Voyager seemed keen on "repairing" character arcs deemed unacceptable or annoying in the writing process, and so the "Neelix is horribly jealous of Tom Paris over Kes" storyline is brought to an end through a rather pleasant means: Neelix, as a nutritional specialist and for his keen insight into the quadrant, and Tom Paris, due to his pilot expertise, are ordered by Janeway to shuttlecraft to a Class-M planet to find possible edible content for the Voyager crew as the replicators are exhausting and food supplies wane. There's obvious animosity as Neelix wants Paris to leave his woman alone while Paris had admitted to Ensign Kim he was possibly in love with Kes. So "Parturition" absolves the arc's deflating portrayal of Neelix who wasn't the kind of character to react as he does because Kes has never behaved in any way to warrant his toxic personality decline. Tom is prone to desire women he could never attain, but this episode treats him wonderfully (I like Tom and consider him as this "reclamation project" Janeway believes is salvageable a compelling character), allowing him to prove to Neelix that he would respect him enough never to make a play for his woman. They become stranded on a planet that doesn't have edible life, just atmospheric content which gives both of them a nasty rash. Neelix and Tom do encounter a hatchling they respond to favorably and wish to see survive, looking for whatever they can to feed it and nourish it so that it lives and thrives. Will there be a parent coming to secure it, retrieving it for a safe and healthy upbringing? If the parent does eventually arrive, will Neelix and Paris escape the planet through a small transport window? While the Voyager awaits for the transport window to open, they must deal with a ship orbiting the planet as well. This is clearly an episode designed specifically to *heal* the story arc that seemed to *damage* Neelix, and if that is the case, job well done. Plus, it actually is quite beneficial to Paris, too. The three leaving the transport room—Neelix, Paris, and Kes, all warm and harmonious—is a final gesture of good will
to us.
Review of Parturition
