Voyager encounters a Hirogen ship whose hunters are near death after tangling with prey too strong for them. And soon that prey is loose aboard Voyager: a member of Species 8472, isolated from its people and trying to return home.
This episode is almost "all plot, all action." That's a formula that can be really satisfying in the moment, while often not being as satisfying in the long term. But the story here really is rather exhilarating, even if (once again) television CG of the time isn't quite up to the task of creating a believable 8472 alien. There are multiple scenes of slow and spooky tension: our heroes exploring the derelict Hirogen ship (where Paris finds a severed head!), and searching the "haunted house" of Voyager's own corridors for the intruder.
After going full "Alien movie" for a time, the episode circles back around to being Star Trek when Janeway sympathizes with the 8472, recognizing that they both "just want to get home." This is one of the elements that transcends this episode just being pure action and suspense. The other big one is the conflict between Seven of Nine and Captain Janeway. It is frankly great to see this level of friction on the show -- though I can't help but wonder if it was inspired by real-life animosity at this point (reportedly resolved in the years since) by Kate Mulgrew toward Jeri Ryan. It's interesting, as I imagine the writers want this to be a "balanced" conflict where each character has a point -- but I think Seven's comes across much more effectively: "you are the one who wants me to be an individual, but now you don't like the individual I've become."
Another boon to this episode is Tony Todd's presence as the Hirogen character. He would later call this the most difficult makeup of his career (as it required an additional hour-and-a-half of costuming after a lengthy makeup application), but he was keen to appear on yet another Star Trek series (after The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine). Todd's regal affect helps flesh out the Hirogen urge to hunt, how they respect their prey even while seeing themselves above them. Though this is Todd's least showy Star Trek role, he still gets some good moments with several of the regular cast members -- particularly Robert Beltran as Chakotay.
Other observations:
- The writers have learned how to write comedy for Jeri Ryan. Seven's social lesson with the Doctor is great fun.
- The spacesuits from First Contact are reused here. Literally. Voyager didn't have the budget to make more, and only three were made for the movie, so here, even though four characters wear the suits, you never see more than three on screen at the same time.
- Kate Mulgrew gives a delicious delivery on: "If he steps out of line, shoot him."
- The situation gets so dire that Tuvok drafts Neelix to help with security.
- Since the last encounter with Species 8472, Voyager has traveled 10,000 light years. So it maybe doesn't quite make sense to be seeing one again. The creature really IS lost!
I almost want to give this episode an A-. Had the conflict between Janeway and Seven been more even, with Janeway having what felt to me like a more relatable point of view, I think it would have gotten there. (Yes, Janeway is right about showing mercy to the alien. But the cost for that being Voyager and the life of everyone aboard? I have to side with Seven.) Still, I'd give the episode a pretty good B+. And noting that that's what I've thought of every episode to include the Hirogen so far, I'd say that makes them a very valuable addition to the series.
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