Cynical 'Muse' Review

Over at the Cynics Corner, David E. Sluss has put up his review of 'Muse', the most recent Voyager episode. In the review, he awards the episode an 8.0, calling it an "interesting, somewhat subversive episode." Here's one of the most interesting points from his review:

ALLEGORIES OF THE WEEK: One of Star Trek's strongest suits is often said to be its use of allegory to address timely issues in an indirect fashion, using sci-fi props to make controversial messages more palatable. The original series, for example, addressed racial intolerance ("Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"), the arms race ("A Private Little War"), and the Hippie Creep threat to American society ("The Way to Eden") in this manner. But this may be the first time that Star Trek has turned the "allegory thing" on itself, and the controversial message here seems to be "Star Trek is crap, and you're a sucker for watching it."

All of the symbols are there, if you're willing to look for them. The Old-Timer complains about the New Poets and their reliance on storytelling tricks and manipulation to move an audience, things that are bread and butter on Star Trek in general, and Voyager in particular, for years. The bloated oaf of a Patron (representing Berman? Paramount? Hardcore couch-potato Trekkies? Hard to say.) demands that new episodes be produced, even if they have to be hacked out on short notice. Kellas the Poet (representing Braga, I guess) uses an incredibly half-assed writing process which relies on cliche and deus ex machina endings (and I'd also note for what its worth that Kellas seems to enjoy the company of beautiful women, especially when they are tied up). Kellas and his troupe also seem to represent the fringes of Star Trek fandom, as they play-act Voyager's journeys, create masturbatory fanfic such as the Janeway/Chakotay and Seven/Paris trysts, and genuinely believe that their "play" represents a mindset that can improve the condition of the real world.

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