Timeless (Star Trek: Voyager)

Last updated
"Timeless"
Star Trek: Voyager episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 6
Directed by LeVar Burton
Story by Rick Berman
Brannon Braga
Joe Menosky
Teleplay by Brannon Braga
Joe Menosky
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code201
Original air dateNovember 18, 1998 (1998-11-18)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Once Upon a Time"
Next 
"Infinite Regress"
Star Trek: Voyager season 5
List of episodes

"Timeless" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of Star Trek: Voyager and was also the series' 100th episode.

Contents

The episode was directed by LeVar Burton, who was also featured in a cameo appearance as his Star Trek: The Next Generation character Geordi La Forge.

The episode also marks an important turning point among the series when Janeway notes in her personal log the changing perspective of their journey home: it's no longer "if" the crew will ever return to Earth, but "when." The episode begins with a "cold opening" on an icy windswept planet. Two figures wearing survival gear beam onto the scene and search until they discover what they are looking for: Voyager, buried beneath the ice.

"Timeless" was the 100th episode of Star Trek: Voyager to be broadcast, which is a number noteworthy in television as it is the threshold for syndication viability. [1]

Plot

Fifteen years in the future, Chakotay and Harry Kim discover Voyager frozen on the surface of an ice world. They recover the body of Seven of Nine, collect the Doctor via his mobile emitter, and return to the Delta Flyer , joining Chakotay's girlfriend Tessa Omond (Christine Harnos). Kim explains to the Doctor that fifteen years prior, the crew had attempted to use slipstream engine technology to bring Voyager home, with Chakotay and Kim in the Delta Flyer leading the larger ship. However, the slipstream became unstable, causing Voyager to crash into the ice world. Chakotay and Kim have spent the last fifteen years searching for the ship. Kim explains that he can send a message back in time to Seven using a stolen Borg temporal transmitter, which would then prevent the accident.

As the Doctor and Kim work, they are pursued by USS Challenger, commanded by Captain Geordi La Forge. La Forge warns them that he knows they are trying to alter the past, a violation of the Temporal Prime Directive and although he's sympathetic to them, La Forge must stop their efforts. Chakotay offers Tessa the opportunity to be safely transported to the Challenger but she refuses.

The Doctor successfully discovers the correct Borg time index, and Kim sends the information, but this ultimately has no effect on the slipstream, and Voyager is still lost. Kim realizes the changes have not worked and blames himself for destroying Voyager twice. The Doctor convinces him to try again, but with a less optimal solution: to have the changes collapse the slipstream, keeping Voyager stranded in the Delta Quadrant but with all hands alive. As the Challenger opens fire on the Delta Flyer, an overload starts to build in the warp matrix. Kim successfully sends out the signal before the Delta Flyer's warp core breaches.

In the present, Voyager once again enters the slipstream, losing communications with the Delta Flyer. Seven receives the new calculations, and Janeway orders her to implement them. As planned, this causes the slipstream to fail, leaving Voyager and its crew safely in normal space, unharmed, and nearly ten years closer to home. Janeway orders the crew to dismantle the slipstream technology, believing it not yet ready for safe usage. She later provides Kim with an encoded message found in the signal telemetry: a recording that the future Kim had sent to his past self, giving him much-needed confidence in his abilities.

Notes

In a future episode, "Relativity," Starfleet officers from the 29th century, dedicated to protecting the flow of time, are said to have been left to clean up the "mess" caused by future Harry's message to his past self; they refer to it as "the temporal inversion in the Takara sector."

Garrett Wang said: "Brannon Braga told me that 'Timeless' was to serve as Voyager's 'City on the Edge of Forever'." [2]

Captain LaForge is wearing the same movie grey-shoulder uniform from the last three TNG movies and the later seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , but with the future combadge from "All Good Things" and "The Visitor" in place of the 2370s combadge.

