Star Trek: Voyager
# of Crew: 141 (Starfleet)
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 40
Distance to Earth: 52 lightyears (from DS9)
"Caretaker"
It's not a bad pilot. I think it does a great job of setting up the series and its premise and conflicts. Although Janeway's speech at the end was ridiculous in how overtly it stated the overall premise of the show. It was surprising to see how much energy all the actors are putting into their roles and how distinctly all the characters are written at this point -- they all become so homogenous later on. Also -- Torres' eyebrows: weird. The biggest problem with this episode is the ending -- Janeway's reasoning for destroying the Array is flawed and ill-defined. Why not set the self-destruct for say, a half an hour, and then use it to get home confident it will blow up later? The ending of the episode feels rushed and Chakotay's sudden capitulation and agreement with Janeway's decision to destroy the Array over B'Elanna's quite reasonable objections provides the first sign that the Maquis/Starfleet "conflict" won't be taken very seriously or last very long. Still, as it stands, the pilot promises a show with a lot of potential, a lot of intriguing differences from the Star Trek norm, a lot of interesting conflicts and problems, and yet a firm grasp on the themes of the Roddenberry vision. So, y'know, we'll see how long that lasts.
Also, Janeway states it would take 75 years to get home at Maximum Warp. While that would be true if Voyager's max speed was Warp 8, Stadi clearly states it can go warp 9.975, in which case at Max Warp it would be home in a little over 13 years, which is really no big deal.
# of Crew: 136 Starfleet, >2 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 38
Distance to Earth: 75,000 lightyears
Parallax
First regular episode and we've already hit a space anomaly?
Other than that, I actually really like this episode. Yet again, I see potential gone to waste. It's so weird seeing Robert Bertran putting effort into playing Chakotay. Everyone has so much energy. I don't feel the desperation of being lost in the Delta Quadrant, but I do feel the strain on resources beginning, even if its just lip service, and I definitely feel the inter-cast conflict. The show should've built on the things we see here. I remember Python saying that "Deadlock" was the point where he felt the show abandoned the last shreds of its premise. I'll see if I concur. So far I think its moving along fine for what it was supposed to be, considering who was making it and when (I don't really expect a mid 90s network show to have the intensity of BSG after all).
# of Crew: 134 Starfleet, >4 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 38
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,919.2 lightyears
"Time and Again"
It's so annoying that this is the fourth episode. It doesn't utilize the Voyager premise at all, except for two comic scenes. It's an episode that could've easily been done on TNG.
As for the story itself, it's another Brannon Braga time bender, coming right on the heels of a Brannon Braga time bender. So, you know, great timing.
Also, it's an episode that's basically an anti-nuclear energy allegory. Because if there's one thing Trek should be it's anti-progress!
There's some okay ethical dilemmas, but it's weighed down by the COMPLETELY HUMAN Delta Quadrant aliens (not even a weird hairdo or odd nose!) and the awful child actor.
The episode's clearly meant as a Janeway/Paris developer, but the two characters who come across best are actually Tuvok and the EMH -- Picardo hasn't had much to do in the show so far, and very little interaction with the rest of the cast, but he's already stolen the series. Every little bit with him is great. Tuvok, Trek's only real major Vulcan character (Spock - Half Human, Saavik - Half Romulan, Valeris - Half Klingon, T'Pol - Half Romulan), is a great voice of reason and logic, used to effectively counterbalance Kes' Jedi powers.
This episode is also **** for developing what kind of captain Janeway is. In the pilot, she screws over everyone in her crew by breaking Starfleet's highest law for the sake of aliens she's basically never met and knows next to nothing about, on the premise that "they are already involved". Here she starts the episode giving strict lectures about the Prime Directive and berates Paris for belittling it, but then spontaneously decides to break it again halfway through the show. It's a long history of the writers having no **** clue who Janeway is. Kirk is the cowboy, Picard is the explorer, Sisko is the builder, Janeway is... ?
Finally, after everything, this episode is a LITERAL reset button plot, with the time travel negating all of its events so that for all intents and purposes the episode NEVER happened.
