I don't think there has has yet been a Trek episode as directly about suicide and specifically suicidal thoughts as Extreme Risk. And it honestly makes sense that someone as passionate as Torres would be the one to have such thoughts. They also really paint Tom as being totally out of touch as he excitedly builds his new space hotrod while his girlfriend keeps trying to kill herself on the holodeck. Also, it seems like there should be some sort of algorithm in the ship that lets the captain know like every single time someone turns off the safety protocol on the holodeck. There should be some space forms you have to fill out or something. Kinda strange that this is the episode where they introduce the Delta Flyer, but at least it isn't something that came out of the blue. Well, the specific idea did, but the idea that Tom wants to build something to tinker with has been clear for at least a season or two.
We open with B'Elanna in a shuttle in some sort of protective suit. She orders the pilot to fly higher before opening the door and jumping out. Oh, but before that she turns off the safety protocols. She is interrupted by a call to engineering but on the way runs into Seven who is surprised when Torres tells Seven to take over the project and returns to her quarters. Meanwhile the Malon have caught one of Voyagers new probes in a tractor beam and Janeway is worried they will get their hands on the borg shielding it has so she orders the probe to disrupt the tractor beam and fly into a gas giant. The Malon ship follows it in and is destroyed. The probe is now stuck in the gas giant though and more Malon are on there way to try and get it. Janeway calls a meeting and Paris convinces them all to let him build his new shuttle design. Seven and Harry are excited to help and Torres, while quiet, also pitches in.
In a holodeck they are working on the new ship design and Tuvok has to reign in Paris' plans to make the ship actually look like a hot rod. Torres leaves to work on the thrusters but instead goes to a different holodeck and turns it on without the safeties to go fight Cardassians. Seven discovers the Malon are also working on a shuttle to go after the probe and the race is on. Torres leaves the group while they are working on a hull fracturing problem and heads to the holodeck where she simulates it without the safeties and passes out. Chakotay tries to reach her on the coms and finds her in the holodeck unconscious and takes her to sickbay. After she wakes up Janeway shows up and demands to know what is going on but B'Elanna won't talk about it so she is relieved of duty.
Chakotay visits Torres and practically has to drag her into the holodeck to check out one of her programs. It turns out to be a cave full of dead Maquis, friends of theirs who were killed by the Dominion. She breaks down and admits she keeps risking her life because she feels that she can't feel any more and this is her way of trying to again. He tries to convince her she has a new family but she doesn't seem certain. The Malon attack Voyager to distract from their shuttle launch so Janeway orders the Flyer to launch as well. Chakotay heads down to help with the hull fracture problem but Torres catches him in the hall and convinces him to let her go. They manage to get the probe but the hull actually breaches and the only thing that saves them all is Torres' jury rigged forcefield.
Review: A bit tonally dissonant, but not a bad way to examine what it is like to have someone you care about not care about life any more. Maybe shouldn't have had Torres way of proving she wasn't suicidal be having her risk her own and a bunch of other peoples lives on a hella dangerous mission.
6 out of 10
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