This week we finish off Season 1. Voyager had a mid-season launch, and thus season 1 is only 15 episodes. We will watch 6 more of them this week with the following episodes:
Here are my thoughts about this week's episodes.
Emanations - Gives us a Harry Kim episode and an interesting cultural challenge that the crew must face.
Prime Factors - I picked this episode because it is a great twist on the Prime Directive as well as dives into the Maquis/Starfleet factions on the ship.
State of Flux - In this episode, we get a bit more of the Kazon, and discover that not all the crew is what they appear to be.
Faces - Another encounter with the Vidliian's (from Phage) and a strong Torres episode.
Jetrel - I am not a huge Neelix fan, but this episode is one of the best Neelix episodes in the series. It is a strong episode that reveals that not everything about Neelix is jovial.
Learning Curve - This is the season finale for Season 1 and is a single episode, not uncommon for the first season of many Trek shows. In this episode the Maquis/Starfleet tensions reach a peak, and work towards a resolution. I think that this does a good job to cap off season 1, address the Maquis/Starfleet division, and prepare the show for a full Season 2.
Bonus Episodes
There are a few bonus episodes this week-
- Ex Post Facto - A Tom Paris, noir, whodunit episode. It's ok. I find it plays too easily into the image of Paris the womanizer.
- Heroes and Demons - The first Holodeck accident episode, and the Doctor's first "Away Mission". It is a decent episode, but not one that advances the overall show.
- Cathexis - The crew is acting strange and there is some badly handled Native American culture involving Chakotay. All in all, this episode is totally skip-worthy. (Note- to understand more about the badly handled Native American culture see: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Jamake_Highwater)