The first time I saw Threshold (often regarded as the worst episode of Star Trek ever, challenging even Spock's Brain) I thought I'd fallen asleep in the last ten minutes and had some kind of seriously jacked up dream. I couldn't even imagine that this weirdo, catfish/newt baby-making finish could possibly be real.
But it is:
It's funny because I've probably seen this episode four or five times but it gets me EVERY SINGLE TIME. I always think, "Oh wow, I don't really remember what happens here. They're trying to break the warp barrier? That's cool. Why don't I remember this? What's going on with Paris? Holy crap it's this one! Got me again!"
This happened yesterday. Scott was watching it with me and said, "Is this the one where they turn into salamanders?"
I said, "No, I don't think so. I feel like that one comes later. But I can't remember what happens here..."
I'm actually glad I watched Threshold yesterday. Now I can just watch the rest of Voyager, relax and say with confidence that, "No. This is definitely not the episode where they turn into space amphibians."
I always wondered why they didn't bring the babies back and turn them into humans, if they could turn Tom and the Captain back. Now that would have been an interesting plot twist!
ReplyDeleteKellie, I KNOW! It seems ridiculous that they literally just desert Tom/Janeway's infant offspring to fend for themselves on an unknown planet in the Delpha Quadrant. But really, I think at that point everyone was just kind of washing their hands of the situation.
DeleteWhenever I see this episode I wonder if the writer accidentally ingested some hallucinogenic mushrooms or something 3/4 of the way through writing the script--and thus, the salamanders. Alternatively, the writer could have left the script laying around and his kid sat down and wrote the rest of it.
ReplyDeleteI think they left the salamander kids behind because no one wanted to be reminded of what transpired on that island. What happens on random planets in the Delta Quadrant, stays on random plants in the Delta Quadrant.
I remember the episode but at the same time I don't remember it so maybe it is just that episode........
ReplyDeleteThis one is just weird. Not to mention Kirk's Enterprise exceeded warp 10 several times, going up to 13 once. They never turned into salamanders. Maybe it has something to do with Delta Quadrant mojo.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't remember this episode... chances are you've blocked it to spare yourself trauma. That last quarter of the episode quite efficiently renders the entire episode "terrible". And not even in a "so-bad-it's-good" kinda way. Sadly every time I see this one, I think of the premise being really neat until Tom goes all "cranky salamander". Even Brannon Braga (writer of "Threshold") admits it was terrible, which takes a lot of humility in my opinion. I rank this one up there with DS9's "If Wishes Were Horses", and that episode of TNG where Troi is a cake. Sometimes there's a stinker (of the "500-cow-dairy-farm" variety) in the bunch.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I love that picture of Picard and Riker doing the synchronized face-palm. lol
ReplyDelete