# of Crew: 134 Starfleet, >4 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 38
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,879.7 lightyears
Nitpick time: Janeway is apparently devoted to getting her crew home. Her ship has a SUSTAINABLE max warp of 9.975. Yet from the end of the first episode to the start of this one (third) they've been consistently travelling warp 7, and at the end of this episode she orders them to resume course at warp 6. Thanks, Janeway. So far they've managed to travel about 120 light years, and if they'd travelled for this long at max warp they could've covered around 1020. So, y'know, a big frakkin' difference. Why are they leisuring around? Which parts of the ship were sacrificed to make the technogadget they used this episode? How's coverting the mess into a kitchen (mentioned in episode 2) going? Is everyone starving off replicator rations? When the ship is cruising at warp 6 and Paris is trying to convince Harry to double date the Delaney sisters, I don't exactly get the impression of "lost in space, stuck with people who hate us"
"Phage"
Now here was an interesting episode that was genuinely exciting and threatening. Was it necessarily a VOYAGER episode? Not really, but it was good. There was a sense of necessity and danger. I was really surprised by Neelix in this episode -- he was believable and multi-faceted. At what point did he become a one-dimensional annoyance? The Vidians are a great villain species in their ambiguity. Although Janeway is again all over the place emotionally here -- sympathising with the Vidians one moment and threatening to kill them the next. Psycho Captain indeed. But a very good episode.
# of Crew: 134 Starfleet, >4 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 38
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,866.8 lightyears
"The Cloud"
An exceptionally dull episode for the most part whose plot is completely superfluous, uninteresting and drab. The vast majority of the show is devoted to filler that purports to develop the characters. Janeway, the secular humanist Federation science geek, getting in touch with her Indian animal spirit guide. Paris and his holodeck bar. Etc, etc. Neelix is right in this episode: what the frak are we doing stopping every two seconds to investigate everything in the damn quadrant?
# of Crew: 134 Starfleet, >4 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,804.8 lightyears
"Eye of the Needle"
A pretty good episode for addressing emotional themes, though I think it comes too early in the series. Also -- Romulans? In the Alpha Quadrant? In 2351? No wonder he didn't want to be found by Starfleet! There's no way a Romulan vessel could be in the Alpha Quadrant without going through Federation space, and in that year the Romulans were supposedly under an isolationist policy and hadn't seen/talked to the Feds since 2311. But anyways, it's otherwise a well put together show and involving for the entire crew. Well played so far.
# of Crew: 134 Starfleet, >4 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,622.4 lightyears
There are three comments I'd like to make on the show so far.
One is that Janeway is incensed about Neelix turning the mess hall into a galley in "The Cloud" and insists she never gave him authorization. Actually, he did indeed ask for permission to do so in "Parallax" and she gave it. So, y'know, Psycho Captain.
Another is that the tension between Maquis and Starfleet has not been examined since "Parallax". Everyone seems to be buddy buddy and Janeway seems to have Chakotay completely domesticated. He's NEVER shown ANYONE his medicine bundle or talked to ANYONE about his spirit animal and now he's discussing it with this Starfleet captain who was sent to arrest him and whose command he's stuck under for the next however many years.
The final one is a good point: Robert Picardo has stolen this show. His scenes are the most interesting ones in the series so far, and what's more amazing is that he's had an amazingly consistent character arc so far. In all three of these episodes there was continuous, incremental, and realistic development in the Doctor's character, his relations with the crew, the captain, his attitudes about himself, his friendship with Kes, etc etc etc. All extremely well executed, as if the Doctor's sections were being written by a completely different staff and inserted into the main episodes at appropriate moments.
"Ex Post Facto"
A rip-off of "A Matter of Perspective" [TNG] which was a rip-off of Rashomon. Although this episode comes across as less Kurosawa and more Columbo. Still, I like Tuvok in the role of investigator. I like seeing his rationality, his unwavering attitude, I like having a Vulcan, a real Vulcan, in the cast.
# of Crew: 134 Starfleet), >4 (Maquis)
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,531.2 lightyears
"Emanations"
A high-concept Brannon Braga piece that actually goes somewhere and says something. I like the exploration of reality vs. religion, what happens when you lose that safety net and have to face the cold hard fact of death. I like the subtle euthanasia angle, and I liked the idea of giving Kim an experience that allows him to grow. There were two problems: one was not enough conflict. I think that would've been solved if the priests on the planet had known that their afterlife was a fraud, so that they would want to kill Kim to keep the truth from spreading. That would give Kim an impetus to escape, fight, etc. The other was I disliked the pat ending where Janeway suggested that the aliens neural energy lives on as radiation, and perhaps they do become a higher state of blah blah blah. That's too much like trying to have your cake and eat it too.
