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Recap / Star Trek: Voyager S3E25 S4E1 "Scorpion"

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This episode contains the following tropes:

  • Aborted Arc : Janeway has created a holoprogram where she can interact with Leonardo da Vinci , and does so over several future episodes. This replaces the never-completed Gothic mystery where she plays a governess.
  • Absolute Xenophobe : Species 8472 are furious over the 'contamination' of Fluidic Space by outsiders (they are the only species that exists there) and are determined to annihilate all other life in the galaxy.
  • Achilles' Heel : The Borg gather information by assimilation. Unfortunately the cells of Species 8472 are too densely coded for their nanoprobes to work. Voyager 's crew (who gather information by investigation) know more about the Species after a few hours than the Borg do after months of conflict.
  • Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene : Janeway shares a couple of quiet moments with Leonardo and Chakotay.
  • A House Divided : Janeway finds herself at odds with her Number One , as Chakotay is fundamentally opposed to the alliance with the Borg on moral and practical grounds. Janeway: There are two wars going on. The one out there, and the one in here, and we're losing both of them.
  • Alien Invasion : Of the entire galaxy. Or at least according to Kes . However, Species 8472 are (extradimensional) alien invaders who are ironically invading the core territory of the Borg, who are themselves alien invaders to the rest of the species in the galaxy and who actually invaded Fluidic Space first.
  • Always a Bigger Fish : Species 8472 proves to be a lot more powerful than the Borg, and the attempt to invade Fluidic Space and assimilate them results in a devastating counterattack. Worse, they've seemingly assumed that every being from outside Fluidic Space is like the Borg , meaning the entire galaxy is at risk from this species' presence...
  • And I Must Scream : After being attacked by Species 8472, Kim is slowly Eaten Alive by alien cells...while he's fully conscious . The only reason he isn't screaming is because he's unable to.
  • Another Dimension / Eldritch Location : Fluidic Space.
  • Arm Cannon : Seven appears to have one, as she points her arm at Chakotay when he confronts her with a compression phaser rifle.
  • Armor-Piercing Question : Janeway's attempt to justify the alliance start out with fairly reasonable arguments (such as Species 8472 possibly being a threat months down the line), but as described in What the Hell, Hero? , it shifts to downright personal when Chakotay asks her, "How much is our safety worth?"
  • Badass Boast : Seven threatens to teleport 500 drones onto Voyager . "Do you believe you could offer sufficient resistance?" Janeway says simply that they'd die trying .
  • Barrier-Busting Blow : The crew's introduction to Species 8472, which then proceeds to bitch-slap Harry .
  • Be Careful What You Wish For : After Chakotay asks if she's learned where Species 8472 comes from, B'Elanna regrettably does and shows him a feed of the "Northwest Passage" area the crew's been trying to reach.
  • Better the Devil You Know : The reason Janeway decides to side with the Borg rather than Species 8472.
  • Big "OMG!" : Chakotay when he sees 15 Borg Cubes approaching Voyager from behind.
  • Harry spends half the episode being eaten alive by a Species 8472 infection.
  • The Borg were already low-key body horror, but fans got pretty used to them over their appearances in the show and movies. So how do you make them horrific again? Show a mangled mass of them merged together into a flesh and metal terror sculpture by 8472's infection.
  • Both Sides Have a Point : Janeway's alliance with The Borg is treated as a necessary evil to ensure safe passage through Borg space, but Chakotay opposes her decision on the grounds that The Borg will inevitably betray the crew and try to assimilate them. Though Chakotay does disobey orders to maintain the alliance and prepares to drop The Borg off on an uninhabited world when they order him to take the ship into Borg space, Janeway at least understands why he did it. On the other hand, Chakotay isn't wrong about The Borg when they do inevitably decide to take the ship and assimilate its crew after Species 8472 is defeated, though Janeway isn't wrong that she still has to get the crew home, Borg or no Borg.
  • Brief Accent Imitation : Janeway when quoting the reports of other Starfleet captains. Immediately after it, Chakotay comments that Ensign Hickman does a pretty good copy of her.
  • Janeway asks that the Borg chose a drone to act as a liaison, as they did with Locutus of Borg .
  • Word of God says the shot of Voyager flying through the Borg debris field is a deliberate homage to the Wolf 359 graveyard from the same episode.
  • Chakotay's innate distrust of the Borg comes from the events of "Unity", when he was implanted with a Borg neural transceiver that was later used to control him . Also the Doctor has been analysing the Borg corpse they recovered in that episode.
  • Janeway studies Captains Logs from the moment Q first hurled Enterprise far off into deep space at System J-25, to the Battle of Wolf 359 .
  • Captain Obvious : Seven contemptuously replies, "We are Borg" whenever she's asked a stupid question like "How did you get this classified Starfleet information?" or "Do you have a better idea?"
  • Captain's Log : At the end of the episode, Janeway writes hers with quill and parchment .
  • Catchphrase Interruptus : The episode opens with a pair of Borg cubes doing their You Will Be Assimilated Resistance Is Futile thing, only to be Killed Mid-Sentence .
  • The Chains of Commanding : Janeway ponders how she's Lonely at the Top , having to make the decision over whether they should proceed into Borg space at great risk, or give up and spend the rest of their lives in the Delta Quadrant. Chakotay assures her You Are Not Alone . Later when Chakotay won't support her alliance with the Borg, Janeway declares that she's alone after all.
  • Chekhov's Gun : The neural transceiver; the Borg attempt to use them on Janeway and Tuvok in order to link their thoughts to the Hive Mind . Chakotay later uses one to link his thoughts with Seven of Nine to distract her.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder : Once Species 8472 have been dealt with, Seven of Nine tries to assimilate Voyager .
  • Circling Monologue : Seven of Nine when delivering "The Reason You Suck" Speech .
  • Cliffhanger : Janeway is in the midst of negotiating an alliance when a squadron of Species 8472 bioships attack and destroys a nearby Borg planet. Only one Borg cube survives the Earth-Shattering Kaboom and does a Hyperspeed Escape while tractoring Voyager behind it.
  • Clock Punk : Leonardo proudly shows off a clockwork automaton he dubs "The Arm of Hephaestos".
  • Conservation of Ninjutsu : Voyager is clipped by a shot that we've seen can rip apart a Borg cube.
  • Converse with the Unconscious : The Doctor has to put Captain Janeway in an induced coma to treat her injuries. Her last orders are to keep the alliance going, but Chakotay quickly finds a pretext to break off the agreement. Afterwards he goes to Sickbay to apologise to an unconscious Janeway. Chakotay: Well, I've made my decision. If it were only a matter of going against the orders of my superior officer. You're more than just my Captain. You're my friend. I hope you'll understand.
  • Crippling Overspecialization : It's established in this two-parter that the Borg have gotten so used to being able to forcibly assimilate anything they want that they no longer have the ability to conventionally analyse and counteract threats.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle : Species 8472 is winning their war against the Borg. A single 8472 bioship was able to wipe out a fleet of 15 cubes all by itself, and a group of 10 acting in concert can Death Star a planet .
  • Cute Monster Girl : Q described the first Borg drone Starfleet encountered as "neither a he nor a she". Seven of Nine is very much a she ; even full Borg assimilation can't hide her great... implants. Apparently large breasts are not irrelevant despite the existence of Borg maturation chambers. This is due to the evolution of the Borg concept from their first appearance in "Q Who?" to their second in "The Best of Both Worlds": originally, they were meant to be a species which had bio-engineered themselves out of male/female roles and were only interested in other species technology, but the writers came up with the idea of assimilation, which became their primary trait. Seven looks like a human woman because she is a human woman, not whatever the Borg began as.
  • Dead Drone on Display : The crew find a bunch of dismembered Borg drones stacked in a pile.
  • Dead Man's Switch : To stop the Borg from assimilating Voyager, all information on the nanoprobe weapon is stored in the Doctor's database where he can erase it by deleting his own program.
  • Deal with the Devil : Quoted by Janeway, when she decides to form an alliance with the Borg.
  • Deer in the Headlights : Chakotay's expression when face-to-face with the Borg in the cargo bay.
  • Derelict Graveyard : The crew find the remains of the fifteen Borg cubes that passed them by...and a single Species 8472 vessel .
  • Dispense with the Pleasantries : When Janeway starts asking Seven about her pre-assimilation past, Seven cuts her off . "Do not engage us in further irrelevant discourse."
  • Do You Trust Me? Janeway: Do you trust me, Chakotay? Chakotay: That isn't the issue. Janeway: Oh, but it is. Only yesterday you were saying that we'd face this together, that you'd be at my side. Chakotay: I still have to tell you what I believe. I'm no good to you if I don't do that. Janeway: I appreciate your insights, but the time for debate is over. I've made my decision.
  • Dramatic Drop : Kes drops a tray when she has a vision of Harry Kim screaming in agony.
  • Dramatic Irony : A Meta cross-series one. "Scorpion, Part 1" aired concurrently with the Deep Space Nine Season Five finale ''Call to Arms'' , wherein Sisko and company were dealing with the commencement of the Dominion War. So Janeway and the others are thus fighting to save the Delta Quadrant and the rest of the galaxy from the existential threat posed by Species 8472 while being completely unaware the Federation's already dealing with an invasion on their end — and that even if Janeway can stop Species 8472, there may not even be a Federation for them to come back home to thanks to the Dominion.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect? : After Species 8472 retreats from the Delta Quadrant. Seven: The Borg have prevailed. Janeway: With a little help from us.
  • Dude, Where's My Reward? : Leonardo: The cardinal is a thief. I delivered to him two portraits of his mindless nephew less than three months ago. "To be depicted in the heroic mode of an Hercules or an Achilles," so specified our contract. I complied, making that young fool of a nephew look far more heroic than nature ever intended . An act on my part far greater than anything ever accomplished by Hercules or Achilles! And what have I, the divine Leonardo da Vinci, received in payment? Janeway: The cardinal's eternal gratitude? Leonardo: Ha ha. Esatto ! In other words, signorina , less than nothing.
  • Dynamic Entry : Species 8472 introduces itself by smashing through a wall on what's left of a Borg cube, right before bitch-slapping Harry Kim .
  • Earth-Shattering Kaboom : Part 1 ends with Species 8472 blowing a Borg planet to smithereens with their converging stream Wave-Motion Gun .
  • Enemy Mine : The alliance between Janeway and the Borg. The Borg: Species 8472 must be stopped. Our survival is your survival.
  • Establishing Character Moment : From the moment she's unplugged from her alcove, Seven of Nine shows herself to be notably different from the childlike Hugh or the monotone Locutus . Her first words are, "I speak for the Borg" whereas past drones referred to themselves a "we". Unlike in "I, Borg" where this change signified a Borg drone becoming deprogrammed, it shows the extent to which Seven willingly identifies herself with the Collective. She's so proud of her Borg nature and aggressive towards Janeway that the Hive Mind can be seen silently pulling her back into line on one occasion.
  • Everyone Has Standards : Chakotay won't defend Species 8472 themselves, but he just can't stand the idea of helping "a race guilty of murdering billions" to get themselves back home and is taken aback by Janeway suggesting they'd be doing the Delta Quadrant a favor.
  • Eviler than Thou : Species 8472, big time. It's not often that the Borg are afraid of anything.
  • Excessive Steam Syndrome : Clouds of green steam and the tight confines of the Borg vessel don't make things easy for the Away Team.
  • When B'Elanna can't beam the away team off the bioship, Janeway gives her a Disapproving Look . B'Elanna quickly comes up with another option.
  • When Chakotay says that turning back doesn't mean giving up on their quest to get home, Janeway just gives a skeptical "Yeah, right!" look.
  • Lots of Meaningful Looks between crewmembers unwilling to openly question their superiors; first when Janeway proposes the alliance, then when Chakotay says he's putting an end to it.
  • The Farmer and the Viper : Captain Janeway plans a temporary alliance with the Borg in order to combat Species 8472. When she asks for Chakotay's personal opinion, he relates the parable of "The Scorpion and The Fox". Oddly, the story as told is more tragic than the usual setup, with the scorpion apologizing for being unable to help its nature , when the Borg would consider such an apology irrelevant.
  • Fire-Forged Friends : Chakotay gets the Gooey Look when he tells Captain Janeway You Are Not Alone in coping with The Chains of Commanding . Janeway: Three years ago, I didn't even know your name. Today I can't imagine a day without you.
  • Flesh Versus Steel : The Organic Technology of Species 8472 vs. the cybernetic technology of the Borg.
  • Foreign Cuss Word : Courtesy of Leonardo, when his machine breaks: "Che cazzo?" note  "What the fuck?"
  • The crew dubs the apparently safe way through Borg space the "Northwest Passage." Naming something after a nigh-mythical sea route that didn't exist and hundreds of people died trying to find should make it clear that this path isn't exactly safe .
  • Leonardo declares he will build a flying machine, which finally takes wing in "Concerning Flight".
  • Kes' mental powers will increase even further in the following episode, "The Gift".
  • The Gadfly : Harry returns to the bridge after all the alien cells devouring his body have been destroyed. B'Elanna tells Harry he still has a tendril up his nose.
  • Gallows Humor EMH: Don't worry, I'll delete myself at the first sign of trouble. Well, maybe not the first sign .
  • Godzilla Threshold : The fact that the Borg are willing to negotiate with Voyager at all is proof of how badly they are losing their war against Species 8472.
  • Hard-Work Montage : The crew preparing to enter Borg space.
  • The crew is relieved when the 15 Borg ships leave without incident, but Janeway knows it means something big is going on and that they'd better be aware of it.
  • The crew spends much of Part 1 trying to get to "the Northwest Passage" safely, as it's the only part of the region that the Borg are avoiding. When they finally get close enough, they learn why the Borg don't venture there: it's full of Species 8472 ships, all of which are emerging from a quantum singularity.
  • Hyperspeed Escape : About the only thing anyone can do against Species 8472 until the nanoprobe-infused torpedoes are completed.
  • "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight : Chakotay interfaces with Seven of Nine and accesses her childhood memories. Chakotay: Listen to your human side...to yourself...the little girl...Seven of Nine! Annika!
  • Implied Death Threat Chakotay: Look, I'll honor the original agreement, but I'm not turning this ship around. It's too dangerous. Seven: Denying our request is also dangerous.
  • Inevitable Mutual Betrayal : As soon as Species 8472 withdraws, Seven tries to assimilate Voyager . Fortunately, Janeway and Chakotay are prepared.
  • Infinite Supplies : A group of fans who kept count of the number of torpedoes the ship fires discovered that, based on the 38 torpedoes they were stated to have in the pilot, this is where they should have run out.
  • Irony : The Borg also considered the Enemy Mine agreement unworkable, due to humanity's individuality and fractious nature.
  • It's What I Do
  • Killed Mid-Sentence : The Borg cubes from the opening are destroyed while delivering their " Resistance Is Futile " line to Species 8472. "We are the Borg. Existence as you know it has ended. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is—" ( BOOOOOOOOOM )
  • The Lancer : Chakotay fills this role for Janeway as much in this episode as any other.
  • Large Ham : The Leonardo da Vinci hologram, as played by John Rhys-Davies.
  • Let's Split Up, Gang! : The away team has only three people, so while Harry is busy downloading data from a Borg distribution node, Chakotay and Tuvok go to investigate the bioship's interior. Harry starts to hear creepy alien roars as the pilot becomes aware of their presence, but Harry isn't attacked until after the away team join up again, so this trope is just used to increase the suspense.
  • Living Ship : The bioships used by Species 8472.
  • Lock-and-Load Montage : Right after the briefing on the upcoming passage through Borg space.
  • Logical Weakness : The Borg rely on assimilation of technology and individuals into the Collective in order to understand their opponent and form countermeasure against any tricks their quarry might come up with . Species 8472 is an Organic Technology species whose immune system is so powerful that Borg assimilation doesn't work on them, and their offensive weaponry so devastating even a Borg cube can't handle more than a couple of hits, leaving them with no room to adapt. The Voyager crew note with interest that because the Borg are focused on assimilation they are incapable of innovation, The Doctor managed to devise a modest countermeasure through traditional study, trial and error.
  • The final shot of "Scorpion, Part Two", with pre-catsuit Seven lying on the biobed while the camera tracks across her prominent Borg implants.
  • We also get a lingering shot of Kes' tush in her blue velvet Future Spandex .
  • Mass "Oh, Crap!" : This episode has two in quick succession. First, Voyager encounters FIFTEEN Borg cubes. Just one of them managed to destroy 39 ships and kill 11,000 people at Wolf 359, and here Voyager comes across a fleet of them. And they pass by without bothering to assimilate or destroy Voyager . A little later, Voyager runs across those same fifteen cubes... as a debris field. Oh, Crap! really doesn't begin to cover it.
  • Mirror Scare : Kes sees an alien reflected in a LCARS panel, but it's all in her head as Species 8472 are accessing her memories to find out about Voyager.
  • Noodle Incident : When studying up on the Borg, Janeway quotes Captain Amasov of the Endeavor , who previously encountered/fought the Borg. The details of this are never made clear, but given that established canon states that 39 of 40 Federation ships were destroyed at the Battle of Wolf 359, his ship may have been the sole survivor.
  • Borg weapons prove useless against Species 8472 until Voyager comes up with modified nanoprobes.
  • On the disabled Borg cube, the away team finds a Borg drone trying to assimilate part of a bioship's hull over and over again without success.
  • Not Worth Assimilating : An armada of Borg cubes flies right past Voyager without stopping, shortly after they enter Borg territory. Only a single ship lingers to scan them, then flies off without trying to attack or assimilate them. As the crew later learns, the Borg had a much bigger problem to deal with.
  • Nothing Is Scarier : One of the best teasers in the franchise, and one of the shortest. Two cubes pull up and begin their " Resistance Is Futile " speech only to be destroyed by a volley of lightning-esque attacks. We don't know what attacked them until halfway through the episode.
  • Nothing Is the Same Anymore : Seven of Nine's addition to the cast.
  • Not So Stoic : Tuvok shows a brief moment of fear when the Borg try to attach neural doodads to him and Janeway. Given what usually follows , this is perfectly understandable.
  • Off-the-Shelf FX : The pile of Borg corpses is actually a twelve-inch pile of Playmates Toys action figures that were cut up, glued together, repainted and composited into the scene at the right scale.
  • One-Word Title
  • Near the beginning of the two-parter, Voyager encounters FIFTEEN Borg Cubes closing in behind them...who proceed to more or less IGNORE the starship belonging to one of their primary assimilation targets.
  • Chakotay doesn't respond to the Doctor's Gallows Humor and snaps at B'Elanna, showing just how unhappy he is at being anywhere near the Borg.
  • The fact that the Borg are willing to negotiate with Janeway at all shows just how badly they are losing the war with Species 8472.
  • Organic Technology : What excited the Borg about Species 8472 in the first place.
  • Outside-Context Problem : Species 8472 to Voyager and the Borg. To think that the Borg themselves used to be this trope!
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse : Species 8472 bio-ships take this up to eleven and then some. One such ship is much smaller than Voyager , yet can destroy a Borg cube within two shots, and nine of them can annihilate a planet .
  • Plot-Driven Breakdown : When Voyager encounters the armada of Borg cubes, they can't do a Hyperspeed Escape as the subspace turbulence from all those transwarp-powered cubes is collapsing their warp field.
  • Poke in the Third Eye : The aliens tap into Kes' mind via her psychic powers.
  • Power Pincers : A couple of drones with a large mechanical pincer in place of one hand clamp them around Janeway and Tuvok's necks so they can be implanted with a neural transceiver.
  • Prayer Is a Last Resort : Subverted; Leonardo suggests that 'Catarina' accompany him to a church and they pray for guidance. Janeway politely turns down the offer , but then has a "Eureka!" Moment : What if she made a Deal with the Devil instead?
  • Ramming Always Works : When a Species 8472 bioship is pursuing them, the Borg Cube escorting Voyager turns around to ram the bioship, destroying both ships but protecting the weapon being developed on Voyager .
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech : And The Reason The Collective Do Not. Seven: When your captain first approached us, we suspected that an agreement with humans would prove impossible to maintain. You are erratic, conflicted, disorganised. Every decision is debated, every action questioned. Every individual entitled to their own small opinion. You lack harmony, cohesion... greatness . It will be your undoing.
  • Resistance Is Futile : Not so much in the case of Species 8472. Doctor: Resistance, in this case, is far from futile.
  • Ridiculously Difficult Route : The so-called Northwest Passage is a risky corridor through Borg territory that the Borg avoid due to its quantum singularities. Turns out this wormhole activity is the conduit for an invasion force.
  • Roar Before Beating : While working alone on the Borg data node, Harry starts to hear strange alien cries.
  • Roger Rabbit Effect : With the improvements in CGI, the producers decided to have an alien that wasn't a Man in a Rubber Suit or the usual Rubber-Forehead Aliens , and created Species 8472.
  • Rule of Three : The Doctor successfully treats Harry and then Janeway, boasting to Chakotay; "I'm two for two!" By the end of the episode he's fixed up Chakotay as well.
  • Running Gag : Once several occasions, Seven of Nine responds to one of Janeway or Tuvok's questions with "We are Borg".
  • Seers : Kes has flashes of events to come; she even passes out at one point .
  • Shutting Up Now : Chakotay enters Sickbay to find Captain Janeway on her feet, Death Glare cranked up to eleven. The Doctor is happily burbling about another example of his medical brilliance when he notes the sudden rise in tension and quickly deactivates himself .
  • Snowy Screen of Death : A Borg drone does this to the long range probe that Voyager sent out. Fortunately B'Elanna was able to recover the last few seconds of telemetry.
  • Spin Attack : A Borg cube spins to fire a continuous volley from all sides.
  • Starfish Alien : The tripedal Species 8472.
  • Stock Footage : The scene when Janeway is beamed aboard a Borg cube to negotiate with the collective was shot with Kate Mulgrew standing in front of a bluescreen, and a recycled shot of the cube interior from Star Trek: First Contact inserted behind her.
  • Submersible Spaceship : Voyager gets thrown into "fluidic space", a dimension that consists of nothing but green liquid in all directions. The ship is undamaged, although this may be somewhat justified since it's a different universe with different physical laws.
  • Suicide Attack : A Borg cube flies into the path of a pursuing 8472 warship to protect Voyager .
  • Take a Third Option : The Voyager crew has two choices : fly through the Borg-Species 8472 warzone and risk certain death or assimilation, or turn around and give up any hope of returning to Earth. A talk with Holo!daVinci gives Janeway a third option: make a Deal with the Devil .
  • Taking the Bullet : The Borg cube takes an attack from 8472 that's meant for Voyager before ramming the bioship .
  • Talking Is a Free Action : Subverted —Janeway is in the middle of delivering her proposal to the Borg when Species 8472 launches a Hyperspeed Ambush .

