The Chute
| "The Chute" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Voyagerepisode | |
| Episodeno. | Season 3 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Les Landau |
| Story by | Clayvon C. Harris |
| Teleplay by | Kenneth Biller |
| Featured music | Jay Chattaway |
| Production code | 147 |
| Original air date | September 18, 1996 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Chute"is the 45th episode ofStar Trek: Voyager,the third episode of thethird season.In this science fiction story, two members of the crew of theUSSVoyagerare trapped in an alien prison. The episode was directed by Les Landau with a story by Clayvon C. Harris. It aired onUPNon September 18, 1996.
Plot
[edit]On the Akritirian homeworldTom ParisandHarry Kimare falsely accused of a terrorist bombing usingTrilithium.They are sent to a brutal prison where inmates must fend for themselves to survive, insufficient food is delivered daily through a chute, and each prisoner is implanted with a microchip called "the clamp" that induces aggression and gradually drives them insane. When Captain Janeway tries to intercede, she is told by Ambassador Liri of Akritiri that Kim and Paris confessed to the crime.
Whilst trying to defend Kim, Paris is stabbed in the stomach. Kim manages to work with one of the aliens in order to get bandages for Paris. He also tries to unite the prisoners, to no avail. Kim and the alien work together to disable the force field blocking the chute, climb it, and find that the prison is actually a giant space station. Paris completely loses touch with reality and wrecks the device that disabled the force field. Harry, afflicted as well, attacks Paris in return but manages to hold on to his sanity.
Meanwhile, the Voyager crew manages to capture the real bombers, Piri and Vel. When Janeway returns to the Akritiri and offers to exchange them for her crewmen, the Akritiri ambassador refuses, stressing that their convictions cannot be overturned. Janeway then approaches the bombers, who inform the Voyager staff that they know the location of the prison where Kim and Paris are kept. Janeway decides to free them in exchange for information on the prison's location and on how to penetrate it.
Using Neelix's ship as a disguise, the crew manage to hook into the chute—which is the only means to enter the prison. A small away team consisting of Janeway, Tuvok and a few security guards infiltrate the prison, pacify the prisoners and rescue Kim and Paris. They then quickly exit the scene just as an Akritiri patrol vessel states its intention to board Neelix's ship.
Back aboard Voyager, Kim is horrified at what he had almost done while afflicted. Paris convinces him to use a week's worth of replicator rations to recreate some of the meals they had discussed while in prison.
Production
[edit]Robert Pine,who played Ambassador Liria is the father of actorChris Pinewho played Captain Kirk in the JJ AbramsStar Trekfilm series.[1]
Rosemary Morgan, who played Piri, had Star Trek in her family; her mother Julie Cobb appeared as ayeomanin the original series episode "By Any Other Name",and her stepfather wasJames Cromwellwho had several roles in the franchise.[2]
ActorGarret Wang(cast as Harry Kim) remembers Les Landau directing them in this episode, and while he was trying to focus on acting, the other actors in the series were around Landau making a ruckus. The reason was that they had just started having actors direct in the series, and his co-star McNeil had just directed the previous episode; that was his first time directing and the other actors were excited about getting into directing.[3]
Reception
[edit]Juliette Harrisson ofDen of Geekcited "The Chute" as one ofseason three's best episodes due to its plot and cinematography and McNeil and Wang's performances. Harrisson wrote that the episode was ideal forslash fictionfans.[4]Den of Geekalso gave an honorable mention in their ranking of the top ten episodes ofStar Trek: Voyager.[5]Screen Rant'sAlexandra August described the dynamic between Paris and Kim as the closestStar Trek: Voyagerever got to a gay romance. August praised the episode's focus on Paris and Kim, and referenced it as one of the "darkest and most effective" ones from the series.[6]Tor.comnoted this as a classic "science fiction prison" episode, and were impressed with grittiness of the set and camera-work by the director, Les Landau.[7]
Releases
[edit]"The Chute" was released onLaserDiscin Japan on June 25, 1999, as part of the3rd season vol.1set.[8]
"The Chute" was released onDVDon July 6, 2004 as part ofStar Trek Voyager: Complete Third Season,with aDolby 5.1surround audio.[9][10]
References
[edit]- ^abJay Stobie (August 24, 2020)."An Enterprising Voyage with Robert Pine".StarTrek.com.
- ^abSTARTREK.COM STAFF (May 10, 2015)."Mother's Day Interview: Julie Cobb & Rosemary Morgan".StarTrek.com.
- ^"INTERVIEW: Garrett Wang, Robbie Duncan McNeill on the secrets of 'Star Trek: Voyager'".Hollywood Soapbox.2020-05-05.Retrieved2021-05-26.
- ^Harrisson, Juliette (December 3, 2015)."Star Trek Voyager: an episode roadmap".Den of Geek!.Archived fromthe originalon December 12, 2015.
- ^Juliette Harrisson (October 3, 2012)."Top 10 Star Trek: Voyager episodes".Den of Geek.Retrieved2019-06-06.
- ^August, Alexandra (June 17, 2018)."20 Wild Fan Redesigns Of Unexpected Star Trek Couples".Screen Rant.RetrievedApril 20,2020.
Tom and Harry were as close to gay romance as Voyager ever got
- ^DeCandido, Keith R. A. (2020-06-29)."Star Trek: Voyager Rewatch:" The Chute "".Tor.com.Retrieved2021-05-26.
- ^"LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Voyager: 3rd Season vol.1 [PILF-2454]".www.lddb.com.Retrieved2021-02-22.
- ^Ordway, Holly E. (July 7, 2004)."DVD Talk Star Trek Voyager: Complete Third Season".www.dvdtalk.com.Retrieved2021-05-24.
- ^Eamonn McCusker (2004-09-06)."Star Trek: Voyager, Season 3 Review | DVD Video Review".The Digital Fix.Archived fromthe originalon 2021-05-24.Retrieved2021-05-24.
External links
[edit]- "The Chute"atIMDb
- The ChuteatMemory Alpha
- "The Chute"atWayback Machine(archived from the original at StarTrek.com)
