Customer Reviews

Star Trek - Voyager, Episode 21: Initiations [VHS]

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

 

 

A young Kazon boy must destroy Chakotay to win his warrior name. This is the motivation that drives this coming of age tale "Initiation".

Kar, a young Kazon, must earn is warrior name in battle. His path crosses with Chakotay's who has borrowed a shuttle for some alone time so that he can commemorate his father's death. In the pursuing battle Chakotay quickly defeats the boy causing him to be shun by his people. Events unfold forcing both the young boy and Chakotay to beam down to a neighboring moon, a deadly training ground for the Kazon. There, the two must learn to depend upon each other in order to survive and young Kar must struggle with defining who is friend and who is foe.

"Initiation" provides us insight into Kazon society something that had not been examined in any depth before this episode. It provides an opportunity to get to know Chakotay better as he shares his beliefs and tries to offer young Kar alternatives to Kazon customs and norms.

A good Chakotay Episode. 4 out of 5

While alone on a shuttle, Chakotay is attacked by a young Kazon who must prove himself in battle to earn his Ogla name (a type of rank among the Kazon). Chakotay destroys the other ship but saves the young Kazon, Kar (played by Aron Eisenberg). The commander tries to return Kar to the Kazon but is taken prisoner. Chakotay is surprised to learn that Kar is also considered a prisoner. It seems that the young Kazon disgraced himself when he failed to kill Chakotay and now he must die. The leader of the Kazon ship, Razik, demands that Chakotay kill Kar and in return Razik will let the commander go free. Chakotay turns the tables on Razik and he and Kar escape in the shuttle. The Kazon pursue and destroy the shuttle, but right before it explodes, Chakotay and Kar transport to the surface of a moon. The moon is a training base for young Kazon warriors and the two take refuge in a cave. Meanwhile, Janeway has tracked the shuttle to the moon and discovered the two lifesigns on it. The Kazon ship has also arrived at the moon and both ships transport teams to the surface. The Kazon pretend to help Janeway find Chakotay and Kar and end up trapping the captain instead. While this is taking place, Chakotay has finally realized the Kazon way of life by talking to Kar. He tells Kar to kill him so Kar will be accepted back into the Kazon crew. He explains that it will be alright because Voyager's doctor will be able to revive him. It is the only way for both men to return to their respective ships. With Janeway held in a force field, the Kazon find the commander and Kar first. Kar is holding a phaser on Chakotay and tells Razik that he only escaped with Chakotay to earn his rank. Kar goes on to explain that you always kill your enemies and he pulls the trigger just as Janeway finally arrives at the scene.

Aron Eisenberg delivers a strong, masterful performance in this episode! Kar is torn between his Kazon way of life which demands he kill Chakotay, and the grudging respect he has developed for the commander. There is a lot of insight into the Kazon world in this show. We also get to witness Chakotay's strong, selfless personality as he tries to guide and save the troubled, young Kazon. Aron really brings Kar to life in this wonderful episode and I greatly enjoyed (as I always do) watching Robert Beltran in a show devoted to his character, Chakotay. A "must see!"

I enjoyed this episode very much and feel that it is one of the better season two episodes of Voyager.

In the episode, a young Kazon boy is faced with the prospect of killing Chakotay in order to earn his Kazon Ogla name...but of more importance to the overall storyline of the Voyager series is the nature of the response that the young man receives from Chakotay.

Not only does Chakotay refuse to kill the child, even in self defense...but he works very hard to befriend and help the young boy....thus revealing another aspect of the gentle, spiritual character of Chakotay.

Additionally, in this episode we are drawn more closely into the mystical/spiritual life of Chakotay and his continuing relationship to his deceased father.

For these reasons, I'd rate this episode a "must see" among the season two episodes. Further, I think that this episode and the episode entitled "Tattoo" (also season two) are critical to an understanding of the Voyager's First Officer.