tv tropes star trek voyager

  • Telepathy : Species 8472 can communicate with Kes telepathically.
  • That Cloud Looks Like... : Leonardo ponders the shadows reflected on the wall of his study. One of them gives Janeway her "Eureka!" Moment . Leonardo: What do you see? Janeway: A wall with candlelight reflecting on it. Why? What do you see? Leonardo: A flock of starlings, the leaves of an oak, a horse's tail, a thief with a noose around his neck. And a wall with the candlelight reflecting on it.
  • That Woman Is Dead : Janeway: You're human, aren't you? Seven: This body was assimilated 18 years ago. It ceased to be human at that time.
  • That's an Order! : When Harry is being eaten alive by the 8472 cells. Janeway: Fight it, Harry. That's an order.
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill : Seven's first suggestion for a nanoprobe-weapon is a delivery system capable of scattering the reprogrammed nanites over several star systems. Janeway talks her down to a small arsenal of anti-ship weapons that will prove a point without resorting to mass murder.
  • Think Happy Thoughts : What Janeway tells herself when Voyager is scanned by the Borg armada.
  • Thrown Out the Airlock : When the Borg assimilate one of the cargo bays, Chakotay threatens to depressurise the entire deck if they try anything. He carries out his threat after the Borg take control of the deflector dish to break them into Fluidic Space. Everyone is ejected except for Seven of Nine.
  • Try to Fit That on a Business Card Janeway: What's your designation? Seven: Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One. But you may call me Seven of Nine.
  • Two-Part Episode : The third on this show.
  • Two Roads Before You : Janeway phrases her dilemma in exactly these terms when talking it over with Leonardo.
  • Ultimate Lifeform : Species 8472. So ultimate that they (and their Organic Technology ) are the only remaining species in their home universe. Incredibly physically dangerous, telepathic, proof against assimilation, their cells, individually, have such a strong immune system that they act as contagious cancer, and have technology that can smash the Borg.
  • Unspoken Plan Guarantee : Janeway: Bridge to Chakotay: Scorpion.
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight : Leonardo doesn't notice "Katarina" is wearing a Starfleet uniform or talking on the communicator. It appears the program has been upgraded since "Persistence of Vision" so the holographic characters don't register anything unusual (this is confirmed in "Spirit Folk").
  • Villain Ball / Awakening the Sleeping Giant : Turns out the war started when the Borg tried to invade Fluidic Space.
  • Wave-Motion Gun : Species 8472 can combine the output of nine ships into one single wave of destruction — which even looks like a wave.
  • Weapon of Mass Destruction : Species 8472 show they can blow up entire planets. Not to be outdone, the Borg want to go one better. Seven: A multikinetic neutronic mine. Five million isoton yield. Tuvok: An explosion that size could affect an entire star system. Seven: Correct. The shock wave will disperse the nanoprobes over a radius of five light years.
  • Possibly Voyager's best-ever teaser; it's two Borg cubes getting blown the hell up with just a few concentrated blasts.
  • They one-up it later, when Voyager sees 15 Borg Cubes coming right at them. Chakotay: My God!
  • And then later, those 15 cubes have been reduced to a Derelict Graveyard , meaning that something really bad just happened to them.
  • What Did You Expect When You Named It ____? : The Northwest Passage was a non-existent shortcut through the North Polar region, so it's no surprise when their shortcut turns out to be a false hope as well.
  • What the Hell, Hero? : Janeway suddenly seems to forget that the Borg are considered the single greatest threat to the Federation. Officially. By Starfleet Command! Chakotay: How much is our safety worth? Janeway: What do you mean? Chakotay: We'd be giving an advantage to a race guilty of murdering billions. We'd be helping the Borg assimilate yet another species just to get ourselves back home. It's wrong ! Janeway: Tell that to Harry Kim . He's barely alive thanks to that species. Maybe helping to assimilate them isn't such a bad idea . We could be doing the Delta Quadrant a favour. Chakotay: I don't think you really believe that. I think you're struggling to justify your plan, because your desire to get this crew home is blinding you to other options. I know you, Kathryn. Sometimes you don't know when to step back .
  • The Worf Effect : Once a single Borg cube was regarded as a threat to the entire Federation. The episode opens with two such cubes giving their Resistance Is Futile spiel, until they're destroyed in seconds by an unseen force.
  • Workaholic : Janeway turns down a suggestion from Chakotay that they get some much-needed food because she's cramming all information in the Starfleet files on the Borg. Later when he points out she hasn't slept in two days, Janeway just dismisses Chakotay and stays up all night pondering how to get them out of their predicament.
  • "Yes"/"No" Answer Interpretation : When Seven of Nine disapproves of Janeway's plan, she asks if Seven has a better one. Seven: We are Borg. Tuvok: I'll take that as a "yes."
  • You Are in Command Now : When Janeway is injured during a Species 8472 attack, she leaves Chakotay in command and tells him to keep the alliance going. It doesn't quite go as she wanted it to.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness : The moment Seven of Nine receives confirmation that Species 8472 is defeated, she attempts to assimilate Voyager .
  • You Talk Too Much! : Seven of Nine says something to that effect to Janeway. Janeway: I'm curious, what was your name bef— Seven: Do not engage us in further irrelevant discourse.

