From the very beginning,Star Trek: Voyager’s unique setting has allowed the show to tell stories that would be impossible in any otherStar Trekproperties. Lost in the Delta Quadrant, without help from Starfleet or the Federation, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) had to lead every character inVoyagertotally on her own. In the first few seasons,Voyagerwas still a show finding its feet, but by season 5,Voyagerwas putting out not only some of the series’ best episodes, but some of the best episodes inStar Trek.
What really setsVoyagerseason 5 apart from earlier seasons is just how settled the characters felt in their roles on the USS Voyager.Jeri Ryan’s former Borg, Seven of Nine, was a full member of Voyager’s crew, no longer trying to return to the collective. Ethan Phillip’s Talaxian chef, Neelix, increasingly had a strong presence beyond comic relief on the show. On the whole,Star Trek: Voyager’s castgrew into a ship that any captain could be proud of, and those incredibly strong relationships facilitated some truly iconic episodes.
10“Infinite Regress”
Episode Seven Shows A Whole New Side Of Jeri Ryan
Perhaps Seven of Nine’s most defining characteristic is her level head and highly rational approach to life. As a result, Jeri Ryan spends most of her time onVoyageracting in accordance with Seven’s distinctive stoicism.In “Infinite Regress,” Ryan had the chance to really show off her acting chops, playing countless different personalities inhabiting Seven of Nine because of a Borg virus. Ryan plays a Klingon, a Ferengi, a human child, and many other personalities, each of which reveal a completely different aspect of Ryan’s acting range. On the whole, it’s a very impressive display.
Jeri Ryan was not especially familiar with Ferengi before “Infinite Regress,” and as such prepared for the episode by watching tapes fromStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.
What really makes the episode shine, however, is the relationship that Seven of Nine develops with the only child on Voyager, Naomi Wildman.By the end of “Infinite Regress,” Seven and Naomi have the foundation of a friendship that will continue through the rest ofVoyager.The only drawback for this episode is that Seven’s new personalities don’t really connect to her normal characterization, so, despite the episode being centered on Seven of Nine, “Infinite Regress” does not do very much to develop her character. Nevertheless, the final scene of Naomi teaching Seven Kadis-Kot never fails to bring a smile.
9“Dark Frontier”
Episodes 15 And 16 Introduces a TNG Villain To Voyager
The Borg collective is one of the fiercest antagonists inStar Trek. With their individuality removed, every Borg drone is a slap in the face of the Humanistic values of the Federation as a whole. The Borg were first introduced inStar Trek: The Next Generation, and the sequel movieStar Trek: First Contactinnovated on this concept further by creating the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) – the mind at the center of the Collective.“Dark Frontier” brought this terrifying antagonist to the Delta Quadrantand set up an epic rivalry between Captain Janeway and the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson).
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“Dark Frontier” reveals the Borg Queen’s personal interest in Seven of Nine, whose status as a former drone who experienced individuality makes her an ideal tool in the Collective’s effort to assimilate humanity. Over the two-part episode,Seven sacrifices herself to save Voyager, and Voyager’s crew risks everything to save her in return. The only downside to the episodes is the similarity between the Borg Queen’s desired use for Seven and Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) assimilation as Locutus of Borg. There is a lot of overlap in the Collective’s motivation, but “Dark Frontier” nevertheless tells an originalVoyagerstory.
8“Night”
Episode 8 Reveals A Darkness Both Within And Without The USS Voyager
Darkness is one of the most effective literary devices, andStar Trek: Voyageruses it to great effect in “Night.” In “Night,” Voyager must pass through a starless region of space, immediately setting the entire crew on edge. The darkness forces Captain Janeway, in particular, to reflect on her own role in stranding Voyager in the Delta Quadrant. Once the Night Aliens are introduced,“Night” reaches the perfect blend of an intriguing premise and a totally eerie setting. But “Night” only gets better as the episode progresses, with a series of highly effective twists.
WhenVoyager’s entire cast bands together and refuses to let the captain go, it is a moment that forces the entire crew to come together.
