Season 1
The first four episodes of this season (including the double-length first episode which is sometimes split in two) establish the necessary story to get our adventure started, and these episodes might make it seem, at first, that this is “just a kids show” with only a tangential connection to Star Trek. In stark contrast, the very next episode goes overboard with establishing the show's connection to Trek. After that, the show sort of settles into its regular pace, and I found myself becoming very invested in the characters and their journey. Rest assured, there is plenty here for adults to enjoy, as well.
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1x01/02 |
Original Air Date
28 Oct 2021 |
Series Episode
1 |
Franchise Episode
798 |
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Lost and Found |
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While mining in a prison colony called Tars Lamora, under the rule of the Diviner and his daughter Gwyn, Dal R'El and a group of teens discover a derelict Starfleet ship. The gang kidnap Gwyn and make a daring escape, but the Diviner isn't about to let them or the USS Protostar go.
Arc 1: Escape from Tars Lamora (1 of 4)
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Jankom Pog is a Tellarite. The Tellarites were first introduced in TOS 2x15: Journey to Babel. While not usually a “primary” species in Trek lore, they have made appearances in several shows including Enterprise, Discovery, Lower Decks, and Strange New Worlds. |
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Thoughts: We begin our adventure by meeting our cast of characters. There's Dal R'El, a... purple dude of an unknown species. Rok-Tahk is a large rock-like species known as Brikar (never before seen on Trek). Zero is a Medusan, a non-corporeal being who gets around in a robotic shell. Jankom Pog, the engineer, is a Tellarite. Oh, and there's the Mellanoid slime worm, Murf. On the antagonists' side, we have The Diviner and his daughter Gwyn, members of a never-before-seen race called the Vau N'Akat, and their trusty “Drednok”, some sort of sentient robot.
This series opener is a little bit kid-focused and devoid of much traditional “Trek” as we know it, but believe me, this series will be just as enjoyable for adult Trek fans as it will be for kids.
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Watch Recommendation: It's the series premiere, you should watch it! This series premiere is a “Must Watch” and the first on the “Bare Minimum” list. |
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1x03 |
Original Air Date
4 Nov 2021 |
Series Episode
2 |
Franchise Episode
799 |
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Starstruck |
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The gang familiarize themselves with the ship, but Dal is skeptical of the Janeway hologram. After nearly crashing into a star, he finally admits that he needs Janeway's help.
Arc 1: Escape from Tars Lamora (2 of 4)
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Thoughts: This one is a bit of filler, but necessary filler. It makes sense that Dal wouldn't warm up to the Janeway hologram right away, so this episode helps establish his need for some help. |
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Watch Recommendation: While this opening arc is important overall, this particular episode isn't quite as essential. I'm only marking it as “Recommended.” |
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1x04 |
Original Air Date
11 Nov 2021 |
Series Episode
3 |
Franchise Episode
800 |
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Dream Catcher |
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The gang go on their first mission, exploring a planet which lures the crew with visions and then attempts to eat them. Meanwhile, Gwyn escapes from custody and tries to steal the Protostar.
Arc 1: Escape from Tars Lamora (3 of 4)
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Thoughts: Ah, fart jokes and fart sounds, that's obviously what makes a great kids show! I do have to give the writers credit because, throughout this series, they certainly don't “write down” to the kids, but I suppose the price for that is the occasional fart joke. |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode leads directly into the next one and is important to the story. It's a “Must Watch.” |
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1x05 |
Original Air Date
18 Nov 2021 |
Series Episode
4 |
Franchise Episode
801 |
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Terror Firma |
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The gang try to make it back to the Protostar, but the planet keeps sending them in circles and, you know, trying to eat them. The Diviner shows up, but he chooses to capture the ship instead of saving his daughter. Gwyn shifts allegiances, and the gang discovers the secret of the Protostar.
