st voyager prey cast

Prey (episode)

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Script, cast, and characters
• 4.2 Production and effects
• 4.4 Continuity
• 4.5 Reception
• 4.6 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Guest star
• 5.4 Special guest star
• 5.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.6 Stunt double
• 5.7 Stand-ins
• 5.8 References
• 5.9 External links

Summary [ ]

The Hunters plan the end for their prey

A bio-ship piloted by a sole member of Species 8472 is fleeing from a Hirogen ship . The younger of the two Hirogen wants to intercept the bio-ship and make the kill but the Alpha tells him to maintain their distance. He instructs the younger Hirogen that his prey is injured and its behavior will be the " key to its destruction ." The bio-ship fires at the warship but the shot is too weak to cause any real damage. The bio-ship heads for an asteroid belt where the Alpha believes it will make a final stand. Species 8472 leaves its ship adrift amongst the asteroids and goes onto a nearby asteroid. The hunters prepare themselves with their colored hunting paint, equip their weapons, put on their masks and go after the creature on the asteroid. Once there, they realize they cannot detect it as their scanners are being deflected. Moving silently across the asteroid the Alpha hears movement behind him and swivels around, coming face-to-face with his prey. Unfortunately for the Species 8472 the Alpha opens fire, causing the creature to withdraw as the Beta arrives firing his weapon. Several dozen shots later and their prey is presumed dead. The Alpha tells the Beta that it was a flawless kill.

Act One [ ]

" Did I mention you look lovely today? "

Seven of Nine is in sickbay , reciting a list of " bedside manner talk." She finds the exercise pointless but The Doctor disagrees. He created the exercise to familiarize himself with the social graces of the crew . They move on to "Exercise Two" – the workplace encounter. Seven takes on the role of a doctor, while The Doctor becomes the nurse. It all seems normal until Seven reads the phrase, " Did I mention you look lovely today? " Ending her lesson, she begins to leave. The Doctor tells her that although it's awkward at first, the rewards can be well worth the effort. The Doctor compares Seven to the time he was first activated, offering that he can help her. Agreeing to his offer, she takes the PADD and as she is leaving, she turns and says, " Have a pleasant day. " The Doctor smiles and gets back to work.

The USS Voyager has detected an alien vessel moving towards them and they confirm that it has a Hirogen signature. Captain Kathryn Janeway decides that they need to settle their differences for good and first officer Commander Chakotay orders a red alert . They attempt to hail the Hirogen but there is no response. As the vessel closes in, Lieutenant Commander Tuvok detects that they haven't charged weapons and there is only one life sign aboard. The vessel stops just in front of them as its engines fail. Chakotay thinks it is a trap but a long-range scan reveals that there are no other Hirogen ships in the area. Janeway tells Lt. jg Tom Paris to move within transporter range, intending to beam over. Seven informs Janeway that she sees the Hirogen ship as a potential threat and recommends that they destroy it. Janeway tells her that she wants to show some compassion, even though Seven responds that the Hirogen haven't reciprocated any compassion before.

Chakotay takes Paris and Tuvok with him on the away team , finding the Hirogen vessel severely damaged. They spread out, looking for the life sign they detected. Chakotay finds a lot of bones and a skull hanging in netting from the ceiling before finding a large tank with more remains in it. Paris finds a helmet , but immediately drops it in fright and horror when he discovers it still has a severed (Hirogen) head in it. Chakotay locates the life sign they detected and finds the Alpha gasping for air, clutching his weapon in fear.

In the briefing room , Tuvok and Chakotay show Janeway the navigational logs recovered from the Hirogen ship. The logs state the ship has been traveling for at least five years, and in the last year it has visited over ninety star systems . Chakotay reports on the alien remains found on the ship, suggesting that they could be trophies from previous hunts. He also surmises that their culture is based upon the hunt. Tuvok says that there is no evidence of a home planet and that Hirogen ships usually travel in small groups, sometimes joining together for a multi-pronged attack, like a wolf pack .

The Alpha is in sickbay, unconscious and behind a force field . Janeway tells Seven that while she was correct about the Hirogen being a threat, the risk of sending an away team has paid off and now they know a lot more about them. Seven simply states that Janeway was correct and it was worth the risk…this time. Janeway then asks, who's hunting the hunters?

Outside, unbeknownst to the Voyager crew, an injured member of Species 8472 is limping up the ship's hull.

Act Two [ ]

Janeway is in sickbay to check in on the Hirogen Alpha. The Doctor explains to her that while attempting to remove the Alpha's body armor , he regained consciousness. He can't be sedated as his immune system is rejecting everything The Doctor has tried giving him and he could be dead in the time it takes to synthesize something potent enough. Janeway explains to the Alpha that his crewmate is dead and his ship beyond repair. Attempting to ascertain what happened, Janeway asks a few questions but gets no response from the hunter at first. The Alpha tells Janeway of the formidable alien they captured two days previously. Unfortunately, their prey broke its restraints and attacked the crew. The Alpha asks to be released so he can continue his hunt. Janeway refuses, saying that he'll die without treatment, so the Alpha grudgingly agrees to stay in sickbay.

Chakotay reports that six Hirogen vessels are converging on Voyager 's position from all directions, so Janeway asks Paris to evade them for as long as possible. Chakotay informs Janeway that they are half a light year away, and so Voyager has only four hours until the Hirogen surround them. Janeway wants to give The Doctor enough time to treat the Alpha so that he can call off the rest of the Hirogen. She hopes that diplomacy will work but Chakotay doubts it, saying that to the Hirogen, Humans and other species are merely game to be hunted. Their conversation is interrupted as the ship shakes. A hull rupture is detected on Deck 11, where a plasma conduit has overloaded. Then there is another jolt as a bulkhead collapses. Janeway sends Tuvok and Ensign Harry Kim to Deck 11 to find out the cause of the collapse. They open one of the hatches to find themselves staring into space. Someone, or something, has ripped through the bulkhead from the outside. They see some blood of some kind on the floor and as Tuvok contacts the bridge, he gives his analysis of the blood sample to Janeway: it is consistent with Species 8472. Janeway orders an intruder alert and seals off Decks 10 to 12. They can't detect the creature, so Janeway says they'll have to track it visually. She grabs a phaser and heads to Deck 11.

An unfortunate surprise…

In engineering , Seven reports that she has erected a level 10 force field around engineering. Lt. jg B'Elanna Torres asks her to set up force fields around every hatch, Jefferies tube and conduit leading there. She attempts to lockdown the warp core , then hears an unfamiliar hissing sound. She looks up… and the wounded alien jumps from the warp core onto her.

Act Three [ ]

Janeway enters engineering to see a few crewmembers lying on the floor, wounded. She orders her security team to take the wounded to sickbay, as Seven reports on what has happened. They tried stunning the creature with their phasers but they were ineffective, it then left engineering through a Jefferies tube. Janeway tells them to secure the warp core and leaves with Seven. She asks if the Borg engaged in physical combat with Species 8472 and what tactics they used. The aliens' destination was always the central power matrix, which was subsequently disabled. However, this particular creature didn't touch any of the power systems.

They head to sickbay, where The Doctor is treating Torres and the other wounded crewmen. Janeway asks the Alpha if the alien is alone. Chakotay recounts previous events and Janeway believes that this sighting could indicate a new invasion. ( VOY : " Scorpion ") The Alpha has only seen one ship and he has been tracking it over fifty light years . When they thought they had killed the creature, it turned out they hadn't.

The Alpha-Hirogen tells of his tracking skills

He again asks Janeway if he can finish the hunt. Seven steps in and tells him he will fail, as the only weapon that can stop Species 8472 are Borg nanoprobes . The Alpha doesn't know what they are, so Chakotay explains. Seven tells Janeway that she will modify the phaser rifles to fire nanoprobe discharges but Janeway tells her that she only wants to incapacitate the creature. Seven calls the alien a threat and the Alpha agrees with her assessment. Over her forceful objections, Seven is ordered to make the necessary modifications. Janeway tells the Alpha to let the approaching ships know that his life was saved by Voyager and that the ship does not want any hostilities to occur between the two species . The Alpha says he will comply with the request, if he is allowed to continue the hunt. He informs Janeway that he has studied the creature's behavior for six months and knows how to track it.

There is another shake as the creature accesses environmental controls . Tuvok reports to Janeway that Deck 11 is losing life support and artificial gravity is also compromised, leaving him floating in the corridor. Janeway tells him to evacuate the deck, as the Alpha tells Janeway that the creature is trying to barricade itself. Janeway allows him to continue his hunt, but under Chakotay's supervision. If he steps out of line, Chakotay is ordered to shoot him. Stepping out from confinement, the Alpha asks for his weapon.

Paris and Chakotay change into EV suits so they can search for Species 8472 on Deck 11. After learning that the Alpha's body armor is sufficient, Chakotay contacts Tuvok and Seven, who are already in EV suits. They make their way to Deck 11, which is now in near total darkness. The Alpha knows that the creature is near but Chakotay orders him to stay in his position. Tuvok and Seven continue moving through the deck on their own. Passing a corridor, Seven suddenly stops and shoots, seeing something. Tuvok backtracks and finds out that Seven had only seen a PADD floating in the room. He notices Seven's increased agitation but she tells him that her fear is justified as Species 8472 were the only species to offer true resistance to the Borg. Chakotay, Paris and the Alpha find blood floating in the corridor and realize that it is from the creature, who is now trapped near deflector control . The Alpha knows the creature is not planning to run but is waiting for an opportune moment to slip around them and attack them from behind. They contact Tuvok and Seven and ask them to join their squad. They soon find the creature floating in the corridor, looking lifeless. The Alpha wants to kill him but Chakotay tells him that they need the alien incapacitated. The Alpha attacks Chakotay, fires at Paris and then opens fire on the creature. He doesn't get far however, as Tuvok stuns him from behind.

Act Four [ ]

Species 8472 communicates with Tuvok

Tuvok enters the mess hall and asks Neelix to leave his cooking and join the security team. He is asked to report to Deck 10 and send tactical updates every twenty minutes. Tuvok stops giving orders however, as the alien communicates telepathically with him.

The Alpha is back behind a force field in sickbay and a security perimeter has been set up around Species 8472. Janeway wants Torres to keep a transporter lock on the creature, in case they have to beam it off the ship. She asks The Doctor for an injury report, but he can't scan the creature with his tricorder ; he can only make a visual diagnosis . He theorizes that the creature has been hunted for months but he can't say for certain the extent of its internal damage. Paris and Seven tell Janeway that the creature attempted to open a singularity but failed. Janeway believes it was trying to get home .

Janeway finds Tuvok, who is in constant telepathic contact with the creature. He tells the captain that during the conflict with the Borg its vessel was damaged. It was unable to return to fluidic space when Species 8472 retreated. Now, it doesn't want to keep fighting, it simply wants to return home because it is dying. Janeway verbally tells the creature that they will attempt to get it back to its own space. During the conversation, the alien loses consciousness and the telepathic link with Tuvok is lost.

Janeway goes to sickbay, where the Alpha demands to be taken to his prey. Janeway informs him that they will be returning the creature to fluidic space. She also tells him that the hunt is over. The Alpha again demands that the creature should be returned to him or the crew of Voyager will take its place.

Janeway asks Tuvok to send Seven of Nine to her ready room, as she is most likely the only one who can recreate the singularity. Tuvok has his concerns as Seven may not want to co-operate.

Janeway informs Seven of her decision but Seven thinks it would not be a prudent course of action. Janeway tells her that part of becoming Human is showing compassion, even to those people who are considered bitter enemies. She recounts a story from when she was a Lieutenant . She was part of an away team defending a Federation outpost and they had been exchanging phaser fire for three days with a group of Cardassians . One night, there was a break in fighting and they could hear a low moan coming from just outside their camp. As all of their people were accounted for, it had to be a Cardassian. Her commanding officer decided that they couldn't let the man suffer, so they went out and brought him back to camp. Three days later, they won the fight and all of them were decorated by Starfleet Command . However, Janeway was most proud of the fact that they had saved the Cardassian's life. Seven tells Janeway that she is still confused about her analogy and Janeway tells her that " a single act of compassion can put you in touch with your own Humanity. " She wants Seven to see this as a chance to grow but Seven refuses, saying that Janeway's decision is "tactically unsound." She still doesn't understand and she and Janeway begin to argue. Janeway eventually orders her to create the singularity but she refuses. Seven is then ordered to remain in the cargo bay until the situation with the creature is over.

Act Five [ ]

Voyager is under attack by three Hirogen vessels. Another three approach, cutting off Voyager 's escape routes. Their weapons are having no effect against the Hirogen ships.

In sickbay, the two guards are standing alert with their phaser rifles pointed directly at the Alpha, who is still behind the force field.

The Hirogen hail Voyager and demand the return of both hunter and prey. Janeway says that if the Hirogen stop their attack, they will return the Alpha but the creature is under their protection now. The Hirogen finds this unacceptable and ends the transmission.

The creature is regenerating on Deck 11, where The Doctor thinks it is becoming more agitated. The Doctor can sedate it but Seven would need to give them another supply of nanoprobes. They also need at least another hour or two to duplicate the deflector protocols to generate a singularity. Main power goes offline as the next shot from the Hirogen ships hit Voyager and all force fields are disabled. Quickly bringing auxiliary power online, The Doctor reports that the creature is still contained. Unfortunately, the Alpha has broken out. Taking one of the guard's phaser rifles, he sets off on his hunt.

Two quick shots disable both the port and starboard nacelles , leaving Voyager crippled.

The hunter fights his prey

Seven arrives at The Doctor's location and moments later so does the Alpha, who quickly incapacitates the security guards. In a tense stand-off, the Alpha doesn't believe that Seven will kill him but as another shot hits the ship the force field goes down and the creature runs at the Alpha. Unable to raise his weapon in time, the Alpha and the creature become tangled on the floor. Seven uses the distraction to access the transporter system and she beams the Alpha and the creature on to one of the Hirogen vessels.

Voyager is unable to pursue the departing Hirogen ships as warp drive is still off-line, so Janeway orders Paris to resume their previous course at impulse. Janeway inquires into the reason for the Hirogen breaking off their attack and Chakotay tells her – Seven of Nine. " Seven of Nine ", Janeway angrily replies, knowing that her actions have surely resulted in the creature being killed by the Hirogen.

Janeway goes to Cargo Bay 2 where Seven is regenerating. She prematurely ends Seven's regeneration cycle and tells her that she disobeyed a direct order which resulted in the death of a sentient being . Seven argues that her actions prevented the destruction of Voyager by the Hirogen, but Janeway tells her that they have no way of knowing and either way she hasn't come to debate that but to inform Seven of the consequences. She tells Seven she is no longer willing to accommodate her brazen and occasionally insubordinate behavior and as of now Seven will no longer have access to any primary systems on the ship without Janeway's direct authorization, warning her that she'll be thrown in the brig if she tries anything. She can still work in astrometrics if she so desires, as it's either that or remain in the cargo bay. Seven is puzzled. She tells Janeway that after being liberated from the Collective , Janeway encouraged her to cultivate her independence. But now, when she tries to assert it, she is punished. Janeway replies that there are limits, especially on a ship with a command structure. Seven believes she is being punished because she is not thinking the way the rest of them do. She also claims that perhaps Janeway is frightened by Seven's individuality.

" As you were, " Janeway replies, leaving the cargo bay.

Log entries [ ]

• " Captain's log, stardate 51652.3. It's been twelve hours and our sensors show no sign of any Hirogen vessels, but their people are scattered throughout this region and something tells me that the hunt for Voyager is far from over. "

Memorable quotes [ ]

" The way a creature behaves when it is wounded is the key to its destruction. "

" I'm reading bones, muscle tissue from at least nine different species. It's all being broken down by some sort of enzyme. " " Perhaps this is their method of denaturating their prey. " " Either that or it's dinner. "

" You should know I'm a hologram and can't be bent, spindled, or mutilated, so don't bother trying. "

" Is your body armor designed to handle rapid pressure fluctuations? " " It can defeat most hostile environments. I once tracked a silicon-based lifeform through the neutronium mantle of a collapsed star. " " I once tracked a mouse through Jefferies tube thirty two. "

" Mr. Neelix, I must ask you to exchange your spatula for a phaser rifle. "

" This isn't a hunt. It's a slaughter. And I'm calling it off right now. "

" Part of becoming Human is learning to have compassion for those who are suffering, even when they're your bitter enemies. "

" I know you don't want to do it, Seven. But I'm telling you as your Captain and as your friend, you won't regret it. " " No. Your decision is tactically unsound. "

" I'm giving you an order. Report to deflector control and begin working on creating a singularity. " " I will not comply. I've agreed to remain on Voyager . I've agreed to function as a member of your crew; but I will not be a willing participant in my own destruction or the destruction of this ship. " " Objection noted, we'll do this without you. " " You will fail. " " And you have just crossed the line. "

" It is puzzling. " " What's that? " "You made me into an individual. You encouraged me to stop thinking like a member of the collective… to cultivate my independence… my Humanity. But when I try to assert that independence, I am punished. " " Individuality has its limits. Especially on a starship, where there's a command structure. " " I believe that you are punishing me because I don't think the way that you do… because I'm not becoming more like you. You claim to respect my individuality… but in fact, you are frightened by it. " " As you were. "

" You missed. "

Background information [ ]

Script, cast, and characters [ ].

