Star Trek: Voyager- Best Episodes

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by greelywinger, Jan 15, 2011.

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  1. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    One episode which has always stood out for me, and doesn't appear to have been singled out, is
    Counterpoint. I love it because it's a game of wits between Janeway and a charming but deceptive and intelligent adversary, intermixed with an emotional edge that, at least on some level, felt genuine. Brilliant episode.
     
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  2. hogdaddy

    hogdaddy Active Member

    Location:
    alabama
    I recently watched all Star Trek series on Hulu TV. I enjoy them all hard to pick a favorite episode.
     
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  3. Laibach

    Laibach Forum Resident

    Thank you for starting this thread, Star Trek Voyager is what one would call an "underrated" series. It's a great show packed with action (some seasons more than others) and I admire Janeway for her determination and command of the ship.

    Janeway is not a popular character, most people loath (rather than applaud) her but in my opinion she has a virtue that all other captains, Kirk included, lack: she makes swift decisions. I personally think that a bad decision is preferable, is better, than no decision at all. Other captains doubt, procrastinate, linger on without taking bold decisions for fear of "alienating" either the crew or other third parties.

    Regarding the question of best episodes, unfortunately I have forgotten most of the names of episodes, but early on in the series, I recall that I preferred the "Tuvok episodes" while later on in the series I had a preference for the "Doctor episodes".

    Examples of Tuvok episodes are, for example, Tuvix, and some of the most brilliant episodes of the series are actually doctor episodes. For instance, the occasion when he met the Vidiian woman or the other occasion when he is beamed over to the Alpha quadrant and has to retake a Federation ship which had fallen under Romulan command, those are actually some of the finest moments of the series.
     
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  4. greelywinger

    greelywinger Osmondia Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dayton, Ohio USA
    Season 6

