The events from Voyager's time in the Delta Quadrant, in the 2370s, are viewed through the eyes of history as museum spectators observe recreations of the past, nearly 700 years after the initial events. A backup of the Doctor's program is found and reactivated, allowing him to set the record straight. The episode deals with the topic of historical revisionism and is considered by critics as one of Voyager's best episodes.
This episode was directed by Tim Russ, who also plays Tuvok on the series.[1]
The episode is partly a review of events in 2374, partly the experiences of a copy of the Doctor’s hologram program in the year 3074, and partly a review of these two time periods by historians in an unspecified more distant future.
PlotEdit
The episode opens with a scene on the "warship Voyager", an alternate Voyager with a brutal, sadistic crew. The Vaskan ambassador requests their military aid against their enemies, the Kyrians, but the crew goes above and beyond what is necessary, committing genocide against them with biological weapons and executing the Kyrian revolutionary hero Tedran. The scene is then revealed to be a recreation by a Kyrian museum exhibit, seven hundred years later. In the actual course of events, Captain Janeway had agreed to provide the Vaskans with medical supplies in exchange for dilithium crystals. Tedran and the Kyrians boarded Voyager to stop the deal, which they thought was a military alliance. During their time on the ship, they stole a data module carrying a backup copy of the Doctor.
Quarren (Henry Woronicz), the curator at the museum, has found the Doctor's backup module three weeks prior. He is able to activate it using Voyager's own tools. The Doctor, upon seeing this biased simulation of history, is appalled and offers to show Quarren the correct version of events. Initially, the Doctor's claims that Voyager was unfairly depicted by the Kyrians are ignored, and he is told he could be held accountable for war crimes when he presents his story to the Commission of Arbiters. The Doctor states, however, that a presently non-functional Starfleet medical tricorder would settle the issue of who killed Tedran.
After fending off an angry mob of Vaskans intent on destroying what they now know to be a museum of false history, the Doctor initially wishes to abandon his quest to set the record straight and says that the truth may cause more harm and violence. Quarren objects, saying that the tension between the Kyrian and Vaskan cultures has already reached the breaking point. Quarren stresses that both races on his planet need to hear the truth about the real course of events on Voyager. This persuades the Doctor to continue searching for the tricorder.
The episode ends an indeterminate number of years later, as the museum's new curator explains that the two species finally made peace thanks to the Doctor's efforts, with Quarren living long enough to see peace made. Following the peace, the Doctor served as the surgical chancellor for the Kyrians and Vaskans for many years, but eventually he took a ship and departed for Earth, saying that "he had a longing for home".
ReceptionEdit
In 2012, Den of Geek ranked "Living Witness" the second best episode of Star Trek: Voyager, behind "Year of Hell".[2]
SyFy ranked "Living Witness" as one of the top ten episodes of Star Trek: Voyager in 2015.[3]
In a 2016 article highlighting the best episode from each Star Trek series, Digital Trends gave "Living Witness" an honorable mention.[4] TrekNews.net ranked this the second best episode of Star Trek: Voyager, in 2016.[5]
In 2017, Space.com rated "Living Witness" as the 6th best Star Trek episode overall out of its seven hundred plus episodes.[6]The Hollywood Reporter rated "Living Witness" the 3rd best episode of Star Trek: Voyager,[7] and the 34th best episode of Star Trek overall.[8] In 2012, Den of Geek ranked this the 2nd best episode of Star Trek: Voyager, noting the "evil Voyager" segment as entertaining.[9]
In 2017, Den of Geek ranked actor Henry Woronicz as the character featured in this episode, Quarren, as the 7th best guest star on Star Trek: Voyager.[10]
In 2017, Vulture listed this episode as one of the best of Star Trek: Voyager.[11]
In 2019, CBR rated "Living Witness" the 6th best 'holodeck' episode of the Star Trek franchise.[12]
