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| Neelix is manipulated by an old "friend." |
THE PLOT
Voyager has reached the Nekrit Expanse, a region of space characterized by ominous-looking gas clouds. Neelix advises plotting a course around the expanse, but doing so would add a prohibitive amount of time to the ship's already lengthy journey.
Before moving into the expanse, Voyager stops at a supply station. Here, Janeway hopes to restock vital supplies while Neelix hopes to find a map to make the trip through the expanse less dangerous. The situation is complicated when Neelix runs into an old friend: Wixiban (James Nardini), who worked with Neelix on a smuggling operation years earlier. Wix was caught and served prison time for his crimes, but he managed to save Neelix from the same fate.
Neelix's old friendship and his debt to Wix allow the other Talaxian to draw him into a "fair trade," a deal that will secure many of the supplies Voyager needs. It's a simple exchange of medical supplies, Wix assures him. But the "medical supplies" are actually drugs, part of an operation overseen by Kolaati criminals. When Wix's contact attempts to kill the two Talaxians, Wix fires first. This leaves Neelix at the center of a mess - one that becomes even messier when Janeway promises Bahrat (Carlos Carrasco), the station's commander, that she will assist in the investigation of this "murder."
CHARACTERS
Capt. Janeway: She deals fairly with Bahrat, agreeing to his terms for doing business on the station and offering full cooperation to him in the investigation of the crime. When Bahrat's investigation threatens crew members, however, she draws her line in the sand, stating that she will not allow members of her crew to be imprisoned without proof. She doesn't actually threaten force, but the implication hangs unmistakably over the confrontation.
Neelix: With the ship having reached the edge of the region of space he knows well, Neelix fears that he's reached the end of his usefulness to Voyager. This makes him easy prey for Wix's manipulations. Once the murder occurs, Wix pushes every button he can: The debt Neelix owes him, Neelix's fears of being put off the ship. Ethan Phillips does a fine job of showing Neelix's torn loyalties and his insecurities. We never doubt for an instant that he'll end up doing the right thing in the end: But Neelix's emotional torment is made into something we feel along with him, making this episode significantly more involving than it might have been.
Tom Paris: Gets a good scene in which he recalls the incident that led him astray - you remember, the one that is in no way near-identical to what happened to Nicholas Locarno in The First Duty. With the benefit of hindsight and the security provided by Janeway's trust, Tom now recognizes that it was very much his fault, and what he says resonates with Neelix's current situation: "I made a mistake, which happens to people. If I'd admitted that mistake, it would have been a lot better. But I lied about it, and it nearly ruined my life."
THOUGHTS
I need to give Voyager credit here: The writers did finally acknowledge that there's a limit to the area of space with which Neelix is familiar. It happened later than should have been the case (I'd have thought we'd have reached this point by mid-Season Two), but at least this wasn't simply forgotten. From this point on, Voyager's journeys will be as new to Neelix as to everyone else on the ship.
Fair Trade promises to mark a point of departure for the show. They are entering a new region of space, one that it's hinted will be far more dangerous than the one they are leaving, and one that they will know far less about. If this promise is delivered on, it may give the show new energy that it badly needs. Season Three has been more enjoyable than most of Season Two, I will say, but the overall tone has remained too safe and too comfortable. Perhaps the Nekrit Expanse represents the writers realizing this and taking steps to correct it... Or perhaps I'm just being wildly optimistic with little cause.
Taken on its own, this is a solid episode, but a very predictable one. It's clear from the instant that he appears that Wix is going to cause problems for Neelix. It's equally obvious that his "fair trade" is going to be shady, and that Neelix will end up making things right in the end. One could watch the first third and predict the other two-thirds with a great deal of accuracy.
Ethan Phillips' performance goes a long way toward keeping the proceedings involving. His nonverbal reactions to Wix and the desperation that creeps into his voice early in the episode and builds throughout make it impossible not to feel for his dilemma. Even Phillips' best efforts can't quite sell Neelix's "tough guy" resolve at the climax, however, and the ending seems far too easy.
An adequate bit of filler with some elements that seem promising for the future. Phillips' performance holds it together, but the by-the-numbers plot keeps this episode very much in the "average" range.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
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