Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Latent Image (1999) User Reviews

An interesting situation for the Doctor.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 26 February 2015]

Of all the regular characters on "Star Trek: Voyager" my favorite has always been the Doctor. He has a lot of personality for a holographic guy, that's for sure and it's nice seeing his growth through the course of the series. In this one, you see even more growth and change--and it all comes whether he wants it or not.

Early in the show, the Doctor is very concerned as he has suddenly seen evidence that his programming has been tampered with and it occurred 18 months ago. He thinks at first that some aliens are responsible but ultimately he learns that Captain Janeway was responsible. Why would she have his programming changed? What is it from his experiences and memories that she doesn't want him to remember? The answer is really fascinating and leads the doctor to an existential crisis--the same one that nearly destroyed him 18 months earlier.

This is a very nice show because it allowed Robert Picardo to really expand his character and show even greater depth. Excellent.

Why was the Doctor's memory deleted?

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 3 March 2010]

In this superior episode of Voyager the Doctor discovers that he has performed major surgery on Harry Kim but has no memory of it and when asked Harry claims to have no memory of it either. The Doctor comes to believe that the crew must have had its memories of some event erased. He seeks the help of Seven of Nine but when she comes to sickbay he has no knowledge of requesting her help suggesting whoever deleted his memory is still aboard. As seven tries to retrieve his memories and pictures he took at the time which were also deleted the find images of a crew member the Doctor doesn't recognise and an alien of an unrecognised species. Fearing his memory will be deleted again he backs it up and sets his camera to take a picture of whoever enter sick bay while he is off line. When he returns his memory has been tampered with but the back up automatically reloads and he looks to see who was responsible... he is shocked to find that it was Captain Janeway. It emerges that she had his memories deleted after he had a breakdown following a medical decision which led to the death of the crew member who featured in the photographs. As he learns this the problem returns and Janeway wants to repeat the procedure although the Doctor objects, as does Seven who believes it would be hypocritical to treat him in such a way when living crew members would be helped through the problem.

Robert Picardo gets an opportunity to show off a greater acting range as the Doctor starts to get understandably paranoid and break down. It also gave Kate Mulgrew an opportunity to portray her character in a slightly less favourable light than usual. Even though she only had a small part at the start of the episode Scarlett Pomers was delightful as Naomi Wildman; the most realistic child in any Star Trek series.

Excellent Story Development and Arc

[liambean · 9/10 · 12 April 2018]

This is one of the best.

At first, the story has us believe that the doctor has detected a possible intruder, but the doctor decides to do a little detective work on his own, and discovers that the entire crew is conspiring against him.

This is all revealed when the doctor attempts to come up with a "per-diagnostic" tool, allowing him to establish a baseline health standard for every crew member. He's not shocked to learn that Harry Kim has had major surgery, or that he was the only one who could have performed it. What bothers him is his inability to remember it. In trying to run down why his memory is malfunctioning, he goes to "Seven" for help reconstructing what had to have been there.

Janeway is a bit less than likeable in this episode. She instructs the doctor to shut down "for his own safety," and then erases his memories again. As mentioned in the first paragraph, the doctor is ready to detect the intruder, and discovers that it's Janeway herself. Her motives aren't the best, but they are practical, and based on her core belief that the doctor is basically just a machine.

After a number of philosophical discussions with Seven, a confession to the doctor, and the repeat of the doctor's breakdown that caused the memory erasure to begin with, Janeway and the crew decide to stay with the doctor in hopes that he can reason his way through the ethical conundrum of letting one patient die and another to live.

A very well crafted piece of writing that tests ethical and emotional boundaries.

Star Trek at its philosophical and moral best

[Observer_2020 · 10/10 · 24 November 2016]

The episode had relatively little action, aside from a couple flashbacks. But it more than made up for it with the story of the Doctor as he struggles with a decision he was forced to make -- choose one life over another. Why did he make the choice that he did? Why would it bother him so much if it was impossible to save both lives?

Apart from that, the episode also explores the nature of the Doctor as well as Janeway's biases about the Doctor's nature. She may not view the Doctor as equal to organic human beings. When Seven of Nine questions her about the nature of individuality, Janeway compares the Doctor to a replicator, to a machine. Seven disagrees and says that Janeway gave him a soul.

