In the twenty-sixth and final episode of the fifth season of Voyager, everything about this is horrifying. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
Trigger Warning: For consent, medical experimentation.
I can barely fathom how supremely fucked up this episode is, AND THERE’S STILL ANOTHER HALF OF IT LEFT.
What an accomplishment, though. Over these five seasons, we’ve gotten a few chances to imagine other timelines, other directions this story could have gone. It’s one of the cooler things about Voyager, this willingness on the part of the writers to imagine so many possibilities. In “Equinox, Part I,” however, our alternate glimpse is not something like the Year of Hell. Instead, it’s about the erosion of ethics. What would have happened to Voyager if they’d not considered the ethical and moral implications of their actions? Where would they have been without Janeway’s guidance and adherence to protocol, or without the moral cores of B’Elanna, the Doctor, Harry Kim, Neelix?
But before the horrifying truth is revealed, Voyager’s writers torment us with something else: the possibility of cooperation. The very idea that there was another Federation ship in the Delta Quadrant felt so impossible that I was sure it was a trick. When it was confirmed that it wasn’t, the potential opened up before me. Company. Companionship. A pooling of resources, as Lt. Commander Max suggested. My god, they could compare notes on the Delta Quadrant!
Even beyond that, there was the sheer excitement of another Federation ship. That seemed more advantageous for the Equinox crew, since they had been tormented by these unnamed, other-realm aliens for so long. Finally, they had someone on their side who could support them. Believe them. PROVE TO THEM THAT THIS JOURNEY WAS POSSIBLE.
It was exciting to watch, and then it was agonizing to see it all fall apart over Equinox’s major secret. The script condemns the Equinox crew for what they’ve done, and it’s still not enough because… well, this is one of the most heinous things I’ve ever seen on Voyager. There’s no other way to say it. I might understand – and I say might with great hesitation – if these people had stumbled on their discovery, used that one dead creature to their advantage, and then swore to never do it again. But I’m with Janeway here. They repeated this horrific process over and over again: THEY SUMMONED THESE CREATURES TO OUR REALM, MURDERED THEM, THEN USED THEIR BODIES FOR ENERGY TO POWER THEIR SHIP. These creatures were the benevolent spirits of another culture!!! THEY LITERALLY BLESSED THE JOURNEY OF TRAVELERS. And these monsters have been killing them for… what, months?
And even when their secret is exposed by Seven of Nine and the Doctor, look how they behave. They fake guilt. They fake contrition. They stole the shield generator that would have saved both ships, and left Voyager to fend for themselves against a race of aliens who are just trying to protect themselves. In the meantime, they’ll escape unscathed for the moment, and most likely? They’ll continue murdering just to get home.
That’s the glimpse we’re given, and it’s hard to not look away. In the absence of protocol and ethics, these people have done something unjustifiable and, frankly, unsustainable. Do they truly expect that the shield generator will work until they get home? Are they going to bring these creatures right to Earth?
Okay, I’m jumping ahead of myself. Thematically, while “Equinox, Part I,” is mostly a standalone arc, the episode fits within this seasons continued examination of complicated moral choices. Granted, Voyager‘s morals are pretty fucking clear here, but that’s not the reason this is so upsetting. Yes, it’s terrifying to know that people on Voyager may die.
But I was much more disturbed by the cold and calculating way in which the senior staff of the Equinox have guaranteed death. The death of these aliens. The death of the very friends who saved them in the first place. The end justifies the means, and they don’t seem to be bothered at all by that. The capacity for cruelty in humanity is on full display here, and thus, that’s why this a different version of the truth. You could be Voyager, or you could be Equinox.
The video for “Equinox, Part I” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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