Voyager Revisited

Hugo Award-winner Frank Wu comes back to the podcast to talk about another big story featuring the Borg Queen. We discuss the merits of Seven’s love interest, the advisability of getting assimilated on purpose, and (our favorite subject) why Harry Kim keeps getting dissed. Even the Borg Queen zings him. Jean MacDonald with Frank Wu.

In the latest of our two-part Voyager stories, we spend quality time with the Borg Queen and returning podcast guest Tammy Coron. We discuss about Seven’s childhood and why the promise of connection in the collective would be so seductive. And we rank the mother figures in Seven’s life. (Her dad gets a failing grade.) Jean MacDonald with Tammy Coron.

Jeff Gamet, tech journalist, podcaster, and big fan of Star Trek, returns to Voyager Revisited to discuss The Killing Game, a two-part story from Season 4 that lets us really get to know those scary Delta Quadrant bad guys, the Hirogen. It’s another great two-parter, in which we see our crew used as playthings for the Hirogen, whose only purpose is to hunt. Janeway is a French Underground leader, Seven is a torch singer, and Neelix is a badass Klingon, thanks to the holodeck. But we reserve our highest praise for Harry Kim, who had to heroically manage the ship and outwit the Hirogen. That guy deserves a promotion. Jean MacDonald with Jeff Gamet.

Don’t be alarmed! This is not a temporal incursion. Year of Hell is one of the most admired episodes of Voyager. One year ago, on episode 19 of this podcast, software developer and podcaster Tammy Coron was our guest. We were six months into the pandemic, and Year of Hell really struck home for both of us. Tammy’s situation especially, being flung into a pandemic with an unexpectedly extended family, was akin to Captain Janeway’s challenges in the Delta Quadrant. And like Janeway, we don’t know how long it will take, but we are still on a mission to see everyone through. We’re re-releasing this episode so that it’s in chronological order with the rest of the two-parters.. Enjoy this for the first time, enjoy a relisten, or skip to the next podcast episode, which will be all about the scary Hirogen. Jean MacDonald with Tammy Coron.

John Chidgey, engineer, podcaster, and big fan of Seven of Nine, returns to Voyager Revisited to discuss Scorpion, the two-part story that concludes Season 3 and opens Season 4. Scorpion is best known for the introduction of Seven, but on this rewatch, we notice that Seven doesn’t even appear until Part 2, and that the strain in the working relationship between Janeway and Chakotay is a key part of this story. Jean MacDonald with John Chidgey.

We are covering all the two-part stories in Voyager. They are all excellent. The Voyager crew return to Earth.

We are covering all the two-part stories in Voyager. They are all excellent. We’ve already done Caretaker (“Invitation to a Holographic Hoedown”). Next up is Basics, in which the Kazon, under Seska’s treacherous leadership, take over Voyager, maroon the crew on a primitive planet, and find that they are no match for a hologram and sociopath. Casey Liss of The Accidental Tech Podcast joins us for this classic Star Trek action adventure story. Jean MacDonald with Casey Liss.

We’re celebrating the 30th anniversary Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country this week on The Incomparable network. Have a listen to not one but two panels, on the mothership episode and on Random Trek. Then come back here for the two podcasters missing from those panels as we take a deeper dive into the Vulcan who was missing from the film, Voyager’s own Tuvok. Flashback (S3E2) was itself a 30th anniversary homage to the original series. Tuvok returns to the Excelsior, serving under Captain Sulu, and turns out it’s Tuvok who served Sulu that iconic cup of tea from Star Trek VI opening scene. James Thomson, regular panelist at The Incomparable and developer of famous software programs, is our guest. Jean MacDonald with James Thomson.

Psychotherapist and host of a weekly tech and culture show, Georgia Dow talks about the mental health consequences for the Voyager crew as they travel through a large swath of space empty of stars, planets, and other ships. In “Night,” Janeway obsessively dwells on her decision that stranded Voyager in the Delta quadrant four years earlier. The rest of the crew also experiences the deleterious effects of nothing new to see or do, ranging from constant bickering to panic attacks. Jean MacDonald with Georgia Dow.

