The Good: Themes are decent
The Bad: Lack of character, Poor acting, Themes are very "done" in Star Trek
The Basics: When Harry Kim "dies" on an asteroid and is "resurrected" on an alien homeworld, his appearance causes a moral debate in a society the viewer doesn't care about.
From its first few episodes, Star Trek was socially relevant and cleverly took on debates of the day in a context of a futuristic storyline. However, clever viewers easily saw through the metaphors when Star Trek did episodes speaking out against Vietnam-like escalation ("A Private Little War"), promoted pacifism ("Day Of The Dove") and advocated for the right to choose ("The Apple”). All of the spin-offs in the franchise have continued that tradition, with Star Trek: The Next Generation's early seasons being especially encumbered by philosophical elements. Thus, by the time Star Trek: Voyager arrived, there were very few ideas that the franchise had not tackled and explored. Unfortunately, one of Star Trek Voyager's first overt attempts to a very real issue, that of the influence of religious dogma over society, falls very flat with "Emanations."
Ensign Kim suddenly wakes up on the Vhnori homeworld, shocking the Vhnori people. Kim had been exploring an asteroid littered with dead Vhnori and he apparently hit a subspace vacuole. It seems that in Vhnori society, the presumed afterdeath, "the next emanation" is reached by sending the newly dead through a machine that creates subspace vacuoles to remove the corpse and transport them to the asteroid Kim had been on. Dr. Neria, a Vhnori death doctor, acknowledges that Kim it the first person to come back through, giving him iconic status suddenly in Vhnori society. But when Kim's story causes a rift between those who believe in the afterlife and Kim's story that bodies of Vhnori are just piling up elsewhere, Kim's chances for escaping the Vhnori homeworld look grim.
"Emanations" has a theme I generally enjoy, that of debunking religious mysticism with scientific fact. The problem here is that episodes dealing with how overbearing religion can be in the lives of people have been done on Star Trek going all the way back. In the original Star Trek, "The Apple," "For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky," and "Return Of The Archons" all dealt with overbearing religious influences and god figures. As for the subject of euthanasia, which comes up in "Emanations," the right to die was taken on in "Metamorphosis" and very directly on Star Trek: The Next Generation with "Ethics” and on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with "Life Support.” So, while some television shows and franchises might not take on end of life issues or religious tyranny, the Star Trek franchise has it pretty well covered.
The fundamental problem with "Emanations," then, is that it does not add anything new to the concept or "debate." This episode has a very simply idea; Harry Kim's appearance in the halls of the dying challenges the faith of the Vhnori when he states that their afterdeath is just a myth. The fracture that this causes in the Vhnori society is nowhere near as compelling or interesting as the personal struggle Worf goes through in "Ethics" or Kira goes through with Bareil's life in "Life Support." But even within just the context of this episode, the viewer ends up unchallenged.
The Vhnori are a pretty generic "alien of the week" and "Emanations" lacks any sense of emotional investment to make the conflict truly work. Instead, the viewer sits and watches the episode and simply wonders, "How will Ensign Kim get back to Voyager?" A compelling drama would have us tied up in the ethical debates, the end-of-life questions, but because there's such a good chance that the Vhnori are just one episode aliens, the viewer does not become emotionally invested.
Put another way, while the writers and director try to belabor the effect Harry Kim's appearance has on the Vhnori, the average viewer just sits and says, "Who cares?" Who cares about the Vhnori when they're here for this week only, none of of crew are related to them and we'll be out of their space by next week? No one. In fact, if anything, the average viewer will sit and watch Dr. Neria and the other Vhnori and think "this is long overdue." Kim's challenge to the Vhnori faith is long overdue and it offers the opportunity to free the society of the dogma that has been limiting it. But then, that's been done before in Star Trek, all the way back to "The Apple," again.
Here, though, is the crux of the problem; the Vhnori feel like "aliens of the week." There are alien cultures that are created that feel like they have depth and character and culture. The Vhnori are not one of them. Instead, they feel like an alien race tailor made for this conflict and that's it. They do not have depth beyond that.
Part of the problem is the character. Dr. Neria is dull and his arguments are passe. The Vhnori who are waiting to die also are written without genuine character and more with the idea that they are spreading a social message or living a debate for the viewer. And even Harry Kim is dull. Kim is a fine choice for this episode - it is his first featured role - but the episode does nothing to make the viewer like, believe or understand the character more. Since the first episode, the viewer has been aware that Kim has the potential to be assertive and overcome how green he is (when he ignores the advice of others and befriends Tom Paris). "Emanations" does not push the character forward any.
Sadly, for the two main actors in this episode, I've nothing good to say. Jerry Hardin, best known to science fiction fans as Deep Throat from the first season of The X-Files (reviewed here!), appears in "Emanations" as Dr. Neria. Hardin is uncharacteristically flat in his performance, underwhelming and simply delivering the lines as opposed to spicing them up with any sense of character. Hardin is a great framer of debates and a wonderful public speaker, but in this episode, it feels like that is all he is doing.
Similarly, Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim underwhelms in this episode. Having seen Mr. Wang at many conventions, I know he has the ability to entertain. In fact, the more dull, placid role of Kim is a clear stretch for the enthusiastic and vibrant Wang, but here Garrett Wang seems more bored than acting. The problems are at the script level, but Wang seems to know that and he lets his performance slide as a result.
"Emanations" might be enjoyable to those unfamiliar with the Star Trek franchise, but for those who are, it is a disappointment, treading where many episodes have gone before.
[Knowing that the season is a much better investment, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Voyager - The Complete First Season on DVD, which provides the full opening to the series. Read my review of the premiere season by clicking here!
Thanks!]
2.5/10
For other Star Trek reviews, be sure to visit my Star Trek Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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