The Killing Game, Part II

*** (3 stars out of 5)

It's Hirogen vs the Frankenstien's monster crew of historical re-enactment soldiers they created last episode. This will happen if you plaster up hundreds of holo-emitters in the halls. At least they don't have era-appropriate trench mouth.

The Hirogen doctor finally has enough of the EMH's bleeding heart and shuts him down. Human wounded will now be placed carefully in the trash.

Tom as "Lt. Davis" nearly shoots a suspiciously Asian Harry Kim without the right answer. The right answer is: Betty Grable has great gams. Thankfully, Harry knew this. I'm not sure I would have survived in his place. I don't know Betty Grable from Betty Boop. (I'm no good with sports questions, either, but with a blog like this one you've probably guessed that.)

In her right mind, Janeway forms an alliance with Chakotay's "Captain Miller" and Neelix's Drunk Klingon "K'Leenix". Holographic explosives work just fine on real corridors.

Young Hirogen Taranj is inspired by the strength and purity of a Holo-Nazi's speechifying. He guns down his Alpha superior and returns to the Most Dangerous Game with Janeway herself. She fakes him out with pretend cowardice and real fisticuffs. (Plus a gun. Kathy's no dope.)

After "heavy casualties" which seem to have happened offscreen again, the Hirogen leave with a trophy: Janeway gives their new Alpha some holodeck tech so he can whip holo-characters like uppity rent boys to his cold lizard heart's content. Morally questionable to sell a hypothetical holo-race into slavery? Who cares! We'll never see THEM again!

"The Killing Game, Part II" is a fannish run-around. But I'm a fan, so what the hell. My biggest question is: why not leave the holoemitters up? Handy as the Doctor is, wouldn't this be like giving him wheelchair ramps? Helpful, right? Plus... (and granted this might get confusing) why not program a complete copy of your crew to do all your work? Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself.