Now we have reached the beginning of the end of Voyager,
although those of us living in Britain and elsewhere will not see it for
several months at least, I could not help my thoughts drifting back over the
period that I have watched the series. When I first tuned in to see it, I
enjoyed it very much and thought it the best Star Trek series I had
seen. I loved the strong female characters, with the exception of Kes, who
irritated the hell out of me with her goody-two-shoes image: what a bore!
Since that time, there have been several turning points in the way I viewed
the programme, the most significant being the introduction of Seven of Nine,
and especially, the J/7 relationship. Just as I was pondering all this,
thinking that we were never going to see any decent 'action' between Janeway
and Seven, "Imperfection" airs, and fans across several message
boards are suddenly transported onto a heavenly plain.
Discussion about this episode has been rife and what
interested me, is that people within the mainstream audience are now actively
voicing the opinion that Janeway is "undeniably" in love with Seven.
It is strange, however, that the almost perpetually vexed Michelle Erica Green
decided to ignore the romantic dimension between Janeway and Seven in her
review of "Imperfection". She obviously could not mention it, or it
would naturally have come to dominate her discussion, and Ms Green would not
want Voyager exploring the "nearly spoken" J/7 romance in its
last season, especially when she, along with many others, would prefer to see
J/C.
My thoughts immediately turned to Kate Mulgrew. What
would she make of these comments, should she get to hear of them?
"Imperfection" was made well before she gave the interview to Star
Trek: the Magazine. It made me wonder further about her somewhat curious
observation of the "intensity" between herself and Roxanne Dawson,
and moreover, the exclusion of Seven from the list of people that Janeway
would "always seek out". So the question arises whether she was part
of a great Voyager conspiracy to toy with the lesbian fandom or if, in
fact, she was trying to deflect the comment that would inevitably ensue once
"Imperfection" was shown. Both probably, but I have no way of
confirming that. If Mulgrew is genuinely concerned about the depiction of a
Janeway with lesbian tendencies, and by extension her own since her portrayal
of the Captain has done much to set this scenario up, she must be really
squirming in her seat with the responses that "Imperfection" has
garnered.
Unfortunately, I am now really at a disadvantage at this
point, having not seen so much as a clip from "Imperfection", so I
am basing my following comments purely on those that I read on message boards.
Some fans have stated that they can now see Voyager through to its
conclusion, as they have reveled in the subtext episode of them all. Others,
however, are still optimistic that this is not the end, and that they will
receive further official confirmation of the J/7 dynamic. So what did
"Imperfection" portray that caused such a stir? Well, it appears
Janeway exhibited "a tearful and passionate urgency", and was
willing to do whatever it took, resort to murder even, if it would save her
borg. While this may delight some fans, as the episode does, indeed, represent
a significant step forward, it is less than perfection.
It only hints at an acceptance of the possible
existence of a lesbian relationship among the leading characters. If pushed on
this, the TPTB would, undoubtedly, retreat, and Mulgrew, certainly. You can
hear them now, stating that all Janeway was doing was reacting to the probable
loss of a well beloved friend/surrogate daughter/student.
The comment that people get out of Voyager what
they bring to it, is simply because no topic is ever dealt with in depth. It
is fragmented and tries to please everyone but pleases no-one. It's let's do
an episode for the J/Cers one week, or Doc/7 the next. Oh yes, and we
mustn’t forget about the lesbians, we should include them at some point. I
would have liked this Trek series to have taken on and dealt with some
of the really difficult issues. Just because most people are heterosexual and
live within nuclear family units, does not mean that the themes they generate
should be portrayed on popular television programmes to the exclusion of all
others. As the chemistry between Mulgrew and Ryan is so intense, (the
Mulgrew/Dawson "intensity" not withstanding), Voyager could
have really done a lot with a story line that depicted the difficulties of the
middle-aged 'heterosexual' woman's dilemma of a sexual attraction to another
woman who is a member of her crew. People don't imagine this chemistry, bring
their own desires to bear or "see what they want to see". The
chemistry between Mulgrew and Ryan exists: it is a simple fact. I was
delighted to see some posters genuinely recognizing this possibility, and
moving beyond the rigidity of the labels of 'heterosexual' and 'lesbian'. But
this is far too controversial a subject for Voyager and UPN, not to
mention Mulgrew's apparent antipathy to such a story line. This level of
analysis of the Janeway/Seven relationship would doubtless be better suited to
the drama department of the BBC. Nonetheless, I look forward to seeing
"Imperfection", it has kept me watching Voyager as I had
almost given it up.
One final thought, which brings me back to the
relationship between Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan, and the chemistry they have
unwittingly produced ever since they began working together. I cannot help but
have this image in my mind of Jeri Ryan wearing a wry smile on her face as she
thinks of how Mulgrew's attitude and dislike of her has rebounded in such a
wonderfully ironic way. People believe Mulgrew/Janeway is sexually attracted
to Ryan, and this must really stick in Mulgrew's craw. What a terrific way for
Jeri Ryan to get even, although I am sure she is far too nice a person to
think like that. ;)