Interesting issues, but the story could have been dry if it didn't also include the element of friendship and faith in others. Seven is concerned that Janeway could abandon her in the future. Janeway struggles to decide whether the Doctor is a glorified program or an independent member of the crew, and someone with a soul who deserves the dignity and respect of all the other members of the crew.

Note: The episode included less background music than usual. Excellent decision. This allows the viewer to ponder the same issues that Janeway and the Doctor are, without the artificial distraction of background music.

In my top 10 Trek episodes.

[twanster-97655 · 10/10 · 14 February 2021]

I've watched all star trek series from the original to the latest Picard series, this episode stands out for me because it makes a huge keep forward for the doctors character and Robert Picardo plays it very well. He showed his calibre as an actor here and gave his character heart.. He almost makes everyone else look on a lower level. I wish he had more roles in future trek series and movies. In this episode he is stuck in a loop and rather than simply reset him, they allow him to deal with it as they would any human.. A touching and well written episode.

Very Moving and "Human."

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 5 September 2018]

The Doctor has suddenly become aware of a surgery he supposedly performed on Kim, but he has no recollection of it. He begins the process of trying to wade through deprogramming efforts to get to the truth. As he realizes that Janeway is at the center of this, he becomes quite volatile. His reactions are beyond his holographic being as he strives for answers. The crew is up to something, he thinks, but why? The conclusion to this is really touching. There is such caring on board this vessel.

Phenomenal Episode

[ghanima_atrieadies · 10/10 · 21 April 2020]

Every time I watch this episode I'm riveted. Picardo is fantastic and delivers such a heartfelt and moving performance. By far one of the best episodes in Voyager and all of Star Trek.

if only the magic medicine stick could point at two directions at the same time

[Ar_Pharazon_the_golden · 8/10 · 6 June 2019]

It's an interesting episode, and it has a good performance from Robert Picardo - maybe they could have taken the Doctor's initial paranoia about the crew plotting against him a bit further, but there's hardly enough time.

Although I don't very much like the redshirt treatment of characters (oh look, everyone was so fond of this person we have never seen before), Nancy Bell does a good job of convincing us she mattered.

However, I couldn't help but laugh when the Doctor tells Tom that he doesn't have time to save both patients and the procedure is too complex for Tom to handle one of them....and then proceeds to perform neurosurgery by pushing a button on his magic wand and pointing it for 5 seconds - wow, such complexity. Star Trek's treatment of the field of medicine is just so, so bad, and there really is no reason whatsoever for this.

Moving

[sentient-74528 · 10/10 · 5 November 2021]

This is one of the episodes that make Star Trek such an interesting piece of fiction. Forget the wars, forget Starfleet, forget the borg, forget space exploration. This episode is about the Doctor and how he deals with a traumatising event.

The interesting bit is... the Doctor is a hologram, so the crew can "fix" him whenever things go south. But the point of the episode is really this: even if you could fix a bad experience: should you? And this is the conundrum Janeway is faced with. The Doctor doesn't know what is going on, and he wishes to know it. If Janeway allows him to remember, he will most probably "glitch." But if she prevents him from remembering, will she be preventing him to grow as an individual as well?

This episode deals with change and trauma, but also with the idea of artificial intelligence. The Doctor is not human, but is he conscious? Is the Doctor a living thing? Does the Doctor have rights? We have established on The Next Generation that Commander Data was considered a living being and should therefore have rights. But the Doctor is far from home, where his rights are only relevant to Voyager. Not interfering with his programming means respecting him as an individual, a living being. But if the Doctor cannot deal with his memories, is he up to the standards of a living being?

Food for thought.

Indecision

[mgruebel · 6/10 · 11 November 2015]

A good but not great episode, in which the Doctor's programming is faced with a conundrum humans face every day: deciding between two equally bad choices, and not blaming ourselves for it afterward.

Picardo had to make a life-and-death decision between an ensign he barely knows, and Kim. He saves Kim. He goes nuts over his decision, and Janeway decides to erase his memories of the event to keep him functional. But he tracks down the erasure, and is in danger of going nuts yet again as he relives the whole incident.

I rate this somewhat lower than many users because the situation is a bit forced. Surely Federation programmers of the 24th century have heard of fuzzy logic? Surely Janeway would have realized to begin with that she can reprogram the Doctor any time, and it's worth giving him a chance while closely monitoring him to see if he recuperates the third time around. And the aliens who injured Kim and the ensign just appeared out of nowhere and disappeared into nowhere, a cheap deus ex machine effect.

