The Most Disliked Episode of VOY, 2023 Edition - Season 4...

[Farscape One]

Welcome to our bi-yearly 'Most Disliked Episode' games! Now that the 'Least Disliked Episode' games hosted by BlueStuff (who inspired me to create these games, so thank you very much for paving the way) have concluded, we can begin the opposite side of that coin.

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 most favorite or the one you deem the 'best.' 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 because you feel they would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Hall of Champions (or Failures?)
2011 - "THE FIGHT"
2018 - "FAVORITE SON"
2019 - "SPIRIT FOLK"
2021 - "FURY"
2023 - "FRIENDSHIP ONE"


Season Four -

"SCORPION, PART II"
"THE GIFT"
"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"YEAR OF HELL"
"YEAR OF HELL, PART II"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"CONCERNING FLIGHT"
"MORTAL COIL"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE"
"HUNTERS"
"PREY"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"LIVING WITNESS"
"DEMON"
"ONE"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Farscape One]

Seasons 4 and 5 were the best of this series. There are very few episodes in season 4 that I would call bad. It makes choosing my first save very, very difficult.

I think I'll go with one that is probably on most people's 'best of' list for this show... "LIVING WITNESS".

It was an excellent showcase for The Doctor. Even though it is the 'backup one', which was never mentioned before or since, I can forgive this ordinarily ridiculous oversight because of the strength of the story and the performances.

It also showed us a 'mirror universe' crew without actually going there. That was clearly fun for the cast. And I daresay we all had fun watching, as an audience.

I love the message about revisionist history, which is done even more so now than ever. While the internet has done a lot of good, it has also created a massively toxic environment where opinions are treated as facts. This was a cautionary tale because here we are 25 years later, we are very close to this being a reality.

It's also a shame this was Tim Russ' only directing for the show, because he did a magnificent job.

Side note: until DISCO season 3, this was the farthest into the future the franchise went. I believe The Doctor heading to the Alpha Quadrant would be about the same time as when DISCO is now, so it would be really awesome if he appears in the final season or in the new Academy spinoff.


"SCORPION, PART II"
"THE GIFT"
"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"YEAR OF HELL"
"YEAR OF HELL, PART II"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"CONCERNING FLIGHT"
"MORTAL COIL"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE"
"HUNTERS"
"PREY"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"ONE"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Qonundrum]

One of VOY's best and freshest years!

"SCORPION, PART II"​

Gotta get Seven to be a crewmember proper and that's when the journey really begins.

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Here queenie, queenie, queenie! Wait, no Queen, what's up?! Meh, so much the better... they collectively send a representative - a la Locutus - as that worked in the past (for a while, tee hee.)

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Red alert, shields up for wallpaper muzak at warp speed!

Actually, Janeway's tactics to separate Seven are pretty good. And the season is just beginning.

What's left:
"THE GIFT"
"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"YEAR OF HELL"
"YEAR OF HELL, PART II"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"CONCERNING FLIGHT"
"MORTAL COIL"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE"
"HUNTERS"
"PREY"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"ONE"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Brennyren]

"Concerning Flight" wasn't exactly profound, but it was fun. I liked the interaction between Janeway and daVinci. John Rhys-Davies is one of those character actors I can watch all day, and I was glad to see him get something substantial to work with.

"THE GIFT"
"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"YEAR OF HELL"
"YEAR OF HELL, PART II"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"MORTAL COIL"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE"
"HUNTERS"
"PREY"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"ONE"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Oddish]

Year of Hell Part II. I'd save this one either for Janeway's epic final sacrifice ("Time's up." WHAMMO!!) or her touching goodbye to Tuvok that rarely fails to leave me in tears. It's got both, and even more. Easiest save so far.

"THE GIFT"
"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"YEAR OF HELL"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"MORTAL COIL"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE"
"HUNTERS"
"PREY"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"ONE"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "PREY".

This was just superb. You had a real conflict within the crew (Janeway and Seven), you had Species 8472 and the Hirogen back, and if that wasn't enough... you got Tony freaking Todd!

Tension throughout the entire episode, and even at the end with Janeway coming down hard on Seven, the tension is still there. One of Brannon Braga's best scripts.


"THE GIFT"
"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"YEAR OF HELL"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"MORTAL COIL"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"ONE"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Qonundrum]

A powerful episode,

"ONE"​

is the loneliest number, unless it isn't.

There's some pretty great acting in this one, and the progression of the character feels quite natural.

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If anything, the Collective sounds like a broken record, but they're kept to the end of the story and what One and Seven discuss about what "the voice" is saying is a bit refreshing, actually.

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I love how Torres respect Seven's position. Great little scene with some metaphorical piquancy. One of many, in this episode.

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Gotta love Seven and her interactions with the drone in this one.



And because Three Dog Night has songs better than "One", let's try for this... one:

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(It's also proof that someone did "Shiny Happy People" before REM, the only difference is that REM wasn't being sarcastic. But REM didn't need bellbottoms, either... )


What's left:
"THE GIFT"
"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"YEAR OF HELL"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"MORTAL COIL"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Qonundrum]

"Concerning Flight" wasn't exactly profound, but it was fun. I liked the interaction between Janeway and daVinci. John Rhys-Davies is one of those character actors I can watch all day, and I was glad to see him get something substantial to work with.

