Nits for Star Trek: Voyager episode
Thirty Days
1. Water leaking into the DF.
I'm sure several noticed this nit. Water pressure at a depth of 500-600 km would shoot into the ship under such tremendous pressure that any crack in the hull would cause the ship to implode instantly. The pressure of the water jetting out of the crack would eat away metal as well as flesh. Yet Tom is seen putting his hand over the leak trying to slow it down. No explanation or excuses offered for this obvious oversight, and so it is worthy of a one-point nit since such a catastrophe should have killed the away team so fast they wouldn't even realize the hull was breached (my thanks to the live TV broadcast of a Titanic dive for this bit of insight).
Nit Value: 1.00
2. The Brig.
No restroom. No supply of water. No blanket. No pillow. No privacy. No change of clothes. No razor for shaving. No sonic shower.
For thirty days.
This is what Janeway calls "punishment". I call it cruel, unusual and de-humanizing.
Nit Value: 1.00
3. Going crazy.
Doc prepares to leave and Tom pleads with him for a medical reprieve. He complains he's going crazy and Doc asks him "Isn't that the idea?". Tom requests a full psychiatric evaluation but Doc tells him he'll see him in 20 days.
Is the Doc supposed to be flippant when one of the crew makes such complaints and requests?
Is this the same Doc who just last week was lecturing Krel about his inhumane treatment of the helpless?
Nit Value: 0.50
4. Tom's beautiful brown eyes.
In the "oops" category we have charming Tom as a young tyke. Cute as a button and with such lovely brown eyes.
What's that you say? Tom as an adult has blue eyes?
"Ooops".
Nit Value: 0.50
5. Range and Predictability.
Throughout this episode various things stop working due to range.
Communications break off with the DF due to the depth when they first investigate the ocean. This should be a predictable phenomenon, and neutral buoyancy communication buoys could have permitted an extension of the range, but no one thinks of this. Communications could have been routed through one of the Monayan ships but this wasn't done either.
When they realize the DF is being stolen no one thinks of putting a tractor on the shuttle until after communications are ignored, despite the fact that Janeway has already guessed that Tom is going to do something radical. By this time the DF is beyond the range of the tractor beam.
When they realize they can't use a phaser they decide to fire a photon but don't get it re-configured in time to fire it before the DF gets beyond its targeting range.
Nit Value: 0.75
6. "Deflecting" the missile.
Two things wrong in this nit. The first is timing. Due to the way the count was simultaneous we can assume the launch of the photon torpedo and the launch of the DF missile occurred at the same instant.
So how can the photon torpedo hit the missile when it must travel from Voyager to the surface of the ocean and then down 2 km to where the missile is, when the missile only need travel perhaps a few hundred metres to reach its target?
The picture we're shown strongly suggests the DF missile will hit the refinery before the photon can intercept it.
To hit the missile Tuvok would have had to fire his photon before Tom fired the missile. And since Tuvok didn't even know a missile was going to be fired (Tom could have used phasers), how could he target the missile?
The other problem in this nit is the fact that the photon hitting the missile generated an enormous explosion. Yet on the bridge he tells Janeway he's "deflected" the missile. The fact is he "intercepted" the missile.
Nit Value: 0.50
7. Dinner at 0700 hours?
When B'Elanna commands Tom to appear for "dinner" in her quarters he's told to be there at "0700", which is 7:00 AM.
Wouldn't that make it "breakfast"?
Nit Value: 0.25
Summary:
--------------
Nit Value for "Thirty Days": 4.50
Wulf's Nitpicker Rating: 5.50
--------------------------------------
10 - Nit Value = Wulf's Nitpicker Rating
All episode summaries and nits copyright © 1999 Wulf
Site design and graphics copyright © 1999 Holotech Enterprises
All rights reserved
Star TrekTM, VoyagerTM and Deep Space NineTM
are trademarks owned by Paramount Pictures Corporation.
Design and Hosting by