Podcaster and comic con host Moisés Chiullán returns to the podcast for a romance-themed episode inspired by Valentine’s Day. We watch the classic episode “Resolutions” which finds Janeway and Chakotay stranded on a planet together, possibly for the rest of their lives, left to fend for themselves. They do have prefab housing, scientific equipment, a replicator and other tech, but only each other (and one inconvenient monkey) for company. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew hates Acting Captain Tuvok for leaving the pair behind, even though he is totally right. Jean MacDonald with Moisés Chiullan.

This episode’s guest is Bob MacDonald Sr., self-proclaimed 85-year-old codger, retired teacher, and the man who bought our family a color TV so we could watch Star Trek when it first aired in 1966. We talk about space mission launches we witnessed in our home state of Florida, I try to explain the multitude of new Trek series, and I fail completely to turn him into a fan of Voyager and Captain Janeway. Jean MacDonald with Bob MacDonald, Sr..

Shelly Brisbin is the latest guest. She’s a fan of B’Elanna Torres and The Doctor, so we chose Revulsion (S4E5) for our homework. The story of the lonely hologram, stranded on a ship by himself, is one of the best Voyager episodes, with Torres and The Doctor forming an away team to help repair both the ship and the holographic matrix. But something is wrong, which leads to a tense and fascinating story. Guest star Leland Orser is one of the best in the Voyager series, with a creepy performance as the “isomorph” Dejaren, who resists The Doctor’s optimistic attitude towards humans. This episode is also known for Seven of Nine’s matter-of-fact rebuff of Harry Kim’s attempts to woo her as they begin work on the new astrometrics lab, and if you are a fan of Tom + B’Elanna, there’s a key moment in their newly-acknowledged attraction for each other. Jean MacDonald with Shelly Brisbin.

Star Trek is giving some attention to the junior crew this year in Lower Decks, the animated series available on CBS All Access. In this episode of Voyager Revisited, our homework was to watch Good Shepherd (S6E20), in which Janeway gives some attention to three misfits by leading them on their first away mission. Return guest Miraz Jordan suggested this focus on the crew that we don’t usually see, and we both enjoyed it! (Special bonus celebrity sighting: Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine has a brief cameo.) Jean MacDonald with Miraz Jordan.

Tammy Coron, software developer, author and podcaster, comes back to Voyager Revisited to discuss Janeway again. Tammy appeared on our second episode, “What Would Janeway Do?” We continue to take lessons from Voyager’s captain, this time examining Janeway’s leadership style under extreme duress, and we glean some inspiration for our own extraordinary challenges this year. Jean MacDonald with Tammy Coron.

James Dempsey returns to Voyager Revisited to chat about our favorite Talaxian, Neelix. This week’s homework, Rise (S3E19), gives us a chance to appreciate the challenges that Neelix has overcome, making his characteristic sunny disposition even more remarkable. But there is only so much sniping he can tolerate from his Vulcan commanding officer Tuvok as they attempt to rescue themselves after a shuttle crash. The episode is a classic action adventure story, mixed with bits of the classic whodunit. Jean MacDonald with James Dempsey.

Playwright David J. Loehr, fellow podcaster on The Incomparable network, discusses one of his favorite episodes of Star Trek ever: Bride of Chaotica! (Yes, the title has an exclamation point.) David has a deep love of the 1930s serial adventure form, so it’s a treat to listen as he admires all the beautiful touches which elevate the episode well above a typical holodeck shenanigans story. When Captain Janeway must play Arachnia, Queen of the Spider People, to prevent a war between photonic aliens and Chaotica’s Army of Evil, it is a fun romp for the crew and the fans. Jean MacDonald with David J. Loehr.

Frank Wu is back! Besides being a Hugo Award winning artist, Frank holds a Ph.D. in Bacterial Genetics. He’s the perfect guest to analyze—and criticize—the Vidiian scientists and their method for finding a cure for that debilitating and disfiguring curse known as The Phage. With his genetics expertise, Frank also explains how unlikely it would be to successfully divide B’Elanna Torres into two individuals. Jean questions whether Klingon B’Elanna would actually know how to replicate a soufflé, and whether Human B’Elanna would have ever dared apply to the Starfleet Academy. Finally, Frank proposes a new field of science, Zoocryptoxenophrenology. Jean MacDonald with Frank Wu.

