Star Trek Voyager – The Complete Third Season

Season three of Voyager was the most exciting so far. This is the year Q, one of Star Trek’s most beloved characters, adds Janeway to his list of captains to pester. The powerful Borg would also enter Voyager’s universe in Season three. The year would end with a cliffhanger that also introduces 7 of 9 to the cast. This was Kes’s final year. There’s no question that the show’s dynamics went from stun to kill. Episodes became a bit more standalone. The long overdone Kazon arc would be abandoned for more compelling dram…. George Takei appeared in a Voyager/Star Trek VI crossover episode that puts Tuvok on Sulu’s ship during the events of the final Original Cast film.

Synopsis

The Federation starship Voyager is looking for a rebel Maquis ship that vanished in the “Badlands”. Capt Janeway (Mulgrew) is concerned for a Starfleet operative and friend aboard the missing ship. When they find the vessel they are thrown 700,000 light-years away from home. Now the crews of both ships must work together to overcome a 100 year journey back to Federation space.

Audio

Again you are given a choice of the original Dolby Digital 2.0 track or a newly mastered Dolby Digital 5.1 version. The sound is fuller and more dynamic on the 5.1 option. The dialogue is always sharp and well mixed. A distinct improvement over the broadcast versions.

Video

Each episode of Voyager is presented in its original television 1.33:1 full frame format. These transfers are definitely a step up from their cable presentations. Colors are quite vivid and at times spectacular. The opening sequence is a great example; The sun and flares are alive in wonderful contrast to a perfect field of darkness. Blacks are as deep and detailed as I’ve seen on television. The only real complaint is the digital artifacts and shimmers that appear from time to time. This often gives the show an obvious CGI look.

Special Features

The color scheme is green this time around. The extras are quite comparable to the previous two. Packaging remains exactly the same.

• “Braving The Unknown: Season Three” Berman, Braga, and Taylor mostly pat themselves on the back for producing the show in Season 3.
• “Voyager Time Capsule: Neelix” One of the show’s most endearing, yet often irritating characters was Neelix. Following in Deep Space Nine’s tradition of using former “Benson” stars, Ethan Phillips talks about his stint on Voyager.
• “Voyager Time Capsule: Kes” Kes has to be one of the most useless characters to grace a Federation Starship. This was her last year, however, so it seems only appropriate to have some interviews with Jennifer Lien in this set.
• “Flashback to Flashback” This just so happened to be Star Trek’s 30th Anniversary. The Original Crew had just completed their final film: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. To honor/promote both events George Takei appeared as Captain Sulu in an episode where Janeway probes Tuvok’s mind and joins him on his tour of duty with Captain Sulu. This special talks about that. At the same time Deep Space Nine was revisiting the Original episode “The Trouble With Tribbles”.
• “Red Alert! Amazing F/X” Dan Curry and Ronald Moore talk about a few episodes and the f/x processes.
• “Real Science with Andre Bormanis” These are strictly sleep aids. The Q episode is the topic of dull exposition.
• “Borg Invasion 4D” Is a promo of the new Vegas Encounter.
• There are the usual galleries and text based screens.

Menus are exactly like previous sets. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the 4 Voyager views to warp into screen before you can access the episode you want.

Final Thoughts

Action was the keyword for Season 3. With Q and the Borg, ratings went up. The only real problem here is, the bad guys are more exciting than the good guys. This might explain why Borg refugee 7 of 9 was eventually added to the cast. You might think about passing on the 3rd season of Voyager, but I can tell you from experience that “resistance is futile”.

Special Features List

• Braving the Unknown, Season 3
• Voyager Time Capsules
• A Flashback to “Flashback”
• Red Alert: Amazing Visual Effects
• Real Science with Andre Bormanis
• Lost Transmissions
• Photo gallery