State of Flux

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"State of Flux"
Star Trek: Voyager episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 11
Directed by Robert Scheerer
Story by Paul Robert Coyle
Teleplay by Chris Abbott
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code111
Original air dateApril 10, 1995 (1995-04-10)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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Star Trek: Voyager season 1
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"State of Flux" is the eleventh episode of Star Trek: Voyager , which was a science fiction television show that ran from 1995-2001. Recurring Voyager characters Seska and Lt. Carey star, along with the show's main cast, in an episode that sees the return of the Kazon aliens previously introduced in "Caretaker".

Contents

This episode features events with Star Trek's replicator technology. [1]

This episode aired on the United Paramount Network (UPN) on April 10, 1995. [2]

Plot

The crew of Voyager are foraging for food on a planet, when the ship detects a cloaked Kazon vessel and they are ordered to return. Chakotay is left behind to search for Seska. As soon as he finds her, he is fired on by two Kazons, who are stunned by return phaser fire, allowing Chakotay and Seska to escape. Back on Voyager, Seska serves Chakotay mushroom soup and tells him that she and other Maquis raided Neelix's kitchen to make the soup. Chakotay is furious and threatens harsh disciplinary measures. Seska, having once been romantically involved with Chakotay, attempts to placate him, but Chakotay rebuffs her and she leaves.

Moments later, Voyager detects a distress call from a Kazon ship. On investigation, they discover that a piece of equipment on the Kazon ship has caused a catastrophic failure on board, killing all but one of the crew, who is comatose. Because the equipment bears similarities to Starfleet technology, the crew realize that the Kazon must have obtained it from someone on Voyager, and Seska falls under suspicion. Seska takes matters into her own hands and beams over to the Kazon ship, explaining that she must retrieve the equipment to prove her innocence. While on the ship, Seska is injured and is reprimanded by her superiors when she returns.

Captain Janeway realizes that the comatose Kazon might be the only chance of finding out how the technology came into the Kazon's possession. Another Kazon ship arrives, whose captain, Culluh, demands to see his comrade. Culluh and his bodyguard arrive in sickbay where the Doctor is treating their compatriot. Suddenly, Culluh's bodyguard kills the patient. Disgusted, Janeway orders both Kazons off Voyager.

Kes finds Seska has Cardassian blood, which Seska claims was the result of a bone marrow transplant from a friendly Cardassian woman. Investigations reveal that a message was sent to the Kazon from Engineering, and from the time of the message the two most likely suspects are Seska and Lt. Carey. The senior crew set a trap to identify the traitor, and Seska falls for it. She explains that the Kazon are a powerful race in this quadrant and by giving them technology, Voyager will gain a powerful ally. She escapes to a Kazon ship using a pre-programmed beam-out. Janeway orders a pursuit, but more Kazon ships arrive and Voyager retreats.

Later, Chakotay asks Tuvok if he was naive for being fooled by Seska. Tuvok admits being fooled as well, reassuring Chakotay. [3]

Production

This episode was filmed in Bronson Canyon in Griffith Park in California. [4]

Reception

This had Nielsen ratings of 6.5 when it was aired in April 1995. [5]

"State of Flux" is noted in Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture as an example of an episode that shocks the viewer by having a character go against the Federation's Starfleet. [6]

Out of the 16 (15) episodes in Season 1 of Star Trek: Voyager which was broadcast in the spring of 1995, only "Eye of the Needle" and "Caretaker" (Part I and Part II) had a higher rating than "State of Flux" on TV.com as of 2018. [7] Both of those episodes had a rating of 8.7 surpassing "State of Flux" which had a rating of 8.5 as of 2018. [7] "State of Flux", with its rating of 8.5 was higher than "Faces" and "Time and Again" which were rated 8.3 as of 2018. [7]

In 2020, Gizmodo listed this episode as one of the "must watch" episodes from season one of the show. [1]

In 2020, The Digital Fix felt this episode had some of the "most ambitious storytelling" in season one of Star Trek: Voyager along with "Prime Factors" . [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chakotay</span> Character from Star Trek: Voyager

Chakotay is a fictional character who appears in each of the seven seasons of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. Portrayed by Robert Beltran, he was First Officer aboard the Starfleet starship USS Voyager, and later promoted to Captain in command of the USS Protostar in Star Trek: Prodigy. The character was suggested at an early stage of the development of the series. He is the first Native American main character in the Star Trek franchise. This was a deliberate move by the producers of the series, who sought to provide an inspiration as with Uhura in Star Trek: The Original Series for African Americans. To develop the character, the producers sought the assistance of Jamake Highwater who falsely claimed to be Native American. Despite first being named as a Sioux, and later a Hopi, Chakotay was given no tribal affiliation at the start of the series, something that was later resolved in the episode "Tattoo".