• This episode's final draft script was submitted on 27 October 1997 . [1]
• Episode writer Brannon Braga believed that the teleplay he wrote for this episode was "a very difficult script" for a typical director to execute. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• Brannon Braga was proud, however, of the turbulent way in which this episode develops the relationship between Seven of Nine and Janeway. " It was the best Janeway-Seven arc since her introduction, " Braga declared. " It was great having them go head to head like that. With any luck, we left people wondering about their relationship at the end. The parent [is] raising the child, and the child is not turning out like the parent. Does that make the parent wrong? The child wrong, because they're being unreasonable? I hope it taps into some deeper issues about the parent-child relationship. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• Robert Picardo was invited to contribute to the Doctor's relationship with Seven by Brannon Braga, and came up with the student/teacher relationship seen in the episode stating, " taking the relationship I had with Kes and flipping it so that the Doctor has the ego to think he's a better teacher of how Seven should reclaim her Humanity than a real Human would seem to have a lot of comic possibilities. I specifically suggested we could have roleplaying exercises in which I would teach her appropriate behavior under different social situations. " [2]
• Brannon Braga was also pleased with the performances here. He enthused, " The acting was superb. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• Tony Todd (Alpha Hirogen) is better known for his recurring role of Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation . He not only appeared as that recurring character in the episode " Sons of Mogh " but also portrayed an alternate timeline adult Jake Sisko in DS9: " The Visitor ".
• The task of portraying the Alpha Hirogen in this episode was fun for Tony Todd. " It was a great experience for me, " he happily remembered. " I liked the character and I felt the script gave me something to do. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 157 , p. 41)
• Even so, Tony Todd did not enjoy wearing his Hirogen costume. " That turned out to be the most uncomfortable thing I ever did, " he explained. " I had to wear this full bodied suit and the big decision for me on that show was [–] a half hour before they put me in the suit [–] if I had to go to the bathroom or whether I could hold it in until my scenes were done. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 157 , p. 41) His Hirogen makeup also tested Todd's endurance. The actor recalled, " Of all of the prosthetic work I've done, it was the most uncomfortable stint, playing that character. Not only was it a four-hour makeup process for the face, it was an hour-and-a-half costume application as well. I don't know if you've ever been in a situation where someone has to tell you to give them notice 20 minutes before you had to pee. It's hard to pee on demand. But I knew the makeup and costume looked effective. And I just wanted that triptych, to be able to be in all three of the shows. " [3]
• Seven of Nine actress Jeri Ryan cited this episode as one of her favorite episodes from the fourth season of Star Trek: Voyager , along with " The Gift ", " The Killing Game " two-parter and " Hope and Fear ". ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 40 , p. 35)

Production and effects [ ]

• This was the first-aired Star Trek production that Allan Eastman directed. His work on this episode satisfied Brannon Braga, who said, " The director, Allan Eastman, took [the] script and made it look like a movie. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• The EV suits worn by Paris, Chakotay, Tuvok, and Seven are the ones used in Star Trek: First Contact . Only three EV suits are visible simultaneously, the same number as in the film.
• Having worked on the episode that introduced Species 8472 – specifically, the third season finale " Scorpion " – Ronald B. Moore and Foundation Imaging were given the chance to revisit the alien species for this episode. Visual effects producer Dan Curry noted, " Ron Moore supervised that episode. " ( The Birth of Species 8472 , VOY Season 4 DVD ) Moore himself said, " Once again, we went to Foundation. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 90)
• The telepathic visions that Tuvok experiences here mostly involved reused shots from the two-parter "Scorpion" and " Scorpion, Part II ", in which Kes sees some of the same images; the recycled footage includes close-up views of a member of Species 8472 that both she and Tuvok individually envisage. Another reused shot is of the battle between a Borg cube and a Species 8472 ship, during which – in the far distance behind the cube – the starship Voyager can also be seen. In fact, only one of the shots that, supposedly, Tuvok sees telepathically was created especially for this episode; it shows a Species 8472 vessel being pursued by a Hirogen ship. Ron Moore commented, " Once again, we […] got stuff, with only one exception from previous episodes. There was one ship shot that [Tuvok] visualizes, and that's something we did for 'Prey'. Other than that, it was something we had already done, which made sense, because he had been so close to Kes. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 90)
• As they had done for the "Scorpion" two-parter, Foundation Imaging once again handled the CGI involved in visualizing Species 8472. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 90) John Teska – who had been instrumental in designing the alien species, originally – was one of the Foundation staffers who had some input into the aliens' appearance here. Teska was glad upon first learning that the aliens were to return to Star Trek: Voyager . " Certainly, I was excited to see that they were gonna keep reusing this character and keep bringing him back, because I was having a great deal of fun, having build him and then getting to animate him, " Teska reminisced. " But, you move on to spaceships and you think, 'Well, maybe he won't come back.' But when I read the script for 'Prey', I was really excited because there were scenes of him [such as] having hand-to-hand combat with this Hirogen warrior. " ( The Birth of Species 8472 , VOY Season 4 DVD )
• John Teska appreciated the unusualness of the shot that shows a member of Species 8472 exploring the exterior of Voyager . He remarked, " That was a fun shot […] You know, there are certain shots that, for an animator, you just really look forward to. And that was one, because it's so rare to see this creature in a full screen shot, and then the whole idea that it's, you know, walking around the outside of the hull. It was also interesting because the camera does like a kind of weird bank into that shot, just kind of orienting itself to the creature on the side of the hull. So, you know, on several fronts, it was kind of a unique shot to get to do. " ( The Birth of Species 8472 , VOY Season 4 DVD )
• The fight scene between the Alpha Hirogen and the member of Species 8472 that is cornered aboard Voyager provided a challenge for the visual effects team. In fact, Dan Curry went so far as to state that this episode was "the trickiest" of the numerous episodes in which Species 8472 appears, precisely because this was "an episode where it actually fought with somebody." Curry elaborated, " Having to have a CG creature fight with a live actor was very, very difficult. Ron Moore […] did a great job, working with the director, and the stunt guy, and the actors, to make sure we were able to put a really terrific scene together at the end. " Speaking from his perspective as a member of Foundation Imaging, John Teska noted, " We had to work very closely with the supervisors on that show and make sure that, when they would shoot it, that there'd be anticipation, I guess, of where the character would be [and] how the actors should react. " ( The Birth of Species 8472 , VOY Season 4 DVD )
• To complete the scenes that include Species 8472, the color and contrast of the computer-generated aliens were adjusted by Ron Moore in the edit bay. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 90)
• Brannon Braga liked the effects in this episode, describing them as "great effects." ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• The first act of this episode begins with some introductory musical notes that resemble the main theme tune from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . ( Delta Quadrant , p. 224)
• Brannon Braga was happy with the episode's soundtrack, noting about the installment, " It had good music. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)

Continuity [ ]

• Species 8472 previously appeared in the duology in which it was first introduced, in " Scorpion " and " Scorpion, Part II ".
• Chakotay says in this episode "Six months ago, [Species 8472] invaded our galaxy", establishing that it has been six months since the events of " Scorpion ".
• Voyager ' encounter with another member of Species 8472 is somewhat unexplained, given that Voyager was thrown 9,500 light years closer to Earth in the episode " The Gift ", shortly after last encountering the species. It's unclear how the Species 8472 ship - which was left behind from the rest of its fleet when they retreated back into fluidic space - was able to travel this distance so quickly.
• When speaking to the Hirogen, Janeway says that the "first time I met your species it wasn't on the best of terms", referring to the events of " Message in a Bottle " in which Voyager uses the Hirogen communication network without their approval, leading to a confrontation.
• The intruder alert siren has a rare appearance here, when Tuvok detects the member of Species 8472.
• Although Janeway lectures Seven of Nine here that "it is wrong to sacrifice another being to save our own lives," this is apparently a change of heart from the events of Season 2 's " Tuvix ", wherein Janeway forces Tuvix to sacrifice his life to restore those of Tuvok and Neelix . It is possible that the events of that episode led Janeway to reconsider her views on this point.
• In the scene where the Alpha Hirogen escapes from sickbay and confronts Seven of Nine in the corridor, he is clearly seen carrying a Federation phaser rifle (taken from one of the guards in sickbay). In the sequence where Species 8472 and the Alpha Hirogen struggle, however, he is suddenly holding his own Hirogen weapon.
• The sixth-season episode " Ashes to Ashes " establishes that a death (that of Ensign Lyndsay Ballard ) has occurred off-screen between the previous episode " Hunters " and this one. This death brings the total number of confirmed crew deaths since the series premiere " Caretaker " to 15, the previous one having occurred in " Scientific Method ". This would put the crew complement as of the end of this episode at 146, given the crew complement of 148 that was most recently established in " Distant Origin " and " Displaced ", and the deaths that have occurred since.
• Hirogen hunting their pray is their way of life. Captain Janeway interfering in the hunt might be a violation of the Prime Directive. But there is no onscreen discussion of this. The Federation had declined to get involved in the Kelpien vs Ba'ul for exactly the same reason.

Reception [ ]

• Brannon Braga's general opinion of this episode was very high. On two separate occasions, he raved, " 'Prey' turned out great. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99; Star Trek Monthly  issue 44 , p. 12) On one of those times, he added, " Everything came together. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99) Braga also counted this episode as a highlight of the fourth season (along with the two-parters " Year of Hell " and " Year of Hell, Part II ", as well as " The Killing Game " and " The Killing Game, Part II "). ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 44 , p. 12)
• Executive producer Jeri Taylor once described this installment as a "full-out action adventure romp" that was "full of lots of aliens." ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 36 , p. 13)
• This installment was one of Dan Curry's favorites from Star Trek: Voyager 's fourth season. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 74)
• This episode achieved a Nielsen rating of 3.8 million homes, and a 6% share. [4] (X)
• Cinefantastique rated this episode 4 out of 4 stars. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• Star Trek Magazine scored this episode 4 out of 5 stars. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 42 , p. 60)
• The unauthorized reference book Delta Quadrant (p. 225) gives the installment a rating of 7 out of 10.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 4.8, catalog number VHR 4629, 10 August 1998
• As part of the VOY Season 4 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway

Also starring [ ]

• Robert Beltran as Chakotay
• Roxann Dawson as B'Elanna Torres
• Robert Duncan McNeill as Tom Paris
• Ethan Phillips as Neelix
• Robert Picardo as The Doctor
• Tim Russ as Tuvok
• Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine
• Garrett Wang as Harry Kim

Guest star [ ]

• Beta-Hirogen
• Hirogen Hunter

Special guest star [ ]

• Tony Todd as Alpha-Hirogen

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• David Keith Anderson as Ashmore
• John Austin as operations division officer
• Richard Bishop as operations division officer
• Steve Carnahan as operations division officer
• Damaris Cordelia as Foster
• Tarik Ergin as Ayala
• Brendan Fleming as operations division officer
• Roger Garcia as operations division officer
• Tom Gianelli as operations division ensign
• Caroline Gibson as operations division officer
• Joyce Lasley as Lydia Anderson
• Rad Milo as operations division officer
• Arthur Murray as command division officer
• Guy Richardson as operations division officer
• Shepard Ross as Murphy
• Joey Spagnola as operations division officer
• CGI – Species 8472 prey

Stunt double [ ]

• Scott L. Schwartz as stunt double for Tony Todd

Stand-ins [ ]

• John Austin – stand-in for Clint Carmichael
• Sue Henley – stand-in for Kate Mulgrew
• Gregory Hinton – stand-in for Tony Todd and Scott L. Schwartz
• Susan Lewis – stand-in for Roxann Dawson
• Brita Nowak – stand-in for Jeri Ryan
• Lemuel Perry – stand-in for Tim Russ
• J.R. Quinonez – stand-in for Robert Picardo and Robert Beltran
• Robert Rasner – stand-in for Ethan Phillips
• Keith Rayve – stand-in for Robert Duncan McNeill and Robert Beltran
• John Tampoya – stand-in for Garrett Wang

References [ ]

2369 ; 2371 ; ability ; afternoon ; agitation ; alien ; animal ; antimatter injector port ; approach pattern ; art ; artificial gravity ; asteroid ; asteroid belt ; Astrometrics lab ; atmospheric recycler ; authorization command code ; auxiliary power ; away team ; aye ; banter ; barricade ; biobed ; bioelectric field ; bio scan analysis ; blanket ; blood ; body armor ; bone ; Borg ; Borg alcove ; Borg Collective ; Borg cube ( unnamed ); Borg drone ; Borg encryption code ; Borg nanoprobe ; Borg vessel ; bowl ; bridge ; Bridge Banter for Beginners ; briefing room ; brig ; Buck-toothed alien ; bulkhead ; burn ; camp ; captain ; captain's log ; Cardassian ; Cardassian border conflict ; Cardassian border conflict combatants ; cargo bay ; cave ; cellular level ; central power matrix ; chair ; chief medical officer's office ; command division ; commander ; commanding officer ; command structure ; com link ; communicator ; compound ; computer ; conduit ; console ; corridor ; course ; creature ; crewmate ; culture ; damage ; database ; day ; death ; decapitation ; deck ; decoration ; Deflector Control ; deflector dish ; deflector protocol ; Delta Quadrant ; denaturation ; desire ; desk ; desktop monitor ; dialogue ; dicyclic warp signature ; dilithium matrix ; dinner ; diplomacy ; distance ; distress call ; DNA ; doctor ; door ; dozen ; duty ; EMH ; engine ; engineering ; ensign ; environmental control ; environmental suit ; enzyme ; epidermis ; EPS manifold ; escape trajectory ; evasive maneuvers ; examination ; exobiologist ; eye ; female ; Federation outpost ; flashlight ; flight path ; fluidic space ; food ; force field ; freedom ; galaxy ; hail ; hatch ; helmet ; here and now ; high warp ; Hirogen ; Hirogen ship (aka Hirogen vessel ; unnamed ); hologram ; home planet ; hour ; hull armor ; hull plating ; hull rupture ; Human ; hunt ; hunter ; hunting party ; hypospray ; immune system ; impulse ; injury ; intercept course ; internal bleeding ; internal sensor ; Intrepid -class ; Intrepid -class decks ; intruder alert ; invasion ; Jefferies tube ; Kes ; kilometer ; level 5 force field ; level 10 force field ; lieutenant ; lieutenant commander ; lieutenant junior grade ; lifesigns ; lifestyle ; light year ; log ; long range scan ; ma'am ; magnetic boot ; magnetism ; main power ; male ; mantle ; map ; meat ; medical bay ; mentor ; mess hall ; meter ; microscopic ; Milky Way Galaxy ; minute ; mister ; molecular structure ; monotanium ; month ; mouse ; muscle tissue ; mutilate ; nacelle ; navigational record ; NCC ; net ; Neutronium ; night ; nomad ; nurse ; operations division ; operations station ; pack ; PADD ; patient ; percent ; phaser ; phaser bank ; phaser rifle ; physiognomy ; physiological maintenance ; physiology ; pilot ; planet ; plasma conduit ; plasma network ; polyfluidic compound ; port ; power ; power surge ; power system ; prey ; primary system ; puncture ; pupil ; quantum singularity ; race ; ready room ; red alert ; regeneration ; religion ; remains ; replicator ; report ; restraints ; ritual ; scan ; scanner ; sciences division ; secondary force field ; security detail ; security officer ; security perimeter ; security station ; sedative ; sensor ; sentient being ; sentiment ; shields ; sickbay ; silicon-based lifeform ; SIMs beacon ; sir ; skeletal system ; skull ; slaughter ; social graces ; sociology ; spatula ; species ; Species 8472 ; Species 8472 bio-ship ; star ; starboard ; stardate ; Starfleet border conflict away team ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet tricorder ; star system ; strategy ; structural integrity field ; stun ; supervision ; systems analysis ; systems operations ; table ; tactical course projection ; tactical station ; tank ; tattoo ; teeth ; telepathy ; temperature gradient ; thing ; thoracic crest ; time ; transmission protocol ; transporter ; transporter lock ; transporter range ; transporter system ; trap ; tricorder ; trophy ; turbolift ; unnamed asteroid belt ; unnamed asteroid ; unnamed non-humanoid ; vector ; vernacular ; viewscreen ; visual range ; vocabulary ; Voyager , USS ; Vulcan ; warp core ; warp power ; weapon ; wisdom ; wolf ; Workplace Encounter, The ; year

External links [ ]

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• " Prey " at MissionLogPodcast.com
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Star Trek: Voyager: Prey

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"Prey" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager .

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Star Trek: Voyager

“Prey”

Air date: 2/18/1998 Written by Brannon Braga Directed by Allan Eastman

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

"I believe you are punishing me because I do not think the way you do—because I am not becoming more like you. You claim to respect my individuality, but, in fact, you are frightened by it." "As you were." — Seven and Janeway

Review Text

Nutshell: I do believe we have a winner.

