Ideas for episodes

[Lance]

I'd like to see an episode where Janeway's shame about her coffee addiction sees her charging Seven with the secret task of finding a way to use Borg nanoprobes to create a substitute for her morning coffee fix, perhaps as a means of weaning herself off the noxious liquid refreshment. Naturally, this leads Seven into an inquisitive voyage of discovery, resulting in her reaching the conclusion that caffine creates an effect not dissimilar to being assimilated, and that Starbucks is clearly analogous to the Borg Collective. Hilarity ensues, of course.

 

[hux]

I would like to see - after regaining more of her humanity - Seven teaching Kathryn how to be a better captain based on those experiences.

I'd like to see an episode where Janeway's shame about her coffee addiction sees her charging Seven with the secret task of finding a way to use Borg nanoprobes to create a substitute for her morning coffee fix, perhaps as a means of weaning herself off the noxious liquid refreshment. Naturally, this leads Seven into an inquisitive voyage of discovery, resulting in her reaching the conclusion that caffine creates an effect not dissimilar to being assimilated, and that Starbucks is clearly analogous to the Borg Collective. Hilarity ensues, of course.

Early in S1, one of the little people onboard can't handle what's happened to them and the fact that they may never see their family again and attempts suicide. They are saved and in sickbay recovering from the effort, where Janeway tries to counsel the crewman to help them come to terms with what has happened.

Meanwhile, the rest of the main characters discuss the idea of giving up, reassessing their own thoughts on their situation, etc.

It looks like Janeway is getting through to them, but its a ruse, the the character is ultimately successful, leaving their mark on the rest of the crew, and reinforcing Janeway's committment to the emotional needs of her people.

It would be a bit of a downer, but hey life can really suck sometimes.

Before that idea can work, we (and the characters for that matter) need to really believe that Voyager will be genuinely travelling home for the next 70 years and won't fluke a wormhole or have the future captain conveniently come back in time to help em out...and as we know, that sense of being there for a very long time (the rest of their lives even) was never really that tangible in the show.....other than that, yeah i like the darker tone of the idea

 

[Captain Kathryn]

In the last scene of "Endgame", Shannon O'Donnell wakes up and realises that it's all just been a dream

Hahahaha.

 

[Triskelion]

In the last scene of "Endgame", Shannon O'Donnell wakes up and realises that it's all just been a dream

Hahahaha.

^ And she turns to her husband: Bob Newhart.

 

[Triskelion]

Ok, now time for a real idea...

Early in S1, one of the little people onboard can't handle what's happened to them and the fact that they may never see their family again and attempts suicide. They are saved and in sickbay recovering from the effort, where Janeway tries to counsel the crewman to help them come to terms with what has happened.

Meanwhile, the rest of the main characters discuss the idea of giving up, reassessing their own thoughts on their situation, etc.

It looks like Janeway is getting through to them, but its a ruse, the the character is ultimately successful, leaving their mark on the rest of the crew, and reinforcing Janeway's committment to the emotional needs of her people.

It would be a bit of a downer, but hey life can really suck sometimes.

Strong idea, Bry! Wow. This drama would be well-served in a book. For TV, I would be concerned about "validating suicide," losing sponsors and getting canned.

It would also take a more realistic contemporary story approach which would change the nature of the entire series. No doubt improving it! (There's that reset button again).

I'd like to see an episode where Janeway's shame about her coffee addiction sees her charging Seven with the secret task of finding a way to use Borg nanoprobes to create a substitute for her morning coffee fix, perhaps as a means of weaning herself off the noxious liquid refreshment. Naturally, this leads Seven into an inquisitive voyage of discovery, resulting in her reaching the conclusion that caffine creates an effect not dissimilar to being assimilated, and that Starbucks is clearly analogous to the Borg Collective. Hilarity ensues, of course.

Talk about social commentary! Is there some way to incorporate communicator fetishes?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

If a suicide story would have worked in Voyager, it would have had to be after a longer period of time, and after some traumatic event. Like, if they had done the 'Year Of Hell' as a full year arc like they wanted, it would have worked. Or maybe one of the Delaney sisters dies and the other attempts suicide.

The problem with having a mirror universe arc is that it was airing at the same time as the series that did a mirror universe ep every year. Though maybe last season it would have been better than the other retrospect episodes like Shattered.

And I think Course Oblivion is one of the best episodes in the series, though it would have been awesome if they'd had them getting home instead.

I love the 'Universal translator breaks' idea. And I like the idea of running into another Federation of Planets. Maybe they refuse to help Voyager because they don't want to interfere in Voyager's natural development.

