Well, the new season has begun, and it began with a wimper. The Kazon lost the Voyager (big surprise), Ensign Suitor died (a mistake), and Seska died (a bigger mistake). Janeway finally took a convincing role of authority after the Voyager was recovered. The only saving grace of this episode was the cool looking worm creature that ate two crew members. Otherwise, it was predictable. Hopefully, this will not become the norm for Voyager.

The second episode of the season included the crew of the USS Excelcior (as seen in ST-VI). Tuvok was suffering from the emergence of a repressed memory. He and Janeway mind-melded and visited Tuvok's memories of the Excelcior in an effort to release the memory before it killed Tuvok. The premise was pretty cool, and it did give the audience the flavor of the classic series, but I would not call this one of Voyager's best episodes.

On September 18, "The Chute" had Kim and Paris imprisoned for terrorism in a horrific prison. While on an Akritirian planet, Kim and Paris are believed to be members of the Open Sky terrorist group and are arrested, tried and convicted of planting a trilithium-based bomb. Before they know it, they are piled into a dark, impenetrable prison at the end of a mysterious chute. Kim tries to devise an escape and protect a severely injured Paris who has been stabbed by a ranting prisoner. But they realize that, like each crazed inmate, they are fitted with a clamp which causes each man to slowly kill one another. Meanwhile, Janeway tried to prove their innocence.

It was a pretty good episode, but I missed the end because of technical difficulties (my VCR ran out of tape).

The 25th was an episode called "The Swarm." The doctor began to degenerate mentally while the crew had to sneak through hostile alien space. The action was good, and the doctor's dilemma was intriguing, but like too many Voyager episodes of the past, the resolution was incredibly clean (the doctor is just fine, now) and the ship got away from the "Swarm" of alien ships without any furthur "Swarm" attacks. It would be a shame if the doctor's character doesn't develop in a new direction because of the events of this episode.

False Profits aired on October 2nd. When Voyager detected replicator technology and Alpha Quadrant inhabitants (the two Ferengi lost in TNG) on a nearby planet, Chakotay and Paris transported there to find an impoverished, stuggling society. They soon found a palatial temple and two Ferengi -- Arridor and Kol -- decked out in silk and gold jewels who were passing themselves off as demigods to the people there. Chakotay and Paris -- with the help of Neelix -- thwarted them. The Voyager and her crew, in the meantime, tried to lure one end of the unstable wormhole back to the Delta quadrent (as seen in TNG, the other end is stable and in the Alpha quadrent) so they could get home. Of course, the Ferengi unwittingly destabilize the wormhole so Voyager remains stranded in the Delta quadrent.

This episode was amusing, but that was all. Voyager needs to have more origional adventures and dilemas rather than tying up all of "Next Gen's" loose ends.

Remember was on October 9. The Voyager crew picked up passengers from their homeworld Enara Prime and learned of their telepathic ability. Before long, Lieutenant Torres began having intense, sensuous dreams of herself as a young girl involved in a forbidden romance with Dathan, a member of the Regressives, a subgroup which once resisted Enaran technology. The dreams turned haunting for Torres as the young girl's father Jareth, participated in a resettlement of the Regressives -- and eventually their total extermination. Strongly affected by the horrible visions, Torres realized that the Enarans concealed part of their history from their descendants and that one of them aboard Voyager doesn't want her buried memories to die.

The episode reminded me a lot of TNG's episode "Violations" as well as the Nazi denial of the Holocost. I actually enjoyed this episode, even though it was drawn out. Janeway also proves herself to be a poor diplomat when she lets Torres rant and rave in front of the Enarans.

October 30 -- "Sacred Ground": Kes is left for dead after she enters a sacred shrine on the Nechani homeworld and is hit by a mysterious energy burst. The Nechani explain to Janeway that monks receive purification of their souls in the shrine and the spirits have punished Kes for trespassing. While Neelix researches the shrine and the ritual the monks undergo there, Janeway undergoes the arduous rite of passage herself. Although she is certain there's a scientific reason for the energy burst, she hopes to beg to the mercy of the "spirits" and save Kes.

This was one of the coolest episodes I've seen of Voyager because it caused me to question "faith." I hope Voyager brings us more of this kind of writing.

November 6 -- "Future's End": Captain Braxton of the 29th century Timeship Aeon hails Janeway and crew to inform them that the U.S.S. Voyager is responsible for a catastrophe in his century and he's come back in time to prevent that occurrence by destroying them. The Starfleet crew is forced to engage him and, although they're equipped with only 24th century technology, they're able to partially disable his weapons. Suddenly the starship Voyager is pulled into a spatial rift which transverses them across the galaxy to the Alpha Quadrant. They are stunned to find they're back home above Earth, only in the wrong time--1996.

All I can say is...WOW!! I couldn't believe how good this episode was. Voyager took a trek cliche' (time travel) and made it exciting and fresh. There were numerous technical flaws (like the skull and crossbones on the crashed computer), but the story more than made up for them! I'm looking forward to the second part!!!

November 13 -- "Future's End, Part II": While the U.S.S. Voyager orbits above North America with its weapons and long range transporters disabled, Tuvok and Paris are missing in Los Angeles and must enlist the help of young astronomer Rain Robinson and use cellular telephone technology to communicate with their crew. Meanwhile, corrupt computer magnate Henry Starling accesses Voyager's computer system and downloads The Doctor's program, holds him hostage and reconfigures him with 29th century technology.

The second part was even better than the first!! They have finally solved the doctor's "mobility" problem and they killed the bad guy in the process. There was also an encounter with a group resembling the Montana Freemen. I hope Voyager can keep up the great storytelling. There is hope for the series yet. (The Temporal Prime Directive...nice touch!!)

Upcoming Episodes:

November 20 -- "Warlord": As The Doctor and Kes treat three injured aliens whose ship was detected adrift in space, one of them -- an egomaniacal political extremist named Tieran -- dies, but not before he transfers his own mind to the body of Kes, controlling her and accessing her own Ocampan powers. Then, Kes/Tieran launches a shuttlecraft and makes a coup attempt on his home planet of Ilari.

November 27 -- "The Q and the Grey": While the Voyager crew witnesses several rare supernova explosions, Q arrives in the Captain's quarters to implore the outraged Janeway to conceive his child. Q pursues the uninterested Janeway just as a jealous female Q appears to bring Q back to the Continuum. While the U.S.S. Voyager is deluged by shock waves from the supernovas, Q escapes to the Continuum with Janeway in tow, leaving the female Q bereft of her powers aboard a stranded starship Voyager.

The Kazon will be left behind. There are no plans to resolve the tension between Janeway and Chakotay.