Before I begin, I have two sidebar comments to make:

First, given the two episodes previous to "Prey," I had become very worried about the notion of creating an "arc" around the Hirogen. The Hirogen we had met in " Hunters " were utter cardboard and terribly acted, with completely unconvincing and unnecessary shouting and grunting. Although I still have some serious reservations about the Hirogen (and I severely doubt they'll ever be truly interesting), "Prey" was a turn for the better—much better, in fact. The Hirogen here aren't played anywhere near as over the top as the two Hirogen in "Hunters." From the moment "Prey" begins, there's almost a sense that the writers or director or somebody made a conscious effort to tone down the Hirogen to something that's ... well, watchable.

Second, I'd like to point out that this isn't really an "arc" the way DS9 's "lost the station" arc was. " Message in a Bottle 's" plot line really had nothing to do with "Hunters's" Hirogen plot line which really has nothing to do with "Prey." The only common element are the Hirogen themselves, with which Voyager has never twice come in contact with the same individuals. And the only two reasons I even expect to see the Hirogen return is because (1) I've seen the press releases, and (2) every episode ends with a captain's log where Janeway says something to the effect of "I don't think we've seen the last of them." There's really no dramatic connection, which is kind of unfortunate.

But never mind. I don't mean to start things off on a sour note, because "Prey" is, in fact, the best thing Voyager has done all season. I'd easily rank this in the series' top ten. This is a solidly constructed, very focused story that transcends the lightweight nature typical of season four by addressing a moral issue and framing it in the context of a punchy action/adventure premise.

We have more Hirogen, of course, but this time they're part of a much more probing story—and the key Hirogen character is played by someone who can actually act (fathom that!): Tony Todd. ( DS9 viewers will recognize the deep, raspy voice from his appearances as old Jake Sisko in " The Visitor " and Worf's brother Kurn in " Sons of Mogh .")

The opening is atmospheric and effective, focusing completely on the Hirogen and the hunt for their latest prey, which happens to be one of Species 8472, left behind in our galaxy after the skirmish with the Borg. The two Hirogen hunt the 8472, shoot it, think they have killed it, then transport it onto their vessel. They're wrong, of course, and it tears up their ship and attacks them, killing one and severely wounding the other.

Enter the starship Voyager , who happens upon the wounded Hirogen's ship and beams him aboard for medical treatment, after a strong voice of skepticism from Seven of Nine. Janeway attempts to negotiate with the lone Hirogen, with some limited success.

Meanwhile, 8472 breaks into the ship from an access port (there's a particularly nice setup visual that shows 8472 walking along the outside hull of the ship). As 8472 begins causing havoc on Voyager , Janeway finds herself making a weighty decision concerning the Hirogen, who wants to continue the hunt for his latest "prey." When the 8472 takes over a deck of the ship and disables life support and artificial gravity, Janeway grants the Hirogen to accompany a team in finding the dangerous alien. But she doesn't want it harmed; she wants to make a peaceful negotiation.

Does this sound particularly interesting? Probably not, because it's hard to do justice to the finer points of the plot flow. But much of "Prey" is a very pleasant surprise, particularly once the 8472 alien is cornered with nowhere to run.

From a technical standpoint, this episode is probably one of the most engaging action pieces since " Scorpion II ." The special effects are convincing and appropriately utilized. The use of environmental suits and magnetic boots (a la First Contact ) made for a believable situation of suspense. I'm not sure exactly why, but something about the crew's search for the 8472—perhaps the sense of understated urgency in Allan Eastman's directing and the cast's acting, or perhaps the low lighting combined with the "zero gravity" effect—made the scenes build with much more realism, drawing me into them more than usual.

What proves more interesting is the heart of the show concerning the moral dilemma. Should Janeway risk making enemies with another race by saving the innocent 8472, therefore denying the Hirogen their greatly desired prey? Or should she hand the dangerous creature over to the Hirogen reinforcements so that they'll leave Voyager alone instead of coming in with phasers firing?

Well, this is Star Trek ; what do you think?

Like many of Janeway's decisions, her decision in "Prey" is one that looks out for human sensibilities. But, at the same time, it also puts Voyager and its crew at the significant risk of being hunted down and destroyed by angry Hirogen—and I'm sure there's a part of everybody that wouldn't mind seeing the dreaded 8472 taken away if it meant their own safety. But this would of course not be a moral course of action, especially considering the creature's motives as conveyed telepathically to Tuvok: that it just wants to be left alone and returned to its realm. Janeway intends to do just that, even if it means angering a pack of aggressive hunters.

Not surprisingly, but very appropriately, this is where Seven of Nine comes into play. "Prey" features the long-awaited and, in retrospect, inevitable culmination of Seven's differing attitudes and actions as compared to Janeway's. As I said back in "Message in a Bottle," the kind of assertive, dangerous impulse that Seven is capable of is not something that Janeway can simply allow to happen week after week. There's a point where the line has to be drawn, and that line is drawn in the latter stages of "Prey," when Janeway requests that Seven (who would be able to quickly perform the necessary task) open a quantum singularity to 8472's realm—a request Seven adamantly refuses.

There's a dialog scene that I believe will go down as one of the highlights of the season because it's so well acted. There's energy and frustration boiling in this scene, but it boils just under the surface as the characters wrestle their contrasting points of view into the open. Janeway wants Seven to see this as a chance to reach out with compassion to a helpless being—a chance for Seven to grow and understand the reasons and origins of human values. Seven, still looking at the situation through primarily Borg eyes, thinks it is a tactical risk; she believes the 8472 forfeited its rights when it selfishly put the ship in danger to save itself from the Hirogen.

Janeway's frustration is perfectly conveyed through Mulgrew's performance. Meanwhile, I'd like to go on record saying I think anyone who still believes Jeri Ryan is merely eye candy after witnessing the dynamics of this scene is just fundamentally biased against the character, because the performance here is something I think is worth a lot of praise. It's hard to convincingly convey anger through the Borg-like dispassion with which Seven's character has been drawn, but Ryan pulls it off here, and the whole scene comes together. I can't remember the last time Voyager had me on the edge of my seat over a dialog scene, but this one accomplished just that; it's the best-conceived scene of conflicting attitudes since Janeway and Chakotay's "scorpion" argument in the first part of " Scorpion ." I really like this stuff.

There's a lot of substance here, because it gets to the heart of the agenda Janeway has been battling for ever since Seven came aboard: a maternal figure trying to bring someone else into her "family." It's a battle Janeway isn't winning, and you can see how frustrated it's making her. She probably wouldn't have been forced to take the disciplinary actions she ends up taking under "Prey's" circumstances, but the emotional side of it I'm sure has been taking its toll for the months that Seven has been rubbing people the wrong way and disregarding protocol.

In a sense, the family idea echoes elements of how the Starfleet/Maquis alliance used to be before it was unsatisfactorily swept under the carpet. But with Seven the questions are a little easier to deal with because she simply doesn't understand human behavior.

Still, this wouldn't have worked nearly as well as it ultimately does if there hadn't been some real consequences resulting from it. Immediately after the dialog scene, my one fear was that the rift that had become evident would be reversed by some sort of redemption on Seven's part—some redemption that would've made Seven see Janeway's side of the story. Fortunately, this didn't happen. Instead, the opposite happened when Seven made the split-second decision to beam the 8472 and the hunter onto a Hirogen ship in the middle of a battle situation running out of control.

It's hardly a neat or tidy solution for Janeway, who watches a moral decision countermanded (effectively sending an innocent being to its death). But she can't judge the individual who violated her order the way she could any other crew member. It provides Janeway with a true challenge. Just how should she deal with Seven as an individual under such bizarre circumstances? Since Seven doesn't yet understand her own individuality, how accountable can she be for it?

I also think the final dialog exchange served to strengthen the ending. As much as I understood Janeway's point of view and the necessary ramifications imposed (barring Seven from computer access) as a result of Seven's behavior, I had a feeling that this was turning into another "Janeway is right" ending. But "Prey" avoids this possibility by adding a little ambivalence, as Seven announces her belief that Janeway is punishing her because she is not evolving into what Janeway had hoped—and that her individuality, in fact, frightens the captain. It's an interesting and challenging way to end the episode, and it doesn't have an easy answer—partly because, in some ways, Seven is quite correct (especially considering it was Janeway who imposed this individuality upon Seven in the first place). As many undoubtedly know, I like questions that don't have easy answers.

Pretty much everything about "Prey" worked quite well. Even the Hirogen—despite the fact that Tony Todd's character was still a sketchy, half-defined personality—seemed more fleshed-out and believable. Chakotay's briefing about their entire society being "based on the hunt" may not make the Hirogen more interesting or deeper than any other member of the Stock Delta Quadrant Alien Club™, but it did manage to make their motivation seem a little more focused and a little less dramatically shoddy. But even though the Hirogen worked surprisingly well this time around, I still say forget them, because that's not where the gold is. The gold, like last time, is within analyzing the behavior of the regular characters.

But if Voyager can use adventure-oriented premises as effectively and with as much panache as "Prey" does, I certainly won't complain.

Next week: Seven of Nine seeks justice in "Retrospect."

Previous episode: Hunters Next episode: Retrospect

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Comment Section

117 comments on this post, ken egervari.

I Agree with everything in the review. I also want to comment on Tom Paris - he was great in this episode! The way he has a weapon, but doesn't really know what the hell to do with it, and his expression when Tuvok comes to the rescue. I was thinking at first... "Why is tom paris going?" And then the writers make Tom act the way he should. I mean, seriously... how many times do you see Tom firing his phaser and stuff? Like never. Lastly, he has the funniest line in the entire season. The hirogen brags that "I once tracked a silicon-based lifeform through a neutronium mantle of a collapsed star." And then Tom responds - with the best expression ever - "I once tracked a mouse through Jeffrey Tube 32." LOL. Best line in the entire episode. The expression on his eyes and just coming out of the blue is so priceless. I laughed so hard.

Although I enjoyed the ep, I didn't grok Janeway's reasoning - other than simply as a way to have a confrontation between her and Seven. Seven was so clearly correct, versus Janeway's bizarre stance, in the context of what the knew about the capabilities of the combatants and the situation. I feel the writers could have come up with a more reasonable basis for a fifty-fifty judgment call leading to a disagreement between the two where Seven should clearly have deferred to Janeway's command authority.

Great review Jammer. Nice to see such positive comments about Voyager for once. I still think "Nemesis" is superior but this was without a doubt one of the best episodes of the season. It had great character interaction and un unexpectedly dark ending for a Star Trek episode, yet still remained true to the spirit of Star Trek. I agree 100% with Janeway's decision, but Seven did also raise some interesting points. This being may have been responsible for many deaths, but does that make it any less humane to sacrifice it to save ourselvesS? I'm still pondering it. The only thing that irked me on first viewing was Tuvok's sudden onset of telepathic abilities. Vulcans had never before shown the ability to communicate in this manner without a mind meld. It made Kes' absence all the more noticeable (I still think it would have been better to 'demote' her to a recurring character).

Oh, and what a great shot of 8472 walking along Voyager's hull. It's probably one of my favorite shots of the series.

@nic vulcans are telepathic. Limited but they still are. See "random thoughts" episode and T'Pol's explanation when they dealt with the Andorian's "telepathic cousins". Very good episode and i agree with both janeway and seven. I agree more with janeway and honestly 100% agree if i was in the delta quadrant. Sometimes i have to remind myself that the ST universe, the culture is the idealistic notions of today become reality. ST people are on more naive, trusting, and good side than us -from that point of view, you can understand where Janeway is coming from.

You sell Seven short in your review. You say she can't be held accountable because she doesn't know what her individuality is yet. Yet, here she is before you loudly asserting her individuality. Similar to Picard once saying, "Our mission is to seek out new life, well There He Sits!" You clearly have your own moral compass that lets you choose your preference but that doesn't give you any cause to be dismissing differing views out of hand. Seven's tactical assessment is 100% correct and she saved Voyager this episode - Janeway's kurt dismissal of this assertion doesn't make it any less true. I am just so glad that there is a character on Star Trek that finally understands reality. Not everyone thinks the same way. Not everyone has the same value system. Not everyone has the same moral code. The "fiction" part of Star Trek in almost all cases is that our intrepid crew keeps surviving. They would be dead time and time again if they existed in reality. "Ah, a new species, Captain. Shall we raise shields?" "No, Number One, we don't want them to get the wrong impression." NO, NO, NO. Shields UP! Any species that gets miffed at your raised shields is probably just picking a fight. Err on the side of caution - don't bare your chest to the knife and hope for an equal dose of compassion in return.

I think Tony Todd as the Hirogen character was the best guest star so far in the first 4 VOY seasons. Nice acting and his deep voice matched perfectly with his merciless attitude. Tony Todd played a role as a badass terrorist in The Rock movie (Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage) delivering some funny lines. Great episode, 4 stars!

Despite my overall dislike of the Hirogen, this episode is indeed a winner. It was also Tony Todd's last ever appearance on a Star Trek show and, as usual, he knocked it out of the park. He really is a terrific actor and I don't think it's a coincidence that pretty much all of his Trek appearances were in classic episodes. He brought something as an actor every time that transformed good scripts into good shows.

Latex Zebra

Yep, not much to say other than this is good Voyager. Some great scenes that are well acted with some suspense and action thrown in. 3 1/2 is about right.

Scene of the 8472 walking on the outer hull: "There's something on the wing..."

I think Seven was right in this episode and I'm glad she defied Janeway. If things had gone Janeway's way, the Voyager and her crew would have been reduced to their component atoms by the Hirogen in about six seconds flat. Compassion is all very well, but doesn't Janeway have a duty to keep her ship and crew safe? Shouldn't that override her duty to help one single (and definitely not 'innocent', by the way!) alien life form? She seemed all too ready to throw the lot of them under the bus. When Seven states that following Janeway's plan would have resulted in Voyager's certain destruction, the best response Janeway can muster is the profoundly feeble 'Maybe not.' That says it all, I think. Seven saved the ship.

Along with "Equinox," and the second half of "Year of Hell," this episode is probably the strongest example, of Janeway's trademark abuse of authority. We see it to a degree in "Spirit Folk," as well, but not quite as severely as here. It's these episodes which really demonstrate the fact that, while Picard as a character actually went on to have a book about leadership written from his perspective, by a couple of real-life military generals, ("Make It So,") most of the time, Janeway served as an example of how any sort of leader should *not* behave. As I've written here before, Janeway's immaturity and immorality as a leader, was by far the most negative and problematic element of Voyager as a series.

This was a fantastic episode. For me a full 4 stars. The conflict between Janeway & Seven had been brewing for a while & even so Seven's flat refusal to obey a direct order was a bold move by the writers. As Janeway says there's a limit to individuality on a starship where there's a hierarchy. The Captain's word is law. Granted, Seven did not choose to be on Voyager but she should be able to see how the crew works as a collective in their own way to keep the ship & each other alive. And on that ship Janeway is Queen of the Hive. I see Janeway as trying give Seven a moral compass where she previously had none. Her decision to protect the 8472 despite the species' previous encounters is quite typical of Star Trek. Take for example Picard's decision to protect Q when he was turned mortal by the Continuum & then hunted down by a species he had tormented & who wanted revenge. Picard risked his ship then to save Q. 8472 effectively requested asylum & Janeway granted it. While 8472 would never sacrifice itself to protect the human crew as Q did on that episode of TNG, that doesn't make Janeway's decision any different from Picard's. Consider also that 1 member of the race cannot be held responsible for the actions of the species as a whole. That particular 8472 was a soldier in a war. (A war which the Borg started in fact & which Seven conveniently ignores when talking about the millions of Borg that were destroyed.) Now the war is over & it just wants to get back home. Janeway has made it clear that even though her top priority is to get her crew home, she will still uphold the principles of the Federation. And to me it wouldn't be Star Trek without this.

To me, this show is an ecxellent example of Star Trek when it works best - i.e. putting the spotlight on a very interesting dilemma without "handing" us a solution. I love that stuff! On one hand, 7 of 9 is - obviously - in the right: refusing to hand over the "prey" to the Hirogen puts Voyager at high risk ... as it turns ou at SUCH high risk that she would probably have been detsroyed had 7 of 9 not disobeyed the Captain's orders. On the other hand Janeway is taking a stand for the morally right thing to do. Now, some of the comments above point out that Janeway is moraaly in the wrong here, because she needlessly endangeres the ship and the crew. I, however, would argue that Janeway is doing exactly what she and her fellow Starfleet officers have been trained to do: to protect the weak and defenseless from the violent "bully", no matter the personal cost. As RenC pointed out in the post above this one, Picard has done it before with Q ... in fact we've seen him do it time and again in TNG. The Starfleet officers are eesentially saying "we do not bow for bullies - you may be able to destroy us, but we will keep doing the RIGHT thing ... you will NOT dictate our actions!" You might argue that this is stupid, because it'll end up getting you killed. On the other hand you might argue that this is the only right way to act if you want to gain any respect from other species around the galaxy in the long run. Is it realistic? Well, I don't think I would personally have the courage to stand up for what I think is right in the face of nearly cetain destruction - but then again, I'm not a Starfleet officer, and I didn't sign up to serve on a tarship encountering dozens of species in vast, cold space. 7 of 9's position on all of this is pragmatic. Janeway's position is idealistic. Neither of those views are necessarily wrong - but from previous experience (i.e. many episodes in the past)we know exactly which position Star Trek takes! The really great thing abput this particular episode - to me, anyway - is that it DOESN'T say that Jabeway is right and 7 of 9 is wrong! This wouls normally be the Lesson of the Day (tm) from an episode like this, but not here - this episode lets the question linger in the air. In my own personal oppinion Janeway was in the right - but I understand how others think that 7 of 9 was in the right. What I DON'T understand is how some people can write off Janeway's view as stupid or even immoral, when she is taking the Classic Star Trek Captain Stance (tm) here.

