A Look at Renaissance Man (Voyager)

Opinionated Voyager Episode Guide watches as the Doctor is re-united with the bad guys who mistakenly thought he was a super-competent master of everything. Now it shows that apparently he is.
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[@planescaped]

This was always one of my favorite Voyager episodes honestly, but I totally understand what Chuck is saying about how it could be slotted in anywhere. It does not feel like a penultimate episode at all.

[@bradwolf07]

What a long, strange, Eat HARRY journey we've been on. I feel your pain Chuck. This show had SO MUCH WASTED POTENTIAL.

[@JosephDavies]

That's Voyager. The sad thing is that looking back it still managed to fulfill more of its potential than the subsequent shows have, Enterprise through Lower Decks included.

[@myriadmediamusings]

@@JosephDavies Enterprise yeah, but to be fair, Discovery, Picard and Lower Decks are still ongoing. And I feel it’s really only the third of these that started its potential the most.

[@JosephDavies]

@@myriadmediamusings The trouble is that all three of the ongoing series have the massive weight around their necks of their respective first seasons, and overcoming that has proven difficult. It took until Season 3 for Discovery to shake _most_ of that baggage, and it did so only by jettisoning its original premise entirely.

[@Jalu3]

@@JosephDavies give Lower Decks time. IMHO it's been the best Trek that has come out since the end of Voyager (save a very few episodes of Enterprise).

[@JosephDavies]

@@Jalu3 I strongly disagree. I hope it improves, but the first season was absolutely not good in my opinion. It was a slog to get through it, almost as bad as Picard, though in very different ways. I enjoyed Enterprise S4 and Discovery S3.

[@KnightRaymund]

I know it's misplaced but I love this episode. The Doctor's antics are a lot of fun.

[@daveroche6522]

A GOOD episode of Voyager? Yeah right - and cancer's now cured by soy sauce...

[@Krill_all_health_insuranceCEOs]

@@daveroche6522 god could you imagine??

[@ultra6671]

This episode made me realize how impractical it is for the Doctor to wear the mobile emitter on his left arm when it can be worn anywhere he wants.

[@JosephDavies]

This was a great review. I laughed more at your jippers-on-a-beach line here than I ever did in its original placement. Also, I 100% agree with your ramble on the episode's placement. The end of Voyager has always been a weird thing to me. They clearly knew they were wrapping up, but even in the end they couldn't decide if they should commit to it or not. Which is, of course, how we end up with that final scene of Endgame.

[@chrisw207]

I'd say they didn't know HOW to end it. They knew the end was coming, but didn't have much to build to or with because the show's premise kept them from having a good long standing antagknist, and the show's writers kept things so pristine telling stories about the weight of the journey wouldn't feel earned. So they trued to put both in a blender and we got what we got.

[@JosephDavies]

@@chrisw207 Very good points.

[@horaciosi]

@@chrisw207 They couldn't have made a less satisfying conclusion if it literally ended on a freeze frame of Voyager coming out of the explosion. Even when it was time to finally wrap up the series' 7-year long conflict, they just didn't care. Voyager is simply soulless.

[@chrisw207]

Fair feelings, especially after DS9 went full serialization for the second half of its final season.

[@thefurrybstard1964]

Way more entertaining than the actual episode.

[@hariman7727]

Cancer cured by soy sauce? Of course the cure has to be something I'm allergic to. At least it's only a mild allergy. This is a fun review. I especially like the conspiracy summary halfway through.

[@georg194]

Thank you for all your Videos. Your voice has become a part of my life, as Star Trek has. And you make me relive fond memories. Thanks

[@myriadmediamusings]

Oh boy this is sure to be another wacky adventure that Holo-Janeway can tell those Delta Quadrant misfits in that upcoming Prodigy show.

[@superveryman]

"Remember kids, as a hologram I have the ability to incapacitate you and sell you and this ship to the highest bidder. So don't displease me."

[@myriadmediamusings]

@@superveryman Prodigy crew: We’re afraid... Holo-Janeway: I knoooooooow.... Prodigy crew: Drat.

[@Krill_all_health_insuranceCEOs]

Omg that fast recite princess bride bit in the middle was gold! 👏👏Youre an acerbic commentary genius

[@mitchellmelkin4078]

@YourCapybaraAmigo_17yrsago, For various reasons I'm not much of a fan of this guy, while acknowledging his vast knowledge of Trek lore and intellect, generally. Having said that, the bona fides of the witty interlude you cite can be recognized without having to endure the entire length of the presentation, which was frankly akin to experiencing a rather unpleasant dental procedure. It seems to me our host can be extremely inclined to appearing to overly enjoy hearing himself ramble on, one of several caveats I have in taking him seriously, for the most part. I did appreciate his series review of Kes, though.

