Season 4
Season 4 opens with the introduction of Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero, a renowned
Star Trek character who will join the Voyager crew and make future appearances in
Star Trek: Picard. This season has some strong episodes, including "Scorpion" and "Year of Hell", which are probably the two best stories in the series. The crew will also make first contact with Earth since being stranded in the Delta Quadrant later this season, and we'll be introduced to a new foe: the Hirogen.
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4x01 |
Original Air Date 3 Sep 1997 |
Series Episode 68 |
Franchise Episode 467 |

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Scorpion (Part II) |
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Voyager and the Borg work together to fight a new enemy.
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🤖 |
Proper Borg Episode |
👽 |
First Contact: Species 8472 |
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Admiral Pips: Pips are awarded to episodes that are the most stand-out, representative examples of the series as a whole. |
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Thoughts: This two-part story is definitely one of the best Voyager has to offer. But I would be remiss if I didn't point out that it marks the beginning of the series' nerfing of the Borg. Spoiler » Janeway forms an ALLIANCE with the Borg? Just... *sigh*... no. She even says at one point, "we have them over a barrel"... because the story conveniently invented a species even MORE powerful than the Borg! (But don't worry, they'll get nerfed later, too.) It's an interesting concept, I just wish the Borg had held on to their forbidding, unstoppable evil force vibe. Even if the Borg were desperate since they were losing a war, I just can't imagine them negotiating like they do here. |
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Watch Recommendation: This two-parter season finale and season premiere marks a pivotal change for Voyager and includes the first appearance of Seven of Nine. This is essential watching, putting it both on the "Must Watch" and "Bare Minimum" lists. |
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My rating: |
★★★★★ 🥈 2nd place episode of the series |
Ratings are based on both Parts I and II as a whole |
Watch Recommendation
🕶 ‼
Must Watch Bare Minimum
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FINAL SCORE
9.7
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SF Debris rating: |
10 |
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Ex Astris Scientia rating: |
9 |
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Normalized IMDb rating: |
9.7 |
Understanding Ratings and Recommendations |
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4x02 |
Original Air Date 10 Sep 1997 |
Series Episode 69 |
Franchise Episode 468 |
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The Gift |
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Seven copes with her sitch, Kes's telekinetic powers grow.
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⏩ |
Shortcut: Spoiler » Kes sends Voyager through Borg space — 9,500 light-years closer to home (about 9.3 years at Warp 8) |
😓 |
Forever an ensign: “Guess the Borg meet a lot of people, don't they?” |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode is a direct follow-up to the previous two episodes. It is essentially "part three," with very important plot development, earning this episode a rating of "Must Watch." |
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4x03 |
Original Air Date 17 Sep 1997 |
Series Episode 70 |
Franchise Episode 469 |
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Day of Honor |
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On the Klingon Day of Honor, B'Elanna is having the worst day of her life. Meanwhile, Seven works with refugees from a race assimilated by the Borg.
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🔵 |
Honorary Condition Blue: Warp Core Ejection (the first time such an event was depicted on screen in detail) |
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Watch Recommendation: This is a pretty good episode with important plot development for Tom and B'Elanna, as well as a warp core ejection sequence, making this episode "Recommended." |
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4x04 |
Original Air Date 24 Sep 1997 |
Series Episode 71 |
Franchise Episode 470 |
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Nemesis |
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Chakotay is trapped on a war-torn planet.
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Soren, we mustn't fall asleep. I think they're trying to moon blink us. — Oh, sorry, that's a quote from "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" but you believed it for a second, didn't you? |
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Nitpickery: Spoiler » You've been brainwashed – programmed – to hate these people. Let's have Neelix bring one in now so you can exchange pleasantries! |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode is such a one-off it's ridiculous. It completely ignores the previous three episodes and just goes off on its own. You'd be sharp to do my tellings and not bother glimpsing this episode. 🙄 |
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4x05 |
Original Air Date 1 Oct 1997 |
Series Episode 72 |
Franchise Episode 472 |
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Revulsion |
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The Doctor and Torres try to help a troubled sentient hologram.
