Healer Trek

Monday, June 25, 2012

TWITrek Character Insight No. 9: The (holographic) Doctor

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe. An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, our subject is The Doctor from Voyager.

The Doctor is officially known as the Emergency Medical Hologram, which is a holographic program configured to provide medical services to a crew without enough doctors and nurses on board. With no medical personnel alive on board the Voyager following the trip to the Delta Quadrant, The Doctor becomes the Chief Medical Officer by default.

Although the Doctor was programmed with medical knowledge to treat all known illnesses and to perform over 5 million surgical operations, his program was also capable of learning and adapting to new situations. This ability to adapt allows the Doctor to develop social skills, hobbies, and relationships with the crew of Voyager over the course of the series.

This development does not begin in earnest until Kes volunteers to become a medical assistant and notices the lack of respect for the Doctor from the crew. Once Janeway grants the Doctor some autonomy such as control over his activation and deactivation sequences, the Doctor begins to develop as another member of the Voyager crew.

This development includes romantic interests with a Vidiian, a love of opera, a family life with a holographic wife and kids, ethical subroutines that cause him to deal with loss and decision-making as a human would, and the experience of taste and touch while his program was downloaded into Seven of Nine's cybernetic implants.

The Doctor has trouble selecting a name for himself throughout the series, but he settles on Joe after trying out other names like Kenneth, Lord Schweitzer, and Schmullus. The Doctor also adds to the old Dr. McCoy lore by saying "I'm a Doctor, Not A _____" multiple times in the series.

The Doctor's holographic nature enables him to save the ship and crew members on various occasions, including when the Kazon took over the ship and abandoned the rest of the Voyager crew on a desolate planet.

One Notable Quote comes from The Swarm in season 3 (episode 4):
The Doctor: "You claim that you're my friend but you don't even call me by my name."
Kes: "That's because you don't have a name."
The Doctor: "No name? That's ridiculous! I'm... My... I demand you tell me my name!"
Best Episodes Featuring The Doctor:
Lifesigns, season 2 episode 19
The Swarm, season 3 episode 4
Real Life, season 3 episode 22
Latent Image, season 5 episode 11

Actor: Robert Picardo played The Doctor, and he has also appeared on Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis as well as the movie Gremlins 2, Electric Bugaloo. He also entertains currently on Twitter @RobertPicardo

Saturday, June 16, 2012

TWITrek Character Insight No. 8: Malcolm Reed

Reed served as Armory Officer aboard the Enterprise. Reed wanted to serve in the Navy like the other men in his family, but his aquaphobia led him into Starfleet and aboard Captain Archer's vessel.

Reed is an Englishman who reminds you of the old Royal Guards, fiercely disciplined and not very social. This leads to many awkward situations such as when the crew tries to throw Reed a birthday party without knowing nearly anything about Reed's food preferences or personal interests.

Reed does eventually begin to warm to his crewmates aboard the Enterprise, especially Trip after a shared near-death experience in the episode Shuttlepod One. Reed and Trip shared a memorable shore leave together on Risa where the two exotic women they courted robbed them and tied them up in a cellar. And they call it a pleasure planet!

Reed outwitted many aliens with superior armory technology throughout the series by making the most out of the resources he had on board. For example, Reed built phase cannons from scratch and overloaded them to defeat Axanar shields. Reed also perfected the stable electromagnetic barrier or force field that becomes ubiquitous in the Next Generation-Voyager era.

Reed is allergic to many things and seems more prone to illnesses than the other crew members on Enterprise. However, that does not stop Reed from diving full bore into the defense of his crewmates whenever necessary, just like his "predecessors" Worf, Sulu, and Tuvok.

One Notable Quote comes from Shuttlepod One in season 1 (episode 16):
Lt. Reed: Sometimes I think you North Americans read nothing but comic books and those ridiculous science fiction novels.
Commander Tucker: Well, I'll have you know that Superman was laced with metaphor - subtext layered on subtext.
Lt. Reed: Oh, if only Dr. Cochrane had been a European, the Vulcans would have been far less reticent to help us. But no, he had to be from Montana.

Best Episodes Featuring Reed:
Fight or Flight, season 1 episode 3
Regeneration, season 2 episode 23
Chosen Realm, season 3 episode 12

Actor: Dominic Keating played Reed, and he has also appeared on the TV series Heroes. Look for him to play in the upcoming Hobbit movies as well.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

TWITrek Character Insight No. 7: Chakotay

Chakotay served as First Officer aboard the USS Voyager. Before joining the crew of Voyager, Chakotay was the commanding officer of the Maquis ship Val Jean, which was thrown into the Delta Quadrant with Voyager.

