the nth degree, had the longest hooks so far. Faces and Chain of Command so far have been the shortest cold opens
I love that last scene. Doctor was about go back to his programmed work, but the girl he was just dreaming about playfully disctracts him with her last words, and his mind wanders into questioning the philisophical ideas he was just asking her about. I'd have to check to make sure I wasn't still dreaming.
Easy A-tier for me, the ending is solid but is what removes it from being a perfect "Remember Me" or "Whispers", however because it's still good and the rest of the episode had me on edge the entire time, yeah. A damn good time. And Dwight coming back with an S-tier performance as usual.
Outside of a few fun moments I mostly agree with KenR on this one (except for the TNG hate)
The first amazing Season 2 episode. There are more! I would give this an A+
Yes there certainly are a few absolutely fucking top tier eps of ALL trek in this season but also a lot of shiiiit.
No problem with Barclay being here. The Enterprise blew up, the crew was probably reassigned.
I would have enjoyed if Barclays story was actually true all along. And this entire episode was on a space station in the alpha quadrant and we were introduced to Zimmerman.
Oh absolutely! I'm sure it was suggested. Just like "maybe Kira is a Cardassian or maybe Troi is a Romulan for real" Or "lets kill Will Riker and have Tom be the new Lt". The problem is the studio. Writers wanted to do all this stuff. Studios said no. It was the time sadly. Nowadays it could happen which is what I do love about modern TV. It has balls!
Josh: “Is the Doctor still your favorite character?” Alex: "I don't know. I like them all so much! … Chakotay's OK.” 🤣
Good old Jakota
The TNG movies get a lot of flack, but I love them so much. TNG made me a Star Trek fan and there was so much excitement with those movies coming out. It felt like going home to visit family every couple of years. I still feel that way about them. I'm excited for you guys to see them. Great Voyager episode too!
I'm Team Alex on this one. This episode has a lot of good ingredients (and some great ingredients) that don't really come together for me the way they could. I love Dwight Schultz, but it doesn't make much sense to have Barclay in this episode even if he did work on the Doctor's program (is the Doctor supposed to somehow know the people who created him?). Things unfold from there a little too predictably for me, although that ironically makes the double-twist ending hit like a freight train (easily the best part of the episode; S-level stuff). Still, we get good Robert Picardo time, and it's always a blast seeing characters playing against type -- especially Menacing Barclay near the end. Also: Janeway just knows how to perform a coronary bypass? At least enough to compare it to rerouting circuits? Is there anything she can't do?
On your last point. Or course Janeway doesn't know that. It's the Doctor dreaming her up, and he knows what a coronary bypass is. "Doctor, we need to do technobabble thing X" "Oh is that anything like this other thing that I do know?" "You're exactly right! Oh wait, there's an emergency you now have to go to so you don't have to do technobabble thing X" Technobabble thing X was never real to begin with.
Just in time for my mental health day off 😌 yay!
Love this one, solid A for me. Now here's a mind fuck for you - until early adulthood when I watched TNG all the way through again in order, I misinterpreted the Moriarty episodes and was, as a child, convinced that every episode between Elementary Dear Data (S2E3) and Ship in a Bottle (S6E12), took place on the holodeck. Yes, I literally thought most of TNG's entire run was all part of Moriarty's trick to fool Data. BTW, as someone with ADHD, I love all the random unrelated tangents you go off on. I have no idea how you ended up talking about Worf and Deanna's hook up, but i'm all for it!
Kate Mulgrew quietly putting on an acting masterclass in this episode. She makes playing a different version of the same character look easy and completely believable. Really makes the episode work.
Yep, when you're so talented, like Patrick Stewart too, you can play subtlety well enough that it feels perfectly natural.
Also, that Kes fakeout tripped me up because I thought I remembered her messing with him at the end (which she does, a little bit), but I forgot about the fakeout and got so confused for a minute lol
It's seeing there's still 7 minutes left that gives it away
The whole thing falls apart for me when I consider that the Federation doesn't know what happened to Voyager after it disappeared. They wouldn't know to fake the stuff with the Caretaker or the Kazon. The EMH Doctor would know that and immediately call BS on Barclay for that. I guess I have to believe the damage to his program chipped away at his logic....
The false scenario was that 'Zimmerman' put the program together to study the effects of long-term isolation, that in this scenario Voyager was not real.
The best of the holdover episodes with ease
Barclay could have been Dr. Zimmerman's assistant even before his time on the Enterprise. We simply don't know when the EMH's development took place and how long it went on. I don't remember if iit was mentioned at some point that Voayger really was the first ship which had the programme installed. Fun fact:. Lewis Zimmerman is named after long time Star Trek art director and production designer Herman Zimmerman. This is also an inside joke because Herman worked on all 90s Trek shows and movies - except Voyager!
One of my favorite Voyager episodes. The Doctor and “Barclay” are great together.
I would watch an episode-by-episode-by-season comparison. We could make a weekend out of it. Anyone still watching by the time you get to Season 5s gets a month of free Bridge Crew membership.
When the episode doesn’t have an exterior spaceship/station shot it’s usually a “tell” that the whole thing is some sort of dream/hallucination. Remember Me, Frame of Mind and that terrible Doctor Bashir episode suffer from the same issue.
It's not a bug, it's a feature. I appreciate the nod that they use the technique to re-establish reality after stuff like this. By the time you notice that there's been no exteriors, they've usually already revealed the type of episode it is.
Voyager isn't sending it's best lol, can we get ds9 back
And here I was thinking my Friday was going to be boring. Thanks Men, I really love this episode, it makes me think of the what if scenario of The Doctor really is real and is trapped, and literally has to let the scenario play out until conclusion.
I love this one, similar to a few TNG episodes my loving it has nothing too do with the story, but it was one of my first Voyager episodes, was one of the few that I had seen a scene of before, and I just love it