Resolutions (episode)

Voyager is forced to abandon Captain Janeway and Chakotay when they are infected with a terminal illness. Tuvok leads Voyager on a mission to find a cure.

Teaser
On a beautiful planet in the Delta Quadrant, Commander Chakotay, and Captain Kathryn Janeway are awakened from their stasis units by The Doctor, who reports that they have been in stasis for seventeen days. He regrets to inform them that, despite all his and Kes' efforts, he has not discovered a cure for the disease the officers have been infected with. He says that the only thing he can think of is contacting the medically advanced Vidiians. Janeway terminates the com link to discuss the situation with Chakotay, and both agree that the Vidiians would most likely attack the crew for body parts rather than offer aid. Chakotay asks if they could live with themselves after sending the USS Voyager into that kind of danger. Janeway's implied answer is no. (Possible edit: A key element missing from the teaser synopsis is the modification of the terminal illness diagnosis by the understanding Janeway and Chakotay will not get ill if they remain on the planet.)

Janeway hails Lieutenant Tuvok and asks him if he had heard The Doctor's report. When Tuvok replies that he has, Janeway informs him that she is turning over command of Voyager to him on a permanent basis. She orders him to set a course for the Alpha Quadrant, and, despite what The Doctor says, not to contact the Vidiians. Tuvok acknowledges that he understood Janeway's orders. Janeway informs Tuvok that she will prepare a message for the crew.

Act One
Tuvok, Lt. jg B'Elanna Torres, Lt. jg Tom Paris, Kes, Neelix, and Ensign Harry Kim discuss the captain's final order to leave them behind. Torres and Paris are understandably and vocally distraught at the prospect, while Kes informs everyone that The Doctor has not deactivated himself for a month trying all possibilities for a cure. Neelix states that crew morale will suffer "if we leave them behind." Tuvok asserts that it is not a matter of if, but of when they leave the captain and Chakotay behind, as the decision has already been made. Tuvok assures the crew that they will have all the technological comforts they will need, and that the captain, "an able scientist," will continue to work on a cure for their virus. Should she succeed, they have a type 9 shuttle at their disposal. Paris scoffs that at a top speed of warp 4, it will take them 700 years to get home. Throughout the entire exchange, Kim is silent and dejected, and remains in his seat after Tuvok dismisses the staff.

Janeway and Chakotay begin to pick around at their things transported to them. She lists of a dizzying array of research equipment with determined optimism, assuring Chakotay that she is confident of finding a cure. Chakotay begins carrying their makeshift shelter over, and asks her which way she wanted it. She says to put the gray on the outside and the beige on the inside, because she has always looked better in beige. Janeway states that it might be fun to rough it for a while. Chakotay remarks that with shelter, furniture, tricorders, and a replicator, it was too rough for him. Janeway replies that they do not, however, have a bathtub, and when Chakotay inquires as to what she means, she says that a bath is her favorite way of relaxing. She also tells him that, since they aren't in a command structure anymore, that he should call her Kathryn. A little unnerved, he tells her that she should give him a few days on that.

Back on Voyager in engineering, Torres is harshly critiquing Ensign Swinn on a report. The ensign tries to defend herself by saying she has been a little distracted. Kim approaches and defends the ensign, saying that everyone has been a little distracted. Torres replies that as their situation cannot be changed, the best thing to do is to "take a deep breath and move on."

Chakotay is secretly building something in the woods, which arouses Janeway's curiosity. Just then, Tuvok contacts them to say they are about to go out of communications range. Janeway gives a brief farewell to the crew.

Act Two
Day 24 on the planet, Janeway is taking a bath and her voice informs us that she and Chakotay have dubbed the planet as New Earth. Meanwhile, the rustling woods around their modular shelter startle her. She calls for Chakotay who rushes outside, and they discover a primate.

Six weeks after leaving Janeway and Chakotay behind (according to Tuvok's log), Voyager picks up a Vidiian convoy on long-range scans. The crew discuss whether or not to hail them. Kim begins to argue about whether or not they should be leaving the two on the planet. Tuvok relieves him of duty and threatens to throw him in the brig if he does not leave the bridge. At Paris's urging, Kim leaves.

Kim, Hogan, Swinn, Torres, and Neelix discuss what happened in the mess hall and realize the majority of the crew disagree with Tuvok's orders. Kim then goes to Tuvok's quarters to discuss what happened earlier with Tuvok, and recommends future actions with the Vidiians. However, Tuvok is adamant with his decisions.