# of Crew: 134 (Starfleet, >4 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,364 lightyears
"Prime Factors"
Probably the first episode since "Parallax" that utilizes the core premises of the show well. It starts slow, but once the mutiny in Engineering starts boiling it really picks up, and involving Tuvok was a brilliant stroke, realizing that as a logical being of course he would try to get Voyager that much closer to home. This one was well written, superbly acted, with fine execution. A stand-out of the first season thus far.
# of Crew: 134 Starfleet, >4 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,351.4 lightyears
"State of Flux"
This is another great episode that deals with the series premise, and builds on elements already present: Seska, the Maquis on the ship, the Kazon, etc. And it ends up setting up many storylines down the road, especially second season. So its a good episode, with great twists and fun turns and good chances for development for Chakotay. If anything, I think its only weakness is coming right after "Prime Factors", which dealt with a lot of the same issues. There should've been some space between the two. But other than that, another great episode. At this point, you could have some hope for how this series will go.
# of Crew: 134 Starfleet, >3 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,340.6 lightyears
This week on Deep Space Nine, the Romulans and Cardassians joined forces to defeat the Founders, and were ambushed and wiped out by the Jem'Hadar. Meanwhile, on Voyager...
"Heroes and Demons"
The Doctor has an adventure on the malfunctioning holodeck.
Actually, this is a pretty fun episode, with a lot of character growth for Dr. Schweitzer (lol, anyone else kinda wish the Doc HAD picked a permanent name eventually?) but its let down by a disappointingly standard Star Trek ending: the misunderstood alien cliche. I mean, communication and peaceful understanding is great, but kind've a weak third act after Vikings and Monsters.
# of Crew: 134 Starfleet, >3 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,337 lightyears
"Cathexis"
This episode was a huge boring turd. I figured out that it was Chakotay's spirit floating around possessing the crew and not an evil alien in the first act and the rest of the episode was sort've silly nonsense. I liked the darker moments of paranoia, but I wish they had arisen from the fact that a tenth of the crew are wanted terrorists and not some silly space alien plot. In the end its kind've ridiculous. As a side note, its in this episode that Tuvok, Paris, and Torres all suddenly get demoted one step in rank, without comment. A fan theory is that Tuvok and Torres were demoted for their actions in "Prime Factors", but there's no reason Paris should be, other than to keep Tuvok as outranking him.
# of Crew: 134 Starfleet, >3 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,332.8 lightyears
"Faces"
This is a pretty standard first season kind've episode for a show to do. It's a good sci-fi way to develop Torres and her tortured personality and reminds me of the sort've thing TOS would've done with Spock. It ends up being pretty effective, but I think it would've been more believeable if the crew had used the Vidian technology to get Torres back together than the Doctor somehow being able to do it. But I liked this one.
# of Crew: 133 Starfleet, >3 Maquis, 2 Civillians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,282.3 lightyears
"Jetrel"
This is a great episode. An absolute Voyager stand-out. Was Neelix ever given this much depth ever again? Its very similar to "Duet" [DS9] but the analogy here is American and Japanese after the Hiroshima bombing, rather than German and Jew after the Holocaust. In any case, it works great, and I wish we would've seen more of this side of Ethan Phillips' acting as the show went on.
# of Crew: 133 Starfleet, >4 Maquis, 2 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,237.4 lightyears
"Learning Curve"
Here's a great example of Starfleet/Maquis friction to go with "Parallax", "Prime Factors" and "State of Flux". Frankly, an episode like this, with rebellious Maquis crewmen being made to undergo a crash course in Starfleet operations, should've come much earlier in the series. And these characters should've recurred more often afterwards (I remember Chell, but did any of the others reappear? In a ship of 150 people more of these background players should've been recurring). All in all, a good episode, though its examination of Tuvok leaves a bit to be desired -- here he's inflexible about breaking protocol, but a few episodes back in "State of Flux" he was willing to break protocol when it was logical to do so. Also, he taught at the Academy for 16 years and he's only a lieutenant?
# of Crew: 133 Starfleet, >8 Maquis, 2 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,226.2 lightyears
Another great moment in "Learning Curve" that I forgot to mention was Chakotay decking one of his Maquis crewmen. Its glorious. I mean, guy was a terrorist leader after all -- far cry from the cardboard stand-in Beltran becomes later.
