Customer Reviews

Star Trek - Voyager, Episode 26: Cold Fire [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the episodes that no Star Trek: Voyager collection should be without. It's the one where Voyager finds the Caretaker's mate. Kes shines in this one and her struggles about whether to go with Telis and the others or not is very much like personal struggles we in the real world expirience, too. A real good vs. evil episode. One of the best, in my opinion.

Voyager locates a space station similar to that of the Caretakers and hopes that they will be able to send them home a little faster, but the residents are not too happy to see them. In this episode we learn about the Caretaker's mate and about the potential psychic power of the Ocampans. A great conclusion to the season premier's unresolved questions. A wonderful addition to your collection.

Way back in the two-part pilot episode for "Star Trek: Voyager" the Caretaker, the alien responsible for trapping the Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew in the Delta Quadrant, made reference to the existence of a female of his kind. In Episode 26, "Cold Fire" (Story by Anthony Williams, Teleplay by Brannon Braga, Aired November 13, 1995) "Voyager" meets up with the alien being who has the power to send them home. However, this becomes a pivotal second season episode of the series for other reasons.

The first clue comes when Kes (Jennifer Lein) and the Doctor (Robert Picardo) discover the remains of the Caretaker are resonating in response to a strange energy source. Aware of how dangerous such an encounter could be, Tuvok (Tim Russ) creates a toxin that should work against the female Caretaker if she proves to be a threat. But when "Voyager" follows the energy trail back to its source they find a space station occupied by the Ocampa, who attack "Voyager." Kes convinces the Ocampan leader, Tanis (Gary Graham), that "Voyager" is not a threat and he provides information that the female Caretaker, Suspiria, has been looking over his Ocampa group for 300 years helping them to develop their psychokinetic abilities. Kes is intrigued, but when Tanis contacts Suspiria, she orders him to deliver "Voyager" to her.

What makes "Cold Fire" an above average episode is that while the lure of the female Caretaker is the hook for the episode the payoff has to do with Kes and her psychokinetic potential. After all, Kes is the clearly the least significant member of the Voyager" cast (I was going to say the "Voyager" crew but that would not be the case), and the consequences of this episode radically changes her place in the show's hierarchy. I am reminded, not without cause, the transformation of Marvel Girl into Phoenix in "The X-Men," although the upgrade her for Kes is to the initial Jean Grey level not the uber-Phoenix. The episode also deals rather pragmatically with the problems Kes faces: her initial attempt to boil water ends up boiling Tuvok's blood instead.

This is an important episode for any fan of Star Trek Voyager to see and I highly recommend it. Shown in the middle of the second season of the show, this episode finally introduces us to the female Caretaker that we've been hearing about since episode one and at the same time allows us a glimpse into the telepathic potential of Kes - very important in the plot set-up for later episodes.

Certainly this episode is a "must see" among the season two episodes.