Challenge: Abridge Voyager to 30 Episodes

[Odo]

Can it be done? I think so.

Sure a lot will be lost, but it's an interesting experiment to determine what mattered to us in this show. I don't love Voyager, but there are aspects of it I really enjoyed, and it had some amazing episodes.

In making my own list (which I'm not finished with yet), I've thought about three things - continuity, character development, quality. Some might say if Lifesigns (a great episode) is included, then we also need to include Investigations (a bad episode), to conclude that subplot. But some might argue that quality trumps continuity, and that it's best to move on. Then there are standalone episodes that are amazing but have no effect on the overall story that I feel compelled to include - like Distant Origin for one. I found myself wondering whether I even need to include Dark Frontier - Seven gets a lot of development in other episodes, and I'm not sure how essential that episode is the continuity leading up to Endgame. And of course some episodes have elements that I'd love to include, but also have elements I hate - Blood Fever is a nice buildup to the Borg, but the message they send with Vorik is terrible.

Anyway, an interesting thought experiment. Anyone care to share their own abridgment?

 

[Sophie74656]

Interesting challenge...edit: got it down to 30. But I had to leave out a lot of great episodes and character development.

1. Caretaker - obviously, it sets everything up
2. Parallax - establishes B'Elanna as chief engineer
3. Cold Fire - encountering Susperia
4. Maneuvers - kazon stuff
5. Alliances - kazon stuff
6. Investigations - kazon stuff
7. Deadlock - Naomi's birth
8. Basics 1&2 - kazon stuff
9. Futures end - doc gets mobile emitter
10. Blood Fever- introducing Borg
11. Unity - chakotay gets the kmplant in his brain which is used later
12. Scorpion 1 & 2 - seven of nine
13. The Gift- Kes leaving and Voyager gets a big jump
14. Day of Honor - establishes the tom and belanna romance
15. Message in a Bottle- contact with the alpha quadrant
16. Hunters - hirogen
17. Night - introduces malon
18. Extreme Risk - delta flyer
19. Thirty days - tom gets demoted
20. Dark frontier - borg stuff
21. Equinox 1&2 - contact with another starfleet ship
22. Pathfinder - contact with the alpha quadrant
23. Collective - introduces borg kids
24. Fury - kes returns
25. Life Line - doc goes to the Alpha quadrant
26. Drive - tom and belanna get married
27. Lineage - belanna gets preggo
28. Author Author - face time with the alpha quadrant
29 Homestead- neelix buh bye
30. Endgame - its all over

 

[catshadowsi8]

Ok. I'll try.
1. Caretaker- the beginning; Maquis/Starfleet merge; Chakotay appointed first officer; Neelix and Kes join the crew; Kazon, Ocampian; Charetaker introduced
2. Parallax- B'Elanna appointed chief engineer.
3. The Phage- Vadiians introduced
4. State of Flux- Seska betrayal
5. Cold Fire- Kes' gift is accelerated; female caretaker.
6. Manoveur- Seska returns and betrays them; gets pregnant which leads to
7. Basics- Janeway faces her first defeat; Voyager captured by enemies.
8. Deadlock- Introduction of Naomi; Harry and Naomi die to be replaced by alternate versions.
9. Future's End- mobile emitter
10. Unity- Chakotay linked to the collective; plays into
11.Scorpion- introduces 7 of 9 and species 8472; first major fracture between Captain and first officer
12. The Gift- Kes leaves; first major leap forward toward home
13. The Raven- provides Voyager with information about the Borg, gathered by 7's parents that will come in handy later; great character development for 7
14. Scientific Method- first genuine push for Paris and B'Elanna romance at the end of this episode
15. Message in a Bottle- Starfleet learns Voyager is lost in the Delta Quadrant
16. Hunters- introduced Hirogen; messages from Starfleet.
17. The Killing Game- peace with the Hirogen
18. Hope and Fear- introduces quantum slip stream drive; closer to home; Janeway's choices have consequences for other races
19. Night- introduces Malon; Janeway shows genuine weakness; finds a vortex that gets them out of the darkness and closer to home
20. Timeless- use of the slip stream drive to get closer to home; exemplifies Harry's obsession with correcting his mistake and Chakotay willingness to make a personal sacrifice for his crew.
21. Latent Image- the doctor exceeds his programming; affects future episodes
22.Equinox- another crew from the Alpha Quadant; Janeway is consumed by revenge; another major break between Captain and first officer
23. Dragon's Teeth- use of the corridor brings them closer to home
24. Voyager Conspiracy- catapult sends them closer to home; third break between Captain and first officer
25. Pathfinder- first face to face contact with Starfleet
26. Collective- introduce Borg kids
27.Drive- B'Elanna and Paris marry
28. Lineage- B'Elanna pregnant
29. Homestead- Neelix leaves
30. Endgame- Paris and B'Elanna 's baby born; C/7 starts; Voyager goes home

This was very hard. I took out episodes I loved and had to put in ones I am not the biggest fan of because they did not move the story along. In fact a lot of great character development episodes did not affect future episodes at all so I had to eliminate them.

