Customer Reviews

Star Trek - Voyager, Episode 61: Darkling [VHS]

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If this were the chapter of a very old book, it would be titled, In which Holodoc decides to enhance his programming, with disastrous results. That pretty much sums up the story line of this obligatory Doctor Learns A Lesson episode. Robert Picardos utterly evil over-acting, as the Doctor is possessed by an alternate personality, is sometimes fun to watch. However, the romance between Zahir and Kes is undeveloped, which makes it uninteresting. The attack on Zahir is presented as a plot necessity rather than a character twist. (Did anybody *not* know who was responsible?) Kess argument with the evil Doctor tries its best to fulfill the 60-Second Trek Ethical Argument, but somehow its flat and contrived. In addition, the overused Transporter Rescue Just Before We Die is just plain old cheating by the writers. Overall, if you like EMH episodes or watching Picardo yell at innocents (a la the more recent Warhead), youll enjoy this one. Otherwise, theres not much here to relish. Its simply too shallow.

In an attempt to improve his bedside manner and understanding of humans the Doctor decides he will begin changing his sub-routines and computer programming, something he forgot to mention to Torres. When he adds various different personalities to is own a new, more cunning, deadly personality surfaces and no one is safe!

A good episode that features some scary stuff from our Doctor, his eyes turn a strange evil shape when he becomes a Jekyl-and-Hyde character.

One of the better recurring subplots on "Star Trek: Voyager" was the "Velveteen Rabbit" idea of the transformation of the Doctor (Robert Picardo) from an Emergency Medical Hologram into a fullycertified and recognized sentient being. Episode 61, "Darkling" (Story by Brannon Braga & Joe Menosky, Teleplay by Menosky, Aired February 19, 1997) represents one of the early bumps along the way in this process. We are initially distracted by the interest of Kes (Jennifer Lien) in Zahir (David Lee Smith), a pilot of the Mikhal, a gypsy-like band of space explorers that the telling the "Voyager" crew about the territory the starship is now entering on its long road home. But back on "Voyager" the Doctor is busy adding some new personality subroutines to his project, hoping that being more like Gandhi and Lord Byron will help his bedside manner. Torres sounds a warning that all these new subroutines may interact unpredictably, and we know where this episode is going.

Things start happening when Kes is invited by Zahir to leave "Voyager" to explore the Delta Quadrant with him. Before she can make a decision, and after the Doctor chides her for neglecting her duties in Sickbay, Zahir is injured by a mysterious figure in a cloak. Soon it becomes clear that the Doctor's new and improved personality program is coming apart at the seams. My problem with this episode is the idea that computer programming in the 23rd century is apparently still beyond the capabilities and understanding of anyone other than a teenage boy. Unfortunately, "Voyager" does not have a teenage boy, or even a hologram of a teenage boy, so things have to go horribly wrong before the Doctor's program can be reset. Given that the problematic modifications were made on purpose, the resulting complications should have been anticipated. But, hey, where is the fun in that?