The MOST Disliked Episode of VOYAGER - Season Three...

This is a twist on a game that is played here, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am very curious to see the results.

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, wait six hours and 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"

Season Three -

BASICS, PART II
FLASHBACK
THE CHUTE
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
FUTURE'S END
FUTURE'S END, PART II
WARLORD
THE Q AND THE GREY
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE
DISTANT ORIGIN
DISPLACED
WORST CASE SCENARIO
SCORPION

 

I will begin season 3 by saving "SCORPION". There are three season finales that I find are the very best of the franchise... "The Best of Both Worlds", "CALL TO ARMS", and "SCORPION". This episode was about as perfect as VOYAGER gets.

A tense episode from start to finish... a quick teaser that really drove the point home that this was going to be a wild ride... Janeway coming to the unexpected decision of making an alliance with the Borg... and Chakotay was even excellent here. The back and forth between him and Janeway was among the best of the series... I wish there were more scenes like that.

The design of Species 8472 was really awesome. Same with their ships. And seeing them combine their power to blow up a Borg planet... wow.

The back half dozen episodes of this season was the series at its best pre-Seven, culminating with this spectacular season finale. The cast and crew were firing on ALL cylinders here, so I believe it should be saved first.


BASICS, PART II
FLASHBACK
THE CHUTE
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
FUTURE'S END
FUTURE'S END, PART II
WARLORD
THE Q AND THE GREY
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE
DISTANT ORIGIN
DISPLACED
WORST CASE SCENARIO

 

“Future’s End Part 1”- this was Voyager’s ‘The Best Of Both World’s’ episode, along with Part 2.





BASICS, PART II
FLASHBACK
THE CHUTE
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
FUTURE'S END, PART II
WARLORD
THE Q AND THE GREY
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE
DISTANT ORIGIN
DISPLACED
WORST CASE SCENARIO

 

Distant Origin is saved... aside from one glaring plothole/discrepancy (which I am able to overlook) I thought it was fantastic and I loved the character of Gegen.

BASICS, PART II
FLASHBACK
THE CHUTE
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
FUTURE'S END, PART II
WARLORD
THE Q AND THE GREY
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE
DISPLACED
WORST CASE SCENARIO

 

I'll save the second half of Future's End. To me, it's the story where Voyager really came into its own, and it of course gave the Doctor his holographic emitter.

BASICS, PART II
FLASHBACK
THE CHUTE
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
WARLORD
THE Q AND THE GREY
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE
DISPLACED
WORST CASE SCENARIO

 

Another poor season outside of a couple gems which were already saved. I suppose I'll go for Flashback as it was fun seeing Captain Sulu.

BASICS, PART II
THE CHUTE
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
WARLORD
THE Q AND THE GREY
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE
DISPLACED
WORST CASE SCENARIO

 

I won't go to war on its behalf, but I will save "The Q and the Grey." Loved Suzy Q, and the sharp dialogues between her and the crew.

Suzy Q: "Hmm... well, there is one possibility, but somehow I don't think this rickety barge or your half-witted crew members are up to the challenge."
Tuvok: "May I remind you, madam, that this 'rickety barge' and its 'half-witted crew' are your only hope at the moment."

BASICS, PART II
THE CHUTE
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
WARLORD
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE
DISPLACED
WORST CASE SCENARIO

 

"Warlord" is a great ep, and manages what might be a unique achievement for a Trek possession story: the body-snatched character remains active in the drama. Usually it's just a chance for the possessed actor to show off in a different role, while their usual character is effectively benched for the week. But those head battles between Kes and Tieran were a clever device to keep Kes herself involved in the narrative.

Plus it elegantly threads the needle with it's gender politics. Whenever DS9 wanted to put one of it's sexy ladies in a leather catsuit and have her act kind of gay, they were offensive in how they got there. VOY here pulls off the same trick in a way that feels legitimately progressive.

It remains a notably incompetent decision of the writers to let the "Kes"/Neelix breakup that occurs here, while Kes is entirely under the control of Tieran, to stand in the series going forward. I mean, I get it, I also couldn't stand Kes/Neelix as a couple, it was an obviously stupid idea from the beginning, but we've been seeing their relationship for 2 1/2 years at this point, there should have been SOMETHING more to address the end of it.

