Faces (Star Trek: Voyager)

“Faces” is the 14th episode of the first season of Star Trek: Voyager. In the episode, B’Elanna Torres is split into two parts by a Vidiian scientist. Voyager crew rescues Torres and restores her to her original state. She attempts to reconcile with her identity as a half-human half-Klingon.

About Faces (Star Trek: Voyager) in brief

Summary Faces (Star Trek: Voyager)“Faces” is the 14th episode of the first season of Star Trek: Voyager. The episode was first broadcast by UPN on May 8, 1995. In the episode, B’Elanna Torres is split into two parts by a Vidiian scientist. The Voyager crew rescues Torres and restores her to her original state. She attempts to reconcile with her identity as a half-human half-Klingon. “Faces” was generally well received, and the character and performance were praised. Its final sequence garnered negative reviews for the lack of empathy shown to Torres by the rest of Voyager’s crew. It has also been the subject of academic analysis on race. The episode received a Nielsen rating of 6. 110 ratings share; a drop from the episode broadcast the previous week. It is the only episode in the series that deals with the character B’ elanna Torres as a human and a Klingon. In an interview with The Official Star Trek Magazine, executive story editor Kenneth Biller said that the only similarity between the human and Klingon parts of the episode was a machine to separate the Klingon and human halves as well as a separate machine to keep the two halves apart. Biller also wrote the teleplay, which was directed by Winrich Kolbe. Actress Joy Kilpatrick was cast as Dawson’s photo double to avoid a reliance on split screen. She later identified it as one of her favorite performances, which deepened her understanding of her character and strengthened her acting.  The episode guest stars Rob LaBelle as an unnamed Talaxian prisoner.

He also appeared in the episode as a prisoner of the Vidiians, but he was released after the episode’s airing. The series follows the adventures of the Starfleet and Maquis crew of the starship USS Voyager after they are stranded in the Delta Quadrant, far from the other members of the Federation. Commander Chakotay, Security Chief Tuvok, and Ensign Harry Kim form a search party but are discovered by the Vdiians and beam back to the USS Voyager. Klingon Torres sacrifices herself to protect the other crew members from Sulan. Transported back to Voyager, Klingon Torres refuses medical help to die without her Klingon half. The Doctor explains that Human Torres would survive and restore her by reintegrating her Klingon DNA. After being restored, she realizes that she will spend the rest life dealing with her inner conflict with her half of her life. Human Torres suggests shutting down the shields for the complex so that Voyager can transport them to the ship, while the Klingon Torres deals with guards. After arguing about their respective weaknesses, and past expulsion from Starfleet Academy, the two half formulate a plan. The human version of Torres is kept imprisoned with Paris and Durst, and is deemed too ill to work in the mines. She secretly works on a security console in the barracks in an attempt to contact Voyager but is caught. The Klingon Torres expresses pride in her Klingon identity.