[@fastertrackcreative]

'this keeps up the Doctor is going to be stealing their hubcaps' love that dry humour 😆

[@Jalu3]

9:03 reminds me of the Good Place episode, where the actress who played Janet, had to play the other characters but looking like Janet.

[@mitchellmelkin4078]

I've long thought the Doctor's mea culpas are among the funniest moments of the entire series, especially Seven's incredulous expression upon hearing his passionate declaration, seen side-by-side with B'elanna's bitingly dismissive mien, at the exact same moment!!!

[@JcBravo8]

Why won’t SfDebris notice his loyal KZbin viewers? Some of us have been here since it’s inception!

[@JosephDavies]

What do you mean notice?

[@captianmorgan7627]

SF-senpai please notice us! :-)

[@fryfry377]

clarify for me: I first started watching his show around 2010, and I think it was on KZbin. I can't even remember if the videos were on his website back then. Is that what you mean?

[@planescaped]

I mainly just post my "yelling at the tv" reactions here and watch it on the site because I can't be arsed logging into the forums.

[@TheKlink]

i think he prefers his fans on his forum.

[@kradeiz]

For some reason I always thought that the underling Overlooker was the Doc’s friend from ‘Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy’. It wasn’t until I just rewatched the episode that I realized that he looked and sounded different and suddenly had mechanical aptitude.

[@Stardust_7273]

Hehe it was established he is “fully functional” as Data would say. He says so in the episode where he is sent to the Alpha Quadrant and he and the other EMH have to save the ship taken over by Romulans

[@blackstoneriverworkshop7167]

Fun fact: Robert Picardo showed up to play Neelix and got cast as The Doctor

[@Feasco]

god what a nightmare that could have been, is even Picardo capable of elevating a role like Neelix

[@seandonahue5951]

Why does voyager's routine maintenance constantly look like the ship is about to break down and wind up in a ditch

[@trazyntheinfinite9895]

You meant to say she should be hauled away AS garbage? Right?

[@benjaminjones2231]

And boy do you make me go cross eyed.

[@jaywaii3187]

No, no, you make sense. A fine episode, but its placement is indicative of the lack of planning and willingness to build up stories by Voyager's producers in what is arguably a show whose core concept REQUIRES a serialized narrative.

[@Krill_all_health_insuranceCEOs]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Now if only we could time travel back to kill Berman and Taylor in their cribs before they could grow up and create this madness....

[@STNeish]

Episodes like this make me wonder why Starfleet even bothers with actual people for crew. I mean, if they can create a crew of holographic people... even SPECIFIC holographic people... that are capable of feats like we see here, why would you want more limited actual people aboard? Imagine if every ship in Starfleet was crewed by Kirks, Picards, Spocks and Datas...

[@KenoshiAkai]

In that case, why even bother with holograms? They are just projections that allow the ship's AI to interact with its organic crew. Remove the extraneous volume of the ship dedicated to corridors, quarters, atmospheric processing, etc, and have the ship be equipped to self-repair through networks of holo-emitters. The AI crew could interact through virtual environments if they felt the need to. Then...that would remove the whole point of the show, removing the human element. That's just one of the many places where Star Trek's sloppy use of high technology concepts paints itself into corners.

[@STNeish]

@@KenoshiAkai Well, you might need a "crew" for physical activities, like maintenance or cargo handling, or perhaps defense against boarders (though, you really wouldn't need corridors or anything like that...). But you're right, and that was my point. It takes away the point of the show, and as you said, it's another example of how they paint themselves into corners, not considering the ramifications of the technology or concepts they introduce.

[@KenoshiAkai]

@@STNeish Yeah, I totally get your point. It's a good one.

[@chrisw207]

The fact that at this time they're still ironing out AIs and their capabilities aside, in Star Trek people like to work. Granted we get little context of life for humans outside of Starfleet, but much of what we see is someone in a roll that could be automated or left to the computer, but doing it anyway. Either they see something in live beings working automation doesn't provide, they have tried to rise where they can compete with machines doing the jobs, or they acknowledge the human need for purpose and quit running to automate everything to stay home in front of the holovid.

[@doppelrutsch9540]

Even if it's not Starfleet, I always kind of wanted some civilization in Star Trek that went the AI upload Von Neumann probe route.