BASICS, PART II
THE CHUTE
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE
DISPLACED
WORST CASE SCENARIO

 

I'm going to save Worst Case Scenario. We get Seska back, after a fashion, and I find it to be one of the more entertaining holodeck episodes.

BASICS, PART II
THE CHUTE
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE
DISPLACED

 

Though I was never a big Kes/Neelix fan (it didn't bother me; I just didn't really care), I agree that, since the relationship had been so long-established, there should have been more to the break-up. I felt the break-up as played didn't even rise to the level of ambiguity. Since Kes was possessed at the time, it seemed obvious to me that it wasn't a real break-up. I remember being quite surprised, and more than a bit confused, when subsequent episodes treated it as one.

 

I would have loved to see Suzie Plakson as some kind of regular main cast character for ANY STAR TREK series. She has an incredible amount of presence.

This and "OUR MAN BASHIR" are my favorite 'holodeck gone wrong' episodes. And both cases are pretty unique and original, too.

 

Only a few good eps in season 3 and some are still here. Removing The Chute. Loved the discussion of loyalty versus self protection and one of the few times Kim seems like a real boy.

BASICS, PART II
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE
DISPLACED

 

I am finding a new place for "DISPLACED". It was a cool mystery at first, and the idea of using a long distance transporter in to take over colonies and ships is a nice perversion of the technology we have gotten used to over the decades.

Nice Paris/Torres scenes here, too. It was a fun episode.

BASICS, PART II
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
BLOOD FEVER
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE

 

I'm liberating Blood Fever. Personally I find it a pretty sexy ep, and the ending was a nice precursor of things to come. For me it had a good blend of hedonistic (those excellent grey jumpsuits on Chak) and plot advancement qualities. The aforementioned ending, plus the building of Tom and B'Elanna's relationship.

BASICS, PART II
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
REMEMBER
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE

 

"Remember" was an excellent, thought-provoking piece of work -- how does an individual or a society come to accept a group of people as being literally subhuman? (Subsentient? Not sure of the right term as applied to a non-human race.) And then go on to deny their own perfidy? Roxann Dawson's performance in her dual roles was outstanding. I won't forget "Remember," but you can forget about it staying on this list.

BASICS, PART II
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
FAIR TRADE
ALTER EGO
CODA
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE

 

Fair Trade. One of the things I liked about "Caretaker" when I recently re-watched it was the implication that Neelix's goofball behaviour hid a willingness to commit under-handed acts when required. This episode brought that aspect of his character back, and made him seem far more interesting for it.

BASICS, PART II
THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
ALTER EGO
CODA
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE

 

There are so many to choose from. Going with Basics Part II. I just love how even without her ship Janeway is all Captain and keeps it together on the planet. Tom is great in this episode too and Suder, well I've just been reflecting on his impact in another thread.

THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
ALTER EGO
CODA
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER
REAL LIFE

 

Most of the episodes left here are mediocre, with two or three terrible ones. The two episodes that stand out as 'Good' are Before and After and Real Life. I'm torn because I feel Before and After was retroactively ruined by Kes not being around for Year of Hell. Unless something that happened in B&A somehow accelerated her ascension, but that doesn't work because if Kes didn't ascend, they didn't get a 10,000 light year boost, and they would not have gotten to Krenim space. Before & After is a great prequel to an arc that was aborted before it happened. And then it doesn't quite make sense why she went back to her conception then magically she was back in the present where the procedure worked.

So I've talked myself into picking Real life instead. If I get another vote and it's still there B&A will be next.

THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
ALTER EGO
CODA
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON
BEFORE AND AFTER

 

Well, I'll save "Before & After" then! When saving "Warlord" this morning, I wondered, am I going to have save "Before & After" tonight? Am I the only one who saves the Kes episodes?

But honestly, it is another of my favorites. At least they got ONE good use out of the 9 year lifespan thing, which otherwise is a total bust!

THE SWARM
FALSE PROFITS
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
ALTER EGO
CODA
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON

 

I'll fly with "The Swarm," primarily for the Doctor plotline. Oh, Picardo, why are you so good at what you do?

FALSE PROFITS
SACRED GROUND
MACROCOSM
ALTER EGO
CODA
UNITY
DARKLING
RISE
FAVORITE SON