My 10 Favourite Episodes of Star Trek: Voyager

It is no secret around these parts that I love Star Trek and that Star Trek: Voyager owns me in mind, body and soul. Voyager has been a part of my life since I was 11-years-old and it continues to be a big influence in my life today. It is my happy place. I have a plethora of happy memories tied up in all 172 episodes. More than likely, I have a story for every one of those episodes. For the sake of not boring you too much, I'm going to share with you my top 10 favourite episodes (plus some honorary mentions).

A little warning... If you don't like Janeway or Janeway and Chakotay....this may not be for you. 

So for the honorary mentions, in no particular order . . . 

D E A T H    W I S H

I love this episode because of the moral dilemma that it presents to the viewer. Q(uinn) wants to be emancipated from the Q Continuum and essentially turned mortal so that he can end his life. He's had enough of immortality; he's been there, done that and bought the entire gift shop. He's lived his life and asks Captain Janeway for asylum aboard Voyager, away from the Continuum and for the right to his own life. This episode is such a hard-hitting episode. The writers handled the subject matter with sensitivity and grace. Plus it had John de Lancie introduce his infamous Q character to a whole new crew.

D E A D L O C K

Janeway versus Janeway? Yes, please!! Okay, it wasn't a Janeway versus Janeway episode but Janeway does come face-to-face with another dimensional version of herself and they do butt heads for a moment.

R E S O L U T I O N S

CHAKOTAY CONFESSES HIS RESPECT AND LOVE FOR KATHRYN!!!! As you probably know, I'm a massive Janeway & Chakotay shipper. I've wanted them to be together for the best part of 18 years and this episode helped ignite that undying flame that I carry for them. You may have expected this to be in my top 10. I do love this episode and THAT scene. No, not the bath-tub scene. The 'Confession' scene. Robert Beltran's delivery of the 'ancient legend' was pure perfection and Kate Mulgrew's Janeway in that moment was serene. A KISS WAS SCRIPTED! I REPEAT: A KISS WAS SCRIPTED! But Kate Mulgrew didn't want Janeway and Chakotay to be together. That is one thing that I will probably never forgive her for. Yes, I'm that petty. They could've at least filmed it and then deleted it and released it on the DVDs as part of a deleted scenes reel. Was that too much to ask? I live vicariously through the books now (and all the fanfiction). 

TINKER TENOR DOCTOR SPY / RENAISSANCE MAN

Guilty pleasure episodes for sure. These episodes are goofy and I love that they allowed the cast to let their hair down in the Doctor's day-dreams and also when the Doctor is impersonating them in the latter episode. THAT Briefing Room scene ("an old Academy injury") and "Janeway" talking to herself on the bridge. I'm laughing just thinking about them. Plus, Janeway knocking Chakotay out? HAHAHA. Was that out loud?

T S U N K A T S E

A surprise, right? Well, Tsunkatse is on the Honorary list because it was the first ever episode that I watched of Voyager and so it has a sentimental place in my heart. Plus it has Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in it. BONUS. (However, there's a severe lack of Janeway in this episode). It's a pretty crap episode with regard to the show and it was such a superfluous episode because how else were they going to showcase someone like The Rock? He did beat up Seven. I loved that. A lot. *CACKLING LAUGHTER*

There really could be an honorary top 10 when I'm being perfectly honest because there are a lot of episodes that I like and love. Basically, anything Janeway-centric is an immediate honorary favourite. Favourite character, duh. For the sake of this post and a somewhat conscious effort on my part to not make it all about Captain Janeway, I went with some honorary ones that weren't so much about her... hey, she's the Captain. She's going to be largely involved in some way or another. Essentially, these were 5 from the honorary top 10 that may you not expect for me to like... here's looking at you, Tsunkatse.

TOP 10 TIME. 

*DRAMATIC DRUMMING*

10. MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

"Beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep?"

Purely for the craic value alone, I adore this episode. The banter between Robert Picardo and Andy Dick is this episode makes it an absolute joy to watch. I never skip this episode when watching the series because it is so side-splitting. I love how the EMH Mark II is so utterly useless because he's unused to being active or doing anything beyond medical procedures. I kill myself with laughter every time that he tries to get into the Jeffries tube. Not to mention the clashing of heads when it came to who was the more superior EMH model. It's such a good episode.

