Wow. “Drone” turned out to be a very dramatic and impressive episode. At this point of the season, I would have to say that Voyager is doing better than DS9, mostly because DS9 crams too many plot threads into one show that it is sometimes hard to follow them all. Voyager, on the other hand, usually sticks to one story and allows it to develop thoroughly throughout the episode instead on interrupting it with other plots. Now back to “Drone”. Every scene was a joy to watch, and I was glad to see that the Borg haven’t been completely drawn out of the picture as Voyager moves away from their space. I was actually surprised by the ending. From the beginning, I was expecting One to betray Voyager and turn them over to the Borg sphere. Whoever played One (He was in The Killing Game, but I can’t remember his name.) did a fantastic job, although his scene with Neelix reminded me way to much of the Data/Lal scene TNG’s 3rd Season episode “The Offspring”, which I also liked. The entire cast, especially Jeri Ryan and Robert Picardo, had some really great moments. Although the acting was good, the music was even better. Dennis McCarthy created a beautiful and moving score. It seems to me that McCarthy does better at scoring dramatic episodes, while Jay Chattaway does a better job at scoring comedy/action/adventure episodes. Well, “Drone” earns a place on my top 5 list for Voyager, which also includes “Hunters”, “Remember”, “Resistance”, and “Eye of the Needle”. Oh, I liked the minor crewmember we saw. I think his name was Malkahee, or something like that. It’s good to see that we’re beginning to see more of Voyager’s crew besides the senior staff. My Rating : 10.00 out of 10.00 NEXT WEEK --- Extreme Risk

Superb acting, along with an interesting and dramatic plot, make "Extreme Risk" one of the most emotional and enjoyable Voyager episodes to date. "Extreme Risk" managed to tie "Drone" as the best Voyager episode within the last year, at least in my opinion. Like in Season 3's "Remember", Roxann Dawson gave a moving performance worthy of an emmy award (Although I don't think any of the actors or actresses on Voyager or DS9 will be nominated.) I was expecting to like this episode as soon as I had finished reading the spoilers for it. This may be because B'Elanna is one of my favorite Trek characters and I had enjoyed previous episodes based around her (such as "Remember" and "Dreadnought"). Also, Neelix is quickly becoming one of the most interesting and enjoyable characters on Voyager. Let's hope that this trend isn't broken anytime soon. Another character worth mentioning is Vorik. I didn't know that he would be featured this early in the season. I still wish that he had a little bit more screen time though. Now on to the plot! I was extremely relieved that the shuttle issue was finally addressed. The Delta Flyer is really neat. It seems like it is powerful and maneuverable. With all of the advanced technology it is equipped with, it may become Voyager's own little Defiant! Although I welcome the new shuttle, I still find myself wondering what will become of the smaller, less powerful Class 2 shuttles. I guess we'll find out soon enough. The special effects were just as good as they were in "Drone". I still love the Malon weapons. They look like blue fireworks in space. The shuttle scenes were nice as well. I wonder where the shuttle got the torpedoes from? If they could use those Borg/Starfleet torpedoes for the shuttle, couldn't they manufacture some for Voyager? Maybe that issue will be addressed in the near future. Also, I noticed that there were four important senior officers on an experimental shuttle which could have been destroyed. Why would Janeway send four key officers on a hazardous mission? Well, I guess that the probe was important enough that they needed to have experienced people retrieve it. All in all, "Extreme Risk" was a very nice, dramatic episode that is worthy of recognition. It is also the third episode in a row that I have given a perfect 10.00, or 5 badges. (It depends on how you look at it.) My Rating : 10.00 out of 10.00 -- NEXT WEEK : "In the Flesh" (Species 8472 returns!)

Wow! What an episode! Although it may seem that I’m not being very strict on my ratings this season, I really don’t see any reason why I should. As far as I’m concerned, Voyager’s 5th season is shaping up to be the best season of Trek ever, and “In the Flesh, is certainly no exception. This episode was quite simply one of the best Voyager episodes to date. Nothing, well almost nothing, even compares. With appearances by Botthby and Species 8472, along with Jay Chattaway’s tremendous musical score, how can you go wrong? The producers are certainly doing something right. We finally got a really good look into the mind of Species 8472, one of the most complex and interesting Trek aliens. Species 8472 doesn’t seem nearly as evil as they did in Scorpion. I’m almost starting to feel sorry for them. When I first read the spoilers for “In the Flesh”, I was wondering why Species 8472 would need to plan a sneak attack on Earth if they are already so powerful. This question and many more were answered throughout the course of the epiode. The actress who played the Species 8472 also known as Commander Archer did a wonderful job. The actor who portrayed Boothy did a superb job, and I absolutely loved every scene that he appeared in. The scenes taking place at the replica of Starfleet Academy were nicely done, especially the part where Chakotay was hunted down by a mob of Species 8472. Almost every scene was spectacular. I really liked the scene with Tom and Harry in the Delta Flyer. Also, the scene where the Species 8472 called Neelix Nellix was hilarious! The music was enjoyable as well. Jay Chattaway has quickly become my favorite Trek composer. Well, all in all this episode gave us a good look into one of Trek’s more interesting alien species, the return of a memorable TNG character, some great development for Chakotay, and some snappy dialogue from everyone. My Rating : 11.00 out of 10.00 (If that’s even possible!) NEXT WEEK -- Once Upon a Time