We finally set our sights on Tom Paris. I admit that gingers are my weakness, so I’ve always had a bit of a crush on Paris. Jeff Gamet of Smile Software and former editor at The MacObserver (who happens to be a ginger) is this episode’s guest as we talk about what makes Paris tick, and why his character is redeemable. This episode’s homework is “Thirty Days,” which shows us how Paris gets demoted and confined to the brig. So even if you don’t like Tom, maybe you’ll enjoy watching him be dressed down by a very angry Captain Janeway. (Many thanks and a Jiballian fudge cake to Brian Hamilton for editing this episode!)

Dreadnought, Season 2, Episode 17 - Miraz Jordan, a writer, educator, and longtime Mac nerd who lives in New Zealand joins Jean to talk about one of our favorite crew members, B’Elanna Torres. The homework for this episode is to watch Dreadnought, a brilliant showcase of B’Elanna’s engineering skills. We talk about how the missile is such a perfect foil for B’Elanna strengths and foibles, and how her deep insecurities about doing the right thing set her back. Host Jean MacDonald with Miraz Jordan.

PICARD, FROM A VOYAGER FAN POINT OF VIEW - STAR TREK: PICARD SPOILERS ABOUND! On a special episode of Voyager Revisited, Brianna Wu returns to discuss the new Picard series, which just wrapped, from Voyager fan point of view. Of course we talk about Seven Of Nine’s new incarnation as badass Fenris Ranger; we imagine how Robert Picardo and the Voyager EMH might have been integrated into Picard; and we complain about the short shrift accorded a favorite Voyager character. Host Jean MacDonald with Brianna Wu.

Season 3 Episode 12 Macrocosm - Why spend all our time watching a virus on the news when we could watch a virus on Voyager? A virus that mutates and grows to be huge. Bonus: our Captain really kicks virus ass. If only we had antigen bombs in the 21st century. Joe Rosensteel is here to wade through the gooey moments of this Alien-style scary story. Is this an escapist romp suitable for self-quarantine viewing, or a bit too close to home? It depends on how much you’ll enjoy a bad ass Janeway in a tank top blasting these viruses into smithereens! We wish all our listeners, as the Tak Tak say, “Good health. Strong body. Pure mind.” Host Jean MacDonald with Joe Rosensteel.

Nightgale, Season 7, Episode 8 - In the latest of our character-focused episodes, Frank Wu joins Jean to talk about Harry Kim. Frank is a four-time Hugo Award winning artist, who recently designed the bookcover for the Klingon translation of The Art of War. He is a super enthusiastic fan of all things Star Trek. We touch on some of the issues related to Asian representation in Kim’s character. Kim is possibly the least upwardly-mobile Starfleet officer ever, having spent at least 7 years as an ensign. For this episode, we watch “Nightingale” (S7E8), in which Harry gets his chance to take over as captain of a alien medical ship under fire. It’s fun to see Harry in charge, despite Seven’s borgsplaining, but WARNING: to enjoy this episode, you must fast-forward through the B plot. (Sorry, Icheb, but yikes!) Host Jean MacDonald with Frank Wu.

Initiations, Season 2, Episode 2 - Podcaster and comic con host Moisés Chiullán joins Jean to talk about Star Trek’s first Native American main character and a great first officer, Chakotay. We also chose to focus on the episode “Initiations,” in which Chakotay is ensnared in a Kazon rite of passage, to pay tribute to Aron Eisenberg, best known for portraying Nog on Deep Space Nine for seven seasons. Eisenberg passed away this fall at the age of 50. As Robert Beltran noted, “We both had a good time. Aron’s a lot of fun to work with. He’s got a wide range and he can do a lot of things.” RIP, Aron. Host Jean MacDonald with Moisés Chiullan.

Gravity, Season 5, Episode 13 - Our guest this week is prolific podcaster from Trek.fm, Justin Oser, who co-hosts Earl Grey and The Line, the latter focused on the new Picard series. Given Seven Of Nine’s return in Picard, Justin’s been rewatching Voyager and recently watched one of our favorite episodes, Gravity (S5E13). Rewatching together gave us a chance to talk about another favorite character, the Vulcan Tuvok, played by Tim Russ, and one of the great series guest stars, Lori Petty, whose character falls in love with him. Host Jean MacDonald with Justin Oser.

