Star Trek: Cold Fire

Episode: "Cold Fire"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 2, Episode 10

Original Air Date: November 13, 1995

via Memory Alpha

Our heroes meet Suspiria, the Nacene companion of the Caretaker, the higher being who first stranded Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, setting the stage for Voyager's adventures in the pilot episode.  Janeway and company hope that Suspiria will help them find their way back home.  Unfortunately, Suspiria bears a grudge, believing our friends murdered the Caretaker.

There's more.  Suspiria inhabits an array, similar to but smaller than the one the Caretaker had occupied.  Like her mate, she is the protector of a community of Ocampa.  To this point, Kes had believed that none of her people had traveled beyond their own world.  Not only did this group leave but they are thriving, having extended the Ocampa life to as long as 20 years - Kes had previously believed nine to be the limit.  Tanis, the community's emissary, takes an interest in Kes, training her in her telekinetic powers and encouraging her to stay with them permanently.

This feels better - the strongest episode in a while.  The narrative focuses are relatively simple ones: explore an opportunity to get home faster, expand the character of Kes.  That's enough to manage for one chapter.  The story takes darker turns towards the end with some B-movie horror film elements.  Wasn't Voyager supposed to be the more lighthearded show?  

The Kes story is the better one.  To this point in the series, it's no stretch at all to say that the Doctor and Kes are the two most interesting principal characters and both seem to offer plentiful narrative avenues moving forward.  With "Cold Fire," I would say Kes noses into the lead.  Her relationship with the annoying Neelix is still the liability in her thread.  At least he came off as a more supportive boyfriend this time.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Gary Graham played the role of Tanis.  Graham was born in Long Beach, California, June 6, 1950.  

Science fiction television was especially kind to Graham.  His biggest role was Detective Matthew Sikes in the Alien Nation franchise.  Beyond the TV series, he led five Alien Nation TV movies.  "Cold Fire" was his first of eleven Trek appearances, most of them as Soval on Enterprise.  Films include The Hollywood Knights, All the Right Moves and Robot Jox.

I don't think I would have liked Gary Graham's politics.  He was a contributor to the far-right website Breitbart News.  

Graham passed away in January 2024 from cardiac arrest.