2y ago

OpticalData's guide to Star Trek: Voyager

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OpticalData's Guide to Voyager

Season 1

Episode	Title	Why should I watch it?	Is it optional?
1 & 2	Caretaker	Included for obvious reasons. This sets up the entire premise of the show.	No
3	Parallax	This is an important episode as it establishes the Starfleet/Maquis command structure that remains for the rest of the series, also good character development for Janeway/Chakotay/Torres.	No
4	Time and Again	If you can get past the ridiculous costumes, it has good character development for Janeway/Paris and introduces Kes' telepathic abilities.	No
5	Phage	Introduces the Vidiians.	No
6	The Cloud	"There's Coffee in that nebula!" and beginning of the deeper Janeway/Chakotay relationship	Yes
7	Eye Of The Needle	Voyager's first glimpse of home... Except not. (NB: The events of this episode are explored further in the 'Dark Matters' book trilogy)	Yes
8	Ex Post Facto	Heavy Paris development, the first time we see him as the 'underdog' in a story	Yes
9	Emanations	Harry Kim development and introduction of Seska	No
10	Prime Factors	More Starfleet-Maquis clashes. Character development for Tuvok, Torres and Carey.	Yes
11	State Of Flux	Beginning of the Seska-Kazon arc and revelation of Seska's past.	No
12	Heroes And Demons	The series' first holodeck episode. Janeway sports a new haircut.	Yes
13	Cathexis	The crew is possessed by a disembodied Chakotay.	Yes
14	Faces	Further development of both the Vidiians and Torres' character.	No
15	Jetrel	Development of Neelix's backstory. This episode is referenced multiple times throughout the rest of the series.	No
16	Learning Curve	Tuvok character development. Starfleet-Maquis clashes.	Yes

Season 2

Episode	Title	Why should I watch it?	Is it optional?
17	The 37's	The first time we get to see Voyager land.	No
18	Initiations	Chakotay gets captured by the Kazon and we see some of their culture.	Yes
19	Projections	Doctor-centric episode with good character development.	Yes
20	Elogium	Examines details of Kes's Ocampan biology which are referenced throughout the rest of the series	No
21	Non Sequitur	Kim gets transported to an alternate reality in which he is home and has everything he wants but decides to return to Voyager.	Yes
22	Twisted	General character development. A solid episode.	Yes
23	Parturition	Paris and Neelix fight over Kes and end up adopting an alien. Resolves the Tom/Neelix bickering and Neelix's jealousy.	No
24	Persistence of Vision	Reveals many characters' backstories, and one of the few times we see the relations of the Voyager crew.	No
25	Tattoo	Chakotay development, focussing on his spiritual beliefs.	Yes
26	Cold Fire	Wraps up questions from Caretaker.	No
27	Maneuvers	Seska outwits the Voyager crew and Chakotay is captured by the Kazon again. Setup for a plot line in Basics.	No
28	Resistance	Janeway character development.	Yes
29	Prototype	Torres character development, solid episode.	Yes
30	Alliances	Gives some back story to the Delta Quadrant.	No
31	Threshold	An infamously bad episode, on the order of "Spock's Brain".	Yes
32	Meld	Tuvok and Suder character development. Important for season resolution.	No
33	Dreadnought	A small insight to Maquis and Cardassian Technology. Janeway nearly sacrifices the ship.	Yes
34	Death Wish	The series' first Q episode. Looks into the issues of being a Q.	No
35	Lifesigns	Backstory about the phage and Vidiians, Doctor character development. Introduction of side characters.	Yes
36	Investigations	Important Paris development. (NB: Features a cameo from King Abdullah II of Jordan)	Yes
37	Deadlock	Deals with the Vidiians, the birth of a Naiomi Wildman, and the death of Kim prime. One of the best 'action' episodes of the franchise. Highlight: Kate Mulgrew acting vs herself.	No
38	Innocence	Tuvok crashes a shuttle and finds children on a planet, but all is not as it appears. Tuvok development.	Yes
39	The Thaw	One of the creepiest episodes of the franchise.	Yes
40	Tuvix	Poses some excellent moral dilemmas. What would you have done?	Yes
41	Resolutions	Sets up the will-they-won't-they element of the Janeway/Chakotay relationship and a chance to see what Voyager would be like with Tuvok in command.	Yes
42 & 43	Basics	Wraps up the Kazon arc.	No

