The Thaw

This Story: Season 2 Episode 23 (production code 139)
VOY Overall: Episode 39
Trek Overall: Story 470, Episode 495
Airdate: 29 Apr 1996
Story by Richard Gadas
Teleplay by Joe Menosky
Directed by Marvin V. Rush

Notes

• Running fired torpedo count: 11 (7 this episode) / Confirmed crew deaths since pilot: 7 (crew of 147).
• The primary guest star here is Michael McKean, who plays “The Clown”. I know him from any number of things, but mostly the Spinal Tap franchise (David St. Hubbins), and his time on Saturday Night Live.
• The opening scene with Harry & Tom talking was filmed for the episode “Death Wish“, but was cut and held over for here.
• Thomas Kopache plays Viorsa here.  He was also Mirok in TNG’s “The Next Phase“, a train engineer in TNG’s “Emergence“, Tos (a Vulcan) in Enterprise’s “Broken Bow“, a test subject in Enterprise’s “Harbinger“, the Enterprise-B’s communications officer in Star Trek Generations, and finally Kira Nerys’ father Taban in two DS9 episodes – “Ties of Blood and Water” & “Wrongs Darker than Death or Night“.
• The Spectre was played by Carel Struycken.  He was also Lwxana Troi’s assistant “Mr. Homn” in five episodes of TNG.  He was also Lurch in the early 90’s Addams Family movies.
• “Deep Space 12” was name checked. Glad it wasn’t just DS9 again.  :)
• The device that held the people in statis really reminds me of a similar device from the Doctor Who story “Shada“.

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