    121
    1 "Equinox, Part II" Unknown David Livingston Teleplay: Brannon Braga, Joe Menosky
    Story: Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Joe Menosky Various Wednesday,
    September 22, 1999 40840-221 3.8[6]
    The crew of the USS Equinox attempt to elude the USS Voyager in order to exploit the nucleogenic lifeforms in a bid to return home.
    122 2 "Survival Instinct" 53049.2 Terry Windell Ronald D. Moore Seven of Nine Wednesday,
    September 29, 1999 40840-222 3.9[6]
    Three Borg from Seven's past appear, and ask to be completely separated from the Collective.
    123 3 "Barge of the Dead" Unknown Mike Vejar Teleplay: Bryan Fuller
    Story: Ronald D. Moore, Bryan Fuller B'Elanna Torres Wednesday,
    October 6, 1999 40840-223 3.8[6]
    B'Elanna's shuttle is hit by an ion storm and she awakens to find herself among Klingons in the Barge of the Dead, on the way to Klingon Hell.
    124 4 "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy" Unknown John Bruno Teleplay: Joe Menosky
    Story: Bill Vallely The Doctor Wednesday,
    October 13, 1999 40840-224 3.5[6]
    The Doctor adds daydreaming to his program, imagining himself as the Emergency Command Hologram (ECH) aboard Voyager; but aliens, tapping into his perceptions to observe the crew, prepare an attack when they believe that what they are seeing in the daydreams is real.
    125 5 "Alice" Unknown David Livingston Teleplay: Bryan Fuller, Michael Taylor
    Story: Juliann deLayne Tom Paris Wednesday,
    October 20, 1999 40840-226 3.5[6]
    Tom Paris becomes obsessed with a salvaged alien shuttlecraft, which appears to have a mind of its own.
    126 6 "Riddles" 53263.2 Roxann Dawson Teleplay: Robert Doherty
    Story: André Bormanis Tuvok Wednesday,
    November 3, 1999 40840-227 3.4[6]
    Returning from a diplomatic mission Tuvok is attacked by a cloaked intruder and suffers neurological damage.
    127 7 "Dragon's Teeth" 53167.9 Winrich Kolbe Teleplay: Michael Taylor, Brannon Braga, Joe Menosky
    Story: Michael Taylor Various Wednesday,
    November 10, 1999 40840-225 3.6[6]
    Voyager discovers a network of subspace passageways, but is forced to land on a planet after being attacked.
    128 8 "One Small Step" 53292.7 Robert Picardo Teleplay: Mike Wollaeger, Jessica Scott, Bryan Fuller, Michael Taylor
    Story: Mike Wollaeger, Jessica Scott Various Wednesday,
    November 17, 1999 40840-228 3.7[6]
    Voyager is nearly hit by a mysterious subspace mass and the crew theorize that the debris of an ancient Earth–Mars ship is inside.
    129 9 "The Voyager Conspiracy" Unknown Terry Windell Joe Menosky Seven of Nine Wednesday,
    November 24, 1999 40840-229 3.6[6]
    After assimilating Voyager's data for the past six years, through an enhancement to her Borg implants, Seven of Nine suspects the ship did not arrive in the Delta Quadrant by accident.
    130 10 "Pathfinder" Unknown Mike Vejar Teleplay: David Zabel, Kenneth Biller
    Story: David Zabel Reg Barclay Wednesday,
    December 1, 1999 40840-230 4.0[6]
    Barclay gets over-involved with holographic recreations of the Voyager crew in his attempts to contact them. This episode also features Deanna Troi.
    131 11 "Fair Haven" Unknown Allan Kroeker Robin Burger Various Wednesday,
    January 12, 2000 40840-231 3.4[6]
    The crew enjoy a respite inside a holodeck creation designed by Tom Paris, while Voyager faces the threat of an oncoming storm in space.
    132 12 "Blink of an Eye" Unknown Gabrielle Beaumont Teleplay: Scott Miller, Joe Menosky
    Story: Michael Taylor Various Wednesday,
    January 19, 2000 40840-233 3.7[6]
    Voyager is trapped in orbit about a planet with a space-time differential such that, while its inhabitants live through years, Voyager experiences mere minutes.
    133 13 "Virtuoso" 53556.4 Les Landau Raf Green, Kenneth Biller The Doctor Wednesday,
    January 26, 2000 40840-234 3.7[6]
