For much of its broadcast life between 1995 and 2001, Voyager was seen as the worst of the then-four Star Trek series. But in the 30 years since its premiere, Voyager has become a beloved entry, complete with characters that rank among the best in the franchise. Voyager returned to the episodic storytelling of The Original Series and The Next Generation, but it wasn’t a mere retread. Instead, Voyager introduced a compelling new premise, launching the titular ship deep into the Delta Quadrant, setting them on a path home that would take decades. That idea was enough to put a compelling spin on the standard Star Trek approach, showing how Janeway and her crew tried to uphold or revise Starfleet principles while far from the Federation. Like most Trek shows, it took a few seasons for the series to find its groove. But once it did, Voyager became an incredibly innovative take on the Trek concept, as demonstrated by these 20 episodes. 20. Threshold Season 2 Episode 15 Yes, you read that right. The much-maligned “Threshold,” in which Tom Paris and Janeway turn into salamanders and have salamander babies, is one of the best episodes of Voyager. It earns its ranking not despite the things people hate about it, but because of them. A classic Trek premise drives “Threshold,” in which Paris sets out to break the Warp 10 barrier. However, the episode marries its hard sci-fi and aspirational aspects with a bit of classic horror. Like Victor Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll before him, Paris is transformed and punished for his hubris and turned into a monster, one who carries away Janeway like he’s in a Universal movie from the ’30s. No, “Threshold” doesn’t achieve all that it attempts, but it’s a worthy try, which cannot be said of every episode from Voyager‘s first few seasons. 19. Bride of Chaotica! Season 5 Episode 12 Like “Threshold,” “Bride of Chaotica!” is a throwback to the past. However, its more openly silly approach frees it from the same criticism directed at its much-maligned predecessor. Holodeck stories based on The Adventures of Captain Proton had appeared in previous episodes, part of Tom Paris’s obsession with early 20th-century Americana. While those episodes have their pleasures, “Bride of Chaotica” exceeds them all thanks to one addition: Captain Janeway. Given her preference for holodeck programs about Leonardo da Vinci or handsome Irish pubkeepers, Janeway is far too classy for a kid’s adventure. But when aliens from another dimension interact with Voyager during one of Paris’s stories, Janeway has to join in to prevent a multi-species incident. And join in she does, with Kate Mulgrew hamming it up as the arch Queen Arachnia, making for one of Voyager‘s most delightful episodes. 18. Distant Origin Season 3 Episode 23 Is the idea that dinosaurs could have evolved into their own civilization original to the Voyager episode “Distant Origin”? Of course not! But who cares? We want to see dinosaurs in spaceships! Okay, the Voth, aliens descended from lizards, aren’t exactly dinosaurs — they evolved beyond the prehistoric creatures we know and love. But they are cool-looking and the episode makes for a tidy spin on the Scopes Monkey Trial. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! When a Voth scientist discovers a human skeleton on a planet visited by Voyager, he thinks he’s found proof for his “distant origin” theory, which argues his people descend from creatures from another planet. The trial that follows might not be the most original thing in the world, but Trek always thrills when Starfleet officers get to be lawyers, and Chakotay acquits himself well here. 17. Pathfinder Season 6 Episode 10 Like all other types of fans, Trekkies want to see themselves in their heroes, pretending that, under different circumstances, they could be as brilliant as Kirk or as noble as Picard. If we’re being honest, though, most of us would have to admit that we’re Reginald Barclay, the awkward engineer who somehow out-creeped Geordi and his holo-girlfriend Leah Brahms. It’s a good thing, then, that Barclay gets redeemed in Voyager, starting with “Pathfinder.” “Pathfinder” catches up with Tom’s father Admiral Paris at Starfleet Headquarters, where they’ve been searching for Voyager with an advanced sensor array operated by engineers, including Reg Barclay. As in his Next Generation appearances, Reg makes things weird and annoys his superiors. But Reg also solves it, finding a way to connect with Voyager and finally allowing them to speak with Starfleet once again. 