Extreme Risk

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

Tom Paris designs a new type of shuttlecraft named the “Delta Flyer” with Borg and Starfleet technologies to retrieve a Starfleet probe stuck in a giant planet’s hazardous atmosphere and gravity well before aliens do. Torres exhibits reckless behavior by engaging in dangerous holodeck programs, such as orbital sky diving; her erratic behavior over several months comes to a peak and alarms her crewmates.

Our Take

This one splits its time between a decent engineering race against rival salvagers and a heavier Torres story that actually earns its emotional payoff. The holodeck risk-taking scenes land better than the probe subplot, which feels like busywork with a ticking clock. Roxann Dawson does strong work here, and it’s worth watching for her arc alone, even if the action side is fairly routine.