Voyager's single best episode?
- Thread starter Gaith
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Best under what rubric or metric? Also, what is Voyager "about"?I know this seems like a hopelessly basic question (to which the answer is not "Basics"), but I realized the other day I don't a particular answer for the question: What is Voyager's single best episode? What's more, a search of the forum archives shows there was a game thread for the least disliked episode last year (won by "Year of Hell, Part I"), but that's not quite the same question. (For that matter, I don't have a ready answer for Enterprise, either.)
Now, I'm not a Voyager scholar, and I haven't seen every episode, let alone recently enough to make a definitive statement, but off the top of my head, my top five nominations would be: "Death Wish," "Living Witness," "Pathfinder," "Life Line," and, uh... shoot, I don't know, maybe "Meld"? "Projections," or "The Killing Game" (both parts)? (Just not "Year of Hell," please. I find that episode to have some good bits for sure, but I think it's more notable than it is great, and Janeway's decision to disperse most of the crew in freaking escape pods is too mind-blastingly dumb to tolerate.) Now, I do like Voyager - I do! But it certainly says something that I tend to like the show best when it crosses over with my all-time favorite TNG, as with four of the seven episodes I mentioned above.
If I had to pick a single greatest episode right now, I might have to go with "Pathfinder," even though it only briefly features the real crew at the end. When Barclay and Janeway are finally able to speak to each other, I get a lump in my throat every time.
What would your choice be? Should there be a poll thread? Or would any vote just default to a consensus pick for "Year of Hell" (ugh)?
Best is an objective standard. Favorite is subjective.
Dialog? Continuity details? Inquisition of morality? Drama? Equality of use of characters? General Star Trekiness?
There's a case to be made for many episodes depending on how the standard is defined.
I'm likely going to be an outlier, but how about there's a case for Course Oblivion and Renaissance Man to let the actors step out of their boxes and they performed excellently.
Now someone can come along and make an argument for Tuvix.
I think when people think best they could be thinking of a couple of different ideas like their favourite, or the best by some specific criteria like dramatic or some moral issue or some interesting concept, or most specific to Voyager's identity in Trek.
I could go on…
Deadlock, Memorial, The Thaw, Drone, Counterpoint...
Yeah I know I can read. I think it's one of Voyager's best alongside Distant Origin, Scorpion, Year of Hell Living Witness and Blink of an Eye.No, no, this thread is about the series' best episode(s).
Those you just listed I agree are among the best of VOY.
With "DISTANT ORIGIN", "LIVING WITNESS", and "BLINK OF AN EYE" being among the best in the franchise.
One good metric for a series-best episode is "If you should this episode to someone who'd never seen any Trek before, and wasn't a particular sci-fi fan, would they find it compelling?" Episodes like "City on the Edge of Forever," "The Measure of a Man," and "Duet" would certainly pass that test. An episode like "Message in a Bottle," though, while fun for us fans, not so much.
Genuinely, Voyager's answer to that might well be "Tuvix".
Unique premise, intractable moral dilemma, and a resolution that people still endlessly debate to this day.
S1: Phage, Faces
S2: Cold Fire, Lifesigns
S3: Sacred Ground, Worst Case Scenario
S4: Raven, Random Thoughts, Prey, Unforgettable
S5: Nothing Human, Warhead
S6: One Small Step, Memorial
S7: Imperfection, Repression, Inside Man, Flesh and Blood
So in my head, you're looking for a bridge into one of the following: 1) Sci-fi, 2) Star Trek, or 3) Voyager. So you need a standalone episode (not even a two parter) that someone might say "well, that was kind of interesting, maybe I'll watch another sometime." That's what I tried to make a list of across the seasons.
For Voyager, I like early as an answer. Frankly, if they were already a Sci-fi or ST fan, Voyager starts off strong with Caretaker to lay out what it's going to entail and who the players are. If they're not squeamish, are ok with aliens, and willing to perform suspension of disbelief when it comes to "future tech" Phage would probably be ok. Faces probably too far. Cold Fire and Lifesigns are pretty brutal and graphic as well.
Today, with modern tech/AI concerns, Worst Case Scenario, Warhead, Inside Man, and Flesh and Blood might be really intriguing and compelling to a non-Sci-fi watcher. Alice would be ok too, but I left it out of my list. And I don't think I want to add it. I actually think Voyager season 6 would be an interesting place to start for someone that's never seen Star Trek before, not for the purposes of getting them interested in Voyager but Star Trek as a whole.
If they're the type of TV watcher than wants drama and moral dilemma, and are ok with non-humanoid aliens, Nothing Human. Memorial or Random Thoughts if they aren't ok with space crustaceans.
If they're spiritual or into healing crystals but hesitant b/c of technobabble, Sacred Ground. I think it is actually my overall pick. Tech almost hides itself on the periphery, the characters do the suspension of disbelief for you or are at least doing it with you, reasonable innocent mistake causes a catastrophe, and the captain is willing to do anything including sacrificing herself to make it right and save her crewmember. Best dialog and space battles? Nope. But if you're looking for something that is on the edge of sci-fi and pretty much anyone can relate to, it might be the best "for this." The episode is all about faith, sacrifice, and respecting and learning from other cultures.
If they need a link back to Earth and the "we're waiting" aliens are even too much, One Small Step.
Always been incredibly fond of Counterpoint.
Fantastic premise, some great character moments for Janeway, and Mulgrew herself really gets to shine in this one. Often find myself revisiting this one just for the chemistry between her and Kashyk. Just a wonderful script from top to bottom.
Fantastic premise, some great character moments for Janeway, and Mulgrew herself really gets to shine in this one. Often find myself revisiting this one just for the chemistry between her and Kashyk. Just a wonderful script from top to bottom.
Interesting choices. Most don't get talked about much, and many on here I definitely agree are great ones of VOY. ("PHAGE", "FACES", "LIFESIGNS", "WORST CASE SCENARIO", "RANDOM THOUGHTS", "PREY", "NOTHING HUMAN", "ONE SMALL STEP", "MEMORIAL", and "IMPERFECTION".)
I actually like this one a lot, too. One of the few times the Borg were utilized well without diminishing them. (And before VOY overused them.)
I love "COUNTERPOINT", too. Though I have to say, the premise is pretty standard and 'by the numbers', but the acting and chemistry between Mulgrew and Harelik was simply excellent. A perfect case of how actors can elevate a script.
"RESISTANCE" with Joel Grey was another episode that does exactly this... actors elevating the material greatly. (Which was already good to begin with.)
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