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| A nervous ambassador meets a member of the "Think Tank." |
Voyager finds itself the object of a hunt. No, the Hirogen haven't returned... Instead, they have been targeted by the Hazari, a race of relentless bounty hunters. The ship escapes one attack, only to find that there are other Hazari vessels throughout the sector. They are being boxed in, with no clear avenue of escape. Outnumbered, outgunned, and outmaneuvered, Janeway begins to see the situation as hopeless...
Which is when Kurros (Jason Alexander) appears, offering to solve her problem. He informs Janeway that he is a member of a "think tank," a group of exceptional intelligences who work to resolve impossible situations in exchange for unique items. He offers their assistance to Janeway in return for the one thing on Voyager that is utterly unique in the universe:
An independent Borg drone... Seven of Nine!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Janeway: The first Act does an excellent job of pushing Janeway into a situation in which she feels desperate, but she is still wary of Kurros' offer. She agrees to meet with him, and agrees to provide a manifest of Voyager's items for possible payment. But when Kurros names his price, Janeway flatly refuses and uses all the resources at her command to defend her crew from both Hazari and Think Tank.
Seven of Nine: She is intrigued by the Think Tank and their offer of a life that will allow her to meet her potential. She even offers to go with them if Janeway asks her to. But when Janeway tells her the decision is hers, she admits that she prefers to stay with Voyager. As the situation escalates, Seven's Borg enhancements (once again) become the key to the ship's escape.
Neelix: Has a very good scene with Janeway early in the episode. Noticing Janeway's dark mood, Neelix approaches her and offers to act as a sounding board. Janeway resists at first, but soon lets her worries over the Hazari flood out, painting the situation with all the hopelessness Kurros is counting on her feeling. Neelix listens patiently, then calmly affirms his faith in her: "We've faced tough odds before - You'll get us through. Good night." A memo to far too many writers of past Neelix episodes: This is one way to use this character effectively.
Kurros: Jason Alexander is well-cast as the public face of the Think Tank. His Kurros is menacing in large part because Alexander never plays him as such. He is soft-spoken and always reasonable in his interactions. Eternally calm, never rude, showing neither anger nor frustration... All of which makes him that much more terrible when he casually condemns a planet to starvation in the teaser, or when he demands a member of Janeway's crew as payment for helping Voyager. He's particularly good opposite Mulgrew, and I wouldn't mind seeing a rematch between Janeway and Kurros at some point.
THOUGHTS
The teaser for Think Tank is terrific. A nervous alien (Christopher Shea) meets with Kurros just after the Think Tank has saved his planet. The price, however - their supply of an ore needed for their replicators - would result in mass starvation. Kurros holds firm, never losing his calm even as he threatens to reverse their work and doom the planet all over again. The scene is effective, showing the Think Tank as formidable and threatening in just a few minutes of screen time, and our interest is piqued for Voyager's encounter with them.
Nothing else in the episode matches up to this opening. The Hazari fulfill their plot function of convincingly putting Voyager into a hopeless scenario, but they are a bit generic and a bit too reminiscent of last season's Hirogen to ever feel as formidable the script tells us they are. Still, Michael Taylor's teleplay does a solid job of building Voyager's tense situation, with Janeway only narrowly escaping the first encounter with these aliens because of a desperation play - something that makes clear right away that the Starfleet vessel is outmatched. That, and her initial reluctance at Kurros' offer, help to sell her turn to the Think Tank.
There's a Third Act twist that's so obvious and telegraphed that I'm not sure the word "twist" truly applies, and the final stretch is weaker than the rest of the show. Janeway is able to "out-think the Think Tank" a little too easily. Even so, the episode is never less than entertaining, and the performances by Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, and Jason Alexander are first-rate from start to finish. Not a great episode... But it is an overall pretty good one, showcasing the series' strengths.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
Previous Episode: The Fight
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