User Reviews

And for this plucky fan of Star Trek Voyager, it made for one damn good episode. Like The Thaw and Coda before it, Scientific Method is just one of those episodes that is exceptional at being disturbing and creeping you out! It's evident what kind of yarn this is right from the startling anatomical kiss seen during the prologue.(You can actually see the tongue in the cheek that time!) About Voyager say what you will, but when they had a mind to unnerve you they sure came up with the best ideas as far as I'm concerned. I loved how the alien's surgical implants looked like torture devices. It was so strange how the crew couldn't feel the implants or touch them, it set quite a tense and uniquely claustrophobic tone. Also the DNA bar-code thing was different and intriguing. They branded the crew like so much cattle, considering them their property-that is so deliciously inhuman and creepy! The attitude of the aliens was so cold and detached, I think they should have had a more pale, bloodless look, something that really played up to and was a more accurate reflection of what they actually were: mad scientists, psycho surgeons, etcetera. There's no moral dilemma to be found here. The aliens are so utterly heartless and arrogant that they cannot be seen as anything but villains. They made the darn Vidians look wholesome! Why don't they just leave after being revealed instead of threatening to kill everyone? It's a good payoff when one of the alien vessels is destroyed in the climactic action scene, that way at least they didn't get to abuse the crew and just get off scot-free without any kind of payback. There's a lot of stories with paranoids and crazies that believe they they have implants in their teeth and brains, and all the classic tales of UFO aliens conducting secret experiments on people, and I think this episode kind of plays up to some of that. As much as I enjoy this episode, which is quite a bit, I like it slightly better in the first half that leads up to the point where Seven-of-Nine grabs one of the aliens, then the tone of everything changes. Seven's altered vision that reveals the hovering aliens reminded me a lot of the movie "They Live." The few brief glimpses of skinless crew members also looked a lot like the aliens out of that movie:::2::: Janeway is f*****g nuts! Love it! You can tell something must be seriously wrong right off, when you see that a few strands of her hair are ever so slightly out of place... I love Kate Mulgrew playing a different captain than what we're used to. The frazzled complexion and lack of makeup really help convey a woman not far from a nervous breakdown. The scene where she blasts Tom and B'Elanna is simply hilarious. B'Elanna looks so hurt. There is nothing so precious as a reprimand from Captain Janeway. To me, everything she rants at them translates as: "If the captain can't get any, neither can you! Dismissed!" You half-expect giant fireballs to erupt from Janezilla's eyeballs and incinerate the two at any moment. I also really like a scene a little later where Tuvok is concerned about the captain. He really does care about her deeply. I like that. He's there for her-Aww! The best part is when the captain steps over the dead crewman, takes the helm and flies the ship between the two pulsars. Probably complete bogus, but it sure made for one thrilling and great finale to the story. This is one of the best ever scary episodes and one of my personal favourites of season the fourth. Thank you much.

I still remember the chill I got watching the moment the episode was first broadcast on TV and ***SPOILERS*** Seven of Nine walks the deck with her adjusted vision and can see the aliens monitoring the effect of the devices on the crew.

It genuinely creeped me out; it was a big shock and I remember the feeling because it came out of nowhere and I was not expecting it! Very well done!

Janeway got the best line as well: ***SPOILERS*** "These lab rats are fighting back". Captain Janeway played the migraine afflicted captain very well, being irritated about everything and losing her cool, and her solution to the problem had her kicking ass all over the place.

The Tom Paris/B'Ellana Torres romance got kicked into high gear as well, which brought some entertaining character developments, and the doctor and 7 had some good moments as well.

This episode finds Tom and B'Elanna getting closer, so much so that they are sneaking off to meet up while on duty, something the Captain isn't too happy about, this isn't helped by the fact that she has been suffering from headaches for a couple of weeks. These are minor concerns compared to what happens later to Chakotay and Neelix who find they are changing at a genetic level, it is assumed the causes are natural until the Doctor discovers an obviously artificial marker in Chakotay's genetic code. No sooner has he learnt this than his program starts deleting and B'Elanna, who he was working with collapses. Before he is deleted he manages to transfer his program to the holodeck from where he contacts Seven. After adjusting Seven's Borg sensors she is able to see previously unseen aliens aboard Voyager who appear to be performing experiments on the crew. Now she must find a way to expose them without them realise she can see them.

This was another fairly good episode centred on Seven, clearly the writers are giving her plenty of episodes so fans will get used to the new crew member. The anti-vivisection message isn't too subtle but that doesn't damage the story.

Overall, I really like Captain Janeway, and it's episodes like this that reinforces my opinion of her as she deals with an alien invasion force hellbent on carrying out diabolical experiments on the crew without their knowledge.

When Janeway is on her game, she proves that she can be just as effective and formidable as Kirk, Picard, or Sisko. However, in this particular case, Janeway seems to take a page out of the Kirk playbook; playing chicken with the aliens by giving them an ultimatum, somewhat similar to the Corbomite Maneuver. Except that in this case, Janeway wasn't bluffing.

I also loved to see Seven beginning to demonstrate why she can be an invaluable asset to the crew. One almost has to wonder if the crew would have figured out what was going on without her.

Also, you gotta love Paris shutting the door on the annoying Harry Kim! Overall, this was a great episode!

The episode was interesting and fun to watch as the crew had to puzzle out what was going on, however, the silliness of being "out of phase" with people while still having a physical effect (medical instruments piercing skulls, etc) was just too much too ignore.

On the positive side, I thought the acting was very good, particularly Janeway. I know how she feels when I have a bad headache! I also enjoyed the acceleration of Tom & Belana's romance, though sometimes I felt like saying "get a room you two!"

My friends an I have put together and audio review of VOY: Scientific Method. You can listen to it here: http://www.starbasehouston.com/?p=139

This episode kept you guessing with every turn. You'd think you knew what was happening, and then the story handed you a twist...and then another twist ..and then another! Creepy as hell but understandable as to Janeway's mood. Here, she was her most badass yet: seizing control of Voyager and flying straight at the neutron stars. LOVED IT! Scared the hell out of the aliens and taking out one of their ships in the process, for good measure! It was an awesome display of irrational and illogical human behavior that completely stymied those invaders. Hope it gave them tons of data for their stupid files.

I was a bit perplexed that we did not get an actual reason for the experiments being done on the Voyager crew ---- beyond 'for science' prime directive rational being thrown around. If this was meant to help/save the alien's species then it would be created tension to present them as sympathetic but as it stands now they are the space mengele's.

I enjoyed watching the 30+ year old's making out like teenagers and I actually enjoy the Tom Paris / Torres romance ---- Tom Paris looks like a 1950's stereotype of an American guy and I could never buy into the idea of him being a 'bad boy', so this new storyline works well for me.

I suppose the episode is making a commentary on unethical science experiments but it certainly could have been hammered home with more force. Maybe the message is that Janeway does not bluff?

I enjoyed the grumpy Janeway performance. I have been working like a dog recently and at times I am a hair breadth away from throwing a tantrum ---- I can relate with Katie.

I like the idea of the episode but I wish they would have re-worked it to make the aliens a more complexed threat. I was invested enough to ponder their motivations.