Video Example(s):

What friendship?

As pointed out by SFDebris at the end of his review of the Star Trek Voyager episode "Scorpion part 2", Janeway's friendship message is contradicted by the Voyager crew being prejudice towards Seven of Nine for being a Borg.

Example of: Broken Aesop

Species 8472 vs...

  • Star Trek Voyager S 3 E 24 "Worst Case Scenario"
  • Recap/Star Trek: Voyager
  • Star Trek: Voyager S4E2 "The Gift"

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tv tropes star trek voyager

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Star Trek: Voyager

Episode list

Star trek: voyager.

Robert Picardo and Garrett Wang in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E11 ∙ Latent Image

Kate Mulgrew in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E12 ∙ Bride Of Chaotica!

Tim Russ in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E13 ∙ Gravity

Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, and Garrett Wang in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E14 ∙ Bliss

Jeri Ryan and Susanna Thompson in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E15 ∙ Dark Frontier

Garrett Wang in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E16 ∙ The Disease

Robert Duncan McNeill, Roxann Dawson, and Garrett Wang in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E17 ∙ Course: Oblivion

Robert Beltran in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E18 ∙ The Fight

Jason Alexander in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E19 ∙ Think Tank

Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, and Tim Russ in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E20 ∙ Juggernaut

Robert Picardo and Jeri Ryan in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E21 ∙ Someone To Watch Over Me

Kate Mulgrew and Kevin Tighe in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E22 ∙ 11:59

Jeri Ryan in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E23 ∙ Relativity

Robert Picardo in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E24 ∙ Warhead

Robert Beltran and Roxann Dawson in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S5.E25 ∙ Equinox

Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S6.E1 ∙ Equinox, Part II

Jeri Ryan and Scarlett Pomers in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S6.E2 ∙ Survival Instinct

Roxann Dawson in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S6.E3 ∙ Barge of the Dead

Robert Picardo in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S6.E4 ∙ Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy

Robert Beltran and Robert Duncan McNeill in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S6.E5 ∙ Alice

Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, and Tim Russ in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S6.E6 ∙ Riddles

Mimi Craven in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S6.E7 ∙ Dragon's Teeth

Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S6.E8 ∙ One Small Step

Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S6.E9 ∙ The Voyager Conspiracy

Richard McGonagle and Dwight Schultz in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

S6.E10 ∙ Pathfinder

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Robert Beltran, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, Jeri Ryan, Roxann Dawson, Ethan Phillips, Tim Russ, and Garrett Wang in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

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Scorpion (episode)

  • View history
  • 1.2 Act One
  • 1.3 Act Two
  • 1.4 Act Three
  • 1.5 Act Four
  • 1.6 Act Five
  • 2 Memorable quotes
  • 3.1 Title, story, and script
  • 3.2 Cast and characters
  • 3.3 Production
  • 3.4 Effects
  • 3.5.1 Holographic Leonardo da Vinci
  • 3.6 Reception
  • 3.7 Home video releases
  • 4.1 Starring
  • 4.2 Also starring
  • 4.3 Special guest star
  • 4.4 Uncredited co-stars
  • 4.5 Stunt double
  • 4.6 Stand-ins
  • 4.7 References
  • 4.8 External links

Summary [ ]

Borg cubes destroyed by 8472

Resistance is not futile

In a region of space , two Borg cubes advance on their next intended targets for assimilation . Their hail is cut off abruptly as energy beams lash out at the cubes, which are instantly destroyed.

Act One [ ]

On one of the USS Voyager 's holodecks , Captain Kathryn Janeway is running a Leonardo da Vinci holo-program , conversing with a Leonardo hologram in a simulation of the historical figure's workshop. As Janeway convinces the hologram to take her on as a student, she receives an urgent hail from Commander Chakotay , who urges her to go to engineering to take a look at something.

There, Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres explains that the long-range probe they sent out months ago has stopped transmitting. However, she was able to catch the last few seconds of telemetry, which show a Borg drone 's face staring into the viewscreen . Janeway quickly realizes the implication: after nearly three years in the Delta Quadrant, Voyager is finally approaching Borg space.

Chakotay points out the Northwest Passage

Chakotay demonstrates a diagram of the Northwest Passage

Janeway immediately calls a meeting of the senior staff and explains that it is unknown how many Borg vessels are out there but that their space appears to be vast, including thousands of star systems . Voyager is no doubt entering the heart of Borg territory and, unfortunately, there seems to be no way around it. However, there might be a way through it. Chakotay explains that, before the probe was disabled, it detected a narrow corridor of space devoid of Borg activity – which members of the crew nicknamed "the Northwest Passage ". Navigating through it, however, may prove complicated, as the passage is filled with intense gravimetric distortions , probably caused by a string of quantum singularities . The crew are left with no choice, though, but to go through the passage.

All over the ship, preparations are finalized. In engineering, the warp drive is checked, yet again. Tuvok goes through weapons checks with his security officers . Chakotay and Kim review planned tactical options in case the Borg invade the ship.

Borg corpse pile

One of Kes' premonitions

While The Doctor and Kes examine the Borg drone corpse the crew discovered three months earlier looking for possible ways to protect the crew from being assimilated. The Doctor has found that the Borg assimilate by injecting the victim with nanoprobes which quickly take over the bloodstream and suggests a defense which would involve fighting against the infection before it can spread. Kes suddenly experiences a vivid vision of dismembered Borg drone corpses, piled up on one another. She has no idea what this means but it disturbs her greatly. She experiences these and other frightening visions for the next two hours; visions of dead drones and Voyager 's destruction haunt her mind. Tuvok, who is Kes' mentor in honing her telepathic abilities, is informed of this development. While he discusses Kes' predicament with Janeway and Chakotay on the bridge , the ship begins to tremble. Kim reports that long-range sensors detect transwarp signatures 5.8 light-years away closing from behind. Before they know it, fifteen Borg vessels are rapidly closing on them from 2.1 light-years away. Subspace turbulence forces Voyager out of warp.

Borg armada, 2373

Fifteen cubes bear down on Voyager

Much to everyone's surprise, the enormous vessels do not attack, merely racing past Voyager . One cube slows and scans the ship, then speeds up to rejoin the others. The subspace turbulence affecting Voyager dissipates. The crew is at a loss to explain their unusually good fortune.

Act Two [ ]

Kim confirms there's no damage, and systems are coming back online. Janeway orders the ship to resume course while she reviews the Starfleet database for data on previous Borg encounters. Chakotay interrupts her later to inform her the passage is still clear then, seeing she hasn't eaten, offers to eat with her. She declines, then explains she has been seeking useful information on the Borg from the logs of other Starfleet commanders but has gotten nothing. Although she knew when Voyager first started its journey back to the Alpha Quadrant they would eventually hit Borg territory and everyone has tried to prepare themselves for the challenge, she asks about what happens if the danger is too large; do they press on or retreat to friendly territory, permanently abandoning the journey home. Chatokay gently assures her that he and everyone else will support her and that she is not alone. Janeway says that she cannot imagine a day without him – though just three years ago, she didn't even know his name. While they are talking, Tuvok hails her to the bridge.

There, he and Kim report that the Borg cubes have suddenly stopped 5.2 light years away, for an undetermined reason. Janeway orders Paris to take Voyager to the coordinates of the dormant Borg ships at warp 2. The crew then finds that every one of the fifteen cubes has been destroyed – with only a few life signs remaining. Tuvok detects two residual weapons' signatures in the debris: one Borg and the other of unknown origin. Astonished, Paris asks the question that everyone else is wondering: who could bring such devastation to the Borg?

Act Three [ ]

Borg cube debris field

" Who could do this to the Borg? "

The idea of someone more powerful than the Borg seems rather incredible. Kim thinks they might have found an ally but Chakotay warns not to jump to conclusions. While scanning the vicinity for other vessels, the bridge officers detect a biomass attached to one of the Borg ships. They confirm that it is organic but do not receive a response when they send out a standard greeting. They try to beam it away from the ship, but cannot get a lock on it and a tractor beam also doesn't seem to have an effect. They realize that whatever is attached to the Borg cube is impervious to their technology. Janeway orders Chakotay to lead an away team to the cube to take a short-range scan of this biomass.

Bio-ship attached to a Borg ship

Voyager discovers a peculiar vessel

Bio-ship hull dissolved through Borg hull

The vessel "docked" to the remnant of a Borg cube

Tuvok and Kim join Chakotay on the away team and beam aboard the cube. As they look around, they find nothing but dead drones scattered amid the wreckage. As they move on, they find a pile of dismembered Borg corpses reminiscent of the visions Kes had earlier. They continue forward to the object and find that it has created a gaping hole in the cube's hull and fused onto it. Interestingly, there is a Borg unsuccessfully continuing to attempt to assimilate it. Scans reveal it to be an organic-based vessel with high concentration of antimatter particles, possibly a warp core . Chakotay and Tuvok board the ship to investigate while Kim accesses a Borg distribution node to download their tactical database.

Infected drone

The dead, infected drone

In Voyager 's sickbay , Kes is carrying a tray when she is suddenly overwhelmed by visions of Kim screaming in abject agony. She collapses, frantically warning that the away team is in grave danger and that they need to leave the cube immediately.

On the Borg ship, Kim calls the other two officers to his position, as he has detected something that is biological in the vicinity but does not appear to be Borg. Just then, Janeway hails and tells them to prepare for immediate return to Voyager . The unknown life form suddenly tears through a wall of the cube, entering a corridor where the away team is. Immediately, it attacks nearby drones, swiping them before turning to Kim and attacking him. Kim collapses, screaming in excruciating pain, just as he had in Kes' vision. The creature moves to finish him but, just then, the away team is beamed back aboard Voyager .

Bio-ship attacks Voyager

Voyager spirals up of control

On the bridge, Paris reports that the alien ship is detaching and powering up, apparently readying to fire a weapon. Kes, who is also on the bridge, experiences another vision of the pilot on that bio-ship communicating with her. Janeway orders Paris to take them out of the area at maximum warp. As Voyager moves away, the bio-ship fires, not landing a direct hit but Voyager loses control. Paris is able to jump to warp speed, and the bio-ship does not give chase. An alarm-stricken Kes tells Janeway that it is not the Borg that they should be worried about but this new species. Kes informs the captain that the creature told her, " The weak will perish. "

Act Four [ ]

Kim deformed

Kim is being ravaged by the alien's attack

As Janeway enters sickbay, she is horrified to view Harry Kim's condition. The Doctor tells her that the alien cells are consuming his body from the inside out, while he is conscious. He shows her the scan of the alien cells which contain more than a hundred times the DNA of a Human cell. It would take him years to decipher it. The Doctor is unable to sedate Harry as anything that penetrates this species' cell-membrane – biological, chemical or technological – is instantly destroyed. Janeway realizes that this is probably why the Borg cannot assimilate the species. The Doctor, however, believes that Borg technology holds the key to saving Kim, as he hopes to unleash an army of modified Borg nanoprobes into Kim's bloodstream , designed to target and eradicate the infection. He has successfully managed to dissect a nanoprobe, access its recoding mechanism and reprogram the probe to emit the same electrochemical signature as the alien cells. That way, the probe can do its work without being detected. The Doctor is not certain he will be able to modify enough nanoprobes in time to save Harry.

The Doctor's solution

The Doctor presents his solution to the Captain

On the bridge, Tuvok and Torres show Chakotay a part of the tactical data Kim retrieved from the cube. According to it, the aliens – designated by the Borg as Species 8472 – have engaged the Borg twelve times in the last five months and, each time, the Borg have been defeated swiftly. The bridge officers also finally determine that Species 8472 comes from the Northwest Passage – which would explain why it is a region devoid of Borg activity. While discussing this, Tuvok detects 133 bio-ships coming from a quantum singularity. A grim-faced Janeway watches the visual as it shows hundreds of the aliens' ships streaming forth from quantum singularities in the Northwest Passage.

Kes notifies the captain that the aliens have been communicating with her further. Their new messages are even more frightening than the first; she feels malevolence and cold hatred. Kes says that what they are doing is carrying out an invasion and that they intend to destroy everything. Voyager is taken 5 light-years away at maximum warp to wait.

Chakotay and Janeway discuss their next move. The Northwest Passage is no longer an option as a route through Borg space. Now, the choice is between facing the Borg in their space or staying behind and giving up hope of ever returning home. Chakotay reminds Janeway that just because they're turning around doesn't mean they won't find another way home, but Janeway still can't bring herself to tell the crew they're remaining in the Delta Quadrant and is desperate for another choice between permanent isolation or almost certain death. She decides to get some sleep and see how she feels with a clear head, as she hasn't slept for 2 days.

Janeway however can't bring herself to rest and heads to the da Vinci holodeck simulation, the decision she must make weighs heavily on her mind. She tells Leonardo her problem (as a metaphor) and he suggests she journey with him to church and make an appeal to God. This suddenly gives Janeway an idea… she could do a deal with the "devil".