Reception

In 2013, IGN ranked "Timeless" the 25th best episode of all Star Trek television, calling it a "compelling struggle" centered on Harry Kim and with a cameo by Geordi La Forge. [3]

In 2014, Charlie Jane Anders at io9 ranked "Timeless" as the 93rd best episode of Star Trek in their list of the top 100 Star Trek episodes. [4]

In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter rated "Timeless" the tenth best Star Trek: Voyager episode. [5] The episode was also ranked as one of the top 10 episodes of Star Trek: Voyager in 2018 by ThoughtCo. [6] (There were 172 episodes between 1995 and 2001.) [7]

The appearance of a Galaxy-class (e.g. like the Enterprise D of Star Trek: The Next Generation), called the USS Challenger and commanded by Geordi was noted for a special effects sequence. [1] LeVar Burton reprising his character Geordi La Forge from Star Trek: The Next Generation was noted by Wired in 2015, in their binge-watching guide for Star Trek: Voyager. [8]

Den of Geek rated "Timeless" the third best episode of Star Trek: Voyager in 2012, [7] and in 2015, suggested "Timeless" for a binge-watching guide that focused on Star Trek: Voyager episodes featuring time travel. [9]

One SyFy reviewer ranked "Timeless" as the 13th best time travel plot in Star Trek in 2016. [10] A 2020 SyFy review ranked it as the second-best episode of the Star Trek: Voyager series, praising it as a highly entertaining episode and "one of the greatest ever produced on any Star Trek series". [11]

In 2017, Vulture listed this episode as one of the best of Star Trek: Voyager. [12]

In 2018, CBR ranked this one of the top twenty time travel themed episodes of all Star Trek series. [13]

In July 2019, a reviewer for Screen Rant ranked "Timeless" as one of the top five episodes of the series, describing Burton's cameo as "heartbreaking and uplifting" and adding that it explored Harry Kim's survivor guilt. [14] They also praised the episode's special effects and overall story. [14]

In 2020, Screen Rant said this was the sixth best episode of Star Trek: Voyager, based on an IMDb rating of 8.8 out of ten. [15] In 2021, they also said this is one of the best episodes for Harry Kim. [16]

Releases

On November 9, 2004, this episode was released as part of the season 5 DVD box set of Star Trek: Voyager. [17] The box set includes 7 DVD optical discs with all the episodes in season 5 with some extra features, and episodes have a Dolby 5.1 Digital Audio track. [17]

On April 25, 2001, this episode was released on LaserDisc in Japan, as part of the half-season collection, 5th Season vol.1 . [18] This included episodes from "Night" to "Bliss" on seven double sided 12 inch optical discs, with English and Japanese audio tracks for the episodes. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathryn Janeway</span> Character in Star Trek: Voyager

Kathryn Janeway is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. She was the main character of the television series Star Trek: Voyager, which aired between 1995 and 2001. She served as the captain of the Starfleet starship USS Voyager while it was lost in the Delta Quadrant on the other side of the galaxy. After returning home to the Alpha Quadrant, she is promoted to vice admiral and briefly appears in the 2002 film Star Trek: Nemesis. She is seen again commanding the USS Dauntless in Star Trek: Prodigy, searching for the missing USS Protostar which was being commanded by Captain Chakotay, her former first officer on Voyager, at the time of its disappearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Paris</span> Fictional character from Star Trek

Lieutenant Thomas Eugene "Tom" Paris is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager and is portrayed by Robert Duncan McNeill. Paris is the chief helmsman, as well as a temporary auxiliary medic, of the USS Voyager, a Starfleet ship that was stranded in the Delta Quadrant by an alien entity known as the Caretaker.

"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.

"Endgame" is the series finale of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, episodes 25 and 26 of the seventh season and 171 and 172 in the overall series. It was originally shown May 23, 2001, on the UPN network as a double-length episode and later presented as such in DVD collections, but it is shown in syndicated broadcasts as a two-part story.

"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.

"The Cloud" is the sixth episode of the television series Star Trek: Voyager. The teleplay was written by Tom Szolosi and Michael Piller, based on a story by Brannon Braga, and directed by David Livingston.

"Future's End" is a two-part episode from the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the eighth and ninth of the season and the 50th and 51st overall. "Future's End" made its debut on American television in November 1996 on the UPN network in two separate broadcasts, on November 6 and 13, 1996.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Year of Hell</span> 8th and 9th episodes of the 4th season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Year of Hell" is a two-part episode from the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager which aired on UPN in November 1997. It aired in two parts, on November 5 and November 11, 1997. Part I was directed by Allan Kroeker and Part II by Mike Vejar; it was written by Brannon Braga and Joe Menosky. This includes a number of guest stars, including Kurtwood Smith.