Arc 1: Escape from Tars Lamora (4 of 4)
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Condition Blue: Proto-warp |
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Thoughts: This episode sets things up for the rest of the season, including Gwyn's motivations going forward. It's a pretty good episode, too! |
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Watch Recommendation: This is the last episode in the opening arc; you should definitely watch it. It's a “Must Watch” and the second episode on the “Bare Minimum” list. |
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1x06 |
Original Air Date
6 Jan 2022 |
Series Episode
5 |
Franchise Episode
809 |
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Kobayashi |
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Dal repeatedly takes the Kobayashi Maru test on the holodeck. Gwyn broods and begins to uncover the Protostar's original mission. |
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Robert Beltran reprises his role as a holographic version of Chakotay from Star Trek: Voyager. |
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Archive audio is used for the holographic versions of Uhura, Spock, and Scotty from TOS, as well as for Odo from DS9. |
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Dal briefly wears a headset where he plays a game involving cones and discs. This is one of the headsets from TNG 5x06: The Game. |
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While demonstrating the various holodeck programs, Janeway suggests skydiving on Ceti Alpha V. This is the planet where Khan and his crew were marooned in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. She then suggests fighting in a kal-if-fee match, a Vulcan ritual first seen in TOS 2x05: Amok Time. |
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The Kobayashi Maru is an infamous test for Starfleet cadets that assesses their ability to cope with a no-win scenario. It's established in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan that James Kirk famously beat the test by reprogramming the scenario. Said Kirk, “I don't like to lose.” |
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Thoughts: This episode is obviously designed to cram in as many references to previous Trek as possible, in case there were any skeptical fans watching who weren't getting enough previous art. Unfortunately, the archive audio is clearly not of the same quality as the new recordings, so much of the holographic officers' dialogue sounds out of place. |
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Watch Recommendation: If you want to watch animated holographic versions of some Trek characters with out-of-place sounding archive audio, go for it, but I'm not giving this one a recommendation, only because you can safely skip it without missing any major plot points. |
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1x07 |
Original Air Date
13 Jan 2022 |
Series Episode
6 |
Franchise Episode
810 |
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First Con-tact |
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Dal runs into Nandi, the Ferengi woman who raised him. She wants a crystal from a civilization that hasn't met any aliens yet. In exchange, she offers the gang a cloaking device. Against Janeway's objection about the Prime Directive, Dal agrees to a “diplomatic exchange” for the crystals, but Nandi betrays him... again.
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Thoughts: This episode's main purposes are to introduce the Prime Directive and also give some backstory to Dal. It does an okay-ish job, but Dal's past before Tars Lamora turns out to not be terribly important. |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode doesn't have anything essential to the overall story, so I'm not giving it a recommendation. |
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1x08 |
Original Air Date
20 Jan 2022 |
Series Episode
7 |
Franchise Episode
811 |
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Time Amok |
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Separated by time fractures, the crew must work together to save the ship. Rok-Tahk overcomes her fears to bring the crew's plan to fruition.
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Time Travel Episode |
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Jankom was afraid it was a physical manifestation of how feels. — Jankom Pog, forlornly, regarding a tachyon storm. |
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Thoughts: This is Prodigy's first fling with a time-bending episode, and it's pretty good. But what actually makes it a winner for me is the story of Rok-Tahk overcoming her self-doubt. |
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Watch Recommendation: Aw, this is a good episode and it's sort of even touching. Give it a watch! I'm marking it as “Recommended.” |
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★★★★☆ ♥ Personal Favorite 🥉 3rd place episode of the series |
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Watch Recommendation
✔
Recommended
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FINAL SCORE
7.3
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8 |
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5.7 |
Understanding Ratings and Recommendations |
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1x09 |
Original Air Date
27 Jan 2022 |
Series Episode
8 |
Franchise Episode
812 |
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A Moral Star, Part 1 |
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The Diviner gives the crew a choice: Return the Protostar to him or the other prisoners on Tars Lamora will die. The crew gives Gwyn and the ship to him, but he double-crosses them. He destroys the asteroid's generators, giving our heroes only a short time to survive.
Arc 2: Second confrontation with the Diviner (1 of 2)
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Level-Up: New Uniforms |
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Condition Blue: Proto-warp |
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The title of this episode, “A Moral Star”, is an anagram of “Tars Lamora”. |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode and the next are an important part of the story, featuring the gang's second conflict with the Diviner. They are both on the “Must Watch” and “Bare Minimum” lists. |
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1x10 |
Original Air Date
3 Feb 2022 |
Series Episode
9 |
Franchise Episode
813 |
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A Moral Star, Part 2 |
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The gang save the prisoners at Tars Lamora. Drednok is destroyed. Zero reveals their true self, causing the Diviner to go mad, and accidentally wiping Gwyn's memories – which means that she doesn't remember the Diviner revealing that he came back in time to save the Vau N'Akat by destroying Starfleet, using the very ship the crew is now flying straight back into the heart of the Federation.
