Time and Again

* (1 star out of 5)

Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Paris play havoc with time in nonsensical ways, all while dressed as the galaxy's least appealing popsicles: Carrot-Cola-Mustard flavoured. I'd say the goofiness reminds me of classic Doctor Who, but classic Doctor Who tended to have more dignity and made more sense.

Far-flung Delta Quadrant! Same as the old Quadrant. Exotic, unexplored vistas! Which look like a wilted park outside a strip mall. Never-before imagined aliens! Who (except for Neelix the warthog/potato) sadly look like cut-rate Klingons with rocks for hair, a blond Vulcan, and now, uh, humans. Hooray? Especially in light of the cost over-runs from the pilot I understand the reasons, but this looks cheep, cheep, cheep.

Speaking of chirpy and irritating, little blond kid trying to expose Tom and Kathy as aliens nearly makes me long for the nuanced squeals and gawping of Jake 'Anakin Skywalker' Lloyd. Nearly.

The part of the plot that can be followed relates to a militant protest against 'polaric energy' that results in a polaric disaster. Also an attempt to rescue Janeway from time-travel that destroys a planet. The moral being, apparently, don't do things because doing things goes wrong. Like 1995's other time-warp  disaster 'Twelve Monkeys' without the benefit of being good.

"Time and Again" is a title that might as well be "Ho and Hum". Thanks to TNG's finale and Generations, and DS9's 'Past Tense', fans have recently been treated to ENJOYABLE time travel stories and now... there's... this.

"It seems I've found myself on a voyage of the damned," moans the holographic Doctor, (rapidly becoming my favorite Voyager character) and while that may be a harsh review of the series, it is right frakking BANG ON for this episode.

On top of everything else, the time travel erases itself, so none of the characters even remember it happened. Which might be preferable, but it's maddening. Arrgh!