“Initiations” 30th-anniversary reflections

While on a solo shuttle trip to perform a quiet ritual for his late father, Chakotay wanders into Kazon-Ogla space and finds himself face-to-face with his would-be executioner: a teenager named Kar. Overcoming the boy is not a problem, but Chakotay’s refusal to kill him is—at least among the Kazon. Death would give Kar’s life meaning (don’t think about that for too long). Back on the Kazon ship, they both get chastised by First Maje Razik as total failures for not doing their killing duty properly. After escaping the ship and becoming stranded together on a Kazon training moon, Chakotay and Kar continue their standoff until Chakotay finally stages his own death so that Kar can both live and earn his name.

In this episode of To The Journey, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Voyager, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss “Initiations,” another attempt to make the Kazon work, a chance to explore Chakotay’s background, Aron Eisenberg on Voyager, and more.

Chapters

Intro (00:00:00)

Neelix Does Way More Than Cook (00:02:30)

Fleshing Out Chakotay (00:06:23)

Based on Gang Research (00:12:17)

Aron’s Performance (00:21:12)

Indoctrination (00:25:16)

Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:26:44)

Closing (00:30:45)

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production

C Bryan Jones (Editor and Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

“The 37's” 30th-anniversary reflections

Rust in space leads Voyager to one of the strangest finds in Star Trek history: a 1936 Ford pickup truck. Janeway decides to bring the ancient "ground vehicle" aboard, and Tom Paris—suddenly an expert on 20th-century automotive tech—starts playing with its AM radio and picks up an SOS from a nearby planet. On the surface, the crew discovers even more oddities: humans displaced in time, including aviator Amelia Earhart, who famously vanished. Solving one of Earth's great mysteries turns out to be the easy part, however. After 400 years, humans have built a community on the planet, and they invite Voyager's crew everyone to stay. Will they?

In this episode of To The Journey, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Voyager, one episode at a time. In this installment, we jump into season 2 as we discuss “The 37's,” how the story works as a season opener, its intended role as the season 1 finale, the TOS flavor, conflicting creative visions, and more.

Chapters

Intro (00:00:00)

A TOS Tone (00:02:25)

Intended Finale (00:06:46)

Again with People from the Past (00:09:25)

Janeway Meets a Hero (and Lands the Ship) (00:13:16)

Should I Stay or Should I Go? (00:17:34)

Conflicting Concepts (00:21:38)

Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:30:38)

Closing (00:33:12)

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production

C Bryan Jones (Editor and Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)

“Learning Curve” 30th-anniversary reflections

When four Maquis crew members refuse to adapt to Starfleet protocols, Tuvok is handed the unenviable task of whipping them into shape. But while he struggles to understand why his time-honored methods and Vulcan charm aren't working, a more immediate threat is taking hold in Neelix's kitchen: cheese. In his efforts to delight Ensign Ashmore with a taste from home, the self-proclaimed chef has been cultivating bacteria just below a vent that feeds into the ship's bio-neural circuitry. Now the gel packs have a cold and systems are failing one by one. It's time to get the cheese to sickbay!

In this episode of To The Journey, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Voyager, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss “Learning Curve,” Tuvok's impossible mission, the cheesy concept, how it ends the first season, and more.

Chapters

Intro (00:00:00)

Meet the Burleighs (00:02:38)

Addressing the Maquis Problem (00:08:17)

Does Tuvok Have Amnesia? (00:14:56)

Chakotay's Character Development (00:20:33)

Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:22:08)

Closing (00:32:31)

Hosts

C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production

C Bryan Jones (Editor and Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)