Star Trek Voyager Reviews Written by Someone Who Actually LIKES the Show! -- Prototype

Welcome to my spoiler-filled review of the Star Trek Voyager episode, "Prototype." For those of you who don't know what's coming, this is basically just a long-winded rant about one of my favorite television programs. It's all meant for the pleasure and occasional "Hmmm" of Voyager fans who, frankly, don't have anything better to do for a few minutes. If you enjoy wasting time too, but not with Star Trek stuff, may I suggest that you are truly lost and should find someplace else to go?

How about Driveways of the Rich & Famous?

Not interested? Well, then on to the review we go. (Just don't say you haven't been warned!)

PLOT
A flickering black and white image gives us an odd point of view: Voyager from the underside. Sparkles transfer us to engineering, where Torres' face looms before us. She says she wants to repair "it." Tuvok's face is on her right and he, of course, advises caution. Janeway, on her left, is persuaded to allow Torres to take "it" to engineering.

Still in the black-and-white POV, we see Kim and Torres working on "it," fixing "it" up with a temporary power source from a garden hose. This works pretty well, and the picture clears up as "it" focuses on a reflection in a computer read-out panel. We see the face and upper torso of a silver robot.

Back from the credits in a regular POV, we see Kim and Torres working on this silver robot, who seems to be broken. Kim points out that it's fully artificial and probably quite unaware of them, but the little silver guy is bringing out Torres' maternal engineering instincts in a major way. Torres and Kim tell each other to go get some sleep. Torres pulls rank and Kim retires while Torres ends up in the mess hall all night, drinking two pots of Neelix's coffee. He finally cuts her off with a story about how he had trouble finding the right spice for an omelet recipe. After he slept on it, he realized all he needed was salt. You see, he was too tired to see the obvious.

Fearful of having to listen to more stories, Torres goes back to engineering, where she stands over the robot, feeling helpless. "You think I should go to bed too?" she asks it, then goes to her quarters where she climbs into her PJ’s and bed. The moment her head touches the pillow, however, she pops back up and goes to Sickbay.

After some discussion of her PJ’s, Torres tells the Doctor that the robot's plasma is contaminated, and he suggests that she use a transfusion from Voyager's warp plasma. She says it's too powerful, but when he suggests adapting the plasma, she realizes she can adapt the robot to use the plasma instead.

Torres operates on the robot with Kim and Janeway's help. Suddenly, the robot grabs Torres' arm and asks for her identity.

"Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres," she says.

"I am Automated Unit 3947," says the robot. "Thank you for reactivating me, Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres."

Well, this show of good manners earns him the instant affection of everyone there, and he even goes on to compliment Torres' abilities. They ask him why he was floating around in space, and he explains that while he's usually stationed on a Prelor spaceship, he was working on an asteroid pod when it exploded. Moreover, when he called the manufacturer, Ford Motors told him the pod was no longer under warranty.

3947 is curious about his repairs, and Torres explains that she had to fix his power module. "Are you a Builder?" 3947 asks, and Torres, who somehow doesn't hear the capital "B" in the question, says she might be. 3947 asks if she might be able to make new power modules for a new generation of robots.

Excited by the idea, Torres explains to Janeway that the Prelor Builders have all died in some sort of war, and now their robots are falling into disrepair. They cannot make a new generation for replacements. Janeway quite rightly points out that this is a direct violation of the Prime Directive, since Torres would be "playing God" by giving the robots the ability to procreate. Perhaps extinction will be the natural end of their evolution.

Torres half-heartedly explains all this to 3947. He argues that she must make them some robot children, but Torres says she (sigh) cannot.

Voyager finds the Prelor ship and Janeway hails a robot to tell them they're returning 3947. The robot on screen thanks them for their assistance, again winning everyone over with his good manners.

Torres sees of 3947 in the transporter room, even giving him a little thermos of hot plasma for additional maintenance to his system. Instead of saying "Thank you" and departing, however, he shocks her and beams over to the Prelor ship with her. Naturally, Voyager's crew can't override the transport. [They really have to fix that!]

Janeway tries to get Torres back, but the robots have put up a defense field. Janeway's snarls go unanswered, and she has Voyager fire on the ship's shields.

Torres wakes up in a robot laboratory in which, 3947 explains, she will make the prototype of a new generation of robots. She responds that Janeway will save her, but 3948 politely points out that "It would be inadvisable for your captain to provoke us."

When Voyager does indeed fire, the Prelor ship sends back quantum resonance charges (and in Star Trek, "quantum" always means "kick ass"). While 3947 tells Torres that Voyager is out-classed, Janeway's attempt at a retreat fails somewhat embarrassingly.

Torres agrees to make the prototype if the robots don't destroy Voyager, and the attack is halted just in time. Torres is allowed to tell Janeway about the bargain, then 3947 lays out the rules and tells Torres to get to work. Torres asks if they ever tried to make a prototype themselves, and 3947 says that each robot has its own unique power module. When they made a power module which was identical to one that failed, they couldn't get it to work.

Supervisor Automated Unit 6263 enters and tells Torres she has 140 hours to make the prototype, because that's how long it will take Voyager to make its repairs. As an exit line, 6263 says that if she doesn't make the prototype by then, she'll be killed.