Let's not forget about the epic new starship, the Prometheus. How freaking cool was that ship? It split into three parts and could form up as back-up in a fight. Such a class manoeuvre. "Please specify target." "ROMULANS!"

9. LIVING WITNESS

Evil Janeway. That is all I'm saying about this episode.

Okay, I suppose I need to give more of an explanation but I primarily love this episode for the evil version of Janeway. The episode itself is interesting and provocative because it shows how history can be warped and misinterpreted by the victors or the victims. The victors have their versions of the story and so do the victims. Sometimes what we do know about history is pure speculation and a case of filling in the blanks. This episode tackles that. But mostly I love it for the evil version of Janeway. I feel like Kate Mulgrew and the rest of the cast had so much fun with these different personalities. Tim Russ got to smile! Granted, it was a smile dripping with malevolence but still! 

8. NIGHT

"Captain Janeway's methods are... unorthodox. It is her strength as a leader. But unfortunately, it is also her greatest weakness."

Probably quite a boring episode for a lot of people but I love it because it explores the depression that Janeway plunges into when crossing a vacant expanse of space; no planets, no nebulae, no stars, no nothing. She becomes a recluse, wracked with guilt for stranding the crew in the Delta Quadrant. Throughout the course of Voyager's seven seasons, Janeway often tackles her guilt with stranding the crew. I love that it gets touched on in such a hard-hitting way because she has had so many distractions from episode to episode that she doesn't have time to dwell on this decision or that decision. With how hard this depression hits her, it helps to really flesh out her character and make her more vulnerable. It shows that she isn't completely infallible and that she has her own doubts and demons to contend with. I also love that it shows how Chakotay and Tuvok have common ground when it comes to Janeway. They are the characters that know her best and they're usually on the same page when it comes to her. Tuvok's observations about Janeway (in any episode) always provide a wonderful insight into my favourite character (of all time).

I simply adore the scenes where Chakotay tries to coax her out of her quarters. Sublime acting from the pair of them. It isn't until the ship comes under threat that she snaps out of her guilt and takes action. The distraction has arrived. Then at the end of the episode, to secure passage for her crew to get home, she plans to sacrifice herself to give them time to reach the vortex. The crew aren't having any of it and refuse to follow her orders. They don't want to lose her and they don't blame her for her decision four years ago.

7. RESISTANCE

Joel Grey steals the show in this episode from season 2. He believes Janeway to be his long-missing daughter, Ralkanna.

If you know me, you will know that I love it when my favourite characters get hurt and when Janeway is injured at the beginning of this episode and left wounded in the street, Joel Grey's Caylem barges in and protects her, believing her to be his daughter. I loved that entrance. They establish a somewhat rocky relationship in a bid to get B'Elanna and Tuvok out of prison and get back to Voyager. Janeway has to use some quick thinking and some feminine wiles to work her way inside the prison which showcased Kate Mulgrew's enviable figure. The girl had some gams! And that hair. I think this episode was the episode that made me want to grow my hair long. Well, I had wanted to do that anyway but it made me determined to grow it long/ If anyone dares try to tell me that Janeway is soft, too feminine, too this or too that....there's the door. Don't let it close on you on the way out. 

6. BRIDE OF CHAOTICA!

"And remember, you're the Queen!"

This episode is crack on speed. It is the biggest giggle-fest ever in the history of Star Trek. Well, for me anyway. For me, it's my favourite holodeck episode ever. 'Badda-Bing Badda-Bang' from Deep Space Nine is a close second.

I simply adore this episode purely because it put Kate Mulgrew in an elaborate web inspired dress as Janeway took on the character of Queen Arachnia from Tom's holonovel, 'The Adventures of Captain Proton'. "This is how you've been spending your free-time?"

