The Salamander episode of Star Trek: Voyager is better than you think

One of the Star TrekThe cruelest episode is Journey to the Stars: Voyager Season 2, Episode 15, “Threshold,” but it’s actually better than its reputation suggests. ‘Threshold’ is best known for its memorable ending, in which Lieutenant Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) kidnaps Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and takes her on a journey through Warp 10 similar to his own. Lieutenant Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Ensign Harry Kim (Garret Wang) track Paris’ stolen ship to a planet and discover that Paris and Janeway have inexplicably transformed into salamander-like creatures with a small litter of baby salamanders.

It’s an extremely silly concept that obviously creates plot holes. A one-way ticket to the Alpha Quadrant would be if the crew of the USS Voyager could turn into amphibians, as Captain Janeway and Paris would become their normals once back on board. After all, deadlines are a small price to pay for using Warp 10 technology to get home. The puppies, apparently descendants of Paris and Janeway, were left to fend for themselves and were never seen again. However, let’s look at the fact that these problems stem directly from Salamander’s crazy ending. and disregard the rest of the episode.

Star Trek: Voyager season 2 episode ‘Threshold’ is great until the end

Just ignore the salamanders.

Before the strange salamander twist in the final act, “Threshold” is actually good Journey to the Stars: Voyager Consequence. Lieutenant Tom Paris wants to be remembered for something bigger than just his current criminal reputation, and he finds that in the ability to build and pilot a ship that crosses the threshold of Warp 10. Paris is destroyed when Harry Kim is thrown into crisis over a variation of the driver’s seat test, and Tom’s plea to Captain Janeway to let him pilot the modified space shuttle is heartbreaking and palpable. Paris must make his mark on history and believes this can make him worthy in the eyes of his estranged father. He would make your life important.

‘Threshold’ is truly a story about what ultimately matters. During the flight from Paris, Warp 10 drops him everywhere at once, infinitely warping the space around him until everything no longer makes sense. Paris’s desperate need to correct an apparent failed life by doing something important disappears as it moves beyond normal spacetime. Living in an ordinary present, Tom explains, seems boring compared to the euphoria of an infinite existence, and the experience fundamentally changes him. that’s right Star Trek The story questions the importance of leaving a legacy and everyday details in light of something bigger than yourself, and questions how and why profound experiences really change people.

The Salamander episode of Star Trek: Voyager was perhaps the best of the series

Besides salamanders, ‘Threshold’ could be one of them Journey to the Stars: VoyagerThe best episodes. At its center, ‘Frontier’ would have dealt with the question of existence in infinity and what happens to the mind after being exposed to something that would otherwise be incomprehensible. Author Brannon Braga suggests that development after reaching Warp 10 may resemble a regression, similar to that of 2001: A space odyssey, but the elements that explain this suspicion have been removed from the script. If the episode had stuck to its original theme instead of veering into body horror, it might have been remembered as one Star Trek Episode that explores the transcendent. Instead, Tom turns Paris into a salamander.

And yet “Threshold” is still loved by some fans because it’s so strange, even for Journey to the Stars: Voyager, a program ready to take advantage of some really interesting ideas. YouTuber Gazelle Automations recognizes ‘Threshold’ as Star Trek: The Animated SeriesCartoon style. Warp 10 salamanders are part of a carefully designed exhibit on the USS Voyager Star Trek: Lower Decks. New Star Trek Fans seem to know this He Salamander Episode, even though they know nothing else about it. “Threshold” Legacy Answers Act 1 Question: Tom Paris he does Leave your mark on history. If that happens, it’s a salamander.

Journey to the Stars: Voyager can be streamed on Paramount+.