Eye of the Needle (Star Trek: Voyager)

Last updated
"Eye of the Needle"
Star Trek: Voyager episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 7
Directed by Winrich Kolbe
Story by Hilary Bader
Teleplay by Bill Dial
Jeri Taylor
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code107
Original air dateFebruary 20, 1995 (1995-02-20)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Cloud"		Next →
"Ex Post Facto"
Star Trek: Voyager season 1
List of episodes

"Eye of the Needle" is the seventh episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager . The screenplay was written by Bill Dial and Jeri Taylor based on a story by Hilary Bader, and it was directed by Winrich Kolbe.

Contents

In this episode Voyager discovers and explores the nature of a wormhole. [1]

This episode aired on the United Paramount Network (UPN) on February 20, 1995. [2]

Plot

Voyager detects the signs of a wormhole and changes course to investigate, in the hope that it can be used to shorten Voyager's journey to Earth. To the crew's disappointment, it is a decaying micro-wormhole whose aperture is only about 30 centimetres (12 in) in diameter. Nevertheless, Captain Janeway suspects that it could be used to transmit a message to the Alpha Quadrant, and launches a micro-probe into the wormhole to determine where it exits.

The probe gets stuck in gravitational eddies, and is unable to pass any further. Meanwhile, a vessel at the other end of the wormhole is investigating and making scans of the probe. The crew of Voyager detect the scans and make contact, using the probe as a communications relay. The vessel identifies itself as a Romulan ship in the Alpha Quadrant. Janeway asks the Romulan captain, Telek R'Mor, to relay messages from the crew to their families and Starfleet. At first he refuses, but relents after Janeway asks about his own family, who are far away on Romulus.

Before long, Chief Engineer Torres suggests to Janeway that the probe could be used as a relay not only for communications, but for transporting the crew directly back to the Alpha Quadrant. Tests are conducted and all found successful. The Romulan captain volunteers to transport to Voyager to confirm the safety of transporting a life form, and will arrange for a support vessel to rendezvous and accommodate the Voyager crew. He is then successfully transported to Voyager.

It is then discovered that R'Mor is from 20 years in the past — the micro-wormhole transits through both space and time. The crew are unable to transport back to the Alpha Quadrant for fear of altering history, and similarly the Romulan cannot try to prevent Voyager's fate before it occurs without also altering events. Instead, they decide that R'Mor will deliver the messages in 20 years, after Voyager has left the Alpha Quadrant, thus preserving the timeline.

After R'Mor is beamed back to his ship, Chief of Security Tuvok reveals that, upon researching the computer's data banks, he has discovered that R'Mor died four years before Voyager left the Alpha Quadrant. The crew hope that R'Mor arranged for someone else to deliver them after his death, but are left with no way of knowing for certain.

Production

"Eye of the Needle" was filmed in Los Angeles, California like other Star Trek Voyager episodes. [3]

Reception

Reviewers Lance Parkin and Mark Jones enjoyed the episode, praising its suspense, its twists and its depiction of the crew's frustration at their fate. [4]

Out of the 16 episodes in the first season of Star Trek: Voyager aired in early 1995, "Eye of the Needle" tied "Caretaker" for the highest rated episode on TV.com as of 2018. [5] Both of the episodes had a rating of 8.7 surpassing the next closest which was "State of Flux" which had a rating of 8.5 as of 2018. [5]

In 2015, Den of Geek suggested "Eye of a Needle" for a binge-watching guide that focused on Star Trek: Voyager episodes featuring time travel. [6]

In 2016, Vox rated this one of the top 25 essential episodes of all Star Trek. [7]

In 2017, Den of Geek ranked actor Vaughn Armstrong as the Romulan character Telek R’Mor, as the 5th best guest star on Star Trek: Voyager. [8]

In 2019, Screen Rant ranked the character introduced in this episode, Telek R’mor, as the number one most important Romulan of the Star Trek franchise. [9]

In 2019, Higgy Pop noted this episode as one of the time travel stories of the Star Trek franchise. [10]

In 2020, SyFy Wire ranked "Eye of the Needle" the 14th best episode of Star Trek: Voyager; they note that crew is able to make contact with a ship in the Alpha Quadrant but there is a plot twist. [11] Also in 2020, Gizmodo listed this episode as one of the "Must watch" episodes from season one of the show. [12]

In 2020, The Digital Fix said this was the best episode in season one, and praised Vaughn Armstrong's acting. [13] They felt the episode connected the audience with feelings of loss the crew were feeling by being lost in space. [13]

In 2020, Tor.com gave the episode 9 out of 10 and praised guest star Vaughn Armstrong, who they said delivered a "rounded, complex, fascinating character", as well as Mulgrew and Dawson's scenes. [14]

Related Research Articles

"Caretaker" is the series premiere of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It was first broadcast as a double-length episode on January 16, 1995, as the first telecast of the fledgling United Paramount Network (UPN). It was later split into two parts for syndication, but released in its original one-episode format on DVD and streaming services. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet and Maquis crew of the starship USS Voyager after they are stranded in the Delta Quadrant far from the rest of the Federation.