B-plot: Harry and Seven are assigned to work together on sensor upgrades, and Harry struggles through it awkwardly.
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⬆ |
Level-Up: Tuvok promoted to Lieutenant Commander |
😓 |
Forever an ensign: Once again, Harry doesn't just shy away from sex, he vehemently pushes it away like it's "icky." I'm pretty convinced he never went through puberty or got past that "girls are gross" phase. |
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Thoughts: Seven of Nine's early personality after being made human again is quite warm. She even cracks a small smile in this episode, but that will change after a little while and she'll settle into more of a cold, direct, and analytical nature. |
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Watch Recommendation: This is a pretty decent episode, I think, but it's not that important to the overall story. No recommendation. |
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4x06 |
Original Air Date 8 Oct 1997 |
Series Episode 73 |
Franchise Episode 474 |
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The Raven |
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While Janeway tries to negotiate passage through B'omar space, Seven experiences flashbacks and is drawn to a strange signal.
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(🤖) |
Episode involves the Borg — in flashbacks only. |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode provides essential backstory for Seven of Nine, making it a "Must Watch." |
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4x07 |
Original Air Date 29 Oct 1997 |
Series Episode 74 |
Franchise Episode 478 |
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Scientific Method |
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Aliens perform experiments on the Voyager crew.
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😓 |
Forever an ensign: Harry, fully aware that he's interrupting a private dinner, continues to stand awkwardly in the door anyway. I think he was jealous that Tom was spending time with B'Elanna instead of with him. |
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Watch Recommendation: It's an interesting little story of the week, but it doesn't have much in the way of importance. No recommendation. |
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4x08 and 4x09 |
Original Air Date 5 & 12 Nov 1997 |
Series Episode 75 & 76 |
Franchise Episode 480 & 482 |

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Year of Hell (Parts I and II) |
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An obsessed temporal scientist erases cultures from history.
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🕖 |
Time Travel/Time Hijinks episode
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👽 |
First Contact: Krenim Imperium |
⬆ |
Level-Up: Astrometrics unveiling |
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Shortcut: New course plotted — 5 years closer to home |
🚫 |
Relieved of Duty: Janeway |
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Seven tells Harry and B'Elanna that the Borg were present during the events of humanity's first contact with aliens. This event's story is told in the film Star Trek: First Contact. |
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Admiral Pips: Pips are awarded to episodes that are the most stand-out, representative examples of the series as a whole. |
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Watch Recommendation: This two-parter is a fun story involving time hijinks, and is a great example of Voyager's style of storytelling (including the fact that this story was originally proposed to be a season-long arc, but that idea was shut down by the producers). Guest star Kurtwood Smith does a fine job in his role as the tortured Annorax, helping to make this arguably the best episode of the series. This is definitely a "Must Watch," and it's the fourth story on the "Bare Minimum" list. |
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My rating: |
★★★★★ 🥇 1st place episode of the series |
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Watch Recommendation
🕶‼
Must Watch Bare Minimum
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FINAL SCORE
9.6
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SF Debris rating: |
9 |
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Ex Astris Scientia rating: |
10 |
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Normalized IMDb rating: |
9.2 |
Understanding Ratings and Recommendations |
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4x10 |
Original Air Date 19 Nov 1997 |
Series Episode 77 |
Franchise Episode 484 |
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Random Thoughts |
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Torres is arrested for having violent thoughts.
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💁♀️ |
Chief Examiner Nimira is played by Gwynyth Walsh, who is perhaps better known for her portrayal of B'Etor of the House of Duras. |
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Watch Recommendation: We're back to stories of the week with this episode, and nothing terribly important happens here. No recommendation. |
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4x11 |
Original Air Date 26 Nov 1997 |
Series Episode 78 |
Franchise Episode 486 |
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Concerning Flight |
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Janeway looks for stolen goods with the help of da Vinci.
