The two-parter “Scorpion” changed everything for Voyager, and it could have been so much worse. On the surface, “Scorpion” sounds like a desperate ploy to give the fledgling series some urgency, bringing back the Borg, introducing the much-hyped all-CGI alien, and adding a sexy robot lady in the form of Seven of Nine. Taking its name from the fable about the follies of trusting something dangerous, “Scorpian” follows Voyager‘s decision to team with the Borg to survive an attack by Species-8472.
By itself, “Scorpion” is a good episode that doesn’t quite live up to its own hype. The Borg aren’t as scary as they used to be, the effects for Species-8472 look cornier than anything from TOS, and Seven of Nine is initially just there to be attractive. Still, there’s a desperation in the crew that we rarely see elsewhere, and the shift in quality that “Scorpion” marks makes it a can’t-miss entry in the series.
11. Mortal Coil
Season 4 Episode 12
No character in all of Voyager — heck, in all of Star Trek — has undergone as drastic a rehabilitation as Neelix. For the first two seasons, Neelix was unbearable, an insecure and obnoxious jerk, especially when controlling his two-year-old girlfriend Kes. But after he and Kes broke up, writers finally gave Ethan Phillips room to use his innate likability, making Neelix one of the best characters on the series.
Helping that transformation is season four’s “Mortal Coil,” which begins with Neelix’s death. After being revived by the Doctor, Neelix undergoes a crisis of faith, shaken by the fact that nothing greeted him in the afterlife. What could be an easy and cynical attempt to darken a lighthearted character is, in fact, a deft character study, grounded in emotion, as Neelix considers for the first time the meaning of a life that ends in death. The fact that he comes out with his kindness and cheerfulness reinforced is a testament to Neelix as a character.
10. Tuvix
Season 2 Episode 24