    Visiting aliens who have never before encountered music become fascinated with the Doctor's Opera singing, and ask him to leave Voyager and join their society.
    134 14 "Memorial" Unknown Allan Kroeker Teleplay: Robin Burger
    Story: Brannon Braga Various Wednesday,
    February 2, 2000 40840-236 3.8[6]
    Chakotay, Tom Paris, Harry Kim, and Neelix begin to experience horrific flashbacks after an away mission.
    135 15 "Tsunkatse" 53447.2 Mike Vejar Teleplay: Robert J. Doherty
    Story: Gannon Kenney Seven, Tuvok Wednesday,
    February 9, 2000 40840-232 4.1[6]
    Seven of Nine and Tuvok are kidnapped while on shore leave, and Seven is forced to fight in a gladiatorial contest to the death. (Guest stars Dwayne Johnson.)
    136 16 "Collective" Unknown Allison Liddi Teleplay: Michael Taylor
    Story: Andrew Shepard Price, Mark Gaberman Various Wednesday,
    February 16, 2000 40840-235 3.5[6]
    Chakotay, Kim, Paris, and Neelix are taken hostage when the Delta Flyer is captured by Borg children in a derelict Cube.
    137 17 "Spirit Folk" Unknown David Livingston Bryan Fuller Various Wednesday,
    February 23, 2000 40840-237 3.2[6]
    Problems arise from running the holographic Irish village of Fair Haven non-stop, when a malfunction leads the holographic characters to become self-aware.
    138 18 "Ashes to Ashes" 53679.4 Terry Windell Teleplay: Robert Doherty
    Story: Ronald Wilkerson Kim, Guest Wednesday,
    March 1, 2000 40840-238 3.4[6]
    A deceased crew member resurfaces, claiming to have been resurrected by an alien race who have since adopted her.
    139 19 "Child's Play" Unknown Mike Vejar Teleplay: Raf Green
    Story: Paul Brown Icheb Wednesday,
    March 8, 2000 40840-239 3.4[6]
    The family of Icheb, one of the Borg children, is found, but he is reluctant to rejoin them. Seven, too, is reluctant for him to leave the ship; and his parents are concealing the real reason for desiring his return.
    140 20 "Good Shepherd" 53753.2 Winrich Kolbe Teleplay: Dianna Gitto, Joe Menosky
    Story: Dianna Gitto Janeway, Guests Wednesday,
    March 15, 2000 40840-240 3.8[6]
    Three crew members who are under-performing are taken on a mission by Janeway.
    141 21 "Live Fast and Prosper" 53849.2 LeVar Burton Robin Burger Various Wednesday,
    April 19, 2000 40840-242 3.1[6]
    Con artists impersonate Janeway and Tuvok.
    142 22 "Muse" 53896 Mike Vejar Joe Menosky B'Elanna, Guests Wednesday,
    April 26, 2000 40840-244 3.3[6]
    Torres is stranded on a bronze-age planet after a crash in the Delta Flyer, where she helps a playwright adapt the story of Voyager to the stage. Also, Kim is missing in an escape pod.
    143 23 "Fury" Unknown John Bruno Teleplay: Bryan Fuller, Michael Taylor
    Story: Rick Berman, Brannon Braga Kes Wednesday,
    May 3, 2000 40840-241 3.4[6]
    A much older and more powerful Kes returns to Voyager, and attempts to travel back in time to change her history.
    144 24 "Life Line" Unknown Terry Windell Teleplay: Robert Doherty, Raf Green, Brannon Braga
    Story: John Bruno, Robert Picardo The Doctor Wednesday,
    May 10, 2000 40840-243 3.7[6]
    The Doctor's creator, Lewis Zimmerman, is dying in the Alpha Quadrant from a disease similar to the Vidiian phage. The Doctor's compressed matrix is transferred to Zimmerman's lab on the Jupiter station, to assist Mr. Barclay and Counselor Troi in attempting to treat the illness.
    145 25 "The Haunting of Deck Twelve" Unknown David Livingston Teleplay: Mike Sussman, Kenneth Biller, Bryan Fuller
    Story: Mike Sussman Kathryn Janeway Wednesday,
    May 17, 2000 40840-245 3.0[6]
    As Voyager travels through a nebula all ship's power is turned off, giving Neelix an opportunity to tell the Borg children a ghost story.
    146 26 "Unimatrix Zero Part l" Unknown Allan Kroeker Teleplay: Brannon Braga, Joe Menosky
    Story: Mike Sussman Various Wednesday,
    May 24, 2000 40840-246 3.3[6]
    Janeway, B'Elanna and Tuvok infiltrate a Borg Cube in an attempt to save Borg drones who are trying to develop individuality.

