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Conference 7.286::star_trek

Title:STAR TREK
Notice:Welcome to STAR TREK! Please read Topic 1 before noting here.
Moderator:DECCXX::WIBECAN
Created:Mon Feb 10 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1104
Total number of notes:41750

1062.0. "ST:VOY - The Darkling" by DECCXL::WIBECAN (That's the way it is, in Engineering!) Thu Jan 30 1997 17:09

This topic is for discussion of the STAR TREK: VOYAGER episode entitled
"The Darkling."

[Season 3, episode 18]
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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1062.1Info from the Paramount "Voyager" siteDECCXL::WIBECANThat's the way it is, in Engineering!Fri Feb 14 1997 10:0834
                  The Darkling 
                  Production: 161 
                  First Showing: 2/19/97 

To improve his performance as the ship's physician, The Doctor undertakes a
personality enhancement project on the Holodeck, incorporating several
accomplished historical figures' traits and temperaments into his Starfleet
database. But he also adopts several aberrant character traits from those
non-fictional figures and is soon over taken by a dangerous, cruel Mister
Hyde-like personality. 

This episode carries a "TV PG" parental guideline. 

Starring: 
     Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway 
     Robert Beltran as Chakotay 
     Roxann Biggs-Dawson as B'Elanna Torres 
     Jennifer Lien as Kes 
     Robert Duncan McNeill as Lt. Tom Paris 
     Robert Picardo as the Doctor 
     Ethan Phillips as Neelix 
     Tim Russ as Tuvok 
     Garrett Wang as Harry Kim 

Guest Stars: 
     David Lee Smith as Zahir 
     Stephen Davies as Nakahn 
     Noel de Souza as Ghandi 
     Christopher Clarke as Lord Byron 
     Sue Henley as the Ensign 

Written by: Alex Singer 

Directed by: Alex Singer 
1062.2DECCXL::WIBECANThat's the way it is, in Engineering!Thu Feb 20 1997 10:4716
Voyager is on a roll.  This was a good one.  Robert Picardo is probably the
best actor, or the best match of actor and character, on that show.

Spoilers...


I was quite surprised to see the Doctor was the attacker.  Well done, that bit.

So Kes and Neelix broke up?  I didn't quite catch that.  I remember when she
was inhabited by that alien, but I thought things went back to normal after
that.  Or maybe this is new?  It leaves open the possibility of a Doctor-Kes
romantic attachment, which I guess we're supposed to anticipate given this
episode.  (A three-year-old adult going out with a hologram.  What a
storyline.)

						Brian
1062.3liked the dark suit on Kes though...SMURF::PETERTrigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertaintyThu Feb 20 1997 11:0131
    Spoilers, I suppose...
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    I was not at all surprised that the Doctor was the attacker, I was
    expecting it.  Just another variation on the 'possession' theme that
    the Trek writers seem so fond of.
    
    And yeah, I was wondering about the Kes split from Neelix too.
    I didn't think the recent Kes 'possession' counted either, but 
    I figured maybe I missed something as I don't follow this religiously.
    
    Not quite up to the Chakotay 'possession' by the Borgling's last
    week, but I did like the Ghandi with the spinning head.
    Are we to assume that the doctor gained control at the last moment,
    (which he didn't seem to remember) or that Doctor Hyde got 
    remorse and cancelled the scattering field, or that Bellona did 
    the honor's from on board ship?
    
    PeterT
    
1062.4Kes's outfit was great, super acting job by doc tooAPLVEW::DEBRIAEsearching for the language that is _also_ yoursThu Feb 20 1997 11:5112
    
    Our household was shocked by the mention of Kes and Neelix having
    broken up too. Glad we weren't alone. I don't think we've missed one VOY
    episode yet this season, so we were confused. I thought Kes returned
    back to 'normal' after the alien possession episode as well. Perhaps
    the scene where she talks to Neelix in this episode was cut?

    I enjoyed this one but it lacked any suspense since the promos made it
    clear that the doctor was the villain from the outset. I also was
    surprised that the halodoc would have messed with his own programming
    so cavalierly. It was still a fun view though...

1062.5DECCXL::WIBECANThat's the way it is, in Engineering!Thu Feb 20 1997 14:358
>>    surprised that the halodoc ...
                         ^^^^^^^

That would be the "good" doctor, as opposed to his alter ego, correct?  Or did
you perhaps mean "holodoc" (as in "hologram" and "holodeck")?  Somehow,
imagining the alter ego Doctor wearing a halo seemed a little strange...

