Summary
- Captain Janeway faced unique challenges in the Delta Quadrant with comion, connection, and tough decisions.
- Season 4 introduced Seven of Nine, enhancing Voyager's story with complex characters and fresh dynamics.
- Voyager's best episodes showcased moral dilemmas, character development, and alliances with new alien species.
The best episodes from each of USS Voyager crew as the only Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant. Comion and connection were part of Voyager's story from the jump, as a diminished Starfleet crew needed to forces with Commander Chakotay's (Robert Beltran) Maquis crew in order to survive in a far-flung corner of the galaxy, populated with brand-new Star Trek aliens, like Talaxian chef Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and psychic Ocampa Kes (Jennifer Lien). Each week, Voyager encountered new moral dilemmas unique to the Delta Quadrant, but unmistakably Star Trek in nature.
Beginning in Star Trek: Voyager season 4, ex-Borg drone Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) reinvigorated the series, bringing not just sex appeal but also a complex, intelligent character who clashed with Captain Janeway's staunch Federation ideals. Seven and Voyager's holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo) were breakout stars, changing Voyager for the better, especially when paired as a comedic duo of unlikely friends. Star Trek: Voyager became stronger with story arcs featuring the Borg, the predatory Hirogen, and the USS Voyager's with the Alpha Quadrant. To review the very best of Star Trek: Voyager, however, we must start from the beginning.
Best Star Trek: Voyager Episode Of Each Main Character
Star Trek: Voyager had many great ensemble episodes, but every main character on the show also got their chance to shine in the spotlight.
7 Star Trek: Voyager Season 1's Best - Episode 7, "Eye of the Needle"
"Just our luck, we raise one ship from the Alpha Quadrant and it has to be Romulan."
Despite its tenuous footing, Star Trek: Voyager season 1 delivers a memorable episode that offers the USS Voyager crew an early chance to connect to the Alpha Quadrant when Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) discovers a new wormhole ... but the wormhole is only 30 centimeters wide. That's big enough for a communications signal, but there's a question of whether Telek R'Mor (Vaughn Armstrong), the Romulan scientist on the other side, is willing to deliver Voyager's message to Starfleet. The tenuous trust built on Janeway's desperation and R'Mor's curiosity is quintessential Star Trek, and the devastating final twist seals "Eye of the Needle" as Voyager season 1's best episode.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 1, episode 15, "Jetrel"
6 Star Trek: Voyager Season 2's Best - Episode 24, "Tuvix"
"I don't want to die."
There is no greater dilemma in Star Trek: Voyager than the one in "Tuvix", which remains a hot debate nearly 30 years later. When symbiogenetic orchid samples muddle their transporter patterns, Neelix and Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) are merged into a single being known as Tuvix (Tom Wright), who becomes beloved by most of Voyager's crew over several weeks. That makes it all the more difficult when the Doctor figures out how to bring Tuvok and Neelix back, but at the expense of Tuvix. Janeway's Tuvix decision is hard to watch, since there's no correct or easy answer no matter how you look at it, especially after the gut-wrenching pain of watching Tuvix plead for his continued existence.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 2, episode 21, "Deadlock"
Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 1 "Twovix" lampoons the Tuvix dilemma with Voyager references aplenty, highlighting the strength of "Tuvix" to stand the test of time.
5 Star Trek: Voyager Season 3's Best - Episode 26, "Scorpion, Part 1"
"'I couldn't help it,' said the scorpion, 'it's my nature'."
Faced with the choice of settling down in the Delta Quadrant or forging ahead through Borg space, Captain Janeway decides to safeguard against the perils of the latter by allying with the Borg, even though Commander Chakotay is all but certain that the Borg will renege on their end of the agreement, as the eponymous scorpion. Janeway's third option isn't an easy one, but taking the deal proves just how determined Kathryn Janeway is to see her people home at any cost. The tense cliffhanger resolves at the start of Star Trek: Voyager season 4, kicking off the rivalry between Janeway and the Borg, and famously introducing Seven of Nine.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 3, episode 22, "Real Life"
4 Star Trek: Voyager Season 4's Best - Episode 8 & 9 "Year of Hell"
"He's trying to erase us from history."
