This article mentions suicide.
Of all the Star Trek TV shows, Star Trek: Voyager was just the fourth to be made in live-action, so it was under pressure to perform as well as its predecessors. Although the show is incredibly popular these days, that wasn't always the case. Thankfully, the Star Trek: Voyager cast was able to carry on and end the story on its own terms after 7 seasons. Although the show's inaugural run included some strong episodes, Star Trek: Voyager season 2 was the beginning of Janeway's era of the franchise coming into its own.
10 "Threshold"
Episode 15 is still a cause of much debate among Voyager fans
"Threshold" has earned a bit of a reputation over the years for being a pretty ridiculous episode. As such, Star Trek: Voyager fans have developed something of a love/hate relationship with the story. However, I think it has been unfairly maligned. It's not just a great Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) episode, but it's also built around a fascinating concept of trying to reach the fabled speed of warp factor 10.
It has all the elements of a great Star Trek story, and only arguably falls down when it's revealed that Paris is slowly evolving due to his warp 10 experiments.
It has all the elements of a great Star Trek story, and only arguably falls down when it's revealed that Paris is slowly evolving due to his warp 10 experiments. Having said that, the process of Paris' gradual evolution is fascinating, and it's actually the fact that Paris pulls Janeway down that same path and procreates with her when they're alien salamanders that Trekkies tend to turn away from the installment. Regardless, it's a great watch, and the relative success of warp 10 briefly offers the ship hope of a speedy trip home.
9 "Twisted"
Episode 6 is Voyager's creative take on a TV tradition
Because Star Trek: Voyager is part of such a sprawling franchise that had already developed tropes and traditions of its own, it often didn't feel the need to draw on certain storytelling tricks from the wider TV industry. "Twisted," on the other hand, is a rare example of Voyager doing just that. The entire episode is set aboard the show's titular starship, with no planetfall or obvious contact with new alien species. In a way, "Twisted" is a take on the classic bottle episode, where an installment is shot in one location for budgetary reasons.
"Twisted" had a big advantage over other bottle episodes in that Star Trek: Voyager had a lot of pre-built sets to use. So, the installment could pen a sci-fi storyline that shuffled all the usual shooting locations around the ship, which meant what would have been a highly recognizable layout became something new. Either way, "Twisted" could only reach a certain level of quality because of this production decision, so it wouldn't be fair to rank it any higher.
8 "The 37's"
Episode 1's storyline provided Janeway's crew with an unexpected taste of home
Star Trek: Voyager season 2 began with an episode that is still heavily beloved by the fan base. After following an ancient SOS signal to an alien world, which also allows for a super-rare USS Voyager landing sequence, Janeway and her crew discover a group of humans who have descended from abductees taken from Earth in the 1930s by a group of unseen aliens called the Briori. Among those in statis is aviation legend Amelia Earhart (Sharon Lawrence).
"The 37's" is similar to "Threshold" in that both episodes suggest the crew will be able to make themselves at home sooner rather than later.
"The 37's" is similar to "Threshold" in that both episodes suggest the crew will be able to make themselves at home sooner rather than later. However, "The 37's" calls for members of the crew to remain on the alien planet if they want to settle into a larger human society. It's a brilliant and heartwarming decision forced upon everyone, made even better that no one chooses to leave the ship. "The 37's" loses points for teasing such a brilliant plot with the Briori and the human rebellion against them, which is only ever mentioned and never shown.
7 "Non Sequitur"
Episode 5 explored an interesting alternate timeline for Harry (& Tom)
Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) went through some pretty bizarre experiences during his time aboard the USS Voyager, but the show also made sure to let viewers know what his life could have looked like if he had never secured such a posting. The episode gives Harry everything he thought he wanted. As one of the youngest members of the Voyager crew, he was taking the ship's unexpected journey to the Delta Quadrant especially hard. A time anomaly sent him home, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to be back with his new family.
Harry manages to correct the timeline by the end of "Non Sequitur," but the episode does a great job of making it seem like an impossible task.