It's worth a watch, and the Doctor is always fun, but he has better episodes - and worse; worth a watch.

The problem with conscious.

[thevacinstaller · 9/10 · 23 January 2023]

A very human episode exploring the fallout of making an impossible decision. Part of a Doctor's oath is to do no harm ---- by saving Kim over Ensign Jetal has completely shattered the Doctors program. The episode is also a wider exploratory dive into the thought process of dealing with trauma.

Janeway had the option to erase the traumatic event from the Doctors programming but after a talk with SO9 she gives the doctor the option of reliving the events previously hidden. On top of that, Janeway orders around the clock supervision by the crew members of voyager to help the doctor on his recovery process. I was emotionally moved by that.

We are just not built to make the decision of who lives and who dies and the episode is left open ended with the viewer able to imagine how this ended up playing out ----- My theory --- you torture yourself until the guilt is burned out of you and then you continue living.

This was a well made, emotionally impactful, insightful and honest. A wonderfully performed episode.

3.5 out of 5

[facebookhater · 7/10 · 14 August 2012]

This was an interesting episode.

The writers/director made it seem as if The Doctor "couldn't handle" his program error. The error being his inability to resolve after choosing between two patients when the other ends up dying. A Hippocratic glitch between original program and what EMH has evolved into.

In actuality, Janeway and the crew erase EMH(Joe)'s memories so they didn't have to listen to his whiner-philosophical rantings in the aftermath... (Also, he was being Bipolar and scaring Neelix in the mess hall. Tuvok considered the Doc's rantings logical, but peer pressure made Tuvok demand that the Dr. go back to sickbay)

In the end of this story, there was irresoluteness in a very relate-able way...

It's not that the Dr. has come to terms with choosing one patient over another, it's that Voyager crew can screw him over anytime they want due to his nature and theirs' .

EMH is great because is sparks ethical debate, but he's just fictional AI and restricted to holographic emitters. Janeway erasing his memory was basically a Calm-Down-Biatch-Slap.

Lewis Zimmerman vs. Noonien Soong ... would be a nice story...

Good topic but inconsistent at all

[entryword · 2/10 · 19 November 2019]

It's not the decision that Janeway would make according to all the 5 episodes. Ensent Jatal came out from no where. Kim doesn't look being affect by the fact that doctor saved him instead of the other patient

Great episode but...

[scicreamaker403 · 9/10 · 26 January 2016]

I really dig this episode. From the moment that the Doctor discovers Kim's surgery, it is clear that him and the others know something is afoot. When the Doctor unravels the mystery we see the dilemma he was confronted with and the repercussions of it.

While watching this episode, I wondered how treating Kim and ensign Jatel would have played out if the doctor had another projection of himself or a duplicate. This would allow the Doctor to treat two patients at the same time. Taking this idea further, the Doctor could have created a nurse to assist him.

This episode was entertaining and compelling to watch again. Robert Picardo gave an excellent performance.

Love The Doctor character

[sloopnp · 8/10 · 10 August 2020]

The Doctor can really carry an episode. Most of the episodes that center around him have been fantastic. I would have thought Cpt Janeway would have been able to council Doc better. She is a Federation captain and has had to make decisions that cost the lives of her crew members on several occasions. She should have known exactly what Doc is going through. Yes, as someone mentioned, he could have replicated another doctor like he did in "Nothing Human", but then we wouldn't have a story, would we?

Silent but intense

[st_heinz · 8/10 · 3 May 2021]

The story of a puzzle that at times looks like a conspiracy, but then turns in a completely different direction, is not entirely new, but it is well told. It's a silent episode without much action. But that's also Star Trek at its best. An intensive character study focussing on the doctor and a lot of philosophy about the inner dilemma do not make a fantastic episode, but a very good one. In the end, told a little too slowly ... 20 years before Covid I heard the term "triage" for the first time.

Strong episode with several good character moments

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 20 September 2023]

The Doctor discovers he is missing some crucial memories.

The writers cleverly use the ethical considerations of the medical triage process to create a compelling character study of The Doctor. Certain aspects like his sentience and individuality are addressed in a good way involving great exchanges between other characters like Janeway and Seven of Nine.

