State of Flux
| "State of Flux" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Voyagerepisode | |
| Episodeno. | Season 1 Episode 11 |
| Directed by | Robert Scheerer |
| Story by | Paul Robert Coyle |
| Teleplay by | Chris Abbott |
| Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
| Production code | 111 |
| Original air date | April 10, 1995 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"State of Flux"is the eleventh episode ofStar Trek: Voyager,which was a science fiction television show that ran from 1995-2001. RecurringVoyager charactersSeska and Lt. Carey star, along with theshow's main cast,in an episode that sees the return of theKazonaliens previously introduced in "Caretaker".
This episode features events withStar Trek'sreplicatortechnology.[1]
This episode aired on the United Paramount Network (UPN) on April 10, 1995.[2]
Plot
[edit]The crew ofVoyagerare foraging for food on a planet, when the ship detects a cloakedKazonvessel and they are ordered to return.Chakotayis left behind to search forSeska.As soon as he finds her, he is fired on by two Kazons, who are stunned by return phaser fire, allowing Chakotay and Seska to escape. Back onVoyager,Seska serves Chakotay mushroom soup and tells him that she and other Maquis raidedNeelix's kitchen to make the soup. Chakotay is furious and threatens harsh disciplinary measures. Seska, having once been romantically involved with Chakotay, attempts to placate him, but Chakotay rebuffs her and she leaves.
Moments later,Voyagerdetects a distress call from a Kazon ship. On investigation, they discover that a piece of equipment on the Kazon ship has caused a catastrophic failure on board, killing all but one of the crew, who is comatose. Because the equipment bears similarities toStarfleettechnology, the crew realize that the Kazon must have obtained it from someone onVoyager,and Seska falls under suspicion. Seska takes matters into her own hands and beams over to the Kazon ship, explaining that she must retrieve the equipment to prove her innocence. While on the ship, Seska is injured and is reprimanded by her superiors when she returns.
CaptainJanewayrealizes that the comatose Kazon might be the only chance of finding out how the technology came into the Kazon's possession. Another Kazon ship arrives, whose captain, Culluh, demands to see his comrade. Culluh and his bodyguard arrive in sickbay wherethe Doctoris treating their compatriot. Suddenly, Culluh's bodyguard kills the patient. Disgusted, Janeway orders both Kazons offVoyager.
Kesfinds Seska hasCardassianblood, which Seska claims was the result of a bone marrow transplant from a friendly Cardassian woman. Investigations reveal that a message was sent to the Kazon from Engineering, and from the time of the message the two most likely suspects are Seska and Lt. Carey. The senior crew set a trap to identify the traitor, and Seska falls for it. She explains that the Kazon are a powerful race in this quadrant and by giving them technology,Voyagerwill gain a powerful ally. She escapes to a Kazon ship using a pre-programmed beam-out. Janeway orders a pursuit, but more Kazon ships arrive andVoyagerretreats.
Later, Chakotay asks Tuvok if he was naive for being fooled by Seska. Tuvok admits being fooled as well, reassuring Chakotay.[3]
Production
[edit]This episode was filmed in Bronson Canyon inGriffith Parkin California.[4]
Reception
[edit]This had Nielsen ratings of 6.5 when it was aired in April 1995.[5]
"State of Flux" is noted inStar Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Cultureas an example of an episode that shocks the viewer by having a character go against the Federation'sStarfleet.[6]
Out of the 16 (15) episodes in Season 1 ofStar Trek: Voyagerwhich was broadcast in the spring of 1995, only "Eye of the Needle" and "Caretaker" (Part I and Part II) had a higher rating than "State of Flux" on TV as of 2018.[7]Both of those episodes had a rating of 8.7 surpassing "State of Flux" which had a rating of 8.5 as of 2018.[7]"State of Flux", with its rating of 8.5 was higher than "Faces" and "Time and Again" which were rated 8.3 as of 2018.[7]
In 2020,Gizmodolisted this episode as one of the "must watch" episodes from season one of the show.[1]
In 2020,The Digital Fixfelt this episode had some of the "most ambitious storytelling" in season one ofStar Trek: Voyageralong with "Prime Factors".[8]
References
[edit]- ^ab"Star Trek: Voyager's Must-Watch Episodes".io9.28 April 2020.Retrieved2021-02-13.[dead link]
- ^"Star Trek: Voyager".TVGuide.Retrieved2021-02-25.
- ^Henkel, Steffen (April 17, 2005)."Voyager 1x11 - State of Flux".Trek News(in German). Archived fromthe originalon December 4, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 19,2012.
- ^"Star Trek: Voyager Filming Locations".
- ^"WebTrek - Star Trek: Voyager * NIELSEN RATINGS".users.telenet.be.
- ^Porter, Jennifer E.; McLaren, Darcee L. (1 January 2016).Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture.SUNY Press.ISBN9781438416359– via Google Books.
- ^abcTV."Star Trek: Voyager".TV.
- ^"Star Trek: Voyager Revisited - Season One".Television @ The Digital Fix.2020-05-28.Retrieved2021-03-21.
External links
[edit]
- "State of Flux"atIMDb
- State of FluxatMemory Alpha
- "State of Flux"atWayback Machine(archived from the original at StarTrek )