Barge of the Dead

"Barge of the Dead" is an episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It is the third episode of the sixth season and was first broadcast by UPN on October 6, 1999. "Barge of the Dead" was developed from a story by Ronald D. Moore and Bryan Fuller. Fuller wrote the teleplay, which was directed by Mike Vejar. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet and Maquis crew of the starship USS Voyager after they are stranded in the Delta Quadrant, far from the rest of the Federation.

In this episode, the half-Klingon, half-human B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) has a near-death experience and is sent to the Klingon version of Hell known as Gre'thor. There she encounters her mother Miral (Karen Austin), who is damned because of Torres' refusal to fully accept her identity as a Klingon. After being resuscitated by the Voyager crew, Torres becomes intent on revisiting Gre'thor to save her mother. The episode also guest stars Eric Pierpoint as Kortar, who ferries the souls of the dishonored on the Barge of the Dead, and Sherman Augustus as the deceased Klingon Hij'Qa.

Moore originally developed the episode as part of a pitch for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Soldiers of the Empire". Even though his idea was rejected, it was later produced as an episode for Star Trek: Voyager. Following the episode's completion, both Moore and Fuller left the series because of dissatisfaction with their lack of control over its direction, and the absence of strong story arcs across multiple episodes. "Barge of the Dead" was one of several episodes that addressed Torres' strained relationship with her parents and her Klingon heritage. Scholars have differing opinions as to the inspiration behind Gre'thor, with several critics connecting the setting and ideology to Norse and Greek mythology as well as Catholic ideas on Satan. The episode received a Nielsen rating of 3.8/6 ratings share; a drop from the episode broadcast the previous week. Critical response to the episode was mixed; some television critics praised the focus on Torres and Dawson's performance, while others were more critical of the representation of Klingon spirituality.

Plot

While returning from an away mission, B'Elanna Torres encounters interference from an ion storm which results in a concussion. Commander Chakotay finds a Klingon artifact lodged inside Torres' shuttlecraft, which Torres notices emitting blood and voices speaking in Klingon. Morale officer Neelix plans a celebration of the discovery of the object, believing it originates from the Alpha Quadrant and proves USS Voyager is getting closer to home; Torres resists the proposal for a party. She consults with Security Chief Tuvok, who believes her negative response to the object stems from her hatred of her Klingon heritage. Tuvok assaults Torres with a bat'leth, saying she is not a true Klingon. While attending the festivities in the mess hall, Torres notices the Doctor and Seven of Nine singing Klingon Drinking Songs and Tom Paris eating Klingon cuisine. After witnessing several Klingon warriors killing the crew, she falls and finds herself aboard a boat. Torres discovers that she is being transported to Gre'thor, and learns that her mother Miral was placed aboard the Barge of the Dead as a dishonored soul.

Torres, who was in a coma the entire time, is resuscitated by Paris and the Doctor; she had almost died from the accident in the ion storm. Chakotay believes that Torres' encounter with her mother was a hallucination prompted from her near-death experience, but she believes it was real. Torres believes that her mother is being punished for her daughter's dishonor, stating that she must return to the Barge of the Dead to rescue her. Captain Kathryn Janeway permits Torres to put herself in an induced coma, with the Doctor monitoring the procedure. After being placed in a coma, Torres successfully returns to Gre'thor. She reunites with her mother, but they argue on whether or not she has truly embraced Klingon spirituality. Miral responds by telling her that she does not understand what it truly means to be a Klingon. After their conversation, Torres decides to take her mother's place in Gre'thor; even though Miral resists the transference, she is allowed to move on Sto-vo-kor while Torres is escorted further into Gre'thor. She discovers that Voyager is her version of Gre'thor, and is confronted by alternate versions of the crew. Miral informs Torres that she cannot release her into Sto-vo-kor until she completes her journey. Torres surrenders when confronted by Tuvok, which Miral identifies as the first step in her path. Miral informs her that they will reunite either in Sto-vo-kor or when Torres returns home. Torres is resuscitated and embraced by Janeway.

Production

Ronald D. Moore originally pitched the idea for "Barge of the Dead" as a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode before it was produced for Star Trek: Voyager.

The 43-minute, 56-second episode^[1] was developed from a story by Ronald D. Moore and Bryan Fuller. Fuller wrote the teleplay, which was directed by Mike Vejar.^[2][3] David Bell edited the music, and Richard D. James was the production designer.^[3] The concept for the episode developed from Moore's failed pitch for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Soldiers of the Empire", where he proposed that the starship Rotarran would travel to Gre'thor. Moore's idea was rejected as "too philosophical for this late in the season".^[4] Moore only contributed to two episodes in the Star Trek: Voyager series, with the second being "Survival Instinct". While discussing why he left series, he said that he wanted to further develop more of its story arcs and characters, particularly focusing on the "internal strife among people trapped aboard ship(s) without any reasonable hope of finding sanctuary anytime soon".^[5]

Fuller also left Star Trek: Voyager after the completion of the episode, citing disappointment over his lack of control over the show's direction.^[6] He said that he "began to get itchy and wanting to tell stories with a little more emotional depth", and disliked how syndication discouraged longer story arcs spanning multiple episodes.^[6] Fuller's episodes frequently focused on "character development through adversity". ExtremeTech's Joel Hruska wrote that the show's later seasons would typically feature Seven of Nine, the Doctor, and Janeway to the detriment of the rest of the cast, while Fuller would draw more attention to the more underused characters.^[7] While discussing the episode, actress Roxann Dawson described the storyline as a "classic Star Trek story" due to its focus on family.^[8]

