This episode is fantastic character study that pretty much everyone in the world can relate to on some level.
Captain Janeway finds herself attracted to a hologram character in Tom Paris's newest holodeck creation. Unwittingly, after her first introduction with Michael Sullivan, she gets into the program parameters and makes a number of changes to character to make him more appealing to her. Oh, if it were so easy to change others!
The irony with Janeway, is that even after she's made the character to her liking, he is still "flawed" to the point where she abandons the character entirely.
What is intriguing about this episode is the fact that most people enter into relationships with the hopes of changing their partner. If it doesn't start out that way, then as the relationship progresses, one/both partners begin to wish the other person was different. Of course, this is an impossible undertaking, for the only person you can change is yourself.
Relationships are sacred because of what is brought to the table. Partners represent mirrors, shining back to us all those things we love about ourselves, AND all of those things that we don't.
It is just as wrong to try and change someone as it is to change ourselves in order to please someone else. Both endeavors miss the point.
99.9% of human relationships are conditional ones. They are always based upon "if you do this, I'll do such and such." As soon as the "contract" is broken, so goes the love. Unconditional love is accepting a person for who they are. It is not based upon "if" clauses and conditions, for true love has none. As soon as anyone tries to make conditions of love, it ceases to be love. And love cannot be shared with anyone else if you don't first have it for yourself, because you cannot give what you do not have.
By the end of the episode, Janeway understands what she's done and why it didn't work. She knows that she has to be accepting of people, "flaws," "warts," idiosyncrasies, and all! She even smiles when she asks the computer to not allow her to make any changes in the future.
This episode should almost be required viewing for anyone who enters into relationships looking to get something out of it, rather than putting something into it.
Captain Janeway finds herself attracted to a hologram character in Tom Paris's newest holodeck creation. Unwittingly, after her first introduction with Michael Sullivan, she gets into the program parameters and makes a number of changes to character to make him more appealing to her. Oh, if it were so easy to change others!
The irony with Janeway, is that even after she's made the character to her liking, he is still "flawed" to the point where she abandons the character entirely.
What is intriguing about this episode is the fact that most people enter into relationships with the hopes of changing their partner. If it doesn't start out that way, then as the relationship progresses, one/both partners begin to wish the other person was different. Of course, this is an impossible undertaking, for the only person you can change is yourself.
Relationships are sacred because of what is brought to the table. Partners represent mirrors, shining back to us all those things we love about ourselves, AND all of those things that we don't.
It is just as wrong to try and change someone as it is to change ourselves in order to please someone else. Both endeavors miss the point.
99.9% of human relationships are conditional ones. They are always based upon "if you do this, I'll do such and such." As soon as the "contract" is broken, so goes the love. Unconditional love is accepting a person for who they are. It is not based upon "if" clauses and conditions, for true love has none. As soon as anyone tries to make conditions of love, it ceases to be love. And love cannot be shared with anyone else if you don't first have it for yourself, because you cannot give what you do not have.
By the end of the episode, Janeway understands what she's done and why it didn't work. She knows that she has to be accepting of people, "flaws," "warts," idiosyncrasies, and all! She even smiles when she asks the computer to not allow her to make any changes in the future.
This episode should almost be required viewing for anyone who enters into relationships looking to get something out of it, rather than putting something into it.