Act Three
Showing Janeway and Chakotay on the planet, Janeway expresses her concern with Chakotay's increasing closeness and feels as though he has given up. As Janeway wanders into the new world, she finds the same primate while collecting insect samples. As the primate begins shrieking, the weather changes violently with dark clouds and a plasma storm violently approaching, causing Janeway to fall several times.

Back on the ship, Tuvok admits that he cannot allow himself to succumb to the crew's feelings. His discussion with Kes makes him realize that much of the crew feels the same sadness that Kim expressed earlier. As the captain, he decides to contact the Vidiians, assumes sole responsibility of the contact and heads back.

The plasma storm on New Earth has damaged much of the structure they live in. As the storm clears, Janeway and Chakotay head outside and find that majority of the surroundings as well as Janeway's research has been destroyed.

Act Four
On Voyager, Tuvok mentions the date being 49694.2 prior to the discussion with the Vidiians. Doctor Denara Pel, who was previously rescued by Voyager and treated by The Doctor, agrees to provide an antiviral serum developed by the Vidiians. The Vidiian ship she's aboard will rendezvous with Voyager in about twenty hours. As a precaution, Tuvok plans for the crew to undergo battle drills prior to their contact.

As Janeway and Chakotay are clearing the branches, they encounter the primate again and realize they may be there for a long time. Inside, Chakotay massages Janeway because of her sore neck and as she becomes relaxed, she realizes that she should not get too intimate and decides to go to bed.

As Voyager meets the Vidiian ship at the set location, the crew finds out that Vidiian ships have prepared an ambush.

On New Earth, Janeway expresses her concern by suggesting they define parameters between the two. Chakotay creates a story to strengthen the bond between Janeway and him. They appear to share an intimate moment after their conversation, holding hands across the table.

Act Five
As the Vidiians attack Voyager, Tuvok gives the command to fire back using photon torpedoes. While the torpedoes are firing, Denara Pel talks to The Doctor in sickbay, calling him Shmullus, about transporting the antiviral serum over to Voyager as she was unaware that the Vidiian ship was to attack when the terms were made earlier. Tuvok gives precise orders to avoid a dangerous confrontation with the Vidiians and they are carried out. Voyager drops shields long enough for The Doctor to beam the medicine aboard, followed by Torres ejecting an antimatter container and Kim firing a torpedo to detonate the antimatter, while Paris moves the ship at full impulse to avoid the explosion. As Voyager moves away, the explosion disables the Vidiian ships. At warp 6, Voyager heads back to New Earth.

On New Earth, Janeway is planting tomatoes when Chakotay asks her for an opinion on a boat he plans on building. While discussing the boat, a com signal noise is heard from Voyager. Tuvok, through the com link, states that they have the medicine needed to treat their condition on board and will arrive in thirty hours. Janeway regretfully looks around New Earth and reminisces on their short lifestyle before beaming up to Voyager.

Back on Voyager, Janeway mentions that Tuvok's disobedience was "almost emotional." She reassumes her command as captain over Chakotay, and orders Paris to leave at warp 8.

Memorable Quotes
"I've always looked better in beige."
 * - Kathryn Janeway

"Captain, I'm sure you can learn to love the sonic shower."
 * - Chakotay

"This report looks like it was written by a first-year Academy cadet. There are mistakes... it's incomplete."
 * - B'Elanna Torres, to Ensign Swinn

"I would like to add, it has been an honor serving with you. Live long and prosper."
 * - Tuvok, as Voyager leaves Chakotay and Janeway behind on "New Earth"

"''I'm not sure I can 'define parameters'. But I can tell you a story, an ancient legend among my people. It's about an angry warrior who lived his life in conflict with the rest of his tribe. A man who couldn't find peace, even with the help of his spirit guide. For years he struggled with his discontent. The only satisfaction he ever got came when he was in battle. This made him a hero among his tribe, but the warrior still longed for peace within himself. One day, he and his war party were captured by a neighboring tribe led by a woman warrior. She called on him to join her because her tribe was too small and weak to defend itself from all its enemies. The woman warrior was brave, and beautiful. And very wise. The angry warrior swore to himself that he would stay by her side, doing whatever he could to make her burden lighter. From that point on, her needs would come first. And in that way, the warrior began to know the true meaning of peace. ''"

"Is that really an ancient legend?"

"No... but that made it easier to say."
 * - Chakotay and Janeway

"Now the next words I expect to hear from you are "yes sir.""

