In the ninth episode of the fifth season of Voyager, Tom goes to jail and does not collect $200. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Voyager.
I haven’t been much of a fan of Tom Paris, but I have no problem saying that I admire him in “Thirty Days.” It’s not an easy thing to oppose a law, knowing the consequences, knowing that you’ll become unpopular, knowing that some people may never understand what you’re doing. This episode, like the last one, is also eerily relevant. People all over the world are learning to protest for the first time; they’re learning the value of boycotting; they’re learning what it means to oppose a legal force and a bureaucracy. They’re learning to stand up for what they believe in, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness, a silver lining to the unending stream of shit that comes out of my country every day.
Thus, I’m inclined to empathize with Tom Paris, to appreciate the choices he makes here, in light of my own life and what’s going on in the world today. I mean, yes, he really screws up here, and I understood why Janeway was so furious with him for disobeying his orders. It’s important to note that Tom has his heart in the right place, that he really did want to help the Moneans. Is his technique best? Is forcing the Moneans to rebuild their oxygen mining machines a good idea? That’s at the heart of this struggle, and if I have any worries, it’s in the unseen consequences. What if something else had happened? What if Janeway hadn’t been able to stop that missile? What if???
That’s a lot to ask, of course, and this episode ends at a place that denies us the possibility of learning what could have happened if Janeway had not stopped Paris. I’m fascinated by the many storytelling choices in this script because the non-traditional nature of “Thirty Days” makes it so entertaining. Y’all know I generally like in media res, of course, but the opening is so absurd here that I just had to know how Paris earned a punishment we have never seen on Voyager. It’s not like other crew members hadn’t broken the rules. THE RULES ARE BROKEN ON A WEEKLY BASIS ON THIS SHOW, OKAY. So what had Paris done that was that bad to be stripped of his rank and thrown into solitary confinement for 30 days? Why was there so little sympathy from all the people who visited him?
Well, there was some. I sensed that Neelix and Harry had some respect for what Tom had done. Perhaps it was just their longstanding friendship with them, but still. My attention was grabbed at the beginning, and as I came to marvel at Monean society, I still wondered: how did this all come down to TOM PARIS BEING IN JAIL and WHY WERE HIS FRIENDS BEHAVING SO STRANGELY. The introduction of his love of the sea is about the only thing that feels forced, and I do wish we’d heard some mention of it beforehand, but alas, it’s not that big of a deal. What matters is how this story feels natural otherwise. Given that Tom was once in jail, this was an appropriate story, and framing it all through a letter to his father was even more brilliant. The writers were able to inject an emotional core into “Thirty Days” that otherwise wouldn’t have been there if this story had been played straight, you know? Thus, the ending is stronger; we understand Tom’s motivations, which is key in this episode actually making sense. If we don’t get why Tom would risk all of this, then what’s the point of it all?
In the end, it was a bold choice for the show to commit to Tom’s thirty days, to strip him of his rank, and to show us the entire experience. Why? Because we know that Tom believes that it was all worth it. Maybe he didn’t get to enact the chance he wanted to, and maybe Dr. Riga won’t get to enact those changes, either. But the two of them tried. They risked their lives and their livelihood to do something they believed was right, that would make Monea a better place. That doesn’t mean Tom was right about everything, nor does it mean he’s above reproach, either. Yet I still could appreciate this journey for what it is, and that is a pretty awesome thing.
The video for “Thirty Days” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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