TrekToday's Edward James Hines identified "Barge of the Dead" as the final part of a "probably unplanned 'Torres Trilogy'", which also included the episodes "Day of Honor" and "Extreme Risk". Each one was broadcast as the third episode of their respective seasons; Hines viewed each installment of the trilogy as being linked by Torres' fear of death. He wrote that the episode showed how Torres becomes "responsible to herself and to others - no matter the risk - while choosing to live".^[9] Writer Paul Ruditis viewed the emphasis on Torres' "duality of nature" as leading to the development of several episodes prominently showcasing her character, including "Barge of the Dead".^[10] Ruditis connected Torres' storyline to Seven of Nine's in "Survival Instinct", writing that they both "deal with issues of life and death, with dramatic results". He referred to "Barge of the Dead" and "Survival Instinct" as "equally dark episodes".^[11] "Barge of the Dead" was also one of two episodes that featured Torres' relationship with her parents, with the season seven episodes "Lineage" and "Author, Author" resolving her estrangement from her father.^[10][12]

"Barge of the Dead" was the first episode to provide a detailed account of Gre'thor, which was only referenced in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The title was developed from "the Klingon belief that the dead travel to Gre'thor on a barge steered by a ferryman". Scholars Ross Kraemer, William Cassidy, and Susan L Schwartz interpreted the representation of Gre'thor and Klingon spirituality as borrowing from Norse and Greek mythology, specifically the crossing of the rainbow bridge Bifröst or the river Styx. They felt that the episode mirrored the Star Trek: The Next Generation season six episode "Rightful Heir" by not providing a clear answer whether Torres' experiences in the Klingon afterlife were real or part of a hallucination.^[13] Scholar Victor Grech, however, interpreted Torres' belief in the Klingon mythological figure Fek'lhr, who tortures the souls of the dishonored, as being in line with Catholic ideas on Satan.^[14]

Broadcast history and release

"Barge of the Dead" was first broadcast on October 6, 1999, on UPN at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time in the United States.^[15][16] The episode received a Nielsen rating of 3.8/6 ratings share; this placed it in 93rd place overall for the week. This marked a drop in viewership compared to the previous episode "Survival Instinct", which had earned a 3.9 rating.^[17]

The episode was first released for home media use on VHS in the United Kingdom, as part of a two-episode collection with "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy".^[18] It was released on DVD as part of the sixth season released on December 7, 2004.^[19] It was the only Star Trek: Voyager episode included on the DVD compilation Star Trek Fan Collective - Klingon, which was released on August 1, 2006.^[20] The episode was also available on numerous streaming video on demand services, such as Amazon Video,^[21] iTunes,^[1] Hulu,^[22] and Netflix.^[23]

Critical reception

Some television critics responded positively to Dawson's performance and the episode's focus on Torres. "Barge of the Dead" was praised as one of the show's best episodes by Jamahl Epsicokhan of Jammer's Reviews, writing that it brought further development to Torres' character. Describing it as a "hugely successful thought piece," Epsicokhan commended the episode's use of symbolism and imagery to convey Torres' internal struggle with her identity.^[24] Matthew Martin of Cult of Whatever referenced "Barge of the Dead" as "the best B'Elanna episode in the whole show".^[25] IGN's Peter Schorn wrote that the episode was "[a]nchored by Dawson's panicked performance," and praised the focus on the character's internal conflict.^[26] While reviewing the episode as a part of the "Torres Trilogy", Edward James Hines praised it as "impressively manag[ing] to weave an evolving story of personal exploration"; he wrote that all the episodes involved in the trilogy left a "legacy of imaginative, gut-wrenching storytelling".^[9]

The episode's representation of Klingon mythology garnered negative reviews from critics. TrekTodays Michelle Erica Green responded positively to the performances by Dawson, Tim Russ, and Kate Mulgrew, but felt that the storyline bore too many similarities to those from earlier Star Trek installments and the 1990 film Flatliners.^[27] Hines, of the same publication, was disappointed by the absence of Fek'lhr and was critical of the parallels between Miral and Janeway, believing certain sequences would have been more effective without Janeway present.^[9] Ranking it at number thirteen out of the twenty-two Star Trek episodes written by Fuller, Blastr's Dany Roth praised the writer's attempt to better address Torres as a character, but felt his approach to the afterlife and spirituality were too direct and literal.^[6] John Andrews of Den of Geek responded positively to the episode's emphasis on Torres and Klingon mythology, but felt that it was "still pretty hokey".^[28] Author Sierra S. Adare criticized Chakotay's attitude toward Torres, writing "[n]o Native person would ever dismiss another's visions as hallucinations or tell them to ignore their religious beliefs". She cited it as one instance in which the series represented Chakotay as "the quintessential Tonto in outer space".^[29]

References

Citations

Book sources

External links

• "Barge of the Dead" on IMDb
• "Barge of the Dead" at TV.com

• "Barge of the Dead" at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)

• "Barge of the Dead" at StarTrek.com