The unique and compelling writing of the Star Trek: The Original Series is what gave the show a dedicated fan following. The early series didn't have much going for it as far as special effects or even a costuming budget, but some great storytelling made up for those shortfalls. These often included twist endings that relied on a conclusion that subverted the audience's expectations. Enemies become allies, the hunter becomes the hunted, or things are not as they appear to be.
Star Trek: Voyager started with an interesting plot twist in the very first episode that set the tone and stakes for the rest of the series. Like it or hate it, Janeway and her crew took us to some interesting places that challenged our assumptions. Here are ten of the biggest twists and reveals that took place during the seven-year mission of the USS Voyager.
"State of Flux" Season 1, Episode 10
Seska is not only Cardassian, but she's also working for the Kazon. Chakotay was the main target of her ruse, but before we pile on the Commander let's remember that she fooled Torres and Tuvok just as easily.
This story thread led to several other episodes and a compelling twist regarding a paternity test. Once it was determined that Chakotay wasn't the father of Seska's baby, and Seska herself dies, the Kazon fade into the background of the show and never return as prominent villains.
"The Voyager Conspiracy" Season 6, Episode 9
It's just a crazy theory. Or is it? Actually, it is, and the moral of this story is that anyone, no matter how smart they think they are, can draw a conclusion out of a pile of circumstances and be utterly wrong. This episode is also eerily prophetic if you take into account the conspiracy theories flying around on the internet and social media these days.
Seven of Nine takes in too much information and draws some truly exciting conclusions. At least Chakotay wasn't the only one taken in this time, and the rumors are checked before they can do any real damage.
"Prototype" Season 2, Episode 13
Janeway warned Torres that something like this could happen. Before the Captain took Seven of Nine under her wing, she was attempting to mentor the hot-headed but extremely gifted former Maquis.
Bel'anna was fascinated with a mysterious robot found floating in space and manages to fix him. In the course of doing so, she finds out that their robot race is dying out, as the race that built them is now extinct, and they need a new prototype.
Torres builds one, as their prisoner, and in the course of doing so finds out a chilling truth. The original builders didn't die out because of natural causes but were in fact destroyed by their own robots.
"Death Wish" Season 2, Episode 18
Not that Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is another one, as the TNG Q explains to Janeway when she immediately assumes that the first Q that appears on her ship is the same one Captain Piccard warned everyone about. That one then appears to set the record straight, and we get more fun fanservice when XO Riker himself shows up later in the episode.
The whole premise of the show is a twist, as it tackles an ironic philosophical dilemma presented by immortality. Why would a being that lives forever want to die, and how would they even do it?
"Basics, Part 2" Season 3, Episode 1
Oh, Wormtongue, we hardly knew you. Seriously, the actor that gives such a great performance as Lon Suder is Brad Dourif, who also played the simpering advisor to the King of Rohan in The Two Towers and The Return of the King.
They imprisoned Suder for his violent, murderous nature in the episode "Meld." That same violent, murderous nature saves them all in "Basics, Part 2."
When the Kazon have taken the ship and only the Doctor and Suder can save them, it's rather fortunate that the same person who was imprisoned for a thoughtless murder would be the one that escapes initial capture and runs around loose on the ship to mess with the Kazon. Did I mention that Suder also plays the role of Chucky in the classic Child's Play franchise?
"Distant Origin" Season 3, Episode 23
Let's be real here. Dinosaurs evolving into intelligent humanoid beings is something we all wanted to see, and this episode has some great details to enjoy, along with an interesting twist.
We're already well into the story when we find out the elusive theory about the Voth homeworld, that the species evolved on a distant planet in the Alpha Quadrant. Gegen, the head Voth scientist, finds the DNA evidence to prove the theory right, thanks to finding Voyager but things don't proceed as he expects. The writer of this episode, Brannon Braga, deliberately based the story on Galileo and his conflict with the Catholic Church over the heliocentric universe.
"Message in a Bottle" Season 4, Episode 14
There's good news and there's bad news. The good news is we've managed to contact Starfleet in the Alpha Quadrant after four years! The bad news is it's the secret prototype USS Prometheus and it's been taken over by Romulans.
Not only does our intrepid crew have to deal with the logistics of sending messages over such a long distance but they also have to depend on two non-combat holographic programs to re-take a stolen ship, and not just any ship, but the one with the newest, most cutting edge technology. Ironically, it's a good-old-fashioned espionage and battlefield strategy that wins the ship back and gets in touch with Starfleet.
"Flesh and Blood" Season 7, Episode 9
We thought Janeway was crazy when she gave the Hirogen Holodeck technology, but nobody's laughing now.
In what might have been part of a long-term plan, the Hirogen's own deadly hunt turns on them when the technology does exactly what they're supposed to do, which is to improve and adapt depending on the situation. Of course, the Hirogen aren't using any safety protocols and their Hunt spirals out of control.
Beware humans bearing gifts.
"Investigations" Season 2, Episode 20
Paris decides he doesn't belong on Voyager and leaves after a string of mishaps. Or at least that's how it appears to us, and as usual, to Chakotay. At least he's the one stuck putting up with Paris and his ever-worsening attitude. The incidents with Paris actually culminate with him shoving Chakotay down, and on the bridge, no less.
To be fair, Paris also fools his best friend Harry into thinking he's really done with Voyager and ready to move on. Neelix also takes the bait with his investigative reporting. It turns out that Paris was part of a classified spy operation, concocted by none other than Tuvok, to flush out Michael Jonas, a Maquis engineer who was secretly contacting the Kazon.
"Scorpion, Part 2" Season 4, Episode 1
Why make a deal with the Borg? They can't be trusted, and they're so strong that we can't really fight them if they defy us.
In an episode that recalls some of Captain Kirk's most successful and ballsy tricks, Janeway reveals to the Borg that humans have a lethal sting of their own. It's the art of trickery, a skill the Borg can't seem to adapt.
For most of both episodes that make up "Scorpion," the human side of the equation seems to be at a serious disadvantage. It turns out we had an ace the whole time, and from an earlier episode when Voyager first encountered Borg separated from the collective.