When the two ships decided to merge crews aboard Voyager, Chakotay served a critical role in making the former Maquis crew members integrate into the Starfleet crew. By showing absolute loyalty to Captian Janeway, Chakotay ensured that other valuable crew members worked well in the new Starfleet crew, most importantly Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres.

Chakotay is a Native American whose ancestors were also the ancestors of the Mayans in Central America and Mexico. Chakotay grew up with little appreciation of his culture until his father's death while serving in Starfleet. As a result of this death, Chakotay joined the Maquis to continue his father's fight and embraced all the history and tradition of his Native American culture, including getting the distinctive tattoo on his face.

This tradition comes up often on the show, as Chakotay uses tribal legends and stories passed down through the generations to share wisdom with other crew members. Chakotay also frequently seeks communion with his fathers spirit on vision quests.

Chakotay has a passion for archaeology, reading, and art. Chakotay is a vegetarian who enjoys mushroom soup but dislikes other vegetables like carrots. He also is a fan of sumo wrestling and boxing, which he uses to relax and blow off steam.

Chakotay also becomes romantically involved with various crew members during the journey back to the Alpha quadrant, including the Cardassian Seska, Seven of Nine, and Captain Janeway briefly.

One Notable Quote comes from Initiations in season 2 (episode 2):
A-koo-chee-moya. I pray on this day of memories, to speak to my father - the one whom the wind called... Kolopak. Though I'm far from his bones, perhaps there is a spirit in these unnamed skies who will find him, and honor him with my song. A-koo-chee-moya.

Best Episodes Featuring Chakotay:
Tattoo, season 2 episode 9
Unity, season 3 episode 17
One Small Step, season 6 episode 8

Actor: Robert Beltran plays Chakotay, and his most notable work outside Star Trek include recurring roles on the recent series Big Love and the mid-90's series Models, Inc.

Monday, June 4, 2012

TWITrek Character Insight No. 6: Montgomery Scott

Scotty served as the chief engineer aboard the USS Enterprise for nearly 30 years and earned a reputation as a miracle worker during his service. Scotty brings color and humor to many TOS episodes and movies as a result of his good-natured attitude and his Scottish tendencies.

Scotty was second officer on the Enterprise behind only Kirk and Spock, and that led him into many difficult command situations in which he excelled. Despite this outstanding record whenever he took command, Scotty never pursued his own command because he always wanted to be just an engineer.

One of the benefits of being Scottish is a high tolerance to alcohol, and Scotty used this power to incapacitate a Kelvan agent attempting to take over the Enterprise. Scotty prefers Scotch whiskey and refers to other drinks such as vodka as "sodapop" and "milk."

Keeping with the stereotypes of his nationality, Scotty is also an avid bagpipes player as evidenced by the heart-wrenching playing of Amazing Grace at Spock's funeral in The Wrath of Khan.

Scotty also links the first two generations of Star Trek in two ways: he was on the Enterprise-B when Kirk was lost to the Nexus in the TNG movie Generations, and he was discovered by the Enterprise-D in the episode "Relics" after being lost for decades in transporter buffer at a Dyson sphere.

One Notable Quote comes from The Trouble With Tribbles in season 2 (episode 13):
Before they went to warp, I transported the whole kit'n'kaboodle into their engine room...where they'll be no tribble at all.

Best Episodes Featuring Scotty:
Wolf In The Fold, season 2 episode 7
The Apple, season 2 episode 9
By Any Other Name, season 2 episode 21

Actor: James Doohan originally played Scotty and had a 50-year acting career before his death in 2005. Doohan auditioned for the part with a Scottish accent that stuck on the character because he thought Scottish people made the best engineers. Simon Pegg took over the role in the 2009 reboot and he is best known for comedic work in Hot Fuzz, Sean of the Dead, and Run Fatboy Run.

Monday, May 28, 2012

TWITrek Character Insight No. 5: Commander Charles Tucker III

Tucker, who was also known as "Trip" thanks to having the same name as his father and grandfather, served as the Chief Engineer on the Enterprise after Vulcan Subcommander T'Pol became the First Officer under Captain Archer.

Tucker was always striving to learn more about engine technologies, and his contributions helped ensure that the first Warp 2 prototype vessels were successful. Archer also played a significant role in this success, leading to the lifelong friendship that makes the Captain and his Chief Engineer the closest friends on the Enterprise series.

Although Tucker was devastated by his sister's death in the war against the Xindi, he pushed past his sleepless nights to be a key element in disrupting and destroying the superweapon of the Sphere Builders to save Earth.

Tucker is a true southerner, loving his pan-fried catfish and hushpuppies with Pecan Pie for dessert. Tucker also loves cinema and he keeps a Frankenstein figurine in his quarters to represent his favorite movies.

Tucker also holds a unique role as being the only regular cast member of any Star Trek series to actually die in a series finale. Also, Tucker joins other "closest comrades" in Spock and Data, who also sacrificed themselves for their captains.