The Voyager Conspiracy, Season 6, Episode 9 - Photonic fleas, be free! In this episode, Australian engineer and podcaster John Chidgey comes aboard to make the case for The Voyager Conspiracy (S6E9) as one of the must-watch Voyager episodes on Jean’s Voyager Viewer’s Guide. He argues that it is a crucial moment in the relationship between Captain Janeway and Seven Of Nine, whereas Jean labeled it as a “skip, unless you’re interested.” (Bonus: there are some great moments for Janeway-Chakotary shippers.) Host Jean MacDonald with John Chidgey.

Voyager Revisited, Author, Author - On this episode, Jean talks to Barbara Greenberg, a publishing professional who provides editorial services to publishing houses and independent authors, an avid sci-fi reader, and a huge fan of Star Trek since 1966. Barbara and Jean met in the 1990s, when they both worked in book publishing and have been BFFs ever since. Because of Jean has been laid up by knee surgery, Barbara traveled to Portland from NYC to spend a week helping out. This episode, the first one since Jean’s mishap in Trieste, was recorded with a makeshift setup on the bed. For this episode, we chose “Author, Author” (S7E20), given our shared history in the publishing biz. The Doctor’s holonovel creates bad feelings among his crewmates, sparks a publishing contract dispute, and finally leads to the question of the legal standing of holograms. Host Jean MacDonald with Barbara Greenberg.

Voyager Revisited - Endgame (Series Finale) - On our previous episode, guest Kathy Campbell came on to discuss the pilot of Voyager, “Caretaker.” On this episode, Guy English is here to discuss the finale, “Endgame.” Guy was recently a panelist on The Incomparable’s episode about what makes a good (or bad) TV series ending. Turns out, we both like the Voyager finale better than we remembered. (Spoiler alert: all our episodes have spoilers, but Endgame is double trouble. You have been warned.) Host Jean MacDonald with Guy English.

Voyager Revisited, Caretaker (Pilot) - In a departure from our usual format, Kathy Campbell, who has never watched an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, comes on to discuss the series pilot, Caretaker. Kathy and Jean were the hosts of SestraCast, the Orphan Black watch/rewatch podcast. Kathy was new to the Orphan Black series, Jean had watched it multiple times and they had a lot of fun sharing from two different perspectives, Taking a page from the SestraCast playbook, first time viewer Kathy brings a fresh perspective as we look at the strengths and weaknesses of this introduction to the Voyager crew and its plight, as the ship ends up in the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 light years from home. Host Jean MacDonald with Kathy Campbell.

Voyager Revisited: The Doctor - This week, James Dempsey, programmer, podcaster, and band leader, joins Jean to talk about the EMH aka The Doctor. The Doctor’s great range of personality traits, brought to life by the delightful Robert Picardo, make this character one of Star Trek’s most memorable. The rewatch assignment for this episode is “Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy” (S6E4), which gives The Doctor an opportunity to shine as an opera singer, a painter, and even a spymaster. Host Jean MacDonald with James Dempsey.

Voyager Revisited, Seven of Nine - Game developer, podcaster, and Democratic candidate for Congress Brianna Wu is our guest. Brianna has been my idol in her dedication to Voyager, so it was such a thrill to have her on as a guest on the show. Brianna is a huge admirer of our favorite de-assimilated Borg, Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01, or as we call her, Seven. She makes a compelling case for Seven as a lens through which to view humanity’s qualities. Our homework assignment, chosen by Brianna, was Equinox, the two-part episode from the end of Season 5/beginning of Season 6. It’s one of the most powerful episodes in Star Trek, and gives Seven a chance to demonstrate her commitment to her new-found humanity. Host Jean MacDonald with Brianna Wu.

Coder, designer, and host of the Roundabout podcast, Tammy Coron comes on the podcast to have a chat about Captain Janeway. Tammy relates how her mom was a big fan of Kate Mulgrew, and together they watched the Voyager series when it aired. Tammy is a big fan of Star Trek generally, and an admirer of Gene Roddenberry’s vision. This week’s Voyager assignment is “Deadlock” (Season 2, Episode 21), with double dose of our favorite captain. Host Jean MacDonald with Tammy Coron.

Voyager Revisited, Episode 0 - In honor of the upcoming 25th anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager, here’s a new podcast for Star Trek fans who love the show… or want to revisit their opinions. Each episode features host Jean MacDonald with a Star Trek fan to discuss a character, alien, or story from Voyager. Host Jean MacDonald.