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Thoughts: I don't care what the others thought about this, I thought this was a fun episode! |
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Watch Recommendation: Despite my enjoyment of the episode, I can't think of a good reason to recommend it. |
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4x12 |
Original Air Date 17 Dec 1997 |
Series Episode 79 |
Franchise Episode 487 |
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Mortal Coil |
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After dying on an away mission, Neelix copes (poorly) with being brought back to life.
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In the process of reviving Neelix, Seven correctly says that the alveoli in his "lung" are regenerating. The writers still have not forgotten that Neelix only has one lung as a result of the events in VOY 1x05: Phage. |
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Nitpickery: So, Neelix's expertise was vital to the shuttle mission so he could... hold the container while the others flew the ship and beamed in the sample? |
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Watch Recommendation: This is one of those episodes where something wholly traumatic happens to one of our characters, but after the credits roll, it will never be mentioned again. I'm not making a recommendation for this Neelix episode. |
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4x13 |
Original Air Date 14 Jan 1998 |
Series Episode 80 |
Franchise Episode 490 |
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Waking Moments |
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Aliens attack the crew in their nightmares.
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😓 |
Forever an ensign: Everyone experiences nightmares or, at least, unpleasant dreams. Everyone, that is, except for Harry. Harry dreams about a romantic encounter with Seven, which one would think would be pleasant, but perhaps that really is a nightmare for Harry because girls are gross! |
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Watch Recommendation: Another story-of-the-week with aliens we'll never see again. No recommendation. |
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4x14 |
Original Air Date 21 Jan 1998 |
Series Episode 81 |
Franchise Episode 491 |

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Message in a Bottle |
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The Doctor visits an experimental ship in the Alpha Quadrant.
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📩 |
Letters Home: First contact with Earth since being thrown into the Delta Quadrant.
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🔵 |
Condition Blue: Multi-vector Assault Mode |
👽 |
First Contact: Hirogen |
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Vice-Admiral Pips: Pips are awarded to episodes that are the most stand-out, representative examples of the series as a whole. |
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Nitpickery:
- Did the Doctor give that man a stimulant just to ask him what happened? I mean, is the Doctor responsible for killing that man since he felt it was more important to wake him than to treat his injuries?
- The interaction between the Romulan in charge and his lieutenant on the bridge of the Prometheus is very awkward. I'm not sure if it's the writing or the acting or a combination of both, but it feels very stiff and unnatural.
- It's pretty frustrating that the Doctor came up with an excuse to be on the bridge but he's found out because he didn't take any readings like he said he would. All he had to do was... take readings.
- Lastly, I can't get over the wee little warp nacelle that pops out of the top of the uppermost section of the Prometheus when it goes into multivector assault mode. Can that thing even hit Warp 1?
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Watch Recommendation: This is a good episode with a cool new ship and a fun interaction between the Doctor and guest star Andy Dick. The episode also marks Voyager's first contact with home since being lost in the Delta Quadrant, and it introduces a new species that we WILL see again. This is a "Must Watch" and also on the "Bare Minimum" list. |
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My rating: |
★★★★ ★☆ ♥ Personal Favorite |
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Watch Recommendation
🕶 ‼
Must Watch Bare Minimum
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FINAL SCORE
8.6
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SF Debris rating: |
8 |
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Ex Astris Scientia rating: |
8 |
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Normalized IMDb rating: |
9.3 |
Understanding Ratings and Recommendations |
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4x15 |
Original Air Date 11 Feb 1998 |
Series Episode 82 |
Franchise Episode 493 |
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Hunters |
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The crew is abuzz as they receive letters from home, but upon investigating the alien communications network that delivered them, they meet the Hirogen.
