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The Omega Directive File Photo || Mission Log An Alpha for Omega Airdate: April 15, 1998 Written by: Lisa Klink (teleplay) Jimmy Diggs and Steven J Kay (Story) Directed by: Victor Lobl In short: Good strong controversy with a new twist on an old idea Brief Summary: After encountering an unusual shockwave, Voyager shuts down as Janeway prepares to enact the mysterious "Omega Directive" Review: Slap a high five to Lisa Klink I thought she could only write a)romantic comedies or b)just bad comedies. Well, there was "Hippocratic Oath," but, hey, that was ages ago and for a different show. "The Omega Directive" was just a smashing episode, with a good premise reminescent of TOS given a distinctly Voyager - and might I add controversial - flair. It was well written, had great character moments, and added a new thread to the Trek universe's lore, if you will, with this new "directive" and its interesting history and implications. Even the title sounds cool, with a nice omnious ring to it. Too often this year Voyager hasn't had a plot that just inspired you from the start. I mean, holo-da Vincis, holo-janitors, etc... boring. Voyager has a problem with being too darn straightforward, I suppose. Usually trouble comes in act one, and the rest of the episode is spent in some screwball, technobabbly pursuit trying to work it all out. It just doesn't keep you interested, you know? "Omega" was a welcome change of pace, with surprisingly strong plot with a killer twist to it that was, well, surprising. I think the key was just the setup - all of a sudden, Voyager enters some new, unheard of mode and Janeway disappears. I'm actually surprised hasn't been done before, since the ship suddenly getting a mind of its own because of orders ingrained within the computer by Starfleet Command just *seems* like a good idea. Ok, ok, that Omega emblem looked cheesy. But it's the thought that counts. While the originality of the premise got me watching, the mystery kept me watching. What was Janeway doing? What the #$%@ was Omega Mode? Klink then built up on this mystery by adding a little tension, first with the crew having no idea what is going on, then with everyone aware of the potentially catastrophic implications of Omega. It was the first time in long time that a Voyager episode had an atmosphere besides the usual oxygen/nitrogen mix. "Omega" had a feel to it, a feel that suggested not all was well. In the end, of course, all was well, unfortunately, but I'll take almost anyday over nothing at all. Up to then, I wanted to know what Omega was and I wanted to know how they would handle it. I daresay that it was exciting TV. In a way, I thought I was being set up for disappointment. Just as often as it gives striaghtforward plots, Voyager gives episodes with potentially good ideas and wraps them up in bad technobabble. Here, they just let the issues play out, and the issues made for some great drama. First, the existence of Omega itself. A great twist, by the way, in making the danger not a causality one, but the idea that it would prevent warp travel. That made the moral issue a little uneasier, since Omega's use would kill no one (well, a couple of people) and Voyager had a direct interest in seeing it destroyed that might have clouded its judgment. Of course, we don't know if it was wise to destroy it all together. Judging by the 'net reaction, most think not. My opinion? Too much was at stake for too many people. Omega had to be destroyed, to save Voyager as well as space flight across the Quadrant. Spare me the "there's other travel than warp" bit - we know good and well every major race is using warp. Omega did have dire consequences. There's another controversial issue connected to that one. It's the issue of how far Voyager, or at least Janeway, went to stop Omega. I'm sure someone out there is steaming about how Trek canon just got pillaged because the Prime Directive was overriden. But they're forgetting how serious Omega was - so serious that a planet had to be denied energy resources to stop it. Janeway, as well as Starfleet Command, was right about the dangers. You don't sacrifice the fate of billions for a principle. Just ask JAMES T KIRK. Both these issues worked because they had a person behind them, thinking them through and working it all out. That person, of course, was Janeway, in dire need of good character development that's not erased due to a time distortion. She gave up a lot in seeing Omega go away, but at the same time I really appreciated how she was willing to sacrifice herself to protect the crew from this great danger. That showed how comitted she was to the mission and her crew. She made tough calls, and that's how you