Summary
Star Trek: Voyagerseason 3 cleverly made fun of a systemic problem the franchise has with holodeck episodes. Like some otherStar TrekTV shows,Voyagerseason 3 was in many ways the beginning of a turning point for the show, where better quality episodes began to appear with more frequency than seasons 1 and 2. Especially toward the end of season 3, whenVoyagerwas moving towards some big shifts at the start of season 4, the season picked up momentum, delivering several great episodes in a row.
One of these episodes,Voyagerseason 3, episode 25, “Worst Case Scenario,” included a holodeck-centric storyline. The episode’s plot revolved around a holonovel about a mutiny byVoyager’s Maquis crew members written by Tuvok (Tim Russ) as a training exercise. When it was revealed that the program was unfinished, Tuvok and Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) took it upon themselves to continue it at the crew’s request. At the end of the episode, however,Voyager’s cast of charactersbegan suggesting ideas for other holonovels Tuvok and Tom could work on, such as “a Western” or “a detective story.”
Every Voyager Character Who Has Returned In Star Trek (& How)
Star Trek: Voyager’s beloved characters have returned in Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and especially Star Trek: Prodigy.
Voyager’s “Worst Case Scenario” Made Fun Of How Repetitive Star Trek’s Holodeck Programs Are
Voyager pointed out that Star Trek doesn’t get creative enough with its holodeck programs
With these two innocuous lines,Voyagercleverly made fun of the limitations that constrain evenStar Trek’s best holodeck episodes. Mentioning Western and Detective fiction seems to be an allusion to both the Dixon Hill program and the Western holonovel in “A Fistful Of Datas” fromStar Trek: TNG. Including subtle references like this made it seem likeVoyagerwas pointing out the irony thatStarfleet officers can program anything they want on the holodeck, but instead often choose from a very limited range of ideasfor their entertainment.
Instead of branching out, the franchise chose to stick with exactly what was familiar for the rest ofTNGand intoDS9andVoyager.
The scope of what the holodeck can create is supposedly limitless, but characters always choose from very basic tropes, or often a literary take-off likeSherlock HolmesorJane Eyre. This was started inTNGwith the introduction of the holodeck andStar Trek’s first holodeck-centric episode, “The Big Goodbye.“However, instead of branching out, the franchise chose to stick with exactly what was familiar for the rest ofTNGand intoDS9andVoyager. AlthoughDS9occasionally used their holosuites a little differently,Voyagercertainly continued the trend in many of its episodes.
How Voyager Subverted Star Trek’s Usual Holodeck Tropes In “Worst Case Scenario”
“Worst Case Scenario” was a different kind of holodeck episode
Interestingly, however, “Worst Case Scenario” is a subversion of the usual holodeck tropes. A holonovel aboutVoyager’s crew is already different from the norm, as other shows generally used the holodeck to put characters in fantastical settings. Likewise,a program that directly pits the show’s characters against each other was an even more unique idea. It was also realistically something onlyVoyagercould do given that half the crew was former Maquis. Other Starfleet officers would have no reason to mutiny against each other, butVoyager’s tenuous Maquis-Starfleet relationswere a hallmark of the show’s early seasons.
Unfortunately, “Worst Case Scenario” proved to be the exception rather than the rule, andStar Trek: Voyagercontinued to use its holodeck in the same, uninspired vein for the rest of its run. Additionally, since the series ended in the early 2000s,there have been hardly any holodeck-related episodes in other franchise projects, providingStar Trekwith no chance to break the mold. Hopefully, future projects, especially ones set in the far future established byStar Trek: Discovery, can provide opportunities to switch up the usual holodeck formula.
Star Trek: Voyager
Cast
The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they’ve never faced before.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D as they embark on interstellar explorations, seeking out new worlds and civilizations.