I really don’t know what to think about “Once Upon a Time”. Frankly, I thought that it was kind of annoying. The holo - characters were annoying, the Harry/Neelix scene was annoying, and Neelix ended his streak of good performances. I have really started to enjoy the Neelix character this season, but he seemed to revert back to how he was when he was featured in “Jetrel”, which certainly wasn’t the greatest episode of all time. I’m not saying that this episode was horrible. I liked the last half of the show, and David Bell’s musical score was quite enjoyable. However, the only part of the first half that I found worthwhile was the scene where Naomi meets the Borg Lady, also known as Seven of Nine. All of the shuttle scenes were pretty good, especially during the final half of the show. Now on to Naomi. She was okay, but I really didn’t get that interested about the character. She certainly has promise. Hopefully she will receive more development in “Latent Image”. I would have to say that the actress who played Naomi is still one of the better kid actors/actresses we’ve seen on Trek. The only one better than her would be Noley Thornton, who appeared in DS9’s wonderful “Shadowplay” and TNG’s “Imaginary Friend”. On a final note, I felt that it was awfully convenient that the shuttle just so happened to be caught up in an ion storm. Weren’t the Delta Flyer’s long range sensors operational? Oh, I liked the phaser cannon devices. I hope we see more of those in the future. My Rating : 7.00 out of 10.00 -- NEXT WEEK : Timeless (This one looks like a really big winner.)

“Timeless” will always remain timeless in my book. It joins my list of favorite Trek episodes, which already includes DS9's "The Visitor", "Civil Defense", "Equilibrium", "The Siege of Ar - 588", and "The Way of the Warrior" ; TNG's "The Inner Light", "Lessons", "All Good Things", "The Pegasus", and "Frame of Mind" ; as well as Voyager's "Resistance", "Remember", "Scorpion Part 1", and "Drone". Garrett Wang, Robert Picardo, and Robert Beltran all gave emmy - worthy performances as the future Harry, Doctor, and Chakotay. The character of Harry really seemed dark and disturbed, even almost evil because of Voyager's destruction. I really felt sorry for him. (I really liked his scene with Janeway at the end of the episode.) The scenes aboard the frozen Voyager were very nicely done, and Dennis McCarthy’s musical score helped add to the creepy atmosphere. The people who helped create the icy scenes did an excellent job. I hope that they receive an emmy nomination for their efforts. Chakotay and the Doctor were portrayed nicely as well. The special effects in “Timeless” were without a doubt some the best we’ve seen yet on the series. The icy crash on the Class - L world was absolutely breathtaking. (I can understand why the entire crew was killed on impact.) It was also nice to see a Galaxy - Class starship again, as well as Geordi La Forge. I enjoyed his scene with Chakotay. Oh, I also loved the celebration scene in engineering. The part when Seven got drunk was hilarious! On a final note, Voyager got 10 years closer to home. (In “Hope and Fear” Voyager only got 300 light years closer to home in an hour. How did they get ten years closer to home in the same amount of time in this episode? Oh well.) All in all, “Timeless” was an enjoyable Trek milestone. Anybody who likes great special effects and good acting will most likely enjoy it. My Rating : 11.00 out of 10.00! (“Timeless” storms past “Drone” and “In the Flesh” as the best episode this season!) NEXT WEEK -- Infinite Regress

I wasn't expecting much from "Infinite Regress". This was mostly due to the fact that Voyager's episode previews are simply not getting any better. However, I was glad to be pleasantly surprised. The biggest surprise was that the character of Naomi has drastically improved since her last outing, which was in "Once Upon a Time". I actually enjoyed every scene with Naomi, and I am eagerly awaiting her next appearance. Her scenes with Seven of Nine were very enjoyable, as was Dennis McCarthy's music that accompanied those scenes. Jeri Ryan did a fantastic job playing the several different personalities, especially the Ferengi and the Human girl. (The Feregi personality reminded me of Quark.) Now about the new aliens. Did they remind anyone else of the Bomar? (Season 4 -- The Ravem) Although they weren't as annoying as the Bomar, they seemed to arrogant. Well that about raps it up. Aside from the totally confusing mind meld scene, "Infinite Regress" promises to be one of Voyager's better outings this season. Before I go on to the final rating, here is a list of my revised episode ratings for this season........... Night -- 9.50 (down from 10.00), Drone 11.00! (up from 10.00), Extreme Risk -- 9.75 (down from 10.00), In the Flesh -- 9.50 (down from 10.00), Once Upon a Time -- 7.25 (up from 7.00), and Timeless -- 11.00! (stays the same). As you can see, every episode but "Drone", "Timeless", and "Once Upon a Time" dropped slightly. It may still seem that I'm not being very strict on my ratings this season, but I rate the episodes on how much I enjoy them. Since I thoroughly enjoyed "Infinite Regress", I am proud to present it with a 10.00 out of 10.00. NEXT WEEK -- Nothing Human