Season 3

Episode	Title	Why should I watch it?	Is it optional?
44	Flashback	Gives Tuvok some back story and develops Tuvok-Janeway relationship. Also features appearances from some TOS cast members.	Yes
45	The Chute	Kim and Paris development. Both go temporarily insane.	Yes
46	The Swarm	Doctor development. Highlight: Picardo vs Picardo	Yes
47	False Profits	Wraps up the TNG episode "The Price". Ferengi.	Yes
48	Remember	Torres has dreams about a major event in an alien society.	Yes
49	Sacred Ground	Good character development for Janeway.	Yes
50 & 51	Future's End	Introduction of The Doctor's mobile emitter that will be used throughout the rest of the series. (NB: Sarah Silverman guest stars)	No
52	Warlord	Showcases the acting abilities of Jennifer Lien (Kes).	Yes
53	The Q and the Grey	Details about the Q continuum. Introduces the recurring Female Q.	No
54	Macrocosm	Voyager is attacked by "macroviruses" in a Die Hard-like premise.	Yes
55	Fair Trade	Neelix stops being a guide and receives some backstory development.	No
56	Alter Ego	Kim and Tuvok development.	Yes
57	Coda	Develops Janeway	No
58	Blood Fever	Introduces a number of elements seen in later episodes and examines the Pon Farr	No
59	Unity	One of the few episodes that develops Chakotay properly.	No
60	Darkling	The Doctor becomes Jekyll & Hyde	Yes
61	Rise	Neelix and Tuvok get stuck in a lift	Yes
62	Favourite Son	Harry Kim almost starts an interstellar war and begins to turn into an alien.	Yes
63	Before and After	Introduces the Krenim. An interesting episode about what could have been.	No
64	Real Life	Character development for The Doctor.	No
65	Distant Origin	A solid episode, good Chakotay development.	Yes
66	Displaced	Development of Torres/Paris relationship. Comedy moments	Yes
67	Worst Case Scenario	Wraps up Seska arc and shows 'what could have been' with the Maquis/Starfleet joint crew.	No
68 & 69	Scorpion	First proper appearance of the Borg and introduces Species 8472 and Seven of Nine.	No

Season 4

Episode	Title	Why should I watch it?	Is it optional?
70	The Gift	Departure of a series regular, wraps up Scorpion.	No
71	Day Of Honour	Important Paris-Torres development.	No
72	Nemesis	Chakotay and Beltran at their finest.	Yes
73	Revulsion	Tuvok gets promoted. A hologram tries to kill Torres.	Yes
74	The Raven	Important Seven backstory, referenced later.	No
75	Scientific Method	Quite a creepy episode if you think about it. Worth it to see Janeway go full crazy.	Yes
76 & 77	Year Of Hell	The best two parter of the series. What Voyager should have been.	No
78	Random Thoughts	Torres gets arrested for thinking a violent thought on a planet where they're a crime. Torres and Tuvok development.	Yes
79	Concerning Flight	Janeway development, end of a Holodeck distraction.	Yes
80	Mortal Coil	One of the few Neelix episodes where Ethan Phillips really gets to act.	No
81	Waking Moments	Chakotay development, excellent episode.	No
82	Message In A Bottle	Doctor development, referenced later in series.	No
83	Hunters	Introduces the Hirogen.	No
84	Prey	Continues Hirogen story, finalizes questions about 8472.	No
86 & 87	The Killing Game	Wraps up Hirogen arc. Jeri Ryan sings.	No
88	Vis à Vis	Tom Paris becomes a victim of body swapping.	Yes
89	The Omega Directive	A solid episode, Seven-Janeway relationship development.	No
90	Unforgettable	Chakotay falls in love with a woman he can't remember. Chakotay development.	Yes
91	Living Witness	Voyager's idea of a mirror universe episode.	No
92	Demon	A good episode, referenced later.	No
93	One	Good Seven development.	Yes
94	Hope and Fear	More Janeway-Seven development, consequences of Scorpion explored.	No

1 comments

Season 5

Episode	Title	Why should I watch it?	Is it optional?
95	Night	Introduces the Malon.	No
96	Drone	The transporter accidentally creates a Borg drone, Seven development.	Yes
97	Extreme Risk	Introduces the Delta Flyer. Resolves Voyager Maquis arc.	No
98	In The Flesh	Wraps up species 8472.	No
99	Once Upon A Time	Not a great episode, but re-introduces a recurring character. (NB: For Stargate Universe fans this stars Louis Ferreira (Col. Young) as a tree monster)	Yes
100	Timeless	One of the best Voyager standalone episodes. (NB: Levar Burton guest stars)	No
101	Infinite Regress	Seven experiences multiple personalities, showcasing Jeri Ryan's acting.	Yes
102	Nothing Human	An Alien slug attaches itself to Torres, she refuses treatment on moral grounds.	Yes
103	Thirty Days	Important Paris development.	No
104	Counterpoint	Another great episode, Janeway development.	No
105	Latent Image	Doctor development, good episode.	No
106	Bride of Chaotica	Explores a holoprogram referenced throughout the rest of the series.	No
107	Gravity	Tuvok and Paris crash a shuttle. Heavy Tuvok development. Tasty Spiders.	Yes
108	Bliss	A solid episode, referenced later.	No
109 & 110	Dark Frontier	Seven development, references 'The Raven'.	No
111	The Disease	Harry Kim falls in love and accidentally aids terrorists.	Yes
112	Course: Oblivion	Just a good episode, continuation of 'Demon'.	No
113	The Fight	Chakotay uses boxing to communicate with aliens.	Yes
114	Think Tank	A group of highly intelligent aliens attempt to recruit Seven, Seven-Janeway development.	Yes
115	Juggernaut	Voyager does "Alien". Malons. Torres development.	Yes
116	Someone To Watch Over Me	Seven/Doctor development.	No
117	11:59	A solid episode, explores Janeway's ancestry and shows some of the crew relationships.	Yes
118	Relativity	References Future's End, a solid time travel episode. Some amazing beauty shots of Voyager.	No
119	Warhead	Harry Kim brings a sentient warhead onto Voyager, it takes control of The Doctor. Kim development.	No
120 & 121	Equinox	An excellent execution of Voyager's concept.	No

