Harry Kim and Tom Paris are imprisoned by an alien species. Their escape efforts are stymied by the technological implant in their brains, which stimulate their base impulses. Meanwhile, Voyager searches for the real perpetrators of the crime.
The concept for this episode -- that Kim's humanity would be tested in prison -- was reportedly left behind by executive Michael Piller before he left the series. Staff writer Ken Biller took up the scripting, and got snarled in a logic problem he never resolved to his satisfaction: in his mind, the passage of time is critical to a good prison story. Kim and Paris could only be in prison so long before breaking the foundation of the series... and that still wouldn't be enough time for Kim to plausibly degenerate to a point of questioning his own humanity. Biller's solution was "the clamp," the implanted device meant to stimulate the negative emotions of the prisoners.
In my view, Biller just traded one problem for another. Nothing about the Akritirian prison system makes much sense. There's the dystopian notion that no conviction can be overturned, no matter the new evidence brought to light -- that much was at least intended by the writers. But there's no context for why a society would develop capital punishment in all but name, not actually executing prisoners while fostering an environment where they'll kill each other. And I think there can be no justification for spending the resources to transport these prisoners to a space station somewhere, and still nominally care for them.
As for the dramatic issues Biller thought he was solving by introducing the clamp, I think that justification is undermined by the character who delivers it, the conspiracy-minded prisoner Zio. Is the term "manifesto" ever used to an accurate, well-reasoned piece of writing? Even though Zio is completely correct in everything he says about the structure of the Akritirian prison, his whole vibe is crazed in a way that countless movies and TV shows have taught audiences reflexively not to trust.
The real problem, I think, is that this episode lives in the long shadow cast by Deep Space Nine's "Hard Time." The incredibly clever structure and message of that episode simply cannot be beat -- it solves the "passage of time" problem better, takes a main character much further dramatically, and delves much deeper into the consequences. This episode could have carved its own way better had it at least picked up on a couple of Voyager-specific elements that it didn't bother to address: Paris has prior experience in prison (admittedly, a far nicer one), and this incarceration threatens any hope of returning to the Alpha Quadrant.
The ship-side part of the episode is also strangely incurious. The Akritirians are embroiled in a conflict between an established government and a group of terrorists. What is the nature of that conflict? Are the "terrorists" in fact actually terrorists, or are they the good guys rebelling against an unjust society? Shockingly, Janeway doesn't seem to consider that at all before making plans to hand over a teenager for a life sentence in prison. (Side note: that teenager, Piri, was apparently acting alone in the original script. Late producer concern over depicting a young character in that way led to the introduction of her older brother, Vel.)
And yet... flawed as it is, this really isn't a bad episode. Tom and Harry have a closer friendship than nearly any other characters on the show, and this is a good concept for testing that friendship. Tom being wounded makes for a good reversal: he has usually acted like the "older brother," but Harry has to step up here to keep them both alive. Kate Mulgrew is always strong in moments conveying righteous anger, and she gets a great scene here when Janeway learns that the conviction can't be overturned. Neelix actually gets to be helpful, piloting his ship on the rescue mission. And that rescue mission (illogical as it is for Janeway to lead the charge) feels appropriately badass as people come flying down the chute with phaser rifles blasting.
The production values are pretty strong too. The prison set is a more elaborate build than the series typically manages for a one-off location. Director Les Landau gives it an appropriately gritty look with dark and striking lighting (very unusual for Voyager), and a lot of handheld camera (also unusual). Plus, there are some fun guest stars, including Don McManus (one of those actors that just pops up everywhere) and the perfectly smarmy Robert Pine (the father of actor Chris Pine, in a bit of Trek franchise foreshadowing).
Other observations:
- Tom and Harry basically agree: I'm so hungry, I could eat Neelix's food.
- Neelix's ship doesn't have a transporter, so I have no idea how they got the wounded Tom Paris back up that chute.
I'd say "The Chute" lands at about a B-. Perhaps it's unfair to be thinking about it in comparison to "Hard Time" at all -- one of the very best episodes in the entire run of Deep Space Nine. But hey, the theme here is that the justice system isn't always fair, so there you go.
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