Voyager: “The Cloud” Review
As proven by Voyager’s “The Cloud”, not every episode requires an intricate story with emotionally charged twists and turns. Is the episode able to deliver genuine character moments instead?
Summary
Voyager’s crew is coping with being the only family of Humans in the Delta Quadrant. Janeway is struggling with whether a captain should maintain a distance from their crew or become more approachable and down-to-earth. She’s looking for a cup of coffee in Neelix’s kitchen when he offers her his own blend. The captain is put off by its gloopy consistency. She’s saved by a call from the bridge and leaves Neelix.
On the bridge, Janeway is informed that Voyager has discovered a nebula rich in omicron particles. They could provide a much-needed boost to the ship’s supply of antimatter. Janeway orders the ship to enter the nebula.
En route, Janeway and Chakotay discuss the current mental health and morale of the crew. Chakotay reveals a Native American tradition of finding and living with one’s spiritual animal guide and offers to help Janeway find hers.
After entering the nebula, Voyager encounters an energy barrier, through which the ship punches a hole. It closes behind the ship. Blobs of a strange compound attach themselves to the hull and are discovered to be draining energy from Voyager. The ship attempts another escape but runs into the energy barrier. Persevering, Voyager uses up a lot of resources during the escape attempt, which eventually succeeds.
At night, Paris takes Kim to the holodeck to show off a program representing a French pub called “Chez Sandríne”, which Paris frequented during his Academy days. The two Starfleet officers interact with some holographic characters, including a couple of women and a pool table hustler. They try to make their time in the holographic environment feel like home, but it obviously can’t make up for the real thing.
Meanwhile, Janeway takes Chakotay up on his offer, and he assists the captain in finding her animal guide, a lizard. Interrupting the ritual, Torres arrives and prompts Chakotay to tell Janeway that Torres is the only person he knows who has attempted to kill her animal guide. Torres informs them that the compound on the hull is organic.
The nebula is actually a lifeform, and the hole they caused is a wound, endangering the massive creature’s life. Torres comes up with a plan, and Janeway orders Voyager back into the organism. Upon re-entry, the ship is attacked by the lifeform’s bioelectric defenses. To get back to the wound, Voyager rides a flow of energy. The ship then patches up the wound, using itself as a sort of suture, and finally saves the creature’s life.
Later, in a turbolift, Kim invites Janeway to the holodeck, running the same program as before. They – along with various other crewmembers – end up playing pool, and Janeway proves to be a hustler at the sport.
Analysis
Voyager delivers another solid hour of standalone entertainment with “The Cloud”. Despite not having much of a story, the episode compensates with strong characterization and scenes that allow the actors to have fun moments. Unlike in “Parallax”, the clothesline effect – investigation of an anomaly providing a background to play character scenes against – works well with the moments this time around.
The “nebula that turns out to be a lifeform in space” trope works here because the audience can’t help but feel sorry for the creature as it is bleeding from the open wound that Voyager caused. The teamwork of the crew is showcased as, in true Starfleet fashion, they work together to correct their mistake and save the creature’s life. Plus, this lends itself to teaching the Voyager crew that not everything is as it seems when dealing with space.
Two really interesting scenes I love in this episode focus on the friendships amongst the crew. The first is on the holodeck with Paris and Kim. While the holodeck has become a go-to for filler episodes in the Star Trek franchise, I didn’t mind it so much here. Establishing information about Paris and Kim justified the scene’s inclusion. It’s nice to see the crew find time for rest and relaxation. One cannot help but enjoy witnessing the crew’s downtime. Second, I loved the animal guide meditation between Chakotay and Janeway. Injecting a bit of Native American spirituality and tradition adds depth to not only Chakotay’s ancestry but to the entire show too. Janeway’s childlike enthusiasm for learning about her animal guide deepened my fascination with her character. The scene also features a laugh-out-loud moment: Chakotay’s confession that Torres is the only person to have tried to kill her animal guide.
Since it focuses more on characterization than plot, I appreciated how “The Cloud” has room to give everyone (to varying degrees, of course) chances to shine. Although I’ve mentioned in previous reviews how Voyager’s focus on a couple of characters per episode is a good strategy, sometimes it’s wonderful to sit back and watch all of them be focused on.
“The Cloud” is fun and engaging, with its diverse characters taking turns to shine throughout the episode. Even during the more suspenseful moments, I felt at ease with the tone of this episode. Nothing felt rushed, allowing me to relax and feel connected to the characters. The episode is a testament to the humanity that the show highlights. The strong storytelling momentum of Voyager’s first season continues to thrive.
Nicholas discovered writing and has been perfecting his craft for over a decade. He fell in love with Star Trek in his teens and hasn’t left it since. In 2025, Nicholas received a BA in Political Science with a minor in English from UC Berkeley. Currently, he is pursuing his MA in English Literature from SF State University. He is working on a sci-fi novel that he describes as a “road trip in space.” He enjoys reading, writing, and watching TV shows and movies. When Nicholas isn’t working to further his education, he spends time with his wife and dog.