Like so many of us, 3947 is embarrassed by the heavy-handedness of his supervisor and explains that he knows Torres will try her best.

Chakotay, Janeway, Kim, and Tuvok discuss that it will take six days to repair Voyager fully, but if they focus on the warp drive, they can get that back in 72 hours.

Meanwhile, back in the lab, Torres figures out that each power module has to be unique for it to work. She needs to make some sort of standardized module.

Paris and the others (but mostly Paris) discuss using a shuttle to fly in and beam Torres out.

Torres works away at the prototype and has some chat with 3947 which includes his new role as a Builder's helper and the role of Data as an "equal to a Builder" in the Alpha Quadrant.

Chakotay suggests projecting a holoship as a distraction for Pairs' shuttle, but Tuvok signals in that a new ship has arrived in the area.

Torres brings the prototype to life, and the little guy leans up from the table with the robot version of "Mama!": "Prototype Unit 0001 is ready to accept programming."

The incoming ship, from the Kravic homeworld, immediately begins firing on the Prelor ship. Janeway has Voyager scoot back a bit to stay out of the crossfire, and a gold robot comes on the viewscreen to order her to withdraw. She explains that one of her people is a hostage aboard the Prelor ship, and the gold robot orders her simply to stay out of the way before signing off.

Janeway thinks this little robot battle will make an excellent diversion, and Paris runs off to his shuttle to foil Bad Dad once again.

Torres and 3947 are jostled around by the firing, and the robot tells Torres that the Kravic homeworld is at war with the Prelor homeworld. Behind them on the table, the prototype once again requests programming.

Paris tries to get through the Prelor shield but bounces back. Tuvok advises him to follow the Kravic fire through the shields, and this works better.

Torres wants to know why the Prelor robots don't tell the Kravic that all the Prelor Builders are dead, and 3947 explains that all the Kravic Builders are dead as well. It seems that some time ago the Kravic and Prelor called a truce, but the robots they had built to fight their war for them didn't like being thrown into unemployment, so they killed all the Builders. Now the robots fight on, and with the new prototype, says 3947, the Prelor robots will outlast the Kravic ones and win. Torres realizes the unique energy signature of each power module was a birth-control device designed by the Builders. She takes a sonic-screwdriver and stabs her prototype in the module. 3947 feels betrayed that Torres is acting like Prelor's enemy, and Torres apologizes as Paris beams her out.

The battle keeps the robots busy while Paris returns Torres to Sickbay and Voyager boogies out of the area.

Janeway and Torres drink coffee in the mess hall. Janeway realizes that Torres only made the prototype to save Voyager, and comments that it must have been difficult to kill the prototype. Torres tries to shrug it off, but she can't forget the joy of assembling a computer that actually worked right.

CHARACTER
OK, Torres is the focus here, which is great because it seems just right for the show's timeline that she start to realize just how much her life has changed.

As a Maquis engineer, Torres has proven herself more than up to the challenge of repairing battle damage and re-routing power while helping to avoid or return enemy fire, and I'm sure she's come up with more than her fair share of ways to dodge Cardassian and Federation security.

On Voyager, however, Torres' engineering skills are now backed by a Starfleet department, lots more resources, and some actual free time. Since she's also in the Delta Quadrant (and one of the regulars in a Star Trek show) this means that she's going to face a whole different range of challenges. She knew enough to anticipate the challenge of leading the department and working with commissioned officers, but I don't think she saw this challenge coming: dealing with the temptation to play God.

Like all really good challenges, this one comes in the disguise of a smaller, less dangerous challenge. She thinks the goal is to fix an alien android, and she proves herself adequate to the task without ever really getting outside her comfort zone.

But the real test, of course, is the temptation 3947 gives her. The reverence in his polite tone is actually an offering of worship, and his plea for help is actually one for divine intervention. When Janeway points this out, Torres does not understand the danger, and only follows Janeway's orders to refuse 3947 (we suspect) because she can't stand the thought of once again being treated to Janeway's Look. [Anything but that Look!!]

Torres can't separate the Prime Directive from the rest of all that Starfleet protocol she seems to follow as a necessary evil, and so has no real scruple about making the prototype. She doesn't like being threatened, of course, but the actual work doesn't bother her at all. It takes 3947's dispassionate explanation about what happened to the Builders, and the realization that she's about to allow the continuation of genocide, to open Torres' eyes to a simple Trek truth: create something sentient and it will do what it wants, not what you want.

Torres' situation comments nicely on that of the other Voyager characters. Stuck out in space all alone, everyone has got to realize their actions will have repercussions well beyond what they're used to. There's no place to retreat to anymore, no ship to transfer to, no home to visit for family reunions and mud fights with your brother.

But with the except of Paris and Janeway, this transition is greatest for the Maquis. Serving on a Starfleet ship, they're going to be handed Starfleet-sized problems. Hopefully they will all realize in time that they need Starfleet regulations as protection against Starfleet-sized fallout. "Prototype" gives Torres every reason to start believing in the ideals Janeway is trying so hard to preserve. That's what makes their final conversation so nice. Janeway's evocation of the Prime Directive couldn't have been more appropriate, so she doesn't need any "I told you so's." Instead, she can be generous and sympathize with Torres' short-lived enjoyment at having created artificial life.

