The Disease

Last updated
"The Disease"
Star Trek: Voyager episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 16
Directed by David Livingston
Story by Kenneth Biller
Teleplay by Michael Taylor
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code210
Original air dateFebruary 24, 1999 (1999-02-24) [1]
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Dark Frontier"		Next →
"Course: Oblivion"
Star Trek: Voyager season 5
List of episodes

"The Disease" is the 111th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager , the 16th episode of the fifth season. [2] It focuses on a plot with Harry Kim (played by Garrett Wang) as USS Voyager encounters a unique civilization on an extremely large starship.

Contents

This episode was written by Michael Taylor from a story by Kenneth Biller, and directed by David Livingston. It aired on UPN on February 24, 1999. Guest stars include Charles Rocket, Christopher Liam Moore and Musetta Vander. [3]

The episode features one of the largest spacecraft in the Star Trek franchise up to that time, the Varro Generational Ship. [4]

Plot

Voyager stops to assist a xenophobic species known as the Varro. This species lives on a generational ship which has housed them for 400 years. While the crew works on the Varro ship, Voyager is infested with synthetic ship-eating parasites that had been released on the Varro ship by a dissident Varro. Meanwhile, Harry Kim becomes intimate with Varro scientist Tal, and develops a physiological bond with her, one that is standard in the Varro. The physiological connection alters his behavior and sways him from his duties aboard Voyager.

It is later revealed that Tal is one of the separatists. There has been a rumor of a minority of Varro that want off the ship. The parasites that Tal helped create were made to separate the individual pods of the Varro ship without destroying the ship itself. Fractures along the hull created by the parasites begin to grow as the Varro ship begins to fall apart. Voyager's docking port is jammed, trapping it with the Varro ship. If the explosions get to Voyager, it would be destroyed as well. However, Harry comes up with a plan to extend Voyager's integrity field around the unstable ship. This gives the Varro enough time to stabilize the parasites.

Once the parasites have been stabilized, Voyager breaks free as the Varro ship experiences multiple breaches and the individual pods of the ship begin to break free. The majority of the Varro remain together in separate pods but the minority group that wanted to leave is allowed to do so. Later, Harry must painfully say good-bye to his recent love.

Production

Garret Wang is cast as Harry Kim;this character is in the spotlight in this episode as he works through a difficult alien romance. Garrett Wang (11215150165).jpg
Garret Wang is cast as Harry Kim;this character is in the spotlight in this episode as he works through a difficult alien romance.

The episode was directed by David Livingston. [5] Livingston directed many Star Trek episodes in this era, including for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999), Star Trek: Voyager, and Enterprise. [6] Overall he directed 62 episodes of Star Trek, including 28 for Voyager. [7]

Christopher Liam Moore is cast as the stowaway, and he had also been cast as a Voth in the episode "Distant Origin". [3]

Musetta Vander was originally cast as Noss in the episode Gravity. When she had to turn the role down due to scheduling conflicts, she was offered the role of Tal instead. [8]

Special effects

This episode features the fictional Star Trek spacecraft the Varro Generational Ship, which was noted in 2015 as one of the largest fictional spacecraft featured in science fiction television and movies up to that time. [4] At about 9.3 kilometers (5.8 miles) in length the Varro spacecraft is only slightly smaller than the Voth City Ship which was also featured in Star Trek: Voyager. [4] The biggest was rated as the Alien Mother ship in the 1996 film Independence Day , and the biggest Star Trek vessel up to that time was V’Ger featured in the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture . [4] The visual effect shots of the Varro ship were done computer generated graphics by Foundation Imaging. [9]

Reception

"The Disease" had a rating of 7/10 on TV.com as of 2019. [10] Den of Geek included this episode on a binge watching guide that included a roadmap of episodes which, although not typically achieving high ratings, might still be entertaining. [11] Tor.com felt the episode had some good concepts but did not capitalize on them well; they note the Generational ship was interesting and pointed out this had been explored previously in the franchise in the original series episode "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky". They were also happy with guest star Musetta Vander, who they said was "radiant and magnificent and charming and delightful". [3]

Releases

"The Disease" debuted on the television network UPN (United Paramount Network) on February 24, 1999. [1] [10] It was released on VHS as a Collector's Edition, paired with the episode "Course: Oblivion".

"The Disease" was released on LaserDisc in Japan on June 22, 2001, as part of 5th Season Vol. 2, which included episodes from "Dark Frontier" to "Equinox, Part I". [12] The episode had two audio tracks, English and Japanese. [12] [13] This set had 6 double sided 12" optical discs giving a total runtime of 552 minutes. [14]

It was also released on VHS paired with "Course: Oblivion". [15]

On November 9, 2004, this episode was released as part of the season 5 DVD box set of Star Trek: Voyager. [16] The box set includes 7 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. [16]

See also

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.

"Latent Image" is the 105th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager airing on the UPN network, the 11th episode of the fifth season. The show has stories about a spacecraft, the eponymous USS Voyager, traveling back to Earth after being lost on the other side of the Galaxy; the episodes typically focus on problems encountered by its crew. In this case ship's holographic medical program, "The Doctor", finds something amiss in his program's memory. In the typical style of the Star Trek franchise, the story uses science fiction to explore the philosophical issues, in this case, of medical ethics, personhood, decision making, and human rights.

"Counterpoint" is the 104th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the tenth episode of the fifth season. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Course: Oblivion</span> 18th episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Course: Oblivion" is the 112th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 18th episode of the fifth season. It is a sequel to the fourth-season episode "Demon".

Juggernaut (<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i>) 21st episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Juggernaut" is the 115th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 21st episode of the fifth season. This episode features several guest stars as the Malons, a species introduced in this season's first episode ("Night"), and focuses on B'Elanna.

"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.

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.

"Infinite Regress" is the 101st episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the seventh episode of the fifth season. The show depicted a Starfleet spacecraft slowly making its way back to Earth after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

"Phage" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. The episode 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.

"The Cloud" is the sixth episode of the television series Star Trek: Voyager. The teleplay was written by Tom Szolosi and Michael Piller, based on a story by Brannon Braga, and directed by David Livingston.

"The Swarm" is the 46th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the fourth episode of the third season. This was aired on UPN television on September 25, 1996.

"Warhead" is the 119th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 25th episode of the fifth season. It aired on UPN on May 19, 1999.

"Distant Origin" is the 65th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 23rd episode of the third season. Voyager encounters an alien race, but runs afoul of their principles. The Voth are humanoid lizards, and the plot revolves around one particular scientist who has taken an interest in studying Voth origins.

"Once Upon a Time" is the 99th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the fifth episode of the fifth season.

"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.

"Night" is the 95th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the first episode of the fifth season. In this episode, as the starship USS Voyager crosses an enormous expanse with no stars visible, they encounter local denizens whose home is being used as a dumping ground for toxic waste by the Malon aliens. The void is said to be size of about two years of travel for the Voyager spacecraft.

"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.

"The Fight" is the 113th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 19th episode of the fifth season. It aired on UPN on March 24, 1999.

"Think Tank" is the 114th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 20th episode of the fifth season. Jason Alexander, made famous in the 1990s from the hit sitcom Seinfeld, which had recently ended its run, guest stars as Kurros. In this episode, Voyager encounters a unique group of aliens, that offer to help solve problems, but for a price.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Star Trek: Voyager - TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
  2. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager Episode Guide, Season 5". Paramount+. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 DeCandido, Keith R. A. (2021-03-11). "Star Trek: Voyager Rewatch: "The Disease"". Tor.com. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Weigel, Brandon (10 October 2015). "The Largest Ships in Science Fiction".
  5. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager : The Disease (1999) - David Livingston - Cast and Crew". AllMovie.
  6. ↑ "David Livingston On Directing Star Trek Episodes, Part 2". www.startrek.com. 25 July 2023.
  7. ↑ David Livingston On Directing Star Trek Episodes, Part 2 David Livingston On Directing Star Trek Episodes, Part 2
  8. ↑ "The Delta Flyers - The Disease 517". 2022-06-13.
  9. ↑ Cinefantastique. F. S. Clarke. 1999. p. 47.
  10. 1 2 TV.com. "Star Trek: Voyager: The Disease". TV.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  11. ↑ "Star Trek Voyager: an episode roadmap". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2019-06-12.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. 1 2 "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Voyager: 5th Season vol.2 [PILF-2459]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  13. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager on VideoDisc". www.blam1.com. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  14. ↑ "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Voyager: 5th Season vol.2 [PILF-2459]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  15. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager 5.9 - The Disease/Course: Oblivion". www.videocollector.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  16. 1 2 "DVD Talk". www.dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
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.