    Darryl
     
  5. greelywinger

    greelywinger Osmondia Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dayton, Ohio USA
    Season 7

    147 1 "Unimatrix Zero, Part II" 54014.4 Mike Vejar Teleplay: Brannon Braga, Joe Menosky
    Story: Mike Sussman, Brannon Braga, Joe Menosky Various Wednesday,
    October 4, 2000 40840-247 4.5[7]
    Janeway, B'Elanna and Tuvok are assimilated by the Borg while attempting to save the group of drones who have developed individuality.
    148 2 "Imperfection" 54058.6 David Livingston Teleplay: Carleton Eastlake, Robert Doherty
    Story: André Bormanis Seven of Nine, Icheb Wednesday,
    October 11, 2000 40840-248 3.6[7]
    When her cortical implant malfunctions, Seven of Nine needs a life-saving transplant.
    149 3 "Drive" 54090.4 Winrich Kolbe Michael Taylor Tom, B'Elanna Wednesday,
    October 18, 2000 40840-249 3.7[7]
    The crew of Voyager enter the Delta Flyer in a sub-warp race, crewed by Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres, and events conspire to encourage Tom to propose to her.
    150 4 "Repression" 54129.4 Winrich Kolbe Teleplay: Mark Haskell Smith
    Story: Kenneth Biller Tuvok Wednesday,
    October 25, 2000 40840-251 3.2[7]
    Ex-Maquis crew members are attacked after a data stream arrives from Starfleet.
    151 5 "Critical Care" Unknown Terry Windell Teleplay: James Kahn
    Story: Kenneth Biller, Robert Doherty The Doctor Wednesday,
    November 1, 2000 40840-250 3.4[7]
    The Doctor's program is stolen and he is forced to work in an alien hospital, where he skillfully manipulates the system to provide ethical medical care.
    152 6 "Inside Man" 54208.3 Allan Kroeker Robert Doherty Reg Barclay Wednesday,
    November 8, 2000 40840-252 3.0[7]
    A hologram of Reginald Barclay is sent to Voyager, supposedly to implement a dangerous plan to bring them home; but the hologram has been tampered with by some Ferengi, who are trying to steal valuable Borg nanoprobes from Seven of Nine.
    153 7 "Body and Soul" 54238.3 Robert Duncan McNeill Teleplay: Eric Morris, Phyllis Strong, Mike Sussman
    Story: Michael Taylor The Doctor Wednesday,
    November 15, 2000 40840-255 3.6[7]
    During an emergency on a mission, The Doctor is forced to upload his program into Seven of Nine's Borg implants, allowing him to experience real sensations for the first time.
    154 8 "Nightingale" 54274.7 LeVar Burton Teleplay: André Bormanis
    Story: Robert Lederman, Dave Long Harry Kim Wednesday,
    November 22, 2000 40840-256 2.8[7]
    Harry Kim takes command of an alien ship that has lost its officers in an attack.
    155/156 9/10 "Flesh and Blood" 54337.5 Pt 1: Mike Vejar
    Pt 2:David Livingston Teleplay: Pt 1:Bryan Fuller
    Pt 2:Raf Green, Kenneth Biller
    Story: Pt 1:Jack Monaco, Bryan Fuller, Raf Green
    Pt 2:Bryan Fuller, Raf Green The Doctor Wednesday,
    November 29, 2000 40840-827 (253/254) 3.4[7]
    Voyager's hologram technology, which Janeway had previously donated to the Hirogen, has been modified to make the holographic "prey" more cunning, enabling the hologram characters to rebel against their new masters.
    157 11 "Shattered" Unknown Terry Windell Teleplay: Michael Taylor
    Story: Michael Sussman, Michael Taylor Various Wednesday,
    January 17, 2001 40840-257 2.8[7]
    Voyager is fractured into several time periods by an accident, and only Chakotay is able to move between them, in the process meeting old friends and old foes from the previous six seasons.
    158 12 "Lineage" 54452.6 Peter Lauritson James Kahn B'Elanna Torres Wednesday,
    January 24, 2001 40840-258 N/A
    Now married to Tom Paris, B'Elanna Torres discovers she is pregnant. The Doctor tells her to expect a daughter; but B'Elanna's unresolved fear of the childhood traumas, which she suffered as a part-Klingon girl growing up among humans makes her determined to remove her child's Klingon DNA.
    159 13 "Repentance" Unknown Mike Vejar Teleplay: Robert Doherty
