Home

Letters Updated

Fan Reviews

Episode Guides

Staff

Submission Guidelines

Credits/Thanks

Back Issues

"Sucking the Spirit From Star Trek"

by Angela McNelly (angelamcnelly@yahoo.com)

(enter Rod Serling) Fair Haven: a not so peaceful, Irish settlement  with a group of crazed, half sentient holograms stalking around town, out smarting the Voyager crew at every turn while taking the holodeck village and three crewman captive. What will the captain do? What should she do? Those answers and more in this chapter of "The Spirit Zone".

Hello and welcome to this version of "The Spirit Zone". I'm Angela McNelly and I'll be your hostess for the evening. Tonight we'll be talking with several of the cast of Voyager's "Spirit Folk" and also Brannon Braga himself. It is anticipated to be an interesting evening. So without further ado, let's look around the set and see who's available at the moment.  

AM: Ah yes, B'Elanna Torres. Could we have a word with you Lieutenant?

BT: Sure. I've got nothing better to do. And just call be B'Elanna.

AM: All right B'Elanna. Have you seen the captain around? We're interested in an interview but can't find her any where.

BT: I'm not surprised. After the last episode, "Spirit Joke" or whatever, she's probablystill hiding in her trusty holodeck.

AM: I take it you don't agree with the way she handled the Fair Haven problem.

BT: That's the understatement of the year! The only character in town acting sane was the cow. Sounds like a good reason to shut down the program to me. Definitely not something we should've been spending precious resources and man power on. But, I don't pick the captain's boyfriends for her. In fact, if it were up to me I wouldn't pick a 'boy' at all. But that's a different story.

AM: So in your opinion, Fair Haven should not be saved?

BT: For Kahless' sake no! I think real people are more important, don't you?

AM: You bet I do. And the mental state of Captain Janeway?

BT: Go ask Seven. She knows more about that than I do. (to herself) Lucky, (Klingon

swear word) Borg! (kicks the director's chair)

SN: I don't believe I return those sentiments.

AM: Don't worry Seven. You'll not be ridiculed, belittled, taken for granted, or treated like an emotionless drone at anytime during this interview. You have my word.

SN: Indeed? That will be a *new* experience for me. (smirk) I'm sure the Doctor will be pleased.

AM: Do you have any idea where the captain is?

SN: I believe she is concealing herself within the confines of the holodeck.

AM: Yes. Well, that seems to be the general consensus. You and Captain Janeway haven't been spending much time together. Why do you think that is?

SN: Our superiors are cowards!

AM: That pretty well covers it. Why do you think the captain seems to be loosing control mentally and emotionally?

SN: If you were forced to view, on a daily bases, someone such as myself and not be allowed to pursue said individual, would you not go mad as well?

AM: Uhm, I get your point. (long pause) Seeing as how I've just forgotten the rest of my questions for you, I guess this interview is over.

SN: Yes. I seem to have that effect on other sentient life forms. (smirk)

AM: Uhrm... yes. Uh... thank you for your time.

AM: Oh my!! Ladies and gentleman do we have a treat for you! Maggie the cow has just agreed to talk with us. Maggie, good to have you. No barbecues today. I promise.

MC: (nods head and rings cow bell)

AM: What did you think about the "Spirit Folk" episode?

MC: (shakes head and rolls eyes)

AM: I see. And how do you feel about your superiors blatantly conveying the idea that it is okay for a flesh and blood living creature to carry on a deeply emotional relationship with an entity that is not real?

MC: (steaming cow plop on the set floor)

AM: And there you have it folks. Hey! Somebody! We need a shovel over here!

AM: Okay! We've found or last interviewee hiding under a rock. And he has not so graciously agreed to answer our questions. Hello Mr. Braga. How are you today?

BB: I'm here.

AM: I can see this is going to be exciting. Why is it that you refuse to deepen Seven and Janeway's relationship.

BB: I'm gutless.