There's compassion, but then there's just stupidity. I really DO like the Captain Janeway character, but I so didn't agree with her in this episode. If she'd had her way and they had tried to send the alien back there's NO DOUBT Voyager would have been destroyed and probably even before they could have sent it back. She was making a choice, she was trading the life of everyone on the ship for the life of that alien. Compassion would have been to RISK the ship and crew for the alien, not TRADE it. I can't stand it when people I admire in a show do ignorant things like that, hopefully she'll redeem herself for me in the next few episodes, if not I don't think I can continue watching a ship with a captain who just doesn't give a damn about the crew and would trade it for any stupid alien that came along.

If ever there was a time to mutiny it might be after the events in this episode. Janeway has put her crew in extreme peril numerous times now for flimsy reasons varying from "I want to get a closer reading" to "Hopefully the six warships that have us dead in the water won't kill us". In a recent episode she was going to let B'Elanna be lobotomized for no reason. Frankly it's difficult to keep watching this show when the captain of the crew is religiously naive and careless with her crew's lives. This was a good episode but for the fact that Seven alone stood up and protested Janeway's willingness to sacrifice all of their lives for an aggressive creature that had put them in danger and assaulted her crew even though it was clearly capable of communicating with them and *asking* for help. For me that is a major oversight by the writers. As usual. I may not continue with this show after this episode, as I'm simply not enjoying the contrived way these plots come about. The writing quality is inferior to that which you can find in good fan fiction and I suspect that the writers attained their positions through some combination of political/social favor or because of lazy producers giving jobs to marginal talent within rather than seeking talented outsiders. Just way too many plot holes and way too many scenes that only work if the characters act illogically.

Quote - Chris P. Frankly it's difficult to keep watching this show when the captain of the crew is religiously naive and careless with her crew's lives. End Quote Exactly. I've continued watching, but it was only after a friend of mine said "Didnt you see the episode where they went through an anamoly and it made nearly everyone on the ship brain damaged and backward? You know the one where the Captain loses everything BUT her Liberalness and now just a few non damaged characters have to do their best to keep the ship running from the posts they have?" I said "No, I missed that one." He said "yeah I did too, but it explains pretty much everything doesn't it?" lol. So now, when I watch it, it's more like 'Die Hard' (or 'Die Borg' lol), Seven of Nine is Bruce Willis, and Captain Janeway and most of the rest (not the doctor) are the evil foreigners. Seriously though, 7 just saved their butts and Janeway is like "Can we pursue?" Can we pursue??? I mean really! Come on. How utterly idiotic. What did she think they were going to do if they DID manage to catch up? "Excuse me, give us your prey back, or I'll blow up my own ship!" What an idiot.

It's not a bad show, it just makes some really ignorant non-points sometimes - pepsiadikt

I can't help but keep saying: it is impossible to keep swallowing how easy it is for someone to escape security measures. To overcome security officers at the sickbay, to by-pass command codes. To beam people without authorization. The lazy writing is extreme. Btw it is funny that Jammer did usually excuse these things more than he did the losses of shuttlecrafts. That said, of course it was a good episode. Mostly by the fact that we start seeing continuity regarding the development of Seven's character. And finally we see some consequences for her wild actions. The last scenes and the dialogues between her and the captain were a joy to watch.

Good episode, some meaty questions to ponder. But I do have some issue with the resolution of the plot. Having Seven countermand Janeway's orders robs us of seeing how Janeway ultimately deals with the impossible decision she faces. I think it would have been good to see Janeway either relent on her moral stance for the good of her crew or deal with the consequences of doing the 'right thing'. Also, the episode makes Janeway out to be totally adamant, seeing the situation as completely black and white, thinking that her decision is the only right way. Now I'm NOT saying her decision is wrong by any means but I think she should have shown some sign of the pain that decision would cause a Captain. Just because she believed her decision was the moral one doesn't mean she wouldn't have wept blood at the knowledge that the likely result was the capture or destruction of her ship and crew. It reaffirms unfair stereotypes that having ideals and taking a moral standpoint is naïve and ultimately dumb by portraying Janeway as indifferent to the likely consequences of her actions.

This episode as a whole is a definite step up from the previous one, but not without some balancing issues. Notably the Janeway/Seven scenario. Janeway was very much correct in that the humane thing to do was to try and get the injured Undine back home. Seven was also very much correct that the lives of the crew were of paramount importance if the Hirogen were to attack. Fortunately, the writers chose the lesser-expected route of having Seven countermand the captain in having the aliens involved beamed away mid-battle rather than opening the rift. Unfortunately, though, instead of making it a grey-area decision; the plot followed along in a black and white matter. Where Seven was 100% correct and made Janeway look 100% foolish to the viewer (even though, technically, she was just as right). Now I understand it was just a series of events, and that, decisions such as those can lead to any possibility based on any given situation in life. I just don't know if the end result was purposely intended this way by the writers or if they didn't fully think it through. At the end of the day, it really does make it look like Seven was absolutely right and Janeway was, not only absolutely wrong, but stubbornly naive. Even though she wasn't. *sigh* This makes it all the more frustrating for me, because, in retrospect, it almost seems as a major demerit from an otherwise great episode. It does seem like the writers fucked up again. Or maybe they didn't. Maybe they really DID want Seven to win the argument and save the day. And maybe the captain WAS correct, just the circumstances didn't allow her to be. 3.5 stars.

HolographicAndrew

I was really surprised in this episode by how easy going Janeway was on Seven. When Tuvok disobeyed orders in an earlier episode to protect the crew she gave him a verbal beat down. Taking away her access to the ship should already be a given in this situation. Seven didn't even get sent to the brig.

Name is irrelevant

Everyone is saying that 7 was right. Well she wasn't, you don't just throw someone who is not an enemy to the wolves. Especially when they could have been a very powerful ally. There are always infinite other possibilities for endings, this one sucked, 1 possible ending would be for the 'prey' to go through the singularity and then come back with a bunch of ships and annihilate the Hirogen hunters. And why didn't the doctor stop her. And why didn't Janeway throw 7 in the brig. And again, why didn't Janeway throw 7 in the brig. Janeway is a stupid arrogant hypocrite. Janeway saw the Hirogen as a potential ally but not the 'prey', why?

It's not about making a powerful ally. It's about not provoking an enemy. Janeway was trying to give species 8472 an olive branch. Justice is not blind either.

I'm with Seven on this one, for the simple fact that she is correct that Species 8472 gave up any rights it may have had when it forcefully invaded their ship, tampered with their systems and attacked 4 members of their crew. I understand that is a creature that had been hunted mercilessly, but if one can not act with compassion one should not expect to receive any in return either. It acted in its own best interest and in doing so it put Voyager and its crew at risk. Seven was in the right here. There's no doubt about it, in my mind.

Was I the only one disappointed that Tuvok did not echo Seven's stance on the issue. Janeway's decision was illogical to say the least. The needs of the many out-weigh the needs of the few. Tuvok should have been right by Seven in his view. Of course in the end, I would expect him to follow orders.

John C. Worsley

The only reason the 8472 was in the galaxy was to purge it of all life. Engines crippled, shields on the brink of failing, outgunned 6-to-1, Janeway had no plan and no chance other than waiting for another Deus Ex from the screenwriters. I like the essential concept of what they were going for here but it was badly mishandled in the execution. Seven saved the ship. The end.

John C .... "The only reason the 8472 was in the galaxy was to purge it of all life." Don't agree with this. Species 8472 is in the galaxy because the Borg attacked them in theirs.

One of the drawbacks of having myriad opportunities to rewatch episodes of a show multiple times (via DVDs, Netflix, iTunes, etc.) is that on repeated viewings you start to notice things you're probably not supposed to notice. Like when Chakotay is on camera listening to Tuvok's report about the possible intruder and how evidence suggests (paraphrasing) "it might be Species 8472." Chakotay is figuratively on the edge of his seat until Tuvok pronounces the final digit, then bolts from his chair to do something about the situation. What did he think, that it might have been ". . . Species 8473"? Chakotay: "Whew! Dodged a bullet there!"

LOL @ 8473!

I feel rather chagrined; I didn't even realize that was Tony Todd. I did notice that he was a whole lot better than the two Hirogen from the previous episode, and he was certainly intimidating enough. The Hirogen were rather derivative in the last episode, but I think they're starting to become a bit more rounded. Yeah, one note culture and all that. But they're starting to sell it some more. Meanwhile, I find it interesting to note how many commentators would throw an innocent man to the wolves in order to save themselves. Is it logical? Perhaps, in a utilitarian sense. But it certainly isn't honorable, nor is it consistent with the ideals that have been consistently shown throughout the many series. Picard wouldn't even let the Calamarain go after Q, after all. If the Hirogen boarded, held Janeway and crew at gunpoint, and grabbed 8472, that would be one thing. But to just fork him over just like that? Kirk would be ashamed... Although it would have been nice if there was at least some possibility of Voyager fighting back. Having it be so one-sided was a bit of a copout. By now we are well aware of the artificial danger portion in the final act of any Voyager episode. If the crew had a chance to escape, or fight back, then there would be a bit more tension of wondering how this battle would end. Instead, we're simply left wondering what the shields get down to before the deus ex machina occurs. But whatever, its a minor complaint. Regardless of whether or not it was honorable, Seven's decision was perfectly rational in her view, and I don't blame her for making it. And it brought some well-needed tension to the ship. While the Maquis never should have started a mutiny or anything silly like that, questioning Starfleet philosophy would have been a legitimate use of them. Sadly, other than Seska and the occasional whimpering from Chakotay, they never used that angle much. Seven's existence allows us to bring some of that conflict back into the show. Janeway didn't do a great job of defending herself here, but she is certainly within her rights to punish Seven for her actions. And it is certainly a delight to see some consequences for Seven's actions, even if they start to disappear quickly... Meanwhile, the tension throughout much of the episode is real, and made for an enjoyable episode overall. In fact, it's been quite a run of good episodes of late.

Plothole #1: Kes threw Voyager 10,000 light years away from Borg space and closer to home. How did 8472 get this far if it was a relic of the Borg war? Plothole #2: How is it possible for Paris to track a mouse through Jeffries tube 32? How would a mouse find itself on Voyager in the delta quadrant? Plothole #3: How did Seven beam 8472 to the Hirogen ship in the middle of a battle with either Voyager or the Hirogen ship's shields up?

Petrus - This is the reason episodes like S1's Prime Factors make Janeway look like such a hypocrite. She came on quite strong in that one yet episodes like this one demonstrate that as a Captain its ok to break those same rules whenever they become inconvenient. And in this case it nearly got the crew killed. Once again putting another race over the safety of her own crew. Won't even get started about Equinox or Endgame. Loved Seven's speech at the end towards Janeway after her sentence was doled out. She didn't have a choice in the collective any more than she had a choice with Voyager. But she clearly had her own mind and it was...inspiring to see her express it. All Janeway could retort with was "As you were". Frankly they should have mutinied back in the pilot just before she destroyed the array. That's really where the bad decisions began for this crew. This was an awesome ep regarding Species 8472. It didn't showcase them as total monsters despite their fearsome appearance. In fact, knowing they were the ones being attacked by first the Borg and now the Hirogen we can't really fault its actions. I think of poor Ripley from Aliens whenever I think of species 8472. First impressions will dictate your actions towards a race. But all this 8472 alien wanted to do was return to fluidic space. But I still wasn't crazy about their story in S5's In the Flesh. The storyline would have been awesome if it were another species. It didn't really fit with 8472 tho. I never really found the Hirogen to be all that interesting. No moreso than the Ka-zon. Tony Todd, however, did essay the role quite well. Still, I didn't find them to be as nearly as fascinating as their prey. The pacing and the storyline itself were first rate in spite of Janeway's pious posturing and decisions that nearly turned the crew into flotsam. Oh yeah, and puttng the Hirogen hot on their trail. 3.5 stars is doable.

Diamond Dave

Excellent intro featuring the marvelous Tony Todd, who actually serves to give the Hirogen just a little more nuance than previously. Species 8472 is always a crowd pleaser of course, and the action is just different enough (eg the suits) to make it all interesting. But it's the conflict between Seven and Janeway that is the real highlight. It's great to see two strong characters butting heads, and the fact that Janeway doesn't win the argument through the mere force of her moral convictions but is met with a flat rejection of the idealistic approach with a flatly pragmatic one makes for a wonderful concluding scene. Yet another good episode (The 10th 2.5 or above rated episode in a row, equaling the record for any series in my re-watch so far). 3.5 stars.

icarus32soar

Totally agree with Petrus. Janeway is a disaster on legs. "Erratic, conflicted, disorganised." Ring a bell? Seven of Nine is the single best thing on Voyager, possibly in the whole of ST, no small thanx to Jeri Ryan's screen presence and natural talent for under-delivering rather than over-deliveting her lines. She is consistently pitch perfect and has an extraordinary range.

I really liked this episode for the conflict between Seven and Janeway. And I think I never hated Janeway most. I rewatch Voyager for the third time or so now, and I never particularily liked Janeway, but now that I am older I really start to hate her. She is just a bully, abusing her position to impose her judgement on everyone. Seven says it best at the end. Janeway wants to form her into a carbon copy of herself, and she gets punished if she does not obey. Now, I understand that on any ship you need a clear chain of command, and in the end, the captain gives the orders. But that does not mean that the crew has to follow their captain blindly. Janeway acted in the most illogical and dangerous way, stubborn to the point of blindness. This episode could have been a great moral dilemma if the odds weren't so in favour of the hirogen. She is a bad captain because she puts her morals above anything, regardless of the circumstances. And it is not that she struggled with the decision to kill her crew (which was essentially what she was doing), she acted like a religious zealot, principle above all else. I know that it is a Star Trek motto to help those in need, but there is a point where that is just not possible without killing yourself. And in the end they still got lucky that the hirogen just turned away after they got their prey. They could just as easily have destroyed the Voyager, especially after she offended them the way she did (by stealing their prey). It is also Star Fleet custom to respect other cultures, is it not? In this episode, and also the next, I felt really sorry for Seven. She is basically a usefull pet that gets called upon if there is a difficult problem, but if she acts human, and rational for that matter, she gets confined to the cargo bay, and is only allowed to still work the astrolab because that suits Janeways needs. She traded one oppressive regime for the next. And in real life, the crew would have mutinied, if not earlier than after this episode. Risking all their lives to save a creature that would most likely kill them if they bring it home. There is only so much a captain can demand. Look at Captain Bligh. Technically, he was right in his descisions, because it were his to make. In the same way Janeway is right here: It is her descision to kill her crew. But she can't blame the crew for disobeying such orders. I would have loved to see her replaced, even by Chakotay, who may be boring, but at least he is not clinically insane. If Janeway listened to her peers, changed her opinion from time to time, or even admitted to making mistakes now and then, she would not be such an unlikeble character. But with her adamant irrationality and adherence to principle when it is not appropriate, she is the single most dangerous thing that the Voyager ever encountered, and is the only reason I am reluctant to watch this series again. And to Name is irrelevant: Well, yes, you don't do that. Under normals circumstances, and when you have a fighting chance, if the odds are not impossible. When you are already disabled and outnumbered 6:1, and the only options are to either: 1) Try to save one innocent being (the odds of succeding are exceedingly rare, remember, Torres said she needed 1 or 2 hours, and Tom said he could shake the hirogens for mere minutes), 2) Save 148 innocent lives by handing over one not really innocent being , it is not such an obvious descision anymore. If Janeway acted tortured, while ordering to beam Species 8472 and the hirogen over, and lamented how that descision was the wrong one, but the only possible option in the circumstances, then yes, I could see her as right. If she just ignores the odds and acts as if she is immortal, she is just insane.