"Projections"
Basically a more complicated version of TNG's "Ship in a Bottle" (we must go deeper). The two greatest things about this episode are the guest appearance from Barclay, and the existential conundrum presented to the Doctor, where he is given a choice between reality and fantasy and the choice is given real weight. A superbly put together show, even if the last five minutes is kind've a final "WTF" for the audience before ending up exactly where we were fine minutes ago.
# of Crew: 133 Starfleet, >8 Maquis, 2 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
# of Gel Packs: 47
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,181.3 lightyears
"Elogium"
This episode has good ideas. Jennifer Lien really plays the whole "uncertain pregnant teen" angle well. I like Neelix's soul searching about being a father. But ultimately it falls flat due to the reset button ending: not only does Kes choose not to have a child, but it turns out her Elogium was false, so she can still have one later if she chooses. Meanwhile, the B-plot with the swarm out in space was DUUUUUULL.
On another note, Ensign Wildman finds out she's pregnant. Her husband is a Ktarian who runs a shop on the Deep Space Nine promanade. If we assume they had sex the night before Voyager left, that still means Wildman has been pregnant for SEVEN MONTHS without realizing it. I guess we'll chalk that up to the baby's half alien nature???
# of Crew: 133 Starfleet, >9 Maquis, 2 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
# of Gel Packs: 47
Time Ens. Wildman has been pregnant: 215 days (7.25 months)
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,150.5 lightyears
"Twisted"
This episode was TERRIBLE. I don't know if I've ever been so BORED watching Star Trek. Characters wander around for an hour, then defeat the problem by doing NOTHING. Then, despite the whole hour telling us we've been fighting a subspace anomaly, at the last minute we decide its a Misunderstood Life Form Just Trying to Communicate -- which VOY already did earlier this season in "The Cloud". There are two good moments in this episode -- one is Chakotay talking to Neelix about his jealousy, hopefully resolving this issue that has been present every time Neelix shares a scene with Paris. Another good moment is Chakotay and Tuvok finally burying the hatchet after being at odds most of the season.
But don't mistake me, this episode was AWFUL.
# of Crew: 133 Starfleet, >9 Maquis, 2 Civilians
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
# of Gel Packs: 47
Time Ens. Wildman has been pregnant: 226 days (7.3 months)
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,119.7 lightyears
"The 37's"
A much better finale to season 1 than a premiere of season 2, that's for sure. This episode is basically "The Neutral Zone" [TNG] minus Romulans plus Amelia Earhart. It amuses me that TNG was so anal about NOT copying TOS in its first year but VOY had no issues at all with copying TNG during its first year. The biggest problem with this episode is that we never SEE the beautiful human civilization that our heroes are being tempted with. We blew the whole effects budget on the ship landing. It'd be like never actually going to Jurassic Park in Jurassic Park -- just seeing Grant come back and saying "well, those WERE some pretty spectacular dinosaurs!"
Anyways, the episode ends with a pretty satisfying theme of the crew devoted themselves, uniformly, to the journey home -- a sense that the crew has bonded over this mission, with the Starfleet/Maquis rift basically healed. One thing that annoys me, however, is how this episode and many others equate home with Earth, even though the Maquis for sure equate home with the DMZ, given that their whole raison d'etre was loving those homes in the DMZ so much they were willing to become terrorists to keep them. But anyways...
# of Crew: 152 Total -- 133 Starfleet, 17 Maquis, 2 Civilians (meaning there was 18 Maquis originally on the Val Jean!)
# of Shuttles: 10
# of Warp Cores: 2
# of Photon Torpedoes: 37
# of Gel Packs: 47
Time Ens. Wildman has been pregnant: 237 days (7.6 months)
Distance to Alpha Quadrant: 74,550.6 lightyears
Season 1 Character Thoughts.
I think the characters who came out of Season 1 the worse were Janeway, Chakotay, and Kim. Janeway is inconsistent and something of an enigma. Besides her devotion to science and reason, I find her ethics hard to figure out. Also, she alternates between too hard and too soft with the crew. Chakotay has had a couple of good moments throughout the series, usually the best when he's interacting with other Maquis. But for the most part, he was pretty instantly domesticated -- the writers are more interested in the calm, passive, wise Indian stereotype than developing the conflicted, angry, terrorist character described in the writer's bible. As for Kim -- I don't think this guy gets any more development in the next 6 years than he's got already. Oh, and actually Paris, other than his pool playing, hasn't really gotten anything since the pilot. Tuvok, the Doctor, Kes, Neelix, and Torres have all gotten pretty good development episodes however.
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