Ultimately,Captain Janeway opts to sacrifice herself to get Voyager closer to home and save the Night Aliens, in an act that is half heroism, half guilt. WhenVoyager’s entire cast bands together and refuses to let the captain go, it is a moment that forces the entire crew to come together and is a turning point for Captain Janeway’s character. These moments come together to make “Night” an exemplary episode.
7"Equinox Part 1"
Episode 26 Gives Voyager New Allies While Testing Capain Janeway’s Morality
The pair of episodes that connect seasons 5 and 6 ofStar Trek: Voyagercover some of the darkest material that the series ever deals with. ThroughoutVoyager,Captain Janeway is incredibly careful about not crossing a line that she can’t come back from- while Voyager might get home faster through theft, that is not a path that Captain Janeway is willing to go down. The USS Equinox shows the other side of that moral boundary. Captain Rudolph Ransom (John Savage) had his ship pulled into the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker (Basil Langton), just like Captain Janeway.
While Voyager might get home faster through theft, that is not a path that Captain Janeway is willing to go down.
But unlike Captain Janeway, Captain Ransom is willing to torture alien life to get his crew home as fast as possible. “Equinox” holds up a dark mirror to the entire story ofVoyager, and the reflection it shows is one where desperation and greed won out over Starfleet values of exploration and compassion. After earlier episodes like “Night” showed Captain Janeway questioning the values and morality that she has clung to sinceStar Trek: Voyagerseason 1, concluding the season with"Equinox Part 1" is the perfect vindication of Captain Janeway.
6"Someone To Watch Over Me"
Episode 22 Brings Out A Whole New Side Of The Doctor
ThroughoutVoyager, Robert Picardo does a consistently stellar job playing Voyager’s holographic physician, the Doctor. Much likeStar Trek: The Next Generation’s Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), the Doctor’s character arc acrossVoyageris built around overcoming programming and becoming increasingly human. In “Someone to Watch Over Me,“the Doctor experiences one of the most human tragedies possible: unrequited love.Seven of Nine has a similar arc about becoming more human, but “Someone to Watch Over Me” convinces the former Drone that she is not ready for love.
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The Doctor tries to teach Seven about the nuances romance and flirtation, and, in the course of serving as her teacher, he falls in love himself. The tragic tone of the episode builds slowly towards Seven’s unknowing rejection of the Doctor, and it works well in every scene. But the real cherry on top for “Someone to Watch Over Me” are Robert Picardo and Jeri Ryan’s performances.Both Ryan and Picardo are incredibly talented singers, and “Someone to Watch Over Me” gives each of them a chance to shine.
Episode 25 Puts The Doctor’s Theory That He Can Grow Beyond His Programming To The Test
In contrast to “Someone to Watch Over Me,““Warhead” shows just how powerful programming can be for a being like the Doctor. Voyager brings aboard a sentient weapon of mass destruction, that takes over the Doctor’s program in order to force Voyager to finish its mission of death. This allows Robert Picardo to show off his acting chops by playing a character completely different than the Doctor. Ensign Harry Kim (Garret Wang) is eventually able to convince the warhead that its orders to stand down could not have been faked, in a great performance from Wang.
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Star Trek: Voyager upgraded Starfleet tech with some very cool innovations — and not all of them were from the Delta Quadrant.
In “Warhead,” programming stands in for propaganda.The warhead has only ever been taught to fight, and it is difficult for it to accept that its creators would ever have accepted peace. But even though the warhead is eventually able to overcome its programming, opening the possibility of a future where it could be more than just a weapon, it ultimately sacrifices itself to keep other warheads from destroying their former enemies. On the whole, then, “Warhead” has an excellent blend of great performances and rich theming that makes it one of the best episodes inVoyagerseason 5.
4"Juggernaut”
Episode 21 Pits Lt. Torres Against A Radioactive Monster
“Juggernaut” is not only an excellent episode ofVoyagerin its own right but also brings back the Malon from “Night.” In “Night,” Malon garbage ships seem to be almost cartoonishly evil in concept, dumping their toxic waste into another species' home, slowly poisoning an entire region of space.“Juggernaut” takes what started as a basic villain premise and turns Malon garbage freighters into emotionally nuanced charactersworking a toxic job in order to provide for their families. This immediately elevates the episode and shows just how effectiveVoyager’s writing team could be.
