By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Star Trek: Voyager again Seinfeld couldn't be more different. One is about a Starfleet ship stuck in the middle of the galaxy, trying to find a way home. The other is about a comedian and his brainy friends navigating the trials and tribulations of New York City. Often, the only thing these games have in common is a few shared members. For example, Sarah Silverman once served as a love interest for both Kramer again Tom Paris. George Costanza's character Jason Alexander had his own memorable one Voyager a cameo. Oh, and George's boss, Mr. Wilhelm, played by Richard Herd, who had a recurring Trek role as Paris's father.
Well, one Star Trek: Voyager the episode took more of Seinfeld's storytelling methods than its characters. That episode is “Persistence of Vision,” in which Captain Janeway and her old crew must deal with strange visions caused by a malevolent alien with telepathic powers. It is an episode that Paramount hated because it was so weird, but it ended up being incredibly effective and popular. This is ironic because showrunner Michael Piller once pointed out that “The Persistence of Vision” is like a given. Seinfeld episode; that is, it was an idle show!
Is Chakotay Spongeworthy?
“The Persistence of Vision” begins with a familiar beginning Voyager plot. Captain Janeway must negotiate with the strange aliens in order to safely pass through their territory in the Delta Quadrant. However, things quickly go sideways when he and the other members of the group end up getting strange ideas. It's a big mystery that leads to a shocking revelation: all this evil is caused by a telepathic alien who acted for no reason and doesn't really exist. Admittedly, this decision is frustrating because it emphasized that this loose episode was just an excuse for a fun cast of characters.
Because of this, showrunner Michael Piller was surprised at how the episode went, including how fans received it. In interview no It's cinematicsummed up his feelings by saying, “The program was very good, but it is not a program that talks about anything.” As a lover of all things '90s, his quote here really tickled me. Piller seemed right scared that a show that doesn't really mean anything can affect an audience. However, it was Seinfeld's claim from the beginning: that it was “an idle show.”
You Should Have Doubled the Big Salad!
Seinfeld earned its “no show” reputation early on by ditching the traditional sitcom story in favor of weird (and sometimes, weirdly realistic) plots. A good example of this is “The Chinese Restaurant,” an episode that takes place in real time. In general, sitting down to dinner can be start of the story, or at least, just one part of it. However, this episode took place entirely in a restaurant and captured the incredible frustration of just waiting to be seated. According to Jason Alexander, the network thought the episode was “blasphemous,” but saw it as a “defining start to a national upheaval.” Seinfeld.”
In its own way, “Persistence of Vision” was very similar. The network hated the script because it was weird, and wanted to add more aliens and more fight scenes. However, writer Jeri Taylor stuck to her guns and created an episode that helped define the series' creative legacy. In that same It's cinematic interview, Michael Piller noted how much the show needed to start exploring new, sound ideas. He said that the episode “marked the beginning of the curve” and that “We started to move forward on that momentum, and I think if you look from that show, we started to do some interesting things.”
They are real, and they are honorable
In other words, Star Trek: Voyager fans owe the improved quality of their favorite sci-fi show to the episode where B'elanna Torres wants to get down and dirty with Chakotay, her father's roommate. Browsing Dr. Freud on the holodeck! With any luck, no one on the ship started betting with the captain about who really was the boss of their domain.
