Ryan once again starts us off, this time bringing up the major subplot of the Doctor developing notions of self-ness.
Ryan – So, we had a development on the Doctor as a sentient being as well this episode. And I (not even breaking stride here) was a little underwhelmed with how that was handled as well.
Tim – Hahaha! Well, I suppose for me it was a matter of how they’re pacing out the Doctor’s character arc.
Seth – See, I kind of liked the development of the Doctor. It underscored that he still isn’t quite up to thinking of himself as a sapient being. More importantly, Kes bringing things to Janeway’s attention forced her to reassess things. I think it’s also significant that Janeway made a move to address things right away, as opposed to putting it off because they might be getting home anyway.
Ryan – I think, going back to Tim’s comment about my tendency to rag on the sci-fi, that I wished they would have went about that reveal with something a little less Pinocchio than the Doctor asking for a name. It’s slightly conflicting, because for the most part I’m still engaged with the characters.
Seth – I don’t know, I think asking for a name is a good first step in seeing himself as something other than a program running on a computer. It also relieves some of the confusion over having to refer to him as “the doctor”, although that wouldn’t have been a concern at the time this aired…
Tim – I rather liked the idea of placing an importance on a name, because in the Doctor’s case the name really is an important part of giving him a sign of his “self”? He’s already got personality- but in terms of his name he’s known by his profession, which is probably the most dehumanizing thing to happen to anyone.
Ryan – As a side note, and as someone watching this show from “the future” so to speak, in relation to its air date, I’ve never seen him referred to anywhere else as anything other than the Doctor.
Tim – I felt like the arc revolving around him accepting that he wants a name was pretty good, and it’s a pretty awesome move considering all the microaggressions they’ve been littering the series with thus far. And yeah, my understanding is that he never actually settles on a name for the whole series, so a very valid critique would be “where do they go with him from here?” Seven seasons of him trying on different names or hemming and hawing about being called “Bob” could get old really quick.
Ryan – Not to worry anyone, but I think my posture is becoming increasing troll-like as I solidify my position as the sole series detractor these past two episodes. Anyone know of any good bridges in the area?
Tim – Heheh, well, in your defense, I disliked The Cloud too! So you’re not alone.
Ryan – Yearning for a name just felt like another missed opportunity to let the audience know the Doctor was becoming more human by having him wrestle with a more complex trait. In the show’s defense, however, having the incredibly empathetic Kes as his sidekick did kind of make the desire for a moniker the logical option…wait, maybe these are Vulcan features I’m developing not troll ones…
Seth – I think it’s more interesting to see the Doctor making baby steps at this point, but maybe that’s coming off of watching TNG, where Data *did* struggle with a lot of complex traits. This may be damning with faint praise, but at least the writers aren’t taking the shortcut of stealing all of Data’s plots for the Doctor.
Ryan – The Doctor is still my favorite character to follow on the show.
Tim – I suppose I feel that wrestling with a name is a complex trait, when you consider that up to this point there is no sense of self for a computer program. I mean, that’s the major thing that self-aware programs do in our fiction, right? Name themselves? Of course, since we know he never settles on a name, that doesn’t do well to promise for any future grappling with self-hood, but I could be wrong. Oh absolutely. He’s definitely the standout as a character. And Robert Picardo is just a fantastic actor in that role.
Ryan – I thought the idea that he could potentially turn himself off and on much more compelling. Sort of a brush with mortality and consciousness by way of a computer program. Also the idea that he begged to be turned off before the crew left him!
Tim – Absolutely.! That’s actually something that I was wondering about- what did you guys think about the fact that he would be left in the Delta Quadrant (back when they thought they might be able to use the Wormhole to go home?) And do we think, had Kes not been there to plead for his case, that the Voyager crew would have even considered this a moral issue? Is it?
Ryan – I liked it. It was a dark chocolate moment (rich and bitter? ouch). I don’t think the crew would have had second thoughts about it. Janeway certainly wouldn’t have, it seemed.
Tim – That’s kind of disturbing when you think about it. It’s pretty clear that the hologram is self-aware, even if it isn’t viewed at the same level as humans.
Ryan – I felt like it embodied one of the central horrors of space (being alone in vast nothingness), something we don’t always get a good sense of on the show.
Tim – So they’ll risk the sanctity of the crew and ship to heal a being so large it gets mistaken for a Nebula, but have no second thoughts about abandoning a self-aware computer program to live alone, forever, in uncharted space. Or at least treat it like forgetting to turn off a light.
Ryan – Yeah, it’s a striking disconnect.
Seth – I found myself wondering whether or not they would have set the ship to self-destruct before beaming the last people off. After all, just leaving an advanced ship like that in the middle of space where someone could stumble upon it is a potentially huge disruption.
Ryan – That’s an interesting idea. I would definitely think they would have. Though the Doctor seemed to be pretty afraid they would not
Seth – It definitely shows that, while they might be beginning to make strides towards seeing the Doctor as a person, neither he nor any of the crew considers for a moment that it would be immoral to abandon him if they can get home
Tim – So there’s still room to grow on that front, if only from the crew’s perspective.
Seth – From the Doctor’s perspective too; he clearly doesn’t even consider making the argument himself.
Tim – Ah, fair enough! It’s definitely my favorite subplot of the series, though, if only because it focuses on some clearly big blind spots in Federation ethics. Or so I would say. So! Any other major thoughts or points we wanted to bring up?
Ryan – I think that covers the major points. I don’t know where debating the wisdom of their time travel related decisions would take us.
Seth – In the immortal words of Miles O’Brien: “I hate temporal mechanics.”
Join us next week for another installment of Roundtable Voyager! We’ll be discussing Star Trek: Voyager s01e08 “Ex Post Facto” if you would like to watch the episode ahead of time and contribute your own thoughts in the comments of this post. We’d love to have you help shape our discussion! Or, if you’re more interested in “Eye of the Needle”, was there anything you feel we missed, or theories about the episode that you would like to share? Feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments section below!
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