There are some minor plot holes in the writing, but they are overcome by an engaging subject matter and the performances of various cast members.

Katie Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, and Robert Duncan O'Neill all have great moments, but Robert Picardo is the star of the show with a powerful central performance.

Character Defining Episode for our Dear Doctor

[robertkimmerly · 10/10 · 16 November 2023]

#EMH #Mystery #Philosophy #Somber

Episodes like this one create Character Portraits. It is beautiful in it's singular care for one piece of the greater Voyager Crew.

The Doctor faces existential quandaries that I know I've personally grappled with.

Perhaps we aren't all Holograms or Borg Annexes. But this episode rings true, and the Doctor's interrogation of self struck home for me.

This is not an action heavy episode, rather a mystery.

You can see a steady hand in the choices made by the episode directors. While perhaps the episodes central mystery could have been handled with more finesse, the episode does not miss it's mark. Not a minute was wasted.

I highly recommend it and will remember it for years to come.

Format C: to solve all problems

[tomsly-40015 · 9/10 · 6 January 2024]

Robert Picardo yet again delivers a great performance in this episode. Kate Mulgrew is also on point, although I am very disappointed with Janeway's behavior. She still treats the doctor like a lifeless thing and a computer program that can be changed and reset whenever something seems broken. That doesn't fit to the white knight attitude of Janeway in other episodes and her protectiveness towards the crew.

The doctor is sentient. He isn't a corporeal being but from his thoughts and his actions, I don't see any difference to Data. In fact, the doctor is even able to feel as he has proven in several episodes which Data tried to achieve for a long time without any success.

Janeway's actions are similar to the ones we today perform when we as a society deal with elderly people, senile family members or patients with a psychological condition. Often, those people need lots of time and attention. And in our society with everyone being busy and public healthcare underpaid and understaffed, those people often are put into care homes, out of sight, are being sedated, isolated and ignored. Treated with medication to keep them quiet and under control.

Janeway does a similar thing: She neither has time nor patience to deal with the doctor's mental condition. She rather erases parts of his memory, to "fix" him without the need to deal with those problems anymore. She resets the doctor to a state that she feels comfortable with. This is unacceptable. If another crew member would have shown the same mental breakdown, she hardly would have performed a lobotomy on him to get rid of this problem.

And Seven of Nine is the only crew member that speaks out loud. A disgrace for anyone else on board of Voyager! Even Mr "Morale Officer" Neelix, that normally is concerned about the crew's mood and tries to help them, has absolutely no words of comfort or understanding for the doctor and rather calls for a security team to have him arrested. That is weak. Even after Janeway has realized her mistake and doesn't delete the doctor's memory a third time, there is still no one on board that talks to the doctor, tries to understand his feelings and pain and makes him feel better by sharing stories and listen to him. Janeway instead feels annoyed, bored by his ranting. They just keep company so he doesn't delete his program himself. But there is no counseling, no comforting, no understanding, no help, no friendship, no connection.

The crew still treats the doctor like a computer program with a glitch and hope, this bug fixes itself somehow. A very disappointing portrayal of team solidarity and friendship. Without the doctor, half the crew at least would have already been dead, the Kazon would have stolen their ship, Starfleet wouldn't know Voyager is in the delta quadrant... but the crew repays their gratefulness by deleting unwanted memories from the doctor's database. Next time the doctor should just through the whole crew out of the nearest airlock and then work on his opera career with all the free time he then will have.

And what is with this ensign that miraculously appears just for this episode? Was she hiding for five years in a dark corner in engineering? And couldn't the prop makers think of any smaller and thinner camera, just like a smartphone maybe? Instead cameras in the 24th century are as big as those from the early 20th century - not even to mention that a tricorder obviously can't take photos.

good episode

[pontiacggtp · 7/10 · 5 May 2011]

Nancy bell looked extremely hot and its too bad she was never used in any other episodes,,, funny how some have careers and others like me get only a taste of the life of an actor... will spend my life wondering what if and well she could have been great if given the opportunity...

The doctor was a stand out performance and as I met the man and a science fiction comic con in calgary a few years ago, the man was polite generous and welcoming I will always be a fan of his, so thank you, to all who made voyager so enjoyable.... miss my star trek and a movie every few years just does not cut it... there needs to be a series.... and screw abrams for destroying vulcan, and spock getting it on with a women is just stupid and out of context of the character...