So, about 4 years ago one of my friends found all seven seasons of Voyager at a nice price and watched the series from start to finish. He made a list of the particularly good episodes and we spent a full day pretty much just watching Voyager. Biannually since then we've gathered a group of friends, some who have been trekkies for a while and some who have only watched a few episodes in the franchise, and thrown a 24 hour party which has gained the name of "Voyager". Right now we're in the planning stage of the ninth marathon, "Voyager 10" (We skipped number 4 because one of us had a bad dream about it ), and this could possibly be the last one because we all go off to college in a couple of months. The main point is, I want this one to be memorable, and not one of the parties where we end up migrating downstairs and LAN-ing because we can't decide which episodes to watch. I also don't want to think of an episode a couple days later and say "Ahh, why didn't we watch that one!" To help resolve this problem, I'd like to see if we can compile a list here of some of the episodes that would work well for this purpose. There should be some episodes that show some character development or move along the plot a bit, but also a handful of stand-alones that make the list because they are entertaining or just plain good. Some obscure episodes that don't receive much attention would also be interesting. But, overall the main goal should be to capture the essence of the series and its growth. Let's get some of the big two-parters out of the way first. Caretaker Future's End Scorpion Year of Hell Endgame Any ideas?
Faces. (Torres/Paris) Elogium. (Janeway/Kes) Manuevers.(Chakotay/Seska) Resolutions.(Janeway Chakotay) Blood Fever.(Torres/Paris) Counterpoint. (Janeway/Kashyk) Barge of the Dead.(Torres/Miral/Janeway) Imperfection.(Janeway/Seven/B'Elanna)
Dreadnaught Deadlock Real Life Distant Origin The Gift Revulsion Macrocosm Counterpoint Raven Dark Frontier Latent Image Unity Riddles One Child's Play Flesh & Blood Author, Author Critical Care
My husband and I choose which VOY eps to watch by rolling dice. We like watching 'em in the evenings sometimes before bed. (This method excludes Season 7, which may or may not be okay with you ) Anyway, we roll the dice once for the season. We then roll it again for the disc. Finally, we roll it a third time for the episode. If it lands on 5 or 6, we roll again. That way it's a surprise! We allow ourselves to choose a different episode only if we both agree the chosen episode is poop. EDIT: Oh! If all else fails, just put in "Macrocosm." When the episode ends, return to the DVD menu and start the episode again. Rinse and repeat.
This is terrible of me to say it but I have never been able to stay awake all the way through 11:59, so avoid that one at all costs.
Ooh, that sounds fun. That will probably become our fail safe. I like some of the ones in season 7, though, so we'll just use random.org or something.
Timeless is my favorite VOY episode. I wouldn't show it to someone who didn't know the characters but if they already know them it's a great ride, very moving and intriguing. Watch it early on and save Bride of Chaotica for 3am. If you watch Future's End you could follow it with Relativity. All the double eps in VOY are fantastic IMO.
Yeah, Timeless is one of my favorites too. Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy and Message in a Bottle are also good ones to watch, they could go on the list for their humorous value. Bride of Chaotica will definitely be interesting to watch around 3 am. Maybe Waking Moments could follow that, when we really start to get tired.
I think "Message in a Bottle" is the only thing I think I've ever enjoyed Andy Dick in. I think my favorite scene is him trying to crawl into the Jefferies Tube backwards.
The list below is the group of episodes I consider to be essential to get from Caretaker to Endgame. These are the episodes that feature a major change in the plot of the series, or a characters story. Most of them are pretty good to excellent episodes, producing a 12-15 hour marathon. Four episodes (three hours) can be skipped, as is explained below. I'm surprised to discover that, while season two had some great episodes, nothing of any lasting significance to the series or the characters happened. Caretaker - Introduces the characters, and establishes the premise. Parallax - B'Elanna becomes chief engineer, and the Maquis/Starfleet conflict is basically put to rest. Future's End - The Doctor becomes mobile. Scorpion - The introductions of Seven of Nine, and the Borg as the villains of the show. The Gift - The departure of Kes. Day of Honor - The beginning of the B'Elanna/ Tom relationship. Message In A Bottle - Voyager's first contact with the Federation. Dark Frontier** - This isn't really essential. It's an exciting two-parter, but it's only significance to the series finale is that it sets up the Janeway/Borg Queen conflict. Pathfinder - Barclay is brought in as an important part of their attempt to get home. Also, the Federation makes contact with Voyager. Collective & Child's Play** - Like "Dark Frontier" these episodes aren't essential. Unlike "Dark Frontier" I don't believe they are very good. But they introduce Icheb, and his engineered genetics, which to me helps explain how the Borg were defeated in "Endgame". Drive - Tom and B'Elanna marry. Lineage - Tom and B'Elanna find out their will become parents. Homestead - Neelix leaves Voyager. Endgame - The End The episodes below represent the best of the rest. They're not important to the overall series plot, or any characters arc, but they make up a large chunk of my favorite episodes of Voyager. By themselves, these episodes represent an 18 hour marathon. Phage Prime Factors Death Wish Deadlock Tuvix Unity Distant Origin Worst Case Scenario Year of Hell The Omega Directive Living Witness Drone Timeless Someone to Watch Over Me 11:59 Relativity Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy The Voyager Conspiracy Virtuoso Good Shepherd Live Fast and Prosper Muse Shattered
I have eps like that, and Macrocosm IS one of them! I'll give you 2 guesses (J/C Forever!) which is also in my DVD's "rinse and repeat" cycle.