We’re okay if this Star Trek: Voyager plot point goes unfinished

Star Trek: Voyager had one episode that was great…until it wasn’t. 

There is one Star Trek: Voyager episode that unites most Trekkies in their dislike, especially of the ending. Threshold was a second season episode that had Lt. Paris breaking the Warp 10 barrier, becoming the first person to do so. After his triumph, things go a little sideaways for him when he mutates into a lizard. And they don’t turn out much better for Captain Janeway who he kidnaps and whisks to another planet where she, too, is transformed. The pair then become parents to several lizard babies before Voyager shows up and rescues Paris and Janeway, leaving the reptile infants behind.

In a recent post, Whatculture included Threshold on its list of the 10 Greatest Unspoken Star Trek Plot Points as, after Janeway and Paris, in their salamander/lizard bodies mated, no one ever spoke again of their offspring. They were just left behind on the planet, and Voyager took off without them. So what became of the babies?

Star Trek: Voyager has plenty of other, more interesting plot points to be resolved.

Honestly, I’m not really concerned about what happened to the lizards that were left behind. I think, like the crew, viewers wanted to put that situation behind them. Notice that neither Captain Janeway nor Lt. Paris mentioned the mating again. Why would they? It had to be singularly one of the most embarrassing moments of their lives. Who would want to relive that?

And while this does remain an unresolved plot point, I’d much rather focus on the ones that were a little less icky. Lizard babies could belong on Star Trek as long as they were part of an alien species, but neither Janeway nor Paris had any inclination of mating with one another before Paris crossed the barrier. Quite frankly, it’s something we just don’t want to think about. Overall, the ending of this episode is one that is best left to those who want to have it in their imagination.