The Least Disliked Episode 2023: VOY Season 2

[BlueStuff]

Our addictive biyearly game of rapid elimination returns - now with more shows than ever. It's generally a lot of fun, providing a chance to mentally revisit those episodes you may not have thought about in a while. With that in mind, why not play again?

So, here's the game. The basic idea is your standard elimination game. I'll provide a list of the episodes for each season and you need to eliminate your least favourite or the one you deem the 'worst.' Please provide an EXPLANATION for why you are eliminating your choice and be sure to copy and paste the list with your choice removed. Finally, leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters before you eliminate another episode.

No tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode just because you feel it would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Star Trek: Voyager
Hall of Champions
2011 - Meld
2013 - Living Witness
2017 - Blink of an Eye
2019 - Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy
2021 - Scorpion (I)
2023 -

Season 2

The 37s
Initiations
Projections
Elogium
Non Sequitur
Twisted
Parturition
Persistence of Vision
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliances
Threshold
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Investigations
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Tuvix
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[ReddishAlert]

Since I have the honor of first vote…Elogium.

I know, I know, you thought I was gonna say Threshold. But Elogium as an episode in the second season almost proves why Kes is too awkward a character to continue on the show. The short lived species was an interesting thought but she basically changes from Naomi Wildman version 1.0 in the first season to Deanna Troi in Man of the People. It also tries to approach serious issues but in a goofy non-relevant way. At least Threshold is wacky in an hilarious way.

The 37s
Initiations
Projections
Non Sequitur
Twisted
Parturition
Persistence of Vision
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliances
Threshold
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Investigations
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Tuvix
Resolutions
Basics (I)

P.S. Looking at the episodes I remember how much I like so much of the second season of Voyager.

 

[Oddish]

This season REALLY wandered all over the place... some brilliant efforts, some appalling ones.

"The 37's" should be 86-ed, for its eye rolling ending. I could see most people staying... but not everyone.

Initiations
Projections
Non Sequitur
Twisted
Parturition
Persistence of Vision
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliances
Threshold
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Investigations
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Tuvix
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Brennyren]

"Parturition" is not only tedious and predictable (gee, I wonder if having to work together for a common goal will help Neelix and Paris learn to get along?), but it's also one final round of the brain-numbingly annoying "Neelix is jealous of Paris!" subplot, which I would just as soon had ended eleventy-billion episodes before. This is one away mission I could have skipped.

Initiations
Projections
Non Sequitur
Twisted
Persistence of Vision
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliances
Threshold
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Investigations
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Tuvix
Resolutions

 

[Seven of Five]

A very hit-and-miss season. Lots of great episodes, but also lots of dreck.

Parturition is ejected from the list. The ongoing annoying subplot with Neelix being jealous of Paris and Kes is in abundance here, and the story with two characters that hate each other having to get on for a mission has been done better elsewhere in the franchise.

Ninjad!

Non Sequitor is next then. Kim is easily one of my least favourite characters in the franchise. He never received any development over the years and was poorly acted. His girlfriend Libby is poorly portrayed, too. It's just all so dull.

Initiations
Projections
Twisted
Persistence of Vision
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliances
Threshold
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Investigations
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Tuvix
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Sakonna]

"Investigations" always drives me crazy. The clumsy serialization of the Misbehaving Paris and Spy Jonas stories was bad enough, but THIS was the pay-off they had in mind? This weird veer into Neelix randomness?

If this is the best you can build to, don't even bother with the story at all.

Also, it is properly outrageous that Janeway didn't loop Chakotay in on this.

Initiations
Projections
Twisted
Persistence of Vision
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliances
Threshold
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Tuvix
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Sumire]

I’m removing Tuvix in large part because of the still ongoing fandom discourse. It has gone from being yet another Star Trek “consider this moral conundrum” episode to a “is Janeway the best/worst captain to ever captain” episode and I can happily live the rest of my life never hearing about it again.

Initiations
Projections
Twisted
Persistence of Vision
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliances
Threshold
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Oddish]

Persistence of Vision was just... unmemorable. I watched it recently, and I sort of remember Janeway saw characters from her holonovel and later Mark in it.

Initiations
Projections
Twisted
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliances
Threshold
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Sakonna]

"Twisted", for being filled with that Neelix jealousy bullshit. What an awful arc that was.