[@tristanwhite3472]

No there was no sense we were getting to the end with this episode.

[@bpdmf2798]

One of my favorite episodes. A great final baddie of the week before endgame.

[@Xondar11223344]

DS9 has a ten episode arc ending the show while Voyager has this.

[@stryke-jn3kv]

Did they do it better? Sure yeah absolutely. Did they do it well? Ehh.... Y'know, I think I actually might dislike DS9's ending more despite it being of better quality. Voyager for all it's faults, it's many many faults, it went out doing the same occasionally entertaining episodic stuff like this that it had always done. DS9 they were way more ambitious and yet so much of it fell flat on their faces. Writer's have admitted they dropped the ball with characters like Jake really not going their due as they just ran out of time, and yet I'd add a bunch more like all the Bajorans, Damar and Garak who all get short shift (thank eff for Stitch in TIme at least rectifying that last one). Then they pissed about so much with a long self-indulgent montage in the finale, to go with the baseball playing Vulcans, and meaningless holographic bank heists in their last season when that time could have been spent so, so much better.

[@Krill_all_health_insuranceCEOs]

@@stryke-jn3kv yeah you're right. I wonder why they did agree to misuse their time like that. Well blame the network, that usually works. They could have given it one more season. That's their fault and the producers that they didn't. If you want to create a timeless inspiring piece of entertainment with lessons to learn beyond the simple fun of the action, you need _time_ simple as that. If they needed another season they should have fought for it.

[@firefly4f4]

"... multispectral cloaking systems..." Are they red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and peach and ruby and olive and violet and fawn and lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and silver and rose and azure and lemon and russet and grey and purple and white and pink and orange and blue? Also, doesn't 7 still have some kind of sensors in her that would detect the Doctor?

[@wsconsn]

The EMH mark 1 told the EMH mark 2 that yes…yes he does in fact have balls…

[@AlucardNoir]

9:20 feeling proud of yourself after all that?

[@captianmorgan7627]

I would be.

[@AlucardNoir]

@@captianmorgan7627 Personally, my pride would depend on how many takes that took. One take - very proud. One hundred takes - I would be ashamed to show my face in public.

[@scionofdorn9101]

I don't know if he is, but my head hurts trying to make sense of him trying to make sense of their nonsense.

[@Redrally]

Nice one Chuck

[@red_cosplay]

11:03 "Hello, Mr. Anderson..."

[@seanlavoie2]

6:58 oh Sontarans on Trek

[@tristanwhite3472]

Yes a very good episode the episode before Endgame.

[@trazyntheinfinite9895]

Can it survive without a warpcore though? Cuz that whole warp thing sound like something related...

[@MrRobot1984]

Hmmm why didn’t Voyager get a cloaking device? If Sisko can have one in the gamma quadrant the why not the delta quadrant

[@joegoldenbaum4511]

Neelix always gets you in the end.

[@Thecommander248]

Why are you not more popular?!

[@mitchellmelkin4078]

@Thecommander248, Quite possibly because a good number of people recognize a number of faults he brings to this role, despite his obviously being so erudite about the background and lore of ST and the fine intellect he can bring, AT TIMES, to make extremely thoughtful and telling propositions. Briefly, his efforts could be much more effective, if he were able to resist the lure of making facile and sophomoric observations, however well considered he seems to believe warrants them to be made over and over and over again.

[@PMW3]

8:36-9:20 wow, THAT took practice

[@JanetDax]

Unintentional Laugh Moment: Janeway tries to convince the bad guys that the holidoc has access to the Federation tactical database. As if there was any chance the doctor would actually use it. Unintentional Laugh moment runner-up: The first time in Trek history they got to just turn off the holideck. We knew that wasn't going to work either. We knew it moment: Potato skin aliens are defeated not by an intelligent plan but by their own dumbness. Missed opportunity: Having the Voyager crew behaving more intelligently than the potato skin people.