Originally conceived as the backdrop for the entire season 4 of Star Trek: Voyager, "Year of Hell" pits the USS Voyager against Annorax of the Krenim Imperium (Kurtwood Smith), a dictator obsessed with restoring the glory of his former empire through temporal warfare. The Krenim are a formidable opponent with unique technologies essential to the central sci-fi conceit, but in the end, the strength of this war story is its focus on character psychology. The year-long cat and mouse game tests the tenacity of both major players, with Annorax and Captain Janeway evenly matched in their sheer determination, right until the very end reveals which of them is willing to risk more and win.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 23, "Living Witness"
10 Ways USS Voyager Changed In Star Trek’s Delta Quadrant
In Star Trek: Voyager, multiple technological upgrades, most courtesy Seven of Nine and the Borg, helped the USS Voyager navigate the Delta Quadrant.
3 Star Trek: Voyager Season 5's Best - Episode 11, "Latent Image"
"As difficult as it is to accept, the Doctor is more like that replicator than he is like us."
A slowly unraveling mystery reveals that the Doctor's program has been tampered with, and it's up to him to figure out not only who altered his memories, but why. The unsettling psychological puzzle falls into place bit by bit, raising questions about medical ethics, personal autonomy, and the true nature of the Doctor as a sentient hologram with an evolving program. "Latent Image" is a turning point in the Doctor's character arc, as the hard truth that emerges bends the Doctor's perception of himself towards greater comion, and also affects how Captain Janeway, Seven of Nine, and the rest of Voyager's crew perceive the Doctor moving forward.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episode 10 "Counterpoint"
2 Star Trek: Voyager Season 6's Best - Episode 12 "Blink of an Eye"
"How does this sound? 'The Weird Planet Where Time Moved Very Fast and So Did the People Who Lived There,' by Naomi Wildman…"
The USS Voyager is stuck in orbit of an unnamed planet where time moves far more quickly relative to the rest of the universe. The crew is able to watch civilizations rise and fall at an accelerated rate, as the culture on the planet is heavily influenced by Voyager's presence for thousands of years -- but mere weeks to Voyager's crew. "Blink of an Eye" is a new angle on a Prime Directive story that centers the aliens affected by the "Skyship", with a nod to how science fiction, and Star Trek in particular, shapes our own culture by inspiring us to reach for the stars.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 6, episode 4, "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy"
1 Star Trek: Voyager Season 7's Best - Episode 25 & 26 "Endgame"
"Set a course… for home."
Star Trek: Voyager season 7 is rife with solid episodes, but it's the finale that takes the honor of being the season's best. "Endgame" opens on the USS Voyager's return to Earth after decades of harrowing adventures, in which the crew faces devastating losses. With a new plan, iral Janeway ensures those losses never happen, comes home early, and deals with the looming Borg threat in one fell swoop, even if she has to break a few rules to do it. Kate Mulgrew's performances as both Captain and iral Janeway carry the Star Trek: Voyager finale through time and alternate realities to the series' logical -- and satisfying -- conclusion.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episode 7, "Body and Soul"
While Star Trek: Voyager never received the same critical acclaim as its predecessors, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the USS Voyager's journey back home to the Alpha Quadrant had significant high points. Throughout seven years, seemingly disparate episodes came together like beads on a string, threaded with themes of love, loss, grief, and family. Voyager's crew grew to care for each other, and often brought out the best in each other despite checkered pasts and uncertain bonds. In the end, it's the characters that made Star Trek: Voyager a comfortable show beloved by its fans, like the home we were looking for all along.
Star Trek: Voyager is streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Voyager
- Network
- UPN
- Showrunner
- Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor, Brannon Braga, Kenneth Biller
- Writers
- Rick Berman, Michael Piller
Cast
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Jennifer Lien
WHERE TO WATCH
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Seasons
- 7
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount Plus
