Interesting episode that I really wanted to like and while I did like the overall story and the build up, however bottom line I like satisfying endings and that's where things fell short. Good or bad I don't care, as long as it leaves you with something
I love Seven's character and other than her good looks she brings a lot of intrigue to the show, so the thing that just rubs me the wrong way is her getting the short end of the stick lately. Previously tensions build in the Hunters & pray episodes where she goes head to head with Janeway, ends up saving the ship from certain destruction, but gets punished and disappoints the captain in the process. Finally we have Retrospect which is basically a rape episode, similar to the kidney thieves urban legend. There's no doubt in my mind that Kovin violated her and took the nano probes, none at all. Her fully regained memories looked genuine and pretty clear and don't show any evidence of it being a transposed memory from a previous experience.
Now no evidence to support the crime and show irrefutable proof of the violation is basically the same as a woman accusing a man of raping her where the evidence cannot be conclusively determined, it's the same thing. In this case though we know Seven's character would never falsely accuse someone of this crime, and Kovin certainly comes off as an unlikable shady arms dealer with potentially a huge motive in harvesting her nano probes for weapons use.
What nobody here mentions and what I don't get is why Tuvok never offered to mind meld with Seven. While his Meld probably would not be admissible as evidence, you would still think it would be a good way for him to at least corroborate her story, or if it indeed was a transposed and previous memory he would be able to help make her aware of that and further seek the truth. But they obviously want to leave this episode wishy washy and right in the middle. In the end did Kovin deserve to die if he was guilty? No, but he escapes, runs, and then almost destroys Voyager when cornered. Those are certainly not the acts of a falsely accused person, especially after they tell him the evidence is now in his favor. The episode leaves you thinking Seven got raped, and has the weight of his death on her shoulders. Pretty empty and weak...
I love Seven's character and other than her good looks she brings a lot of intrigue to the show, so the thing that just rubs me the wrong way is her getting the short end of the stick lately. Previously tensions build in the Hunters & pray episodes where she goes head to head with Janeway, ends up saving the ship from certain destruction, but gets punished and disappoints the captain in the process. Finally we have Retrospect which is basically a rape episode, similar to the kidney thieves urban legend. There's no doubt in my mind that Kovin violated her and took the nano probes, none at all. Her fully regained memories looked genuine and pretty clear and don't show any evidence of it being a transposed memory from a previous experience.
Now no evidence to support the crime and show irrefutable proof of the violation is basically the same as a woman accusing a man of raping her where the evidence cannot be conclusively determined, it's the same thing. In this case though we know Seven's character would never falsely accuse someone of this crime, and Kovin certainly comes off as an unlikable shady arms dealer with potentially a huge motive in harvesting her nano probes for weapons use.
What nobody here mentions and what I don't get is why Tuvok never offered to mind meld with Seven. While his Meld probably would not be admissible as evidence, you would still think it would be a good way for him to at least corroborate her story, or if it indeed was a transposed and previous memory he would be able to help make her aware of that and further seek the truth. But they obviously want to leave this episode wishy washy and right in the middle. In the end did Kovin deserve to die if he was guilty? No, but he escapes, runs, and then almost destroys Voyager when cornered. Those are certainly not the acts of a falsely accused person, especially after they tell him the evidence is now in his favor. The episode leaves you thinking Seven got raped, and has the weight of his death on her shoulders. Pretty empty and weak...