						Brian
1062.6bit like "I'll just morf some OpenVMS internals with WNT" :-)APLVEW::DEBRIAEsearching for the language that is _also_ yoursThu Feb 20 1997 15:0211
    
    Right, halodoc as in 'our good doctor'. I was surprised that, despite
    his good intents of trying to improve his character, that he'd muck
    with his own complex programming (even as slightly as he thought he was
    doing) when in the past he relied on engineering's expertise in that
    area.

    Perhaps it's just a reference to his increased and growing
    capabilities, but it seemed out of character to me (the way he used to
    be). It didn't hurt the episode for me though... 
    
1062.7dump that orange hairballDONVAN::KEEFEFri Feb 21 1997 14:506
    One Doctor is worth ten Neelixes. Whatever did Kes see in him
    in the first place, yeesh, he's of no interest at all.
    
    Kes and Doctor seem much more natural together. I'm not always
    wondering--what's she, doing with him?? 
    
1062.8POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Feb 21 1997 14:593
    Amen!

    Preach it brother!
1062.9MAIL2::KMAHERUn clavo saca otro clavoFri Feb 21 1997 15:007
    
    I digress, but on the vein of the Kes Neelix thing.  Kes's life
    expectancy is only 9 years, she's already 3.  What happens to the lung
    she donated to Neelex in another 6 years?  Presumably that will wear
    out about that time as well.  Leaving Neelix Lung-less?
    
    
1062.10POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorFri Feb 21 1997 15:341
    The doctor will find a way to extend her life expectancy.
1062.11MAIL2::KMAHERUn clavo saca otro clavoFri Feb 21 1997 16:562
    so maybe she'll live longer, but the lung she gave to neelix will die,
    taking him along with it.....
1062.12POLAR::RICHARDSONPatented Problem GeneratorSat Feb 22 1997 17:011
    I am not opposed to that idea.
1062.13DECCXL::WIBECANThat's the way it is, in Engineering!Sun Feb 23 1997 13:459
>>    Right, halodoc as in 'our good doctor'.

So the holodoc split into the halodoc and the helldoc?  :-)
        ^                      ^

(I guess he didn't quite split; he was the same old holodoc plus this evil
helldoc, so there really wasn't any halodoc at all.)

						Brian
1062.14LEARN AS YOU GO!LEVELZ::MARENGO_JJim Marengo - Do I smell Lilacs?Mon Feb 24 1997 12:077
Regarding the idea of the holodoc messing with his own programming:

I thought it was a goal of most computer engineers/designers/visionaries to have
computers learn and adapt.  This could just be a visual means of demonstrating
that capability.

JAM
1062.15holodoc borrowed bedside manner from 2001 HALodoc?APLVEW::DEBRIAEsearching for the language that is _also_ yoursMon Feb 24 1997 14:234
    
    Don't know where that insistent 'a' came from, all I can say is that I
    had HAL on my mind after watching 2001 again. :-)

1062.16MAIL1::LOCOVAREResistance is FutileTue Feb 25 1997 10:2313
    
    I loved the scene with B'lana where she is telling him that all
    these people had dark threads running thru them.
    
    The doc is touching her leg and she is telling him to be careful
    because "someone" may hurt him...
    
    Re: Kes..I never saw anything about them breaking up..and about
    lifespan..remember they ran into that other group who knew how
    to extend their lives...so it is possible..I forget how they
    did it..part of the space they were in?
    
    
1062.17good acting by picardo37119::BOBBJanet Bobb dtn:339-5755Wed Feb 26 1997 13:4913
    Liked this one.  Especially liked the first scene where the Doc and
    B'lana are talking and his manner is inappropriate... "unless you want
    me to knock you across the room.....Doctor have you been messing with
    you subroutines again?"
    
    Good job by Picardo to depict another personality. Fun scene would be
    the evil doctor and the possessed kes (from a few episodes ago). 
    
    Hopefully the figure out how the doctor's portable hologram/device
    works. It's bound to get destroyed/broken in some episode with him
    bouncing all over the place now!
    
    janetb.
1062.18GEMGRP::WEISSMANMon Mar 10 1997 15:483
Does anyone in ZKO have a tape of this episode that I could borrow?  Thanks.

--Larry
1062.19Bravo, Picardo!EVMS::SCHUETZVMS Clusters Memory Channel 381-6075Thu Mar 20 1997 16:506
    I have to congratulate Picardo on a job well done.
    He even managed to LOOK like a different person, not just have
    different mannerisms.  Very tough to change his face like that.
    
    Ditto on borrowing the tape.  I've missed a few episodes this 
    season; doesn't anyone bother to tape these anymore?