While Janeway believed that Tom had Seven in mind to play the Queen of the Spider People, Tom actually had Janeway in mind. Her reaction was beyond priceless. Let's not forget the Pheromones. It is just the best crack-tastic episode ever and I am a sucker for black and white things. Plus, Martin Rayner, who played Chaotica, completely stole the show. He revelled in that role and it was pure cheese on a Jacob's cracker.

5. EQUINOX

"[...]if we turn our backs on our principles, we stop being human."

Janeway turns Captain Ahab in this two-parter. After encountering another Federation vessel in the Delta Quadrant, it isn't long before the joyous union falls apart and an insidious plot is uncovered. The Equinox crew were experimenting on extra-dimensional beings to enhance their warp-drive. Janeway, feeling betrayed by the Equinox captain, puts an end to their experiments and confines the other crew to quarters under lock-and-key. However, they escape and Janeway will stop at nothing to bring Captain Ransom and his crew to justice.

I personally loved seeing this side of Janeway. She has always been forthright about her principles and refuses to bend on them. When asked by Ransom if she's ever broken the Prime Directive, her answer is, "Broken it? Never. Bent it on occasion and even then it was a difficult choice". She is first and foremost, a Starfleet Captain and to see another Captain disregard that, makes her see red and she vows vengeance.

My favourite scene from the two-parter is when Janeway lowers the shields on Crewman Lessing in the cargo bay during an interrogation to make him break and give up the location of the Equinox. She's prepared to kill him. Janeway has never been that dark in any episode previously or since. Chakotay doesn't believe that this is the same captain that he's served under for years and countermands her orders, attempting to restore the shielding (which she has encrypted with her level of clearance), then rescuing Lessing and taking him from the cargo bay. The brush that Janeway gives Chakotay would freeze the entire Sahara Desert. Kate Mulgrew doesn't say a single word in that moment but she says plenty as she walks away. GAH, I LOVE IT. I'm so articulate, aren't I?

It's not every day that we see Janeway get so angry that she actually interrogates a fellow Starfleet officer to the point where she threatens their very life. People may say it was extreme and very un-Janeway-like but I loved it. She may get angry with her crew, but when it comes to another Captaina and their breaking of Starfleet principles and protocol, it's a whole new level of fury. Never piss that woman off.

Plus, when I first watched this episode, I saw the cliff-hanger at the end of part 1 and I had to wait for the next episode. I couldn't believe that it ended that way and that my girl was in danger. I had to wait several months to find out what happened to her. This was back in the day when the Internet wasn't such a big deal and I couldn't just stream to the next episode. I had to wait! Can you imagine what I was like at that cliff-hanger?

4. WORKFORCE

"We're more than that. We're friends."

This episode is so cute. The crew's memories are manipulated by a doctor, Qadan, that is trying to fill the labour shortage of his world. The crew had to abandon ship to escape radiation from a subspace mine that they could not survive in and arrived at a nearby planet called, Quarra. Their memories are subsequently tampered with and they're all put to work. What I particularly like about this episode is what jobs are assigned to the characters; Tom is a bartender. Janeway monitors reactor coils and doesn't want "all that responsibility." They are doing jobs that are the complete opposite of what they are capable of.

Whenever I'm having a particularly trying time at work and I'm frustrated to the hilt, I simply tell myself that my memories have been manipulated and that I'm really a Starfleet officer and one-day Chakotay would rescue me. It usually gets me through the day.

I love that the episode gets Chakotay and Janeway sharing scenes where she's more Kathryn and not so much Janeway. Usually, with episodes like this, a bit of the actor leaks into the character because the characters are altered and not their usual selves. In this episode, I could still see Kathryn Janeway and didn't see Kate Mulgrew at all. Brava. I'm biased and I don't care. Just the way that Robert Beltran says, "We're more than that. We're friends," and the way that he looks at Janeway. I squeal like a little fangirl every single time and I'm not sorry that I do.

The end when Janeway says goodbye to Jaffen breaks my heart every time. I'm a firm Janeway/Chakotay fangirl but I really did ship her with Jaffen. He was so good and pretty damn attractive too. 

3. SHATTERED

"Once, a long time ago, I called this replicator a glorified toaster. It never forgave me."