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📏 |
The Hirogen in this episode are played by Tiny Ron and Roger Morrissey, who are 7'0" (213.4 cm) and 7'4" (223.5 cm), respectively. |
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Spoiler » Chakotay receives a letter from home telling him that the Maquis resistance has been defeated and most of their compatriots are dead. This references DS9 5x15: By Inferno's Light (which aired one year prior to this episode) where Gul Dukat announces a new offensive against the Maquis, vowing to defeat them within five days. |
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Forever an ensign: We get it, Harry is homesick and really wants a letter. Please give him a letter so he'll shut up. |
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Nitpickery: What is with Kate Mulgrew's (Janeway) delivery of the line "We're on our way" at the end of the episode? Was she splashing in some whiskey with those three coffees she had? |
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Watch Recommendation: We may have met the Hirogen in the previous episode, but this is their real introduction. Introducing a new recurring species would normally earn this episode a rating of "Must Watch," but if I had to choose between this episode and the next one, which will also feature the Hirogen, I think the next one is more important. So, I'm only marking this one "Recommended." If you do skip this one, you should probably know that Spoiler » the crew received letters from home, including an encrypted message from Starfleet which they did not immediately decode. Also, in the course of their fight with the Hirogen, the alien communications network was shut down, so they won't be getting any more letters from home any time soon. |
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4x16 |
Original Air Date 18 Feb 1998 |
Series Episode 83 |
Franchise Episode 496 |
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Prey |
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Voyager gets caught up in a Hirogen hunt for a member of Species 8472.
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The Hirogen in this episode are not as tall as their friends in the previous episode. They are played by Clint Carmichael and Tony Todd, who are 6'4" (193.0 cm) and 6'5" (195.6 cm), respectively. |
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Watch Recommendation: This episode tells us a bit more about the Hirogen, it brings back Species 8472, and it begins to introduce the rift forming between Seven and Janeway. For those reasons, it's a "Must Watch." |
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4x17 |
Original Air Date 25 Feb 1998 |
Series Episode 84 |
Franchise Episode 498 |
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Retrospect |
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Seven believes a weapons merchant assaulted her.
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🔬 |
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Thoughts: I'm just not sure what the message is for this episode. That psychiatric treatments aren't reliable? That traumatic memories aren't reliable? That you shouldn't believe victims because they're probably wrong? Those don't seem like great messages... |
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Nitpickery: Shouldn't Tuvok be testing the weapons offered by the merchant instead of Tom Paris? Tuvok is the tactical and security officer, after all. |
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Watch Recommendation: I just don't get what this episode is trying to do. It seems like everyone is just using poor judgment. No recommendation. |
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4x18 and 4x19 |
Original Air Date 4 Mar 1998 (both parts) |
Series Episode 85 & 86 |
Franchise Episode 500 & 501 |

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The Killing Game (Parts I and II) |
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The Hirogen run amok on Voyager's holodecks.
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🟨 |
Holodeck Episode |
🌎 |
Episode takes place on (a holographic recreation of) Earth |
🇫🇷 |
Janeway refers to Seven's holodeck character as "Mademoiselle de Neuf " which is French for "Miss of Nine." |
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The Hirogen in this episode have gotten a little shorter again, this time played by four actors that are all approximately 6'2" (188 cm). |
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Vice-Admiral Pips: Pips are awarded to episodes that are the most stand-out, representative examples of the series as a whole. |
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Watch Recommendation: It's an interesting-enough two-parter even if the premise is a little strange, and it's always fun to see our heroes playing alternate characters... even if the setting is World War II. This is a "Must Watch." |
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4x20 |
Original Air Date 8 Apr 1998 |
Series Episode 87 |
Franchise Episode 503 |
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Vis à Vis |
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A genome thief switches bodies with Tom Paris.
