So, in the tradition of stealing every decent plot from <I>TNG</I>, the finale involves time travel. However, instead of using it as a lesson from Q that humanity needs to think outside its current scope of understanding in order to grow in the Universe, this one is just selfish and stupid. In the future, <I>Voyager</I> takes forever to get home, and in the process 7 of 9 doesn't make it. Boo hoo. And Chakotay's all screwed up, because he was in love with 7. We know this because of the 2 forced episodes in the last season that serve no purpose but to establish some fake premise that 7 and Chakotay have a thing for each other. This was created out of nowhere and showed the complete lack of imagination by Braga and his team of idiots.

So, anyway, Janeway, in her finite wisdom comes up with a great idea. Screw all that morality crap we have in Starfleet ... she's going to go back in time and fix things. But, see, here's the cool part. First, she gets Barclay to help her (that would <I>never</I> happen). Then, she just hops on over to some Klingon friends who have a "time machine." Yeah, that's right ... no fancy slingshot around the sun ... she just needs to make nice with the Klingons to borrow their "time machine." Oh, but it gets better. She can't just go back in time and save 7. She outfits her ship with advanced shields and weaponry before going back in time. Meeting up with her former self, she fits Voyager with all the new weapons and technology, hunts down the Borg and destroys a major hive facility, essentially crippling their whole race. She then saves the day and helps the crew make it home safely. Aww ... isn't that sweet.

First, we'll ignore the paradox that if they make it home, she's never able to go back in time and help them make it home ... I can suspend disbelief enough to just accept the stupid plotline.

What I cannot accept is the blatant immorality of her risking people's lives (yeah, new people die in this alternate reality) to go back in time and save a fellow crew member because - boo hoo - she's not happy. Cry me a river. Combine that with the fact that she brought advanced weaponry from the future to destroy her enemy. Hello? Does Starfleet do this? No. We're supposed to be outraged that the Borg tried something like this with Earth in <B>First Contact</B>, but it's suddenly OK for us to do it to them? Yeah, great logic, Braga.

And all through this, her whole crew, many of whom should show some morality, even if she can't, just sit idly by thinking this is a grand ol' plan. Yay ... let's change the past to fit our own selfish motives. This finale completely sabotaged 35 years of Trek and nullified the existence of <I>Voyager</I> as a canon Trek series IMO. There have been plenty of time travel situations in Trek (way too many, in fact), and one or two border on the morality issue (<B>The Voyage Home</B>), but none of them involve selfish vengeance. Bringing a couple of whales into the future is a far cry from taking advanced technology back in time to destroy your enemy. Completely and totally disgraceful, and I have told Braga this to his face twice. He still doesn't get it.

He didn't end up with Winny. This makes me mad. Which is why I enjoy Boy Meets World more (his brother is the star), since he ends up with Topanga. :)

Angus