When B'Elanna learns she is pregnant -- and in particular, just how much Klingon DNA she is passing on to her daughter -- she is deeply shaken. Overwhelmed with memories of her own difficult childhood, she sets out to genetically modify her daughter in the womb, to make her more human.
Children bully one another for all sorts of reasons. Some of the ill effects of that are fairly universal, while others can be quite particular to the reason behind the bullying. "Lineage" is a sober look at what it is to be picked on for having a mixed racial heritage, and how that can still leave you scarred as an adult.
I do like the laser focus this episode gives to that issue. There's no artificial jeopardy to the ship here; the episode is entirely about a character and her feelings, and how that impacts others around her. Star Trek: Voyager is now just half a season from ending, and so the writers are actually willing to take risks when they know they don't have to live with the consequences in future seasons. Tom and B'Elanna have a child? Why not!
Still, B'Elanna would have been much better served as a character had we seen these flashbacks to her childhood much earlier in the show's run. It goes much deeper than the bullying; we learn that she effectively blames herself for her parents' divorce. We've known all along that B'Elanna's issues with her Klingon side colored her relationship with her mother, but now we know she feels her father rejected her. It goes a long way to explaining "why she is the way she is," and it's a shame we're only getting this now, in sight of the series' finish line.
But I think the science fiction overwhelms the story here. Ultimately, the episode is a fight over genetic modification -- and B'Elanna's stance is so extreme as to essentially be pro-eugenics. The episode doesn't really explore that issue. Nor can it. For one thing, there really isn't a "both sides" to the issue. For another, Star Trek has thoroughly covered that ground with one of its most well-known characters, Khan. (Indeed, genetic modification is banned in the Federation, a fact that isn't even mentioned in this episode.)
When B'Elanna goes so far in her crusade that she hacks the Doctor and rewrites his program so he'll support her, she has clearly has crossed a line. That there are no repercussions for this seems ridiculous; at the very least, the Doctor should be angry with her (rather than eager to accept an invitation to be the child's godfather). I suppose you could argue that what's going on here is that "hurt people hurt people," but again B'Elanna is underserved as a character by not giving us this background earlier. It hardly seems like she could have been as stable as we've seen her for six-plus years if this wild a decision was in her nature. (I suppose you could chalk it up to really intense Klingon pregnancy hormones?)
But before the episode turns serious, and everyone is still basking in the news that Tom and B'Elanna are expecting, there is fun to be had. Almost every character has a nice exchange with one or both of them. In my mind, Tuvok's talk with Paris is the most poignant, with the Vulcan offering genuine parenting advice from his own experience. (We aren't reminded often enough that Tuvok is a father.)
Other observations:
- At the start of the episode, Tom notes how chipper B'Elanna is and asks "what did you have for breakfast?" Their quarters aren't that big; shouldn't he know?
- I guess Harry has officially given up clarinet and plays saxophone now. It seemed like a continuity error when introduced a few episodes ago, but twice is a pattern.
I like the underlying themes here. I like that the episode is character-focused. But until now, Voyager as a whole hasn't been interested enough in fleshing out its characters to earn B'Elanna behaving this wildly. I give Lineage a B-.
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