VOY S6E13 "Virtuoso" Review By AnswerMan

Horrible:Meh:Adequate:Good:Fantastic

Voyager encounters a rude but technologically advanced society, and The Doctor happens to accidentally introduce them to music for the first time ever. I think in order for this episode to work, you just have to accept that it's possible for a species to evolve to this point without inventing music. I don't think that's possible, so this episode doesn't work for me. I know it's stupid to accept things like warp drive, aliens, and sentient holograms at face value and yet quibble over a technicality like this, but I just can't get my head around it. Birds sing. Every society, no matter how primitive, has music. Simple percussion instruments like banging a bone on a rock, and modulating one's own voice just happen naturally. I could see if the aliens lacked the ability to hear, or maybe just somehow physically or mentally were not able to appreciate music. But that's not the case. They LOVE music immediately upon hearing it. So how is it possible that they've never stumbled upon it in any form before? Not so much as a hum? Not even a piece of machinery making a repetitive sound?

I'm not sure what the intended message of this episode was, but I think there are three distinctive things to take away here. The first is that fame is addictive. Could any of us refuse an entire planet that adores us? That's tempting for anyone. I think this is especially important in the age of internet fame. Even having a popular post on Facebook can be alluring in a certain way that makes us keep refreshing to see if we have any more likes. The Doctor cannot resist this urge to be worshiped, and decides to stay on the planet, much to Janeway's dissatisfaction. But since we've established that he's not just a hologram, but also a real person, she has no choice but to allow him to do as he wishes. I mean, she once gave everyone on the ship the option to stay or go.

The second takeaway is that if you make it big, everyone you know will resent you. A great deal of this episode is devoted to making The Doctor appear shallow and arrogant. But I'm not sure that any one of the crew would have reacted differently given the same circumstances. They feel like he is abandoning them, but really this is all just an amazing dream come true for him and they should be happy for him. But that's not how people work. If you become more affluent than your friend group, they will resent you and you will find yourself seeking new friends. It's not uncommon for people to engage in a small amount of self-sabotage to avoid this exact thing. I think The Doctor is portrayed unfairly here. He still cares about his friends, it's them that abandon him.

The third takeaway is that fame is typically fleeting and short. By the time that The Doctor is ready to upend his life and take his place as the King of Opera on the planet, they have already replaced him with an upgraded model with a wider vocal range. He tries desperately to remain relevant, like Brittany Spears release of her third album, but his moment in the sun has come and gone. Fortunately for The Doctor, he has the option of simply resuming his previous station in life. For those that actually achieve fame, I'm certain that this is not the case. They become "has-beens," and are mocked and ridiculed in perpetuity.

Overall, "Virtuoso" is just a Meh episode of Trek. It does make you think about how you would feel to suddenly be seen as a genius and adored by millions. It also takes you down the roller coaster to realize that it won't fulfill you as a person. However, as a whole the episode's focus is just on portraying The Doctor as an arrogant ass, and him getting his comeuppance. I don't like that. I love The Doctor character, and I think he deserves to develop in natural ways, not in absurd ups and downs.

Published Mar 2, 2019