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ost_uid0]I've got to disagree with IJD and Celeste -- I liked this episode, so you can both stop the "I only like episodes other people dislike" moaning.
I wasn't blown away by any stretch of the imagination (it's no "Dead Stop") but it managed to hold my attention and that's saying something. (Even "Judgment" had me wearing out the rewind button from wandering train of thought.) I like the way they played up how the rise of Starfleet is resulting in the demise of the cargo pilots, who've been at it for generations. The alien plot was predictable but I liked it nonetheless. And as for the dissing of the B-plot, I was amused. T'Pol and Phlox's take on humanity is always good for a chuckle; my personal favorites were T'Pol telling Phlox to shut up in the movie and her take on Frankenstein as a metaphor for Vulcans.
As for the $64,000 question (Can Anthony Montgomery act?), the answer is... I don't really know. Even when they give him an entire A-plot to himself, I can't say he really came away with more than he brought into the episode. Do we really know anything more about Travis? I have to go with no. Tom Paris got more character depth in "Caretaker" than Travis has had in nearly two seasons, something I find disappointing.
Not a gem in the season, but a well-spent hour. (Mind you, the alternative is work or study, so granted my standards may be lower than usual.)[/color
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