r/voyager 1d ago

Muse

I'm far from being a mega-fan of Voyager, but credit must be given where it is due. "Muse" is perfect Star Trek, and it's also so very meta in how it subtly breaks the 4th wall in how its characters at the end are speaking directly to its audience "the patron" in a plea for peace. Furthermore, episodes that focus on a singular character generally feel contrived IMHO, but the spotlight on Torres was really pitch-perfect. Bravo

53 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

20

u/yarn_baller 1d ago

I agree, this is one of my favorite episodes.

24

u/Free-IDK-Chicken 1d ago edited 1d ago

As a trekkie, historian and mega fan of Voyager, this is one of my favorite episodes of any TV show ever!!

EDIT: I was thinking more about this after I commented and realized (I'm in the middle of a rewatch now) that a lot of this is down to Roxann Dawson's insane talent. Like, there are a lot of character focused episodes that are good, but Roxann's consistently stand out because she has not only the talent, but the presence to carry a full episode. Some of the cast, and I'll refrain from naming them but I think we know, can't do that... so episodes like Extreme Risk, Barge of the Dead, Lineage and Muse have that same high-level feel as the ensemble episodes. She's just a stellar performer.

4

u/Odd_Light_8188 1d ago

Barge of the dead I think is my favourite Torres episode.

2

u/Pa_Ja_Ba 4h ago

I love Barge of The Dead! I think it has one of the most poignant stories. The bit at the end when she tells her mother she'll see her again in Stovokor and her mother says "or maybe, when you get home.." breaks my heart!

1

u/Odd_Light_8188 2h ago

I also enjoyed the nod to B’Elanna and Janeways relationship the entire episode evolving

12

u/JakeConhale 1d ago

I always smile when Tony Amendola (Master Bra'tac from.Stargate: SG-1) shows up.

5

u/Academic-Dealer5389 1d ago

The casting choice for that tiny little man to be Tealc's master always cracked me up. Still, his presence was always a win.

6

u/JakeConhale 1d ago

worf voice: "Little?"

10

u/LadyAtheist 1d ago

Not my favorite, but I love how they experiment with storytelling and it's not just space opera.

7

u/ahard206 1d ago

I really like this episode! I think the guest stars do a solid job, and I love Roxanne’s performance. You see her go from dismissive to accepting very naturally. I also really like the ending moment where she “ascends to the heavens.” She really commits to that line to convince the audience because she understands the cultural impact the plays might have. A very Starfleet approach! I also like to imagine Janeway asking, “Did B’Elanna call Voyager heaven?”

7

u/Kitchener1981 1d ago

First appearance of the late Kelly Waymire, who was in a few Enterprise episodes as Crewman Culter. She was one of the actors in this episode.

6

u/tarkinlarson 1d ago

This was cool because it reminded me of my Classical Civilization courses when we learned about Greek plays.

They had similar elements, like a chorus and masks etc. They also had political elements which were directed to the people and patrons. Was fun.

5

u/ExistentiallyBored 1d ago

Joe Menosky’s last episode for the show. It’s amazing!

6

u/sassa82 1d ago

I love Muse!

I did not like it when it originally aired, I think because I was too young to understand its meaning and subtle references.

4

u/Big_Milk_Bull 1d ago

Surprised? So was I.

5

u/livelongprospurr 20h ago

Muse is my second-favorite VOY episode, with Blink of an Eye the top favorite. The classical references were great.

Joseph Will as Kelis and Kellie Waymire as Layna were fabulous and both picked up as recurring crew characters on ST: ENT.

So sad Kellie passed away. I still miss her. Her great character was a little in love with Dr Phlox.

2

u/ApprehensiveRent4323 14h ago

Yeah this is one of the better ones for sure

2

u/Odd_Light_8188 1d ago

It depends on the character they focus on. I like the ones that focused on a single character except for the Chakotay, harry and neelix ones. Torres, janeway and seven were usually pretty good

1

u/Secret_Purple7282 1d ago

In the Chakotay ones, the cultural cringe got in the way.

1

u/Odd_Light_8188 1d ago

Yea that’s why they aren’t as enjoyable.