One Notable Quote comes from Desert Crossing in season 1 (episode 24):
Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III: The desert, sir? The heat, the dry air? You know how it sucks the life outta me.
Captain Jonathan Archer: What about the two weeks we spent in Australia? We had a great time.
Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III: Survival training in the outback? Drinkin' recycled sweat and eatin' snake meat? That's your idea of a great time?

Best Episodes Featuring Tucker:
Shuttlepod One, season 1 episode 15
Extinction, season 3 episode 3
These Are The Voyages..., season 4 episode 22

Actor: Connor Trinneer played Tucker and appears to have no current extended roles in progress. Trinneer did play on Stargate Atlantis for 10 episodes over two years.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

TWITrek Character Insight No. 4: Lt. Commander Data

Data was one of a series of human-like androids developed by Dr. Noonien Soong, and he joined the crew of the Enterprise after becoming the first android to graduate from Starfleet Academy. Data serves a similar role to Picard as Spock does for Captain Kirk in TOS.

Data strives to become more human throughout the TNG series. Although his efforts were largely stifled during the television show, this story becomes the unifying arc linking the four movies with this case.

Data struggles with emotions, turns down human implants from the Borg Queen, and finds true humanity in sacrificing himself to save the crew in Nemesis. The stories about Data's sentience and humanity are a great theme revisited again by the Doctor character in Voyager.

Data has multiple "siblings," including the evil Lore and the infantile B4. Data has a storage capacity of 800 quadrillion bits, which is about 50 times the storage of the human brain. Data loves playing poker, painting, His cat Spot, and playing Sherlock Holmes in the holodeck.

Data served as the second officer on the Enterprise and being unaffected by disease, radiation, and other ailments saved the rest of the crew on more than one occasion. Data was critical in rebuffing the greatest TNG enemy multiple times, as he led the battle to return Picard from being assimilated and then foiled the Borg queen plan in First Contact.

One Notable Quote comes from Hero Worship in season 5 (episode 11):
I would gladly risk feeling bad at times, if it also meant that I could taste my dessert.

Best Episodes Featuring Data:
The Measure of a Man, season 2 episode 9
The Quality of Life, season 6 episode 9
Data's Day, season 4 episode 11

Actor: Brent Spiner played Data and continues his acting career currently in the series Fresh Hell. He also appeared as a regular on Night Court in the 1980's and played an eccentric doctor in the movie Independence Day.
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You can contact me on twitter @BuckeyeFitzy and at healertrek.blogspot.com. Thanks for listening, and see you next week!

Monday, May 7, 2012

TWITrek Character Insight No. 3: Neelix

Neelix is picked up by Voyager in the series premiere when the Starfleet crew saves his Ocampa love Kes from the Kazon. Neelix serves many roles on Voyager, including travel guide for the Delta Quadrant, chef, and crew morale officer.

Neelix also is one of the more colorful characters having a regular role on a Star Trek television series. Neelix wears multicolored suits having many pastel hues that contrast sharply from the Voyager-era Starfleet uniforms. Neelix is a Talaxian, a race having a spotted animal-like appearance based on a combination of animals from the film The Lion King.

From his very first appearance in the transporter room of Voyager, Neelix served as a perfect foil to the reserved logical demeanor of Tuvok, the Vulcan chief of security. These two characters found mutual respect despite butting heads on multiple occasions. The highlight of this contrast was a Season 2 episode "Tuvix", in which both men become combined into one new person as a result of a transporter accident.

Neelix represents the organized chaos of the Delta Quadrant and saves the Voyager from many diplomatic mistakes in his years on board. Neelix leaves the ship when Voyager finds a group of Talaxians living in an asteroid and he becomes Starfleet's permanent ambassador to the Delta Quadrant.

Notable Quote:
Neelix: How about a riddle?
Tuvok: [irritated] Mr. Neelix...
Neelix: Come on! It'll be fun.
Tuvok: I have no desire for fun.
Neelix: Okay, forget fun. A good riddle can stimulate the mind. Now, no self-respecting Vulcan can say no to that.
Tuvok: [sighs] Very well - *one* riddle.
Riddles, season 6 episode 6

Best Episodes Featuring Neelix:
False Prophets, season 3 episode 5
Mortal Coil, season 4 episode 12
Riddles, season 6 episode 6

Actor: Ethan Phillips has worked in the television and film industry for over three decades, having broken through as Pete Downey in the 1980's series Benson. His credits are as wide as one can imagine, including roles on L.A. Law, The Young and the Restless, and The Twilight Zone, among others.

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Thanks for listening and please contact me with feedback to discuss who you want to see featured on this segment. You can find me on twitter @BuckeyeFitzy and at my blog: www.healertrek.blogspot.com. See you next week!