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Star Trek Voy - Season 6 - Episode 04

Star Trek Voy - 6x04 - Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy

Originally Aired: 1999-10-13

Synopsis:
The Doctor experiences daydreams. [DVD]

My Rating - 9

Fan Rating Average - 6.61

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 31 3 5 3 0 20 4 6 10 38 54

Problems
None

Factoids
- The title of this episode is a parody of the film "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (1979).
- When the Cassini space probe studying Saturn ended its mission, Robert Picardo, who plays The Doctor, reprised the parody of "La donna è mobile" from this episode in a hysterical fashion.

Remarkable Scenes
- The doctor singing "La donna è mobile" then altering the lyrics to deal with Tuvok. The complete lyrical score:

"La donna è mobile
qual piuma al vento
muta d'accento
e di pensier

Sempre un' amabile
leggiadro viso
in pianto o in riso
è menzognero

La donna è mobile
qual piuma al vento
muta d'accento
e di pensier
e di pensier
e di pensier

Tuvok I understand
you are a Vulcan man
you have just gone without
for seven years about

Paris please find a way
to load a hypospray
I will give you the sign
just aim for his behind

Hormones are raging
synapses blazing
it's all so very
illogical
illogical
illogical"


- Janeway, Torres, and Seven fighting over the doctor in another one of his daydreams.
- The Borg daydream. The doctor activates the "emergency command hologram" or ECH. His uniform changes color from teal to red and 4 pips appear on his collar.
- Computer: "Warning, warp core breach a lot sooner than you think."
- Computer: "Warning, last chance to be a hero doctor! Get going."
- The doctor jumping from fantasy to fantasy.
- The doctor painting a nude Seven of Nine.
- The crew's reactions to watching the doctor's fantasies.
- The doctor's "photonic cannon" stunt.

My Review
In the tradition of Voy: Message in a Bottle, quite possibly Voyager's funniest episode. The humor is superior to my other previously high rated Voyager humor episodes Voy: Message in a Bottle and Voy: Death Wish. The humor in Voy: Message in a Bottle was a bit too silly, and the humor in Voy: Death Wish was secondary to the actual plot. In this episode, the plot is secondary to the humor! Now while I admit the plot is fairly weak, it doesn't particularly need to be anything grand. I found the wide allotted time to the exploration of the doctor's fantasies well used and the albeit simple solution to let the doctor play out his ECH (Emergency Command Hologram) fantasy to deter the Hierarchy both fitting and hilarious. And of course, who could forget the marvelous teaser in this episode? This episode is a treat, and I recommend it to anyone who needs a good laugh.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From Alan on 2012-01-26 at 11:08am:
    Kethinov , I have to agree with you. This episode is a hoot. I've just watched it for the first time , since the original air date . It has to be in my top five of Star Trek episodes. The opening scene with Robert Picardo is total genius. The potato aliens are funny as hell.
    I give this episode a 10. :)
  • From Susan on 2020-12-05 at 3:22am:
    Thanks for that YouTube link. Almost as much fun as the ep.

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