Bride of Chaotica!

Last updated

"Bride of Chaotica!"
Star Trek: Voyager episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 12
Directed by Allan Kroeker
Story by Bryan Fuller
Teleplay by
Featured music David Bell
Cinematography by Marvin V. Rush
Production code207
Original air dateJanuary 27, 1999 (1999-01-27)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Latent Image"		Next →
"Gravity"
Star Trek: Voyager season 5
List of episodes

"Bride of Chaotica!" is the 106th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager airing on the UPN network, the 12th episode of the fifth season. The episode originally aired on January 27, 1999. The episode largely takes place on the holodeck, which is running a holo-program in black and white instead of the usual color. This was because of a small fire to the Bridge set that had occurred while the episode was in production; [1] as a result the Bridge scenes were shot weeks later after the set was repaired and scenes that were originally set for the Bridge were either entirely rewritten or set on a different part of the ship. The episode satirizes numerous elements of the classic 1936 film serial Flash Gordon and classic 1939 film serial Buck Rogers .

Contents

In this episode, Voyager becomes stuck in a interdimensional rift as photonic beings from another dimension attempt first contact in the holodeck, meeting the photonic villains of Ensign Paris' "Captain Proton" program, who promptly attack them.

Plot

During an episode of The Adventures of Captain Proton on the holodeck in a recurring Voyager hologram program in the style of vintage movie serials such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers , Ensigns Tom Paris and Harry Kim are forced to leave the program running when spatial distortions trap the ship and disrupt their control over the computer. While the command staff of Voyager seek to discover a way to free the ship from the spatial distortions, extra-dimensional aliens who exist in a photonic state cross over from their own dimension through a distortion located in the holodeck. There, they are detected and attacked by Dr. Chaotica, who believes them to be from the fifth dimension, and whose holographic (photonic) weaponry — though harmless to humans — is deadly to the aliens.

Eventually, the crew discover the war being waged between Chaotica and the fifth dimension and must defeat him by playing out their roles as the fictional Captain Proton (Tom Paris), his sidekick Buster Kincaid (Harry Kim), the President of Earth (the Doctor, who is himself a photonic being), and Arachnia, Queen of the Spider People - a campy space queen who is destined to be Chaotica's bride. Paris asks Captain Janeway to take on the role of femme fatale Queen Arachnia. Mortified, she refuses such an indignity, but reluctantly agrees in order to help Voyager out of its predicament.

Inside the program and now in full costume, Janeway/Queen Arachnia uses her charms to try to manipulate Chaotica into lowering the "lightning shield" protecting his fortress under the pretence that her loyal subjects in their "spider ships" can attend their wedding. Chaotica becomes suspicious of Arachnia so she attempts to deactivate the shield herself but Chaotica traps her in his "confinement rings" force field for double crossing him, telling her he will kill her after their wedding night. Using a vial of her "spider pheromones" to hypnotize Chaotica's guard, Arachnia manipulates him into freeing her. She then deactivates the lightning shield enabling Captain Proton to fire his "destructo beam" at Chaotica and defeat him, thereby freeing Voyager and allowing ship and crew to continue on their journey home.

Reception

In 2012, Den of Geek ranked "Bride of Chaotica!" as the fifth best episode of Star Trek: Voyager. [2]

In 2014, io9 ranked "Bride of Chaotica!" as the 100th out of 100 of the best of over 700 episodes across the entire Star Trek television franchise. [3] In 2019, Comic Book Resources rated "Bride of Chaotica!" as the second most funny episode of all Star Trek. [4]

Dany Roth writing for SyFy Wire in 2017, ranked this the 3rd best episode that Bryan Fuller wrote for; they felt "It's campy, hilarious, hysterical, brilliant, and an absolute joy" and said it might be the best holodeck episode. [5]

In 2019, CBR ranked "Bride of Chaotica!" as the best holodeck episode of all Star Trek episodes. [6] In 2021, they highlighted this episode as an example of the series "having fun with its goofier side" [7]