16. Timeless Season 5 Episode 6 Poor Harry Kim, the eternal punching bag of Voyager. Not only did Harry famously never get promoted above Ensign (his pal Tom Paris moved up and down a rank), but producers even considered killing him off. Kim did get some respect in an episode of Lower Decks (even if it suggested that promotion makes him turn evil). But before that, he got to star in one of the best episodes of the series, season five’s “Timeless,” directed by LeVar Burton. “Timeless” is yet another time-travel story, this one beginning Kim and Chakotay as renegade explorers in the future, stealing parts from a crashed, ice-bound Voyager and running from Captain LaForge’s USS Challenger. From that delicious launching point, “Timeless” tells a fun “Cause and Effect” style story, as Kim of the future tries to correct the mistakes of Kim of the past. 15. Deadlock Season 2 Episode 21 The worst thing to say about “Deadlock” is that it isn’t quite as good as it could be. The cold open spends way too long setting up the premise before building to a shock, in which an attack kills Harry Kim, Kes, and the newborn Naomi Wildman. From that point on, however, “Deadlock” becomes a haunting twist on the doubling concept that has been part of Star Trek since the TOS season one episode “Enemy Within.” In “Deadlock,” the storm that kills the crewpeople also creates a duplicate of the ship, a double that has not suffered the same damage. As opposed to the usual doubling Trek stories, this other is not an evil threat to Voyager. Rather, the two Janeways work together, leading to a heroic sacrifice that recalls the TNG great “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” 14. Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy Season 6 Episode 4 Honestly, this entire list could consist of Doctor episodes, one of the few characters who remained a going concern after Seven of Nine joined the cast and became the most popular character. Doctor episodes stand out, in part, because they connect to important Trek themes about exploring humanity from the perspective of a near-human. They also stand out because Robert Picardo is a delight to watch, especially when he’s playing the comically arrogant Emergency Medical Hologram. That latter quality is on full display in “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy,” in which the Doctor’s newly-installed daydream protocols go haywire, resulting in him regularly dropping into fantasies in which he woos Seven and saves the ship. While much of the episode rests on us laughing at the Doctor’s ambitions, Picardo brings dignity to the scenes. He even gets to act the hero when invading aliens mistake his fantasies for reality. 13. Equinox Season 5 Episode 26 and Season 6 Episode 1 “Road Less Travelled” stories are nothing new for Star Trek in general or Voyager in particular. But rarely have they been as powerful as the two-parter “Equinox,” in which Voyager discovers another Starfleet ship lost in the Delta Quadrant after encountering the Caretaker. Initially, Janeway and Equinox captain Rudy Ransom (John Savage) work together to defeat attacking aliens. However, Janeway soon learns that the aliens are attacking because Equinox has been killing them to augment their ship, augments that will allow them to get to the Alpha Quadrant sooner. To its credit, “Equinox” doesn’t waste time on a moral quandary that we know Janeway won’t truly consider, offloading that storyline to the Doctor. Instead, Equinox attacks Voyager by the end of the first episode. Instead, “Equinox” makes the more compelling point that the selfish self-defense that Equinox pursues is ultimately self-destructive, making Voyager’s commitment to embodying Federation ideals all the more important. 12. Scorpion Season 3 Episode 26 and Season 4 Episode 1 The two-parter “Scorpion” changed everything for Voyager, and it could have been so much worse. On the surface, “Scorpion” sounds like a desperate ploy to give the fledgling series some urgency, bringing back the Borg, introducing the much-hyped all-CGI alien, and adding a sexy robot lady in the form of Seven of Nine. Taking its name from the fable about the follies of trusting something dangerous, “Scorpian” follows Voyager‘s decision to team with the Borg to survive an attack by Species-8472. By itself, “Scorpion” is a good episode that doesn’t quite live up to its own hype. The Borg aren’t as scary as they used to be, the effects for Species-8472 look cornier than anything from TOS, and Seven of Nine is initially just there to be attractive. Still, there’s a desperation in the crew that we rarely see elsewhere, and the shift in quality that “Scorpion” marks makes it a can’t-miss entry in the series. 11. Mortal Coil Season 4 Episode 12 No character in all of Voyager — heck, in all of Star Trek — has undergone as drastic a rehabilitation as Neelix. For the first two seasons, Neelix was unbearable, an insecure and obnoxious jerk, especially when controlling his two-year-old girlfriend Kes. But after he and Kes broke up, writers finally gave Ethan Phillips room to use his innate likability, making Neelix one of the best characters on the series. Helping that transformation is season four’s “Mortal Coil,” which begins with Neelix’s death. After being revived by the Doctor, Neelix undergoes a crisis of faith, shaken by the fact that nothing greeted him in the afterlife. What could be an easy and cynical attempt to darken a lighthearted character is, in fact, a deft character study, grounded in emotion, as Neelix considers for the first time the meaning of a life that ends in death. The fact that he comes out with his kindness and cheerfulness reinforced is a testament to Neelix as a character. 