Janeway is incapable of viewing reality outside of her own emotional lens. While it is interesting to have such a flawed character - the writers never question her morality - it is presented as if it is somehow the 'only right way' - this is what makes it annoying. The conflict between her and Seven is an opportunity for Janeway to grow - but it is presented from a totally biased perspective - as if it were only Seven who is in need of the 'enlightened' views of Janeway - where its clear that the reverse is in fact the truth. Janeway constantly projects human emotion and empathy onto alien races that obviously have no empathy. Her idea to 'save the alien at all costs' in this episode makes me wish Seven had quietly strangled her and the irrational magical medicine bag clutching Chakotay - their deaths would put the far more rational Tuvac in charge of the ship. He might be boring - but he is empathic and at least slightly rational. Like the Borg, the new alien race (8472) appears to be devoid of empathy - they are a psychopathic civilization - and we should expect that this is common in the universe. The complex chemical systems that provide humans with compassion and empathy - also provide humans beings with a competitive and cooperative advantage - but are not necessary to allow civilization. An extremely brutal system of laws, combined with an hierarchical system of rule will allow a psychopathic species to achieve a highly advanced civilization. Most of the population would have to be a disarmed and subjected to virtual slavery - but those subjected to such conditions are also psychopaths - and they would never be able to organize a rebellion - more than that - they would never want to. Instead they would each simply seek to rise to a higher level in the hierarchy themselves. The so called 'moral dilemma' is personal to Janeway - it is not a an ethical (logical) dilemma. The alien is powerful, hostile and extremely dangerous - it broke through the ships hull - they have proven weapons to use against it which can be used immediately - every second of delay increases the probability that a crew member will be killed, or that a vital system might be destroyed leading to multiple crew fatalities. Janeway's first obligation is to her ship and crew, therefore the logical and ethical response is to deploy the only known weapon they have against the 8472 alien immediately - instead she asks Seven to start tinkering up a non lethal weapon. This is utterly reckless and vastly increases the danger to the ship and crew. This decision alone makes it clear she places her personal beliefs above the safety of the crew and the ship - if she was the only one at risk - then its fine to act that way, but she is clearly incapable of seeing things from a broader context. The 8472 alien is powerful and telepathic, its an unknown quantity that might be able to crush Tuvac's mind like a bug at close quarters - or potentially it could disable, kill or even control crew members at range with its virtually unknown telepathic capability. Having it running around the the ship at a time they are facing multiple hostile ships is simply stupid. The details of the the battle between the alien and hunters is initially unknown, but once more hunters are detected incoming, and the hunter they gave medical treatment makes it demands - then they should have done exactly what Seven did - return them both to the hunter ship. That's how they found them, and that fight is nothing to do with them - they owe neither of the combatants anything. They should have simply followed the Prime Directive and got out of there. Janeway then tries to justify her actions by saying the alien might be useful as prisoner for intel. Kess had previously explained that the 8472 aliens intended to 'purge' the entire galaxy. The 8472 had also explained that they had no respect for any living creature that could not repel their attack. Not only did they have the capability of destroying entire planets - they had already destroyed several hundred worlds controlled by the Borg. Voyager had created an effective weapon - this was by pure chance - Seven was on board and had both the required technology, and the knowledge required. Supplying this weapon to the Federation should be the highest priority for the entire ship - it should be 'the' mission. While more intel and a living alien is certainly valuable - it is not worth risking the destruction of the ship. If the Federation was attacked - then it could conceivably be completely destroyed before developing that weapon independently. When the hunters arrive and make their demands, it is like being surrounded by six armed men who say 'give us your prisoner or we shoot you in the head'. If you say no, you get shot in the head - but its not just Janeway's head on the line - an idea she seems to be unable to comprehend. Her story about the wounded Cardasian is irrelevant - the Cardasians are empathic - to the contrary, there has been no indication that the 8472 aliens are. This is like watching a house burning down, and when its almost gone out - you see a small flame left. Do you run in and 'save' it? Carefully keep the flame 'alive' and then 'release' it into the nearby forest? Projecting the attribute of empathy onto psychopaths is identical to treating forces of nature as if they were living things - its absurd - just one more thing that both the writers and the Janeway character seem incapable of comprehending. If they had opened a singularity to release the 8472 alien, what then - simply toss it through? It would probably be like beaming someone into deep space - a useless act. Were they going to carry it through aboard their ship, once more invading the plane of the 8472? Were they going to supply it with shuttle from their apparently infinite supply of disposable shuttles? That would provide it with intel. If they had created such a singularity - there seems to be a good chance that the 8472 on the other side would come straight back through at that point - guns blazing. Trying to send the alien 'home' would have potentially placed there entire galaxy at risk again - for the sake of preserving Janeway's conscience - let the galaxy burn, so long as Janeway feels good about herself. There seems to have no acknowledgement by the writers that any of the rest of the crew might agree with Seven - as if she was wrong and Janeway always right. This biased lens of 'morality' is not the hallmark of good writing - people should not be told what it right and wrong - far better to simply present it and let them decide for themselves. Seven's observation that the hierarchical structure on the Voyager is the same kind of collectivism practiced by the Borg is accurate - however there is a veneer of individualism on the Voyager - ultimately Janeway has made it clear - she is the Tyrant of Space - and the lives and wishes of the crew have no value compared to her personal beliefs and feelings, and she will sacrifice their lives on the pyre of her vanity without hesitation - and the writers seem to endorse this as if it were ethical.

"As you were" in military parlance means to rescind an order. Nonmilitary it means to undo what what was just done or forget what you just saw (a real life reset button). Hence, when Captain Janeway says this to Seven of Nine she takes back everything that she just said about Seven's "punishment". She is saying to go back to the way things were before I stepped into the cargo bay!

Brian, "As you were" is a military command to withdraw an order, return to the previous position, etc. or to withdraw something just said, "JANEWAY: Individuality has its limits, especially on a starship where there's a command structure. SEVEN: I believe that you are punishing me because I do not think the way you do. Because I am not becoming more like you. You claim to respect my individuality, but in fact you are frightened by it. JANEWAY: As you were." What it means here is Seven has stepped to far in this conversation. She has gone somewhere she shouldn't and Janeway is not going to continue this debate. She has not taken back anything she said and has not rescinded anything.

Wow.... lot's of interesting comments on this one :-) It seems just about everyone is hating Janeway and loving Seven. The Captain is wrong and Seven is right. Mom is wrong and the teenager is right. Let's look at 7's first reaction to the situation presented in this story. "SEVEN: The Hirogen vessel is a potential threat. We should destroy it." Now, a vessel approached Voyager, fired nothing, has week/intermittent life signs onboard and Seven's reaction is to just frakin blow it up? .... and everyone is on Seven's side here? sure.... she's beaming with reason here. Captain Janeway deals with this situation appropriately. ... about as "Star Fleet" as it gets. She rescues an injured Hirogen, provides medical aid. Nothing wrong there. She figures out who this big fella is hunting... then species 8472 gets into the ship, is seen in engineering (where it doesn't kill anyone BTW). Then she receives a demand from the Hirogen. "Let me continue the hunt or I'll kill you" .... yeah, like she's supposed to allow that. After trying to find it, they do and the Hirogen tries to kill it, then gets stunned by Tuvok. The Tuvok melds/read it's mind with this thing. "TUVOK: It's ship was damaged during the conflict with the Borg. When the other members of its species retreated into fluidic space, it was left behind. It has been trapped in the Delta Quadrant ever since. Alone, pursued by Hirogen hunting parties. It has no desire for further conflict. It only wants to return to its domain. It is dying, Captain." So our Captain is proven right once again. This actually makes TOTAL sense. 8472 wasn't their enemy, the "provoke a fight" borg were. They were just thrust into that situation. This is a perfect opportunity to hand species 8472 an olive branch. Oh that's right, the Hirogen say they will kill everyone. ... so screw this sentient helpless injured dying creature. .... yeah, that's the Star Fleet thing to do. Let's just side with Seven and kill the damn thing... Then we have this wonderful exchange between Janeway and Seven. She tells a war story, blah blah... Then. "SEVEN: No. Your decision is tactically unsound. We will be surrounded by Hirogen ships in approximately two hours. If we do not surrender the creature, they will destroy us. A lesson in compassion will do me little good if I am dead. JANEWAY: It is wrong to sacrifice another being to save our own lives. SEVEN: I have observed that you have been willing to sacrifice your own life to save the lives of your crew. JANEWAY: Yes, but that's different. That was my choice. This creature does not have a choice. SEVEN: It invaded our ship, put our lives at risk to save its own. In my view, it has already forfeited its freedom. JANEWAY: I'm giving you an order. Report to Deflector Control and begin working on creating a singularity. SEVEN: I will not comply. I have agreed to remain on Voyager. I have agreed to function as a member of your crew. But I will not be a willing participant in my own destruction or the destruction of this ship. JANEWAY: Objection noted. We'll do this without you. SEVEN: You will fail. JANEWAY: And you have just crossed the line. End of debate. Report to the Cargo Bay and remain there until this is over. Is that understood?" Janeway gives her every chance to see why she is making this decision. To read some of the comments above, you'd think all Janeway did was barking out and order and massaging metal balls in her hand while demanding strawberries. Seven is the stubborn self-centered teenager here. Janeway sent her to her room. As the plot thickens, they need more nano-probes... Seven complies without any hesitation. Now, as the circumstances unfolded where the force field weakenes and 8472 and the Hirogen resumed their fight, I think Seven's actions should be supported here. This is where I have trouble with the ending and how it unfolded. Janeway's conversation at the end condemned Seven's actions where I think some discussion of how things happened should have taken place. Seven didn't go up there with the intent of beaming them off the ship. The only thing Seven should have done was informed Janeway of the changed circumstances as she was preparing to take action (beaming them off the ship). Seven should still be "grounded", but for refusing to help earlier, not her actions under duress at the end. Overall this is a great episode. I'll go 4 stars even with the miss-step at the end.

...and for all you Janeway haters.... she just takes the moral high road.... folks. Remember this? SISKO: "Worf. We don't put civilians at risk or even potentially at risk to save ourselves. Sometimes that means we lose the battle and sometimes our lives. But if you can't make that choice, then you can't wear that uniform." This isn't the Boy Scouts or a High School field trip. It's frakin Star Fleet! I just know Picard stated something similar, but I don't feel like looking it up right now.

I agree with Amagnonx.

@Yanks Just because one's the "mother" and the other is the "teenager" doesn't mean the mother is right. 7 of 9 was taken aboard the ship against her will, humanized against her will, and forced to be a member of the crew against her will because Janeway decided that 7 of 9 didn't have the right to make her own choices so long as they were choices that she did not agree with. Picard would never have done that - in the end he would have recognized that she was ultimately a child of the borg now, and let her go back. So here we are in a situation with a person on the ship who has been shanghaied and forced onto this ship against her will, and thus far she has mostly followed the captains orders... but she is not star fleet and she is not obligated to follow the captains orders whatever Janeway may think because she is still a prisoner there against her will. As far as the Sisko and Worf example, I also thought that was incredibly stupid; especially given the fact that Sisko poisoned an entire world to get Eddington to turn himself in.

OrangeCube, Is mom always right? Of course not, but that's completely irrelevant here. Seven was wrong and irrational here. Clearly proven above in my post. ... and has already thanked Janeway for saving her from the collective. What was incredibly stupid? Sisko's actions to capture Eddington are a completely different ball of wax here... not sure how you can make the comparison. Sisko didn't kill anyone... he "smoked the out".

Well, Janeway has got a point. Even today with the constitutional right of human dignity (at least in my country) forbids to sacrifice another human in order to save other humans. I dont know if it applies to aliens though since the constitution only affects a certain country. but then again when youre space travelling they probably widened their fundamental principles.

Janeway's logic in this episode is the very reason the Federation almost lost the Dominion War back home, it's the Federations peace loving "Do not harm anyone" attitude that allows species like the Borg, Hirogen, Jem'Hadar, Species 8472 etc to walk all over them, because they portray weakness and a vunerability, their morality. The age old quote "War is Hell" is something Starfleet doesn't seem to understand, it's a dog eat dog unvierse out there, either you do what you need to survive or you won't be surviving, Seven of Nine saved the crew and the ship. The quote from Spock "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the ONE" is very important here, one viscous, slaughtering alien who got trapped away from his home because he was an invading xenophobic, is not worth an entire ship full of people who have been trapped away from home for years because of an accident.

Boring. Look out there's an alien on the ship. Janeway continues to pat herself on her inept back (*)

The best Trek offers dilemmas for which there are no easy solutions. This episode is a prime example. I would side with Seven on this one, not for lack of compassion but because the alternative was a hopeless situation. But I can also relate to the opposite position. That's what makes it great. 3.5 stars sounds about right. To nit-pick: The scene in engineering was unnecessary. Species 8472 attacks a room full of people and nobody is killed? It could be argued that it didn't have any animosity towards the voyager crew, but then why attack them at all? That scene just didn't sit well with me.

"I will not comply." If I had to choose a most memorable line or moment from Voyager, that would be it. Janeway has a point when she says that the ability to show compassion, even in wartime, is part of being human. I agree with her on principle, and this would be the ideal opportunity to teach Seven of Nine that lesson... ...IF a bunch of Hirogen ships weren't coming to destroy them unless they got their prey back. But the Hirogen are coming, and we have no reason to believe they won't carry out their threat, and therefore this is neither the time nor the place for charity. Seven is absolutely correct in her assessment. She goes directly against orders by sacrificing the invader, but in doing so she saves the ship and the crew. Janeway didn't have a third party threatening to kill her if she saved the wounded Cardassian, so what gives her the right to preach to Seven about humanity in this situation? And in such a patronizing manner, too. As Seven observes, "a lesson in compassion will do me little good if I am dead." 'Prey' is a very strong, intelligently written episode of Voyager. It uses the Hirogen more effectively than anywhere else (thank you, Tony Todd) and continues a minor story arc from 'Scorpion'. If these standards had been applied to the rest of the series it could have been something truly special. Three and a half stars is about right.

Janeway is insane and should be relieved from duty. Her stance accomplishes nothing, the prey will still die as will everyone in her crew. The writers should have made the situation more ambiguous, but Voyager was far too outgunned to keep Janeway's decision sane. One thing is to protect the prey even if there is risk, but we are not talking just "risk" here. In this case the outcome was clear, they would die protecting the prey. Doesn't make sense, and makes Janeway a dangerous individual, not someone you want as a captain.

Goddamn, Janeway is a damned boyscout, her pussying around is going to get everyone killed one day. Not everything has to be dealt with by diplomacy. Opening a rift to fluidic space is a stupid decision. Kill the alien, shove it out the airlock, leave the hirogen in space with a tank of air, or in an escape pod. Be on your way. Anything else is dumb.

Was up way too late watching VOY episodes last night, Message in a Bottle, Hunters, and this one. What a great episode! Also although they leave the "what was the right thing to do" answer up in the air it's pretty obvious that if they did it Janeway's way they all would've died. I appreciated the cargo bay scene at the end a lot too. Imagine if somebody pulled that shit on Picard when given a direct order? They would've been confined to quarters MINIMUM. I'm actually surprised she still allowed Seven in stellar cartography to be honest. Voyager always irks me because it CAN be a pretty friggin' awesome show, it just never lasts for very long. If nothing else it appears the series does indeed have more than "10 good episodes" like I've said time and again in the past :D

Outstanding episode - never a dull moment, terrific dialogue between 7 of 9 and Janeway, Tony Todd as one of the Hirogen makes the race really come alive, and of course the return of 8472. Great review Jammer -- "Prey" for sure is one of the best VOY episodes as it touches on a lot of what makes Trek great: the moral/ethical dilemmas, difficult questions/decisions, decent action scenes, and trying to exemplify some human values (compassion). OK, so after "Hunters" the Hirogen were also to me, as Jammer said "utter cardboard and terribly acted." But here, focusing on 1 Hirogen we have a character and we get to understand it a bit more. I didn't realize at first it was Tony Todd from "The Visitor" - but now it makes a bit of sense with the deep voice. As many have said, great to see the shot of the 8472 on the outside of the ship. The 8472 as being more powerful than the Borg was a real winner for me in "Scorpion" so it was a thrill to see it again given its capabilities and how different it is as an alien race. It also brought out something from 7 of 9 who is a far better addition to the cast than Kes. Now the real meat of "Prey" is between Janeway and 7. OK, so I understand Janeway's trying to teach 7 to be more human, learning compassion. Fine. But the captain has no logical plan for dealing with the Hirogen ships and protecting the 8472. I think it's fine for her to lecture 7 on following orders, but I also don't blame 7 for her actions to save the ship (though how could she transport the 8472 and the Hirogen with shields up -- small loophole). Both Janeway and 7 were really well acted here on both occasions when the captain gives the order and 7 refuses and in the end when 7 questions Janeway on shaping her individuality. Personally I think Janeway needs to be more pragmatic here. She should sacrifice one life (the 8472) to save her own crew. It's fine to have strong ideals etc. and to take 7 of 9 under her wing, but if she had it her way, VOY would end midway through S4. "Prey" gets 4 stars for me. Really enjoyed everything about it -- great action scenes, great lines/acting and good use of all the Voyager important crew members (very little Neelix). Only minor nitpicks (Janeway's hard-headedness, the transporting of the 8472/Hirogen) but this episode ticks all the boxes of what makes Star Trek so good.

Peter Swinkels

Very nice episode, but a nitpick: why would an ASTEROID have what appears to be a cavern with an m-class environment? (Breathable atsmosphere, roots, dripping water, etc.)

Excellent episode. Excellent review. Why is it that every time Seven (who is supposed to not understand humanity) and Janeway (who is supposed to be the guideline on human ethics) are in disagreement over some human trait, I tend to side with Seven?

The "you missed" scene is one of my favourite Trek moments. The space suit scenes were incredibly atmospheric. Unfortunately, like Equinox, this episode paints Janeway at her worst. She forces a tactically unsound idea to carry a wounded, hostile alien away from the Hirogen shuips which Voyager cannot defeat - she's prepared to throw her life and those of 140+ crew away for the opportunity to feel better about herself. And when Seven takes the only action that can save the crew, she is heavily punished. I don't get it. Then again, Kate Mulgrew herself apparently said that Janeway was written so inconsistently that she ended up not knowing how to play her.