    Story: Michael Sussman, Robert Doherty Various Wednesday,
    January 31, 2001 40840-259 N/A
    Prisoners are brought onto Voyager from a damaged alien vessel, and the crew must deliver them to their destination – for execution.
    160 14 "Prophecy" 54518.2 Terry Windell Teleplay: Michael Sussman, Phyllis Strong
    Story: Larry Nemecek, J. Kelley Burke, Raf Green, Kenneth Biller B'Elanna, Tom Wednesday,
    February 7, 2001 40840-260 N/A
    Voyager encounters an ancient Klingon battlecruiser. The Klingons aboard it had set out long ago to find their savior, and they believe it to be Tom and B'Elanna's unborn child.
    161 15 "The Void" 54553.4 Mike Vejar Teleplay: Raf Green, James Kahn
    Story: Raf Green, Kenneth Biller Various Wednesday,
    February 14, 2001 40840-261 N/A
    Voyager is pulled into a void, where the ships that have become trapped attack each other for food and resources.
    162 16 "Workforce" 54584.3 Allan Kroeker Kenneth Biller, Bryan Fuller Various Wednesday,
    February 21, 2001 40840-262 N/A
    The Voyager crew are brainwashed into taking new jobs on an industrialized planet that has a severe labor shortage, leaving only Chakotay, Kim and Neelix (who were on an away mission) and the Doctor (who, in the absence of the crew, has become the Emergency Command Hologram) to save them.
    163 17 "Workforce, Part II" 54622.4 Roxann Dawson Teleplay: Kenneth Biller, Michael Taylor
    Story: Kenneth Biller, Bryan Fuller B'Elanna, Tom Wednesday,
    February 28, 2001 40840-263 N/A
    Chakotay and Neelix take jobs on the new planet, and try to rescue their amnesiac crewmates – who don't want to leave.
    164 18 "Human Error" Unknown Allan Kroeker Teleplay: Brannon Braga, André Bormanis
    Story: André Bormanis, Kenneth Biller Seven of Nine Wednesday,
    March 7, 2001 40840-264 N/A
    Seven practices her social skills, on the holodeck.
    165 19 "Q2" 54704.5 LeVar Burton Teleplay: Robert Doherty
    Story: Kenneth Biller Icheb, Guest Wednesday,
    April 11, 2001 40840-265 N/A
    Q leaves his son (Q2) on Voyager, to learn from the crew.
    166 20 "Author, Author" 54732.3 David Livingston Teleplay: Phyllis Strong, Mike Sussman
    Story: Brannon Braga The Doctor Wednesday,
    April 18, 2001 40840-266 N/A
    The Doctor writes a holo-novel to be published in the Alpha Quadrant, featuring characters who closely resemble – but do not flatter – the crew.
    167 21 "Friendship One" 54775.4 Mike Vejar Michael Taylor, Bryan Fuller Various Wednesday,
    April 25, 2001 40840-267 N/A
    The crew is sent on its first mission by Starfleet in nearly seven years: to find a lost probe sent by Earth in the 21st century that has ended up in the Delta Quadrant.
    168 22 "Natural Law" 54827.7 Terry Windell Teleplay: James Kahn
    Story: Kenneth Biller, James Kahn Seven, Chakotay Wednesday,
    May 2, 2001 40840-268 N/A
    Seven and Chakotay are stranded on a planet with primitive humanoids.
    169 23 "Homestead" 54868.6 LeVar Burton Raf Green Neelix Wednesday,
    May 9, 2001 40840-269 N/A
    Voyager encounters a Talaxian settlement leaving Neelix with the difficult decision of whether to leave the crew.
    170 24 "Renaissance Man" 54890.7 Mike Vejar Teleplay: Phyllis Strong, Mike Sussman
    Story: Andrew Shepard Price, Mark Gaberman The Doctor Wednesday,
    May 16, 2001 40840-270 N/A
    The Doctor is forced to help aliens steal Voyager's warp core.
    171/172 25/26 "Endgame" 54973.4 Allan Kroeker Teleplay: Kenneth Biller, Robert Doherty
    Story: Rick Berman, Kenneth Biller, Brannon Braga Various Wednesday,
    May 23, 2001 40840-828 (271/272) N/A
    In an alternate future where it took Voyager 23 years to get home, Admiral Janeway devises a plan to alter history. As the crew enter a final showdown with the Borg, the two Janeways implement a risky plan to take out one of the six Borg Transwarp Hubs in the galaxy and simultaneously cross the transwarp threshold to get home.

