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| Seven is tempted by the Borg Queen (Susannah Thompson). |
An encounter with a Borg probe leaves the Voyager crew with an opportunity, when they recover two data nodes from the probe's wreckage. The data leads the ship to a damaged Borg sphere, where Janeway hopes to recover a transwarp coil - a piece of technology that has the potential to get Voyager much closer to home.
The plan is to stage a heist of a coil from the sphere. They will disable the sensor grid, then during the two minute window that will ensue, beam in a small team to retrieve the coil and beam out again. The logs of Seven's parents, researchers who studied the Borg in the Delta Quadrant, allow her to create bio-dampeners to extend that window, enabling the Away Team to evade detection.
But on the eve of the mission, Seven receives a communication from the Borg Queen (Susannah Thompson). The Queen knows of Janeway's plans. If Seven does not turn herself over and rejoin the Collective, then the entire Voyager crew will be assimilated!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Janeway: Her frustration at still being stranded, and likely her feelings of guilt, lead to a gamble that the Janeway of the first two seasons would never have considered. The infiltration of the Borg is risky and reckless, but the prize - shaving decades off the long trip home - is impossible for her to ignore. She refuses to give up on Seven, even when Seven appears to have returned to the Collective, and resists suggestions by Torres and Chakotay that such was always inevitable.
Seven of Nine: Hope and Fear established that she no longer wishes to return to her old life - But Dark Frontier tangibly presents that choice, making her rejection of the Collective something more than theoretical. Not that her choice is ever in doubt; Seven has become too integral to the series at this point for it to survive without her. But watching her struggle with the temptation, the familiarity of the Borg and the safety of the Collective, is effective, and Jeri Ryan's performance is excellent.
Torres: Her hostility toward Seven remains unchanged, and in her one scene of any note she insists to Janeway that the former drone was never really one of the crew. This antipathy supercedes any rationality by now - Particularly when you consider that Seven saved the entire ship from the digestive tract of a space monster exactly one episode ago! It's almost as if the fictional Torres realizes that the introduction of Seven made her redundant, turning her into little more than a better-acted Harry Kim.
Naomi Wildman: Shortly after Seven is taken by the Borg, Naomi visits Janeway to beg her not to give up on Seven. This scene should have been unbearable, with the Cute Moppet prodding the captain to decisive action. But once again, the writing staff shows a deftness in scripting Naomi that has eluded past Trek writers in making a child character likable and halfway believable. Kate Mulgrew is also at her most likable in this moment, showing the most appealing aspects of Janeway's character. The result is that a scene that should be awful is instead very human and rather charming.
The Borg: With Alice Krige unavailable (and probably not terribly interested in reprising the Borg Queen on the small screen), television veteran Susannah Thompson takes over - and that's a good thing. A different actress emphasizes that this is a different Queen without the script having to take time to explain that. Also, Thompson's performance hits different notes. Whereas Krige was a seductress, Thompson comes across as a dark maternal figure. This leaves Seven torn between two mother figures - Janeway guiding her toward individuality, the Queen trying to make her see how weak and flawed individuals are.
THOUGHTS
I've heard Dark Frontier described as the Star Trek: Voyager action movie. The description is not too far off. From the opening shots, it's clear that this episode was designed to look as close to a feature film as a television budget could manage - And to the producers' credit, it manages that very well. Cliff Bole, who directed the Borg's definiting two-parter, TNG's The Best of Both Worlds, does a particularly effective job with the first half, though director Terry Windell does a fine job maintaining the overall look, tone, and feel in Part Two.
In my review of First Contact, I noted my appreciation that while it was clearly a Star Trek action movie, it wasn't a dumb action movie. Dark Frontier isn't on the same level, and there are some lapses in logic - Notably, that Seven doesn't simply inform Janeway of the Queen's ultimatum as soon as it occurs, as there is clearly time to do so and head off the entire chain of events. And though the scenes of the Borg assimilating the people of a conquered planet are suitably creepy (though not a patch on a similar scene in Doctor Who's Rise of the Cybermen), the two-parter overall makes the Borg weaker than they have been, a little too easily outmaneuvered by the ragtag Voyager crew.
But I will say that it's never less than engaging. The main characters behave believably in context, with character work and Janeway and Seven particularly good. Janeway is pushing her luck in attacking the Borg, but we understand what motivates her - Her guilt at stranding her ship was established in this season's premiere, and her strong desire to return everyone home was a major factor in the last episode. And while I pokes some fun at Torres' scene with Janeway, the exchange is prompted by Torres going over Seven's logs - something which yields useful information. Meaning that even a scene of character conflict fuels the episode's plot at the same time.
Also well-used are the flashbacks to Seven's parents and their ill-fated expedition. The flashbacks enhance Seven's internal conflict, reminding us (and her) that she was a normal child before the Borg assimilated her. There's also an effectively nasty sting to the flashback strand, when the Borg Queen shows Seven that her father still serves the Collective and then produces him for her... the vital scientist of the flashbacks now reduced to an expressionless drone.
Overall, Dark Frontier is a well-paced, effective feature-length story, with production values clearly meant to evoke those of a feature film. It does reduce the threat of the Borg somewhat, something Scorpion very carefully avoided, and the whole thing is basically action fare... But it's pretty good action fare, and it never loses sight of the characters of Seven and Janeway.
Overall Rating: 8/10.
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