Arc 2: Second confrontation with the Diviner (2 of 2)
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In the episode's coda, we see the USS Dauntless. The ship's interior and exterior design is quite similar to the fake USS Dauntless from the Voyager episode VOY 4x26: Hope and Fear. I guess Starfleet was inspired by the design and decided to build their own? |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode and the previous one are an important part of the story, featuring the gang's second conflict with the Diviner. They are both on the “Must Watch” and “Bare Minimum” lists. |
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1x11 |
Original Air Date
27 Oct 2022 |
Series Episode
10 |
Franchise Episode
850 |
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Asylum |
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After completing a series of “good deeds,” the gang report to a remote Starfleet relay station. Upon establishing a connection with the Protostar, the station begins to self-destruct and the only Starfleet officer on board, Barniss Frex, flees to safety. Meanwhile, Admiral Janeway arrives at Tars Lamora with the Dauntless and recovers the Diviner.
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Nitpickery: Lieutenant Junior Grade Barniss Frex is wearing on his collar both the standard rank insignia (the two round pips), as well as provisional rank insignia (the longer, oval pin). Normally, only one of these insignia would be used. It is unclear if this is a mistake by the animators or if Barniss Frex is just not following the uniform code because he works alone on a remote outpost. (His unkempt hair might suggest the latter.) |
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Watch Recommendation: I may have rated this as below average, but it sets things up for the second half of Season 1, so I'm making it a “Must Watch.” |
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1x12 |
Original Air Date
3 Nov 2022 |
Series Episode
11 |
Franchise Episode
851 |
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Let Sleeping Borg Lie |
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The crew locate the weapon on board the Protostar that the Diviner left there to destroy Starfleet, but they can't destroy or deactivate it. They happen upon a disabled Borg cube and risk boarding it to see if the Borg might have the knowledge to disarm the weapon.
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Borg Episode |
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Hologram-Janeway says that the Borg cube was infected by a neurolytic pathogen. This is likely the same pathogen that was introduced to the Borg collective by Admiral Janeway (from an alternate timeline) in the Voyager series finale, VOY 7x25/26: Endgame. |
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Nitpickery: Zero is just... talked out of being Borg? That's new. |
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Watch Recommendation: This is the series' only “Borg Episode,” but it is not entirely necessary to the overall story, so I'm not giving it a recommendation. |
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1x13 |
Original Air Date
10 Nov 2022 |
Series Episode
12 |
Franchise Episode
852 |
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All the World's a Stage |
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The crew answers a distress call and finds a colony of people imitating Starfleet. Meanwhile, Janeway has revived the Diviner, but his memory is spotty.
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“En Son” – the Starfleet officer who made first contact with these people – was in fact David Garrovick, an officer on the USS Enterprise NCC-1701, who appears in only one episode, TOS 2x18: Obsession. The Galileo shuttlecraft that was left behind was one of several auxiliary vessels from the Enterprise. |
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This episode bends the fourth wall a little bit with references to the actors from the Original Series. The man named James'T does an only-slightly-exaggerated impersonation of actor William Shatner's distinctive speaking cadence. Meanwhile, Sool'U says, “My, my!” which is a variation of actor George Takei's catchphrase, “Oh, my!” |
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“Live Logs and Proper” is a humorous misinterpretation of the Vulcan saying, “Live Long and Prosper.” The Enderprizians also get the finger placement in the traditional salute incorrect.
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When Hologram-Janeway alters the Protostar's bridge to resemble the bridge of the original Enterprise, a variation on theme song from Star Trek: The Original Series can be heard. |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode has a lot of self-parody that is too funny to miss. I'm marking it as “Recommended.” |
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1x14 |
Original Air Date
17 Nov 2022 |
Series Episode
13 |
Franchise Episode
853 |
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Crossroads |
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The gang abandon the Protostar and seek transportation to Starfleet at a way station. Meanwhile, Admiral Janeway has tracked down Barniss Frex to the same station. As you might expect, nothing goes right.
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Thoughts: Argh, it's so frustrating that everyone was in the same place but that Dal & friends couldn't get their dire message across to Janeway. It's hard to watch when you want things to work out but they just refuse to do so! |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode has some important points and helps to further the story. I'm labeling this as “Recommended.” |
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1x15 |
Original Air Date
24 Nov 2022 |
Series Episode
14 |
Franchise Episode
854 |
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Masquerade |
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The gang visit a port called Noble Isle in the Neutral Zone to find parts for their ship. A geneticist there tells Dal that he's engineered from the DNA of multiple species by the protégés of Arik Soong. Feeling like he's a mistake, Dal lets the geneticist temporarily boost his abilities with an implant. Meanwhile, a spy on Janeway's ship reveals herself to the Diviner.