10. Tuvix Season 2 Episode 24 “Tuvix” is easily the most controversial episode of Voyager. It’s also the single episode that best captures Voyager’s themes. Out in the Delta Quadrant, far from the direction of Starfleet and the Federation, Janeway must make an impossible choice when a transporter accident melds Tuvok and Neelix into one person. When this new person calls himself Tuvix and asserts his own identity, Janeway realizes that any attempt to recover Tuvok and Neelix will kill Tuvix. Spoiler: Janeway decides to kill Tuvix and restore Tuvok and Neelix, even while Tuvix (played wonderfully by Tom Wright) begs for his life. Was that the right decision? Who can say? But like the best Trek episodes, “Tuvix” answers difficult questions and doesn’t provide an easy answer. The discomfort it leaves in viewers isn’t a problem. It’s evidence of the episode’s strength. 9. Meld Season 2 Episode 16 The best part of “Meld” occurs early on, when news of a killer on the ship spreads among the crew. As the crew debates who it could be, the camera pans past various crew people, including one familiar face. While the camera movements and music cues suggest that the killer’s identity is still a secret, we recognize that face as belonging to Brad Dourif, the voice of Chucky and a horror icon. Douriff plays Lon Suder, a disturbed man whose predilections for violence drove him out of Starfleet and into the Maquis. While the episode does have fun with the idea of a slasher on Voyager, it also seeks greater depth than one would expect. The always fantastic Dourif and Russ have incredible chemistry, as Tuvok tries to meld with Suder to cure his mental condition, risking his own sanity in the process. 8. Extreme Risk Season 5 Episode 3 “Extreme Risk” is an important Voyager episode simply because it introduces the Delta Flyer, the shuttlecraft that becomes a story engine for several episodes of the series. However, the true appeal of “Extreme Risk” comes from the way it actually addresses the core divisions within Voyager‘s crew. Lest we forget, half of Voyager‘s crew, including B’Elanna and Chakotay, consist of members of the Maquis, the anti-Federation resistance group of former Starfleet officers. By the end of the pilot “Caretake,” however, the Maquis had been reintegrated under Janeway with little to no resistance. While “Extreme Risk” doesn’t completely make up for the narrative tension lost by previous episodes, it at least does right by B’Elanna and Chakotay. When news that her fellow Maquis had died in the Dominion War sends B’Elanna into depression, Chakotay finally gives voice to his inner turmoil. It’s a satisfying, if still insufficient, recognition of real emotions. 7. Endgame Season 7 Episodes 25 and 26 It’s hard for any Trek finale to match “All Good Things…,” but “Endgame” comes close. In a twist that predates Lost, “Endgame” returns Voyager to the Delta Quadrant only for Janeway to realize they have to go back. “Endgame” opens ten years after Voyager’s return, with Admiral Janeway filled with regret about the devastating cost of their return, which includes the death of Chakotay and the loss of Tuvok’s sanity. The one guy everything did work out for was Harry Kim, who finally gets promoted to Captain. So, of course, that’s who Janeway recruits to take her back in time to face her younger self. Between the battle of wills between old and young Janeway and Alice Krige reprising her role as the Borg Queen from First Contact, “Endgame” is a fun way to close up the series. And unlike “All Good Things…,” “Endgame” only gets better with continuing stories in Prodigy. 6. Living Witness Season 4 Episode 23 It’s beyond cliche to say there are two sides to every story, but rarely has that truism been presented as entertainingly as season four’s “Living Witness.” Directed by Tuvok actor Tim Russ, “Living Witness” depicts Voyager‘s actions in a battle between aliens the Kyrians and the Vaskans, from the perspective of a Kyrian museum curator, hundreds of years in the future. For the curator, Voyager was a warship who fought against his people on the side of the Vaskans, a position challenged when the Doctor is reactivated in the future. The heart of “Living Witness” rests on Picardo’s performance as the Doctor, who responds with incredulity at the Kyrians’ depiction of his friends. However, the fun of the episode comes from the way it recalls Mirror Universe stories. When performing the Kyrian record of events, Mulgrew and her co-stars get to play evil versions of their familiar characters, clearly