[@Krill_all_health_insuranceCEOs]

I actually enjoyed this ep quite a bit but it was just pathethic how the entire writer's team had given up on this show long before, tacking on the pathethic finale (of which the last half was abysmal) with all the joy, pride and effort it takes a hedonist to smack their own balls with a stapler. It was the most perfunctory, minimum, below basement effort to any show I've seen in a while, Trek or non-trek. Between this and ENT's disastrous final episode (which may not have been terrible by itself but as a finale it's officially the Worst Most Inappropriate Idea Ever), it's hard to say which seemed to crap on its own show more. And as usual the premise was illogical and made JWs character look even worse by far, if that's possible. Guess by now all the writers really hated this show and wanted to show it. I guess threat of a lawsuit was the only thing keeping them fulfilling their contracts. That's too bad. If they had given a shit, the potential showing them making it back on the last leg of their journey, arriving home, being welcomed, transitioning back to normal life on Earth, and whatever consequences or rewards were to be faced from SF truly could have been great. But that would we have required a little bit more effort and care and by this point I think they all were very much checked out. That's pretty sad. I chalk that squarely up to Berman & Taylor both but especially Berman. If anyone knows how to consistently piss off and alienate a whole group of writers, and take excellent potential and shit on it until it's nothing but a scarred and charred husk of its former self, that's how you know you're dealing with Rick Berman. The man's hackness, arrogance, ignorance, cult-level incompetence, disrespect for the creative process, and wholehearted commitment to the dunning-kruger effect is not to be overstated.

[@mitchellmelkin4078]

@YourCapybaraAmigo_17yearsago, It's somewhat hard to make the case the Borg wouldn't be integrally involved in the finale, given how much they were baked into the show's last 4 seasons. However, rather than have the plot pivot around Janeway (s), I've long believed it fitting that the crew's salvation should've returned to the series' beginning, i.e., being an act of reciprocal kindness rendered by Ocampa, more specifically Kes, of course. Something along the lines of Voyager genuinely facing a nearly certain and dire existential threat, which Kes became aware of (possibly through the contrivance of Suspiria's involvement) and extended herself (most likely with mortal consequences) to repay a debt, not only for what being part of the adventure vitally imparted to her life's journey, but as importantly, her people's very survival!!! Naturally, such a scenario to wrap things up, wouldn't have generated much buzz whatsoever, compared to what was created, and I find it doubtful an idea of this sort ever even occurred to TPTB. It certainly would've been a proper coda for Kes compared to what was produced over a year earlier, though I recognize Lien may well have already been incapable of taking on such an opportunity, given what we now know about her condition, which had forced the showrunners to remove her from the show to begin with.

[@scockery]

Shouldn't Da Vinci have been in this one?

[@DeconvertedMan]

hahahaha! The fake/real bit is funny.

[@MKDumas1981]

6:50 - Poundshop Sontarans* #unlimitedlives

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

How many episodes of Voyagers does he left?

[@chrisw207]

Unless I missed my count, 14 episodes of Voyager left not counting any reposts.

[@SansoHumar]

I think you despise Neelix. But I could be wrong.

[@pforce9]

The way that you don't like Neliz, I do not like the doctor. He may be AI but he is not smart like Data and he has delusions of grandeur. Hos worst offense was tutoring Seven of Nine on dating etiquette. Taking it upon himself to get those weaklings the warp core would make me never let him off the ship again.

[@Clock_70]

😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮

[@S1nwar]

12:08 first scene of star trek Prodigy

[@myriadmediamusings]

If nothing else, Prodigy means eventually we’ll get a whole new round of Janeway jokes from Chuck.

[@RichardWatt]

@@myriadmediamusings I hope the theme tune is "Firestarter"

[@gallendugall8913]

In terms of wasted potential I'm going to place that waste squarely at the feet of the writer's union. Specifically their requirement that rewrites get extra pay has broken the system. You wrote something, it's not good enough, and rather than taking pride in your work and fixing it you demand more money to do correctly the job you were already paid to do. Mind you they did this because some studios were demanding dozens of rewrites years after a script was written as an excuse to hold off actually paying until the production completed - most scripts never see production so writers weren't being paid at all. This inability to arrive at a sensible compromise has made all of Hollywood adverse to rewrites because they don't want to pay more for what they consider the least important thing in any production - writing. Quality of writing in the US has dramatically declined because you've incentivized turning in garbage work and smart productions outsource rewrites to foreign companies you can hire to fix your script uncredited and cheap - I think those Indian writers did a fine job on the Marvel movies.

[@Redrally]

I somehow doubt this problem relates to Voyager. The show was fully scripted in the 90s and a little in 2000.

[@Krill_all_health_insuranceCEOs]

Thanks for the info I didn't know any of that

[@shmee123ful]

i think predator vs chameleon would be neat you know there going to do a predator vs wolverine at some stage and i already know its going to be logan but would it kill them to put Laura into some of that spot like. its really anyoing me that marvel went oh yes, Laura and logan can scare the wolverine mantle she's totally earn it. but we only put logan of none xmen themed teams and have him campoe and be apart of 50 diffrent books a year