Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Darkling (1997) User Reviews

The Doctor and Mr. Hyde

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 26 August 2010]

While gathering information about the space ahead of them from a race of space travellers Kes becomes interested in one of them in particular a man called Zahir. Meanwhile the Doctor is hoping to expand his program by adding the personalities of various well-known people such as Ghandi and Lord Byron. The additions have some unexpected effects however. When Zahir is attacked there is no evidence, nobody suspects that this is because his assailant was a hologram. B'Ellana realises that something is wrong with the Doctor and explains that he will have to deactivate himself so she can remove the new subroutines. When he switches off however he doesn't disappear, his new personality appears; a personality he didn't realise he had. As the new personality takes over he kidnaps Kes and takes her to the planet below where she tries to explain that he needs the good side of his personality. As Tuvok, Chakotay and Zahir close in on the Doctor's position he takes drastic measures to prevent himself being caught!

I must have missed something in a previous episode, as I was unaware that Kes had split with Neelix; I guess that explained her new 'sexy' costumes that or an attempt to increase ratings. It was a surprise to see the Doctor become so dangerous but rather fun, Robert Picardo was delightfully over the top as the Doctor's evil alter ego and Jennifer Lien is always good as Kes.

Jekyl and Hyde, the Doctor Develops a Dark Side

[ladd-43427 · 7/10 · 12 September 2019]

It really comes as no surprise for Star Trek Voyager to explore the potential of a dark personality development within the Doctor, and it is a rare chance for Robert Picardo to flex his psychotic... muscles. Make no mistake: Picardo is a very talented actor, but, this setting combined with his character's accent makes the change from light to dark difficult to express. The budding restlessness within Kes doesn't shore up the plot, and Tuvok seems to be going through the motions while investigating the crimes being comitted on the planet's surface. The episode would get a much lower personal rating from my perspective were it not for a few scattered moments of well-played suspense, mild as it is. That, and the idea of how deadly a crazy hologram could be are the saving graces. If the director had forced a more mysterious script, waiting until much later for the big reveal, the plot would have been more well received. True, time seeing Picardo portray the Doctor's dark side would have been shortened, but as I stated, he was very limited in available scope, and allowing the viewer to surmise that darkness would have allowed for a more savory feel.

Fallen idols.

[thevacinstaller · 7/10 · 25 July 2021]

As a great fan of the TOS days of having actors 'ham it' up by providing over the top shakespearean emotion to the performance, I absolutely loved watching the doctor playing 'evil' up to 11.

I roared with laughter in the opening scene after Gandhi lectured the doctor on the importance of ignoring carnal sexual desires he ends up talking to one of the brunette extra's in a blue space bikini.

The episode is carried by Ricardo's performance but his ultimate motivation of simple surviving is not completely satisfying to watch. Perhaps a battle within himself for dominance would have added to the episode?

The Doctor's Programming Is a Mess

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 27 August 2018]

At first I thought it was about Kes, and in some respects it is. But the real focus is the Doctor, who is continually morphing from hologram to a real boy (like Pinocchio). In the process of bringing about some of the most creative beings in history and incorporating them into his design, he also takes on their weaknesses and dark sides. Once the good stuff is removed, a mass of blackness turns our balding fellow into a horror show. Oh, and he leads Kes around. And why did she make the decision she did at the conclusion?

A couple saving graces

[chadtoland · 7/10 · 17 January 2021]

This episode is kind of dumb. It starts interesting, with a culture of Wild West space explorers, one of whom Kes falls for. It seems like Kes might leave the show at one point only to have that suddenly no longer be the case without explanation. Neelix is also oddly not part of this episode given his history with Kes. The episode suddenly shifts to a Dr Jekyll plot involving the Doctor which is OK, but drags on and is clunky.

He wants to explore the Sylleran Rift

[snoozejonc · 6/10 · 27 January 2023]

The Doctor programs himself with the personality traits of famous historical figures.

This is an okay episode with an interesting theme, but I struggle with certain aspects of it.

The Doctor having a Jekyll and Hyde experience is a good concept, but the inclusion of the historical figures for me does not work and there are some other aspects of the plot that are too silly for me.

It includes another Star Trek romance that does not work very well. However, it also feels like certain scenes related to this, such as Kes and Janeway's dialogue exchange are laying the foundations for future episodes. Thankfully though, the love scenes are not a very prominent part of the story.

Robert Picardo is a brilliant actor and his casting was one of the biggest positives in Voyager. His performance in Darkling is as committed and charismatic as ever, but the voice he uses and leering facial expression when in 'Hyde mode' I find irritating and repetitive after a short period of time.

The production values are strong, especially the atmosphere created in certain scenes and one visual effect involving the transporter is very cool.

Good episode but I'm reviewing the reviews

[cysfghtm · 6/10 · 23 February 2024]

While this wasn't the best episode in the series it's perfectly serviceable, however the reviews made me laugh. No one has noticed something. Everyone was up in arms when the captain makes the decision to kill Tuvix to get back Neelix and Tuvok back, but no one cares about killing off a Sentient being in the "evil" version of the doctor. Both the evil doctor and Tuvix came from accidents both have individuality but as the one in the doctor is evil (even though he has just been born technically so hasn't had time to get used to what he is and may have found balance if allowed to live) and people liked Tuvix, no one cares that he was killed so the doctor can live.

