In an attempt to maximize her time, Seven of Nine reconfigures her Borg alcove to download data from the computer into her brain while she regenerates. But the vast amounts of information quickly overwhelms her, and she begins connecting unrelated events in elaborate conspiracy theories. Soon, she has Janeway and Chakotay pitted against each other for command of the ship.
Conspiracy theorists and their wild notions have been around a long time, of course. For the bulk of that time, they've mostly been a light-hearted lark to laugh at. But it seems like social media has poured gasoline on the fire, and that whackadoodle theories spread these days much more easily (and dangerously) than they used to. Thus, this episode that was surely meant only as breezy fun when it aired in 1999 now reads quite a lot differently. Not that every episode of Star Trek must have a message, I suppose... but what is the message here? Stay off the internet? Too much information is a dangerous thing? (Near the end of the episode, there's talk of "quality being more important than quantity." Sure, I guess?)
It's interesting to me how correct this depiction of a conspiracy theorist really is. No amount of refutation or new information can dissuade Seven of Nine from her imagination; she just incorporates or ignores, then forges ahead. She actually confronts a child to demand who she's working for. She puts herself at the center of her ultimate conspiracy, because of course it's all about her. (Set aside that it's reaching the point where Star Trek: Voyager kind of is all about her.)
It's not like this episode is hardly so awkwardly dated that it makes you go "yeesh"; there is still fun to be had. Longtime fans can enjoy the thrill of twisting and distorting the show's history. Current events are connected back to the very first episode of the series. Janeway might have planned being trapped in the Delta Quadrant on purpose! Kes was forced off the ship because she knew too much! The Doctor has been a conduit for secret communications with Earth! Chakotay is still working for the Maquis!
But while the episode is fun, a lot of it is also unclear and unresolved. When Seven of Nine feeds essentially the same story to both Janeway and Chakotay, does she not know she's repeating herself or is she trying to pit the two leaders against each other? What was the deal with the tractor beam Seven detects near the Caretaker -- did she just make that up? And is the trust between Janeway and Chakotay really this fragile? Sure, the two pull back before doing anything truly terrible, but they both seem a little too ready to trust Seven of Nine over each other.
Other observations:
- Lots of flashbacks in Seven's conspiracy narrations -- both to actual footage from past episodes, and new elements created for this episode. My favorite is "flea cam," at the moment an alien insect gets inside the ship's computer.
- The visual effects of the space "catapult" look pretty cool.
I wonder if I liked this episode better when it first aired than I do now. (I don't clearly remember.) I also wonder how it will look in another 20 to 25 years. Now, at least, I give "The Voyager Conspiracy" a B-.
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