Initiations
Projections
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliances
Threshold
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Seven of Five]

It's time for Threshold to leave the contest. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure like Spock's Brain and Genesis, but it's a really stupid episode. It did well making it this far.

Initiations
Projections
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliance
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Summer Solstice]

Non Sequitor is next then. Kim is easily one of my least favourite characters in the franchise. He never received any development over the years and was poorly acted. His girlfriend Libby is poorly portrayed, too. It's just all so dull.

I didn't really feel the chemistry between Kim and Libby.

There are a lot of very good episodes on this list. I'm removing "Projections" because once you've seen later episodes of Voyager you know that Voyager isn't all a holodeck program and so this episode is much better the first time you see it than on subsequent viewings.

Initiations
Tattoo
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliance
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Takeru]

Tattoo, the fake Native American tribal stuff was dumb (most likely influenced by the fake advisor), and the genetic bonding 45,000 years ago somehow shaping Chakotay's tribes culture made not a lot of sense, after that much time the genetics should have spread over large parts of earth because the aliens would have encountered Chakotay's ancestors in europe or asia, they couldn't have been an isolated tribe never interacting with others for thousands of years before they finally made it to america to limit this apparently special genetic bond to only them.


Initiations
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliance
Meld
Dreadnought
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Seven of Five]

I'll get rid of Dreadnought next. I love B'Elanna so much, but season two has given her two pretty average episodes. This one contains the VOY trope of coming across things on their way back home that they really shouldn't be.

The Dreadnought that B'Elanna reprogrammed, the 37s Chevy, the Ferengi from The Price, Friendship One... The list goes on, but the galaxy is bigger than that!

Initiations
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Alliance
Meld
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Oddish]

It's time for Threshold to leave the contest. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure like Spock's Brain and Genesis, but it's a really stupid episode. It did well making it this far.

I had a morbid fascination with just how long that rather dreadful episode was going to be there.

I didn't really feel the chemistry between Kim and Libby.

And if chemistry ever needed to be there, it was then. The fact that Kim never seemed conflicted made that episode irredeemable.

This one contains the VOY trope of coming across things on their way back home that

They did seem to find a lot of random Alpha Quadrant detritus, didn't they?

"Alliances" falls next, for failing to resolve the conflict it set up. We're getting slaughtered by the Kazon, but it's all Ok because Janeway said some inspiring words!

Initiations
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Prototype
Meld
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Farscape One]

Taking out "PROTOTYPE".

Not a bad episode, but the rest of the list is just better.


Initiations
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Meld
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Sakonna]

"Meld" I am always surprised to see this listed as the 2011 champion, to me it is such a meh episode.

Or perhaps I was just annoyed when it felt like Tuvok needs to be put in an altered state in order to get the spotlight. That bugged me, the writers clearly struggle to get drama from the character as-conceived.

Initiations
Cold Fire
Maneuvers
Resistance
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Sumire]

Or perhaps I was just annoyed when it felt like Tuvok needs to be put in an altered state in order to get the spotlight. That bugged me, the writers clearly struggle to get drama from the character as-conceived.

Not to betray my Enterprise bias but it annoyed me to no end that the same seemed to be true for T’Pol as well. If you cannot conceive of interesting plots that utilize Vulcan characters behaving like a Vulcan, may I politely suggest that you expand your mind or desist writing for Star Trek.

 

[ReddishAlert]

I feel like I’m picking on Kes (and I like the actress!) but I’m going to make my second pick Cold Fire. First again, not knowing what to do with Kes they try the old “what if she has super powers, does that make her more intriguing?”

And actually her character is best when her superpowers are things like empathy and compassion. Like when she champions the doctor not as a cause but just because it is obvious to her that he is a person. Not because she can boil Tuvok’s face.

Second, when Banjo Man is idiosyncratic he has a certain charm. But adding in another without really learning more except that the species is Ocampa obsessed takes away some of the appeal/charm of the species.

Initiations
Maneuvers
Resistance
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Brennyren]

Farewell to "Initiations" and its dismissal of Chakotay's Maquis past. Yeah, that uniform didn't always mean so much to you, Chakotay -- and you never even alluded to that fact!

Maneuvers
Resistance
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Resolutions
Basics (I)

 

[Farscape One]

Taking out "RESOLUTIONS".

Exactly what did they resolve here? This episode was more a tease of Janeway and Chakotay than anything else.


Maneuvers
Resistance
Death Wish
Lifesigns
Deadlock
Innocence
The Thaw
Basics (I)