Revulsion (Star Trek: Voyager)

Last updated
"Revulsion"
Star Trek: Voyager episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 5
Directed by Kenneth Biller
Written byLisa Klink
Featured music David Bell
Production code173
Original air dateOctober 1, 1997 (1997-10-01)
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Nemesis"		Next →
"The Raven"
Star Trek: Voyager season 4
List of episodes

"Revulsion" is the 73rd episode of Star Trek: Voyager , the fifth episode of the fourth season. This is focused on an EMH (Emergency Medical Hologram; The Doctor)-like hologram on another ship, which is dealt with mostly by the Doctor and B'Elanna. In addition, sub-plots run their course on Voyager with other characters. Guest star Leland Orser plays the hologram, Dejaren on a spaceship that is encountered by Voyager. Leland Orser had also played a character on Deep Space Nine. [1]

Contents

The episode, in retrospect, was noted for a possible allusion to male sexual abuse via the hologram. [2] In contrast to historical examples in Trek history, like Bajoran comfort women, the character of Dejaren has been compared to Gigolo Joe from Spielberg's 2001 film A.I. [2] However, this may be too broad an interpretation of the episode noting a more basic horror film element. [2]

The episode is noted as paying homage to the tradition of "trashy science fiction horror" vibe in the Star Trek universe as portrayed by episodes like "Phage", "Cathexis", "Faces", "Projections", "Persistence of Vision", "Cold Fire", "Prototype", "Meld", "The Thaw", "Macrocosm", "Alter Ego", "Coda", "Darkling", "Phantasms", "Dark Page", "Sub Rosa", "Masks", "Eye of the Beholder" or "Genesis". [1] Star Trek has a history of dabbling in horror such as the technological failure of the transporter in Star Trek: The Motion Picture when its malfunction kills two members of the crew.

Plot

The crew is sitting in the mess hall for a celebration in honor of Tuvok, who is promoted to lieutenant commander. After the party Tom Paris catches up with B'Elanna Torres. The two haven't talked since the incident with the warp core three days before, and Tom decides to make a move. B'Elanna confirms that she meant what she said when she confessed her love for him, and Tom accepts this with a kiss.

Shortly after the party ends Voyager receives a distress call, sent by Dejaren — a hologram alone aboard a ship. His six flesh-and-blood crewmates have been killed and he requests assistance. The Doctor is eager to meet a fellow hologram and he and B'Elanna take off in a shuttle to meet the disabled ship. When they beam on board, all is quiet. Dejaren stalks them for a few moments while they try to establish what is wrong with the ship. When he comes face-to-face with the away team, he is nervous, suspicious, and distraught. Dejaren introduces himself as an "isomorph." He says his crew suddenly died of a virus and he doesn't know what to do next. B'Elanna gets to work trying to stabilize his matrix so he can stay visible.

Meanwhile back on Voyager Harry Kim has been assigned to work with Seven of Nine. She correctly notes that he seems "apprehensive" at the prospect. Despite his wariness of her frightening Borg behavior, he seems to be developing a bit of a crush on her, and he finds working closely with her unsettling. They manage to get their work done, but they are interrupted when Seven cuts her hand on a piece of equipment. Tom Paris, who has recently been recruited as the Doctor's new assistant, mends the cut in sickbay. He notices that Harry is growing fond of her, and advises him to keep his distance.

B'Elanna has some trouble with Dejaren, who is emotionally labile and unpredictable. One minute he giggles at her need to sustain herself by consuming food ("you nibble like a fish!"), and the next he unleashes an angry tirade about the disgust he feels toward "organics." B'Elanna excuses herself and catches up with the Doctor, insisting that they leave the ship and the disturbing hologram behind. The Doctor brushes her off, suggesting she be more patient with Dejaren, who is simply lonely and lacking in appropriate communication skills. B'Elanna doesn't buy it, and heads off to locate the hologram's main control center.

As B'Elanna explores other decks of the ship, Dejaren accosts the Doctor and pours out his feelings. He has felt like a slave to the organics, who are weak and unsanitary and require ridiculous amounts of maintenance and hygiene just to stay functional. He has grown to hate them and is glad he has the ship to himself. He begs the Doctor to come with him and teach him how to use the ship and be free of organics forever. The Doctor starts to realize why B'Elanna is uncomfortable around this angst-ridden isomorph.

B'Elanna finds the matrix controls. She also finds the bodies of the crew, who were not killed by a virus. They were violently murdered — by Dejaren himself. Before she can shut down the homicidal hologram he appears behind her and grabs her. He thrusts his hand into her body and grips her heart.

Back on Voyager Harry is trying to get closer to Seven. He asks her out to the holodeck. She has textbook knowledge of human behavior and immediately understands that he is attempting to spark romantic interaction between them. Seven, who believes romance is irrelevant, suggests they proceed directly to copulation, and directs him to remove his clothes. Thoroughly unnerved, the embarrassed Harry retreats.

