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Star Trek: Voyager reviews — season 1

Star Trek: Voyager — 1x01 — Caretaker, Part I

Synopsis

The crew of the U.S.S. Voyager is taken far from home.

Remarkable scenes

  • Chakotay Torres and Tuvok in the Maquis ship in the opening scene.
  • Voyager docked at DS9.
  • Quark's scene trying to sell Harry Kim worthless junk. I love Harry's faux pas.
  • Janeway: "Mr. Kim. At ease before you sprain something."
  • The ship being thrown into the Delta quadrant.
  • The doctor's introduction.
  • Caretaker: "Oh! Well aren't you contentious for a minor bipedal species!"
  • Torres to Kim: "I don't find this at all amusing, Starfleet."
  • The final scene: Janeway and Tuvok in the ready room.
  • Morn appearances; 1. Quark's bar during the scene where Quark tries to sell worthless junk to Harry Kim. Quark says that he acquired his very strange crystals from a creature called "Morn". ;)

Review

This is probably the best of all the pilot episodes. Not only does it give a worthy introduction to every character, but it's a highly exciting episode. One thing that sets this pilot apart from the others is that the crew is thrown directly into some major action right at the beginning. Several high ranking officers are killed right at the beginning too, such as the first officer, the chief engineer, and the doctor. That's a considerable loss for any Starship. Imagine what Picard would do if he lost Riker, Geordi, and Beverly all at once! Another interesting thing, so far every Star Trek pilot episode has involved superior alien beings putting humans through some kind of test. First Captain Pike in TOS: The Cage being tested by the illusion aliens, then Picard in TNG: Encounter at Farpoint being tested by Q, then Sisko in DS9: Emissary being tested by the Prophets, and now the crew of Voyager, specifically Kim and Torres being tested by the Caretaker. A great first part to a two parter and a great pilot episode.