    Darryl
     
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  6. benjaminhuf

    benjaminhuf Forum Resident

    Voyager has some of the best two-part TV "movies" in all of Trek. Like many others, I wish CBS would rebuild this show for blu-ray. But the word on the street, or more accurately from insiders, has been that the sales of the blu-rays of the rebuild of Next Generation were disappointing. Sales started off very strong with the first season of TNG, but fell dramatically for the following seasons. CGI was only used in a limited way in TNG, but quite extensively for DS9 and Voyager. This is important because a rebuild of these later Trek shows, which were just as good and sometimes better than TNG, would be roughly twice as expensive as the c. $10 million rebuild of TNG. In other words, as of now it's just not going to happen. Unless a sugar daddy like Netflix or Amazon Prime steps into the pay the bills, and maybe even asks for a new Trek show set in the Prime universe, then we will be seeing Voyager and DS9 at close to VHS quality for the foreseeable future, and probably forever.....
     
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  7. greelywinger

    greelywinger Osmondia Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dayton, Ohio USA
    All 4 Seasons of Enterprise are on BR.
    I'd choose DS9 over Voyager for BR.

    Darryl
     
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  8. sloaches

    sloaches Forum Resident

    Does anyone else think that Voyager could have had a better ending than "Endgame"? I mean, the episode was okay, but it didn't work for me as a fitting end to the series itself.
     
  9. Anthology123

    Anthology123 Senior Member

    Speaking of final episodes:
    [​IMG]

    For those not familiar with the above scene, Marge was trying to recreate every photo lost in a set of burned photo albums, and this get together to watch the final episode of ST-VOY was the last one. Note Lenny as 7 of 9, Dr. Hibbert as Tuvok and Homer holding a pennant which I believe says 'SPACE'.
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2015
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  10. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    Yeah, it was just okay, nothing special. Where I think they made a mistake was that they didn't take advantage of the last season to structure it as a coming home narrative. Instead, right up to the final double episode, they were still doing random alien of the week type stories. They could have really built some momentum leading to the final episode where they all make it back and have a Star Wars type big welcome home celebration.

    On the other hand, I just finished watching the remastered TNG finale, and, well, that didn't make a whole lot of sense either if you really think about it, so...
     
  11. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    The ST Voyager writing, production team was already distracted getting ready for ENTERPRISE, they just wanted VOYAGER to be over already. So I heard..
     
  12. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    I hadn't heard that, but even so, they still had to write something - why not write for a satisfying conclusion? Anyhoo, lots of water under that bridge...
     
  13. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    I was a dedicated viewer of the show up until the last couple of seasons, when I just checked it out occasionally. That final episode, though, was incredibly disappointing. It just...ends.
     
  14. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    I've always liked the series, warts and all, all the way to the end. What made it worth watching for me were the likable characters and their interplay. From the gentle ribbing between Tom and Harry or Neelix and Tuvak, to the relationship between Tom and B'Ellana, to the virtuoso performance of the EMH Doc, to the ample charms of Seven (and I don't mean just her physical appearance - she also brought charm, intelligence and great humor to the role), and of course Janeway herself - decisive, opinionated and charming (if not always right).

    It was the character ensemble that made the show for me. This also made even the poor episodes watchable (well, okay, not the salamander one!).
     
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  15. benjaminhuf

    benjaminhuf Forum Resident

    Variety is the spice of life, everyone has their own views, etc. But I think the last episode of Voyager was excellent. My family loved it. We've watched it several times over the years.
     
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  16. sloaches

    sloaches Forum Resident

    Speaking of Seven of Nine, I feel that a lot of people have unfairly criticized Jeri Ryan for her performance on the show. Granted, her addition to the cast (as well as Sevens' outfits) may have been a ploy to lure more male viewership, but episodes like "Body and Soul" and "The Voyager Conspiracy" really show off her acting skills.
     
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  17. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    Absolutely. She was a perfect foil for the Doctor. I absolutely loved the episode where the Doctor almost declares his love for her in a holodeck simulation, but at the last minute has to remain mute as she thanks him for being a 'friend' (was it Someone To Watch Over Me? - if not, still a great episode).
     