While B'Elanna's Klingon physiological backups are keeping her alive despite Dejaren having perforated one of the ventricles of her heart, she is still in need of Voyager's sickbay. She and the Doctor try to disable the crazed isomorph. He makes a grab for the Doctor's mobile emitter, but B'Elanna manages to jolt him with a high-voltage cable, which destabilizes his matrix for good. They hurry off the ship. Safely back in Voyager's sickbay, the Doctor patches up B'Elanna.

Cast commentary

Actress Jeri Ryan who plays Seven of Nine, said that "Revulsion" was one of her favorite episodes along with "The Raven", "Hunters", "Prey", and the two-part "The Killing Game". [3]

Releases

This episode was released on VHS, paired "The Raven". [4]

In 2017, the complete Star Trek: Voyager television series was released in a DVD box set with special features. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

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

The Doctor, an Emergency Medical Hologram, is a fictional character portrayed by actor Robert Picardo on the television series Star Trek: Voyager, which aired on UPN between 1995 and 2001. He is an artificial intelligence manifesting as a holographic projection, designed to act as a short-term supplement to the medical staff of a starship during emergency situations. However, when the starship Voyager is stranded on the far side of the galaxy with no surviving medical personnel, he is forced to act as the ship's chief medical officer for several years. In an example of the Star Trek franchise's exploration of artificial intelligence, a simple software program becomes a major character in the show.

"One" is the 93rd episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 25th and penultimate episode of the fourth season. It originally aired on May 13, 1998.

"The Raven" is the 74th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the sixth episode of the fourth season. The episode was directed by LeVar Burton, and was broadcast on UPN in October 1997.

Drone (<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i>) 2nd episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Drone" is the 96th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the second episode of the fifth season. The crew of the 24th-century spacecraft USS Voyager deal with a Borg drone, played by guest star J. Paul Boehmer.

"Phage" is the 5th episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. The episode originally aired on February 6, 1995, on the UPN network, and was directed by Winrich Kolbe. 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.

Basics (<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i>) 26th episode of the second season and 1st episode of the third season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Basics" comprises the 42nd and 43rd episodes of the American science fiction television Star Trek: Voyager, the cliffhanger between the second season and the third season.

"Lineage" is the 158th episode of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager, the 12th episode of the seventh season. B'Elanna and Tom Paris struggle through the pregnancy of their child.

"Projections" is the 19th episode 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 Voyager's holographic doctor having an identity crisis on the holodeck regarding whether he or the world around him is the illusion.

"Prophecy" is the 160th episode of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager, the 14th episode of the seventh season. It deals with Klingon religious beliefs and stem cells. Starship Voyager, making its way home after being flung to the other side of the Galaxy, encounters an old Klingon starship.

"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.

"Workforce" is a two-part episode from the seventh and final season of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager. Part one was directed by Allan Kroeker, and part two by Roxann Dawson. The crew of the USS Voyager finds themselves working on a planet, but troubling memories are resurfacing.

"Blood Fever" is the 58th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 16th episode of the third season. This episode focuses on life aboard the Federation spacecraft USS Voyager, stranded on the opposite side of the galaxy as Earth. Even with its fictional faster than light warp drive, it will take decades to return normally. This show focuses on the characters B'Elanna Torres, Ensign Vorik and Tom Paris, and explores the nature of the Vulcans.

"Drive" is the 149th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and the third episode of its seventh season. The Voyager crew participates in a space race, but not all is as it seems to be. Meanwhile, B'Elanna and Tom Paris work on their relationship.

"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.

"Vis à Vis" is the 88th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 20th episode of the fourth season. Tom Paris encounters a mysterious alien on a fast ship, but not all is as it seems to be. This is a science fiction television episode set in the 24th century of the Star Trek universe, where the USS Voyager starship, stranded on the other side of the Galaxy is making a long journey back to Earth.

"Muse" is the 142nd episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 22nd episode of the sixth season.

"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.

"Scientific Method" is the 75th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the seventh episode of the fourth season.

"Hunters" is the 83rd episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 15th episode of the fourth season, and the first episode of the Hirogen story arc. The series is about a spaceship returning to Earth, after being flung to the other side of the Galaxy, and is set in the 24th century of the Star Trek science fiction universe.

References

  1. 1 2 Mooney, Darren (January 20, 2017). "Star Trek: Voyager - Revulsion (Review)". the m0vie blog. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Green, Michelle Erica (September 16, 2016). "Retro Review: Revulsion". Trek Today. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  3. ↑ Spelling, Ian (April 1998). "The Lady Borg". Starlog (249): 27–31. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager 4.3 - Revulsion/The Raven". www.videocollector.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  5. ↑ Wright, Matt. "REVIEW: "Star Trek: Voyager" – The Complete Series on DVD". TrekMovie.com. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  6. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager - The Complete Series (DVD Review)". Why So Blu?. 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
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.