"Yes... sir..."
 * - Tuvok and Harry Kim

Story and script

 * This is the last of six episodes of Star Trek: Voyagers second season that executive producer Jeri Taylor was involved in writing. Of the six stories, she enjoyed working on this episode most. "Resolutions' is the episode I had the most fun with all year," she noted. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages)
 * Kenneth Biller had some involvement in this episode's plot, although he wanted the installment to have more of a high-concept science fiction story than it ultimately did. "I had a hand in 'Resolutions' in the sense that I wanted to do a story about Janeway and Chakotay stranded on a planet," he explained, "but I wanted to do a more sci-fi twist on it where they get stranded and Voyager literally left through a time eddy to get home. When they come back Chakotay and Janeway have aged 40 years and have a whole family. Jeri [Taylor] felt it was too reminiscent of [Star Trek: The Next Generation episode] 'Inner Light'. That was kind of the twist I wanted to do on it." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 4/5, p. 106)
 * Jeri Taylor was typically conscious of balancing the depth of emotion exhibited by the character of Janeway, maintaining her authority even in a potentially romantic situation. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages) One early script draft featured more romance between Janeway and Chakotay than in the episode's final version. "There was an earlier version of the script in which it went a little further," Ken Biller revealed. Ultimately, however, the writers intentionally left ambiguous the extent of romance between Janeway and Chakotay. "The audience can answer that for themselves," Biller remarked. "If they want to believe that more went on then they can believe it, and if they would rather not believe it then they need not believe it." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 4/5, pp. 106 & 107)
 * The episode's final script draft was submitted on.

Cast and characters

 * Chakotay actor Robert Beltran felt that his character's relationship with Janeway, on the planet, was not deep enough. "It's Star Trek romance," Beltran commented, "which means we touch hands and it's supposed to be thrilling." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages) However, Beltran later spoke proudly of the episode, remarking that it "pushed the emotional limits of the character [of Chakotay]." (Star Trek Magazine issue 81, p. 20) He also said of the episode, "Very interesting script that was, I thought [....] I think that it turned out to be a very good story. I think that it cements our relationship, not necessarily in a romantic way, but certainly a very strong friendship is cemented there, and solidified. I think again some more layers of Chakotay's inner self are stripped bare, and he's very, very vulnerable in this episode." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 4/5, p. 100) When Beltran was asked about whether he felt Chakotay's duration on the planet in this installment was an appropriate time for the character to express his "true feelings" for Janeway, the actor replied, "Chakotay is definitely not like that. That's just too obvious. He's not the macho go-out-and-get-it type when stuck in a situation like that. If he was, he would have just made a move on her. But that's not Chakotay." (Star Trek Monthly issue 38, p. 20)
 * This episode was among Neelix actor Ethan Phillips' favorites (in common with and ) from Star Trek: Voyager's first two seasons, to watch. (Star Trek Monthly issue 21) Phillips especially liked the episode's use of the Vidiians. "They worked great in 'Resolutions'," he remarked, adding, "We had a lot of action in that show." (Starlog, issue #231, p. 49)
 * During the making of this episode, Robert Picardo, the performer of The Doctor, flubbed his dialogue to a remarkable degree; both Ethan Phillips and Janeway actress Kate Mulgrew found this memorable and teased Picardo about the experience afterwards. (Starlog, issue #231, p. 49)

Production

 * The period in which this episode was in production included . (Star Trek 30 Years, p. 43)
 * Property master Alan Sims was responsible for casting the monkey that appears in this installment. When the script called for an alien primate, Sims found a which, on command, could walk on its hind legs with its tail erect. "At first Rick Berman just laughed. He couldn't believe that a spider monkey – which you could find in any zoo – would look convincingly alien," recalled Sims. "But when I showed him photographs of what the monkey could do, he said, 'That looks alien enough to me. Book him!'" (Star Trek 30 Years, p. 46)
 * Some scenes of this episode were filmed on location in the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains, not far from Los Angeles. This location shooting included some nighttime filming which, at least at the time, was far more expensive than normal location filming. (Delta Quadrant, p. 121)