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  18. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    Thanks to this thread, I've started bouncing around the show on Netflix picking out random episodes to watch based on the descriptions. Neelix is still the weakest link for me, but in the first few seasons I'm seeing why I liked this show so much. It wasn't simply the ensemble, which was good, but the way the writers attempted and generally succeeded with more challenging ideas while still mostly keeping the action going. "Deadlock" (Season 2, episode 20) is a good example of this, as is "Tuvix" (2-24), both of which play with convention and expectation, at least as much as possible within this format. It's a pity they couldn't stretch some of the storylines across the entire season like the rebooted Battlestar Galactica did, but that's episodic TV.
     
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  19. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    I need to either praise or damn this thread, because I've now gotten completely hooked on Voyager on Netflix.

    Relating to what I said above about extending storylines across a season, I was intrigued by how "Before and After" in season 3 connected to "The Year of Hell" in season 4, since the early episode explicitly points to the later ones. I was disappointed that "Year of Hell" makes no mention of the information gathered via Kes in "Before and After." I know the explanation could be related to the time-line changes, but even a line or two of dialogue would have made it a little more interesting. Missed opportunity indeed. I do have to say that "Year of Hell" is an excellent two-parter, highlighted by Kurtwood Smith's performance as a man tormented by guilt. There's some shaky dialogue (fairly common for Trek in general, which tends to tell rather than show) but the idea remains compelling.
     
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  20. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    I watched this one this morning, and remember seeing it (and liking it) when it aired. Feels a little rushed because of the 45 minute limitation, but still strong. The acting saves it. The episode that follows, "Latent Image," is just as good, but anything where the focus is the Doctor generally seems to be of better quality. Ditto for 7 of 9 (see "Relativity" for example). The opposite is true for anything where Neelix is the focus. I'm not even bothering with "Once Upon a Time." Something Trek can't seem to do is storylines revolving around children.

    I'm focusing on season 5 right now and finding it much better than I recalled. Many of these, in fact, I don't think I saw when the show originally aired.
     
  21. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    Yes, agreed. However, I did like him (riffing off Tuvak) in that space elevator episode, which was basically a Flight Of The Pheonix steal (I loved that film - the 1965 version of course!).
     
  22. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    I did a web search for discussion about Voyager to find more suggestions for good episodes and discussion of the show's strengths and weaknesses, and unfortunately discovered the deep fanboy hatred of this series. Connected to that, I also found fervent defenses of Deep Space 9, Babylon 5, and Farscape. The things people get into a froth over!
     
  23. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
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  24. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    I agree with much of what the reviewer says. It never occurred to me that Voyager might have been hated because a woman was sitting in the captain's chair or a headstrong chief engineer was female. In retrospect I guess I can see how a section of the viewership might have such misogynistic biases, though I would think that true science fiction fans would have been more enlightened.

    However, the reviewer does at times draw a long bow with comments such as these:

    1) "The series is an anti-action, existential feminist family drama, shot through with a persistent melancholy that reflects the crew’s desperation".

    Despite the strong female characters, I never thought of Voyager to be a feminist drama. Ditto about there being persistent melancholy and while the crew were in a desperate situation, their general demeanor seldom reflected that (outside of the times they were under attack). And to suggest that Voyager was 'anti-action' is ludicrous!

    2) "This strain of sadness is so persistent that the show often feels like gentle critique of the military-macho strain that ran through the original series"

    Hmmm, I just don't remember seeing this 'persistent sadness' or how it relates to 'military macho' from other series. Janeway was never afraid to man the torpedoes when the situation warranted it, just like captains from previous series. Just a wee bit of hyperbole there laddie...
     
  25. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    You would think, but then again, I remember a teacher back when I was in high school noting that "science fiction is generally pretty sexist." I was about 17 at the time, and a fan of not just science fiction but of quite a wide range of literature and film (still am), and that comment took me aback. I'd never really considered that science fiction was sexist, but over the years I've come to agree. Sadly, 7 of 9 is a prime example of this -- look how ratings improved when her character was introduced. The fact that she actually turned out to be one of the most interesting characters on the show softens this a little, but it's impossible to ignore those pandering, skintight outfits.

    As for the melancholy undertone, I do get that. It's not supposed to be overt, but there are some dark stories in this series, and the constant reminder that the ship has a very long way to go to get home added to this tone.
     
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