In 2020, The Digital Fix said this was a "superb episode" for Robert Picardo's AI doctor.[13]
In 2020, ScreenRant said this was the 7th best episode of Star Trek: Voyager, based on an IMDB rating of 8.8 out of 10.[14]
In 2021, Ancient World Magazine noted this episode for subverting the expectations of those that are familiar with the show, and for exploring the relationship between history and the present.[15]
ReferencesEdit
^"Star Trek: Every Actor Who Also Directed Episodes Or Movies". ScreenRant. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
^"Top 10 Star Trek: Voyager episodes". Den of Geek. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
^Granshaw, Lisa (2015-01-16). . SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on 2019-02-23. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
^"The Best Star Trek Episodes from Every Series". www.digitaltrends.com. December 2016. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
living, witness, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, august, 20. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Living Witness news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Living Witness is the 91st episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek Voyager the 23rd episode of the fourth season This episode takes place in 3100s when an AI program called The Doctor played by Robert Picardo is re activated by aliens Living Witness Star Trek Voyager episodeEpisode no Season 4Episode 23Directed byTim RussStory byBrannon BragaTeleplay byBryan FullerBrannon BragaJoe MenoskyFeatured musicDennis McCarthyProduction code191Original air dateApril 29 1998 1998 04 29 Guest appearancesHenry Woronicz Quarren Rod Arrants Daleth Craig Richard Nelson Vaskan Arbiter Marie Chambers Kyrian Arbiter Brian Fitzpatrick Tedran Morgan H Margolis Vaskan Rioter Timothy Davis Reed Kyrian Spectator Mary Anne McGarry Tabris Steve Silverie Vaskan SpectatorEpisode chronology Previous Unforgettable Next Demon Star Trek Voyager season 4 List of episodesThe events from Voyager s time in the Delta Quadrant in the 2370s are viewed through the eyes of history as museum spectators observe recreations of the past nearly 700 years after the initial events A backup of the Doctor s program is found and reactivated allowing him to set the record straight The episode deals with the topic of historical revisionism and is considered by critics as one of Voyager s best episodes This episode was directed by Tim Russ who also plays Tuvok on the series 1 Contents 1 Setting 2 Plot 3 Reception 4 References 5 External linksSetting EditThe episode is partly a review of events in 2374 partly the experiences of a copy of the Doctor s hologram program in the year 3074 and partly a review of these two time periods by historians in an unspecified more distant future Plot EditThe episode opens with a scene on the warship Voyager an alternate Voyager with a brutal sadistic crew The Vaskan ambassador requests their military aid against their enemies the Kyrians but the crew goes above and beyond what is necessary committing genocide against them with biological weapons and executing the Kyrian revolutionary hero Tedran The scene is then revealed to be a recreation by a Kyrian museum exhibit seven hundred years later In the actual course of events Captain Janeway had agreed to provide the Vaskans with medical supplies in exchange for dilithium crystals Tedran and the Kyrians boarded Voyager to stop the deal which they thought was a military alliance During their time on the ship they stole a data module carrying a backup copy of the Doctor Quarren Henry Woronicz the curator at the museum has found the Doctor s backup module three weeks prior He is able to activate it using Voyager s own tools The Doctor upon seeing this biased simulation of history is appalled and offers to show Quarren the correct version of events Initially the Doctor s claims that Voyager was unfairly depicted by the Kyrians are ignored and he is told he could be held accountable for war crimes when he presents his story to the Commission of Arbiters The Doctor states however that a presently non functional Starfleet medical tricorder would settle the issue of who killed Tedran After fending off an angry mob of Vaskans