Projections (Star Trek: Voyager)

Last updated

"Projections"
Star Trek: Voyager episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 3
Directed by Jonathan Frakes
Written by Brannon Braga
Featured music David Bell
Cinematography by Marvin V. Rush
Editing by Robert Lederman
Production code117
Original air dateSeptember 11, 1995 (1995-09-11)
Running time45:48
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Initiations"		Next →
"Elogium"
Star Trek: Voyager season 2
List of episodes

"Projections" is the 19th episode (third in the second season) of the American science fiction television program Star Trek: Voyager . Originally slated for the first season, the episode originally aired on UPN on September 11, 1995, and tells the story of the ship's holographic doctor suffering an identity crisis on the holodeck regarding whether he or the world around him is the illusion.

Contents

Brannon Braga compared "Projections" to the work of René Descartes, and wrote the episode around the premise of cogito ergo sum . Dwight Schultz as Reginald Barclay was praised by the cast and crew, especially for his on-screen chemistry with co-star Robert Picardo. The episode is considered as one of the most underrated episodes of the Star Trek franchise and received positive reviews, with only a few negative comments regarding predictability and underuse of characters.

Plot

USS Voyager 's Emergency Medical Holographic Program (EMH), "the Doctor" (Robert Picardo), is activated due to a red alert. Despite the computer's (Majel Barrett) assertion that nobody is aboard, B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) soon arrives in sickbay. She informs the Doctor that the ship was attacked by Kazon and that all except herself and Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) have abandoned ship. After treating her injuries, Torres transfers the Doctor's program to the bridge, using newly-installed holographic emitters there. The Doctor treats the captain and further assists Neelix (Ethan Phillips) to defeat a stray Kazon in the mess hall, but then notices he is bleeding and feeling pain, neither of which is a function of his programming. In sickbay, making inquiries with the computer, the Doctor is told that there are no holographic programs matching his own and that he is actually Lewis Zimmerman (Picardo), whom the Doctor recognizes as his programmer.

With the computer insisting that the crew of Voyager is only a collection of holographic programs, a new hologram appears in sickbay and claims to be Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz), Doctor Zimmerman's assistant at the Jupiter Station Holoprogramming Center. Barclay explains that the Doctor is really Lewis Zimmerman and that the Voyager is just a simulation in which he has been trapped and which is inflicting radiation poisoning. To end the program and rescue Zimmerman, Barclay suggests destroying the ship before he suffers irreparable brain damage. To convince the Doctor that he is Zimmerman in a simulation, Barclay restarts the Voyager program, and the Doctor finds himself reliving the events of "Caretaker" when he was first brought online.

Convinced of Barclay's claims, the Doctor prepares to destroy the ship, when Chakotay (Robert Beltran) arrives and gives an alternative story: the Doctor is indeed the Voyager EMH, but his program is stuck in the malfunctioning holodeck. The crew is trying to extricate his program and he only needs to wait; if he destroys the ship as Barclay suggests, it will prematurely end the program and the Doctor will be lost. Even though Barclay introduces Kes (Jennifer Lien) as Zimmerman's wife, the Doctor finally opts to believe in his holographic existence. The simulation ends and the Doctor finds himself on the holodeck; Chakotay's story was true and the Doctor is safely returned to sickbay.

Casting

Casting for "Projections" was done by Junie Lowry-Johnson and Ron Surma. [1] Episode guest stars included Dwight Schultz as Reginald Barclay and Majel Barrett as the computer's voice. [2]

Dwight Schultz (2006) Dwight Schultz 2.jpg
Dwight Schultz (2006)

Writer Brannon Braga came up with the idea of having Schultz appear as Lieutenant Barclay, later saying that he and Picardo worked so well together that "they should have a spin-off series." [3] Episode director Jonathan Frakes also lauded the chemistry between the two actors. [4] Schultz was pleased to be back on Star Trek, and was surprised to be considered for a Voyager guest appearance. On meeting Robert Picardo, he recalled they spent their time joking with each other on set, discussing mutual friends, and comparing notes on their theatre experiences. [5] Picardo called working with Schultz "like having a party." [6]

