User Reviews

So Chakotay has his turn as the principle character again. Voyager has entered chaotic space where everything is all bent and distorted. They can't proceed because it is unpredictable and dangerous. Chakotay seems to have some boxing chops and he is quite masculine. He goes on one of his vision quests and tries to figure out how they can get out of their predicament. He hears voices and needs to interpret them to figure out what to do. Mostly it is one oddity after another. Perhaps it should be called "Chaotic Plot."

Chakotay begins having strange visions as Voyager enters "chaotic space".

The concept is very simple, but the story is told in a very disorienting way from Chakotay's point of view, which will likely impact what you think of it.

I see why this is an unpopular episode as it combines two themes that have been generally unpopular in Star Trek: Chakotay's Native American "abilities" and the use of DNA to explain certain plot contrivances. Personally, I do not think it is as bad as so many reviewers describe, but to put me through this type of disjointed narrative requires a very satisfying (or at least impactful) payoff at the end. This does not happen and the reliance of a certain gene to underpin crucial plot details is a bit of a stretch for me.

I like the visuals and editing which generate a creepy atmosphere and makes for a quite jarring experience. Plus the boxing imagery and related dialogue (particularly when the Doctor talks about the associated dangers, metaphorically) is pretty well done.

As another reviewer mentioned it is good to see Star Trek portraying life-forms that interact differently, as opposed to actors with American accents and a bit of latex on their face trying to pass as aliens.

I think the acting all round is very good. Robert Picardo is always good, but here Robert Beltran has the chance to play Chakotay in a very stressed and agitated state of mind and does it well.

I think these lower budget "filler episodes" were the main thing I disliked about 90s Trek. You can tell they were low on ideas, budget, and had to go with a less than stellar idea for an episode. Now, don't get me wrong, I am actually a fan of Chakotay and I like him as both a character and actor. But seriously, anything with vision quests just... no... they're not good. The sort of Akutchi Moya fake Native Generic American thing never worked. It would have been cooler if Chakotay was Native American and owned that but we never heard pan flutes or had to deal with spiritual stuff.

Star Trek works when there's less spirituality and more science. This kind of episode just doesn't work in most ways.

I'll cut straight to the chase--I hated all the mystical American Indian mumbo-jumbo involving Chakotay on "Star Trek: Voyager". Too many of the characters on this show were shallow and needed more depth-- and Chakotay was one of the worst of these. Whenever the show wants to feature his character in an episode, they cart out the 'ol faux American Indian mystical crap. Most American Indians probably cringed whenever they did this one the show and they took SOME genuine cultural beliefs and made them seem like silly clichés.

In this episode, aliens inside 'chaotic space' (that's Voyager-speak for 'we are sitting in the middle of space because we cannot afford to build sets for a new world or make-up for these aliens'). The ship is stuck there and only Chakotay is possibly able to help get them un-stuck. To do this, he goes on a spirit journey and explores his own nutty grandfather, his love of boxing (which NEVER was mentioned before) and his own fears.

This episode has absolutely nothing going for it. You might try watching just so you can see world champion boxer Carlos Palomino in a role as Chakotay's sparring partner, but underneath all that make- up and prosthetics you cannot even tell that it's him. So, if there ever was an episode to skip and pretend that it wasn't made in the first place, my vote would be for this one!

...rated lower than the one where Paris and Janeway have slimy amphibian sex -- and seem remarkably blase about the whole thing when they are technobabbled back into human form -- you know you aren't winning love from the audience.

That's all I had to say. I just needed to point out that somehow this was a less-beloved episode than an episode involving Human-Salamander coital relations. That's...that quite an accomplishment.

It's just so DULL. A waste of Ray Walston as the guest star as well.

Once again a pretty lame "A-koo-chee-moya" episode about Commander Chakotay. Number One has delivered a one star episode yet again (in a universe full of stars). Why do all the episodes with him deal with spirit quests, visions, hallucinations and connections to his ancestors? Unfortunately, Chakotay's character hasn't really been developed in the previous episodes of the series, so every episode in which he is the core of the plot is boring and always follows the same formula. Whenever something mystical needs to happen, Chakotay is used because it combines nicely with his native American origins.

Suddenly Chakotay is boxing in his free time - something we've never heard of before. By the way, a major weak point in contrast to Deep Space Nine. The main characters were often seen there in their free time and as private individuals - O'Brien and Bashir playing darts, Sisko in the kitchen, Dax playing Tongo with Ferengis... that's missing in Voyager. Voyager usually shows something in one episode that is important to the plot. After that you never see or hear about it again. E.g. The doctor's holographic family, Janeway's holonovel as Ms. Davenport and the mystery upstairs (which was never solved) or Neelix' vacation resort on the holodeck. Either only mentioned once in one episode or hasn't been part of another episode in ages. I bet you won't hear anything more about Chakotay's enthusiasm for boxing either.

In this episode, Voyager is once again stuck in some space rift or anomaly. It's about time they converted Voyager to 4 nacelles warp drive so that the ship doesn't constantly get stuck somewhere. And of course there are aliens living in this anomaly who can only communicate with the Voyager crew by making contact with selected crew members through visions and dreamscapes that initially make no sense. Only the writers of this episode know though why they chose the metaphor of a boxing ring and a fight.

Star Trek hardcore fans naturally interpret everything into this episode. Basically, this episode is boring, long-winded and confusing. You can safely take Chakotay's other spirit quest episodes and let them gather dust in the Star Trek archives.

