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Star Trek Voy - Season 5 - Episode 12

Star Trek Voy - 5x12 - Bride of Chaotica!

Originally Aired: 1999-1-27

Synopsis:
Janeway and Paris must defeat Doctor Chaotica. [DVD]

My Rating - 8

Fan Rating Average - 6.07

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Problems
None

Factoids
- This episode features a rare mention of a bathroom on a starship.

Remarkable Scenes
- Neelix mentioning that only 4 bathrooms and 3 sonic showers are operational.
- Tom: "Satan's robot." Tuvok: "Naturally."
- Tom: "Intercepted communications between Doctor Chaotica and Arachnia. Stop. Chaotica at war with aliens from 5th dimension. Stop. Must strike now to disable death ray." Tuvok: "Stop. Please summarize the message."
- Tuvok and Tom meeting the photonic alien. I like how he said "all life is photonic" and that Tuvok and Paris didn't register on his instruments and must therefore be the simulation.
- Janeway: "Let me get this straight. Transdimensional aliens have mistaken your Captain Proton simulation for reality." Tom: "Yes ma'am." Janeway: "And now an armed conflict has broken out between these aliens and Chaotica's holographic army." Tom: "Yes ma'am. His army of evil."
- Janeway being nominated to play Arachnia.
- Tom instructing Janeway on how to best fit into her role: "It helps to say things like: 'The clever fiendishness of your evil plan is brilliant!'"
- The doctor masquerading as the "president of Earth."

My Review
A great humor episode, it was especially fun to watch the various crew's reactions to witnessing elements of the Captain Proton simulation out of context. This episode was meant in many ways to be a parody of Star Trek. Tom is "researching" how ancient humans viewed the future. And they didn't get it quite right. The same may very well happen to us. Additionally, Tom impresses Tuvok with his technobabble, an allusion to Star Trek, Harry wonders why the Planet X set is identical to the Mines of Mercury set, another allusion to Star Trek, and so on. Aside from the general parody, this episode makes me really wish we'd seen more of Bashir's holosuite programs on DS9. I would have liked to have seen Bashir and O'Brien at the Alamo, or at the Battle of Britain. And if it was half as fun as this episode was, it would have been amazing.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From Pete Miller on 2006-11-15 at 11:29pm:
    That robot walking around awkwardly running into things was the absolute best part of this episode. I also loved seeing Tuvok's extreme irritation regarding the whole silliness of the Captain Proton story.

    I think this is my favorite of the main holodeck programs that characters in Star Trek use (Sherlock Holmes, Vic Fontaine, Dixon Hill, Leonardo Da Vinci, and that stupid other thing Janeway did at the beginning that seemed like some Jane Austen novel)
  • From Tallifer on 2011-04-24 at 5:50am:
    I would religiously watch a whole seven seasons of a series of Captain Proton!
  • From packman_jon on 2012-07-05 at 12:02am:
    A holodock malfunction episode? I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE!

    Kidding aside, this episode parodied more than just classic Trek: The intro to "Captain Proton" seemed to feel like the serials (like Flash Gordon) of the 1930-40s - especially with the recaps and "chapters." There's a great quote also in the cold open for - "Cliffhangers - the lost art of hyberbole" - very applicable for the 1940s adventures to even now!

    (On a side note, Paramount probably really appreciated the intentionally cheap sets!)

    Easily one of my favorite Voyager episodes!
  • From Zac on 2014-10-24 at 1:35pm:
    One of the best humor episodes I have seen so far in all of Star Trek. Question/problem though: when Paris is introducing himself and Tuvok to the alien, he says "I'm Ensign Paris and this is Lieutenant Tuvok." Shouldn't Tuvok at this point be referred to as "Commander Tuvok" as he was promoted to Lt Cmdr earlier on?

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