Reginald Barclay has become obsessed with creating a method to communicate with the starship Voyager, despite their tremendous distance from Earth. His efforts have landed him in hot water at his job, and now he meets with Deanna Troi to recount how he got here and what he might do next.
This is an unusual episode of Voyager that I find difficult to rate. From one perspective, it gives the entire episode over to the guest stars; the actual Voyager crew (as opposed to their holographic counterparts) doesn't even appear on screen until there's barely 5 minutes left in the episode. And as far as how those guest stars relate to the main story? It's never really clear why Barclay cares so much, since he's never actually met any of the Voyager crew before. (Barclay's earlier appearance on the series, remember, was the Doctor's hallucination.)
But of course, it's not like Voyager exists in a vacuum. The series is Star Trek: Voyager, and the real appeal here is for fans of The Next Generation. And boy, does this episode lean in. Barclay is back with a new obsession/addition, and is again spending too much time in the holodeck (where he's programmed real people to fawn over him). His conversation encompasses the Enterprise, Geordi, Data's cat, and more. It's a reminder of characters you know and love.
Well... alright, I don't know many people who actually "love" Barclay. But I really am thrilled to see Troi again. Marina Sirtis reportedly agreed to this appearance without seeing a script, just on the knowledge that Dwight Schultz would be guest starring. But it's actually an episode in which Troi does real counseling. And, as Sirtis noted in an interview, she got to be more serious and less "wacky, zany," as Troi was in her last two appearances in First Contact and Insurrection. (Though Troi doesn't come off perfectly. She's going to take a leave of absence to help Barclay? Sounds like she's got an addiction herself.)
While the episode doesn't really feature Voyager, the story is still very much about the core premise of the show: that the ship is stranded far from home, and that any contact with Earth is a Big Deal. Tom Paris' father (recast since his last appearance) is on hand to add personal stakes. And despite any flaws the episode might have, I must admit: that first time Voyager hears the call from home, and is able to talk in real time with Earth? It is moving.
Other observations:
- Voyager has actually found a few shortcuts toward home since they last communicated with Earth. Technically, the attempt to communicate with them should fail, because the ship is far ahead of where Starfleet would reasonably be looking.
- It's never really clear why Barclay's boss is against trying the plan to use the array for communications. No "cost" is ever articulated; it's not like any resources are being consumed, or that doing this causes any sacrifice to anything else. He just... doesn't want to do it?
- Admiral Paris has a photo of his son Tom on his desk... though it's actually a photo of Robert Duncan McNeill as Nick Locarno.
- For once, we see holodeck safety protocols functioning correctly. When a holographic character tries to shoot security officers, the weapons are ineffective.
I don't love how much the Voyager characters are sidelined here in their own show. (Indeed, this episode might have been the first step down the road that ultimately led to the much-derided series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise.) Yet at the same time, I'm a sucker for seeing Next Gen characters again, and I have to admit that this episode really sticks the landing and makes you feel the weight of an emotional moment. So I'll give "Pathfinder" a B+.
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