20 Years of Star Trek: Voyager - S01xE05

Ensign Lestat's TV Log, 04/07/15

The Cloud
I confess, I haven't seen this episode in ages, and remember nothing about it.

'We are the entire family of man,' says Captain Janeway about her crew stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

Haha, B thinks its an inspection when J turns up in Engineering. She's just wandering around her ship.

Looks like Neelix's cooking is not going down well with the crew.

Tom has a good point. Captains wants respect. But Harry's right too, she's got no one to talk to if not them.

Uck. This stuff in Neelix's kitchen looks hideous.

Neelix is taking his duties to a new height. Complimenting the Captain, and telling her to set a good example to the crew.

Ok, that fake coffee looks ghastly.

Cap is so funny.

They've found a nebula. 'There's coffee in that nebula!' Ah, I have missed that line. I love it. 

Senior crew are on the bridge. Chakotay and Cap are discussing the crew.

Ah, C is sharing his animal guide details with the Captain. Such a lovely aspect of their relationship.

We're going into the nebula. Oh man, Tuvok is telling Kim off.

Ship got hit. Now they're at a dead stop. Looks like a barrier is stopping them.

It's payback time for Kim with Tuvok.

The breach in the nebula has closed behind them.

Who knew Neelix would be upset about Voyager's constant detours.

I like that Kes looks up to the Captain, because she would be just as curious about the universe around her like the Captain.

Still not convinced by the Kes/Neelix relationship, never will be.

Ok, now there's particles sticking to the ship and draining power. Voyager can't seem to catch a break.

Now they can't get past the barrier. Looks like they're stuck.

Phasers didn't work, it's up to the photon torpedoes. Got through the barrier. But they're struggling to get out.

Finally, they're out. They just lost 11% of their energy reserves. 

Kim's sleeping, someone's sneaking in.

It's Tom. How did he get in to his room?

Poor Harry, his former roommate kept the lights on, so now he wears an eye mask to sleep.

The holodeck! The first of Tom's many holo exploits. We're in France!

Ah, the ladies be fighting over beautiful Tom. Well, isn't he lovely?

Tom and Harry are now playing Pool. 'You miss it too, don't you?' Tom's dodging Harry's question about how much he misses home. Truth is home is a nightmare for Tom now. But in a few years' time, he's going to really want to go back.

B and the Doc are already sparring. 

C's brought his medicine bundle to share with the Captain. He's never shown his bundle to anyone else. Already, we're establishing that there's something more to C's relationship with J.

I love the wide-eyed wonder with which J listens to C as he talks about his bundle.

'A-koo-chee-moya, we are far from the sacred places of our grandfathers...' My sister and I would replay these words said by Chakotay when we were far from home and felt really low. There was something comforting in the sound of Chakotay's voice, urging the universe to give us hope.

Looks like the Captain's spirit guide is a lizard. That's a lizard, right?

Of course B'Elanna tried to kill her animal guide - that woman listens to no one, especially herself.

Ah, B and the Doc have analysed the samples attached to the hull. Turns out the nebula was not a nebula. It was an organic being.

The Captain just muted the Doc. Funny how much the crew's relationship with the Doctor changes.

So, now that Voyager has injured the poor fake nebula, they now have to help it regenerate itself.

Kes' hydroponics garden seems to be fully under way. But Neelix' food looks awful.

Wow, N is in a bad mood. Now he's complaining to the Captain.

I love this exchange between N and J, because it establishes the Captain's authority, and her unwillingness to relent in the face of obstinacy. She is governed by her principles and by the Prime Directive. The best part of it all is that Neelix, in true loyal soldier-style, takes the dressing down on the chin and makes something great out of it.

Oh, look, close ups of Tom. :)

Entering the nebula again. The Captain looks proper proud of Kim's improvisation to make the trip easy.

Oh goodness! The ship's being attacked, they're losing altitude. Now they've dumped the duterium.

Ship's in a bad way. But crew is mostly okay. Oh wait, Kim's missed something. Chakotay just tells him off.

They may have to surf some tides to find a way out.

Yum, Neelix has brought some delicious sounding food. He's appointed himself Morale Officer. 

So, cooking helps Neelix unwind. Nice subversion of the norm.

They're at the breach, but their efforts are minimal. 

So the ship has to act like a suture. Dogs come up in the conversation. 

The Captain and Tom bond over their love for dogs. They'll have to distract the entity with a probe.

This new plan is working. The ship is in the wound, the regeneration is rapid. It's closing in.

Paris steers the ship out of the wound and... out of the nebula. We're out safe.

Instead of augmenting it, they've lost 20% of their reserves. Now they're headed elsewhere.

Harry and J are in the turbo-lift together. He's gone and done it, he's invited the Captain to the holodeck.

Oh shoot. The holographic gigolo very explicitly laid out his plans for the Captain. Poor Tom, he looks very embarrassed. 

But Janeway's not displeased. She loves this kind of fun. 

Right, Paris' holographic character was kind of MCP-ish. Establishing that Tom's not of good character. That'll change.

Captain's got a cue now. She is brilliant at this game. I love the startled expressions on everybody's faces. She's fantastic.

A-koo-chee-moya, Captain.

So much love for this show when it has an episode like this. There was nothing brilliant about the organic nebula, but it touches your heart. It's so much like an office environment. People tell others off. Juniors are not sure whether to engage with seniors. People overlook details. People bring their grievances to the top management only for them to be ignored. People become enterprising in the face of adversity. Most importantly though, it's the episode that helped find my own animal spirit guide. My guide is the crew of Voyager. 

Next up, more dashed hopes.

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