Janeway was correct at first, but when the Hirogen showed up, that changed everything. She had two choices, either give them the 8472 and let them kill it, or don't give it to them and they kill everyone on Voyager including 8472. And of course she chooses the second. They had no chance of winning the battle, so sacrificing the entire ship to keep some sort of moral integrity is insane. To paraphrase Seven 'what good is morality if you're dead?' Even Picard would have given up 8472 when he realized there was no hope of saving it. Maybe, just maybe, if it would have saved 8472, but it was dead either way. Janeway is the worst captain ever. Nonetheless, a good episode. 3 stars.

It is hard for me to see past how much I dislike the Hirogen and how much I long never to see them again (though I know from reading the ep blurbs, that - sadly - I will). Yes, we get much better acting from Tony T, but that just doesn't do it for me. But hard isn't impossible, so looking past my Hirogen-hate: Good ep. Loved the Janeway and Seven scenes, really nicely done. Janeway is in a much different position than Kirk or Picard or Sisko ever was. Archer was in a sorta similar position when he was desperate to save Earth, though Janeway's position is much more ambiguous and lonely. She has to be a leader, though her authority is no more based on Star Fleet's backing than US currency is based on the gold in Fort Knox. She is ALONE. Not just Voyager, but she herself, is infinitely vulnerable in the Delta quadrant. She has to be be something of a mom to her crew of homeless orphans. She also has to keep order and enforce discipline while knowing she can't actually afford to lose the help and support of any one of her limited team members. She needs all hands on deck, all warm bodies in their seats - ideally. Of course Janeway felt compassion for a wounded, abandoned creature who just wanted to get home.

Startrekwatcher

2.5 stars It was a neat idea having the Hirogen hunt species 8472. But was hoping for something a little note interesting going on The hunt onboard voyager was mechanical. Didn’t do a lot for me in terms of suspense or excitement or being all that involving The visit to the Hirogen ship was insightful. The vat of chemicals breaking down the bodies. The severed head courtesy of 8472. Learning more about the Hirogen culture —nomadic, traveler grear distances, life centered around the hunt. Hirogen having almost as resilient a physiology as 8472 Tuvok substituting for Kes as 8472’s telepathic mouthpiece Janeway punishing seven I guess is good for those fans who live for that sort of thing but I could take it or leave it.

I always loved this episode, and shows the difference between Picardian idealism, and siskoian pragmatism. Sisko would probably have given the creature to the Hirogen. And Picard would likely have done what Janeway did. They are both right-janeway's principle vs seven's hard realism.

I'm curious - why is it that whenever the ship goes to 'Red Alert' then all the lights seem to automatically dim? Surely a (potentially) emergency situation is exactly the wrong time to have crew fumbling around in the dark as their eyes adjust? What am I missing?

Interesting comments. I think this episode is set up to be the pragmatist vs the idealist. But usually the idealist is the protestor speaking truth to power while the pragmatist has the power. I think of the nuclear freeze advocates during the Reagan years vs Reagan. I also thing of that Jack Nicholson court scene in A Few Good Men: "You have the luxury of not knowing what I know; that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, *saves lives*. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. " There are two problems in this episode. First, the captain of a ship in the middle of nowhere surrounded by enemies does not have the luxury of being the idealist, and in this particular case the situation was set up so that there was zero chance that Voyager would survive the final battle. Second, a story like this needs the idealist to be the one without the power and the pragmatist to be the one with the power. Janeway has all the power and her actions here seem more like Ahab destroying his boat and crew seeking the whale. As Seven says, there is no morality in suicide, and in Janeway's case she's decided that the death of her entire crew, which she has described as a family in prior episodes, is worth defending some principal. That is not even idealism; that is lunacy. It would have been much more interesting if Voyager had some chance of success in the battle rather than being ridiculously overmatched, and if Janeway was the one who wanted to hand over the alien and someone else on the crew objected.

tanstaafl, congrats on figuring out Trek idealism. The reason the show's followers consider the Federation to be a legitimate government (and often find government in the real world to be hopelessly compromised in comparison) is because the idealists are in charge. Jammer continues to be a true Trekkie, because in his review, he understands that the narrative goal here is not survival or pragmatism but the proliferation of human idealism. He says "Seven does not understand her humanity yet", and in the show's terms, this is obviously true. Ironically, there are too many pragmatists on this message board to appreciate it, people who believe that humanity being itself is also humanity doing the rational thing. Further up, Amagnonx made the right pragmatic points. Human sensibilities are a particular characteristic of species with social development which sees its empathy as a general good, not just a useful tool for in-group bonding and cooperation. Strategically, this is insane, and it's probably why history has so irrevocably favored "morally compromised" power structures. Seven was clearly right: you don't suicide yourself and your people because your emotional programming flinches. Of course, I just watched Tuvix a few days ago. Janeway can be brutally pragmatic... when her friends are on the line and the lifeform whose existence is keeping them away is ungallantly trying to avoid summary execution. You might call this inconsistent writing, but while I still like Janeway, it really is just a human doing what humans do, complete with biases, selective empathy, and a tremendous sense of unearned intellectual superiority. Janeway is a person, which means she's a mess. I wish the writers had been aware of what a wonderfully flawed character they had created.

Just had a thought on how Voyager could have made it out of this predicament in one piece and still save the life of the member of Species 8472: open the rift into Fluidic Space, take the creature through the rift and then seal the rift behind them. Of course, this would put Voyager in Fluidic Space... but I would rather be in Fluidic Space with a member of Species 8472 that you had just rescued, rather than in normal space surrounded and about to be blasted into smithereens by six Hirogen hunting vessels. Join an enemy you just saved by bringing them back to their home... or get blasted and lose it all?

In retrospect, I am glad we had Janeway in the way she was written. Like all of us, she was flawed: she can be inconsistent, she let her emotion get the better of her, at times she displayed incredible pettiness and vengefulness.... sometimes you’ll hate her. Hence I found her character more interesting and realistic than all the Mary Sue types that inundated TV and movies nowadays.

There’s a difference between a character having flaws and being consistently written. In “Frasier”, the character Roz is constantly chasing sex over commitment. It’s a character flaw, but it’s a consistent one and we learn to respect Roz despite the flaw. Janeway’s flaw is that she’ll follow the Prime Directive only to service the plot. We don’t know from one episode to another which way she’ll lean on the Prime Directive, because it depends on the author that week. That’s a writing flaw.

I can't believe the anti-Janeway sentiment on here. I do wonder - if the 8472 looked more human and less obviously 'alien' perhaps people would be more on her side...?? As it was, I don't agree that this was all to do with following - or not- the Prime Directive... more of a single moral judgement on the captain's behalf, and it's pretty likely that Tuvok and Chakotay at least would be in agreement with her. Seven had intriguingly strong feelings too but at their heart was an obvious grudge against this particular species. Far from a logical utilitarian judgement about saving the crew hers was just as emotionally grounded as Janeway's. Anyway, an excellent episode of a highly underrated series... I'm really enjoying seeing in again on the Horror Channel (UK) after 25 years!

I have read a lot of the comments in this thread, on both sides of the Janeway/Seven moral divide I liked how RenC pointed out that Picard faces a similar moral dilemma when he grants Q asylum and puts the entire ship and crew at risk to protect crew from aliens that want to kill him and who are threatening to destroy the Enterprise. Yanks later brilliantly noted how Sisko once took Worf to task saying: "We don't put civilians at risk or even potentially at risk to save ourselves. Sometimes that means we lose the battle and sometimes our lives. But if you can't make that choice, then you can't wear that uniform." Janeway's decision has plenty of precedent in Starfleet/Star Trek lore....that you don't just turn wounded aliens over to murderous thugs, just because they are threatening to kill you, too, if you don't comply. And there are several other episodes, even in Voyager, where this moral dilemma plays out.....where an innocent being, or even a being who has attacked the ship, is afforded protection by Janeway and Voyager, even at great risk to the ship. The entire reason Voyager is in the Delta Quadrant is because Janeway placed the protection of the Ocampa over the welfare of the crew.....even though it was not their responsibility to do so, and it was the Caretaker who violated their rights and dragged them to the DQ, killing dozens of Voyager's crew in the process. The Caretaker kidnapped Voyager, killed its crew, and Janeway still granted the Caretaker's requests to protect the array from the Kazon, even at mortal risk to Voyager. That was still the moral thing to do. It was the Starfleet thing to do. Now while there are plenty of fine arguments to be made for either choice in "Prey," and whether one agrees with Janeway's moral choice or not.....on a Starfleet vessel, ultimately it is the Captain's choice to make. Whether the Captain decides to give in to a bully's demands and sacrifice an innocent being to save their own ship, or whether they should sacrifices themselves for the moral principle.....that is the sole decision of the Captain. You cannot have random officers and crew, much less non-Starfleet personnel, substituting their own personal judgments for that of the Captain's. So I agree with Janeway here.....both in her decisions to protect the 8472, and her discipline of Seven for insubordination. But I think Joey Lock also made a very interesting point with his comment....."Janeway's logic in this episode is the very reason the Federation almost lost the Dominion War back home, it's the Federations peace loving "Do not harm anyone" attitude that allows species like the Borg, Hirogen, Jem'Hadar, Species 8472 etc to walk all over them, because they portray weakness and a vunerability, their morality." I don't personally agree with the sentiment behind that, but I understand it and I know a lot of people would feel that way. And I think that mindset is precisely what is at the heart of what Starfleet has become in the new Star Trek: Picard series......that kind of morality of openness and welcoming inclusiveness can leave you exposed to those who do not share your morals or value your inclusivity. The understanding of Starfleet and the Federation through 50 years of Trek is that, yes, there may be short term or individual consequences, but long term we are better off opening our arms to other, welcoming the alien seeking refuge, and protecting them from harm. But after the Borg, the Dominion War, and a series of other attacks and calamities, it is understandable that frightened scarred people have become weary of Starfleet's open arms policy and no longer want to be the sort of people who welcome the injured 8472 at all costs. The people who would now rather turn an alien over to hunters rather than stick their neck out for someone who isn't exactly an ally. Seven's mindset in "Prey" is exactly at the heart of the Federation's behaviors in ST:Picard......though I say this having not watched any of the new episodes with Seven's character yet.

This has been quite an interesting thread to read! First, I'll share my big pet peeve with "Prey": That the Voyager crew constantly refer to that Species 8472 as *IT*. Like it's an android, or an amoeba, or a quasar. Every other life form is a she, he, or they (meant in the plural AND the contemporary "no gender known or asserted"). Species 8472 is not only a sentient lifeform, it is a SUPERIOR lifeform compared with every other lifeform whose world's are currently members of the Federation. Physiologically superior, intellectually superior, and technologically superior to US. It was as though the Voyager crew took on the language of the Hirogen! The Hirogen see all lifeforms beyond their own as prey—as "it". But surely humans should not—especially given all that characteristic empathy folks in this thread have noted. Don't know the gender of, or IF there is a gender for that member of Species 8472? Use "they." Or heck, keep saying "the member of Species 8472" even, sans pronoun. Not "it." My thoughts on a few other scenarios noted in the above comments: Regarding Species 8472's prior stated purpose of coming to our galaxy to "purge all life," since they didn't have experience in this realm—and maybe didn't know it/we existed until the Borg burst through that rift—they may not comprehend that the Borg do not represent the manner of ALL Milky Way beings, or even the profound diversity among them. It would therefore be easy to stereotype as "Galaxy beings are hell bend on "assimilating", i.e. destroying us, therefore our survival depends on our wiping out Galaxy beings." Considering Star Trek's overall (very annoying!!!) habit of ascribing characteristics, cultural norms, values, etc. to a WHOLE PLANET OF BEINGS based on the 5 or 15 or 500 they encounter in one tiny geographic region of a planet or of space, it's surely not out of the questions for other beings to similarly stereotype What if the first aliens from another world arrive in Romania? Or Namibia? or Samoa? Very distinct cultures and peoples. So why does Starfleet stereotype every planet based on a tiny sample group? Species 8472 may just be doing the same—they don't know any better. Yet. Regarding the Kes plot hole noted, as to how Species 8472 got so far away from where Voyager encountered them in that Borg battle... we have no idea how expansive (in terms of across how much "space turf" covered) it had been. Voyager encountered that battle site, or the aftermath. But perhaps there were many more. Perhaps also, the rift splintered into other parts of the Delta Quadrant. Also, given that we know Species 8472 is far more advanced than not only Starfleet, but also the Borg—and that the Hirogen are, mostly, as well—it's not such a big stretch of imagination to see that both of these (Hirogen and 8472) would be capable of traveling such distances much faster than a Starfleet or Borg vessel. Hence... 10,000 light years away, there they are. While we do learn more about 8472 in future episodes, just focusing on what we know to this point, of episode "Prey," I don't know that we can truly know to call them a "psychopathic" civilization or beings. For all we know (at this point in the saga) they were just talking tough, based on what they knew Galaxy beings (i.e. The Borg) to be like. To infer they are monstrous as a value system, for wiping out Bork worlds and threatening to kill all life forms (if it's NOT just big talk), then we need to look in the mirror ourselves. We destroy insect colonies all the time. Are we "evil"? for not wanting roach or termite or wasp infested homes? To Species 8472, The Borg Starfleet, etc., may be lifeforms at that level, when compared to them. The Borg (roaches/termites/wasps) invaded their home, and they came to eradicate them.

Malias sudden essay on pronouns and the even handed representation of barely humanoid fluidic space aliens aside, this has been quite a focused thread. I'm glad people are defending Janeway. The criticism of her often smacks of bias. I do wonder sometimes if there is a gendered aspect to it. Not necessarily, but with some. It has been rightly pointed out that Sisko and Picard often get to make inspiring Star Fleet speeches about ideals and the greater good. It is part of what makes Trek what it is, and its fanbase a largely decent bunch. Janeway never really had that luxury, often inconsistently written, or having to deal with unique situations on the hop. This week, unlike in say, Tuvix, she is not the pragmatist, but the idealist. A wounded 8472, alone, requires her protection, and give it she will. She puts her crew in danger, but there is an ideal to uphold. There is room here for debate, and no easy answers, but people dismissing Janeway as crazy, arrogant or hateful, where they would likely label Picard impassioned or principled, are being a bit typical. They are Star Fleet, they get to carry phasers, keep the peace and arbitrate the law in space. If they don't like what comes with then they don't get the badges and the phasers. Alas Janeway gets no such speech here because the episode is a vehicle for a compelling showdown / tiff with her daughter protege Seven. Most can appraise this, but for some "I hate Janeway.. blah blah." Yet when she applied pragmatism to Tuvix to protect two crewmen, she's not a realist, but a murderer. Go figure. (I'm not asking for a rationale, I have read the Tuvix page, and she was 100% correct). It was a lousy situation, and she assesed the crews needs and owned the decision, and thus the guilt for it all. Without a word of complaint. Because she is a hell of a captain.

JG: Lol, OK. My comment on pronouns was not about any human political correctness. It was noting that voyager crew refers to a superior being or life-form as "it"—which is typically what we use to refer to creatures that are way lower down on the evolutionary ladder than we fancy ourselves to be as humans. Species 8472 aren't "things", not insects or rats or a fungus. They're potentially like "gods" compared to us—at least what we (through voyager crew's eyes) know of them at this point in the series. They don't need to be "humanoid"—indeed, humanoid beings are inferior to Species 8472. (I'm not clear about the Hirogen tho. Sure, they can hunt a lonely stranded individual, but i didn't get a sense from this how a Hirogen fleet would fare if they went to fluidic space to fight armies of 8472s. They are superior beings, not pets, not bacteria, not rocks. So using a term that we use for "inferior" things isn't in line with how we would expect this "enlightened" crew to talk.

The literary convention, also practical one, is to refer to any being as "it" until it is clearly assigned a gender or personality. This is true of animals (I refer to a dog as an "it" even though I know full well that it does have a gender, and will adjust once I know if it's male or female) as well as supernatural beings (like a ghost or monster or something similar). This individual of Species 8472 falls into that convention. Now, one can think of plenty of counter examples (why is Godzilla a "he," exactly?). But our language does not actually have a non-gendered pronoun that clearly addresses superior beings. You'll note that in Star Trek there is a convention of assigning "it" to superior beings on occasion: V'Ger comes to mind. It's not just for "inferior beings." I do take the point that there's an Othering inherent in labelling something as "it." But I do also wonder what motivates this rhetorical framing of Species 8472 as superior to us, evolutionarily speaking, rather than just differently evolved. There's a SF trope of assigning "superior evolution" to vicious, monstrous beings (i.e. Ash does this in Alien, Dr. Carrington of the "space carrot" in The Thing from Another World), but it's usually assigned to quasi-villains who openly admire something that lacks "human weaknesses" like empathy and emotion.

One small point to add: per "Someone to Watch of Me," Species 8472 has five sexes. So referring to this individual as either "he" or "she" run as a considerable risk of misgendering it, and there's no way to ask it about its preferred pronoun. So what pronoun do you recommend? I guess "they" might sort of work?