Act Five [ ]

In the briefing room, Janeway outlines her plan: an alliance with the Borg , against their new enemy. Voyager 's crew will offer the Borg a way to defeat their enemy and, in return, the Borg will grant them safe passage through their space. Janeway references The Doctor's findings regarding the nanoprobes, which she believes can be used as a biological weapon against Species 8472. The officers are incredulous at her suggestion of teaming up with such an entity. Janeway is adamant that her stratagem will work, however. She has The Doctor save all of the research regarding the nanoprobes in his holomatrix . She also explains that, if the Borg threaten Voyager in any way, the crew will simply erase The Doctor's program.

After everyone else leaves, Chakotay – who has remained rather quiet throughout the meeting – tells Janeway that he believes that what she proposes is far too dangerous. Illustrating his reasoning by citing a parable of the scorpion that allowed itself to die rather than overcome its deadly nature, he argues that her plan is a huge mistake, as she is underestimating the true evil of the Borg. He explains that no amount of diplomacy, reasoning and incentive-providing will ever change what the Borg are. They have no guarantee that the Borg will actually keep their hands off them after they acquire the information. He also wonders how much Voyager 's safety is ultimately worth, that Janeway is willing to give advantage to a species guilty of murdering billions; they would essentially be giving the Borg the means to assimilate yet another species, just to get themselves home. But Janeway is convinced that they will be able to keep the Borg at bay with the bargaining chip they have. She furthermore believes that helping to assimilate Species 8472 might actually not be such a bad idea, given the malevolence they have expressed towards the entire galaxy. Chakotay, however, remains steadfast in his objection to her plan accusing her of being so blinded by her desire to go home that she is closing herself to all other options. Janeway asks him to trust her, firmly stating that the time for debate is over as she has made her decision. Chakotay reluctantly agrees that, as her first officer, he will comply with her orders but makes it clear she does not have his support. With misty eyes, Janeway says she guesses that she is alone after all. She dismisses him sadly but her resolve is unshaken.

Voyager arrives at an assimilated system. Several Borg cubes are in the area, and one of them seizes the ship in a tractor beam. Janeway notifies the Collective that she has tactical information about Species 8472. She offers to negotiate for it but the Collective refuses. Janeway has Torres transmit (to the cubes) a sample of the research, showing the 8472 cells being destroyed by the Borg nanoprobes. The captain declares that this is a sample of the data and threatens to destroy it, if the Collective does not listen to what she has to say. There is a long pause. She again offers to negotiate but, as she speaks, she is transported to the cube, finding herself on a catwalk spanning the vessel's vast interior.

Janeway negotiates with the collective

Janeway negotiates with the Collective

The Collective instructs her to state her demands. She states that there is only one demand: safe passage through Borg space in exchange for the data. Once her ship is past Borg territory, she will give them their research. The Collective does not accept because their space is vast and her passage would take too long. They demand the technology immediately. Janeway refuses because if she gives the data to them right away, they would assimilate Voyager . The Collective explains that Species 8472 has to be stopped and the Collective's survival is Voyager 's survival. Janeway then comes up with a plan: they would collaborate – as Voyager traverses Borg space – in order to craft a bio-weapon using the data. She is in the middle of outlining this plan when the cube is violently shaken.

USS Voyager and Borg cube flee exploding planet

Voyager and the cube escape the planet, but only just

On Voyager 's bridge, Tuvok informs Chakotay that a quantum singularity has opened 20,000 kilometers away and that more bio-ships are coming through. The cube's shields are weakening but not enough to beam Janeway back to Voyager . Nine bio-ships converge in a star pattern and head toward the assimilated planet . They destroy the planet and all the Borg cubes in the vicinity, except for the one holding Janeway and Voyager . The remaining cube hurtles away at high warp, just ahead of the explosion, with Voyager still held firmly in its tractor beam.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Memorable quotes [ ]

" We are the Borg. Existence as you know it is over. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is fu… "

" Better to ride the rapids than face the Hive. "

" Think good thoughts. "

" In their collective state, the Borg are utterly without mercy, driven by one will alone: the will to conquer. They are beyond redemption, beyond reason. "

" It is my opinion that the Borg are as close to pure evil as any race we've ever encountered. "

" It's nothing to be ashamed about, echoing the greats. Ensign Hickman in astrophysics does a passable Janeway." " If we manage to survive the next few days, I'm going to have a chat with Ensign Hickman. Imitating the captain – surely that violates some kind of Starfleet protocol."

"Three years ago, I didn't even know your name. Today I can't imagine a day without you. "

" We might have just found our ticket through Borg space: an ally. " " Let's not jump to conclusions. "

" A Skeletal Lock, huh? We'll have to add that one to the transporter manual. "

" The weak will perish! "

" They have an extraordinary immune response. Anything that penetrates the cell membrane, chemical, biological, technological, it's all instantly destroyed. That's why the Borg can't assimilate them. " " Resistance in this case is far from futile. "

" Fight it, Harry! That's an order! "

" There are times, Caterina, when I find myself transfixed by a shadow on the wall, or the splashing of water against a stone. I stare at it, the hours pass, the world around me drops away… replaced by worlds being created and destroyed by my imagination. "

" There's a path before me… the only way home. And on either side, mortal enemies bent on destroying each other. If I attempt to pass through them… I'll be destroyed as well. But if I turn around… that would end all hope of ever getting home. "

" What if I made an appeal… to the Devil? "

" The Borg aren't exactly known for their diplomacy. Can we really expect them to cooperate with us? " " Normally, the answer would be no, but if what I've learned from the aliens is true, the Borg are losing this conflict. "

" There's a story I heard as a child, a parable, and I never forgot it. A scorpion was walking along the bank of a river, wondering how to get to the other side. Suddenly, he saw a fox. He asked the fox to take him on his back across the river. The fox said 'No. If I do that, you'll sting me and I'll drown.' The scorpion assured him, 'If I did that, we'd both drown.' So, the fox thought about it, and finally agreed. So, the scorpion climbed up on his back, and the fox began to swim, but halfway across the river, the scorpion stung him. As the poison filled his veins, the fox turned to the scorpion and said, 'Why did you do that? Now you'll drown too.' 'I couldn't help it,' said the scorpion, 'it's my nature'. "

Background information [ ]

Title, story, and script [ ].

  • "Scorpion" takes its name from the parable Chakotay shares with Janeway after briefing the crew on her plan to form a temporary alliance with the Borg. The parable is most commonly known as The Scorpion and the Frog , but for unknown reasons Chakotay's version substitutes a fox for the frog. The Italian dub keeps the frog in the story.
  • Even before it was firmly decided that the Borg would reappear in Star Trek: Voyager (as the series' team of writer-producers were considering if they should, following the defeat of the Borg and their queen in the film Star Trek: First Contact ), Brannon Braga had come up with one of the story points of this episode. He noted, " I think it would be cool if the USS Voyager came upon a Borg graveyard, and basically, they're all dead. Obviously, somehow they'll come back to life. I just think it's a cool setting, and it's an interesting pay off to the movie. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 24 , p. 37) Evidently, however, the cause of the destruction thereafter changed from being the Borg's defeat in First Contact to Species 8472.
  • This installment was not the first choice for the finale of Star Trek: Voyager 's third season , a fact that even CGI Effects Director Ron Thornton became aware of (despite his purview being quite different from that of Voyager 's writing staff). ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 16 , p. 37) Originally, " Year of Hell " was planned to be Voyager 's third season finale but, with the choice made to shake up the cast in Season 4 , this episode was the result. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 34 , p. 12; Delta Quadrant , p. 207) This episode also replaced an undeveloped story idea that featured biomimetic lifeforms , doppelgängers of the Voyager crew, arriving at Earth to much enthusiastic furore before then causing havoc on the planet; although Joe Menosky and Brannon Braga started to collaborate on scripting that plot, dissatisfaction with the writing of the teleplay resulted in the writing duo instead turning their attentions to the "Scorpion" project. The same aliens who appeared in the unfinished script ultimately featured in Season 4's " Demon " and the fifth season installment " Course: Oblivion ". ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 31, No. 11, p. 49)
  • Brannon Braga's initial idea for this episode was originally influenced by two then-recent Borg-related Star Trek productions: the film Star Trek: First Contact (which Braga himself had co-written) and the earlier third season Voyager installment " Unity ". Braga recalled, " Late one night I was sitting in front of the TV and I saw a promotion for Voyager on the air on UPN . I saw an image of a Borg corpse from the show we were doing, 'Unity'. It struck me then and there that First Contact had come and gone. It was time to deliver the Borg in a big way, at which point we threw out the cliffhanger we were working on at that time, and came up with 'Scorpion I' and 'II'. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 75) Years later, however, Braga hesitantly recounted that the moment of inspiration had come when he " was sitting at home, late one night, and I was watching a video tape of one of our episodes; it had a Borg mummy in it or something. " ("Braving the Unknown: Season 4", VOY Season 4 DVD ) Regardless of how exactly he saw footage from "Unity" at the time he had the thought for this episode, he clarified, " All we had planned for the Borg was that 'Unity' episode […] I thought, we can't just do 'Unity'. It's not enough. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 75)
  • Voyager co-creator and Executive Producer Jeri Taylor credited Brannon Braga, who Taylor considered to be a highly inventive writer generally, with the idea for Species 8472. ("Braving the Unknown: Season Three", VOY Season 3 DVD special features)
  • Although the concept of a Borg graveyard had unsuccessfully been considered for "Unity", the reason – according to Brannon Braga – that the idea was included in this episode was "not because we were dying to do a Borg graveyard." Braga further explained, " It's kind of an image that we had held over, but it fits into the events of the story perfectly. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 17)
  • The sequence wherein multiple Borg cubes pass by Voyager was part of an attempt, made by Brannon Braga and Joe Menosky, to feature memorable, large-scale images in the two-parters that were included (at least partly, as in the case of the "Scorpion" two-parter) in Star Trek: Voyager 's fourth season. Menosky explained, " We made a conscious effort to put back [in] amazing images that are memorable, and that the character stuff works in and around, things like from 'Scorpion Part I', little Voyager with 15 Borg cubes blasting by. I loved looking at that […] A big part of this is not just visual effects but images. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 75)
  • A starship battle in Borg subspace tunnels was temporarily considered for inclusion in this episode. The idea was discussed before being dismissed. ( Star Trek: Action! , p. 7) Similarly, the idea of having the Borg use quantum slipstream drive was also contemplated. " We were going to have the Borg ships raising slipstreams and have big fights in those slipstreams, " Brannon Braga reflected, " But we had too many ideas for that episode and some just didn't make it. " ( Star Trek: Action! , p. 42)
  • The holographic Leonardo da Vinci was added to the story at the request of Janeway actress Kate Mulgrew . Although she twice (on separate occasions) referred to the idea as having been her own, Mulgrew also indicated a lesser degree of personal involvement in the character's conception by saying, " I helped come up with the idea. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 46 , p. 26; Star Trek Monthly  issue 33 , p. 23; The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 14 , p. 33) Leonardo actor John Rhys-Davies offered, " The whole thing was Kate's baby and she had done a lot of research into it. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 58 , p. 40) Mulgrew's inspiration for the character was that it would give Janeway someone creative to confide in. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 4; The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 14 , pp. 33-34) Concerning exactly how she made her contribution to this character concept, Mulgrew offered, " I think it was Brannon Braga who asked, 'Where did art most notoriously meet science in history?' And I said, 'With Leonardo da Vinci.' He said, 'Exactly.' " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 14 , p. 34)
  • During the scripting process, the members of Species 8472 were at one point described as being fourteen feet tall. The script, while being written, was very vague about most of the aliens' other details. Concept artist Steve Burg recounted, " It just said, 'A great beast of some sort blasts through the wall, kills two of the Borg and hits Harry, knocking him out.' " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 2 , p. 28)
  • The final draft of this episode's script was submitted on 26 February 1997 . This document refers to Species 8472 as being at least ten feet tall and wearing an alien breathing apparatus aboard the Borg cube. [1]

Cast and characters [ ]

  • Kate Mulgrew liked many aspects of this episode, citing it as one of her eight favorite installments of Star Trek: Voyager 's third season. For example, Mulgrew was highly proud of having come up with the idea of a holographic Leonardo da Vinci. " For me, 'Scorpion' introduced another element of Janeway that I loved, " Mulgrew explained, " and that was Leonardo da Vinci. " The actress went on to state that, because she had assisted with the conceptual development of the Leonardo hologram, she was "very pleased." ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 14 , pp. 32 & 33) Mulgrew not only thought that the character concept was "a really good idea" but also believed the holographic program "makes sense." ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 33 , p. 23) Additionally, the actress was delighted by how this episode initiates the bond between her character of Janeway and the Leonardo hologram. " They begin an extraordinary relationship on the holodeck, " Mulgrew enthused. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 4)
  • Without auditioning for the role of the holographic Leonardo da Vinci, John Rhys-Davies was offered the part by Star Trek: Voyager 's producers. Having been a long-term Star Trek fan, he was delighted to accept the offer. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 58 , p. 38) Kate Mulgrew enjoyed working on this episode with the actor. Shortly following the completion of her work on the episode, Mulgrew stated, " John Rhys-Davies is just perfect for it. We had a very good time working together. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 14 , p. 34)
  • Both Kate Mulgrew and Joe Menosky noticed that, by this point in the third season, the character of Janeway and the persona of the actress playing her were seeming to gravitate more towards one another and that this development appeared to be benefiting the portrayal of the Starfleet captain. Menosky commented, " In 'Scorpion Part I' [Janeway] was becoming a little more risk taking, and edgy, and frankly, a little bit more like Kate Mulgrew. I've always said, even Jeri Taylor used to always say, 'if Captain Janeway were only more like Kate, we would have a much better captain on our hands.' For whatever reason, our writing and Kate's kind of freewheeling personality seemed to come together a bit more, at the end of the [third] season. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 86) Mulgrew herself remarked that, particularly "towards the end of the season," she made some "very important breakthroughs" with becoming "much more relaxed and more allied with Janeway". ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 33 , p. 23)
  • Jeri Taylor was impressed by the acting, in this episode, of both Kate Mulgrew and Chakotay actor Robert Beltran . " Weren't they good? " Taylor rhetorically asked. " I felt that the actors more than rose to the occasion. They really liked the idea of that conflict [between Janeway and Chakotay] and how it would test their friendship, and they really poured themselves into it. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 113)
  • Kim actor Garrett Wang liked how this episode introduced a new, villainous alien species. He observed, " All of a sudden, now you have an enemy which is even more… fearful than the Borg, an enemy that can single-handedly take out the Borg. 'Who could that be?!', you know? Up 'til that point, I mean, the Borg was the end-all, be-all of enemies, you know? Nobody could defeat – and then, now, you've got, 'Who are these guys?!', you know? […] So that episode, to me, was… I loved it because it introduced, you know, a 'new villain.' The sci-fi fan in me really enjoyed working on that episode, for that. " ("Braving the Unknown: Season Three", VOY Season 3 DVD special features)
  • Garrett Wang was less pleased, however, about having to play the out-of-action Kim. " I mean, I wasn't too happy that, most of the episode, I was on a bio-bed with green goop on my face, " Wang remarked, before loudly echoing of the writers (wearing a big grin on his face), " 'Who else but Kim needs to be tortured in the bio-bed?', you know? No one else, just Kim. " ("Braving the Unknown: Season Three", VOY Season 3 DVD special features)
  • This episode marks the final appearance of Jennifer Lien ( Kes ) as a regular cast member.

