The fourth season of Voyager is caught between mediocrity and brilliance, between being a perfectly serviceable mid-tier Star Trek show and being something a little more ambitious. In some ways, this is the central tension of the fourth season, one reflected in the addition of Seven of Nine and the focus on Borg culture. They just fill up the season order adding very little beyond a familiar Star Trek beat sheet. Stories like Scientific Method, Random Thoughts, Waking Moments, Unforgettable and Demon fail to make a lasting impression. More than that, there are quite a few disposable and dull episodes, stories quickly forgotten after the end credits. While there are arguably fewer truly terrible episodes than in the earlier seasons, there are a couple of true stinkers like Retrospect or Vis á Vis. However, there is also an unevenness to the season. More than that, there is a lot of really fun storytelling as well, with lighter episodes like Concerning Flight and Message in a Bottle. There are also truly great standalone episodes like Nemesis, Prey, and Living Witness. Scorpion, Part I and Scorpion, Part II are spectacular television, while Year of Hell, Part I and Year of Hell, Part II offer a glimpse of the show that Voyager could have been while also developing some of the series’ core themes. As such, it also has some of the franchise’s best episodes. The fourth season of Voyager has some of the show’s best episodes. Somehow, this feels entirely appropriate. In the grand scheme of things, that places the best season of Star Trek: Voyager around the franchise median. It is also weaker than the first two seasons of Star Trek or the final two seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise. By any measure, the fourth is probably weaker than at least four seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and four seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Of course, that is arguably damning with faint praise.
#STAR TREK VOYAGER SEASON 4 EPISODE 4 FULL#
The season comes full circle with its finale, “Hope and Fear,” where Janeway is forced to confront the consequences of her actions in “Scorpion, Part II.” The episode also marks the first time Seven of Nine truly accepts her life as an individual.The fourth season is probably the show’s best season. Starfleet finally learns about Voyager’s fate when The Doctor travels through an alien network of stations to arrive in the Alpha Quadrant, only to fight off Romulans with the help of the whimsical EMH-2 (played by Andy Dick) in “Message in a Bottle.”Ī new species is introduced, the Hirogen, who become a common theme throughout the season… with appearances in five episodes, including the period-piece two-parter “The Killing Game.” The episode features stunning visuals, a great guest star in Kurtwood Smith, and an exciting ending. The midseason two-parter “Year of Hell” revisits events foreshadowed in Season 3’s “Before and After,” albeit slightly altered. With the addition of a major character also sees the departure of Kes in the season’s second episode, “The Gift.” Kes returns in the Season 6 episode “Fury,” but her absence is otherwise barely noticed.įacing certain death, B’Elanna Torres finally admits her feelings to Tom Paris in “Day of Honor.” Widely regarded as Voyager’s best season, Season 4 opens with the exciting conclusion of “Scorpion,” which introduces us to a new character, Seven of Nine, who will be featured prominently throughout the series’ run.