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| B'Elanna finds herself on the "Barge of the Dead," the mythical Klingon transport to the Underworld. |
Original Air Date: Oct. 6, 1999. Written by: Bryan Fuller. Story by: Ronald D. Moore and Bryan Fuller. Directed by: Mike Vejar.
THE PLOT:
When B'Elanna's shuttle is damaged in an ion storm, she barely makes it back to Voyager. She receives a concussion while crash landing in the shuttle bay but is otherwise unharmed... or so it seems.
Her Klingon heritage suddenly hangs over everything. A Klingon object is found wedges in the shuttle, indicating that Klingons somehow found their way to the Delta Quadrant. The crew insists on celebrating with a Klingon-themed party. Even B'Elanna's meditations with Tuvok turn Klingon, with the Vulcan suddenly brandishing a bat'leth and uncharacteristically sneering at her rejection of her mother's culture.
Then Voyager itself fades away, leaving B'Elanna on the Barge of the Dead, the mythical Klingon vessel escorting the dishonored to the afterlife. She learns that she actually died in that shuttle accident and that everything since has been an illusion. As she processes this, a new arrival appears on the barge: Her mother, Miral (Karen Austin). The source of Miral's dishonor? B'Elanna's own rejection of Klingon tradition!
CHARACTERS:
Capt. Janeway: The illusory Janeway is a figure of support, unlike most of the other Voyager crew members. Janeway upbraids her for persisting with the probe recovery that resulted in the shuttle accident, telling her: "We only have one B'Elanna Torres. I don't want to lose her." She then refers to her as "Lanna," a variation on her name used by her mother, one of multiple moments drawing parallels between Janeway and Miral, presenting her as a maternal figure.
Torres: While I have issues with this episode, I am at least happy to see a B'Elanna-centric episode that tries to truly develop her character. What was the last such one? Day of Honor? B'Elanna blames her mother for her parents' divorce, feeling that her mother's obsession with all things Klingon drove her father away. Her mother's insistence on trying to mold her into a warrior also drove her away, not only from her mother but from all things Klingon. Even so, when she sees her mother on the Barge, bound for what is essentially "Klingon hell," she commits fully to saving her from that fate.
Tom Paris: Tries to be supportive of B'Elanna as she suddenly commits to the Klingon afterlife myths. He tries to dissuade her from risking herself but offers his help in cultural pursuits, telling her that he's willing to learn Klingon and "read the scrolls" to help her. Robert Duncan McNeill does a fine job making Tom's worry tangible in these scenes.
Tuvok: We never actually see the "real" Tuvok in this episode, but Tim Russ makes a meal out of the illusory version. The meditation scene starts out fairly normal, with Tuvok speaking in his usual even tones. Even when he first pulls out the bat'leth, it seems like an exercise - until he begins swinging it with the practiced grace of a warrior while berating his student for her disdain for Klingon culture.
THOUGHTS:
This is an episode that I really wish I liked better, because it's exactly what I'd like to see more of from Voyager. My biggest complaint about this series is how content it is to play safe, and this episode tries to break away from that. The script wants to examine Klingon mythology and, in larger form, the ways in which culture and religion can impact even children who don't buy into all aspects of their heritage. The first expands the fictional universe, and the second is a theme worthy of examination.
It starts out quite well. The opening Act, on the illusory Voyager, is effective. The characters are close enough to normal to initially fool the viewers along with B'Elanna. Janeway provides concern; Chakotay, advice; Tom, support. Her interactions with them enable the script to weave in exposition regarding her relationship with her mother and her antipathy toward her Klingon side (much needed, since I think you have to go back to Day of Honor to find the last episode that deals with that).
That something is "off" becomes clear in the scene with Tuvok, in which he behaves in a manner both aggressive and demeaning. Immediately after that, the illusion drops away, revealing the Barge. And just as this mythological voyage is clearly established, B'Elanna's mother is added to the mix as a disgraced soul headed for Klingon hell. At this point, all the pieces are in place for a strong, emotional episode.
Too bad, then, that this marks the moment the episode goes astray for me. B'Elanna is suddenly revived, returning to the "real" Voyager. I understand why this choice was made, as it allows her to actively and willingly go back to the Barge, showing a new seriousness toward a belief system she'd previously scorned. But the cost to the episode is simply too high. It robs ten minutes from the story purely to end up returning her to where she'd already been - and leaving only a few rushed minutes to show any relationship between her and her mother.
I think the story would have worked better had it stayed in this Klingon underworld for the full runtime, only returning to the ship at the very end. Then there would have been an opportunity for the mother/daughter relationship to be better developed through interactions, rather than just a string of declaratives about past events. If the relationship felt real, then so would the stakes. As it stands, I might intellectually understand the importance of this to B'Elanna, but I don't end up feeling anything.
Another issue is that the episode ends rather abruptly. B'Elanna finishes her spiritual journey, and... that's it, really. We need some kind of epilogue to hint that this has had an impact on her, but we don't get that. Unless it's actually followed up in future episodes (not a traditional strength for Voyager), the lack of any tag leaves this experience more a case of "something that happened" rather than "something important that happened."
OVERALL:
I hate finding this episode to be mediocre. After two seasons of neglect, B'Elanna finally gets a story that sincerely tries to make use of her character, and Roxann Dawson delivers an excellent performance. The script has ideas with real dramatic potential, the scenes on the Barge have a decent amount of atmosphere, and the opening Act is extremely promising.
A mid-episode return to Voyager breaks the atmosphere, and it marks the moment the episode slips off the rails. Too much time is devoted to getting the character back to where she already was, which makes for a badly rushed final Act. Had this return been removed and the remainder of the episode more fully developed, I think this would be a lot stronger.
I respect that Barge of the Dead is actually trying. I have a lot more time for an episode that tries to do something and falls short than I do for one that's only attempting to fill airtime. Even so, I'm not going to pretend that it didn't end up leaving me feeling disappointed.
Overall Rating: 4/10.
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