I was expecting "Nothing Human" to be one of the more disappointing outings we would be seeing this season. However, I was glad to see that the episode was far better than the preview lead me to believe. Yes, I'm still too easy on my ratings, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every episode this season, except the unsuspenseful, silly, and (almost) pointless "Once Upon a Time". The opening teaser for "Nothing Human" has to be one of the best Voyager has had. I really enjoyed the seeing the Doctor make Voyager's senior staff sit through an hour of his special holo - essay in the holodeck, as well as Chakotay's little plot to get revenge on them by leaving them there. The rest of the episode was great as well. The slug alien was pretty neat, and I'm glad we're finally seeing some strange nonhumanoid aliens. It was also nice to see a Cardassian on Voyager again, as well as some further development of the minor Voyager crewmembers. Whoever played the Cardassian holo - doctor did a splendid job. The special effects department created some good scenes here. The music, which was composed by Dennis McCarthy, was a nice change of pace. It seemed different than the music from previous Voyager episodes. Well, "Nothing Human" is the third impressive Voyager outing in a row. We saw some great acting, great special effects, great music, and some great directing. We also had a fast paced and enjoyable plot. All of this adds up to a very nice 10.00 out of 10.00. (NEXT WEEK : The Delta Flyer goes "Down Deep")

Yes, Voyager gets another 10.00 this season with "Thirty Days". (I'm doubtful that the ten out of ten streak will hold up with next week's "Counterpoint", but you never know.) The plot was certainly a change of pace. (Did anyone else think that this episode seemed similar to TNG's "Suspicions"?) We normally don't see a story that spans over a month in the Trek universe. Most episodes cover about a week's time on the show. Well, we finally got to see the Delaney sisters after several mentions of them since Voyager's premiere. Their scene with Tom and Harry in the Captain Proton simulation was hilarious! I am beginning to like the Proton program more with each passing episode. The pushup scene in the brig was also humorous. The special effects were above average, especially during the descent and the battle with the eel. I had read that Paris was going to get demoted, but it still surprised me a little. I wonder if this means Harry will get a promotion to lieutenant anytime soon. I'm pleased with the fact that Voyager seems to have more continuity this season, and I'm glad we're hearing more about the minor crewmembers. Although the acting and special effects were very nice, the best thing about this episode was the music. I have been waiting for Paul Baillargeon to compose another Trek episode ever since DS9's "The Siege of AR - 558". I wasn't disappointed. "Thirty Days" without a doubt had the best Voyager musical score since "Drone" earlier this season. I hope Baillargeon composes more frequently. Well, that's about it. In my opinion, "Thirty Days" was the best episode since, well since last week! Final Rating : 10.00 out of 10.00 =-=-NEXT WEEK -- Counterpoint

Well, "Counterpoint is the 5th Voyager episode in a row to receive a perfect score, at least in my opinion. I found it to be one of the most refreshing Voyager episodes this year. Also, I would have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by "Counterpoint", which (like the preview said) kept me guessing who could be trusted throughout the entire episode. Along with the great acting and Jay Chattaway's nice music, we were also treated to the site of two, not one, shuttles disappearing into the unknown. I guess the producers were trying to make up for some lost time in the dissapearing shuttle department. (By the way, the special effects were pretty good during the shuttle/wormhole scene.) Kate Mulgrew and the actor who played Kashik both gave nice performaces. For a while I believed that Kashik was on Voyager's side. Then I believed that Janeway fell for his trap. Both times I was wrong. I liked the Kashik/Janeway scenes in her ready room during the beginning and end of the episode. The music Kashik played throughout the ship was a nice touch that added to the episode's atmosphere. Also, I liked the fact that Voyager is having more and more continuing plot lines than previous seasons. Like last week's "Thirty Days", "Counterpoint" was another long term episode, with the plot spanning several weeks on the show. I liked the fact that the inspections had been occuring for several weeks before the episode started. Well, that about wraps it up. In "Counterpoint" we were treated to some nice music and special effects, great acting, another wasted photon torpedo (I think that makes 15 this season.), two more shuttle departures, and a very nice atmosphere that made the episode seem real. My Rating : If you haven't guessed it already, it's a 10.00 out of 10.00. This places it in 3rd place for the best episode of the season title. It's currently behind "Drone" and "Timeless". Let's hope that the five episode streak doesn't end in January. NEXT WEEK -- A rerun of one of the more unpleasant episodes from last season, Vis a Vis