What I would have loved to see was one where Voyager got really low on resources. Like, the replicator is broken, the holodeck is nonfunctional, the crew is deprived of basic creature comforts for several episodes in a row. Quark's theory on humanity being put into practice with Voyager, to see if they can still hold onto their Federation morality when their bellies aren't full and sonic showers aren't working.

 

[R. Star]

What I would have loved to see was one where Voyager got really low on resources. Like, the replicator is broken, the holodeck is nonfunctional, the crew is deprived of basic creature comforts for several episodes in a row. Quark's theory on humanity being put into practice with Voyager, to see if they can still hold onto their Federation morality when their bellies aren't full and sonic showers aren't working.

Yeah, as preachy as Janeway got during Equinox... I could actually see her doing the exact same thing as Ransom did in his shoes.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Yeah, as preachy as Janeway got during Equinox... I could actually see her doing the exact same thing as Ransom did in his shoes.

I love Janeway, but Equinox was the only episode in which I think she actually seemed to have gone temporarily bonkers. She had a psycho look in her eyes the whole time.

That said, Janeway offered to save him at the end, but he chose to go down with his ship. She did offer to try and beam him out in time. The other 99% of the episode she wanted to strip him of his uniform, stuff him, and hang him in her ready room as a wall decoration.

 

[R. Star]

Yeah, as preachy as Janeway got during Equinox... I could actually see her doing the exact same thing as Ransom did in his shoes.

I love Janeway, but Equinox was the only episode in which I think she actually seemed to have gone temporarily bonkers. She had a psycho look in her eyes the whole time.

That said, Janeway offered to save him at the end, but he chose to go down with his ship. She did offer to try and beam him out in time. The other 99% of the episode she wanted to strip him of his uniform, stuff him, and hang him in her ready room as a wall decoration.

"I'm going to have you executed in a slow and painful fashion if you don't tell me where your captain is so I can hunt him down and kill him because he's a disgrace to humanity!"

Yeah... she was nuts that episode. But given how irrational she was behaving in Year of Hell when her ship was damaged heavily, I could see her doing exactly what Ransom did if Voyager was heavily damaged and the space slugs were dropped on her doorstep. But evil Doctor is fun stuff.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Yeah, as preachy as Janeway got during Equinox... I could actually see her doing the exact same thing as Ransom did in his shoes.

I love Janeway, but Equinox was the only episode in which I think she actually seemed to have gone temporarily bonkers. She had a psycho look in her eyes the whole time.

That said, Janeway offered to save him at the end, but he chose to go down with his ship. She did offer to try and beam him out in time. The other 99% of the episode she wanted to strip him of his uniform, stuff him, and hang him in her ready room as a wall decoration.

"I'm going to have you executed in a slow and painful fashion if you don't tell me where your captain is so I can hunt him down and kill him because he's a disgrace to humanity!"

Yeah... she was nuts that episode. But given how irrational she was behaving in Year of Hell when her ship was damaged heavily, I could see her doing exactly what Ransom did if Voyager was heavily damaged and the space slugs were dropped on her doorstep. But evil Doctor is fun stuff.

It was fun for a little bit, but overall I don't like the Doctor being evil!!!! D:

I don't think her Equinox behavior and Year of Hell behavior is too comparable though. In Year of Hell, I was rooting for her the whole time and thought she was doing the best she could under the circumstances (and she did fix the temporal damage). In Equinox, albeit I love her and I love the episode, I wanted to scream CHILL OUT at her through my TV. It was one of the few times I sided with Chakotay over her.

 

[Gaith]

Early in S1, one of the little people onboard can't handle what's happened to them and the fact that they may never see their family again and attempts suicide. They are saved and in sickbay recovering from the effort, where Janeway tries to counsel the crewman to help them come to terms with what has happened.

I had a similar idea once, about a depressed crewman and the staff organizing an all-ship olympics, with a foot race, endurance tests, etc... with the grand prize being some replicator rations or something, but instead, at the end, Q shows up, says he's been greatly entertained by the event and offers to send the winner only home. Either the winner is the depressed guy or he's friends with him, and Q zaps said one person home.

I also wanted Janeway to keep the dog Q gave her, or else have them brought a dog over in the pilot, or picked one up somewhere. That show badly needed a pup, and I'm not talking Chuckles.

Follow-up eps with the Equinox crewpeople woulda been good.

There should of course have been far more shagging, dating, etc. Multiple kids, and I'm not talking Borg ones... but that's not a specific episode idea.

The FPS game "Elite Force" could've made a pretty great 6-7 episode arc. "The Void" was similar in ways; maybe there was an inspiration there?