Production [ ]

  • The makeup appliances for the holographic Leonardo da Vinci, as created for this episode, consisted of a beard, mustache and eyebrows as well as a nose that was styled in much the same way as Leonardo's was. ( Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts , p. 169)
  • Director David Livingston appreciated the fact that, for this episode, Species 8472 was scripted to appear for merely a few brief moments, giving only fleeting glimpses of the species. " It was kind of played a little bit like Alien , " Livingston remarked, " where you don't really get a huge look at it, which, to me, is always the best way to portray these things. If you look at them too long and too closely, they start to fall apart a bit. " ("Braving the Unknown: Season Three", VOY Season 3 DVD special features)
  • According to the unauthorized reference book Delta Quadrant (p. 188), the Borg costumes in this episode were reused from Star Trek: First Contact , as were "much of the Borg's furnishings."
  • After Garrett Wang portrayed a reaction to seeing the approach of the massed Borg cubes that fly by Voyager , his fellow actors jokingly mimicked him. Wang commented, " I notice onscreen on my sensors that all these Borg cubes are coming upon us, but they don't even stop for us […] And my lines are like, 'Captain, I'm reading one – no, three – no, five – no, seven Borg cubes.' And the way I said it, I said, 'Capt-taiiiin…' " Wang laughed. He then continued, " I really extended out the 'Captain.' So from then on, [Robert] Beltran and [Robert Duncan] McNeill would always go, 'Cap-taiiiin…' " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 106 , p. 40)
  • Visual Effects Producer Dan Curry acted as second unit director on this installment. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 96) As such, he was involved in the directing of the scene wherein an away team from Voyager passes the pile of Borg corpses aboard a Borg cube. The heap of deceased drones was not an on-set element, however. Recalling the filming of the scene, Curry said, " The actors knew where to look, on stage, so they would walk around and say, 'Okay, it's up there.' " ("Red Alert: Amazing Visual Effects", VOY Season 3 DVD special features)
  • Visual Effects Supervisor Ronald B. Moore worked on the filming of the scene in which a member of Species 8472 bursts into a corridor, attacks Kim and then hurries away. Ron Thornton enthused of this scene, " Ron Moore and the live-action guys did such a great job of shooting the live action that it had a massive amount of drama–the wall suddenly blows out, so we could make the creature come in. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 16 , p. 38)
  • Performing the scene wherein Janeway speaks with the Borg Collective while aboard one of the Borg cubes represented a scary challenge for Kate Mulgrew, who consequently had to do several takes of the scene. To aid her performance, Mulgrew imagined she was in an extremely contained space, surrounded by hordes of serial killers. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 4; The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 14 , p. 33) This footage was filmed by Dan Curry's second unit team. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 96) " They put you on the stage with just a blue screen behind you, and they say, 'This is the Borg hive. You are surrounded by them. You can go four inches this way. You can go two inches this way, and forward no more than an inch and a half, " Mulgrew told an audience at the Pasadena Grand Slam Convention on Friday 21 March 1997 , " and meanwhile you play the three-page scene, and you are jeopardizing not only yourself, but the assimilation of your entire species […] I played the scene with so much quiet that I scared myself! " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 4)

Effects [ ]

  • Although Visual Effects Supervisor Ron Moore usually used a mixture of effects methods, the visual effects of this episode were virtually all CGI. This method of effects was costly but a saving of finances enabled the profuse usage of CGI here; Jeri Taylor noted that, for this episode, the production crew of Star Trek: Voyager had "some extra money saved so we [could] go all out." ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 31 , pp. 27 & 13) Both David Livingston and Senior Supervising Visual Effects Animator Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz appreciated the fact that this episode allowed for more digital effects than usual. " [It] really, really pushed the envelope, " noted Lebowitz. " It had an incredible amount of complicated effects work, stuff that would have probably been prohibitively expensive to have done with miniatures. That might have been one of the first shows where you can really say that without CGI they couldn't have done it. It was really a compliment that they even wrote an episode like that. I think it showed that they were finally having some confidence in the work that was being done, and they decided to really push it. I was really happy that they were finally writing episodes knowing that this stuff can be done more effectively now. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 58 , p. 44) In agreement, Livingston noted, " That was fun, because we got to deal with CGI figures. " ("Braving the Unknown: Season Three", VOY Season 3 DVD special features)
  • The effects in this episode (in particular, the creation of Species 8472) were influenced by the success of effects in the earlier third season episode " Macrocosm ", particularly the computer-generated design of the macrovirus . ("Red Alert: Amazing Visual Effects", VOY Season 3 DVD special features)
  • Despite this episode's script being sparse on details regarding Species 8472, the episode's visual effects artists were able to glean some information about the aliens from their involvement in the story. Dan Curry noted, " We had a script for a very vicious alien creature that had to be so powerful and so fearsome that it was able to chop up and destroy the Borg. " The aliens were then designed – for their debut appearance in this episode – by Curry, Steve Burg and CGI animator John Teska . ("The Birth of Species 8472", VOY Season 4 DVD special features)
  • Meanwhile, Adam Lebowitz worked on the CGI Species 8472 bio-ships , the Borg cubes and Voyager . Ron Moore and coordinator Cheryl Gluckstern devised the two different forms of energy beam that the bio-ships' weapons fire: the style that is emitted from the single bio-ship that Voyager initially comes across, and the more concentrated blast that is fired by the formation of bio-ships. Recalling the creation of the latter style of blast, Moore said, " I wanted to do something that was a little bit different than Star Wars ' Death Star. I thought it was more interesting if they could share the strength of each and then create this monster beam. " The beams were visualized by Greg Rainoff at Digital Magic , using Harry animation. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 95)
  • The teaser of this episode involved a lot of work for CGI supplier Foundation Imaging . Ron Thornton explained, " We originally built the Borg Cube for an earlier episode [i.e. 'Unity'], but we really had to trick it out for this one, because in the first few seconds, two Borg Cubes are blown up, so we had to create a lot of pieces for each explosion. " Using a studio model and motion-control photography rather than CGI would have made the sequence somewhat easier and less time-consuming, as Foundation would not have had to deal with the painstaking task of crafting the explosions. ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 16 , p. 38)
  • During the creation of the sequence wherein Voyager is passed by an armada of Borg cubes, the visual effects team were not entirely certain how big to make the effect. " Initially when we did that shot, " Ron Moore recalled, " we thought it was a little bit over-the-top. The idea is that these Borg cubes are really, really big, and whatever drive they're using is throwing out some kind of electromagnetic field that's kicking the Voyager around. So we did a second softer version, and we looked at it and looked at it, and finally the decision was made to go back to the original. It's a lot more fun. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 96) Visualizing this sequence with such traditional effects methods as a model and motion-control photography would have been problematic. " The mount would have given us a problem, " Ron Moore explained. " We could have done a side mount, maybe, but it would have been a lot more subtle. " In other words, what the effects team veered away from, when it came time to create the sequence. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, pp. 95-96)

Scorpion visual effects

Ronald B. Moore and Paul Hill work on this episode in the edit bay at Digital Magic

  • The green-tinged polaron beam that is utilized by one of the Borg cubes to scan Voyager 's bridge was actually rendered CGI by Digital Magic. Ron Moore said of this effect, " The thing that was important to me was that it would look like it was dimensional, when the light would hit the face, and then you'd see it in the background. We played with it in the edit bay. A lot of times with CGI this works out better, because there's a lot of freedom in the edit bay. Something like the scanning beam works until you make it too heavy, and you can't see through it. It's very subtle. With Paul Hill in the edit bay, we laid down one of the passes bright, another one with a little green in it, and we plugged in the flat fan-like surface as it went across. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 96)

Borg body pile as constructed by Dan Curry

The pile of Borg action figures

  • The pile of dismembered Borg seen on the disabled cube was actually a twelve-inch pile of Playmates Toys action figures. Dan Curry recalled, " We didn't have the budget or the time to create full-scale body chunks, because of the cost and time it would take to do that. So, I asked our licensing department for a bunch of Borg toy action figures […] And kudos to the person who sculpted those toys, because the detail – especially the facial detail – was so good that I was able to take the toy action figures, cut them up with a Dremel cutting tool, and then I stacked them up with hot glue and shot them at home against a little blue screen cove. " To complete the scene in which the away team members from Voyager pass the pile of corpses, the live-action footage that Dan Curry had already shot of the actors was composited together with the Borg drone models. Curry remarked, " By compositing the stack of action figures, it looked very real. And the toy faces were sculpted so well that I was able to do close-ups on a [tiny] head, […] filling the TV screen with them, and they looked very good. Of course, it was in kind of a smoky environment, but um… So, the toys served us well and saved the production company lots of money. " ("Red Alert: Amazing Visual Effects", VOY Season 3 DVD special features) Ron Moore commented, " That was something we all knew immediately was perfect for Dan […] He really had a lot of fun painting it, showing it to everybody. He'd come in and tell us, 'It's real disgusting now,' and he had a big smile on. It was great. We used it in a couple of shots, one with our crew, and one without. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 96)
  • While Chakotay, Tuvok, and Harry Kim are exploring a Borg cube, they encounter a Borg drone repeatedly trying, unsuccessfully, to assimilate the Species 8472 bio-ship attached to the cube. For a single shot in this scene, Industrial Light & Magic assisted with the inclusion of some Borg assimilation tubules that extend from the drone's fingers. Ron Moore stated, " Since ILM had done the tubules for the last feature, First Contact , [Producer] Peter Lauritson set it up so that they would go ahead and give us those tubules again for the show. We added the electricity. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 96)
  • The look of the Species 8472 infection that can be seen on both the infected Borg corpse and Harry Kim, while he is also stricken with the condition, was created by Greg Rainoff using Harry animation. " The idea was that they wanted to show that even though the Borg was dead, whatever these aliens had done to him was still at work, " Ron Moore revealed. " Later when we see Kim in sickbay, it's the same thing. If you look closely, you'll see that these veins are growing bigger and leaning just a little bit. We wanted to tie those two [effects] together. Greg on the [Harry] actually painted them on. He would paint one vein a little longer, then do an effect to reveal it so it looked like it was growing. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 96)

Orion Nebula footage

An enhanced photograph (showing the Orion Nebula ) that was used for this episode

  • To depict a red nebula near the Borg colony world that is destroyed by a formation of bio-ships in the episode's conclusion, an image of the Orion Nebula – captured by the Hubble Space Telescope – was modified and composited together with the effects footage. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 31 , p. 29)
  • Although Foundation Imaging worked extensively on this episode, the company had no input on the interior Borg cube matte shot in the episode's final scene. [2] (X) The shot used recycled footage from Star Trek: First Contact . Ron Moore remembered, " We picked some pieces out of the Borg collective that was used in the feature [film] […] We took certain frames and had them re-rendered, or re-shot by Illusion Arts so we'd have nice clean frames. All of them in the feature were moving, so they had a little bit of a [motion] blur to them. So we picked frames, had them give them to us clean without the blur, then Dan went in and painted the bridge. " Subsequently, Janeway was super-imposed into the shot, using the second-unit footage that Dan Curry had taken of actress Kate Mulgrew. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 96)
  • The creation of the CGI for this episode took a total of about six weeks. [3] (X)
  • Jeri Taylor and Voyager 's other producers were extremely satisfied with the visual effects of this episode. Shortly after working on Voyager 's third season, Jeri Taylor said of this installment, " That was one of our experiments with computer-generated graphics. We're more and more happy with the kinds of things we're able to get with CGI, and fortunately for a price we can afford. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 113) The visual effects artists themselves were pleased with their work on this episode. Ron Moore noted, " We were very proud of it. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 96)

Continuity and trivia [ ]

