Set in the outer reaches of the galaxy, Star Trek: Voyager gave the audience a look at unexplored regions of the Trek universe. Often fighting for survival week after week, the adventures onboard Voyager were usually too action-packed to be contained in only one episode.
Whether they were taking on the horrifying Borg, or traveling back in time to modern-day earth, the excitement in Voyager's two-part episodes was palpable. Though all of the two-parters pleased Trek fans, some gained much higher scores on IMDb.
The Killing Game Part 1 & 2 - 7.6/7.6
Star Trek history is filled with a plethora of amazing Holodeck episodes, but few were as serious as "The Killing Game". When an alien race known as the Hirogens takes over Voyager, the ship is transformed into a massive Holodeck and the crew is hunted in a simulated version WWII era Europe. Desperate to free her crew, Janeway must find a way to retake her ship and save her personnel from their cruel fate.
Like most Holodeck episodes, the most entertaining part is seeing the Starfleet officers put in unfamiliar situations. Whether it was Picard as a grizzled noir detective, or the Deep Space Nine crew playing baseball, it was always fun for fans to see. Captain Janeway shows in the episode, once again, that she is perfectly cast to play the action hero, and the refreshing change of location keeps things lively throughout.
Workforce Part 1 & 2 - 7.6/7.7
While racing home through uncharted space, the Voyager crew often encountered entirely new situations that were unfamiliar to other Trek shows. The episode "Workforce" finds almost the entire ship's roster brainwashed and living on an alien world where they work as substitutes for the planet's dwindling labor class. In order to free themselves, the crew must hold on to the last shreds of their original personalities or else be lost forever.
The most frightening aspect of "Workforce" is if the crew fails in their mission, they will simply fade into the background of an alien culture. Similar to the scary conceit of the Borg, the total loss of personality is not a pleasant concept to entertain. What makes the two-part episode soar is that it uses its extended length to gives side characters like B'Elanna a chance to shine and carry the story.
Basics Part 1 & 2 - 7.7/7.8
Like The Next Generation, the episode "Basics" was a chance for the writers to callback one of the show's earlier plot lines. Voyager receives a distress call from the Kazon and soon learn that it is from the double agent Seska who had previously betrayed the crew. Seska reveals that she gave birth to Chakotay's son and that the child is at risk of being made a prisoner of the Kazon. A fight ensues and the Kazon capture Voyager, leaving only a few crew behind in an attempt to save the ship.
The Kazon were one of the most consistent villains in the early seasons of the show, and in "Basics" they finally pay off in a big way. The Maquis plot line was also one of the show's strongest early elements, and it was rewarding for viewers to see a fitting conclusion to Seska's shocking betrayal. Though the ship seemed to get captured frequently in the series, "Basics" was one of the first times, and it really had weight.
Unimatrix Zero Part 1 & 2 - 7.9/7.9
While the Star Trek films often had nothing to do with the events of the shows, "Unimatrix Zero" saw the return of one of the series' most frightening big-screen villains. As Voyager nears an outpost that has been destroyed by the Borg, Seven of Nine begins to have vivid hallucinations about a secret Borg collective known as Unimatrix Zero. Falling into a Borg trap, Janeway devises a way to get even with the sinister hive-mind, and she comes face to face with their queen.
While the Borg are one of the strongest alien races in Star Trek, their collective mentality does leave them vulnerable to widespread attack. As seen in the TNG episode "I,Borg", a computer virus could wipe them out completely, but Picard was reticent to go to such lengths. Janeway on the other hand, is less picky with her options, and shows that she was willing to do whatever it took to get her people back home safe.
Future's End Part 1 & 2 - 8.2/8.2
Star Trek history, and it has produced many great stories in all eras of the franchise. "Future's End" finds the Voyager crew locked in combat with a timeship from the future. While fighting, the pair of ships are transported back in time with the Voyager crew ending up in the year 1996. Discovering that the timeship was found in the 1960s, the crew must stop a tech company from exploiting their newfound technology and changing the timeline.
With the bulk of the episodes taking place in modern-day Los Angeles, it is neat to see the Voyager crew interacting with recognizable landmarks. As is usually the case when characters land on earth in the past, the Voyager crew is woefully unprepared to fit in to 1990s society. While the plot is somewhat convoluted, the episode does a great job of laying the story out in a way that is easily understood by the viewer.
Equinox Part 1 & 2 - 8.3/8.2
In the Delta Quadrant, the role of the Prime Directive was often questioned, and on a few occasions, Captain Janeway had to bend the Federation's golden rule to survive. The episode "Equinox" starts with the shocking discovery of another Federation vessel in the Delta Quadrant. Upon meeting with the severely weakened ship, the Voyager crew learns why they have made themselves the enemy of a local alien race. Determined to catch the escaped Equinox, Janeway comes dangerously close to also violating her Starfleet oaths.
Even amongst a plethora of unfamiliar threats, "Equinox" showed that humans were still capable of unspeakable evil. Janeway often gets a reputation as a captain who disregarded the rules, but the two-part episode explores her complicated relationship with them in a satisfying way. Like DS9's Dominion War, Voyager's journey through the Delta Quadrant asks whether desperate times call for desperate measures.
Year Of Hell Part 1 & 2 - 8.7/8.6
Few episodes showed the age of time aboard Voyager quite like the explosive two-parter called "Year of Hell". Desperate to restore the power of the Krenim empire, a new weapon is developed that is capable of wiping out entire civilizations, and thus affecting the future. When Voyager is badly damaged, a year es before they are able to mount a resurgence against the deadly Krenim empire.
With seven decades of potential travel time to work with, the writers found a clever way to push the show forward by an entire year. As was usually the case with Voyager, technology is at the heart of the story, and the Krenim's dangerous weapon is one of Trek's scariest creations. Seeing Voyager pushed to the brink of destruction keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat, and the two-parter has some of the strongest acting of the entire series.
Scorpion Part 1 & 2 - 8.9/8.9
The Borg have often been shown as an unfeeling force that only views the universe as potential fodder for their collective, but "Scorpion" showed them in a different light. When entering Borg space, Voyager encounters a species that is even more deadly than the cybernetic collective. Devising a way to defeat this alien species, Janeway negotiates free age through Borg space in exchange for the knowledge she possesses.
With a title that harkens back to the fable of the scorpion and the frog, the two-part episode ratchets up the tension to unbelievably suspenseful levels. Negotiating with the Borg seems futile, but Janeway has no other choice but to essentially make a deal with the devil. Along the way, the show gains a new character that forever changed the series in the form of Seven of Nine.