Nits for Star Trek: Voyager episode
Equinox
1. Red Alert Part I.
In Astrometrics, Janeway tells Chakotay to head towards the Equinox at maximum warp and to sound Red Alert. Chakotay walks off to go to the bridge. Since this is in response to a distress signal, why doesn't Janeway have the coordinates and instructions sent to the helm and call Red Alert from where she is? Has Astrometrics isolated itself from the ship's internal communications systems?
Nit Value: 0.25
2. Red Alert Part II.
No more than 10 seconds after Chakotay starts to leave Astrometrics, Janeway and Seven enter the hall outside Astrometrics. The line of hall lights along the wall are blinking red, signifying Red Alert. However, there was no klaxon which usually accompanies Red Alert, nor was there any announcement of Red Alert over the ship's internal speakers. There is no interruption between Chakotay leaving and Janeway starting to leave, and given our knowledge of Astrometrics there is no gap in time between what we see within Astrometrics and her appearance at the Astrometrics door as she enters the hallway.
So how did Chakotay signal Red Alert and why was there no announcement of Red Alert?
Nit Value: 0.25
3. A leisurely stroll.
While leisurely strolling away from Astrometrics, Janeway and Seven have a pleasant discussion about Ransom. Janeway smiles and tells of an old adventure Ransom was on. Does anyone else think this behaviour is a little incongruous, given the fact they are responding to a distress call from the only other Federation ship in the Delta Quadrant, that just happened to be under attack and was obviously showing some heavy damage to their bridge? Instead of discussing an old story, shouldn't they be discussing shields, weapons, and potential threats in this sector of space (after all, Equinox might be battling the Borg, 8472s, or some other species which Seven knows of)?
Nit Value: 0.25
4. Doc on the bridge.
When Voyager rendezvous with the Equinox, we find Doc on the bridge. Considering this meeting is in response to a distress call, where the Equinox claims to be under attack and shows heavy damage to the bridge, and given the fact that Voyager is under Red Alert, why would Doc be on the bridge? Isn't his battle station Sick Bay?
Nit Value: 0.25
5. The whole senior staff?
When Voyager meets up with the Equinox, it is obvious the Equinox is under attack. Ransom is desperately trying to get Voyager's shields to enhance his own. Before Voyager manages to get its own shields into play, Seven announces spatial fissures on three decks, including the bridge. As soon as Tuvok announces the shield frequencies match those of the Equinox and Seven announces the fissures are gone Janeway takes the entire senior staff, including Neelix and Seven, to the Equinox.
Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, B'Elanna, Harry, Tom, Seven and Neelix all leave Voyager in a situation that was, just seconds earlier, a battle. None of these people know the nature of the threat they faced. None of them know what the spatial fissures were doing appearing on Voyager. Yet they all leave the ship.
I know they don't want to pay the extras to speak. But taking the entire senior staff (minus Doc) to board the ship in what could well be the middle of a battle while strange anomalies might break out on Voyager again at any time makes absolutely no sense at all. Especially taking all four levels of command (Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, and Harry (who serves as 'captain' during the night shift). Who is left commanding Voyager? Janeway never assigned the job to anyone.
Nit Value: 1.00
6. Graviton relay.
For the first time ever, we hear a graviton relay whine inside a turbo-lift. Never before is this sound heard. Yet it bears an uncanny resemblance to the sound of a spatial fissure opening up and causes Gilmore to panic. What shall we bet that we never hear a graviton relay on a turbo-lift again ;-)?
Nit Value: 0.25
7. "Bent it a little".
I'll give Janeway credit. She can lie with the best of them. When asked if she's broken the Prime Directive, she admits to bending it "a little". Of course we know this isn't true. Just about everywhere she went she's broken the PD, from "Caretaker" right through to "Thirty Days". But a character lying isn't a nit.
It's just worth pointing out ;-).
Nit Value: 0.00
7. Oh those difficult distances.
In "Gravity" we're told Voyager is 50,000 light years away.
In "Dark Frontier" Janeway claims they gained 20,000 light years on their voyage thanks to the trans-warp coil. She adds that this is the equivalent of 12 years of travel (and that is about 1666.67 light years per year of travel).
However, in the briefing room Ransom announces they're currently 35,000 light years away.
50,000-20,000=30,000 light years.
5,000 light years / 1666.67 light years = 3 years of travel
Since this all occurs in the same year, how do we account for the lost 5,000 light years?
Nit Value: 1.00
Summary:
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Nit Value for "Equinox": 3.25
Wulf's Nitpicker Rating: 6.75
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10 - Nit Value = Wulf's Nitpicker Rating
<Mostly small nits. The plot and SFX more than make up for them.>
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