Sarjenka's Brother

I think 3.5 stars is just right. I like this episode a lot. What was interesting to me was the four-way conflict here. You had: Hirogen vs. 8472. Federation vs. Hirogen. 8472 vs. Borg (represented by 7 of 9) 8472 vs. Federation Hirogen vs. Borg (briefly) Federation (Janeway) vs. Borg Each of the four represented species or groups had a particular point of view consistent with previous Trek history that put them all in conflict with the other three. I was fascinated with see it play out. And the effects were stunning. Just shy of four stars. They've definitely upped the risk factor for Season 4: Borg / 8472 / Krenim / Hirogen / Dream Invaders. That's definitely a more formidable set of opponents than the Kazon and random spacial anomalies.

Aight, NOW we've got a show! Cooking with gas on this one! Hooters of Nine's exchange with Lameway at the end is applicable to many situations, not least the latter-day imposition of political correctness on our society, where "diversity" is encouraged so long as it's diversity of everything except opinion. Beyond that though, the entire episode was well made; others have ably enumerated its strengths. I'll just add that any show that stokes controversy and pushes the envelope, provoking disagreements and discussion, is well done. Difficult moral questions, no simple answers, blurred lines... Gosh, why was it that only one out of every ten Voyager episodes was like this!?

Seven got shafted. I do agree that if Seven would have just opened up the dimensional gateway, then Janeway would have been happy and then have to live with the consequences of the Hirogen now making Voyager their next prey. At least that would have put ALL of the next events on Janeway’s head. Instead we get the tense battle of the attack and 8472 getting loose. If not for Seven’s quick thinking in the corridor, Voyager would either have been destroyed, or captured and then the crew tortured and hunted to death, along with the creature. Janeway just can’t acknowledge that fact when Seven suggests it at the end of the episode, but rather brushes it off as “a possibility”. If it had been me when Janeway visited the cargo bay and said how I beamed the species off the ship, I would have simply replied with “You’re welcome for my saving Voyager and it’s crew”

Janeway’s justification for helping the 8472 was ridiculous. What was needed, was a justification for not letting the Hirogen hunt the 8472. What Janeway gave, was an anecdote in defence of being compassionate to a deadly but wounded enemy. A defence of the moral goodness of being compassionate to a wounded enemy, is a valuable moral lesson; but it is no justification at all for not letting the Hirogen hunt the 8472. She missed - or evaded - the point entirely. Sometimes, compassion to one can endanger many. Sometimes, ‘the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few - or the one’. Janeway’s attempt to manipulate Seven into being compassionate was very poorly timed, and absurdly transparent. Seven’s “No !” was a welcome douche of common sense and prudence, When Seven opposes her unwisdom, Janeway defends her self-contradiction by (1) raising her voice (a frequent sign that the speaker is losing the argument, and knows it): and (2) resorts to special pleading. When she loses the argument, she switches ground again, and orders Seven to do what she wanted. The exchange was indeed “fascinating”. That is not a criticism of the episode, but of the imprudence and illogic of a character in-universe. My sympathies were with the wounded Hirogen, and I thought Chakotay was needlessly aggressive to him. The 8472 was a very formidable enemy, as that species is seen to be in other episodes; and Janeway and Chakotay ought to have had the sense to listen to a hunter of 8472 who knew what he was talking about. Sometimes the nasty guy knows better than the good guys what he is talking about. Starfleet personnel can be too self-assured at times. The disaster of Wolf 359 should have cured them of that. The episode is also a comment on the Prime Directive - if Janeway had bothered with it, the events of the episode would not have happened. The episode is a contradiction of Captain Archer’s behaviour in “Dear Doctor”, when Phlox and he choose to let a species die rather than give them the cure they need. The PD is an effective plot device - as a moral principle it is lousy, because it is treated so inconsistently. No wonder Janeway ignores it. Seven is never afraid to talk back - for me, this is one of her most appealing qualities. Janeway should have acknowledged that Seven saved the ship from almost certain destruction. The episode is not one of Janeway’s best. 4 stars.

Tannhaeuser

Seven makes far more sense than Janeway in this situation. By the end of the show, I began to wonder how these people lasted so long. It is even more puzzling that the rest of the crew doesn't challenge Janeway while she makes not just one, but a series of real bad decisions over time. Okay, so this is fantasy TV show, but I still hope for a slim of realism: the universe runs on utterly impersonal mathematical laws without mercy. You are one ship on the run and with a very slim margin of survival.

Oh, by the end of the show, I reached the conclusion that Janeway was unfit for command and that the Hirogens were nice guys. I mean they let Voyager go. Or perhaps they thought humans were so dumb and unworthy to be their preys.

I see multiple people who defend Janeway's decisions in this episode lack understanding of the opposition to her perspective and ascribe the support of Seven's decision as utilitarian vs moralistic. This may be the case for some people, but I don't think you'd get the pronounced emotional reaction this episode has received if it was just that Janeway made a "tactically stupid choice." I actually see Janeway's behavior in this episode as morally reprehensible... just not for her choice to save the 8472 creature. I could see Picard in this situation making a very similar decision to save the alien, even if it came at the expense of his ship and possibly his life, but with one key distinction: he would make an announcement on the intercom of his decision, and allow for any crew members on board to leave the ship, as it would likely be destroyed. This way the crew had the choice on whether they were willing to sacrifice their lives on a moral stand or not, and if necessary, he would pilot the ship by himself to do it. Janeway, instead, made a unilateral decision to save the creature, and imposed that decision on the crew, even in the face of direct opposition, even at the cost of all of their lives. She did this directly with Seven first by using persuasion, then by ordering her to do it: she gave a false choice then used her authority to force the decision. This is not the first time in the series that Janeway has done this either. You cannot force someone to do the right thing, when you do that you're just a tyrant. This is a continual problem with Janeway, and I think the primary reason why people side so clearly against her in this episode, and probably why they dislike her in general.

In my opinion, there was no debate. I understand the writers need to fill time and weave a moral allegory, but the issue should've been resolved by stating one simple fact: That individual 8472 member entered our galaxy as part of a military force, a force which also attacked Voyager. I'm guessing this episode is supposed to be some sort of vague analogy for U.S. POWs left behind after Vietnam. Well, at the risk of seeming unpatriotic, maybe don't send your military into someone else's territory in the first place if you don't want to suffer the ramifications of being left behind in a region that is no less than hostile toward you. I'm no military strategist, but launching a counter-attack against an invading force on their own turf seems to imply your territorial defenses are sound. 8472 should have protected it's own "borders", which it was clearly more than capable of doing. The moment they chose to enter our galaxy, they were on borrowed time. This was nothing more than a "delayed combat fatality" in my eyes. In short, 7 of 9 and the Candyman were right.

Janeway was a moron in this episode. How many times has she nearly gotten the entire crew killed or sacrificed a way home to help complete strangers or obey alien laws? It's too bad Chakotay didn't take command of Voyager in the beginning, they'd have probably been home by now.

Squiggy said: "Janeway was a moron in this episode. How many times has she nearly gotten the entire crew killed or sacrificed a way home to help complete strangers or obey alien laws? It's too bad Chakotay didn't take command of Voyager in the beginning, they'd have probably been home by now." I don't think it's a coincidence that some of Chakotay's best moments are when he comes into conflict with Captain Janeway.

EventualZen

@Squiggy >Janeway was a moron in this episode. How many times has she nearly gotten the entire crew killed or sacrificed a way home to help complete strangers or obey alien laws? In 1x10 Prime Factors if Janeway had transported Voyager 40,000 light-years nearer to home, or in 3x05 False Profits if she had ignored the Ferengi and gone through the wormhole, she would have never freed Seven of Nine and would have never defeated species 8472 thus saving the galaxy.

I really am having a hard time trying to understand Starfleet's approach to this compassion for all sentient beings thing and where is the line drawn. Are you supposed to help the wounded even if they are a known threat to you? That's like the Defiant stopping to help an in distress Jem'Hadar ship. It doesn't make any sense. Janeway is risking the whole crew for this alien that 1. broke onto the ship causing a breach 2. attacked crew members 3. Is being hunted by the Hirogen who have them outshipped. I get showing compassion but this seems pretty dangerous. They are in a unique situation in the Delta Quadrant where the same rules shouldn't apply, or at least not be as black and white as Janeway tries to make them seem to Seven. Sometimes I think she tried so hard to uphold her morals and commitment to the uniform that she forgot they were on their own far from home and didn't have the luxury to be the perfect little Starfleet officers.

Bob (a different one)

The only way to enjoy some of these Voyager episodes is to watch them while pretending that Janeway is the villain of the story and the heroes are the rest of the crew who try to hold things together while she does her best to get them all killed. This is a good episode viewed in that light. I'm really, reaaaaallly tired of this "Janeway as an alpha-male badass" routine. Kate Mulgrew's performance is only slightly more subtle than Shatner's in Turnabout Intruder. For God's sake, stop swaggering around like you're swinging a pair the size of cantaloupes.

@Malia >We destroy insect colonies all the time. Are we "evil"? for not wanting roach or termite or wasp infested homes? To Species 8472, The Borg Starfleet, etc., may be lifeforms at that level, when compared to them. I don't think that species 8472 are so far advanced compared to the Federation that they view them as insects. I would reserve that comparison for energy beings like the Organians. The thought of aliens being that much more advanced than us is kind of scary, lets hope they are peaceful and don't view us as insects or vermin. Who knows, perhaps we will evolve in to such powerful beings that we are like gods compared to aliens. I'd like to think that we become peaceful gods with compassion for other beings. Over all score for this episode is 5/10.

Gary Twinem

I share Seven's exasperation with Janeway's insistence on sticking her hand in every rattlesnake hole she comes across as she meanders her way home 🙂

It's a great episode as long as you can forget Voyagers past encounter with species 8472. Would have preferred if they used a different species all together. In the first encounter the species was pure evil and made the Borg look like Girl Scouts, this helped to justify Janeway's incredible decision to partner with the Borg and to possibly prevent the destruction of the Borg. In this encounter Species 8472 has gone from Evil Alien to E.T. which really should call into question Janeway's actions to save the Borg. How many billions of lives and countless civilizations has Captain Janeway doomed to assimilation because she wanted to get her ship home?

Addition to previous comment: The boast about tracking someone through a neutron mantle or whatever has to be just that. What could possibly survive an enivronment like that? Even in science fiction that seems a little too unlikely.

Spock in the Omega Glory used his telepathic abilities to communicate with a woman to push her to activate his communicator.

Tough call between seven and Janeway. Personally I think Janeway is right when it comes to the species 8472 creature, even having indications of their hostile tendencies it’s hard to justify throwing an injured sentient being to the wolves. Not very Starfleet. However, I’m with seven when it comes to taking a tougher more pragmatic general stance. Voyager really should stop wandering around with its guard down all the time. The problem here is that the writers undercut the dilemma by stacking the odds against voyager to such an extreme degree. The hirogen ships were going to destroy voyager with absolute certainty, and in that light janeway’s behavior was irresponsible and stupid. If voyager had had at least a decent chance of duking it out and winning it would have provided a better foundation for the conflict between seven and Janeway. But that’s really a writing problem not a Janeway problem. Also, I would have placed a top priority on gutting and salvaging the hirogen ship. Voyager had it available for a good while before things went sideways, seems like examining the weapons, shielding, and propulsion tech would be kinda valuable.

Michael Miller

Janeway was beyond out of line here. So you risk your entire crew of 150 to save ONE organism that is also trying to kill you and all the officers and children on the ship, and try to force the victim of the species to help them destroy the victim? Just as insane as "memorial" and "phage". Total phoney "moral" bullshit, and the worst comedy skit verison of virtue signaling ever. She's got it backward. It's wrong to force 150 people to end their lives to save 1. It's wrong to force someone to sacrifice their own life for others when they are the ones who put you in the situation in the first place, such as with Neelix's lungs. The people defending Janeway here have some sort of mental illness. Let's not forget that if a few omega particles were floating around, then the prime directive is void and they can kill whoever they wanted to save their precious warp engines. Beyond absurd hypocrisy and phoney self sacrifice and forced sacrifice virtue signaling. Janeway is a delusional, narcissistic genocidal lunatic. Just like she had no right to FORCE neelix to be paralyzed and make the decision for him not to kill them to get his lungs back, that's not your fucking call, he's the victim, asshole. It's not your choice to make anymore. It couldn't be any more backward and contradictory. I swear starlet has morals equivalent to some cult of the 1100s.

The "Omega" episode was literally 3 episodes later! So apparently it makes sense to almost sacrifice your entire crew, who didn't ask to be stuck out there, to let them be killed by trying to save the entity that's trying to kill them, but then, if YOUR space travel ability and previous warp drive is put at risk by some random Omega Particles, then it's fine to kill or takeover a planet and void the almighty prime directive altogether. Middle-age level logic and morality.

This is where I seriously disliked 7. Of course, this entire scenario is a sci-fi fantasy, but authority is meant to be obeyed! Seven just blantantly dismisses Janeway's orders, openly disagrees and talks back to her, and is constantly disobedient! I hate that!

@Sean Spoken like a good little drone! Authority is meant to be obeyed IF IT MAKES SENSE. If not, its a persons duty to think for themselvs and DISOBEY. Even revolt, if necessary (in this epizode it was necessary). You're the kind of moron who will obey any kind of order unquestioning, even if it's immoral or suicidal. Now to the episode. Not much I can add that has not been sayed already. Janeway is a self-righteous, suicidal idiot (and that's fine if it wer just her, but she has a crew to think about - inexcusable). Seven did the right thing, and literally saved the ship and crew. And she is SO right here: "JANEWAY: Individuality has its limits, especially on a starship where there's a command structure. SEVEN: I believe that you are punishing me because I do not think the way you do. Because I am not becoming more like you. You claim to respect my individuality, but in fact you are frightened by it. JANEWAY: As you were." And so restrained. In her place, I wuld have decked Janeway after that exchange, even if it lands me in the brig for a month. Idc. Seeing her picking up her teeth from the deck wuld have been worth it. Self-righteous bitch. That all being said, absolutly awesome episode. And Seven Of Nine is a star! 4/4

@Natalya I can see why you may think that from my statement. Actually, I use the Bible as my guidebook to life. So, I obey authority as long as it doesn't conflict with God's law. So, that said, any "immoral or suicidal" orders from governmental authorities I would not obey. As can be seen by how sometimes governments try to force us into immoral actions-that wouldn't be obeyed. Yet, in the case of this episode, there was nothing immoral or suicidal that is mentioned. That topic doesn't apply. But I apologise for not explaining where the limits of man's authority ends. Following God's way is always the best solution-I have seen the beneficial results many times in life, and I look forward to the Bible's promise for the future where the whole Earth will be perfect under God's Kingdom rule

I get that Sean is in a cult but it sure is interesting how servile the men here are towards religious fundamentalism, considering how much damage it has done in the US in recent years when it comes to LGBT and women's rights. As always you men, who probably perceive yourself as heroes who just didn't have the right opportunity to shine. Find nothing wrong with what our little lightbringer said As so often before when we would need some basic human decency in other words genuine concern and support most of you are continue to be a huge disappointment. That's why we have save spaces, that's why we never count on you and that is why we would rather run into a bear than one of you! Just for context, women in the old testament are defined as property of men. So when a guy pushes out sermon after sermon about how he is against the very legal basis America was founded on and how wonderful a biblical theocracy would be. Still, your silence becomes louder and louder. You maybe don't care about women's rights or the recently again increasing persecution of LGBT people. Why should you? You are neither. Good people thinking. Maybe you think that Sean is such a nice guy, why call him out for pushing rules developed in Babylon 2600 years ago. Fun fact, Stalin was a real nice party guest. Very personable. He was also one of the worst people in Human history. Point being, horrible things nicely said are still horrible. I hope you have me all blocked already or at least ignore me, another tried and tested male behavior. You are weak, useless little snowflakes! As always thanks for nothing. Maybe three of you are excused, the rest is part of the problem. Oh and Jammer, considering that both of them are also part of a discriminated minority, I guess. Thanks for ignoring me or getting angry for giving you a little reality check peppered with German frankness. If you ever asked yourself how people throughout history could overlook the real state of things, leading to their downfall, then you can stop now. Just reflect on your own mindset. While people like me continue to scream into the silence. To quote the bible:"Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh. " Booming out!

Dirty Dancer

Off the meds again I see.

@Booming "I get that Sean is in a cult" Yep. I get the same impression. Can't decide betwen unquestioning religius obedience, or government obedience, as being worse. But he likes following orders of *some* authority. That, to me, is alredy a red flag. And that he sees nothing worth rebelling over in this ep, is another red flag. And no. You're not in danger of being blocked by me. I'm not American nor have i ever been there, but I like the way you see things! ;)

Corection - some things. We disagree on LGBT, but thats not a topic for this forum. Also, Babylonian law has it's value. Eye for an eye is something I very much subscribe to. But, mostly in sync. Especialy women's rights :)

"Eye for an eye is something I very much subscribe to." Just a small point of interest, this statement is not meant as a prescription, but rather a proscription against punishments *exceeding* reasonable bounds. It is not meant to be an instruction to actively seek proportional revenge or revenge of any kind.

@Peter G. Was that statement meant for me? I agree about what you said about "eye for an eye" I wasn't recommending any kind of revenge

@Peter G Revenge is good for the soul. Take it from me. Leaving scores unsettled just leads to self-delusions of 'moving past it'. The reason a smal minority of powerful people in the world get away vith so much crap, is because most people don't belive in revenge and put too much faith in human nature. Think of it as balance. But I agree with being proportional about it.

