An accident during a quantum slipstream trip has left the Voyager crew dead, except for Harry and Chakotay who were in a shuttle. Can the pair change the past?
Yes, Brannon Braga does what he's best at: time paradox-erama, and manages to imbue some personality into two of Voyager's most ignored characters while spinning an interesting story. Admittedly, there's not a huge amount that's original here (Braga's killed off most Star Trek crews at least once in his life), the story has real epic scale, and some touching personal moments that work well alongside some nice comedy, such as Seven of Nine getting rather tipsy at the slipstream drive unveiling party.
Obviously given a slightly higher budget due to it being Voyager's 100th episode, Timeless also includes some great effects: the ship's crashlanding on an ice planet is almost as impressive as the Enterprise-D's nosedive in Generations. On top of this, Geordi LaForge pops up in a brief cameo as the Captain of a ship sent to bring Chakotay and Harry back to Starfleet to face charges. Although not given much material, Burton (directing himself!) nicely communicates how much he sympathizes with the plight of the ex-Voyager crewmates, but still has to obey orders.
Harry is given much more depth with this episode, and Garrett Wang shows the character's deep regret at the crash he caused extremely effectively. Robert Picardo is also on top form as the Doctor that despite what the ship goes through still seems rebootable after any disaster. There's also a fun answer to some of Braga's critics as Harry asks Janeway how it's possible to receive a message from the future that will never happen. Janeway's response? It's best if you try not to understand it. Nice one Brannon.
*****
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