The moral reckoning Lt. Torres has to endure afterward is her best scene of the season.
And what makes “Juggernaut” extra effective is its cinematography. The garbage freighters believe there is a monster in the toxic theta radiation, and as that creature attacks Lt. B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) and her away team, “Juggernaut” feels less like an episode ofVoyagerand more like a horror movie.When the monster turns out to be a Malon crewmember, enraged and mutilated by radiation, the twist is gut-wrenching but thematically appropriate. When she has to kill him anyways, the moral reckoning Lt. Torres has to endure afterward is her best scene of the season.
3"Counterpoint”
Episode 10 Sees Captain Janeway Waltzing With Danger
In almost everyStar Trekseries, Starfleet vessels are in a position of power wherever they go in the Alpha Quadrant. Indeed, most Starfleet captains would never have to allow a hostile species to board their vessel, because the full might of the Federation protects them. But “Counterpoint” opens with Captain Janeway doing exactly that: submitting Voyager to an “inspection” from the telepathy-hating Devore. What follows is one ofStar Trek’s greatest strategical episodes, whereCaptain Janeway plays a lethal game of cat and mouse with inspector Kashyk(Mark Harelik) set to Mahler’s First Symphony.
“Counterpoint” has almost everything that a person could ask for from an episode ofStar Trek.There is a politically potent narrative about discrimination, there are schemes and subterfuges, and there is an incredibly charged relationship between Captain Janeway and Kashyk. These factors come together and form a story that could stand up againstStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’s “In the Pale Moonlight,” orTNG’s “The Measure of a Man,” while still remaining wholly and uniquelyVoyager. The only reason that “Counterpoint” is not the best episode inVoyagerseason 5 is season 5 was just an incredible season overall.
2"Latent Image”
Episode 11 Forces The Doctor To Grow In Ways He Never Thought Possible
Season 5 ofStar Trek: Voyagerhas some truly incredible episodes for the Doctor, but “Latent Image” is the best of them.In “Someone to Watch Over Me,” the Doctor grappled with romance, and in “Warhead,” the Doctor’s sympathy for another artificial lifeform led to his program being temporarily overwritten. But “Latent Image” takes all the Doctor’s complex themes of personhood and proves definitively that the Doctor is a full member of Voyager’s crew.
The Doctor insists on keeping his memories, even if they cause him to experience an ethical crisis.
In “Latent Image,” the Doctor rediscovers memories so traumatic they caused his program to degrade in the past. When the Doctor first experienced this crisis, Captain Janeway had Lt. Torres block the memories out of the Doctor’s programming, allowing him to return to work functional, but not whole. This time, however, the Doctor insists on keeping his memories, even if they cause him to experience an ethical crisis. The ability to grow from ethical conundrums is essential to all sentient beings, and"Latent Image” makes the Doctor’s personhood undeniable not only to Captain Janeway, but also to the audience.
1"Course: Oblivion"
Episode 18 Reveals An Alternate Future For The USS Voyager
Despite all the incredible episodes inVoyagerseason 5, “Course: Oblivion” is the best episode of them all. “Course: Oblivion” builds off an episode fromStar Trek: Voyagerseason 4, “Demon,” where Voyager encountered a planet with a strange silver substance that replicated everyone on the ship.“Course: Oblivion” tells the story of that crew, just as desperate to return to Earth as the “real” Voyager but doomed to slow degradation.“Course: Oblivion” is a tragedy onlyStar Trekcould tell, and that tragedy makes it not only the best episode ofVoyagerseason 5, but also my personal favorite episode ofVoyager.
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“Course: Oblivion” opens with Lt.s Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNiel) and B’Elanna Torres finally getting married, in what should have been the emotional highpoint of the season. The episode ends with a dying Ensign Kim failing to launch a time capsule to prove their existence, and the real Voyager coming across the unidentifiable remains of the ship. There are so many ways in whichVoyager’s intrepid crew could have failed to make it back to Earth, and “Course: Oblivion” takes the time to really sit with that reality. No viewing ofStar Trek: Voyagerwould be complete without it.