 

[hux]

"I'm going to have you executed in a slow and painful fashion if you don't tell me where your captain is so I can hunt him down and kill him because he's a disgrace to humanity!"

Yeah... she was nuts that episode. But given how irrational she was behaving in Year of Hell when her ship was damaged heavily, I could see her doing exactly what Ransom did if Voyager was heavily damaged and the space slugs were dropped on her doorstep. But evil Doctor is fun stuff.

I didn't really mind her behaviour....it was Chakotay being utterly powerless to stop her or remove her from duty....Riker would have done if Picard was acting that way.....but then again, that's the point isn't it...she wasn't really acting out of character in that episode....it was just more severe than usual...so i guess Chakotay knew the crew wouldn't back him if he suggested she was not behaving normally...i'm sure most of the crew would have looked at him and said..."erm yes she is"

I had a similar idea once, about a depressed crewman and the staff organizing an all-ship olympics, with a foot race, endurance tests, etc... with the grand prize being some replicator rations or something, but instead, at the end, Q shows up, says he's been greatly entertained by the event and offers to send the winner only home. Either the winner is the depressed guy or he's friends with him, and Q zaps said one person home.

I really like that idea as a Q episode but without the depressed crewman aspect...and maybe it would be better if Q informs the crew what the real prize is right at the outset and this causes conflict and jealousy among them

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I also wanted Janeway to keep the dog Q gave her,

But where did it come from? Was it a real dog Q snatched from somewhere in the universe? All the other stuff Q appeared on people could be just replicated by his fabness but the dog is a living creature.

 

[Gaith]

I also wanted Janeway to keep the dog Q gave her,

But where did it come from? Was it a real dog Q snatched from somewhere in the universe? All the other stuff Q appeared on people could be just replicated by his fabness but the dog is a living creature.

Does it matter? Voyager needed a ship dog. Period.

I honestly thought you'd be on my side for this one, teacake.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Eh, I think the Voyager crew would have started to make a lot more moral compromises if they were in Equinox's position, but I don't think they would have gone as far as to murder innocent creatures.

They might, however, have gotten rid of their 'No sharing technology' rule, tossed aside the underdeveloped species noninterference clause, or had a different attitude in cases like Prime Factors or False Profits.

That would have been an awesome storyline where the ship is on the brink of destruction, and Janeway finally caves "Okay, we'll give you replicators if you help us".

Also it would have been great to see the real Maquis philosophical differences. I don't think they should have rebelled and taken over the ship. But, every time the Maquis were differentiated from the Federation they were portrayed as if the 'Maquis way' was behaving like opportunistic thugs. The Maquis were never portrayed as thugs in DS9, the Maquis we meet have the same kind of moral certitude as the Federation with different morals. Chakotay should have been pushing Janeway to say, support rebels against tyranny.

That would have been a great episode. Voyager runs into a semi-reasonable dictatorship. One that's not going around slaughtering people, but are still tyrannically oppressing people. The dictatorship makes a deal with Voyager to cross their space. They then come across colonies of people who are fighting for their freedom against the dictatorship. Prime directive, yadda yadda yadda, can't interfere. The Maquis start secretly sending supplies to the rebels, and some of them even want to stay behind and fight.

 

[lurok]

They really missed that trick in Future's End LA-setting where they could have had Paris and Janeway pursue Braxton on to the Paramount lot where they were filming a certain sci-fi series...

I'd still like to see a Doctor Who episode where they travel back to Sixties and meet Verity Lambert.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I also wanted Janeway to keep the dog Q gave her,

But where did it come from? Was it a real dog Q snatched from somewhere in the universe? All the other stuff Q appeared on people could be just replicated by his fabness but the dog is a living creature.

Does it matter? Voyager needed a ship dog. Period.

I honestly thought you'd be on my side for this one, teacake.

All the men on this show are ridiculous puppies so I never felt like there was a need.

 

[Gaith]

All the men on this show are ridiculous puppies so I never felt like there was a need.

... Aaaaand now I'm picturing Beltran with furry cheeks and a wagging tail.

 

[Michael]

The one i'd like to see would be an episode where the universal translator stops working (TBH i'm amazed Star Trek has never done this episode already....

Well, they kind of did exactly that on Deep Space Nine. There was the season two episode "Sanctuary", where the entires first act was about the universal translator not being able to decipher the language of the alien of the week. An then there was "Littel Green Men", where the universal translator wasn't working properly either.

The whole scenario you're describing also vaguely sounds like the season one episode "Babel", in that all the characters can't understand each other anymore.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

^^I love your Garak signature!

That scene was great.