- Story by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor
- Teleplay by Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor
- Directed by Winrich Kolbe
- January 16, 1995
- UPN
- Star Trek: Voyager created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor and based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry
Episode Cast
- Capt. Kathryn Janeway-Kate Mulgrew
- Chakotay-Robert Beltran
- B’Elanna Torres-Roxann Dawson
- Kes-Jennifer Lien
- Tom Paris-Robert Duncan McNeill
- Neelix-Ethan Phillips
- The Doctor-Robert Picardo
- Tuvok-Tim Russ
- Ensign Harry Kim-Garrett Wang
- Voyager Computer-Majel Barrett
- The Caretaker-Basil Langton
- Maje Jabin-Gavan O’Herlihy
- Aunt Adah-Angela Paton
- Quark-Armin Shimerman
- Lieutenant Stadi-Alicia Coppola
- Ocampa Doctor-Bruce French
- Ocampa Nurse-Jennifer Parsons
- Toscat-David Selburg
- Human Doctor-Jeff McCarthy
- Mark-Stan Ivar
- Rollins-Scott MacDonald
- Carey-Josh Clark
- Gul Evek-Richard Poe
- Farmer’s Daughter-Keely Sims
- Daggin-Eric David Johnson
Unhappy with a new treaty, Federation Colonists along the Cardassian border have banded together.
Calling themselves “The Maquis,” they continue to fight the Cardassians.
Some consider them heroes, but to the governments of the Federation and Cardassia, they are outlaws.
While on the trail of vanished Maquis rebels, the newly commissioned USS Voyager is pulled to the far side of the galaxy.
Caretaker is the pilot episode of Star Trek: Voyager. The plot of the episode is aided if you watched the other Star Trek shows of the time but not necessary since a brief text at the beginning gives you a sufficient primer. An emergency situation has arisen where a Federation agent (Tuvok played by Tim Russ) who infiltrated the Maquis has gone missing along with a few other members. So what do they do first? Swing by a penal colony on Earth to pick up a guide serving time.
It was established it takes one to two weeks to get from Earth to Bajor which is their next stop before heading off to search the nearby Badlands where the vessel went missing. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) may know the area, but if time is as short as Captain Kathryn Janeway implies (Kate Mulgrew) then she should be on her way rather than taking time out to convince somebody to help. I understand he had to be at a penal colony for his backstory, but they could not make up something closer?
Tom Paris of Caretaker has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, but not necessarily against Starfleet, nor is he incapable of getting along with the rest of the cast. It was clearly nothing that prevented him and Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) from bonding. It was all daddy issues that hinted at something interesting for the future.
We are also introduced to The Doctor (Robert Picardo) in this episode. As implied after they get yanked to the Delta Quadrant there is only one doctor and nurse who both bite the dust. You might need like three for shift purposes even on a small ship. A ship with between 140 to 150 people might need more than one extra doctor in an emergency situation. Why not a few nurses for the EMH or to assist the two lone medical personnel that Starfleet has deigned this new ship to have. It makes for a useful long term plot device but makes no sense. The basics of The Doctor’s character are demonstrated but the scenario makes no sense.
Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) are largely the only two Maquis members we see aside from briefly one nameless drone once the action gets going. You can easily think those two (Tuvok aside) are it for the Maquis ship. There is little evidence of more crew beyond them. There was not enough ‘civilian’ clothing in wardrobe to dress a few extras up?
In the space of two hours Neelix (Ethan Phillips) went from wily trader to Star Trek’s Jar Jar Binks. It all began with that bathing scene. Some of the crafty nature carried over to the retrieval of Kes (Jennifer Lien) but he was a punchline by the close when he begged Janeway to stay.
Neelix risks a lot to save Kes because he loves her but how did they meet? Did he fall in love with a slave woman somehow? It’s been years since I’ve watched all of Voyager and I’m not sure if their initial meeting is ever described in following episodes. As presented the save is more of a way to shorten the Voyager crew finding an entrance into the settlement where their friends are being kept.
Voyager finds itself in its predicament because called The Caretaker (Basil Langton) has been yanking random ships to this section of the Delta Quadrant hoping to find a genetically compatible species to mate with in order to breed a replacement. I have so many questions. Is consent not a concern? Since his partner ran away what guarantee does he have that this hybrid will stay? How does a blobby entity expect to make a baby with a bipedal hominid? What disturbing horror might be birthed?
Long ago his people accidentally wiped out the ecosystem of the Ocampa homeworld. Rather than find them a new place to live, he and another were left behind to tend to the Ocampa’s needs. Given a clearly limited lifespan the better option would have been to move them. The surviving Ocampa occupy a single city meaning limited numbers. One could presume the environmental calamity caused the population to be smaller than at the time of Voyager’s arrival.
In case the Caretaker cannot find a baby momma/daddy, he is upping the energy reserves of the Ocampa so that in five years they must come to the inhospitable surface and be abused by the Kazon en masse rather than that happening immediately. Not like the Ocampa are able to fend for themselves anymore. They are totally dependent on handouts so will probably suffer greatly once their provider stops and reserves deplete. This is starting to sound like a horror story!
Caretaker introduces the Kazon-a species that goes on to become one of the show’s early major threats. They function in factions of varying power/size and look like Klingons with weed nugs for hair.
The story itself keeps moving and avoids lags even if there are times when some things that should be considered are not. The Kazon are a bit of an afterthought either to give a recurring villain some screen time or allow this to be more action than intellect.
The moments on the Caretaker’s ship with the illusion of a Midwest homestead I found reminiscent of Star Trek TOS and their encounters with very Earth like societies or strangeness created by aliens. It made it weird and if there was not the introduction of the Kazon it could have made this much more intellectual.
By the end the series general state is established with the crew 70,000 light years from home. It also ends with the Maquis crew fully integrated into Voyager’s crew in a move so fast you might get whiplash. I think at this time DS9 was doing connected stories so the core Trek audience that made this possible would be okay with a follow up episode (or two) to set the crew dynamics.
The problem is there is a lack of thought in this episode. You miss it because your senses are getting inundated with a mix of action and new stuff. The Ocampa are going to suffer either when their provided resources vanish or the Kazon interested in their water break through now that the Caretaker’s protection is over. Death and destruction will follow as a cowed species with a short lifespan is forced to survive entirely on its own as it encounters a harsh environment and an aggressive foe. Voyager is shown doing little to alleviate this. Are we to assume all the Kazon were crowded onto the ship with their colony empty? More likely a skeletal group was left behind separated from what they wanted for some time (and will be desperate for) which is water and slaves.
For main character introductions and general situation Caretaker does well enough. It certainly falls short in some moments of logic in hindsight and moves too quickly elsewhere. Not a perfect start.
Warren Watched A Movie 