Season 4

E01S04. Scorpion, Part 2: Species 8472 gradually get beaten. The Borg try and fail to assimilate Voyager, and we get a new regular character, Seven of Nine. The production staff added Seven in an attempt to provide additional Fanservice, despite the fact that I was already more than happy with what had so far been available. Jeri Ryan still proved to be a fine actress, and her character provided the creative basis of most of the rest of the series, thus partly subverting the reason for her introduction.

E02S04. The Gift: Kes leaves, and Janeway continues work on disconnecting Seven from the Borg Collective.

E03S04. Day of Honor: Tom Paris and B’Elanna Torres officially shack up. I become jealous of Tom.

E06S04. The Raven: Seven experiences post-traumatic stress disorder regarding her initial assimilation, and we thus learn more about her backstory.

E07S04. Scientific Method: A vintage Janeway moment. She demonstrates to a group of aliens why messing with her generally won’t end well for anyone who tries it, as well as proving that her initials’ similarity with Kirk’s is more than mere coincidence. The rest of this episode is largely disposable, (other than the P/T scenes, of course) but Janeway’s scene alone here is worth the price of admission.

E08-09S04. Year of Hell: Voyager’s second two-part telemovie. This one was about the Krenim, who seem to be Star Trek’s answer to the Time Lords. Voyager goes close to being destroyed, and is only saved as a result of Janeway’s signature attitude. Tom also displays extraordinary restraint, by managing to avoid passionately kissing B’Elanna when he is leaning over her in Sickbay. He’s a stronger man than I would have been.

E12S04. Mortal Coil: Neelix has a near-death experience, and is badly traumatised about the fact that he doesn’t see anything, because one of the only things that has kept him going has been the belief that he would eventually be re-united with his family in the Afterlife, after they were killed by the Metreon Cascade. This episode marks the only time on screen when Chakotay effectively plays the role of “Ship’s Shaman”, or spiritual leader, which is something he did regularly in fanfic.

E15S04. Hunters: The first full episode of the Hirogen arc. The Hirogen are a low-budget, PG rated version of the Yautja or Predator race from the Predator franchise, and their culture is similarly based on hunting.

E16S04. Prey: The second Hirogen episode. This one has a fantastic sense of atmosphere. Two Hirogen are on a hunt for a member of Species 8472. Janeway wants to prevent them from killing the creature, while Seven hands it back to the Hirogen. This sets up some great dramatic tension between Seven and Janeway.

E18-19S04. The Killing Game: This was the Hirogen telemovie. The Hirogen take over Voyager, and subject the crew to being hunted in holographic simulations from various time periods, most notably WW2. Although not terribly well structured or edited, this does have some good moments, (particularly a fight scene with Janeway). This episode also serves as an example of the sorts of extreme situations which Voyager often found itself in, where the sort of diplomacy favoured in TNG only would have got the crew killed, and they instead had to resort to a simple, balls-to-the-wall fight for pure survival.

E21S04. The Omega Directive: Janeway is reminded of a secret Starfleet directive when the ship detects Omega particles, a substance capable of destroying subspace. Tension also results between her and Seven of Nine, when it is discovered that Omega is the focus of the closest thing the Borg had to a religion. Janeway is under orders to destroy the substance, but Seven has other ideas.

E2304. Living Witness: This episode takes place 700 years in the future, in which a backup copy of the Doctor must correct some aliens’ historical record of Voyager’s interaction with them in the past. In dramatic terms, this is a great episode, and also has a very humorous “evil” depiction of the Voyager crew, which Kate Mulgrew in particular clearly has fun with.

Season 5

E01S05. Night: Voyager travels through a region of space with no stars. This episode is notable for three main reasons. The first is that it provides a decent character study of Janeway’s psychological complexity and moral ambiguity. The second is that it is the first episode to feature Tom’s “Captain Proton” holodeck game, which will come up again later. The third is that it introduces the Malon, who get a couple of other episodes as antagonists.

E02S05. Drone: A great Seven/Borg episode, here.