@Natalya Oh, that was to you! I must have missed your earlier comment. Well, as far as revenge goes, I follow Romans 12:19, and leave things in God's hands. I try not to poison myself with embittered feelings. This is always a battle of course, but it is something I work on, and with God's help, can accomplish

@ Natalya, I wasn't taking a position on revenge, but just clarifying an oft-misappropriated Bible verse.

Every Episode of Voy: Hard Headed Aliens - We are hard headed and will destroy and kill! Rar! Janeway - Now crew, remember my principles. We need to take it up the A$$ from these Hard headed aliens. Tuvok - Shields down to 5%. Janeway - Fire phasers. Target their weapons systems only! *Phasers do nothing, Some other character or deus ex machina then saves the ship* Janeway - How dare you save the ship! You could've killed some of the Hard Headed Aliens by doing that. Next time, let us die. *Roll credits*

@Picard Yeaaaaa. Thats Voyager in a nut-shell. Fair is fair, Janeway had her few shining moments (especialy agaisnt the Kazon, even if her tactics sucked ass). But usualy she's a self-rigteous, suicidal, holier-then-thou bitch. And thats coming from a woman. She doez NOT do us justice in a captains chair. Seven, on the other hand... well. She shuld've got her captain's chair a LOT sooner then the end of ST: Picard. Lets leave it at that. She's a STAR!

Black Oatmeal

Voyager works best if you watch it from the pov of Janeway being the villain of the story.

@ Picard and others I'll argue the opposite. This "Starfleet" version of Janeway is the one I can get behind, endorse, and support. My issues with the character were murdering Tuvix, making an alliance with the Borg (Chakotay: "We'd be helping the Borg assimilate yet another species just to get ourselves back home. It's wrong."), torturing the crew member of the Equinox, shitting on the temporal prime directive, blah, blah, blah. Writers couldn't decide if she was supposed to be Lawful Good Female Picard™ or some crazy chaotic natural parody of the Bride of Chaotica. Not sure how Kate Mulgrew managed to pull off such 180s in her character on a weekly basis.

@Tim >Writers couldn't decide if she was supposed to be Lawful Good Female Picard™ or some crazy chaotic natural parody of the Bride of Chaotica. What about Picard in the TNG episode The Neutral Zone? He pretty much disregarded the lives of the cryogenically frozen humans saying they were dead anyway. There's riker who (I forget which episode, I think it's Chain of Command or Unification) physically intimidated a Ferengi in order to get information. I'm pretty sure captain Archer did some bad stuff too, so Janeway is not the only inconsistently written character. In regards to Janeway's alignment, I'd say she's neutral good. For example in Counterpoint she helped smuggle those telepaths even though it was a breach of local law, yet in other episodes she respects local law where reasonable.

@EventualZen I'm going to say there's a wee bit of a difference between grabbing someone by the lapels and threatening them with a gruesome death by the extradimensional-alien-of-the-week. Riker threatened to revoke the dude's transit permit. Janeway threatened to KILL the Equinox crew member and my recollection is she was serious about it too. It wasn't a bluff. I can't think of anything Picard or Archer did that rises to the level of Janeway's actions in Scorpion/Equinox, or, you know, the MURDER of Tuvix. Sisko, different story. DS9 fans like to gloss over the whole "rendered an entire planet uninhabitable" aspect of his character. I think that was a pretty lousy writing choice actually, Trek has always glossed over certain things (following orders in Starfleet is apparently optional in every series) but that was a bridge too far, IMHO. Anyhow, Counterpoint is one of my favorite episodes and I supported Janeway's actions in that episode. I could see Picard doing something similar in that situation. That kind of proves my point though, she was written very inconsistently. Did Voyager have a "series bible" like TNG? If it did, they certainly seem to have ignored it after Season 3 or so. TNG got up to Season 6/7 before they started ignoring the bible.

@Tim >MURDER of Tuvix She resurrected two lost crew members who never volunteered to give their lives up to create Tuvix. I believe (had they used holographic versions of the dead crew) Tuvok would have argued that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Point taken about Riker but as for Sisko and Archer if Janeway acted like them at their worst, fans would call her out for it.

She murdered Tuvix, a separate and unique person, in order to resurrect the two crewmen. What's scary is that some of you on this site would do the same thing. Put yourself in Tuvix's shoes. You're being ordered to your death so that two already-deceased people can be brought back. You don't know them. You do know the remaining crew, and they've come to know you. You've done an exemplary job. Your only crime, it appears, is that your existence is of less value to Janeway than those other two crewman. So, you will now be murdered to bring them back.

She's a murderer. Scenario: the breaks on a car fail. The driver swerves to miss a pedestrian. The pedestrian is spared, but, unfortunately, the car hits and grievously wounds the driver and a bystander. By the logic of the writers of Voyager, the EMTs have the right to kill and harvest the organs of the surviving pedestrian in order to save the lives of the driver and the bystander. P.S. Never put your characters in this type of moral quandary on a weekly tv show that depends on your audience rooting for your heroes!

Christ, I can't spell. :(

@ EventualZen I don't have photographic recall of Enterprise, but I do for TNG/DS9/VOY and I can't recall Sisko ever coming close to Janeway's aforementioned actions with the exception of the example (For the Uniform) I already offered. You could call out In the Pale Moonlight, except, in that episode he was acting with the blessing of Starfleet Command during a time of war. Janeway's actions in Scorpion and Equinox speak for themselves. I've long been deeply discomforted by the former. Suffice it to say, Chakotay was speaking for me throughout that episode. I almost think the writers didn't clearly think through the consequences of her decisions in that episode, except, they did, because Chakotay was there to argue the other side.

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Cast of Star Trek: Voyager

Portrays Captain Kathryn Janeway, the resolute commanding officer of the USS Voyager who leads her crew on their journey back to the Alpha Quadrant.

Assumes the role of Seven of Nine, a former Borg drone who struggles with her reclaimed individuality and humanity while serving on the Voyager.

Plays The Doctor, Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram who gains sentience and a layered personality as the show progresses.

Depicts B'Elanna Torres, the half-human, half-Klingon Chief Engineer of the Voyager with a fiery temper and brilliant engineering mind.

Features as Kes, a member of the Ocampa species who exhibits telepathic powers and serves as the Voyager's field medic for a time.

Represents Tuvok, the Vulcan security officer whose logic and discipline are paramount in maintaining order aboard the ship.

Is known for his role as Ensign Harry Kim, the operations officer who grapples with the challenges of being far from Earth while exhibiting unwavering loyalty to his crewmates.

Takes on the character of Tom Paris, the helmsman with a checkered past whose piloting skills and character growth become essential to the Voyager's journey.

Embodies Chakotay, the first officer and former Maquis member who integrates his native cultural beliefs with Starfleet principles.

Fills the shoes of Neelix, the Talaxian chef and morale officer whose cheerful demeanor and local knowledge become invaluable to the crew.

Appears as Ensign Samantha Wildman, a Starfleet science officer who brings familial human elements to the spaceship as a mother and dedicated crew member.

Plays Cosimo, a recurring character who provides guidance to various Voyager crew members during their challenging journey.

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Season 4 (1997)

← back to season, series cast 91.

Kate Mulgrew

Kathryn Janeway (26 Episodes)

Seven of Nine (26 Episodes)

Robert Picardo

The Doctor (26 Episodes)

Roxann Dawson

B'Elanna Torres (26 Episodes)

Tuvok (26 Episodes)

Garrett Wang

Harry Kim (26 Episodes)

Robert Duncan McNeill

Tom Paris (26 Episodes)

Robert Beltran

Chakotay (26 Episodes)

Ethan Phillips

Neelix (26 Episodes)

Majel Barrett

Voyager Computer (voice) (15 Episodes) , Narrator (voice) (1 Episode)

Jennifer Lien

Kes (2 Episodes)

J. Paul Boehmer

German SS Officer (2 Episodes)

Mark Metcalf

Hirogen Medic (2 Episodes)

Alpha-Hirogen Idrin (2 Episodes)

John Loprieno

Obrist (2 Episodes)

Erica Lynn Duncan

Annika Hansen (2 Episodes)

Kurtwood Smith

Annorax (2 Episodes)

Krenim Commandant (2 Episodes)

Paul Eckstein

Young Hirogen (2 Episodes)

Danny Goldring

Alpha Hirogen / Nazi Commandant (2 Episodes)

Mark Deakins

Hirogen SS Officer (2 Episodes)

Alexander Enberg

Ensign Vorik (2 Episodes)

Nancy Hower

Ensign Samantha Wildman (1 Episode)

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn

Daelen (1 Episode)

Jeff Austin

Allos (1 Episode)

Annorax's Wife (1 Episode)

Michael Horton

Kovin (1 Episode)

John Rhys-Davies

Leonardo da Vinci (1 Episode)

Wade Williams

Trajis Lo-Tarik (1 Episode)

Alpha Hirogen (1 Episode)

Virginia Madsen

Kellin (1 Episode)

Arturis (1 Episode)

Craig Richard Nelson

Vaskan Arbiter (1 Episode)

Judson Scott

Cmdr. Rekar (1 Episode)

Leland Orser

Dejaren (1 Episode)

Gwynyth Walsh

Chief Examiner Nimira (1 Episode)

Michael Mahonen

Brone (1 Episode)

Rosemary Forsyth

Alzen (1 Episode)

Steth (1 Episode)

Michael Krawic

Rhamin (1 Episode)

Annette Helde

Takar (1 Episode)

EMH-2 Dr. Bradley (1 Episode)

Booth Colman

Penno (1 Episode)

Terrence Evans

Ambassador Treen (1 Episode)

Zahl (1 Episode)

Alan Altshuld

Lumas (1 Episode)

Kevin Stillwell

Moklor (1 Episode)

Rafin (1 Episode)

Nathan Anderson

Namon (1 Episode)

Meghan Murphy

Karya (1 Episode)

Pancho Demmings

Kradin Soldier (1 Episode)

Richard Zobel

Gaumen (1 Episode)

Mickey Cottrell

Dumah (1 Episode)

David Anthony Marshall

Magnus Hansen's Father (1 Episode)

Nikki Tyler-Flynn

Annika Hansen's Mother (1 Episode)

Deborah Levin

Ensign Lang (1 Episode)

Susan Henley

Ensign Brooks (1 Episode)

Guill (1 Episode)

Rebecca McFarland

Talli (1 Episode)

Malin (1 Episode)

Bobby Burns

Frane (1 Episode)

Jeanette Miller

The Woman (1 Episode)

John Vargas

Tau (1 Episode)

Don Pugsley

Alien Visitor (1 Episode)

Doug Spearman

Alien Buyer (1 Episode)

Brooke Stephens

Naomi Wildman (1 Episode)

Robin Michele Stewart

Alixia (1 Episode)

Mark Colson

Dream Alien (1 Episode)

Valerie Wildman

Nevala (1 Episode)

Starfleet Officer (1 Episode)

Lynne Burnett

Romulan Officer (1 Episode)

Roger W. Morrissey

Beta-Hirogen (1 Episode)

Clint Carmichael

Hirogen Hunter (1 Episode)

Adrian Sparks

Magistrate (1 Episode)

Michelle Agnew

Scharn (1 Episode)

Peter Hendrixson

Klingon Hologram (1 Episode)

Kevin McCorkle

Alien Captain (1 Episode)

Michael Canavan

Curneth (1 Episode)

Henry Woronicz

Quarren (1 Episode)

Rod Arrants

Vaskan Ambassador Daleth (1 Episode)

Marie Chambers

Kyrian Arbiter (1 Episode)

Brian Fitzpatrick

Tedran, Kyrian Rebel Leader (1 Episode)

Morgan H. Margolis

Vaskan Rioter (1 Episode)

Mary Anne McGarry

Tabris (1 Episode)

Timothy Davis-Reed

Kyrian Spectator (1 Episode)

Susan Lewis

Transporter Technician (1 Episode)

Borg Drone (1 Episode)

Tarik Ergin

Lt. Ayala (1 Episode)

Jack Shearer

Adm. Hayes (1 Episode)

Maureen Flaherty

Vori Villager (uncredited) (1 Episode)

Marilyn Fox

Marna (1 Episode)

Series Crew 61

Adolfo Castanon

Greensman (26 Episodes)

Richard D. James

Production Design (26 Episodes)

Property Master (26 Episodes)

Douglas Knapp

Director of Photography (6 Episodes)

Marvin V. Rush

Director of Photography (24 Episodes)

Costume & Makeup

Robert Blackman

Costume Design (26 Episodes)

Michael Piller

Creative Consultant (26 Episodes) , Creator (26 Episodes)

Jeri Taylor

Creator (26 Episodes)

Rick Berman

Dennis Madalone

Stunt Coordinator (1 Episode)

Leslie Hoffman

Stunt Double (3 Episodes)

Bobby Aldridge

Stunts (1 Episode)

Cazimir Milostan

Chester E. Tripp III

Stunts (2 Episodes)

George B. Colucci Jr.

Stunt Double (2 Episodes) , Stunts (1 Episode)

Laurence Todd Rosenthal

Alexander Singer

Director (3 Episodes)

Allan Eastman

Director (1 Episode)

Allan Kroeker

Director (2 Episodes)

Andrew Robinson

Anson Williams

David Livingston

Jesús Salvador Treviño

Director (4 Episodes)

Kenneth Biller

LeVar Burton

Michael Vejar

Nancy Malone

Victor Lobl

Winrich Kolbe

Daryl Baskin

Editor (9 Episodes)

Robert Lederman

Editor (5 Episodes)

Editor (6 Episodes)

Robert Eyslee

Best Boy Electric (26 Episodes)

Junie Lowry-Johnson

Casting (26 Episodes)

Executive Producer (26 Episodes)

Brannon Braga

Producer (26 Episodes)

Merri D. Howard

Wendy Neuss

Jerry Trent

Foley Artist (26 Episodes)

Jerry Goldsmith

Main Title Theme Composer (26 Episodes)

Bill Wistrom

Supervising Sound Editor (26 Episodes)

Jimmy Diggs

Story (2 Episodes)

Sherry Klein

Story (1 Episode)

Steve J. Kay

Harry 'Doc' Kloor

Story (1 Episode) , Teleplay (1 Episode)

Teleplay (3 Episodes) , Writer (1 Episode)

André Bormanis

Writer (2 Episodes)

Writer (8 Episodes)

Bryan Fuller

Writer (4 Episodes)

Greg Elliot

Writer (1 Episode)

Writer (3 Episodes)

Joe Menosky

Writer (9 Episodes)

Michael Perricone

Robert Doherty

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Season 4 – Star Trek: Voyager

Where to watch, star trek: voyager — season 4.

Watch Star Trek: Voyager — Season 4 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Kate Mulgrew

Capt. Kathryn Janeway

Robert Beltran

Roxann Dawson

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Ethan Phillips

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Star Trek Voyager Cast: Where Are They Now?

They went 75,000 light years away from home. What have these colourful characters been up to since?

Star Trek Voyager debuted in 1994 and ran for seven years, finishing up in 2001. Since then, only two characters - Janeway and Seven - have returned for any sort of role in the franchise to date, leaving fans with a Voyager shaped hole in their hearts.

Voyager was not a smooth sailing, either on or off screen. It suffered a little from frequent comparisons to the Next Generation and the characters took a little longer to really begin to stand out. Arguable it wasn't until the show's fourth season that it really took off, though at this stage several viewers had switched off.

Behind the scenes, the camaraderie that seemed to grow up between the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine crews was a little more absent. There was in fighting and a lot of dissatisfaction on the actors' parts, not least with the writing and handling of the show by the producers, but also endless interference and reshuffling of stories and effects.

Despite this, the show lasted as long as both the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, longer in fact than Enterprise and the Original Series. The show is celebrated its twenty fifth anniversary last year and there is a documentary, similar in style to What We Left Behind, in the works.

Until that is released, here is a list compiling what this group of actors have been up to in the intervening years.

18. Anthony De Longis

Here's a name that might not be immediately recognisable to many, along with a face that was hidden under a lot of prostethic make-up. Anthony De Longis appeared as the troublesome Maje Cullah in Voyager's first, second and, briefly, its third season.

The Kazon Nistrim were set up to be the major threat of early seasons of Voyager, working alongside the traitorous Seska. However, there was something a little lacking in their villainy. After the Klingons and the Romulans, and with the hideous Vidiians flying around out there - the Kazon simply weren't all that scary.

This led to their storyline being effectively wiped away by the start of the third season. De Longis however would not be stuck for work at this point.

He had previously appeared in acting roles since the '80s, appearing alongside Robert Duncan McNeill in Masters of the Universe. His main passion however is that of a fight coordinator, a role that he has fulfilled for most of his career. Since 1985, he has worked as the fight director at the Los Angeles Music Centre Opera.

He was also the one responsible for training Michelle Pfieffer on how to use a whip on Batman Returns! He co-founded the Australian Light Horsemen, a cavalry team that specializes in reenactments. It's safe to say that this space pirate has been consistantly working all the way along!

Writer. Reader. Host. I'm Seán, I live in Ireland and I'm the poster child for dangerous obsessions with Star Trek. Check me out on Twitter @seanferrick

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series)

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