While not the definitive set of compilations, count me in as another who could watch him all day:

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[Sakonna]

The decision to write Kes off was infuriating, but, taking that as a given, "The Gift" was an exceptional hand-off. A perfect exit for Kes and fabulous setup for Seven.

"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"YEAR OF HELL"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"MORTAL COIL"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "MORTAL COIL".

Excellent Neelix episode. We not only learn more about his culture, but about his faith and how he treats life with his family dead.

Very touching and heartfelt. Chakotay reminding him that he's the only one who can keep the monsters away from Naomi's bed... superb. I'm starting to shed a single man tear now just thinking about it.

And nice touch with Naomi dreaming of Neelix's Great Forest. Shows how much of a positive influence we can be to a child.


"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"YEAR OF HELL"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Orac]

I'm saving "MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE" Holographic adversaries Andy Dick and Bob Picardo save the ship.

What's left:
"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"YEAR OF HELL"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Oddish]

A powerful episode,

"ONE"
is the loneliest number, unless it isn't.

For some bizarre reason, this one makes me think of purple punch slushies:
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/st-voy-caption-contest-226-one.310638/

 

[Seven of Five]

Year of Hell Part I is an epic cliffhanger. If only the writers had been allowed to follow up on their actual Year of Hell arc.

"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"SCIENTIFIC METHOD"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Oddish]

Year of Hell Part I is an epic cliffhanger. If only the writers had been allowed to follow up on their actual Year of Hell arc.

So true.

Scientific Method is my next save. From the massage scene at the start to those alien scientists finding out that pissing off Kathryn Janeway is about as smart as sticking your intimate parts into a hornet's nest, it's amazing.

"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"
"HOPE AND FEAR"

 

[Sakonna]

Upon original air I was so disappointed by the lack of cliffhanger, it took me a long time to recognize "Hope And Fear" is actually an excellent finale. A great way to wrap up Seven's first season, with a compelling villain who is pretty much right on the money with his analysis of Janeway.

"DAY OF HONOR"
"NEMESIS"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "NEMESIS" next.

I've always loved this one. Not only does it have a great message about propaganda and war, but was a good use of Chakotay.

I also always loved how subtle the differences were in words used that took the place of more common words, like nemesis instead of enemy or fathom instead of understand. Not only does it make you wonder why we don't see it more often with the universal translator, but it was an effective way of showing how Chakotay was slowly being indoctrinated.

Side note: I think Janeway finally learned to stop giving Chakotay a shuttle after this one. He destroyed one in seasons 2, 3, and 4. He wasn't given another one again until near the very end of the series... where he got another one destroyed.


"DAY OF HONOR"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"

 

[Phaser Two]

Saving "The Killing Game." It's a common fan complaint that Voyager two-parters lose steam in the conclusion, but I don't really agree. Except here. Part one is really good. Part two is fine, but doesn’t live up.

"DAY OF HONOR"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"THE KILLING GAME, PART II"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"

 

[Brennyren]

Saving "The Killing Game." It's a common fan complaint that Voyager two-parters lose steam in the conclusion, but I don't really agree. Except here. Part one is really good. Part two is fine, but doesn’t live up.

Eh, I still liked it. That bit where they jump from scenario to scenario gathering their forces, as it were -- from the ship ("Her legs. I'd be staring at her legs,:") to France ("You're a gung-ho kind of girl, aren't you?") to the Klingon program ("Please don't do that [slap me on the back]") -- was weirdly fun.

"DAY OF HONOR"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"VIS A VIS"
"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"

 

[Qonundrum]

It's the biggest thing ever! And dealt with in just one hour!

"THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE"​

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For something so secretive, it's fun how they show the rather-straightforward Omega logo on every Bridge display earlier in the episode, while having Janeway saying that Starfleet suppressed all knowledge of it.

Professor Cataract was nearsighted if thinking that synthetically stabilizing a molecule for more than quintillionth of a second but didn't leave that word "quintillionth" for anyone to read.

The Omega device should have gone boom boom and make this a 3-parter where they find shiny new dilithium or a reset button is pressed.

Still, not a bad episode by any means.

And, yes, Omega gets around - even more than my ex - so I'm definitely impressed!

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etc



What's left:
"DAY OF HONOR"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"HUNTERS"
"RETROSPECT"
"VIS A VIS"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"

 

[Oddish]

"Hunters" introduced the Hirogen, one of Voyager's better antagonists. But it also has some great moments where the crew deals with contact from home, most notably Janeway getting Dear John-ed and Tuvok (just once) letting his emotions win.

What's left:
"DAY OF HONOR"
"REVULSION"
"THE RAVEN"
"RANDOM THOUGHTS"
"WAKING MOMENTS"
"RETROSPECT"
"VIS A VIS"
"UNFORGETTABLE"
"DEMON"