AM: Ahhhhh, I see. Well, thank you for your honesty. Why is it then, that you have been betraying her character this season by making her into a very unstable captain who makes poor decisions and could easily be deemed unfit for command?

BB: I'm heartless.

AM: Is it because you feel a tragic character validates your work as being more artistic?

BB: That's what my superiors think. But for me, it's what I said before. I'm heartless.

AM: Are you not aware that time after time when you air a show that delves into the relationships of our beloved characters, you receive resounding praise from the fans?

BB: I'm aware of that.

AM: Then why don't you continue to turn out episodes like "Someone To What Over Me", "Barge of the Dead", "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy", and "Latent Image" just to name a few?

BB: Because I'm mindless.

AM: Sheesh! Mr. Braga, are there *any* organs at all in your body?

BB: No there aren't.

AM: All righty theeennn! Why is that?

BB: Because I'm a partially sentient hologram. We don't have organs. We are made up of photons and force fields.

AM: Mmm, hmm. Well then, that explains a lot of things. Can you tell me where the real Brannon Braga is?

BB: (leans in and whispers) Come closer. I can't tell you. It's a secret.

AM: Okay. I wouldn't have thought a hologram would need a breath mint but here you go. (hands him a Certs)

BB: Why thank you! My favorite: spearmint.

AM: (raises eyebrow and makes a circling gesture around her ear with her index finger) You won't tell me where the real Mr. Braga has disappeared to so how about the Borg baby?

BB: I'd be happy to. She is not so calmly residing in the canonical discontinuity zone. But you know how babies are.

AM: You have a zone for everything don't you?

BB: Absolutely.

AM: What about the heart and soul of Star Trek, the insatiable spirit to push the edge of the envelope, to cover in canon our present day struggles and controversies? What zone is that lost in?

BB: It's not lost in any zone. The spirit of Star Trek has been in sick bay since the end of last season, with a bad case of poor writingitis and cluelesscirrhosis.

AM: This is getting too weird for even me. One last question. I'm curious. Where are you hiding your mobile emitter?

BB: (blushes, clears throat and looks down at his crotch) Would you like me to show it to you.

There's not much further to add. I won't insult your intelligence, as TPTB are so adept at doing, by trying to summarize all the different nuances of each interview transcript. You are perfectly capable of gleaning that information for yourselves. What I will say is this: No matter how incompetent, irrational, or emotional they try to make Kathryn Janeway look, our first female captain will still be the best captain in Star Trek history. Why? Because she's persevered alone. Loneliness is another form of death. And for her to have sustained herself this long without the unconditional support of even one person in her life is just short of a miracle. Kirk had that from Spock, Picard had that from practically his entire crew, and Sisko had that from most of his crew, most of Bajor, and the Prophets for gods' sakes. Janeway, not only doesn't have that kind of support but she can't even get her first officer to follow her orders. Hell!! Anybody would go mad under those circumstances. The only person that Janeway *can* trust implicitly to do that kind of supporting is Seven. So why not let her? But wish in one hand and you-know-what in the other. TPTB would rather make her into a tragic character and claim it is 'artistic', than make her a lesbian captain who held her crew together through hell and back because she had the support of a wonderful woman who loved her more than life itself.

Go figure. Sounds artistic enough to me and would be something interesting to watch unfold. But of course, I'm sure they couldn't get that right either. A BIG thank you to all the J/7 fan fiction writers out there. You do J/7 the right way. Love you all! Be well. The J/7 community is a terrific one!

"Survival is insufficient".......*loving* is perfection.

Copyright: 3/2000

About Me:

You're not going to get much of a bio out of me because I'm shy... <vbeg>. Actually it's because all you need to know about the kind of person I am is in my writing. However, here are a few tidbits you won't find anywhere in my stories: I'm 31, in a committed, loving relationship with a terrific human being, have a four year old son who is the light of my life and work at a news paper in central Illinois. I love camping, fishing, playing tennis, writing poetry and short stories, sci fi of course, and Jesus Christ. I hope that last one doesn't offend anyone. But I had to mention Him because He is the foundation of my life.