The Most Disliked Episode of VOY, Season 1 - 2025 Edition...

[Frightscape 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"
2025 -


Season One -

"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"

 

[Frightscape One]

And here we are, VOYAGER season 1. Honestly, I think it's a better first season than many give it credit for. It definitely felt like the Delta Quadrant was a different place. Personally, I look at the season as including the 4 holdovers by UPN, and I feel the season overall is better when you do that. It truly suffered when UPN did that just to get a month headstart on the other networks at the time. (They did the same the next season, and I feel the same there, too.)

But to the topic at hand, my first vote will be the pilot, "CARETAKER". This, along with "EMISSARY", was the best overall pilot of the franchise, and I'm including the current era.

A terrific plot, well paced, everyone getting good scenes. This pilot had an advantage the others never did... a big part of the premise, the Maquis, were already well established in TNG and DS9 late in the previous season, so less time was needed for that exposition. And that was the best decision, because it allowed more time for the Caretaker situation to be figured out methodically. The pieces are put together by the crew at the same time as the audience. Also great action in just the right amount in the right places.


"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"

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Faces gets my vote for being a pretty creepy horror episode. A good recurring antagonist unlike the pre-Seska Kazon. Post-Seska is much better but early on they were TNG Ferengi. The Vidiians were a creative concept.

"PARALLAX"
"TIME AND AGAIN"
"PHAGE"
"THE CLOUD"
"EYE OF THE NEEDLE"
"EX POST FACTO"
"EMANATIONS"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"STATE OF FLUX"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"
"CATHEXIS"
"JETREL"
"LEARNING CURVE"

 

[Starflight]

There's not really a truly bad episode in this whole season IMO, only "Ex Post Facto" is subpar but even that's got some fun aspects.

I'll save "Emanations", great sci-fi story that, like a lot of Voyager episodes, boils down to everyone being fairly reasonable and willing to hear each other out. The solution of Kim letting the coffin-machine kill him to get back is very good.

"PARALLAX"
"TIME AND AGAIN"
"PHAGE"
"THE CLOUD"
"EYE OF THE NEEDLE"
"EX POST FACTO"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"STATE OF FLUX"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"
"CATHEXIS"
"JETREL"
"LEARNING CURVE"

 

[Frightscape One]

I'm going to go with perhaps an unpopular choice next... "CATHEXIS".

It wasn't until I came to this board that I found out this one is not well regarded, and I don't understand why.

It's a cool story, well acted, and especially well directed. The dark lighting made for a very creepy atmosphere and mood. The story helped continually build a sense of tension and paranoia that makes this so memorable. This is a good one to watch in October!

It's also one of the very few times we actually see a hand phaser used in wide dispersal beam.


"PARALLAX"
"TIME AND AGAIN"
"PHAGE"
"THE CLOUD"
"EYE OF THE NEEDLE"
"EX POST FACTO"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"STATE OF FLUX"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"
"JETREL"
"LEARNING CURVE"

 

[Cyfa]

"Eye of the Needle" is possibly my favourite VOY episode, so I'm saving it first. The story can only be told within the conceit of Voyager's set-up, and I love the rollercoaster-like ups and downs of their discoveries about the wormhole that could get them home. Plus, Vaughn Armstrong as a likeable Romulan!

"PARALLAX"
"TIME AND AGAIN"
"PHAGE"
"THE CLOUD"
"EX POST FACTO"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"STATE OF FLUX"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"
"JETREL"
"LEARNING CURVE"

 

[Detached Nacelle]

State of Flux is the save all thanks to Seska.

"PARALLAX"
"TIME AND AGAIN"
"PHAGE"
"THE CLOUD"
"EX POST FACTO"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"
"JETREL"
"LEARNING CURVE"

 

[Frightscape One]

Since "EYE OF THE NEEDLE", "STATE OF FLUX" and "FACES" have already been saved (Thanks for that, folks... great episodes!), my next save is "PHAGE".

The Vidiians are THE BEST race this series created, and among the very best of the franchise. Not only do they look fantastic (I love horror, and they look like they belong in a horror series or film) but they come with a built-in moral dilemma: how far is too far to preserve your species?

Plus, this was a good early highlight of The Doctor and him trying to adapt to a potential long term care patient. And truly starts the Kes friendship and mentoring.

Just a fantastic episode!


"PARALLAX"
"TIME AND AGAIN"
"THE CLOUD"
"EX POST FACTO"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"
"JETREL"
"LEARNING CURVE"

 

[Sakonna]

I could save all but one of these.

I'll go with "Ex Post Facto." I'm such a whore for anything noir-ish, and this whole episode is basically a Frankenstein of noir tropes.

My autistic pattern brain also loves that both DS9 and VOY use their season 1, ep 7 slot to have an episode about a crewmember being falsely accused of murder on an alien planet that USES THE EXACT SAME ESTABLISHING MATTE SHOT. When you beam down and see that distinctive architectural style, beam right back up!

"PARALLAX"
"TIME AND AGAIN"
"THE CLOUD"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"
"JETREL"
"LEARNING CURVE"

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Learning Curve I think will be my next save. The Maquis struggling to fit in was dropped too quickly but this episode tried to do something with the interpersonal conflicts that would have been very organic. Outside of B'Elanna who was mostly played as Klingon mood swings

"PARALLAX"
"TIME AND AGAIN"
"THE CLOUD"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"
"JETREL"

 

[Frightscape One]

Saving "JETREL". (Since the episode couldn't save him...)

This was clearly VOY's attempt to have their "DUET"-like episode, and while it wasn't nearly as effective, it was still damn good. James Sloyan always gave good guest performances.

And Ethan Phillips is really, really good here. Proof that he can do a great deal when given the material. This also establiahes his tragic family history, and cements my belief that he and Lwaxana Troi are spuritual siblings.



"PARALLAX"
"TIME AND AGAIN"
"THE CLOUD"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"

 

[Sakonna]

"Time And Again" is effective for me. That intercutting between the two two frames at the end, so well done.

"PARALLAX"
"THE CLOUD"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"

 

[Starflight]

None of the ones left deserve to come out as the losers (but then, nothing in this season really does).

I'll save "The Cloud"; it's an unusually-structured episode in that it unfolds almost like a sitcom, cutting between various members of the crew as they just sort of hang out, which is interesting. The overarching plot is simple and a bit underwritten, but classic Star Trek in ethos.

"PARALLAX"
"PRIME FACTORS"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"

 

[Cyfa]

Then I'll save "Prime Factors". It was good to see the Prime Directive used on the Federation (well, Voyager, at least). And who'd've thought Tuvok would be the one to break it!

"PARALLAX"
"HEROES AND DEMONS"

 

[Frightscape One]

Saving "HEROES AND DEMONS".

It was a fun Doctor adventure. And we got vikings!


"PARALLAX" wins the season.

Thank you all for playing. I will start season 2 shortly. Hope to see everyone there!

 

[Pumpkin Bread]

Good. Any episode where a character gets promoted for assaulting a superior should be reviled as the s***show it is.