build character, folks. Now do it again, writers. Another character got some outstanding work too, and that work tied into probably the most controverisal issue of all in the episode. The character, as always, was Seven of Nine, who's getting more screen time than the ship itself now. Seven's borderline religious obsession with the Omega Particle (I refuse to call it a molecule. It just doesn't seem right.) absolutely fascinated me. Yes, it certainly was nice characterization and a due character twist for the newly human Seven that had the virtue of creating conflict between her and Janeway. But best of all, it gave her a new side - a sense of faith, and hope. We hadn't seen that before. Of course, I could get carried away and argue that Janeway was Kierkegaard's Knight of Infinite Resignation (some would indeed argue that Janeway should indeed resign for infinity), while Seven was the Knight of Faith, but I'll spare you that. All I'll say for now is that Seven got an actual human dimension, a real quality that a real person would have. It wasn't the artifical "Oh, let's give her a religion" - it went for more, for the thought behind the idea that fascinated Seven, and I thought it worked most excellently. Ah, giving Seven at least the hint of a religious idea. Probably more controversial than making her a lesbian. It's so intriguing because it questions the whole origin of religion and religious experience. Is there some fundamental quality to our existence that makes us look toward such answers? Or is it conditioned, as the Borg may have done to Seven? Could we argue that Seven perceiving religious significance in a natural phenomenom is some sort of evidence for God? The issue cut both ways; each side had its own points of defense. This is MY Trek - real issues done even-handedly and controversially, but not over-the-top. Excellent work. Ah, but a caveat. "Omega" could have been so much more if it had an ending with a bit more punch. Like people dying. It's ironic, because having some sort of bad consequence to the events of the episode would only further emphasize the tough decisions involved. Here, everyone escaped a-ok. We have no idea what happened to the planet, we have no idea why those alien ships survived... it just seemed strange to have this great moral dilemma about Voygaer intervening in this planet's development, and then basically wrap it up in a fit of technobabble. I usually don't have trouble following Voyager plots, but "Omega" toward the end forgot that it needed to tell the audience, and not just its characters, what was going on. I suspect part of the culprit was that Klink simply ran out of time, for much of the last couple of minutes involving how to get rid of the particle simply felt hurried and confused. Too much was happening. Not to mention that the actual ending, involving Seven and Janeway, gave us one of the worst lines to end a Trek episode ever - "If I didn't know you any better, I'd suspect that you'd just had your first religious experience." Huh? Did the real ending get cut? Or do the Voyager people need lessons on lines to end an episode from the Law and Order people? After such a wonderful setup, the end took away from "Omega" enough to keep me from gushing at the mouth with praise. Overall, however, "Omega" was one of Voyager's best this year. A great plot, some old-fashioned Trek controversies, a decidedly new controversy, and some good character work. Now, let's watch Chakotay mumble his way through next week's show. Some short takes: -You know, I'm going to leave the science alone. Just not going to touch it. I mean, a molecule that can mess up a whole quadrant? Nope, not gonna happen. -While we're at it, couldn't Omega have been just a particle? That's a lot easier to get away with than saying it's a molecule formed by some ridiculously heavy element. - I enjoyed the humor and the human interaction in this episode a lot more than usual. Harry I daresay was charming and not predictable. The Seven-in-charge-sequence was a riot, and I loved how she told Janeway that she had deactivated master da Vinci. - That Neelix scene was bad however. Why don't you just tell everyone straight up that he's a useless character, ok? -Janeway has new hair again?!? - Oooh, I forgot to mention Doc. I liked his scene with Janeway ALOT. It's about time a character mention to another character that they like them and they hope they don't die. Rating: A- Quote-o-da-week: "I am reassigning you to chamber maintenance. Your new designation is *2* of 10." Next week: Hmm... romances tend to be forgettable. But Princess Irulan is hot. Discuss This Episode and/or Review in the Fan Comm Link Discussion Board! | |||
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