having a ball getting to be the bad guys, even if the point of the story is that they aren’t that bad at all. 5. Message in a Bottle Season 4 Episode 14 One level, “Message in a Bottle” plays like a classic bit of silly Trek, in which the Doctor meets a higher-level Emergency Medical Hologram (Andy Dick) and covers his insecurities with bluster. On the other, “Message in a Bottle” underscores the absolute distance experienced by the Voyager crew and connects the series to the Dominion War playing out on Deep Space Nine. When Voyager‘s newly-upgraded sensors allow them to transmit the Doctor to the Alpha Quadrant, he finds himself aboard the experimental battle ship the USS Prometheus amidst the Dominion War. The lone survivor of a Romulan attack on the Prometheus (this episode takes place before DS9‘s “In the Pale Moonlight“), the EMH MK II catches up the Doctor on current events and enlists his help to get the ship away from the Romulans. All the while, the two snipe at one another, making for the ideal combination of comedy and pathos. 4. Flashback Season 3 Episode 2 Although it too was created as part of Star Trek‘s 60th anniversary celebrations, “Flashback” rarely gets the same praise as Deep Space Nine‘s “Trials and Tribble-Lations.” That’s a shame, because “Flashback” not only bridges a new crew to the classic crew, but also sheds more light on a phenomenon we rarely saw on screen, Captain Sulu’s tenure of the USS Excelsior. Tuvok and Janeway end up on the bridge of the Excelsior (complete in TOS movie-era costumes) when they perform a mind meld to help the former deal with suppressed memories. The duo gets to live out Tuvok’s time serving aboard the Excelsior during the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, giving us another look at that great movie. 3. Body and Soul Season 7 Episode 7 Given the reputation of Voyager‘s producers and the intercast conflicts that followed her addition to the show, it seems that Seven of Nine was intended to be a sexy scary lady (a common ’90s trope) and nothing more. If that’s true, then they really messed up when they cast Jeri Ryan, because she turned out to be an incredible actress, who brought gravitas and pathos to what could have so easily been a one-note character. In “Body and Soul,” Ryan shows another talent, one that she rarely got to exercise on the series: her comedic chops. When Voyager encounters a species that hates holographic beings, the Doctor takes refuge inside of Seven’s body. In theory, “Body and Soul” follows a well-worn Trek concept, in which non-human characters learn more about being human. However, the pleasure of the show comes from watching Jerri Ryan play Robert Picardo as the Doctor, a delightful double performances that cements her status as one of Trek’s great actors. 2. Blink of an Eye Season 6 Episode 12 Long before it launched into a franchise across all media, Star Trek began as an episodic show that explored various sci-fi and philosophical concepts. So it’s always nice when an episode returns to that format, especially when the episode is done as masterfully as “Blink of an Eye.” When Voyager investigates a planet with an unlikely tachyon signature, the ship gets trapped in a magnetic field. Moreover, time on planet passes at the rate of 58 days for each Voyager hour, meaning that the crew has an unprecedented opportunity to witness vast changes within a civilization. It should come as no surprise that the planet develops in a manner much like Earth, particularly Western Culture. While that conceit could become overwhelming and even navel-gazing, writer Michael Taylor, working from a story by Scott Miller and Joe Menosky, and director Gabrielle Beaumont apply a soft touch in their hopeful depiction of social progress. 1. Year of Hell Season 4 Episodes 8 and 9 As this list can attest, it’s hard to avoid talking about missed opportunities when discussing Voyager. Nowhere is that more apparent than with its best story, “Year of Hell.” According to Bryan Fuller, who served as a staff writer for the show, head writers Brannon Braga and Joe Menosky pushed for “Year of Hell” to run across the entire fourth season, but producers disliked the serial nature of Deep Space Nine and refused. As a result, the story of Voyager‘s year-long battle the Kremin, a race that uses time-travel technology to strengthen its empire must be condensed to two episodes. To their credit, Braga and Menosky and directors Allan Kroeker and Mike Vejar use the compression to enhance the storytelling stakes. Every time we check in with Voyager, several months have passed, with the ship and crew in markedly worse condition. In contrast, the crisis of conscience undergone by Annorax (an always-welcome Kurtwood Smith), the Kremin scientist who invented the time weapon, happens gradually and believably. Would “Year of Hell” be better as 26 episodes instead of two? Probably. But the two we get are pretty incredible.