Before deciding on Schultz, it was originally suggested that the guest star would be LeVar Burton as Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Geordi La Forge. [3]

Production

"Projections" is one of four first-season episodes that were held over by UPN to get the jump on other networks in the 1995–1996 television season. [7] [3] Its runtime is 45:48, [1] and its production code number is 117. [2]

Brannon Braga wrote the story from the initial idea of the Doctor having an identity crisis, "What if the doctor discovers that Voyager is a hologram and he is real?" From there, Braga questioned the axiom "I think, therefore I am" and what it means to be "real". [3] Calling it a "creepy, philosophical quandary", Braga related the story of "Projections" to the work of René Descartes, where "the [character is] plagued by an evil demon out to prove he doesn't exist"; in this instance, Braga made Barclay (Schultz) the demon. The episode was written to keep the viewer guessing as to which reality was true; Braga would later say that the fun of the episode wasn't in the story itself, but in the telling of the story, "in considering all the different twists and turns along the way." [7] The final draft of the episode was submitted on March 30, 1995. [8]

The episode's music was composed by David Bell, cinematography was done by Marvin V. Rush, and Robert Lederman was editor. [1]

Reception

"Projections" first aired on September 11, 1995. [9]

Writer Brannon Braga called "Projections" his favorite installment of Star Trek: Voyager in a 1996 interview with The Official Star Trek Voyager Magazine. [7] Series co-creator and executive producer Michael Piller called the episode "a wonderful show" and "a fascinating episode", specifically praising Robert Picardo's performance alongside co-creator and executive producer Jeri Taylor. [3] Picardo himself rated "Projections" as one of the two best Doctor-heavy stories of the second season, second only to "Lifesigns". [10] Reviewers Lance Parkin and Mark Jones described the episode as "excellent". [11]

In an interview with the Star Trek Communicator magazine, Jeri Taylor pointed to an ongoing Internet survey that ranked "Projections" as the third-highest ranked episode of the second season. [12] In his book Delta Quadrant: The unofficial guide to Voyager, though David McIntee criticized the episode for its ultimate predictability and the characterization of Barclay near the end, he found the interplay between Picardo and Schultz to be overwhelmingly in the episode's favor; he rated the episode eight out of ten. [6] Cinefantastique 's Dale Kutzera was less impressed by the episode, saying it lost momentum in the middle and that it ill-used "[Star Trek]'s greatest inferiority-complex and greatest egotist." Kutzera gave the episode two out of four stars. [9]

In 2017, Business Insider listed "Projections" as one of the most underrated episodes of the Star Trek franchise. [13] In 2020, Gizmodo listed this episode as one of the show's 62 "must watch" episodes. [14]

Related Research Articles

The Doctor (<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i>) Fictional character from Star Trek: Voyager

The Doctor, an Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH), is a fictional character portrayed by actor Robert Picardo in the television series Star Trek: Voyager, first aired on UPN between 1995 and 2001. He is an artificial intelligence manifest as a holographic projection, and designed to be a short-term adjunct to medical staff in emergency situations. However, when the USS Voyager is stranded on the far side of the galaxy without medical personnel, he is forced to act as the starship's permanent chief medical officer. In an example of the Star Trek franchise's exploration of artificial intelligence, a rudimentary algorithm becomes a major character in the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reginald Barclay</span> Recurring Star Trek character

Reginald Endicott Barclay III is a fictional engineer from the Star Trek media franchise. On television and in film, he has been portrayed by Dwight Schultz since the character's introduction in the Star Trek: The Next Generation third season episode "Hollow Pursuits." Schultz played the character for five episodes and one feature film of The Next Generation, as well as six episodes of the series Star Trek: Voyager. Barclay also appears in non-canon Star Trek novels and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holodeck</span> Star Trek device

The Holodeck is a fictional device from the television franchise Star Trek which uses "holograms" to create a realistic 3D simulation of a real or imaginary setting, in which participants can freely interact with the environment as well as objects and characters, and sometimes a predefined narrative.

