The Least Disliked Episode 2023: VOY Season 1

[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 1

Caretaker
Parallax
Time and Again
Phage
The Cloud
Eye of the Needle
Ex Post Facto
Emanations
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Heroes and Demons
Cathexis
Faces
Jetrel
Learning Curve

 

[Takeru]

Heroes and Demons, it was not a good episode, it was clearly done to get the doctor out of sickbay and let him do something but the best they could come up with was a holodeck malfunction episode? And it wasn't even an interesting one.



Caretaker
Parallax
Time and Again
Phage
The Cloud
Eye of the Needle
Ex Post Facto
Emanations
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Cathexis
Faces
Jetrel
Learning Curve

 

[Seven of Five]

I find Time and Again is a pretty dull episode so it's gone.

Caretaker
Parallax
Phage
The Cloud
Eye of the Needle
Ex Post Facto
Emanations
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Cathexis
Faces
Jetrel
Learning Curve

 

[Oddish]

I've often stated that "Parallax" does a huge disservice to B'Elanna's character by having half her potential character development gone by the first episode. It is an easy choice for my first VOY elimination.

Caretaker
Phage
The Cloud
Eye of the Needle
Ex Post Facto
Emanations
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Cathexis
Faces
Jetrel
Learning Curve

 

[Qonundrum]

There's more corny proceedings in

Caretaker​

Than there is in a 242,000-acre+ ethanol field.

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(Well do si do and pick yer nose...)

It's not an utterly uninteresting attempt, but somehow the old sci-fi trope of kidnapping humans for nefarious purpose doesn't quite work in this episode, and by now a pilot/premiere is hinging a lot on things that do work. It's not very surreal, it's not camp, it's not original, and it's not even intriguing. Even 1978's Battlestar Galactica did it better... At least Paris is given goo-goo eyes by the villain, I guess - but it must be "Space Sadie Hawkins Day" or whatever.

That, and some bad acting throughout the episode. At least there's no clip of Torres spitting out "Starfleet!" as that was awful... thankfully the show really begins to pick up in season 2.


What's left:
Phage
The Cloud
Eye of the Needle
Ex Post Facto
Emanations
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Cathexis
Faces
Jetrel
Learning Curve

 

[Oddish]

There's more corn in Caretaker
Than there is in an ethanol field.

At least it quickly dispensed with the whole "calling women 'sir'" thing.

 

[Qonundrum]

At least it quickly dispensed with the whole "calling women 'sir'" thing.

That part is one of the reasons why it's not utterly bad.

 

[Takeru]

Eye of the Needle because bringing in an alpha quadrant alien guest star that early in the series made it look like they didn't believe in their own premise and the micro wormhole to get home obviously wasn't going to work so all it was was a chat with the nice romulan guy. I really didn't care.


Phage
The Cloud
Ex Post Facto
Emanations
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Cathexis
Faces
Jetrel
Learning Curve

 

[Seven of Five]

Ex Post Facto is a bit of a poor man's version of TNG's A Matter of Perspective and it doesn't compare to the original.

Phage
The Cloud
Emanations
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Cathexis
Faces
Jetrel
Learning Curve

 

[Oddish]

Learning Curve. Credits for at least trying to make it seem like the Maquis were having trouble integrating, but penalties for resolving it way too easily. And I'm pretty sure you're supposed to allow PT-ing trainees ample hydration.

Phage
The Cloud
Emanations
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Cathexis
Faces
Jetrel

 

[Summer Solstice]

It's interesting to see the list of past winners - they are all good episodes but I wouldn't have expected most of them to win.

This might be my favourite season of Star Trek ever, so it's hard to pick. But "Emanations" has less character development than the others still on the list so it is now gone.

Phage
The Cloud
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Cathexis
Faces
Jetrel

 

[Sumire]

I have nothing in particular against Cathexis in regards to the plot or its execution but its attempt at incorporating Chakotay’s nebulous tribal spirituality, especially with the knowledge that their cultural “expert” was a fraud, definitely leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Phage
The Cloud
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Faces
Jetrel

 

[Oddish]

This might be my favourite season of Star Trek ever, so it's hard to pick. But "Emanations" has less character development than the others still on the list so it is now gone.

Ironic that probably the easiest character to develop was one of the ones who wasn't developed. Go figure.

 

[Qonundrum]

Some reused ideas and a couple new ones to show Starfleet fixing what it screwed up still render an episode less than the sum of its parts. It's not a bad episode, but even I remember better ones from this inaugural year of what replaced what could have been "The Sulu Show". And, fortunately, one or two of those still exist in the list.

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^^ugh, so many levels of ugh... May as well say "There's Earl Gray Tea in that nebula. Why not just say 'Duhhr, I drink coffee now, coffee is cool.'"


What's left:
Phage
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Faces
Jetrel

 

[Sakonna]

These are all pretty great! I guess I'll ax "Prime Factors." I just have more affinity for Vidiians, Seska, and the greatest Neelix episode of the series.

Phage
State of Flux
Faces
Jetrel

 

[Takeru]

Faces, too disgusting for me. I did not need to see Durst's face transplanted on a Vidiian.


Phage
State of Flux
Jetrel

..., but even I remember better ones from this inaugural year of what replaced what could have been "The Sulu Show".

Captain Sulu was never considered by anyone at Paramount, that was just Takei's overinflated ego speaking.

 

[Farscape One]

Tough choices left. Almost missed voting this season.

I love them all... I am picking "JETREL" off only because I think the Vidiians were the best villains the series created, and Seska was awesome.


Phage
State of Flux

 

[Sakonna]

Faces, too disgusting for me. I did not need to see Durst's face transplanted on a Vidiian.

Also... they really needed a classically hot guy in that part, since the entire thing becomes Sulan taking his face to romance B'Elanna.

Star Trek has shown me lots of implausible things over the years, but I draw the line at an alien looking at Durst and 1995 Robert Duncan McNeill, and thinking Durst is the hot one.

 

[Takeru]

Also... they really needed a classically hot guy in that part, since the entire thing becomes Sulan taking his face to romance B'Elanna.

Star Trek has shown me lots of implausible things over the years, but I draw the line at an alien looking at Durst and 1995 Robert Duncan McNeill, and thinking Durst is the hot one.

I thought Durst was very good looking.

 

[Brennyren]

I like "State of Flux." Tuvok and Chakotay make a great investigative team, and Chakotay's actions in investigating Seska, despite his clear conflict, say a lot for his integrity.

State of Flux