YMMV / Star Trek Voyager S 5 E 4 In The Flesh

• Aluminum Christmas Trees: Voyager discovers a space station where Species 8472 is preparing for an invasion of Earth based on their earlier, negative experiences with Voyager and the Borg, trying to pass themselves off as Starfleet officers. This was inspired by the Soviet Russian town of Winniza, which was allegedly a recreation of Middle America so spies could train on how to pass for American (which 20th-century aficionado Tom Paris explains to his crewmates).
• Broken Base: The episode's portrayal of Species 8472 is divisive. Some appreciate the subversion of what seemed like one-note Absolute Xenophobe alien race turning out to be reasonable and not all that different, allowing to result the conflict peacefully, and also acknowledging the implications of Voyager's decision to ally with the Borg against them in "Scorpion". Others feel the episode takes away their mystique and alienness, making them little different from average Star Trek aliens.
• Real Life Writes the Plot: There's a pretty good chance that peace with Species 8472 was an excuse to write them out of the show, due to the difficulty of their CGI animation.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Voyager stumbling on a plot by to infiltrate Starfleet by the most terrifying villain so far—the species that can obliterate the Borg, and have aimed to wipe out our entire universe—is one enthralling premise. And with the audience on the edge of their seat...it turns out to be an after school special about misunderstandings and trust.

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