"Tuvix" is the 40th episode of the science fiction television program Star Trek: Voyager. The episode originally aired on May 6, 1996, and tells the story of Tuvok and Neelix being merged into a unique third character named Tuvix.

"Ship in a Bottle" is the 138th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 12th episode of the sixth season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidiians</span> Fictional alien race in the Star Trek franchise

The Vidiians are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek franchise. Developed by Star Trek: Voyager series' co-creators Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor, they serve as recurring antagonists during the show's first two seasons. They are represented as a nomadic species suffering from a pandemic known as the Phage, which destroys their tissue. A society with highly developed medical technology, the Vidiians harvest organs from corpses and living beings to stall the progression of the Phage, and experiment on other alien species in an attempt to develop a cure. Vidiian storylines frequently revolve around the aliens' attempts to take Voyager crew members' organs, though a Vidiian scientist named Danara Pel serves as a love interest for The Doctor. The alien species have made minor appearances in the show's subsequent seasons, and have been included in novels set in the Star Trek universe.

"Pathfinder" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, 130th episode overall. It features the characters Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This also marks the first contact with Earth by Voyager since Message in a Bottle (S4E14).

"Life Line" is the 24th episode from the sixth season of Star Trek: Voyager, the 144th episode overall. It is one of the episodes in the Star Trek universe in which characters from elsewhere in the franchise are extended by Voyager. Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation make appearances, and in addition Jean-Luc Picard is twice mentioned by Troi but not seen. This is also one of the few episodes where a character actually arrives in the Alpha Quadrant, and the only Voyager episode which has a cast member receiving a writing credit.

"The 37's" is the first episode of the second season, and seventeenth episode overall, of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. Due to differing release schedules, it was also released as the final episode of the first season in other countries. The episode aired August 28, 1995, on UPN. Directed by James L. Conway, it was written by producers Jeri Taylor and Brannon Braga. It was originally intended to be a two-part episode to bridge between the first and second seasons, and was subsequently re-written to be a single part. Due to late changes to the final act of the episode, special effects shots of the settlers' cities could not be completed, with which Braga and series creator Michael Piller were unhappy.

"Hollow Pursuits" is the 21st episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 69th episode of the series overall. The episode introduces the character Lieutenant Reginald "Reg" Barclay, who would go on to appear occasionally in The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, as well as in the film Star Trek: First Contact.

"Body and Soul" is the 153rd episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the seventh episode of the seventh season. This television episode is one installment of a science fiction series involving a spacecraft trying to get back to Earth from the other side of the Galaxy. The show aired on the United Paramount Network on November 15, 2000. It is focused especially on two characters, Seven of Nine and the holographic medical program called the Doctor. The episode was noted for its humor and acting performances in reception.

"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.

"Elogium" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 20th episode overall. The episode first aired on the UPN network on September 18, 1995. The story was written by freelancers Jimmy Diggs and Steve J. Kay, based on Diggs' experience while serving in the United States Navy. It was rewritten by executive producer Jeri Taylor and guest writer Kenneth Biller.

"Heroes and Demons" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. The episode first aired April 24, 1995 on UPN. It was directed by Les Landau and written by former Star Trek: The Next Generation story editor Naren Shankar. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet and Maquis crew of the starship USS Voyager after they were stranded in the Delta Quadrant far from the rest of the Federation. In this episode, after a sample of a protostar is brought on board, crewmen start to vanish from a holodeck simulation of Beowulf. The Doctor, a hologram, investigates and finds that a lifeform was transported to the ship alongside the sample. It escaped to the holodeck where it was converting those who entered into energy. The Doctor has the samples brought to the holodeck and released, resulting in the lifeform returning the crewmen to their corporeal states.