No one else on the show really gets development per se, but -- while I don't know about you guys -- the show is really starting to revel in the sort of character development that keeps me watching even when I see the next plot twist coming up the street screaming, "Here I come!"

Some characters still need work, but Torres, Janeway, Paris, and Chakotay are really getting fun to watch, now that we know enough about them to read the little signals they toss back and forth. Even Kim, the least developed of them all, gets to have a couple really good moments with Torres as they argue about who should go get some sleep.

Paris' great need to rescue Torres (well, to rescue anyone, but maybe especially Torres) and Chakotay's blend of general anti-Paris sentiment combined with what seems a growing and grudging respect for him are all nicely on display when Paris announces, "I don't need a diversion. Just give me a chance. I'll get her out of there."

Chakotay, teasing while genuinely annoyed, responds, "You don't mind if we give you a little help, do you, Paris? I'd hate to lose another shuttle."

And then Paris smiles a little less than he should, joking and growling a bit: "Your concern for my welfare is heartwarming."

And then they make the usual chest-thumping eye contact until Janeway takes the floor.

When Oh When are we going to get an episode where Paris and Chakotay are stuck on a planet alone together and finally have a talk? It could be the most fun we've had since the Spock-Bones reconciliation in "The Empath." Oh well, if wishes were replicators...

The Doctor has enough going in his relationship with Torres to support an interesting exchange. She starts his traditional line, "I shouldn't have to remind you that I'm a doctor..." And she finishes "...not an engineer, right." They have a nice respect of each other's abilities, even if he does annoy the hell out of her.

I wonder, though, if the reason the Doctor keeps using that line might be that one of the original doctors on which his programming is based might be Leonard McCoy himself. There were supposed to be 48 doctors whose personalities make up his matrix, and McCoy would certainly make a good choice. At any rate, when Torres has left Sickbay and he says to himself, "That's exactly what I was going to suggest," we finally have proof he does have a sense of humor about himself.

THOUGHT
We've seen sentient robots kill their masters before on TOS and other Trek stuff, but these are interesting both in their relationship to Torres and in their politeness.

It's fun to watch how quickly everyone likes the robots, and thinks of them as sentient, simply because they know how to say the magic word. It's a reminder to the rest of us about what you can catch with honey rather than vinegar. It also once again begs the question: what do we really want from others? The Doctor had to go through a lot of garbage before they treated him as nicely as they're willing to treat the little silver guy. Torres' easy acceptance of 3947's sentience is a real surprise. I mean, Data is pretty polite, and he still had to go on trial.

So it may also be a question of the android's alienness. Data and the Doctor are made by us. We design them and therefore we think we control them. 3947 comes from them, so his qualities are allowed to get the benefit of a doubt. The Fate of the Builders should really give us a reality check about the false security of believing we control what we make. For all the talk Starfleet gives to considering the consequences of technological advancement, no one in Starfleet ever really seems to have a problem with creating artificial sentience. What will the Federation be like, this episode asks us, when there are enough Datas and Doctors to shift the balance of power so greatly that what the Datas and Doctors want to do just might rule the day?

Another thought regarding the Doctor and Torres' discussion of 3947: it really works well that she goes to see him to discuss her problems allegorically. As most of us have learned, when we're stuck with a problem, it really does help to get a viewpoint completely outside our field of reference. The dialogue does a good job trying to bridge the gap between robotics and organic medicine so that the Doctor's take on things really shows Torres a different way to go.

SPECTACLE
I'm glad no one actually referenced the dent in 3947's head. He was obviously hurt in the blast, and I hate it when we're not allowed to notice things on our own.

The opening shots from 3947's POV work really well, especially as they get less fuzzy once Torres gets his power going again.

The enemy robots having differently colored "skin" works well, once again because no one mentions it.

DICTION
Some good lines in this one include:

"Who are we to swoop in, play God, then continue on our way without the slightest consideration of the long-term effects of our actions?" -- Janeway right on target to Torres.

"It would be inadvisable for your captain to provoke us." -- 3947 doing the Terminator.

"39...Do you mind if I call you '39?'" "I am 3947." -- Torres and Mr. Party.


SONG
Lovely as always. No robots were used in the making of the score.

And now for the baggage...

STAR TREK ELEMENTS WE (OR I, ANWAY) LOVE
Polite robots.

STAR TREK ELEMENTS WE (OR I, ANYWAY) HATE
The ghosts of TOS were haunting loudly in this one, but it's not fair to expect Trek never to go over even remotely trodden ground. Having the robots kill their makers to keep the war going is a new twist, and there's no Lurch to grab Kirk around the waist and make him go "Ooomph!" so I closed my mind to memories of a half-dressed lab assistant and Kirk spinning naked on that bed-thing.

Well, that wraps up this one!

Star Trek Voyager Reviews

Or go back to ST Voyager Reviews -- Resistance.

Or go ahead to ST Voyager Reviews -- Alliances.