In 2021, Tor.com rated this 10 out 10, remarking "This is simply an enjoyable episode of Star Trek" despite some misgiving about it making sense, and commending Mulgrew for a "stupendous performance." [8]

Releases

On April 25, 2001, this episode was released on LaserDisc in Japan, as part of the half-season collection, 5th Season vol.1 . [9] This included episodes from "Night" to "Bliss" on seven double sided 12 inch optical discs, with English and Japanese audio tracks for the episodes. [9]

On November 9, 2004, this episode was released as part of the season 5 DVD box set of Star Trek: Voyager. [10] The box set includes seven DVD optical discs with all the episodes in season 5 with some extra features, and episodes have a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound audio track. [10]

Related Research Articles

"Someone to Watch Over Me" is the 116th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 21st episode of the fifth season. It was directed by cast member Robert Duncan McNeil.

"Deadlock" is the 37th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 21st episode of the second season. In this television show, part of the Star Trek franchise, a Federation ship is stranded on the opposite side of the Galaxy as Earth in the late 2300s. On its way home the starship encounters many species of aliens and outer space phenomenon. In this episode their ship is split into two versions of itself sharing the same power source, while being attacked by a species of organ harvesting aliens known as the Vidiian.

"Counterpoint" is the 104th and tenth episode of the fifth season of Star Trek: Voyager. In this space science fiction television show, a spacecraft, the Federation's USS Voyager is stranded on the wrong side of the galaxy as it must slowly makes its way home to Earth. In this episode, Voyager and its crew encounter the Devore aliens, posing particularly difficult choices for the ship's captain, Starfleet Captain Kathryn Janeway.

"Relativity" is the 118th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager airing on the UPN network. It is the 24th episode of the fifth season.

"Worst Case Scenario" is the 67th episode and the 25th and penultimate episode of the third season of Star Trek: Voyager. This episode focuses on events that take place on a spacecraft virtual reality system, involving a plot based on factions established earlier in the series, the Maquis and Starfleet.

"Shattered" is the 157th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, aired on the UPN network. It is the 10th episode of the seventh season.

"Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy" is the 124th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the fourth episode of the sixth season. The title is a parody of the famous 1974 novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré.

"Alter Ego" is the 56th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 14th episode of the third season. It was directed by cast member Robert Picardo.

"Twisted" is the 22nd episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the sixth episode in the second season. Set in the 24th century, on a Starfleet ship stranded on the opposite side of the Galaxy from Earth, They must spend several decades to get back because their Warp drive is too slow to get back to Earth. In this episode, the spaceship encounters a sort of anomaly in space that distorts the ship, while some aliens that Voyager took on board work through their relationship amidst the difficult surroundings.

"Real Life" is the 64th episode of Star Trek: Voyager and the 22nd episode of the third season. This episode revolves around the Doctor dealing with his holographic family program. Robert Picardo plays a holographic AI aboard the starship USS Voyager in the 24th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Year of Hell</span> 8th and 9th episodes of the 4th season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Year of Hell" is a two-part episode from the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager which aired on UPN in November 1997. It aired in two parts, on November 5 and November 11, 1997. Part I was directed by Allan Kroeker and Part II by Mike Vejar; it was written by Brannon Braga and Joe Menosky. This includes a number of guest stars, including Kurtwood Smith.

"The Killing Game" is a two-part episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 18th and 19th episodes of the fourth season. In the episode, a Hirogen hunting party has taken over Voyager and put its crew to work as living holodeck characters. Their minds are controlled by neural interfaces which make them believe they are their characters, and the Hirogen hunt them in two holodeck programs. These are the third and fourth episodes of the Hirogen story arc.