  • This episode references Star Trek episodes from both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Janeway mentions Q and his act of introducing the Enterprise to the Borg, as depicted in TNG : " Q Who ", and the Battle of Wolf 359, as depicted in DS9 : " Emissary ".
  • This episode has one of the shortest teasers in Star Trek , at just under twenty seconds and with only a single (unfinished) line of dialogue spoken by the Borg.
  • This is the last of three episodes of Voyager 's third season to feature the Borg; other than "Unity", their third season appearances also include the final scene of " Blood Fever ". As noted in the script of this episode, the Borg body parts here came from "the Borg corpse last seen in 'Unity,' which has been dissected." Another link between those two episodes is that Brannon Braga intended for the revelation, in this episode, that Species 8472 was overpowering the Borg to account for the condition of a disabled Borg cube that Voyager comes across in "Unity". ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 17)
  • This episode marks the third time in Star Trek that an end-of-season cliffhanger story revolved around the Borg, the previous occasions being TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds " and TNG : " Descent ". Coincidentally, the former of those two episodes was at the end of TNG's third season , just as this episode is at the end of Voyager 's third season.
  • In TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ", that series' hero ship, the USS Enterprise -D , comes across a fleet of destroyed and damaged Starfleet ships, having been decimated by the Borg (at the Battle of Wolf 359 , which is referenced in this episode). Likewise, in this episode, the series' hero ship, Voyager , comes across a fleet of destroyed and damaged Borg ships, having been decimated by Species 8472. While the former scene is commonly referred to as the "graveyard scene," the script of this episode refers to the site of the latter scene as a "cemetery of decimated ships" and "a graveyard of debris".
  • The assimilation tubules that appear in this episode previously appeared in Star Trek: First Contact . In fact, the script of this episode notes that the tubules were "seen in 'First Contact,' when the N.D. was stabbed in the neck". In an audio commentary for that film, recorded by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore , Braga comments, " A lot of stuff we established in here involving tubules, and maybe even nanoprobes , we would go on to use a lot in Voyager because the Borg became a big part of that show. " This episode was, however, the first episode to establish the concept of Borg nanoprobes, nanotechnology having been briefly referenced in the Borg-related episodes "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II" (in particular, nanites ) and " Descent, Part II " (specifically, nano-cortical fibers ).
  • This episode marks the beginning of a development of tension in the relationship between Janeway and Chakotay that culminates in the latter character considering mutiny in the season 6 premiere, " Equinox, Part II ". Kate Mulgrew was thankful for the introduction of this tension, describing it as "a very good thing to have." ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 33 , p. 22) Shortly after completing her work on this episode, the actress commented, " There's some real heat between them, especially after the events of 'Scorpion, Part I'. It will take some time before Janeway and Chakotay can re-establish the kind of intimacy and trust they had. In the meantime, though, the tension will give the relationship a wonderful new dynamic. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 14 , p. 32)
  • After being introduced in this episode, Species 8472 appeared in both Seasons 4 and 5 . Their fourth season appearances are the concluding part of this episode's two-parter and " Prey ", whereas their Season 5 appearances are " In the Flesh " and (in a holophoto ) " Someone to Watch Over Me ".
  • When Janeway references Captain Amasov in this episode, it is an in-joke reference to Isaac Asimov , famous 20th century science-fiction writer, cybernetics supporter, and friend of Gene Roddenberry .

Holographic Leonardo da Vinci [ ]

  • The holographic Leonardo da Vinci, following his debut appearance here, featured in the fourth season episode " Concerning Flight ". The holographic recreation of his workshop appears not only in that episode but also in the Season 4 installments " The Raven ", " Scientific Method ", and " The Omega Directive ".
  • The robot that the holographic Leonardo is working on, in this episode, is based on a real work that Leonardo created. Although the final drawings of the robot are lost (if they ever existed), preliminary sketches have been input into computer simulations that confirm that the sketches were indeed meant to be of a mechanical man. While the sketches were known of, it was not until the 1950s that a professor from the University of California realized what they were meant to be. (For more information, see Leonardo's robot at Wikipedia or Lodestar's Lair .)
  • Janeway points out to Leonardo: " Someone once said… all invention is but an extension of the body of man… " This "someone" is Marshall McLuhan , popular for his studies in media theory. One of his theses is that all media are just extensions of our Human bodies; for example, a radio is an extension of the ear and binoculars are an extension of our eyes. This theory directly relates to the character of the Borg.
  • A few words of Italian are spoken on the holodeck. The term " Esatto " (meaning "exactly") is used twice: first by Leonardo da Vinci, upon confirming for Janeway that all he received in return for painting the Cardinal's nephew was the Cardinal's gratitude, and secondly by Janeway, when Leonardo responds to her suggestion of gliding like a hawk rather than flapping like a sparrow. In an example of Italian profanity , he finally swears, " Che cazzo! " (literally translated as " What the fuck! "), when his Arm of Hephaestus snaps a cog. The episode's script does not specify the translations of these terms, but does indicate to the reader that Leonardo's expletive is "cursing". Additionally, Leonardo addresses Kathryn Janeway using the Italian version of her first name, "Caterina".

Reception [ ]

  • During her appearance at the 1997 Grand Slam Convention, Kate Mulgrew declared this episode would be "shocking, unpredictable, mesmerizing, and terrifying." ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 4) She also said of this installment, " It is going to be a marvelous episode. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 16)
  • However, Kate Mulgrew was admittedly unsure, initially, how the two-part "Scorpion" story line would be resolved. " Frankly, I don't know what's going to happen, " she confessed, at the 1997 convention. " I don't know how they are going to rectify this cliffhanger. It's pretty scary. " A particular aspect that Mulgrew was uncertain would return was the character of Leonardo da Vinci, though the actress hoped he would have "longevity and tenure on the series." ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 4) Mulgrew also wished that the Leonardo hologram would return in the fourth season and that there would be another occasion where Janeway's adoption of "knowledge and psychological tools" from Leonardo would be shown. ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 14 , p. 34)
  • Brannon Braga was ultimately very pleased with this episode. " I think it's just classic Star Trek," he enthused, shortly prior to the episode's initial airing. " It's a show with a lot of action, a great new alien race, and lots of Borg, but it's also got a real moral dilemma in it. " Braga continued by wordily explaining that the dilemma he referred to was, specifically, the question of forming an alliance with the Borg, who he referred to as "the Devil," just as Janeway does in this episode. Braga concluded, " It's a very interesting show. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 18) He also included this episode among a few examples of third season Voyager installments that he thought were good (the other episodes being " Distant Origin " and "Unity"). ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 29 , p. 13)
  • Jeri Taylor was also highly satisfied with this episode, citing it as one of the highlights of Star Trek: Voyager 's third season and referring to it as "simply smashing." ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 31 , p. 11)
  • One particular scene that was very popular among the producers was the one in which Janeway realizes Chakotay does not agree with her. " I think it's one of the best scenes we've ever had, " Jeri Taylor raved. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 113) Brannon Braga similarly enthused that the same scene was "a great scene". ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 28 , p. 18)
  • So pleased was Ronald B. Moore with this episode's effects that he gave some thought to nominating it for an Emmy Award . " This will be the one I'm putting up for Emmy [consideration] this year, " Moore declared, as Visual Effects Coordinator Mitch Suskin began to work on the effects of " Scorpion, Part II ". ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 96) Ultimately, though, this episode was not nominated for an Emmy.
  • An accurate summary of this episode leaked onto the Internet prior to the episode's broadcast. This did not, however, displease Brannon Braga, who merely expressed extreme gratitude that the episode had generated fan interest (even if obsessive) and implied that he thought such interest was harmless as "it's not like people are selling stuff." ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, pp. 101 & 107)
  • This episode achieved a Nielsen rating of 5.6 million homes, and an 8% share. [4] (X) At the time, this episode was estimated to have had 7.86 million viewers. It was number 62 of prime time television episodes in its week of first broadcast. Jeri Taylor said of the episode's high number of viewers, " It was very gratifying. I think that they were very comparable with our ratings for ' Future's End, Part II ' which is the highest I think we had all year. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 107) Actually, together with the first part of the "Future's End" two-parter – namely, " Future's End " (which had an identical Nielsen rating to this installment but a slightly higher share percentage) – this episode was only the third most watched installment of Star Trek: Voyager 's third season (on first airing), behind both "Future's End, Part II" and " Basics, Part II ". (Contrary to Jeri Taylor's beliefs, the most watched episode of the season was "Basics, Part II", not "Future's End, Part II".) [5] (X) Taylor also said of this episode's ratings, " Our numbers at the end of the year and for the season finale exceeded our numbers last year, so there looks to be an upward kind of trend. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 31 , p. 13) This is technically an accurate statement, as this installment's Nielsen rating was higher than that of the second season finale " Basics, Part I ", although both episodes had the same share percentage. [6] (X)
  • One of the viewers who watched this episode when it aired in the United States of America was Bryan Fuller . Viewing the episode shortly after being hired to join Voyager 's writing staff (beginning in the fourth season), Fuller was amazed by this episode's production values and was duly excited by the prospect of writing for the series. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 2 , p. 67)
  • In the United Kingdom , this episode – upon its first broadcast in September 1997 – was the highest-rated program on Sky One during that entire month, with nearly five million viewers. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 34 , p. 7)
  • One fan criticism aimed at this episode was that many aspects of it looked like "rip-offs" of certain elements from Babylon 5 . These likenesses included, from this installment, Species 8472 and their bio-ships as well as the quantum singularities used as interdimensional rifts, as compared to the Shadow creatures, Vorlon ships and the Shadow phase-in effect from Babylon 5 . Adam Lebowitz responded to these criticisms, saying, " At no point when we were working on 'Scorpion' did *any* of us here at Foundation notice similarities between it and B5. " [7]
  • Cinefantastique rated this episode 3 and a half out of 4 stars. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 113)
  • Star Trek Monthly scored this episode 4 out of 5 stars, defined as " Trill -powered viewing". ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 32 , p. 93)
  • Writer K. Stoddard Hayes clearly holds this episode in high regard. In Star Trek Magazine  issue 179 (p. 18), she describes the moment when a fleet of Borg cubes regardlessly passes by Voyager , en route for another target, as "an astonishing twist" and comments, " Out of the stunned silence on the bridge, Paris murmurs what we are all thinking: 'Who could do this to the Borg?' " Hayes also remarks that Janeway later "embarks on her most remarkable partnership yet," regarding the captain's deal with the Borg.
  • The unauthorized reference book Delta Quadrant (p. 190) gives this installment a rating of 10 out of 10.
  • The book Star Trek 101 (p. 175), by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block , lists this episode and the concluding part of its two-parter as being, together, one of the "Ten Essential Episodes" from Star Trek: Voyager .
  • Following this episode's first airing, rumors circulated that two particular members of Voyager 's main cast – namely, Garrett Wang and Kes actress Jennifer Lien – would be written out of the series at the start of the fourth season. The fact that this third season finale concludes with a cliffhanger ending in which Kim is apparently near death made Garrett Wang seem more doomed for departure than Lien did. However, it was Lien alone who left the series following this season finale (specifically, in Season 4's second installment, " The Gift "). ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 17 , p. 37)

Home video releases [ ]

  • UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 3.13, 20 October 1997
  • Released on 24 September 1999 as part of the Japanese LaserDisc set Star Trek: Voyager - Third Season Vol. 2
  • In feature-length form, as part of the UK VHS collection Star Trek: Voyager - Movies : Volume 2 (with "Year of Hell"), catalog number VHR 5072, 18 September 2000
  • As part of the VOY Season 3 DVD collection
  • As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Borg collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

  • Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway

Also starring [ ]

  • Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay
  • Roxann Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres
  • Jennifer Lien as Kes
  • Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris
  • Ethan Phillips as Neelix
  • Robert Picardo as The Doctor
  • Tim Russ as Lieutenant Tuvok
  • Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim

Special guest star [ ]

  • John Rhys-Davies as Leonardo da Vinci

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

  • Patrick Barnitt as Borg drone
  • Michael Beebe as Murphy
  • Jeff Cadiente as Borg drone
  • Cullen Chambers as operations officer
  • John Copage as sciences officer
  • Tarik Ergin as Ayala
  • Caroline Gibson as operations officer
  • Grace Harrell as operations officer
  • Sue Henley as Brooks
  • Kerry Hoyt as Fitzpatrick
  • Charles Imoto as operations officer
  • Julie Jiang as operations lieutenant junior grade
  • Zach LeBeau as Larson
  • Susan Lewis as operations officer
  • Rad Milo as operations officer
  • Tom Morga as Borg drone
  • Trina Mortley as sciences officer
  • Borg drone (probe analyzer)
  • Borg drone (victim)
  • Alexander Xavier Ponce-Bonano as Borg drone
  • Keith Rayve as command officer
  • Craig Reed as Borg drone
  • Joey Sakata as operations officer
  • Richard Sarstedt as William McKenzie
  • Lydia Shiferaw as command officer
  • Jennifer Somers as sciences officer
  • Deborah Stiles as command officer
  • Infected Borg drone
  • Kashimuro Nozawa
  • Voice of the Borg
  • Species 8472 invader
  • Species 8472 pilot

Stunt double [ ]

  • Peter Lai as stunt double for Garrett Wang

Stand-ins [ ]

  • Sue Henley – stand-in for Kate Mulgrew
  • Susan Lewis – stand-in for Roxann Dawson
  • Lemuel Perry – stand-in for Tim Russ
  • J.R. Quinonez – stand-in for Robert Picardo and utility stand-in
  • Keith Rayve – stand-in for Robert Duncan McNeill
  • Joey Sakata – stand-in for Garrett Wang
  • Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Robert Beltran and John Rhys-Davies
  • Jennifer Somers – stand-in for Jennifer Lien
  • John Tampoya – stand-in for Garrett Wang
  • Trevor Janes – stand-in for Ethan Phillips and utility stand-in
  • Unknown actor – hand double for John Rhys-Davies

References [ ]

