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
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
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
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
There's more corny proceedings in Caretaker Than there is in a 242,000-acre+ ethanol field. (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
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
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
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
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
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
Ironic that probably the easiest character to develop was one of the ones who wasn't developed. Go figure.
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. ^^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
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
Faces, too disgusting for me. I did not need to see Durst's face transplanted on a Vidiian. Phage State of Flux Jetrel Captain Sulu was never considered by anyone at Paramount, that was just Takei's overinflated ego speaking.
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
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 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