"The Search" is the 47th and 48th episode of the science fiction television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

"False Profits" is the 47th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the fifth episode of the third season. This is a science fiction television episode of the Star Trek franchise, that aired on UPN on October 2, 1996. The episode functions as a sequel to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Price" (1989). Voyager is making its way back home, after being flung to the other side of the galaxy. The crew is surprised to find some Ferengi there. The episode takes advantage of the shared universe of Star Trek, using elements introduced in a previous television show.

"Message in a Bottle" is the 14th episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 82nd episode overall. It aired on January 21, 1998 on the UPN network.

"Counterpoint" is the 104th and tenth episode of the fifth season of Star Trek: Voyager. In this space science fiction television show, a spacecraft, the Federation's USS Voyager is stranded on the wrong side of the galaxy as it must slowly makes its way home to Earth. In this episode, Voyager and its crew encounter the Devore aliens, posing particularly difficult choices for the ship's captain, Starfleet Captain Kathryn Janeway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Course: Oblivion</span> 18th episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Course: Oblivion" is the 112th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 18th episode of the fifth season. It is a sequel to the fourth-season episode "Demon".

"Relativity" is the 118th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager airing on the UPN network. It is the 24th episode of the fifth season.

"Blink of an Eye" is the twelfth episode from the sixth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, 132nd episode overall. The show is set in the 24th century of the Star Trek universe, aboard the USS Voyager spaceship on a decades long journey back to Earth.

Drone (<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i>) 2nd episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Drone" is the 96th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the second episode of the fifth season. The crew of the 24th-century spacecraft USS Voyager deal with a Borg drone, played by guest star J. Paul Boehmer.

"Time and Again" is the fourth episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager.

"Image in the Sand" is the 151st episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the opening episode for the series' seventh and final season. It was first aired the week of September 28, 1998.

"Improbable Cause" is the 66th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 20th episode of the third season. It is the first half of a two-part episode, concluded in the following episode, "The Die is Cast".

"Workforce" is a two-part episode from the seventh and final season of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager. Part one was directed by Allan Kroeker, and part two by Roxann Dawson. The crew of the USS Voyager finds themselves working on a planet, but troubling memories are resurfacing.

"Friendship One" is the 167th episode of the science fiction television series, Star Trek: Voyager, the 21st episode of the seventh season. A 24th century spacecraft and its crew encounter a planet enduring a nuclear winter. The episode was written by Michael Taylor and Bryan Fuller and directed by Mike Vejar.

"Gravity" is the 107th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager originally airing on the UPN network, the 13th episode of the fifth season. Lori Petty guest stars as the alien Noss. Joseph Ruskin, who played Galt in the original Star Trek episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion", is the Vulcan Master in this episode of Voyager.

"Flesh and Blood" is a two-part episode from the seventh season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. The crew of USS Voyager must contend with violent Delta Quadrant aliens the Hirogen, who use the holodeck technology with a horrific amoral twist.

Equinox (<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i>) 26th episode of the fifth season and 1st episode of the sixth season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Equinox" is a two-part episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the cliffhanger between the fifth and sixth seasons. This television episode features a 24th-century spacecraft, the USS Voyager, lost on the opposite side of the Galaxy as Earth, the Delta Quadrant, and they must make their way home.

Harry Kim (<i>Star Trek</i>) Character from Star Trek: Voyager

Ensign Harry S. L. Kim is a fictional character who appeared in each of the seven seasons of the American television series Star Trek: Voyager. Portrayed by Garrett Wang, he is the Operations Officer aboard the Starfleet starship USS Voyager.

"Scorpion" is a two-part episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager that served as the last episode of its third season and the first episode of its fourth season. "Scorpion" introduced the Borg drone Seven of Nine and Species 8472 to the series.

References

  1. ↑ "[VOY] Jammer's Review: "Eye of the Needle"". www.jammersreviews.com.
  2. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  3. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager Filming Locations".
  4. ↑ Jones, Mark; Parkin, Lance (2003). Beyond the Final Frontier: An Unauthorised Review of the Trek Universe on Television and Film. London: Contender Books. p. 277. ISBN   978-1-84357-080-6.
  5. 1 2 TV.com. "Star Trek: Voyager". TV.com.
  6. ↑ "Star Trek Voyager: an episode roadmap". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2019-07-06.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ Siede, Caroline (2016-09-06). "Star Trek, explained for non-Trekkies". Vox. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  8. ↑ Juliette Harrisson (January 1, 2017). "Star Trek Voyager: 10 Great Guest Performances". Den of Geek . Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  9. ↑ "The 10 Most Important Romulans In The Star Trek Universe". ScreenRant. 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  10. ↑ Higgypop. "Complete List Of Time Travel Storylines In Star Trek". Higgypop. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
  11. ↑ Pirrello, Phil (2020-01-16). "The 15 greatest Star Trek: Voyager episodes, ranked". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  12. ↑ "Star Trek: Voyager's Must-Watch Episodes". io9. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  13. 1 2 "Star Trek: Voyager Revisited - Season One". Television @ The Digital Fix. 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  14. ↑ DeCandido, Keith R. A. (2020-02-10). "Star Trek: Voyager Rewatch: "Eye of the Needle"". Tor.com. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.