"Non Sequitur" is brilliantly written, and also reveals the impact Harry had on Tom Paris' life, as McNeill's character also never made it to Voyager because Kim wasn't there on Deep Space Nine to prevent a fight between Paris and Quark (Armin Shimerman) in Star Trek: Voyager's pilot episode. As expected, Harry manages to correct the timeline by the end of "Non Sequitur," but the episode does a great job of making it seem like an impossible task, and also not revealing it to be some kind of meaningless illusion.
6 "Prototype"
Episode 13 takes B'Elanna down an unexpected path
Roxann Dawson's B'Elanna Torres had some solid episodes based entirely around her, and "Prototype" is a shining example of just how good such installments could be. Mostly responsible for maintaining, repairing, and improving Voyager's various systems, Dawson's character is given far more to do "Prototype" than simply replacing warp conduits and scrubbing plasma manifolds.
"Prototype" is one of several Star Trek episodes by franchise legend, Jonathon Frakes. He is best known for playing Commander William Riker.
5"Basics, Part I"
Episode 26 leaves Star Trek: Voyager season 2 on a massive cliffhanger
Although "Basics, Part I" is essentially a big setup episode so that the Star Trek: Voyager season 3 opener can shine, it's also a brilliant installment in its own right. So early into the show's run, the season 2 finale constantly threatens Voyager's crew and makes it genuinely seem as though they're never going to reach home. Plus, "Basics, Part I" bringing back Brad Dourif's Lon Suder 10 episodes after his debut was a masterstroke of what was dancing around episodic storytelling.
4 "Meld"
Episode 16 introduced one of the biggest eventual heroes of the "Basics" two-parter
Lon Suder's first of three episodes gives him a fascinating starting point. The episode revolves around Dourif's character murdering a fellow shipmate for seemingly no reason, and Tuvok's (Tim Russ) investigations into the matter fail to offer him any logical explanation for the incident. Dourif's performance is spectacular, and it's especially easy for the show's human viewers to step into the logical mind Vulcan mind of Tuvok as he struggles to comprehend what was going through Suder's head.
Tuvok finding himself unable to control a similar drive to kill proves just how deep Suder's darkness ran.
3"Projections"
Episode 3 is a fascinating exploration of the Doctor's program
Any episode that delves deeper into Robert Picardo's Doctor and his holographic nature is brilliant, but "Projections" ranks somewhere near the top of that particular group of stories. The installment puts an exciting spin on the blueprint by suggesting that the Doctor isn't a hologram at all, but is actually Lewis Zimmerman, the flesh-and-blood creator of the Emergency Medical Hologram. "Projections" revolves around the question of what is real and what is not, which is already a sensitive topic for a holographic character.
"Projections" is another of the Star Trek episodes directed by Jonathon Frakes.
2"Tuvix"
Episode 24 forced Captain Janeway to make an impossible decision
I'm certain that "Tuvix" is burned into the memory of every Star Trek: Voyager fan. Although the transporter malfunction that merged Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and Tuvok into one entity was unexpected, the decision of whether to essentially order his execution by separating him again was something that haunted Janeway for pretty much the entire episode. In fact, hearing Tuvix (Tom Wright) beg for his life is still something that I struggle to forget myself.
The whirlwind of philosophical debates makes "Tuvix" unforgettable.
1"Death Wish"
Episode 18 is a compelling worldbuilding episode about the Q Continuum
John de Lancie is so brilliant as Q that his memorable performances create the fitting illusion that he's been far more ubiquitous across the Star Trek franchise than he actually has. After appearing in eight episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and a lone installment of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the actor crossed over for his Star Trek: Voyager debut in 1996. However, what's so brilliant about "Death Wish" is that it manages to tell an excellent story with de Lancie's larger-than-life Q in what is essentially a supporting role.
Gerrit Grahm's Q2, who eventually becomes known as Quinn when he's made human, takes the audience on an unexpected tour of the Continuum which attempts to contextualize the character's desire to end his own life. Essentially viewed as gods to this point, Quinn's shocking storyline shines a whole new light on his omnipotent race. As well as being an enthralling episode in its own right, bringing back John de Lancie and Jonathon Frakes' Commander Riker into the fray is another example of Star Trek: Voyager brilliantly snatching at its rare opportunities for fan service.