Q2 (<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i>) 19th episode of the 7th season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Q2" is the 19th episode of the seventh season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It initially aired on the UPN network as the 165th episode of the series, and was directed by Star Trek: The Next Generation castmember LeVar Burton.

"The Killing Game" is a two-part episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 18th and 19th episodes of the fourth season. It is set in the 24th century aboard a starship returning to Earth after having been stranded on the other side of the Galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Live Fast and Prosper</span> 21st episode of the 6th season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Live Fast and Prosper" is the 141st episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 21st episode of the sixth season. In the 24th-century science fiction universe of Star Trek, the crew of the USS Voyager must contend with identity thieves in the Delta Quadrant.

"Coda" is the 57th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 15th episode of the third season. This science fiction television show episode focuses on the characters Janeway and Chakotay of the Federation spacecraft USS Voyager. In the 24th century, a spaceship Captain and first officer are traveling by shuttlecraft back to USS Voyager when they have an incident.

"The Fight" is the 113th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 19th episode of the fifth season. It aired on UPN on March 24, 1999.

"Fair Haven" is the eleventh episode from the sixth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, 131st episode overall. The crew of starship USS Voyager explore a holodeck program crafted by Tom Paris, set in Ireland, meanwhile Voyager encounters a space storm. The show focuses on the experiences of Captain Janeway during this time.

"Collective" is the 136th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 16th episode of the sixth season.

"Nightingale" is the 154th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the eighth episode of the seventh season. This science fiction television show tells the story of the USS Voyager, a 24th century Starfleet vessel stranded on the wrong side of the galaxy. Even with their faster-than-light warp drive, it will take several decades to get back.

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.

"Human Error" is the 164th episode of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager, the 18th episode of the seventh season. Seven of Nine explores her romantic side, in her ongoing recovery aboard the USS Voyager. Set in the Star Trek universe, a Federation starship must spend decades making its way back to Earth. In its last season, writers take us deeper into the character Seven of Nine.

"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. 1 2 "Star Trek: Voyager – Timeless (Review)". 7 July 2017.
  2. @GarrettRWang (2013-05-31). "'Timeless' was to serve as Voyager's 'City on the Edge of Forever'" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  3. Star Trek: The Top 25 Episodes - IGN, 20 May 2013, retrieved 2021-04-08
  4. Anders, Charlie Jane (2014-10-02). "The Top 100 Star Trek Episodes Of All Time!". io9. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  5. ""Timeless" - 'Star Trek: Voyager' — The 15 Greatest Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. 23 September 2016.
  6. Mitchell, Nigel. "Must-Watch Episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager"". LiveAbout.
  7. 1 2 "Top 10 Star Trek: Voyager episodes". Den of Geek. 3 October 2012.
  8. McMillan, Graeme (27 May 2015). "WIRED Binge-Watching Guide: Star Trek: Voyager". Wired.
  9. "Star Trek Voyager: an episode roadmap". Den of Geek.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. Granshaw, Lisa (2016-11-15). "Ranking the 15 best Star Trek time travel episodes". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  11. Pirello, Phil (2020-01-16). "The 15 greatest Star Trek: Voyager episodes, ranked". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  12. "A Beginner's Guide to the Star Trek Universe". Vulture. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  13. "Star Trek: Ranking the 20 Best Time-Travel Episodes". CBR. 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  14. 1 2 Ambrose, Kristy (2019-07-11). "Star Trek: The 5 Best Episodes Of Voyager (& The 5 Worst)". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  15. "Star Trek: Voyager: Top Rated Episodes, According To IMDb". ScreenRant. 2020-04-19. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  16. "Star Trek: All 4 Times Harry Kim Died (& How)". ScreenRant. 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
  17. 1 2 "DVD Talk". www.dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
  18. 1 2 "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Voyager: 5th Season vol.1 [PILF-2458]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-23.