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Thoughts: What the hell happened to Tom this week? He says he needs a change of pace, fine, but he's skipping shifts in sickbay, he's very irritable, and he treats B'Elanna like garbage. It feels like an awfully sudden change just for the sake of this week's story. (And no, I'm not confused, I am talking about Tom's actions before he changes places with Steth.) |
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Nitpickery: Spoiler » Try to follow me here... Steth's method of "genome theft" is NOT a transfer of consciousness to another body. That is, Steth doesn't transfer his consciousness into Tom Paris's body. Instead, Steth remains in his own body which just morphs to look like Tom Paris (while simultaneously, Tom Paris's body morphs to look like Steth). Later, Steth (who now looks like Tom Paris) attacks Janeway and swaps places with her, meaning that Steth now looks like Janeway, and Janeway now looks like Tom. So when Tuvok comes to the rescue in the Ready Room, it is actually Janeway (looking like Tom) who is choking Steth (looking like Janeway), which doesn't make any sense. Additionally, clothing is not changed or transferred as part of the process (as seen in the first swap), which means Steth would have had to change clothes with Janeway (or, at the very least, take the time to swap their rank pips) before calling for security. |
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Watch Recommendation: It's an average episode, with no impact on the rest of the series. Tom's bad attitude isn't some clever ruse to weed out a mole, this time. No recommendation. |
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4x21 |
Original Air Date 15 Apr 1998 |
Series Episode Ω |
Franchise Episode 505 |
Ω |
The Omega Directive |
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Janeway must carry out a top-secret mission.
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Ω |
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Ω |
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Ω |
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Watch Recommendation: [REDACTED] |
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4x22 |
Original Air Date 22 Apr 1998 |
Series Episode 89 |
Franchise Episode 507 |
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Unforgettable |
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Chakotay doesn't remember a woman who claims they fell in love just weeks prior.
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Forever an ensign: Oh, poor Harry finds himself having to explain romantic relationships to Seven, and of course he's the first to get uncomfortable. |
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Watch Recommendation: It's a one-off attempt to find something for Chakotay to do. No recommendation. |
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4x23 |
Original Air Date 29 Apr 1998 |
Series Episode 90 |
Franchise Episode 509 |

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Living Witness |
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700 years in the future, the Doctor defends Voyager's good name.
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👬 |
Alternate Reality (ok, not really)
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Forever an ensign: The most glaring error in the original re-creation is that Janeway calls Harry "lieutenant." Ha! |
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Vice-Admiral Pips: Pips are awarded to episodes that are the most stand-out, representative examples of the series as a whole. |
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Watch Recommendation: This is a highly-rated, fun episode. It's always enjoyable to see alternate versions of our heroes, but strictly speaking, the story isn't that important to the series as a whole, so it's getting a rating of "Highly Recommended." |
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4x24 |
Original Air Date 6 May 1998 |
Series Episode 91 |
Franchise Episode 511 |
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Demon |
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Desperately low on energy, Voyager explores a Demon-class planet for fuel.
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🔵 |
Condition Blue: Ship Landing |
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Forever an ensign: Someone realized that after four years, Harry was still awfully green. Instead of a more natural progression, he just suddenly decides to be more assertive, but it doesn't really last beyond this episode. |
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Watch Recommendation: It's an episode, for sure. No recommendation. |
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4x25 |
Original Air Date 13 May 1998 |
Series Episode 92 |
Franchise Episode 513 |
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One |
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With the crew in stasis, Seven must navigate the ship through danger, alone.
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Between impulse and action, there is a realm of good taste begging for your acquaintance. — the Doctor, to Seven. |
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Watch Recommendation: Because this gives insight into Seven's fears, this episode is "Recommended." |
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4x26 |
Original Air Date 20 May 1998 |
Series Episode 93 |
Franchise Episode 515 |
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Hope and Fear |
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A message from Starfleet leads Voyager to a new ship.
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🔗 |
The encrypted message from Starfleet is the one that the crew received in VOY 4x15: Hunters. |
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Shortcut: Quantum Slipstream Drive — 300 light-years closer to home (about 0.3 years at Warp 8) |
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Nitpickery: When Chakotay, Tuvok, and Paris first beam over to the Dauntless, Paris is facing the camera. He looks around a bit and sweeps his phaser back and forth, presumably to ensure the bridge is clear. In the reverse-angle shot that immediately follows, we see that Paris is facing a wall. |
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Watch Recommendation: This is the last episode of Season 4, but it is not a two-part cliffhanger like usual. Still, it's a good watch and it does bring back some previous plot points. I'm marking this as a "Must Watch." |
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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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