In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Maquis are a 24th-century paramilitary organization-terrorist group. The group is introduced in the two-part episode "The Maquis" of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, building on a plot foundation introduced in the episode "Journey's End" of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and appear in later episodes of those two series as well as Star Trek: Voyager. The Maquis story debuted when three Star Trek television shows running from 1987 to 2001 took place in the same fictional science-fiction universe at the same time in the future. As a result, the Maquis story was told across several episodes in all three shows. The Maquis are especially prominent in Star Trek: Voyager, whose premise is that a Starfleet crew and a Maquis crew are stranded together on the opposite side of the Galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Paris</span> Fictional character from Star Trek

Lieutenant Thomas Eugene "Tom" Paris is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager and is portrayed by Robert Duncan McNeill. Paris is the chief helmsman, as well as a temporary auxiliary medic, of the USS Voyager, a Starfleet ship that was stranded in the Delta Quadrant by an alien entity known as the Caretaker.

Star Trek: Voyager is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor. It originally aired from January 16, 1995, to May 23, 2001, on UPN, with 172 episodes over seven seasons. It is the fifth series in the Star Trek franchise. Set in the 24th century, when Earth is part of a United Federation of Planets, it follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager as it attempts to return home to the Alpha Quadrant after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the far side of the Milky Way galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuvok</span> Fictional character in Star Trek: Voyager

Tuvok is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise and a main character in the television series Star Trek: Voyager. Tuvok is a Vulcan who serves as the ship's second officer, Chief of Security, and Chief Tactical Officer. He was portrayed by Tim Russ throughout the show's run from 1995 to 2001, as well as in subsequent portrayals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazon</span> Fictional species portrayed as interstellar gangsters in Star Trek: Voyager

The Kazon 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, the Kazon serve as the primary antagonists during the show's first two seasons. They are represented as a nomadic species divided into eighteen separate sects, and characterized by their reliance on violence. A patriarchal society, the Kazon have a low opinion of women, and place pride in men becoming warriors and proving themselves in battle. The Kazon storylines frequently revolve around the attempts of Jal Culluh and his Kazon sect to steal technology from the USS Voyager, with the assistance of former Voyager ensign Seska. During the second season, the Voyager crew uncover more about the alien species' history and culture through a temporary truce. In their final major appearance, the Kazon successfully commandeer Voyager, but are eventually forced to surrender and retreat. The alien species have minor cameo appearances and references in the show's subsequent seasons, and have also been included in Star Trek Online and novels set in the Star Trek universe.

"Caretaker" is the series premiere of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It was first broadcast as a double-length episode on January 16, 1995, as the first telecast of the fledgling UPN network. It was later split into two parts for syndication, but released in its original one-episode format on DVD and streaming services. 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.

"Parallax" is the third episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. The episode was directed by Kim Friedman and broadcast on January 23, 1995. The story was written by Jim Trombetta with the teleplay by Brannon Braga.

"Repression" is the 150th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, and the fourth episode of the seventh season of the series. The storyline revisits the potential for Starfleet and Maquis conflict explored in "Worst Case Scenario" at the end of season three.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Star Trek: Voyager's Must-Watch Episodes". io9. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  2. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  3. ↑ Henkel, Steffen (April 17, 2005). "Voyager 1x11 - State of Flux". Trek News (in German). Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager Filming Locations".
  5. ↑ "WebTrek - Star Trek: Voyager * NIELSEN RATINGS". users.telenet.be.
  6. ↑ Porter, Jennifer E.; McLaren, Darcee L. (1 January 2016). Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture. SUNY Press. ISBN   9781438416359 – via Google Books.
  7. 1 2 3 TV.com. "Star Trek: Voyager". TV.com.
  8. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager Revisited - Season One". Television @ The Digital Fix. 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
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