Synopsis: Lt. Commander Tuvok suffers neurological trauma and temporarily losses his logic.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of one way the Logos-driven rational conscious ego becomes aware of bits of material from the Eros-driven irrational unconscious, a sudden eruption of unconscious material.
In “Riddles” Lt. Commander Tuvok is struck by an alien weapon and falls unconscious. The Doctor says he knows Tuvok has suffered neurological trauma, but that he is unable to treat him. Meanwhile, Deputy Investigator Naroq of Kesat Security arrives on Voyager to help her crew locate the aliens that attacked Tuvok, in the hope that they may help with a cure. Naroq tells Captain Kathryn Janeway that the aliens he thinks attacked Tuvok are the Baneth, known as the “Shadow People” (Doherty & Dawson, 1999). The Baneth are not officially recognized by his government, but other ships have been attacked by them in their quest for alien technology. Tuvok regains consciousness, but he is not himself. He has lost his logic. He smiles. Tuvok learns he likes to smile, and he learns to cook and likes that too. The Doctor then finds a way of treating Tuvok. Initially he doesn’t want to undergo the procedure, he is having too much fun. But eventually he does and returns to how he was before.
In this episode, when Tuvok is attacked by the Shadow People, it can be analogized to a trip to the underworld, or the ego being overwhelmed by the unconscious. This can happen and is why delving into the unconscious is best done with the guidance of an experienced analyst. There is a danger of not coming back, and here Tuvok nearly doesn’t. He has suppressed his emotions for so long that he is at first overwhelmed by them, and later doesn’t want to leave them behind. At the end of the episode, Tuvok does appear to return to his former self and to have regained his logic. This can be compared to a human conscious ego that is healthy enough to return from being overwhelmed by unconscious material and returns to suppressing it. But the ego never goes back to being completely unchanged, we will see in future episodes if Tuvok does.
Reference:
Doherty, R. (Writer), & Dawson R. (Director). (1999, November 3). Riddles (Season 6, Episode 6) [TV series episode]. In B. Braga & R. Berman (Executive Producers), Star trek: Voyager. Paramount Television.
mydailysoultrek 