The famous motivational speaker Zig Zigler has a great expression for people & projects that start out with the best of intentions but soon pan out to nothing of significance...he calls it "squatting to rise (up), but getting cooked in the squat". "Lineage" does this very thing...it starts out with good possibilities, but falls flat very soon.
Its failure has nothing to do with the energy of the actors- all the regulars give it their best effort, in particular Robert Duncan McNeill & Roxann Dawson, who turn in perhaps their most emotionally charged performances of the entire series. Rather, the major faults here include poor writing and poor guest star casting.
With respect to writing, the plot moves at a snail's pace, with little or no action, and very little humorous interplay to fill this void. And the plot holes make the Grand Canyon look like a drainage ditch. In a series franchise like Star Trek that has time and time again passionately preached the message that ALL life is sacred, special, and worthy just as it is, B'Elanna attempts to have her baby surgically altered by using unethical and illegal means (commondeering ship systems, locking out Voyager's security team, reprogramming the Doctor) and yet she is not punished or reprimanded in any way.
And, speaking of which, what ABOUT that very sneaky trick of diabolically altering the Doctor's program to make him an unwitting accomplice to an "ethnic cleansing" of the unborn child? True, she does apologize to him, but in the "respect everyone's individual rights at all times" world of Star Trek, shouldn't the consequences of her dangerous actions be a little more severe than her mild embarrassment at having to apologize to him? Finally, poor guest star casting makes the situation worse. The actor cast as B'Elanna's father is just too wimpy too be believable..he's a good actor, but he is simply the wrong choice for the part. We're supposed to believe that this rather effeminate & "milk-toasty" guy won the admiration of...and married.. a KLINGON woman? He seems more suited to play the mild-mannered Dad on some Nickelodeon show or perhaps The Disney Channel, not the husband of a woman from an aggressive warrior race that values strength and power above all else.
The story and end result here mirrors many of Voyager's Seventh Season installments- good concept, but poor execution.
Its failure has nothing to do with the energy of the actors- all the regulars give it their best effort, in particular Robert Duncan McNeill & Roxann Dawson, who turn in perhaps their most emotionally charged performances of the entire series. Rather, the major faults here include poor writing and poor guest star casting.
With respect to writing, the plot moves at a snail's pace, with little or no action, and very little humorous interplay to fill this void. And the plot holes make the Grand Canyon look like a drainage ditch. In a series franchise like Star Trek that has time and time again passionately preached the message that ALL life is sacred, special, and worthy just as it is, B'Elanna attempts to have her baby surgically altered by using unethical and illegal means (commondeering ship systems, locking out Voyager's security team, reprogramming the Doctor) and yet she is not punished or reprimanded in any way.
And, speaking of which, what ABOUT that very sneaky trick of diabolically altering the Doctor's program to make him an unwitting accomplice to an "ethnic cleansing" of the unborn child? True, she does apologize to him, but in the "respect everyone's individual rights at all times" world of Star Trek, shouldn't the consequences of her dangerous actions be a little more severe than her mild embarrassment at having to apologize to him? Finally, poor guest star casting makes the situation worse. The actor cast as B'Elanna's father is just too wimpy too be believable..he's a good actor, but he is simply the wrong choice for the part. We're supposed to believe that this rather effeminate & "milk-toasty" guy won the admiration of...and married.. a KLINGON woman? He seems more suited to play the mild-mannered Dad on some Nickelodeon show or perhaps The Disney Channel, not the husband of a woman from an aggressive warrior race that values strength and power above all else.
The story and end result here mirrors many of Voyager's Seventh Season installments- good concept, but poor execution.