I'm at this point re-watching Voyager and, reading all these negative reviews I tried watching this episode paying more attention, giving it a chance.

My opinion is, if you make the effort, it's not so chaotic, even though it IS a bit chaotic, but there are a lot of TNG episodes that felt this way earlier many years ago when I saw them (a re-watch is scheduled after Voyager).

Anyway, I can see how the writers wanted to tell this story and it can be followed, it's not a bad episode, it's like a longer prog metal song, you need to listen to it a few times to be able to understand and appreciate it.

Especially comparing the experience to the previous episode, which I skipped deliberately because I hate it, it's a waste that the duplicates die and nothing remains, the probe with the data they've gathered over their lifetime is lost, as if they had never existed, like, ever. So it's a waste of time for me to watch it.

This one at least has some depth added to Chakotay's shallow-ish character.

Trek is supposed to be about meeting life that is so different, ideas that are so strange that there is no way to make a connection to it - It must make a connection to you. That is what happens here. In some ways this reminds me of the 3rd Season Original Series episode "Spectre of the Gun" - Trek's 1966 statement of the film "Hour of the Gun" starring James Garner, also about the "OK Corral" incident - Probably the darkest film ever made about the Earp brothers, and one of the darkest Original Series episodes. But that was 1966. this was 1996 or so, 20 years later - New Trek premises, new Crew members. So where the Original Series used The Melkosians to get into Kirk's mind and dredge up The Old West, this episode gets into Chakotay's mind and uses - BOXING, of all things - to get ideas across, mainly to get ONE idea across to Chakotay: Namely,"Rentrillic Trajectory".

The only connection is in Chakotay's Genes, who had a relative that could see different planes of existence. The only problem was that said relative, Chakotay's Great-Grandfather (Played by the also great first nation actor Ned Romero in Chakotay's Flashbacks) was considered insane.

It takes a while for us to start understanding what's happening, as this episode starts at the end and then goes back to the beginning. Chakotay was using his Holodeck Boxing program, at the same time Voyager because exposed to what 7-of-69 (you understand the concept of humor, right?) calls "Chaotic Space". so in an odd series of flashbacks, the story jumps backward to The Doctor asking Chakotay to go back over the last few days to find out just when everything started going sideways.

This experiment in Disjointed Storytelling worked well with the story that was being told, because it mirrored what was happening from Chakotay's point of view. But what I enjoyed in this, it was a Boxing story, and Robert Beltran appears to have had experience with Boxing, it seems like he's doing all of his own stunts.

This show also includes Boothby, the beloved Groundskeeper of the Academy, who has been involved with just about every cadet who visited those hallowed halls. And Ray Walston was doing his best Burgess Meredith impression the day they were doing this, it's perfect.

Ideas like this are what made Trek in The Original Series, what kept it alive in the Films, and what Next Generation cut it's teeth with. I feel this is a return to true form for Trek. The concept was so odd that they had to create a metaphor for it, because ideas like "Rentrillic Trajectory" don't translate into English well. The concept that was in Chakotay's mind was so different it could only be understood from his viewpoint with his Boxing metaphor. and it's a successful marriage of ideas, including Chakotay's Native American gadget that starts his Dream Quests.

Therefore writer Michael Taylor succeeded with the concept and it was polished by TNG veteran Joe Menosky, to give us a startling and unusual story of Voyager's wanderings through the Delta Quadrant. Robert Beltran's gruff style was great for the Boxing angle.

And the very last few frames are perfect. I believe Chakotay was the great under appreciated character of Voyager, and it was only in the last two seasons, they gave him some great shows, and even a relationship with 7-of-69 (lighten up) - He deserved it.

While I understand those who are trying to look into the Deeper aspects of Star Trek, the average and even above average viewer does not do this. If you're a movie critic type of person then maybe you'll like this episode like the few who gave it ten stars, but to the average viewer who watches the show for the technology, general story and action, this is just horrible.

I haven't watched it in a while because when it comes back onto my DVR I just delete it instantly as I recall how utterly ridiculous it was the first few times 8 saw it. Chakotay having a love for boxing that was NEVER mentioned before and somehow Boothby, who is now not only the head grounds keeper but he's Mickey from Rocky and a boxing trainer to? Lol... Just so silly.

People aren't watching Star Trek to judge it like you would Shakespeare or some broadway play. They watch it for the general space concept, the technology, sometimes the girls and space battles to. They watch it for things they don't get in a regular Earth bound TV show, which this episode completely lacks all of these elements. Just terrible

Another episode w Chakotay as the principle character. Which is good because there could've been more w his story. The Native American to Maquis is a cool connection. This episode deals w boxing as a metaphor for communication. I'm not going to go into more it would spoil fast. But it does harken to the original ST in it's character play . This is a message to the reviewer who refers to 7 of 9 as umm, 7 of 69....pretty crude to use in a other wise excellent review. " Resistance is Futile ". But as far as this episode it's a little confusing but enjoy the writing.

Reading these reviews are so ignorant and lack any comprehensive thought process. This episode is super interesting, very similar to the prophets on DS9. Seven works on the cast, a deeper depth of commander Chakotay's character development, the Doctors brilliance and captain Janeway's intuition saves the day. Very good episode!

I'm giving this episode a solid 8/10. First time I saw it I didn't understand what the hell was happening, now that I rewatched it I get it. So I think this episode is underrated.