if I had a nickel for every time star trek had an episode about a new unique life form being created by another of its unique kind that acts as a parental figure, who even though they themselves still haven't grasped humanity fully, teaches this new person to the best of their ability, only for the episode to end in tragedy by having the life form die as a direct result of their experiences and progression as a sentient being......
well, I would only have 2 nickels... but I would also have enough psychological damage to make a tumblr post!
Chakotay is like “it’s not everyday we go looking for the Borg” sir have you been on the ship? This woman was Fear’s sleep paralysis demon. This woman spat in the queens face. She *frequently* looks for the Borg. Her goal in life is to save Seven and also fuck with the most powerful beings in the universe.
I really like the depth that "Drone" (S05E02, Stardate UNKNOWN) gives Seven to explore, and the introduction of One as a new face onboard Voyager. The pacing could benefit from a shorter intro to One so the finale could breathe more, but the heart is all there.
Tuvix was realistic. When characters need to die for the story, it's easy to write 'and they agreed that they should die.' In reality the will to live would be strong. Self-sacrifice is the easy way out of your writing pickle. A cop out to spare your other characters, really.
When you go the more dramatic route you run the risk of an infantile audience refusing to move past it for thirty years and ruining it for the rest of us, but oh well.