 

[Sophie74656]

Ok. I'll try.
1. Caretaker- the beginning; Maquis/Starfleet merge; Chakotay appointed first officer; Neelix and Kes join the crew; Kazon, Ocampian; Charetaker introduced
2. Parallax- B'Elanna appointed chief engineer.
3. The Phage- Vadiians introduced
4. State of Flux- Seska betrayal
5. Cold Fire- Kes' gift is accelerated; female caretaker.
6. Manoveur- Seska returns and betrays them; gets pregnant which leads to
7. Basics- Janeway faces her first defeat; Voyager captured by enemies.
8. Deadlock- Introduction of Naomi; Harry and Naomi die to be replaced by alternate versions.
9. Future's End- mobile emitter
10. Unity- Chakotay linked to the collective; plays into
11.Scorpion- introduces 7 of 9 and species 8472; first major fracture between Captain and first officer
12. The Gift- Kes leaves; first major leap forward toward home
13. The Raven- provides Voyager with information about the Borg, gathered by 7's parents that will come in handy later; great character development for 7
14. Scientific Method- first genuine push for Paris and B'Elanna romance at the end of this episode
15. Message in a Bottle- Starfleet learns Voyager is lost in the Delta Quadrant
16. Hunters- introduced Hirogen; messages from Starfleet.
17. The Killing Game- peace with the Hirogen
18. Hope and Fear- introduces quantum slip stream drive; closer to home; Janeway's choices have consequences for other races
19. Night- introduces Malon; Janeway shows genuine weakness; finds a vortex that gets them out of the darkness and closer to home
20. Timeless- use of the slip stream drive to get closer to home; exemplifies Harry's obsession with correcting his mistake and Chakotay willingness to make a personal sacrifice for his crew.
21. Latent Image- the doctor exceeds his programming; affects future episodes
22.Equinox- another crew from the Alpha Quadant; Janeway is consumed by revenge; another major break between Captain and first officer
23. Dragon's Teeth- use of the corridor brings them closer to home
24. Voyager Conspiracy- catapult sends them closer to home; third break between Captain and first officer
25. Pathfinder- first face to face contact with Starfleet
26. Collective- introduce Borg kids
27.Drive- B'Elanna and Paris marry
28. Lineage- B'Elanna pregnant
29. Homestead- Neelix leaves
30. Endgame- Paris and B'Elanna 's baby born; C/7 starts; Voyager goes home

This was very hard. I took out episodes I loved and had to put in ones I am not the biggest fan of because they did not move the story along. In fact a lot of great character development episodes did not affect future episodes at all so I had to eliminate them.

Well done! I agree i had to take out episodes i love and put in ones I'm not suoer fond of. But this was a fun challenge

 

[catshadowsi8]

Well done! I agree i had to take out episodes i love and put in ones I'm not suoer fond of. But this was a fun challenge

Thanks. I really like your list too. I started to read it and stopped. I didn't want it to influence me. Went back and we picked some of the same ones.

 

[Sophie74656]

Thanks. I really like your list too. I started to read it and stopped. I didn't want it to influence me. Went back and we picked some of the same ones.

I went back over my list and got it down to 30. Not easy.

 

[lawman]

Interesting. 23 matches between the two lists!...

 

[Sophie74656]

Interesting. 23 matches between the two lists!...

I would imagine there are a good handful of episodes that everyone will pick where major things happen.

 

[lawman]

I would imagine there are a good handful of episodes that everyone will pick where major things happen.

I just kinda stumbled over the thread; I'm coming at this as an admitted non-fan of Voyager. It's my least-favorite Trek series, and I haven't watched all of it (in fact, almost none past season three). So given that context, this is intriguing to me in terms of what might make for a good "condensed" rewatch that might give me a better appreciation for the show's high points.

I like the OP's comment about balancing three aspects (continuity, quality, and character development), so I'm slightly nonplussed to see both you and @catshadowsi8 say you prioritized that first criterion and left out some episodes that would rank highly on the last two. If you were to add another half-dozen episodes to your list on those latter grounds alone, what might they be?

 

[catshadowsi8]

Ok so for me character development is hugely important. It has to advance a character and we don't see a reset button at the end.

1. Faces- B'Elanna has to reconcile her conflicted nature when her human half is separated from her Kilingon side. This was a huge issue for this character, one she struggles with on and off throughout the series. It plays into Blood Fever, Day of Honor, Juggernaught, Lineage, Prophecy....
2. The Chute- great relationship dynamics between Harry and Paris; Harry goes from weak to a leader who confronts the 'pack', over comes the device in his head, and rises to the challenge. This episode plays into Disease, Warhead, and Nightingale.
3. Riddles- Tuvok is clearly affected by his change to a childlike personality. His comment at the end shows this. I believe it also plays into him dancing for Neelix at the end of Homestead.
4. Nemesis- This happens after Unity where the cooperative messed with Chakotay's head as well. Chakotay's comment at the end shows he can't just shake it off. I believe this plays into later episodes of Waking Moments, The Fight, and Memorial.
5.One- for the first time 7 is alone and she has to overcome her fear of being One to save her new Collective. It's a turning point for the character, something that hugely affects future episodes.
6. Extreme Risk- The past, present and future collide when B'Elanna must reconcile the death of her Maquis family. Directly influenced Lineage imo. It also furthers the close friendship between Chakotay and B'Elanna that will play into The Voyager Conspiracy.