This is probably my favourite Janeway and Chakotay episode. I first watched this episode on TV when it aired originally in the UK. I loved having the next week to look forward to and season 7 was that season for me and Shattered is one of my favourite episodes from that season and one of my favourites of all time. It makes me so giddy and happy when I watch this. A whole hour of Janeway and Chakotay. YES!! They're silly and cute and stubborn and it's so good.

It is just perfect from beginning to end for me. Chakotay getting cider to take to Janeway's quarters to have dinner, Janeway attempting to fix her broken replicator and then Chakotay taking a season 1 Janeway through their lives on Voyager. Pure nostalgia. When they went through the time-frames, I actually forgot some of them were episodes and I would be like, "Oh yeah!" It's just awesome. It's an episode that makes even Janeway wonder, "How close do we get?' GAH! HIS ANSWER KILLED ME! As I've said, I shipped them to the end of the universe and back. They were my babies and EVEN THEN, this episode gives me everything and nothing at the same time. Plus, it had a little Chaotica thrown in there for good measure. 

2. THE KILLING GAME

Where to begin with this episode? Voyager crew in Nazi-occupied France. They're the Resistance. They're the U.S. Army. They're fighters. They're soldiers. They're everything and I love this episode beyond words. It was actually one of the first episodes that I ever watched of Voyager. I was confused as hell but OMG was it perfect.

Janeway with a shot-gun. Seven of Nine singing. Chakotay as Captain Miller (aka that role Tom Hanks had in Saving Private Ryan). The Hirogen taking over the ship. Janeway basically being Katharine Hepburn (my other favourite Kate and the one she's been likened to for most of her career; seriously, she looks like Katharine Hepburn in this episode!) and rocking a white pants suit! How could I possibly love this episode more?

1. YEAR OF HELL

"How do you plan to implement this protocol, Doctor? Mr. Tuvok doesn't have a security team, both the brigs have been destroyed, and with the internal force fields offline, you'll have a hell of a time keeping me confined. You'd better grab a phaser; because before I give up command, you'll have to shoot me."

The ultimate two-parter in Voyager, in my opinion. This episode shows the resolve of the Voyager crew and the ship itself. Voyager is beaten mercilessly throughout the course of the two episodes. I love that Janeway refuses to abandon Voyager even when it is barely being held together. She ultimately uses it as a battering ram to defeat Annorax. 'Time's up!' That just showcased her bravery. She also braved a fire in deflector control and faced a court-martial by refusing to follow the orders of her Chief Medical Officer.


Love. Love. Love. It just shows that after everything that this episode threw at the crew, they're still standing and their resolve still stands. If they can get through that, I can get through a shitty day at work.

I recently read '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' by Jules Verne. Tom Paris has referenced this book in 'Thirty Days' and also makes reference to Captain Nemo in this two-parter. I didn't realise what that meant until I read that book. Even Annorax's name is no coincidence. Aronnax was the name of the professor that finds himself hostage aboard Captain Nemo's submarine, The Nautilus. I see what you did there, writers.

Oh and lastly, it introduced Janeway's new hair. A superficial point but I loved her short hairstyle. 

As you can see, I love Star Trek: Voyager. It truly is my happy place. Even as I created this blog post, I could not help but smile. Every episode that I looked up for screencaps and gifs, I remembered every scene that I passed by to get the screencap that I wanted and I have watched these episodes dozens of times over and they still make me smile. As I created this post, I desperately wanted to watch/listen to these episodes as I typed away. I love this show beyond words, and more than likely, beyond reason. Kathryn Janeway is everything to me and she may inform a lot of my favourite episodes. Sue me. I adore her. I am aware that there are other characters in the show but she is the forefront to me and that is why most of the headers and gifs contain her in some way or another. She's my girl and this is my show.

What are your favourite episodes of Voyager? I would love to know. Or if you don't have a favourite of Voyager, what about The Next Generation or Deep Space Nine or Enterprise or the Original Series? Let me know.

** All gifs used in this post are from Giphy.com and Tumblr.com respectively. All screencaps are from TrekCore.com and edited by me.