This just shows that most people believe you deserve to life only if you are nice. The evil doctor hadn't murdered anyone (ok there was an attempted murder) but the ethical question is exactly the same, kill one to let one live. Yes I know they are holographic projections and technically not alive at all but throughout the series we are told that the doctor lears and develops and to think of him as a different kind of life why does the evil doctor not get the same consideration.

While I usually love the Doctor, here he seems wasted and silly.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 19 February 2015]

I think that the Doctor (Robert Picardo) is the best member of Voyager's crew. He's funny, snippy and very interesting as his character evolves throughout the series. However, occasionally the show really struck out when it tried to expand his character and "Darkling" is clearly one of these times.

The Doctor is trying to expand his programming by interacting with various historical characters. Unfortunately, this has unforeseen effects on him and he becomes a 'Jekyl & Hyde' sort of personality. At the same time, Kes is considering leaving the ship and going on an adventure with a new guy she just met. How these two plots interact is something you'll have to see for yourself.

The problem with this one is that changes in the Doctor are just fine--insane and HUGE changes aren't. It all comes off as very contrived and silly. The only real positive I see in this show is that the writers finally decided to have Kes and Neelix break up-- which is so positive as Neelix's jealousy is so boorish and annoying....and a bit creepy.

Out of Nowhere, Picardo finds his inner Spencer Tracy

[A_Different_Drummer · 9/10 · 13 December 2013]

I have talked about this series before, and frankly it deserves all the attention it can get. It was the last "proper" Star Trek franchise before the disastrous re-imagining of the origins, and before network TV met Netflix, and was never the same again. It had a rough start but found better footing as it evolved. The quality was uneven, ranging from just OK to brilliant. The time travel episodes in particular are as good a many features. Jennifer Lien, originally the femme fatale, was thrown under the bus for a newbie Borg character who, to be fair, made Lien look like a boy. And -- note this episode in particular -- the series included a strange photonic doctor played by an actor -- Picardo -- who in his career did not ordinarily "do" good guys, but managed to hold up his end nonetheless. And then here comes this gem. If you have ever seen Tracy in the original Jekyll and Hyde, then you know how tricky this transition is, how it takes the most subtle of mannerisms to convey the change. And Picardo pulls it off! The scene where he follows an attractive ensign into the turbo-lift is astonishing because nothing actually happens, but the sense of impending menace is almost tangible. Kudos to Picardo. This performance should never be forgotten. Which of course is that the IMDb is for.

Robert Picardo at his Evil best again

[holydiverdio · 8/10 · 5 April 2022]

I really liked watching this episode of Voyager especially by the fact that Robert Picardo who played The Doctor got to play an evil version of his character which was created by the fact that he was downloading too many personality traits of famous people in history. They had some good personality traits along with a few aggressive ones that caused him to have a sort of split personality come to life. Picardo gave such a brilliant performance that it reminded me of his role in The Howling, the werewolf serial killer, Eddie Quist. He was so good in that role that I felt like that he brought back some of that great acting from The Howling into this episode of Voyager, that I'm sure he had no trouble getting into villain mode again. Every time I watch this episode I feel like the only thing missing was having The Doctor turn into a werewolf, lol.

Inner Villains, Round Two

[temlakos-1 · 9/10 · 19 July 2016]

Regular actors in TV series hit their best strides when they can, however temporarily, turn bad. Jennifer Lien took her turn in "Warlord." Robert Picardo takes his turn here--and ironically (or perhaps not so ironically), Jennifer Lien is along--unwillingly--for the ride.

Briefly, The Doctor tries to borrow personality traits from such historical figures as Lord Byron (Earth) and T'Pau (Vulcan; cf. "Amok Time" in ST:TOS). But, as Robert Louis Stevenson (or maybe Sigmund Freud) could have told him, all great people have a dark side. When all those dark sides come together, watch out! Robert Picardo here takes his opportunity to be as bad as he knows how to be. Very entertaining to watch. At the same time we see Jennifer Lien clearly anticipating her last episodes.

One problem: the capabilities of Federation medicine to bring a man back even after someone has thrown him off a precipice suddenly look dreadfully contrived. And transporting two people in mid-fall from that same precipice...! Can we say, "Deus ex machina"?!? That aside, this episode stands alone as one of Voyager's best.

The inner demons

[tomsly-40015 · 8/10 · 22 December 2023]

Well, I don't get it: Kes broke up with Neelix in the episode where she was controlled by this maniac warlord. So, it was not her that broke up with him but obviously the mind of the warlord that possessed her body. Why are they still broken up then? It doesn't make any sense. It was clearly not Kes who wanted to break up. We have never seen another explanation. Neelix and Kes never resolved this situation. Normally when someone from the crew is possessed and not fully himself, his or her actions are accepted as not the will of the persons themselves. Just like in this episode not the doctor but his evil twin sedated Torres and shoved that dude over the cliff.

This episode is quite amusing. While the doctor tries to enhance his program by incorporating the traits and characteristics of well known personalities from history, he not only updates himself with their positive traits but also with their dark and hidden characters. This leads to this dark side breaking through and taking over the "body" of the doctor in good old Jeckyll & Hyde fashion. Picardo does a good job and playing his evil twin. Even his hair looks tousled and he walks more wooden, too.

I hoped though that Kes leaves with her new lover, but she doesn't. Well, this is still the last season for her. Tragically though: After Lien left this show she later also revealed her inner demons which turned her into some kind of female Hyde... quite sad to know what happened to this fragile young woman from the show.