‘ELOGIUM’ (VOY)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
This is a pretty unusual ‘Voyager’ episode in the series, as it focuses on the theme of sex. It’s also a pretty intriguing episode to showcase Kes’ character as an Ocampa and her relationship with Neelix.
In the episode, Voyager encounters a cloud of space-dwelling lifeforms. Janeway takes the ship in for a closer look. Very soon, the ship is drawn into the cloud and is engulfed by the swarm of creatures. 😐
The helm controls and the shields are disabled as a result. The Voyager crew attempt to escape the cloud without harming the swarm, but it isn’t helped when the creatures begin attaching to the hull.
There are echoes of the ‘TNG’ episode ‘Galaxy’s Child’ when a baby alien creature attached itself to the Enterprise, thinking the ship was its mother. There’s more of a sexual connotation involved here.
In response to Voyager going into the cloud, Kes finds herself eating a lot of food. She’s also eating insects and soil. Sharing her abnormal cravings to Neelix, Kes gets taken to sickbay to be examined. 🙂
It was amusing when Neelix insisted on carrying Kes to sick bay and she objected to it. Kes is still eating away, including the flowers that Neelix gave her as an apology, as she gets taken to sick bay. 🙂
Yeah, earlier in the episode, Kes and Neelix had an argument, as Neelix seems to be jealous over Tom Paris’ interest in her. This plot will become more prominent in two future episodes of the series.
Once she’s in sick bay, it’s revealed that Kes has a fever, a dangerously elevated pulse and blood pressure, and a tumorous growth on her back. It’s a condition the Doctor hasn’t encountered before.
Kes resists the Doctor’s attempts of treatment and she soon locks herself in his office. Janeway is able to get through to her and Kes explains she’s undergoing the elogium, the Ocampa mating cycle.
Apparently, this is a process that only happens once and usually affects Ocampa between four and five years old. Kes is not even two. Sometimes the lifespan of Ocampa like Kes can be mind-boggling.
Kes needs to have a mate to conceive her child and she looks to Neelix for help. I honestly like the scenes between Kes and Neelix where they agonise over whether to have children and be parents. 🙂
Initially, Neelix is reluctant about the idea. He never considered the notion of being a parent before, since it’s happening too fast for him. Kes however needs an answer from him on the matter soon. 😐
I also liked the scene between Neelix and Tuvok in the mess hall about discussing children and family. It was intriguing to hear Tuvok’s perspective on being a parent, as he’s fathered four children.
Eventually, Neelix tells Kes that he’s ready to be a father. But when Kes has her feet massaged by the Doctor in a ritual, she tells him she’s having doubts about conceiving a child, especially in being young.
Meanwhile, Voyager continues to find a way out of the cloud, only to encounter a larger creature compared to the smaller ones. The crew realises that Voyager is mistaken for one of their species. 😐
The small creatures attempt to mate with the ship. The larger creature attacks and Voyager soon adopts a position of submission, based on the behaviour the crew observed in the smaller creatures.
Once the smaller creatures lose interest, they detach themselves from Voyager. Voyager is soon allowed to leave. This subplot is not as interesting as Kes and Neelix’s subplot in my humble opinion.
After leaving the cloud, Kes decides not to go through with the mating ritual. The Doctor believes her elogium was artificially induced by the creatures’ proximity to the ship. Neelix is quite disappointed.
He’d been looking forward to becoming a parent. But Kes reassures him that the elogium may come upon her again later in her life when she’s ready. Neelix is reassured by this when Kes talks to him. 🙂
Also in the episode, Chakotay raises concerns about fraternization aboard Voyager, as it’s debated whether the ship is appropriate to raise children. We’re also introduced to a new character on Voyager.
This is Nancy Hower as Ensign Samantha Wildman. At the end of the episode, she announces to Janeway that she’s pregnant whilst her husband is still in the Alpha Quadrant. Overall, this episode is decent.
‘Elogium’ (VOY) rating – 7/10
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