"Twisted" is the 22nd episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the sixth episode in the second season. Set in the 24th century, the Starfleet ship U.S.S. Voyager is stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the opposite side of the Galaxy from Earth in the Alpha Quadrant. In this episode, a spacial anomaly distorts the ship and the crew must work through their relationships amidst difficult and constantly changing 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.

"Lifesigns" is the 35th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 19th episode of the second season. It has an average fan rating of 4.2/5 on the official Star Trek website as of September, 2009.

Inside Man is the 152nd episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, and the sixth episode of its seventh season. This continues the story arc previously established in "Pathfinder" and "Life Line", Voyager episodes featuring the Star Trek franchise characters Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi.

Harry Kim (<i>Star Trek</i>) Character from Star Trek: Voyager

Ensign Harry S. L. Kim is a fictional character who appeared in each of the seven seasons of the American television series Star Trek: Voyager. Portrayed by Garrett Wang, he is the Operations Officer aboard the Starfleet starship USS Voyager.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Projections". Star Trek: Voyager. Season 2. Episode 3. September 11, 1995. UPN.
  2. 1 2 Ruditis, Paul (May 2003). "Season One". Star Trek: Voyager Companion. New York City: Pocket Books. pp. 48–50. ISBN   0-7434-1751-8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Gross, Edward; Altman, Mark A. (1996). "Voyager: Season Two Episode Guide". Captains' Logs Supplemental . London: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 154–155. ISBN   0-316-88354-9.
  4. ↑ Madsen, Dan (December 1995 – January 1996). "Jonathan Frakes: Looking Out for 'Number One'". Star Trek Communicator. No. 105. Aurora, Colorado: The Official Star Trek Fan Club. pp. 47–51. ISSN   1080-3793.
  5. ↑ Spelling, Ian (August 1997). "Holo Hero". Star Trek: The Official Monthly Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 30. London: Titan Books. pp. 32–37. ISSN   1357-3888. Ian Spelling talks to Star Trek: The Next Generation's Holodeck addict Dwight Schultz, alias Reginald Barclay…
  6. 1 2 McIntee, David (2000). "First Season". Delta Quadrant: The unofficial guide to Voyager. London: Virgin Publishing Ltd. pp. 53–55. ISBN   0-7535-0436-7.
  7. 1 2 3 Nazzaro, Joe (February 1996). "Brannon Braga: Supervising Producer". The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine. No. 5. New York City: Starlog Group. p. 50. ISSN   1079-3658.
  8. ↑ "Taylor, J. Mss". Indiana University. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Kutzera, Dale (November 1996). "Voyager Episode Guide". Cinefantastique . Vol. 28, no. 4/5. Forest Park, Illinois. p. 78. ISSN   0145-6032.
  10. ↑ Kaplan, Anna L. (November 1996). "Star Trek Voyager: Holographic Doctor". Cinefantastique . Vol. 28, no. 4/5. Forest Park, Illinois. pp. 95–98. ISSN   0145-6032. Robert Picardo has made Doc Zimmerman the show's most popular and entertaining character.
  11. ↑ Jones, Mark; Parkin, Lance (2003). Beyond the Final Frontier: An Unauthorised Review of the Trek Universe on Television and Film. London: Contender Books. p. 283. ISBN   978-1-84357-080-6.
  12. ↑ Fisher, Deborah (August–September 1996). "Season Review/Preview: ST:DS9/ST:VOY". Star Trek Communicator. No. 108. Aurora, Colorado: The Official Star Trek Fan Club. pp. 16–19. ISSN   1080-3793.
  13. ↑ Holodny, Elena (September 22, 2017). "The 31 most underrated 'Star Trek' episodes" . Business Insider . OCLC   1076392313. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  14. ↑ Whitbrook, James (April 28, 2020). "Star Trek: Voyager's Must-Watch Episodes". Gizmodo . Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
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.