When Tuvok suffers a "panic attack" due to "engrams" functioning as a recurring memory involving him as a little boy unable to hold onto the hand of a girl begging him not to let go, falling to her death. This precipice Tuvok recalls, and the girl he cannot save, is a memory that is fictional, something that never happened to him. With each attack, which causes Tuvok to seize/freeze and collapse, eyes wide open and lost, the chances of brain death increase. To determine what is causing this and how to stop it from killing her officer, Janeway opts to voluntarily connect with him via Vulcan mind meld, seeing/experiencing a particular rescue mission on board the Excelsior, when Captain Sulu ordered his ship to go after Kirk and Bones, who had been imprisoned on a Klingon prison world (imagine Siberia and that is quite a close approximation of where Kirk and Bones found themselves) for murder of the Klingon Chancellor (David Warner) they weren't responsible for.
Linking Voyager to "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country", Tuvok confronting/objecting to Sulu's disobedience of Starfleet and receiving a grand response for just why he was justified to do so, and Janeway granted the chance to experience time on the Excelsior is like a great, big, loving hug that produces those warm and fuzzies Trek fans appreciate. Or at least this Trek fan certainly appreciates the nods and returns to the past and how the current show/characters respond to what happened then (in this case, Janeway sees how Tuvok performed on the Excelsior, and intimate moments where he was younger and less dedicated to Starfleet, joining at his parents' wishes). In the sixth Star Trek film, very little was ever elaborated and the opportunity to make an episode such as "Flashback" set aboard the Excelsior (well, in the memories of Tuvok, that is ) is welcome by this viewer. When you never want an episode to end, that is a special kind of experience.
What a wonderful moment for Takei—who sits in that Captain's chair well—as he cleverly takes advantage of a nebula to shake off a Klingon cruiser insisting on being an entourage through their territory to Federation space by using sirillium available which ignites. Any chance to throw a bone to those of us who love our Original Star Trek cast of characters I fully endorse, especially if the secondary officers get a little love such as Sulu. A pleasant surprise is seeing Rand on board the Excelsior as well, with the recreation of the opening to The Undiscovered Country a nostalgic treat. The invasion of a type of virus using the memory as a means to lie dormant and buried from discovery is more or less just an excuse to put Janeway and Tuvok on the Excelsior, while Picardi's Doctor and Kes monitor their vitals while in the Vulcan mind meld. Janeway on the Excelsior Bridge, soaking it all in, is a neat visual. She surmises that just getting one opportunity to be on board with the likes of Kirk, Spock, and Sulu would have been extraordinary; Tuvok, who experienced it himself but didn't have the awe and reverence, essentially shares that with her. When there is a "malfunction" during the meld due to another panic attack, and Sulu actually sees Janeway, it really offers a peculiar twist in the mix! Fans of Sulu and Rand should, I think, get a kick out of "Flashback". It serves as a fan episode certain to bring about feelings of exhilaration and surprise. Grace Lee Whitney makes the most of her time in the episode, with all the charm and mouth still there. Nifty factoid included: Vulcans suffer brain damage if repressed memories aren't absolved.
With Jeremy Roberts (as Lt. Dimitri on the Excelsior who bunked with Tuvok and celebrated his post on the Excelsior and their rescue mission to fetch Kirk and Bones) from Star Trek VI and Michael Ansara (as Kang, Klingon commander insisting Sulu adhere to his demands of "helping them" get back to where they belong) from Star Trek's Original Series. We all just celebrated 50 years of Trek...this episode was part of honoring the 30th anniversary.
Linking Voyager to "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country", Tuvok confronting/objecting to Sulu's disobedience of Starfleet and receiving a grand response for just why he was justified to do so, and Janeway granted the chance to experience time on the Excelsior is like a great, big, loving hug that produces those warm and fuzzies Trek fans appreciate. Or at least this Trek fan certainly appreciates the nods and returns to the past and how the current show/characters respond to what happened then (in this case, Janeway sees how Tuvok performed on the Excelsior, and intimate moments where he was younger and less dedicated to Starfleet, joining at his parents' wishes). In the sixth Star Trek film, very little was ever elaborated and the opportunity to make an episode such as "Flashback" set aboard the Excelsior (well, in the memories of Tuvok, that is ) is welcome by this viewer. When you never want an episode to end, that is a special kind of experience.
What a wonderful moment for Takei—who sits in that Captain's chair well—as he cleverly takes advantage of a nebula to shake off a Klingon cruiser insisting on being an entourage through their territory to Federation space by using sirillium available which ignites. Any chance to throw a bone to those of us who love our Original Star Trek cast of characters I fully endorse, especially if the secondary officers get a little love such as Sulu. A pleasant surprise is seeing Rand on board the Excelsior as well, with the recreation of the opening to The Undiscovered Country a nostalgic treat. The invasion of a type of virus using the memory as a means to lie dormant and buried from discovery is more or less just an excuse to put Janeway and Tuvok on the Excelsior, while Picardi's Doctor and Kes monitor their vitals while in the Vulcan mind meld. Janeway on the Excelsior Bridge, soaking it all in, is a neat visual. She surmises that just getting one opportunity to be on board with the likes of Kirk, Spock, and Sulu would have been extraordinary; Tuvok, who experienced it himself but didn't have the awe and reverence, essentially shares that with her. When there is a "malfunction" during the meld due to another panic attack, and Sulu actually sees Janeway, it really offers a peculiar twist in the mix! Fans of Sulu and Rand should, I think, get a kick out of "Flashback". It serves as a fan episode certain to bring about feelings of exhilaration and surprise. Grace Lee Whitney makes the most of her time in the episode, with all the charm and mouth still there. Nifty factoid included: Vulcans suffer brain damage if repressed memories aren't absolved.
With Jeremy Roberts (as Lt. Dimitri on the Excelsior who bunked with Tuvok and celebrated his post on the Excelsior and their rescue mission to fetch Kirk and Bones) from Star Trek VI and Michael Ansara (as Kang, Klingon commander insisting Sulu adhere to his demands of "helping them" get back to where they belong) from Star Trek's Original Series. We all just celebrated 50 years of Trek...this episode was part of honoring the 30th anniversary.