There have been a lot of poor episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, but one in particular stands apart as one of the worst Trek episodes ever! Which one is it and why is it so bad?
Star Trek: Voyager has a tricky place in Trek canon. Many loved the tale of a Starfleet and Maquis crew thrust halfway across the universe and trying to get back to Earth. It gave us great characters: Janeway, Chakotay, Tom Paris, Torres, Seven of Nine, and the holographic Doctor. At its best, Voyager could have some great stuff for Trek fans.
Of course, there were low points for the series. Some story arcs didn’t click, characters got short shrift, and there were several bad episodes. However, one episode in particular has to stand out as one of the most amazingly awful tales ever created for any Star Trek series.
“Threshold.”
How bad is this episode? On the DVD commentary, Brannon Braga called it “a royal, stinking steamer”...and he wrote it. Kate Mulgrew told a convention crowd that she hates talking about while Robert Duncan McNeil cracked that it’s to enjoy this taking a hallucinogenic.
So when the show’s own cast and creators slam it, just how bad can this episode really be? Let’s dive in!
The insane plot of Threshold
Airing as episode 15 of Voyager’s second season, "Threshold" starts out promisingly well. Paris, Torres and Kim are trying to do what’s considered impossible by breaking Warp 10, which would obviously help Voyager get back to the Alpha Quadrant faster. The key problem is that no shuttle could withstand the stress of that speed and break apart.
It’s advice from Neelix, of all people, that has the trio hitting upon a possible shielding method. Paris, of course, volunteers with the worries of a brain condition that could be fatal. Janeway wants to bench him, but Paris pushes ahead as he wants to prove himself to his father. It’s a good bit that plays on how Paris has wanted to prove himself so well, a strong character touch that’s wasted on this crummy story.
The test occurs with the shuttle briefly vanishing after hitting Warp 10, only to reappear. At first, Paris seems fine after recovering and gushing about how he felt he was everywhere at once, including Earth.
It’s not long before Paris starts suffering from collapsing from allergic reactions to babbling in sickbay on anything from pizza to a kiss from Kes to “tell my dad I did it.” Whatever else about this episode, Robert Duncan McNeil commits to this scene in one of Paris’ stronger early performances.
After a brief bit on the Voyager mole sending data of this to the Kazon (part of a wider story arc), Paris continues to mutate, growing an extra heart and his emotions running back and forth. He has to be kept in a force field as his skin becomes more like a lizard. The Doctor hits upon one of his nuttier solutions of using the ship’s antimatter core to hit Paris with radiation to revert his DNA to normal.
And here’s where things get nuts.
Paris manages to break free of the force field, runs around the ship, takes down security guys (off-camera) and knocks out Janeway. He takes her to the shuttle to once more hit Warp 10. The Doctor relates that Paris basically evolved to what the human form could be millions of years in the future but is still confident he can fix it.
The ship tracks down the shuttle and…oh, boy, strap in…they find Paris and Janeway now turned into salamander-like creatures who have just laid a pack of eggs. Yes, this happened.
The Doctor amazingly manages to restore the pair to humans, with both not remembering what happened, although Janeway teases that she may have initiated it. She says Paris should be proud of breaking Warp 10 as the episode ends and viewers wonder what they just watched.
Why this episode is so terrible
Obviously, “Paris and Janeway mate as lizards and have kids” is going to rank this among the dumber Voyager stories ever automatically. Yet even without that, this episode is awful.
The take on evolution likely has any scientists tearing their hair out with baffling turns and while the makeup actually won an Emmy award, it looks a bit silly on Paris. Also, the science is confusing on how Warp 10 works and if it could have been used in short bursts by the crew to get home or not.
It also lacks a real focus on Paris. The idea he’s trying to prove himself is good, but he becomes overwhelmed by his transformation played for horror with goofy emotional turns. Then there’s taking Janeway, that strong, independent captain, and turning her into a damsel in distress before this bizarre hookup.
That’s what makes this episode worse, as there is the skeleton of a decent plotline of going too far to break the impossible and the aftermath. It’s ruined by the story, the writing, and, of course, that ludicrous ending.
So that is why “Threshold” holds its place as the worst Voyager episode. Some do watch it in a “so bad it’s good” kind of way and if you go in with that attitude, it can be strangely fun, just to marvel at who thought this would be a fine episode to put on TV.
Star Trek: Voyager streaming on Paramount+.