Reviewer: Nerys Ghemor Signed [Report This]
Date: 08 Oct 2011 02:41 Title: Act Five

I've got to say it.  I normally hate screenplay-type episodes.  I cannot stand trying to tough through that kind of thing in written format.

But this was an exception to what is normally a hard-and-fast rule.

I will admit that the first reason I decided to actually try it was because one of my friends, Gul Re'jal read it.  She has very good taste, and I certainly was rewarded with a good story, and I really could see how it would appear on screen.

I think you did an excellent job tackling the issues that Vic's obvious sentience should've raised.  The attitudes we saw Matthias espousing really reminded me of Sisko's offensive rant in "Badda Bing, Badda Bang," where he thought it was OK, because he didn't like Vic's appearance, to kill a unique and alien life form that was not a 1960's human, just inspired by one.  Might as well off the Sigma Iotians if you don't like Chicago; that's how logical that was.

It got even more disturbing watching them talk about turning him off because of his privacy violation; it really, really sounded like the way one would talk about euthanizing a dog that bit someone.  Leaving the animal debate aside, to see Vic talked about as a mechanical animal was galling!

I liked seeing how Vic has internalized his 24th-century surroundings; we definitely saw evidence of that on the show, but it really seems that psychologically--given that I do think Vic is a fully sentient being--it would be painful to be confined.  Just as we saw the Doctor on VOY begin to expand beyond his programming, it seems Vic is clearly doing so.  For him to remain confined must be dangerous for him.

When he doesn't have the emitter (which was very nice of the Doctor to lend him), shouldn't Vic be given access to something special to keep his mind growing and keep him from being bored and lonely?  I hope your characters will begin to address that issue.

Good job!