2370 ; abbot ; access point ; Achilles ; alloy ; amusement ; Antimatter ; " Arm of Hephaestus, The "; Amasov ; assimilation ; assimilation tubule ; astrophysics lab ; Battle of Wolf 359 ; binary matrix ; biological weapon ; biomass ; bioreading ; bio-ship ; Borg ; Borg Collective ; Borg cube ( unnamed 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 ); Borg space ; Breen ; bronzetto ; cardinal ; Catarina ; cell ; cell membrane ; cellular structure ; chapel ; classified ; " clean bill of health "; conduit ; da Vinci's Cardinal and his nephew ; decompression cycle ; destroyed Borg planet ; Delta Quadrant ; devil ; disruptor beam ; distribution node ; dissection ; DNA ; dozen ; electrodynamic fluid ; emergency power ; Endeavour , USS ; Enterprise -D, USS ; evasive maneuvers ; fear ; first Borg star ; flattery ; flock ; fluidic space ; flying machine ; goose grease ; gravimetric distortions ; heart ; Hephaestus ; Hercules ; Hickman ; holodeck ; horse ; imitation ; inflection ; interdimensional rift ; intuition ; Italian ; Leonardo da Vinci's workshop ; life sign ; line of fire ; maestro ; meter ; micron ; microscopic level ; monk ; nanoprobe ; near miss ; neuropeptide ; " Northwest Passage "; oak ; omen ; organic ; organic-based vessel ; organic conduit ; parable ; particle ; Picard, Jean-Luc ; polaron beam ; prayer ; premonition ; protective shielding ; Q ; red alert ; safe passage ; Santa Croce ; scudi ; sedative ; short range scan ; skeletal lock ; solar system ; smiling ; space ; space-dwelling organism ; Species 8472 ; Species 8472 bio-ship ; square millimeter ; standard greeting ; Starfleet database ; Starfleet protocol ; starling ; submicron subspace turbulence ; System D43119 ; System D43119 star ; tactical alert ; tactical database ; telepathic species ; telepathy ; transwarp ; transporter lock ; transwarp signature ; traveler's inn ; vision ; weapon of mass destruction ; weapon signature ; Wolf 359

External links [ ]

  • "Scorpion, Part I" at StarTrek.com
  • " Scorpion " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
  • " Scorpion " at Wikipedia
  • " Scorpion " at the Internet Movie Database
  • " "Scorpion, Part I" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast

Star Trek: Voyager /Recap

  • E25 Worst Case Scenario
  • E23 Living Witness
  • Fanfic Recs
  • Headscratchers
  • Heartwarming
  • Tear Jerker
  • All Subpages

MOD NOTE: If anyone plans to copy the information from Wikipedia's List of Star Trek: Voyager episodes , the summaries from the Wikipedia index page are only good for the "elevator pitch" line in the infobox (and they need to be identified has having come from Wikipedia). The recaps from Wikipedia's individual episodes' pages are usually acceptable for the main page text here, after the spoilers have been removed . Please also cite your source, even if only in the page edit summary box.

  • Caretaker (double length, split in later syndication)
  • Time and Again
  • Eye of the Needle
  • Ex Post Facto
  • Prime Factors
  • State of Flux
  • Heroes and Demons
  • Learning Curve
  • The 37's [sic]
  • Initiations
  • Projections
  • Non Sequitur
  • Parturition
  • Persistence of Vision
  • Dreadnought
  • Investigations
  • Resolutions
  • Basics, Part I
  • Basics, Part II
  • False Profits
  • Sacred Ground
  • Future's End, Parts I-II
  • The Q and the Grey
  • Blood Fever
  • Favorite Son
  • Before and After
  • Distant Origin
  • Worst Case Scenario
  • Scorpion, Part I
  • Scorpion, Part II
  • Day of Honor
  • Scientific Method
  • Year of Hell, Parts I-II
  • Random Thoughts
  • Concerning Flight
  • Mortal Coil
  • Waking Moments
  • Message in a Bottle
  • The Killing Game, Parts I-II
  • The Omega Directive
  • Unforgettable
  • Living Witness
  • Hope and Fear
  • Extreme Risk
  • In the Flesh
  • Once Upon a Time
  • Infinite Regress
  • Nothing Human
  • Thirty Days
  • Counterpoint
  • Latent Image
  • Bride of Chaotica!
  • Dark Frontier (double length, split in later syndication)
  • The Disease
  • Course: Oblivion
  • Someone to Watch Over Me
  • Equinox, Part I
  • Equinox, Part II
  • Survival Instinct
  • Barge of the Dead
  • Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy
  • Dragon's Teeth
  • One Small Step
  • The Voyager Conspiracy
  • Blink of an Eye
  • Spirit Folk
  • Ashes to Ashes
  • Child's Play
  • Good Shepherd
  • Live Fast and Prosper
  • The Haunting of Deck Twelve
  • Unimatrix Zero, Part I
  • Unimatrix Zero, Part II
  • Imperfection
  • Critical Care
  • Body and Soul
  • Nightingale
  • Flesh and Blood (double length, split in later syndication)
  • Workforce, Parts I-II
  • Human Error
  • Author, Author
  • Friendship One
  • Natural Law
  • Renaissance Man
  • Endgame (double length, split in later syndication)

tv tropes star trek voyager

ScreenRant

Star Trek: Voyager’s 15 Creepiest Episodes, Ranked Worst To Best

  • Star Trek: Voyager's best episodes feature creepy storytelling, adding horror to the typical sci-fi themes.
  • Voyager's unique setting in the Delta Quadrant allowed for experimenting with unsettling plotlines.
  • Episodes like "Darkling," "The Thaw," and "Scientific Method" showcase exceptionally creepy storytelling.

Some of Star Trek: Voyager 's best episodes rely on creepy or unsettling storytelling. Like many of its sister Star Trek TV shows , Voyager employed a variety of storytelling styles to make its episodes interesting. The Star Trek franchise is known to cover a wide range of genres under the guise of science fiction , and episodes have ranged from comedic to dramatic and everything in between. While the franchise does both comedy and drama very well, a subset that it only sometimes dives into are episodes that rely on horror, suspense, or just generally creepy storytelling.

Although "creepy" isn't a common genre for Star Trek episodes, Voyager had its fair share of storylines that ranged from unsettling to downright horrifying. The show accomplished this so effectively in part by being set in the Delta Quadrant, an uncharted region of space that gave Voyager more free rein to experiment and introduce new alien species to the franchise . Thanks to the inclusion of aliens like the Vidiians, or the introduction of Star Trek 's first Starfleet serial killer, Voyager 's cast of characters was thrust into some amazingly creepy episodes over the show's seven seasons.

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

Star trek: voyager season 3, episode 18.

Although "Darkling" is not a particularly well-liked Voyager episode, it is still a great example of the show's creepy storytelling. The episode mainly relied on imitating a literary classic, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , as its inspiration, centering on the Doctor (Robert Picardo) who developed a dark personality after altering his program. "Darkling" was unfavorably reviewed at the time of its release, mainly for some holes in the plot, but there is no denying that Picardo's performance as the dark Doctor is truly chilling , and the Jekyll and Hyde homage is fairly well-done overall.

The Haunting of Deck Twelve

Star trek: voyager season 6, episode 25.

Although not a particularly well-known Voyager episode, "The Haunting of Deck Twelve" used extremely by-the-book creepy storytelling. Many of the tropes employed in the plot, such as Neelix (Ethan Phillips) narrating the episode's "ghost" story to the Borg children while the power is out on the ship, are lifted right from the suspense genre. "The Haunting of Deck Twelve" is technically the definition of "creepy," but its storyline failed to capture audience imagination in the same way that other similar episodes did.

Persistence of Vision

Star trek: voyager season 2, episode 8.

Plagued by some truly bizarre moments — such as Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and B'Elanna's (Roxann Dawson) hallucinated romance — "Persistence of Vision" nonetheless delivered a fairly compelling and definitely unsettling storyline. The concept of a mysterious alien who was able to manipulate perception so completely as to fool all of Voyager 's crew into falling for elaborate visions is creepy enough. However, the fact that the crew never learned who the alien actually was or why he had targeted them added an unpleasant note to the episode's finale.

Waking Moments

Star trek: voyager season 4, episode 13.

Similarly to "Persistence of Vision," "Waking Moments" used the crew's perception of reality as the driving force behind the episode's unsettling story, this time in the context of not being able to tell the difference between dreams and reality. The alien antagonists in "Waking Moments" were some of Voyager 's creepiest by far, especially when they appeared out of nowhere to the crew during their dreams. Additionally, other moments, such as Janeway's nightmare about a table of dead crewmembers in the mess hall, had almost a jump-scare quality that enhanced the episode's chilling vibes .

Every Time Janeway Died In Star Trek

Star trek: voyager season 3, episode 12.

"Macrocosm" combined the horror of an unknown virus with a plot reminiscent of Alien to create a memorable and extremely disturbing Voyager episode. The macrovirus itself was the driving force behind the episode's creepy elements, although the CGI used to create it looks somewhat dated when viewed by modern-day standards. Still, the concept of a massive virus as "Macrocosm's" antagonist was highly unsettling , and Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) arming herself with a phaser rifle and roaming the ship commando-style to take out the virus was definitely the episode's highlight.

Star Trek: Voyager season 3, episode 15

Rather than visiting horror on all of Voyager 's crew, "Coda" focused on Captain Janeway, putting her through the wringer as she was caught up in a Groundhog Day -like cycle of dying and being resurrected. The episode's strength was undeniably Janeway as a character and the dive into her past when the alien antagonist appeared as her father was a great addition to help fill out her backstory. "Coda" also had some truly unsettling moments, such as when the Doctor euthanized Janeway after she supposedly contracted the Vidiian Phage, or when Janeway observed her own death and funeral as a ghost.

Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episode 1

A stunningly suspenseful episode, "Night" kicked off Voyager season 5 with a bang, following the USS Voyager as it traveled through a completely starless region of space. The creepiness of "Night" came mainly from what the crew dubbed "the Void" and the psychological effects the lack of life in the region had on everyone. Seeing Neelix suffering from panic attacks or Captain Janeway's despondency was truly unsettling, and the reveal of the Void's resident alien species was a wonderfully suspenseful sequence of scenes that relied on several jump-scares to make the episode even better.

Star Trek: Voyager season 1, episode 5

As one of Voyager 's earliest creepy episodes, "Phage" introduced a terrifying Star Trek villain into the show's canon. The Vidiians were the epitome of body horror, disfigured as they were by the Phage and also by their morally questionable way of keeping themselves alive. Although Voyager attempted to make the Vidiians at least somewhat sympathetic, "Phage" was a disturbing ride from start to finish, starting with the Vidiians removing Neelix's lungs during an away mission. Introducing such a creepy episode so early on in Voyager 's run set the tone for many of the show's other horror-related episodes going forward.

Star Trek: Voyager Made A Big Improvement Over The Worst TOS Episode

Star trek: voyager season 4, episode 5.

Episodes dealing with sentient holograms were something of a theme on Voyager thanks to the Doctor, but "Revulsion" took the concept in a decidedly more disturbing direction. The episode ended up being almost like a slasher film thanks to its antagonist Dejaren (Leland Orser), a hologram who was so disgusted with organic beings that he turned into a serial killer and murdered his entire crew. Dejaren was truly chilling, and the scenes where he attempted to kill B'Elanna, even reaching into her chest to try and crush her heart, went beyond creepy into genuinely nightmare-inducing .

Scientific Method

Star trek: voyager season 4, episode 7.

Unlike some of its more horrifying counterparts, "Scientific Method" is a great example of creepy rather than scary. That's not to say the episode isn't extremely unsettling, since the core of it centered around invisible aliens performing invasive experiments on Voyager 's crew without their knowledge. Forced medical experimentation is always an upsetting topic , and scenes like Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) finally seeing what the aliens were doing to the crew really drove home the horror of the episode's premise.

Star Trek: Voyager season 2, episode 16

"Meld" was another early-season episode with a majorly creepy plot, introducing Star Trek 's first Starfleet serial killer . Although Lon Suder (Brad Dourif) was the episode's main source of sinister, "Meld" introduced a twist by having one of Voyager 's main characters, Tuvok (Tim Russ), also display a dark side thanks to the mind meld he shared with Suder after the former Maquis was found guilty of murder. Suder carried the unsettling scenes in the first half, but Tuvok brilliantly took up the mantle in the second, and seeing the unflappable Vulcan utterly lose control over his darker impulses was terrifying.

Star Trek: Voyager season 1, episode 14

Although "Phage" introduced the Vidiians, "Faces" took the species to a newly horrifying level. There was likely no more horrigying scene in all of Voyager than the Vidiian antagonist Sulan (Brian Markinson) killing the expendable Lieutenant Durst and removing his face to wear over his own. Sulan was a wonderfully creepy villain, made all the more gruesome by the fact that he believed what he was doing was for the greater good . "Faces" was also a tour-de-force for B'Elanna Torres, giving Roxann Dawson the chance to act against herself as the two halves of B'Elanna's personality.

Voyager Took Star Trek: TOS's Good & Evil Kirk To Another Level

Star trek: voyager season 2, episode 23.

With a cadre of great guest stars, including Michael McKean as the terrifying Clown, "The Thaw" drew on multiple means of scaring viewers. Thanks to a villain who was quite literally the embodiment of fear , the episode beautifully played with themes of the subconscious. Creepy clowns are a staple in the horror genre, and McKean's version was just as unsettling as any from classic horror lore. The ending scene of "The Thaw," which sees Captain Janeway beat the Clown at his own game, was also one of the most intense moments in Voyager history.

Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 25

Seven of Nine was the subject of some unforgettable Voyager episodes, but "One" is perhaps her finest performance. The episode focused on the psychological horror of isolation, something that was uniquely suited to Seven given her history with the Borg . As she was forced to pilot Voyager across a nebula alone while the whole crew was in stasis, Seven's nightmare of being completely alone became a reality. "One" played masterfully with the viewer's perception of what was and wasn't real, leading Seven to question everything as she became increasingly more disturbed by the effects her isolation was having on her.