Well, that was interesting. My qualifier that it had to influence future episodes eliminated some great ones.

 

[catshadowsi8]

I like the OP's comment about balancing three aspects (continuity, quality, and character development), so I'm slightly nonplussed to see both you and @catshadowsi8 say you prioritized that first criterion and left out some episodes that would rank highly on the last two. If you were to add another half-dozen episodes to your list on those latter grounds alone, what might they be?

I can't speak for Sophie74656 but I choose to prioritize continuity because otherwise it's just another pick your favorite episode thread. That's why I went cronological and added those with character development when I could.

 

[Sophie74656]

I can't speak for Sophie74656 but I choose to prioritize continuity because otherwise it's just another pick your favorite episode thread. That's why I went cronological and added those with character development when I could.

I pretty much agree with this. This is not a list for people watching for the first time. There are many wonderful episodes that are not included because they don't really progress the overall story

 

[catshadowsi8]

I pretty much agree with this. This is not a list for people watching for the first time. There are many wonderful episodes that are not included because they don't really progress the overall story

Totally agree. Case in point, I could not include Year of Hell, a fantastic two parter imo, because we get the reset button at the end. Sigh...

 

[Farscape One]

Interesting experiment.

Question... should we consider two-parters as a single episode or two episodes? If the former, then that would essentially add a few episodes to the list... at the very least "CARETAKER", since it is technically two episodes.

 

[catshadowsi8]

Interesting experiment.

Question... should we consider two-parters as a single episode or two episodes? If the former, then that would essentially add a few episodes to the list... at the very least "CARETAKER", since it is technically two episodes.

I took two part episodes as one so Caretaker, Basics, Scorpion and Equinox are a single episode imo because they continue back to back. Scorpion and The Gift are not because we have a conclusion at the end of Scorpion.

That's what I did anyway.

 

[Takeru]

I haven't made my list yet but I would exclude pretty much everything Kazon and Seska, none of that is important in the story of Voyager getting home. If the Kazon never appear again after Caretaker, would the show actually change? Voyager warps away, that alone can be enough of an explanation why never see the Kazon again. Nothing the Kazon and Seska did had any longterm ramifications so it can be cut. Personally I'd rather include some other good episodes even if they aren't story relevant, the Kazon weren't even interesting.

 

[Sophie74656]

I haven't made my list yet but I would exclude pretty much everything Kazon and Seska, none of that is important in the story of Voyager getting home. If the Kazon never appear again after Caretaker, would the show actually change? Voyager warps away, that alone can be enough of an explanation why never see the Kazon again. Nothing the Kazon and Seska did had any longterm ramifications so it can be cut. Personally I'd rather include some other good episodes even if they aren't story relevant, the Kazon weren't even interesting.

That's an interesting point, i have to agree

 

[Farscape One]

So far, I have my list down to 43 episodes, with 6 of them being two-parters. I prioritized continuity for every spot that they make some headway home, which in turn forced an episode or two to be added. (Example: At the end of "Q2", Q gives Janeway a course that shaves off a few years from the journey. But in order for that episode to make sense, you gave to add "THE Q AND THE GREY" for how Q got to be a father, which in turn adds "DEATH WISH" because the Q civil war wouldn't have happened without that episode, aside from the fact it is one of my favorites of the series.)

I also added big turning points for certain characters... The Doctor, Kes, Neelix, Seven, Tom/B'Elanna relationship, and the Tom/Harry friendship. I feel those are the cornerstones of the series. Still trying to figure out how to condense it down to 30.

 

[Sophie74656]

So far, I have my list down to 43 episodes, with 6 of them being two-parters. I prioritized continuity for every spot that they make some headway home, which in turn forced an episode or two to be added. (Example: At the end of "Q2", Q gives Janeway a course that shaves off a few years from the journey. But in order for that episode to make sense, you gave to add "THE Q AND THE GREY" for how Q got to be a father, which in turn adds "DEATH WISH" because the Q civil war wouldn't have happened without that episode, aside from the fact it is one of my favorites of the series.)

I also added big turning points for certain characters... The Doctor, Kes, Neelix, Seven, Tom/B'Elanna relationship, and the Tom/Harry friendship. I feel those are the cornerstones of the series. Still trying to figure out how to condense it down to 30.

Yes this was my struggle as well. And it shows you that Voyager does have several big story arcs. People always criticize the show for not having any.

 

[Sophie74656]

@Odo, this was a fun challenge. Thanks for starting this! We should do more challenges