intent on destroying what they now know to be a museum of false history the Doctor initially wishes to abandon his quest to set the record straight and says that the truth may cause more harm and violence Quarren objects saying that the tension between the Kyrian and Vaskan cultures has already reached the breaking point Quarren stresses that both races on his planet need to hear the truth about the real course of events on Voyager This persuades the Doctor to continue searching for the tricorder The episode ends an indeterminate number of years later as the museum s new curator explains that the two species finally made peace thanks to the Doctor s efforts with Quarren living long enough to see peace made Following the peace the Doctor served as the surgical chancellor for the Kyrians and Vaskans for many years but eventually he took a ship and departed for Earth saying that he had a longing for home Reception EditIn 2012 Den of Geek ranked Living Witness the second best episode of Star Trek Voyager behind Year of Hell 2 SyFy ranked Living Witness as one of the top ten episodes of Star Trek Voyager in 2015 3 In a 2016 article highlighting the best episode from each Star Trek series Digital Trends gave Living Witness an honorable mention 4 TrekNews net ranked this the second best episode of Star Trek Voyager in 2016 5 In 2017 Space com rated Living Witness as the 6th best Star Trek episode overall out of its seven hundred plus episodes 6 The Hollywood Reporter rated Living Witness the 3rd best episode of Star Trek Voyager 7 and the 34th best episode of Star Trek overall 8 In 2012 Den of Geek ranked this the 2nd best episode of Star Trek Voyager noting the evil Voyager segment as entertaining 9 In 2017 Den of Geek ranked actor Henry Woronicz as the character featured in this episode Quarren as the 7th best guest star on Star Trek Voyager 10 In 2017 Vulture listed this episode as one of the best of Star Trek Voyager 11 In 2019 CBR rated Living Witness the 6th best holodeck episode of the Star Trek franchise 12 In 2020 The Digital Fix said this was a superb episode for Robert Picardo s AI doctor 13 In 2020 ScreenRant said this was the 7th best episode of Star Trek Voyager based on an IMDB rating of 8 8 out of 10 14 In 2021 Ancient World Magazine noted this episode for subverting the expectations of those that are familiar with the show and for exploring the relationship between history and the present 15 References Edit Star Trek Every Actor Who Also Directed Episodes Or Movies ScreenRant 2021 04 09 Retrieved 2021 05 11 Top 10 Star Trek Voyager episodes Den of Geek 3 October 2012 Retrieved 2019 07 02 Granshaw Lisa 2015 01 16 20 years later Our top 10 episodes of Star Trek Voyager SYFY WIRE Archived from the original on 2019 02 23 Retrieved 2019 02 23 The Best Star Trek Episodes from Every Series www digitaltrends com December 2016 Retrieved 2019 06 05 Michelle 2016 02 23 10 Best Star Trek Voyager Episodes TREKNEWS NET Retrieved 2019 06 11 Entertainment Elizabeth Howell 2017 09 20T16 19 28Z 20 September 2017 The 10 Best Star Trek Episodes Ever Space com Year of Hell Star Trek Voyager The 15 Greatest Episodes The Hollywood Reporter 23 September 2016 Retrieved 2019 02 21 E2 Star Trek 100 Greatest Episodes The Hollywood Reporter 8 September 2016 Top 10 Star Trek Voyager episodes Den of Geek 3 October 2012 Retrieved 2019 06 06 Star Trek Voyager 10 Great Guest Performances Den of Geek Retrieved 2019 07 11 permanent dead link Bastien Angelica Jade 2017 09 25 A Beginner s Guide to the Star Trek Universe Vulture Retrieved 2019 07 28 Star Trek Ranking the 20 Best Holodeck Episodes CBR 2019 01 04 Retrieved 2019 03 26 Star Trek Voyager Revisited Season Four Television The Digital Fix 2020 07 23 Retrieved 2021 03 22 Star Trek Voyager Top Rated Episodes According To IMDb ScreenRant 2020 04 19 Retrieved 2021 04 08 Brouwers Josho 4 March 2021 Living witness Constructing the past on Star Trek Voyager Ancient World Magazine Retrieved 2021 03 27 External links Edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Living Witness Living Witness at IMDb Living Witness at Memory Alpha Living Witness at StarTrek com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Living Witness amp oldid 1175259414, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
