Synopsis: A telepathic alien is able to control the minds of the Voyager crew by letting them see and live their hidden thoughts.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of how the Logos-driven rational conscious ego has the ability to confront bits of material from the Eros-driven irrational unconscious through what Carl (C. G.) Jung called complexes.
In “Persistence of Vision” Voyager travels into an area known as Botha Space. One of the first indications that something is not right on the ship is when the captain of the Bothan vessel hails Voyager and on the viewscreen he appears as someone different to everyone on the bridge. To Captain Kathryn Janeway he appears as her loving partner, Mark Johnson; to Lt. Tuvok, he appears as his wife, T’Pel, to Ensign Harry Kim, he appears as his girlfriend, Libby, and to Lt. Tom Paris, he appears as his father Admiral Paris. All of the loved ones communicate messages that have profound meaning to their counterparts. The Bothan also unleashes some hidden desires among the crew. However, Kes, who has telepathic abilities of her own, is able to fend off the alien telepathic control and sees him for who he is. The Bothan’s influence is withdrawn from the crew, yet Janeway tells Lt. B’Elanna Torres at the end of the episode that perhaps it is a good thing to confront these inner feelings rather than to always suppress them.
The visions that appear to the Voyager crew can be compared to what happens when an individual is in the throes of a feeling-toned complex. One cannot help themselves but to respond to it. And often it is difficult for the conscious ego to even acknowledge the bits of unconscious material that it is made aware of through the complex, however the appearance of complexes can be seen as learning opportunities instead of negative experiences. This is reflected in the conversation in which Janeway tells Torres that it can be good to examine our feelings rather than to bury them. And when this occurs in the psyche, the conscious ego acknowledges and integrates into itself the bits of unconscious material to become stronger, and the psyche more whole.
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