I'm not opposed to a good Holodeck episode, I'm really not. For instance, DS9's "Badda-Bing, Badda Bang" is probably my favorite episode of the series. It works because it's just for fun. The entire crew takes a break from almost being at war to gather together and play a game, the reward of which is they get to keep their favorite hangout and fictional character. It's extremely well done, and it's how a holodeck episode should be done. The holodeck is a toy, and every now and then it's nice to see it used that way. Though some other holodeck episodes are fun, few share this free-spirited formula. Usually, the plot revolves around the thing breaking, or bad guys using it to fuck with people. I guess "Bride of Chaotica" falls mainly into the latter category, but tries to be free-spirited and fun at the same time. It fails.
Paris and Kim are in the holodeck playing out a Captain Proton episode. Paris knows the story well, and is kind of dragging Kim along. I have questions about how holo-novels and such work. It's not like watching a movie, since you actually have a main character role in the story. So, do participants read the story first, and memorize lines? I mean, if the story is going toward a predetermined ending, then wouldn't a main character need to know how to respond to different situations? In this case, Paris is intimately familiar with the storyline, but that wouldn't always be the case, right? Another question is why they have to change their clothes. Couldn't the holodeck just project proper clothing on them? Surely this is possible, especially since it is somehow able to project a black and white color scheme onto their skin. But anyway, some sort of a rift opens up and ruins their good time. They have to transport out.Voyager is stuck on a sub-space sandbar. I know, it makes no sense. Oh also, warp, impulse, weapons, deflector, and everything else is somehow affected by it. And of course, the holodeck cannot be shut down. They don't even try to technobabble an explanation for all of this, it's just accepted. Sub-space sandbar! Got it?
It turns out that sub-space aliens are photonic, and see the holodeck characters as a threat, especially since Chaotica is evil and making all sorts of threats. The aliens see anything made of actual matter as fake or even non-existent, and only recognize the holographic characters as part of reality. This is perhaps the only unique or interesting part of the episode. The crew decide that the only way to get rid of the aliens is to let them see that Chaotica is no longer a threat by letting the program play out and come to its natural ending, with Captain Proton saving the day. This involves sending The Doctor to act as a liaison, and the rest of the crew assuming roles in the story, most notably Janeway as Bride of Chaotica. It's fun to watch Paris squirm as he has to explain his private fascination with the entire crew. Watching The Doctor is fun as always, and his role of President of Earth is clever and fun. It is likewise fun to watch Janeway immerse herself in her role. But let's face it, it's all stupid. In order for it to work, we have to accept that the aliens, who are friendly explorers, are complete idiots and easily duped. I don't like new and interesting aliens being introduced only to be mocked. It doesn't help that a bunch of them get killed, either.
Eventually Chaotica is defeated, and magically everything on Voyager starts working again. Yawn. There are fun parts to this episode, but overall it's only Meh at best. The fun parts aren't care-free enough to work, the science gibberish parts aren't even fully written, and the aliens of the week are morons that are tricked into just leaving without even learning anything about them.
Published November 13, 2017
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