"Before and After" is the 63rd episode of the science-fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, and the 21st episode of the third season. It foreshadows events seen in a later episode, "Year of Hell". The episode debuted on UPN on April 9, 1997. This episode is focused on the alien and crew member Kes, played by actress Jennifer Lien, in a plot involving a complicated time travel paradox with the USS Voyager. In this science fiction show, the USS Voyager is a 24th century star ship stranded on the other side of the Galaxy as Earth, and must make its way back over what may be decades with motley collection of Starfleet, Maquis, and aliens as crew.

"Macrocosm" is the 54th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 12th episode of the third season. The title borrows the philosophical term macrocosm, definable as a larger world that mirrors what exists in a miniature world, or microcosm.

"Nothing Human" is the 102nd episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the eighth episode of the fifth season. It was the final episode written by series co-creator Jeri Taylor.

"Dark Frontier" is a feature length episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 15th and 16th episodes of the fifth season. This episode originally aired as a feature-length episode that was later broken up into two parts for reruns in syndication. Actress Susanna Thompson guest stars alongside the cast of this Star Trek television show as the Borg queen. The crew of a spacecraft trying to get back to Earth once again encounter a race of cybernetic organisms bent on Galactic domination. Ex-Borg character Seven of Nine struggles with her past as she rediscovers her humanity aboard the spacecraft.

"Fair Haven" is the eleventh episode from the sixth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, 131st episode overall. The crew of spaceship USS Voyager explore a holodeck program crafted by Tom Paris, set in Ireland, meanwhile Voyager encounters a space storm. The show focuses on the experiences of Captain Janeway during this time.

"Flesh and Blood" is a two-part episode from the seventh season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. The crew of USS Voyager must contend with violent Delta Quadrant aliens the Hirogen, who use the holodeck technology with a horrific amoral twist.

Equinox (<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i>) 26th episode of the fifth season and 1st episode of the sixth season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Equinox" is a two-part episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the cliffhanger between the fifth and sixth seasons. This television episode features a 24th-century spacecraft, the USS Voyager, lost on the opposite side of the Galaxy as Earth, the Delta Quadrant, and they must make their way home.

<i>Janeway Lambda one</i> A fictional storyline in Star Trek: Voyager

Janeway Lambda one is a holonovel, or advanced virtual reality adventure, featured in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet and Maquis crew of the starship USS Voyager after they are stranded in the Delta Quadrant, far from the rest of the Federation. In the holonovel, Kathryn Janeway, finds a temporary escape from her responsibilities as Voyager's captain by playing a governess in a Gothic novel set in Victorian England. The holonovel was a recurring subplot in the show's first two seasons. It features Michael Cumpsty as Lord Burleigh, and Thomas Dekker and Lindsey Haun as Burleigh's children. Carolyn Seymour guest stars as the housekeeper Mrs. Templeton, and previously played two separate Romulan commanders and Science Minister Mirasta Yale in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

References

  1. ↑ "Bride of Chaotica". The Delta Flyers Podcast. May 15, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  2. ↑ Harrison, Juliette (October 3, 2012). "Top 10 Star Trek: Voyager episodes". Den of Geek . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  3. ↑ Anders, Charlie Jane (October 2, 2014). "The Top 100 Star Trek Episodes Of All Time!". io9 . Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  4. ↑ Weyer, Michael (January 18, 2019). "The 20 Funniest Star Trek Episodes". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  5. ↑ Roth, Dany (February 29, 2016). "Every Bryan Fuller Star Trek episode, ranked". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  6. ↑ Weyer, Michael (January 4, 2019). "Star Trek: Ranking the 20 Best Holodeck Episodes". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Every Star Trek: Voyager Season, Ranked". CBR. May 21, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ DeCandido, Keith R. A. (February 25, 2021). "Star Trek: Voyager Rewatch: "Bride of Chaotica!"". Tor.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  9. 1 2 "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Voyager: 5th Season vol.1 [PILF-2458]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "DVD Talk". www.dvdtalk.com. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.