Voyager encounters some Klingon cultists who think B’Elanna’s unborn child is their messiah, with a comedy B-plot about how Harry is a pussy because he doesn’t want to be raped.
On a superficial level, “Prophecy” is an enjoyable bit of Klingon nonsense that advances B’Elanna’s reconciliation with her mother’s culture, marred chiefly by an awful B-plot about Harry being sexually harassed by a Klingon woman.
And this is season seven of Star Trek: Voyager, so it’s probably a mistake to go beyond the superficial, but…
Okay. Voyager runs into a Klingon generation ship whose crew are religious cultists seeking a messiah and a homeland, and who carry a disease they keep secret until B’Elanna and her child are infected.
It’s not Voyager‘s first time, or even fifth time, positioning people without a home/homeland as inherently deceptive, but then you add the virus and the messiah talk, and all of a sudden you have multiple antisemitic tropes.
I don’t think this is intentional, because if nothing else, there are SIX separate writers credited on this episode, and once that many people are involved, you’re lucky if you get a semi-coherent story. But Star Trek has dabbled in antisemitism before, and while this was being made, preparation was underway for the launch of Enterprise, arguably the most antisemitic of any Star Trek. (A sinister cabal engineering a war to control/destroy the Federation? Yikes.)1
It’s a shame that the A story is marred by this subtext, because it’s interesting, and B’Elanna’s interactions with the Klingon captain are fascinating to watch. He himself may not be a true believer, but he’s willing to manipulate the truth to get his people to a new home, and he’s respectful of B’Elanna — if confused by her detachment from Klingon culture. (“Respect” is not the word I thought I was going to use about a relationship that begins when he interrogates her about the date of conception of her child, but life is full of surprises.)
Roxann Dawson and Wren T. Brown have interesting chemistry; it’s definitely not romantic or sexual, but it’s also not a paternal relationship. He brings out something new in her, which is exciting after seven seasons, and this is a much more sympathetic B’Elanna story than “Lineage”.
Then there’s the “comedy” b-plot
A Klingon woman takes an interest in Harry, who does not reciprocate; the Doctor is like, “Well, you can either fight her to the death or let her fuck you, and the captain’s not going to authorise a fight to the death.”
This is your standard “sexual harassment and assault are funny when they happen to men” garbage, and it’s meant to reflect poorly on Harry that he’s not into it. Thanks, I hate it!
Harry spends a few scenes skulking around, avoiding the woman, until Neelix realises what’s up and, uh, takes care of the situation. He is enthusiastically consenting, so the resolution is actually funny, but the path to get there is … not.
There’s also a comedy C-plot
With Voyager full to the brim with Klingon civilians, Neelix shares quarters with Tuvok, and eventually trashes them while having sex with his Klingon lady friend.
I’m sorry, this is genuinely hilarious and I wish we had more of that and less of everything with Harry.
Other observations
- The costume department are once again bringing their A game. They may be the only ones!
- “Why are Klingons misogynists?” Look, mate, I don’t even know. But this is a pretty consistent trait for the culture, and can be retconned as a backlash against the leadership of L’Rell and later Azetbur. Which is really very human of them.
- In the end, B’Elanna’s baby’s genes contain a cure for the virus. GOOD THING NO ONE MESSED WITH THEM, EH. I’m sorry, I just really do feel like maybe someone should … talk about that. One day.
- B’Elanna’s like, “Well, the prophecy says the baby’s father is of a noble house, and my husband’s just a normal guy,” but he’s a major Starfleet nepo baby, sooooooooooooo…
In conclusion
I can’t quite call this episode “harmless”, because oh my gosh, that subtext and that B-plot, but I also can’t call it inconsequential. It feels like a culmination of several threads of B’Elanna’s stories. Two and a half prophecies out of five.