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Sloppy work, in my opinion. Miracle you can talk. — Doctor Jago, regarding Dal's engineered genetic makeup. |
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Watch Recommendation: While the episode importantly reveals some of Dal's background, the rest of it isn't terribly important. No recommendation for this one. |
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1x16 |
Original Air Date
1 Dec 2022 |
Series Episode
15 |
Franchise Episode
855 |
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Preludes |
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Rok tells her backstory as a "monster" gladiator entertainer. Zero tells their backstory of being hunted and captured by Kazon. Jankom tells his backstory about fixing a Tellarite sleeper ship. The Vindicator expands upon her and the Diviner's past.
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Thoughts: Eh, the backstories for Rok and Zero turn out to be pretty inconsequential, but Jankom's story is actually kind of cute and funny. No wonder he keeps referring to himself in the third person! Of course, the most important part of this episode is the Vindicator's explanation of how we got to this point. |
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Watch Recommendation: While the backstories of the Protostar crew aren't strictly essential, the Vindicator is revealed and she explains a lot of important information about the Diviner's past, making this a “Must Watch.” |
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1x17 |
Original Air Date
8 Dec 2022 |
Series Episode
16 |
Franchise Episode
856 |
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Ghost in the Machine |
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The holodeck suffers a classic malfunction, trapping the gang inside.
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Holodeck Episode |
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Thoughts: This is probably the weakest episode in the first season, but it's still not bad. There are some fun and amusing moments... well, mostly Murf's holodeck program. It starts off like a holodeck mystery to be solved, but it turns out to just be a distraction from the larger story. |
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Watch Recommendation: Eh, not one the best episodes, and it doesn't really contribute to the overall story. No recommendation here. |
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1x18 |
Original Air Date
15 Dec 2022 |
Series Episode
17 |
Franchise Episode
857 |
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Mindwalk |
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With the Dauntless in pursuit, Dal tries to make telepathic contact with Janeway, but accidentally switches bodies with her instead. Dal and the Admiral must perform a daring spacewalk to fix it.
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Janeway casually mentions that she was once transformed into a salamander. This is a reference to what is certainly the worst episode of Voyager, VOY 2x15: Threshold. |
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Thoughts: In the mood for a classic body-swap episode? This one will fulfill that craving, but it's usually more fun to see these types of episodes in live action so that we can really see our actors playing different parts. |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode has some important plot developments in preparation for the two-part season finale. It's “Recommended.” |
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1x19 |
Original Air Date
22 Dec 2022 |
Series Episode
18 |
Franchise Episode
858 |
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Supernova, Part 1 |
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Surrounded by Starfleet, the Protostar is boarded by the Diviner and the Vindicator. After a quick fight, the Vindicator activates the weapon, pitting all the Starfleet ships against each other.
Arc 3: Attack on Starfleet (Part 1 of 2)
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The Brenari ensign who frees Admiral Janeway from the brig was one of the refugees that Janeway saved from the Devore in VOY 5x10: Counterpoint. |
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Watch Recommendation: This is a two-part story to close out the season, and it's essential watching, putting it on the “Must Watch” and “Bare Minimum” lists. |
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1x20 |
Original Air Date
29 Dec 2022 |
Series Episode
19 |
Franchise Episode
859 |
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Supernova, Part 2 |
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The gang hatch a plan to destroy the Protostar in order to halt the destruction of Starfleet.
Arc 3: Attack on Starfleet (Part 2 of 2)
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Condition Blue: Proto-warp |
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Self-Destruct |
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Level-Up: Warrant Officers in training, Zero gets a new body |
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Watch Recommendation: It's the final episode of the season, tying up story lines and setting up new ones for Season 2. This is a “Must Watch” and it's on the “Bare Minimum” list. |
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"Franchise Episode" tells you the order in which episodes from ANY/ALL Star Trek television shows aired or streamed for the first time. This number excludes movies, TOS's "The Cage", and the "Very Short Treks" web shorts.
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1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards reflect the best, but also the most representative episodes of the series. So, even excellent one-off or “special” episodes often aren't considered.
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@c6reviews.