E03S05. Extreme Risk: A B’Elanna episode, in which she has to deal with grief surrounding the deaths of the Maquis. This also gives us the second appearance of the Malon, and the first appearance of the Delta Flyer, a new shuttlecraft designed by Tom.

E06S05. Timeless: The one and only episode in which Harry Kim is given genuine, and significant, development and credibility. One of Voyager’s greatest episodes in general terms, and a must-watch.

E07S05. Infinite Regress: A great example of Jeri Ryan’s ability as an actor. Seven of Nine begins experiencing multiple personality disorder, after Voyager comes within range of a vinculum; the Borg device which is designed to filter out and repress the personalities of individual Borg drones.

E08S05. Nothing Human: An episode in which the Doctor needs to use research gained from the inhumane medical experiments which the Cardassians performed on the Bajorans during the Occupation, in order to save B’Elanna’s life. Some good dramatic tension and acting, here.

E10S05. Counterpoint: Another study of Janeway’s moral ambiguity and Machiavellian tendencies.

E13S05. Gravity: The series’ main study of Tuvok as a character. If you want to understand Tuvok and know what makes him tick, this is the episode to watch. We get more backstory about him here than anywhere else.

E15-16S05. Dark Frontier: The first Voyager Borg telemovie, and the best of the three in my opinion. While this is a little shallow and formulaic, there is still a fair amount of substance here, and some great action and special effects. The Borg have never looked better, and we get more information about Seven’s family, as well. For big boombastic entertainment, look no further.

E17S05. The Disease: Another “Harry Kim Butt Monkey” episode. Bad, but included for people who enjoy watching Harry get used as a punching bag, and/or the butt of various jokes.

E21S05. Juggernaut: More B’Elanna/Roxann Dawson fanservice. Yes please. A little too formulaic/gratuitous in terms of how early make-up makes her look “gritty”, and her jacket gets taken off, but on the character side, this episode is also important in establishing that B’Elanna can control her temper and employ classic Trek sensibilities (only using violence as a last resort) when she needs to. Good general atmosphere here as well.

E22S05. Someone to Watch Over Me: Voyager attempts a romantic comedy. Ordinarily I would give this sort of material a pass, but Robert Picardo and Jeri Ryan are likeable enough that it works without descending into nausea. A good quality episode.

E2605-E01S06. Equinox: Another of Voyager’s very best episodes. This one has a great TOS vibe atmospherically, and we get another strong example of just how dangerous Janeway can get, when she is sufficiently angry. Solidly recommended.

Season 6

E03S06. Barge of the Dead: Although Voyager gives us probably half a dozen episodes centered on B’Elanna Torres, this one is, for her, what Gravity was for Tuvok. It is her main character study, where we find out more about her backstory, and her internal conflict is really examined and resolved in depth. Well written, well acted, and a winner in general terms.

E04S06. Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy: The first of the major “Doctor comedy” episodes. Very silly, but good fun. Robert Picardo’s acting ability, and sincerity in the role won me over.

E10S06. Pathfinder: Excellent acting from Dwight Schultz. Notable also because Voyager now also has live communication with the Alpha Quadrant.

E21S06. Live Fast And Prosper: A trio of con artists impersonate three of Voyager’s crew. Comedy, and dumb at times, but also good fun.

E2406. Life Line: The Doctor gets beamed back to the Alpha Quadrant via the tech developed in Pathfinder when he discovers that his creator, Lewis Zimmerman, is terminally ill. Great acting from Robert Picardo as usual, and another cameo from Counsellor Troi, for people who liked her character.

E2606-E0107. Unimatrix Zero: Voyager does The Matrix. Not as bad as that sounds, and worth watching, but the weakest of the three Borg telemovies in my opinion, and yes, that includes Endgame. Cliches, some incoherence, and a major plothole concerning the fact that Janeway, Tuvok, and Torres all willingly allow themselves to be assimilated, and unlike literally anyone else who ever has been, they don’t lose eyes or major organs in the process. Some of the tension with the Borg Queen and Tuvok, who starts to get mentally assimilated, is also good.