Season 6

Episode	Title	Why should I watch it?	Is it optional?
122	Survival Instinct	Seven backstory.	No
123	Barge Of The Dead	Torres development.	Yes
124	Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy	One of the most hilarious episodes in the franchise.	No
125	Alice	Tom Paris falls in love with a shuttle. Paris development.	Yes
126	Riddles	A side of Tuvok we often don't get to see, a good episode.	Yes
127	Dragons Teeth	Some Delta Quadrant background and impressive CGI sequences.	Yes
128	One Small Step	Chakotay development.	Yes
129	The Voyager Conspiracy	Just a fun episode.	Yes
130	Pathfinder	Important for the entire crew. (NB: Features several TNG cast members)	No
131	Fair Haven	Voyager imagines Ireland. Janeway creates her ideal man.	Yes
132	Blink Of An Eye	Solid episode, Doctor development.	No
133	Virtuoso	More Doctor development.	Yes
134	Memorial	A solid episode.	Yes
135	Tsunkatse	Seven is forced to fight in an alien arena. (Guest stars Dwayne Johnson)	Yes
136	Collective	Introduces the Borg Children.	No
137	Spirit Folk	Fair Haven becomes self aware. Harry Kim kisses a cow.	Yes
138	Ashes To Ashes	One of Harry's ex lovers comes back from the dead. Kim development.	Yes
139	Childs Play	Icheb-Seven development. (NB: Guest stars Mark Sheppard)	No
140	Good Sheppard	Voyagers approach to TNG's "The Lower Decks". A solid episode	No
141	Live Fast And Prosper	Voyager becomes a victim of identity fraud.	Yes
142	Muse	Torres teaches an acting course on an alien planet. Torres development.	Yes
143	Fury	Wraps up Kes' story... Again.	No
144	Life Line	Doctor-Barclay character development and back story.	No
145	The Haunting On Deck Twelve	A solid episode, Voyager's attempt at horror.	Yes
146 & 147	Unimatrix Zero	Development for a number of characters, mostly Seven. (Last appearance of Susanna Thompson as the Borg Queen)	No

Season 7

Episode	Title	Why should I watch it?	Is it optional?
148	Imperfection	Seven Of Nine malfunctions. Seven-Icheb development.	Yes
149	Drive	Introduction of the Delta Flyer II.	No
150	Repression	Another view of what could have been with the original premise.	No
151	Critical Care	The Doctor gets stolen and struggles against an unethical healthcare system. Janeway pretends to be married to Tuvok.	Yes
152	Inside Man	Continues from "Pathfinder". Guest starring a TNG cast member.	No
153	Body and Soul	Jeri Ryan's acting at it's finest.	Yes
154	Nightingale	Harry Kim development.	No
155 & 156	Flesh And Blood	What the Hirogen did following "Killing Game".	No
157	Shattered	Quite an amusing episode looking back (and forward) in the series. Chakotay-Janeway development.	No
158	Lineage	Important Paris-Torres development.	No
159	Repentance	Neelix tries to save a prisoner sentenced to death. Neelix development.	Yes
160	Prophecy	Important Torres development.	No
161	The Void	Imagine if Season 1 had been like this; another excellent execution of Voyagers original premise.	No
162 & 163	Workforce	Doctor, Chakotay, and Kim development.	No
164	Human Error	Introduces Seven's interest in Chakotay.	No
165	Q2	Continues from Q And The Grey. Icheb development.	No
166	Author, Author	Doctor development and an interesting legal case. Voyager's "Measure Of A Man".	No
167	Friendship One	Death of a recurring character.	No
168	Natural Law	Chakotay and Seven crash a shuttle. Hints at a finale plot element.	Yes
169	Homestead	Departure of a main cast member.	No
170	Renaissance Man	A fun Doctor-Janeway episode.	Yes
171 & 172	Endgame	Finale	No

Post-series books

Homecoming
The Farther Shore
Spirit Walk: Old Wounds
Spirit Walk: Enemy Of My Enemy
Full Circle
TNG: Before Dishonor
TNG: Destiny Trilogy
Unworthy
Children Of The Storm
Protectors
Acts of Contrition
Atonement