Equinox, Parts 1&2

Star trek: voyager season 6, episode 26, and season 7, episode 1.

"Equinox" is not only one of Star Trek: Voyager 's best episodes but also the show's creepiest by far. The episode combined multiple unsettling factors, including a deadly alien species that was impossible to communicate with. However, "Equinox" actually made the audience feel bad for these aliens when faced with the crew of the USS Equinox's callous disregard for their lives. The Equinox crew committed some astonishing atrocities by using the murdered aliens's corpses to help fuel their ship, and the myriad moral dilemmas the episode raised were beautifully interwoven with an action-packed plot and stellar acting from the cast.

All episodes of Star Trek: Voyager are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Voyager

The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they've never faced before. 

Cast Jennifer Lien, Garrett Wang, Tim Russ, Robert Duncan McNeill, Roxann Dawson, Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo

Release Date May 23, 1995

Genres Sci-Fi, Adventure

Network UPN

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Showrunner Kenneth Biller, Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Brannon Braga

Rating TV-PG

Star Trek: Voyager’s 15 Creepiest Episodes, Ranked Worst To Best

Screen Rant

Star trek gave voyager's emh doctor the perfect ending.

The EMH was one of Star Trek: Voyager's most popular characters, and now his fate after Voyager returned has been revealed.

Star Trek has confirmed the Emergency Medical Hologram’s awesome post- Voyager fate. The Emergency Medical Hologram, or EMH, was one of Voyager’s most popular characters, thanks in part to his compelling story arc. Fans watched the EMH bloom and become a fully-realized person on his own, and in Star Trek: Lower Decks #3 , published by IDW, his post- Voyager whereabouts are revealed.

Star Trek: Lower Decks #3 , written by Ryan North and drawn by Chris Fenoglio, has revealed what happened to the EMH once Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant. In the comic, an accident has given a holographic version of Dracula sentience , and for most of the miniseries, the crew has debated what to do with him. As the crew fight off a Qvanti ship, Dracula volunteers to help the Cerritos fight. After the dust settles, Dracula is the hero of the battle. The issue ends with Dracula leaving the ship for Starfleet’s Emergency Holographic Academy. Designed for sentient holograms, most of them resembling characters from fiction, it is taught by Voyager’s EMH.

Related: Star Trek Reveals Lore’s Fate Between His Borg Insurrection & Picard

Voyager's EMH Helps Holograms Who Have Gained Sentience

Played by Robert Picardo, the EMH was an innovation introduced in Star Trek: Voyager . As the name implies, he is a hologram designed to supplement a ship’s regular medical staff in times of emergency. When Voyager was pulled 75,000 light years into the remote Delta Quadrant, the ship’s Chief Medical Officer was killed, as were most of the medical personnel, and Voyager’s EMH suddenly found himself the ship’s acting CMO. Over the next seven seasons, the EMH grew as a character and as a person - fans cheered as he became more and more in touch with his humanity. Over time, the EMH gained sentience and began to advocate for holographic rights. The EMH (or "the Doctor" as he was sometimes called) had one of the best character arcs in Star Trek history, but had not been seen since the show concluded in 2001.

The Academy is the Perfect Place for Voyager's EMH

The EMH and Dracula are far from the only sentient holograms in the Star Trek universe; The Next Generation introduced Professor Moriarty and Deep Space Nine had lounge singer Vic Fontaine. Many of these holograms gained sentience thanks to accidents; stories of the holodeck run amok were popular among the Berman-era Trek shows and Lower Decks is calling it out. By creating the Emergency Holographic Academy, Starfleet and the Federation are giving these sentient holograms somewhere to go and more importantly, helping them acclimatize - keeping in line with Star Trek’s inclusive spirit.

And putting Voyager’s EMH in charge is the perfect culmination of his character arc. As the show, and the EMH, progressed, he became more and more concerned with the rights of his fellow holograms, even going as far as to write a novel about it. Newer Trek shows have steered away from the holodeck tropes common in earlier incarnations, meaning fans did not know if his crusade was successful or not. However, Star Trek has confirmed his efforts paid off, as the EMH now works with other sentient holograms, helping them find their way in the universe in the same fashion Voyager helped him.

Star Trek: 10 Most Overused Plot Tropes

Let's take a look at some recurring plots that've come to define Star Trek!

star trek we're the only ship in range, captain

Star Trek has been around for so long that it's forgivable for it to slightly reuse plots from time to time, such as the Voyager episode Author, Author that plays out very similar to the Next Generation episode The Measure Of A Man, both episodes featuring an artificial lifeform (Data and The Doctor) fighting for their freedom as sentient beings, not the property of Starfleet. In Star Trek: Picard we see the continuation of this story with other synthetic lifeforms.

However, there are certain plot ideas that have been reused so much that they have become tropes. Moments that define Star Trek, and can be found across nearly all shows of the franchise.

From things that prevent their technology from easily saving the day, to rehashed ideas for conflicts, to repeated filler moments, this list will be counting down ten of the most egregious examples of Star Trek plot tropes throughout the franchise's history.

10. Characters Meeting Alternate Versions Of Themselves

star trek we're the only ship in range, captain

Most fans are familiar with the mirror universe. This alternate reality where humanity rules the galaxy with an iron fist and subjugates all alien life has appeared on Star Trek: Enterprise, The Original Series, Deep Space Nine, and Discovery, and shows audiences a darker, more sinister reality devoid of Starfleet's morals.

There are also many other alternate versions of characters that pop up throughout the franchise. In the Next Generation episode, Second Chances, we learn that Riker was inadvertently duplicated through a transporter glitch. His duplicate was left alone on the planet as the ship warped away carrying the other Riker and was forced to survive on his own for eight years. Another example is the clone of Picard, Shinzon, created by the Romulans, who assassinated the Romulan senate and made a plan to annihilate Starfleet.

Other notable copies include Admiral Janeway from the alternate future in the last episode of Voyager, all of the characters from the reboot movie timeline, and many more. This trope appears constantly in Trek and gives us insight into how the characters we know and love would've been different if they'd had different lives.

Marcia Fry is a writer for WhatCulture and an amateur filmmaker.

Den of Geek

Why Star Trek Needs to Forget Section 31

Modern Star Trek writers sure love Section 31. But they really shouldn't focus so much on Starfleet's cynical shadow.

tv tropes star trek voyager

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Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Georgiou in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 3

In 1966, Gene Roddenberry and his co-creators gave the world Star Trek , an adventure series that imagined humanity overcoming its racist and sexist and class divisions, which inaugurated a new age of exploration. Corny? Sure. Imperfect? Of course. But that fundamental optimism remains a key aspect of Star Trek , presenting a challenge to those future creators tasked with keeping the franchise alive beyond the years of its birth.

That doesn’t mean the optimism can’t be challenged or re-contextualized. Indeed, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did exactly that, and many put that series at the top of their franchise rankings. But Deep Space Nine also introduced Section 31, a black ops organization within Starfleet and the darkest alternative to Star Trek optimism this side of the Terran Empire.

Sadly, later Trek creators have jumped onto the Section 31 concept, resulting in darker, much more pessimistic (and paranoid) stories that forget the best parts of great Star Trek adventures.

The Secret Origin of Section 31

Starfleet has always had its offshoot divisions, such as the Exploratory Division or Stellar Imaging Division, both commemorated on starship plaques. But Section 31 operates differently as an independent division that’s almost totally unknown to the rest of Starfleet.

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Section 31 first reared its head in the Deep Space Nine season six episode “Inquisition,” written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle and directed by Michael Dorn . Posing as Starfleet Internal Affairs, Luther Sloan attempts to recruit Bashir into Section 31, first by charging the Doctor with passing secrets to the Dominion and later by blackmailing him with evidence of his augments.

Played by character actor great William Sadler, Sloan became a regular feature in the final two seasons of Deep Space Nine , as did Section 31. The organization made sense in that series as the farthest limit that Starfleet would go to protect its vaunted ideals during a time of war. Even if the actual mechanics didn’t make sense (seriously, no one noticed or remembered these guys walking around Federation ships?), it worked on a thematic level for the show. Yes, Sisko could live with moral compromises in pursuit of protecting the rest of the Federation, but Section 31 showed both the extreme end and the limit for him.

In other words, Section 31 played a specific role within the specific circumstances of Deep Space Nine . The show put Starfleet in a totally new situation, pitting humanity against an enemy unlike any other. Showrunner Ira Steven Behr and the writers put Starfleet and Federation principles to the test. Although Sisko and his crew fell short of that test time and again, Section 31 stood as a reminder of what Starfleet would become if they ultimately failed.

That function is most pronounced in the resolution to the Dominion War. In the final episodes of DS9 , Bashir discovers that the virus killing the Founders came from Section 31. Sloan had his team develop the virus and inject it into Odo while the Changeling was in Starfleet Medical care. When Odo joined the remaining Changelings in the Great Link, he spread the virus to them.

To hear Sloan tell it, the virus plot was necessary, as Starfleet and the Federation would be destroyed by the Dominion. When they fell, all their ideals would die with them. Sloan saw himself as an ironic hero, one who protects Starfleet and the Federation by violating its principles.

So devoted to this concept was Sloan that he committed suicide before Bashir could find a way to cure the virus. Rather than accepting defeat, Bashir maintained that most important of Federation ideals. He kept hope. He and Chief O’Brien worked tirelessly to find a cure, saving not only their friend Odo but what was left of the Changelings in the Great Link.

In short, DS9 showed Starfleet rejecting Section 31 and all it stood for. The series did not bring on Section 31 for cool action and edgy stories, but to reinforce the importance of Starfleet ideals. If only the rest of Trek did the same.

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Star Trek (Deeper) Into Darkness

Things didn’t get too far out of hand, at first.

To retroactively explain the difference between Klingons on The Original Series and Klingons on The Next Generation , the Enterprise two-parter “Affliction” and “Divergence” had a reason to bring back Section 31. In this story, the secret division kidnaps Doctor Phlox to heal the augment virus (which is why the TOS Klingons look different) and gain an edge over Starfleet’s rival empire.

Again, no one necessarily needed an explanation (and the weird Discovery Klingons threw that all out the window anyway), but if you’re going to explain it, then Section 31 makes sense. Plus, the episode reveals Malcolm Reed’s association with the organization, which helped flesh out his character a bit more — something that anyone who wasn’t Archer, T’Pol, or Trip desperately needed. We can even accept Section 31 Harris showing up in later episodes to sabotage the proto-Federation.

The true problems with Section 31 became clear in the J. J. Abrams reboot movies. The 2009 Star Trek gets by with a breathless pace and glossy filmmaking, ensuring that everyone is having too much fun to get upset about the many shortcomings in the script by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman .

But the wrongheaded 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness positioned Section 31 as the movie’s big bad. Not only is Section 31 head Admiral Marcus the movie’s ultimate villain but the Kelvin Universe Khan Noonien Singh is a Section 31 agent, operating under the name John Harrison. The organization allowed Abrams and returning Orci and Kurtzman, now joined by Damon Lindelof , to indulge in the darker side of Trek , leaving behind the shiny optimism of the TOS -era they claimed to adapt.

Disastrous as Star Trek Into Darkness was, Kurtzman carried those ideals into his tenure as franchise head. For all of its wonderful weirdness, Star Trek: Discovery also really leaned into being dark and edgy in its first two, weaker seasons, focusing on the Mirror Universe for season one and then Section 31 in season two. Heck, it combined the two by making deposed Terran Emperor Philippa Georgiou into a Section 31 agent in the Prime Universe.

After the Discovery shoots into the future for its third season, Section 31 gets left behind (but not the secret forces undermining the Federation). But the division has popped in other new Trek shows since, albeit as a joke on Lower Decks . Even the largely upbeat third season of Picard could not resist invoking Section 31 in its DS9 callbacks, using Changelings who suffered the division’s experimentations during the Dominion War as secondary antagonists.

Still, despite the beauty of having Michelle Yeoh in the Star Trek universe, the prospect of a Section 31 movie starring her Georgiou seems more like a threat than a promise.

The Limits of Section 31

Section 31 defenders will insist that because the division has been involved in some good stories, which justifies the increased attention over the years. Indeed, the story of Trek is, in many ways, the story of exploring initially underserved aspects of the universe, whether it be characters such as Data and Seven of Nine or the Federation itself. Heck, the holodeck/holosuite episodes or the musical episode of Strange New Worlds are all extensions of the Earth-like planets that the Enterprise visited for budget reasons in TOS .

However, those worthy off-shoots worked because they lent themselves to the type of storytelling that Trek does best: fundamentally optimistic, about people overcoming their fear and prejudice to work together. As most time-travel episodes demonstrate, the optimism of Trek stands contrary to our current skeptical age. Darker, more grounded stories have more immediacy and can be more powerful, which is why Battlestar Galactica outdid Enterprise in the 2000s.

But as the world gets worse and the ideals of peace-seeking, community, and overcoming xenophobia become harder to see, Trek optimism grows all the more important. For all of his flaws, Roddenberry’s initial vision of humanity working together still resonates and is even more necessary today.

To be clear, I’m not saying that Section 31 should never come up again. However, it does present a temptation to Trek writers who can’t do the hard work of telling good stories in an optimistic future. Section 31 allows them to fall back on easy tropes about secrets and conflict, which work great in other settings, but undermine Trek .

Writers need to put Section 31 on the shelf for a while and explore other aspects of the universe, aspects that give us the hope we so desperately need today. And when they bring back the division, it should be used like it was in Deep Space Nine , as a limit that we cannot reach, a warning against the compromises we’re so often tempted to make.

Only then can Section 31 fit within the hopeful, unlikely, but oh-so-needed world of Star Trek .

Star Trek: Section 31, a streaming movie starring Michelle Yeoh, is currently in production and is set to release on Paramount+.

Joe George

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

COMMENTS

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