Continuity

 * The duration of the events in this episode transpire over a period of approximately three months, making it one of the longest times the viewers spend with the characters in a single episode of Star Trek that does not involve flashbacks, time travel or resetting the timeline. Nevertheless, Ken Biller ultimately thought this episode insufficiently indicates the passage of time herein. "I was disappointed, because I felt it was repetitive," he commented. "That is another problem with the style of our show – I don't fault Jeri for that at all – which is how to convey the passage of time. If you go back and listen to the ship's logs, the idea was they were months stuck on that planet and I don't think it felt like that when you watched it. Maybe we should have done more to show the passage of time. That was a show that needed a montage sequence or Chakotay to grow a beard or something." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 4/5, pp. 106-107) The duration of this episode's events are:
 * The first four weeks spent in orbit of "New Earth" searching for a cure.
 * The next six weeks with Voyager resuming its journey home.
 * The final six weeks involving Voyager's return to "New Earth," after obtaining a cure.
 * Even though he is placed in command of Voyager after Janeway relinquishes command, Tuvok still wears his standard gold uniform, instead of donning command red. Despite being referred to by members of the crew as "Captain Tuvok," he records one of his logs as "acting captain" and still wears lieutenant rank insignia. He is also greeted by Denara Pel as "lieutenant" when making contact with the Vidiian convoy.
 * This is the final episode in which Voyager encounters the Vidiians. However, they later appear as illusions in, as one of many species assimilated by the Borg in and finally in , which is based primarily in 2371, more than a year before the events of this episode. It is later revealed in  that the Phage was cured by the Think Tank in 2375.
 * This episode is one of the few instances where The Doctor is given a name. In this instance, Denara Pel refers to him as "Shmullus", the name she gives him in the earlier second season installment.

Reception and aftermath

 * Jeri Taylor was happy with both the A- and B-stories of this episode. She remarked, "We have Janeway and Chakotay with their story, but the other side of it is interesting, too, because it's dealing with the crew's loss of their leaders and the various ways in which they handle that and ultimately what they decide to do with it [....] Here was an instance where I felt the ship side of it was working as well as what was going on on the planet, which was itself extremely interesting." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages)
 * Before this episode first aired, Jeri Taylor expected that its hints of romance between Janeway and Chakotay would please many viewers. "This is the show that is going to make a lot of people happy," she remarked, "at least according to the mail that I get, because it basically traps Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway alone together on a 'desert island' planet." (Star Trek Monthly issue 16)
 * This episode achieved a Nielsen rating of 4.5 million homes, and a 7% share. It was the least watched episode of Voyager's second season (on first airing).
 * Nevertheless, Jeri Taylor's expectations turned out to be well placed. Following the episode's initial broadcast, she commented, "'Resolutions' allowed us to get underneath Janeway and Chakotay in a way that has apparently been very satisfying to a big segment of fans. We got a lot of very positive mail about that show." (The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine, issue #10) Likewise, Robert Beltran referred to this installment as "a bone that was thrown to the many fans that were crying out for a Janeway and Chakotay relationship." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 4/5, p. 100)
 * Jeri Taylor cited this episode as one of the best from Voyager's first two seasons. (The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine, issue #10)
 * Cinefantastique rated this episode 2 and a half out of 4 stars. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 4/5, p. 106)
 * Star Trek Monthly scored this episode 3 out of 5 stars, defined as "Warp Speed". (Star Trek Monthly issue 21, p. 57)
 * The unauthorized reference book Delta Quadrant (p. 123) gives this installment a rating of 1 out of 10.
 * Kate Mulgrew liked this episode but was disappointed that the romantic side of her character's relationship with Chakotay did not progress after it, also believing the audience of Star Trek: Voyager felt similarly. "The audience is very faithful to these ideas and these concepts," Mulgrew observed. "If they see a match taking place or evolving, and then they see it actually enhanced via a wonderful episode like 'Resolutions' then I think they're quite disconcerted when it's just left. And I am equally so." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 99)
 * The civilian clothing that Janeway wears while on New Earth was later reused in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise.

Video and DVD releases

 * UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 2.11,
 * As part of the VOY Season 2 DVD collection

Starring

 * Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway

Also starring

 * Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay
 * Roxann Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres
 * Jennifer Lien as Kes
 * Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris
 * Ethan Phillips as Neelix
 * Robert Picardo as The Doctor
 * Tim Russ as Lieutenant Tuvok
 * Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim

Guest stars

 * Susan Diol as Denara Pel
 * Simon Billig as Hogan
 * Bahni Turpin as Swinn

Uncredited co-stars

 * Tarik Ergin as Ayala
 * Kerry Hoyt as Fitzpatrick

External link


Entscheidungen (VOY) Resolutions Resolutions Resolutions