SomeStar Trek: Voyagerepisodes had trouble with exposition, so I’m happy that one season 4 episode jumped right into the action. Despite not being the most popular of the 1990s-eraStar Trekshows,Voyageris by far my favorite series in the franchise. In my opinion,Voyager’s cast of charactersgelled extremely well together, and by and large, the show’s storylines were enjoyable and interesting. That’s not to say thatVoyagerdidn’t struggle with certain things though, andwhile I love the show, I’ll be the first to admit that it had weaker moments.
One of the thingsVoyageroften had trouble with was the pacing of certain episodes.I can think of numerous episodes throughout the show’s seven seasons that suffered from pacing issuesor too much exposition.Voyager’s “Trilogy of Terror” in season 3comes to mind, but there were certainly other episodes, especially early on, that would have benefitted from a rewrite. However, for as many times as they got it wrong,Voyager’s creative team also got a lot of episodes exactly right, including one famous two-parter from season 4.
Star Trek: Voyager’s “The Killing Game” Was Smart To Jump Right To The Action
The episode benefitted from starting in media res
Rather than get bogged down in its first half,Voyager’s season 4 two-part episode “The Killing Game” did a great job of keeping viewers engaged from the start. This was partially thanks to “The Killing Game’s” action-packed plot, which featuredVoyager’s crew as prisoners of a Hirogen hunting party who had taken over the ship. The Hirogen had brainwashed the crew and set them up on the holodeck in various scenarios, making everyone think they were really a part of that particular setting so that the Hirogen could hunt and kill them for sport.
Voyagerdidn’t show most of the holodeck programs the Hirogen were running, but Janeway did appear in one that was Klingon-themed at the start of the episode. The main program that the episode is focused on was World War II-inspired and set in Nazi-occupied France, with the crew posing as resistance leaders while the Hirogen donned Nazi uniforms.
With a premise like this, I think most people would expectVoyagerto depict the initial Hirogen attack. However, the show skipped this entirely, picking up afterward and explaining the attack with some well-placed dialogue. Doing this ensured that “The Killing Game” cut out unnecessary filler and jumped into its most interesting storyline without wasting time.This was an incredibly smart strategy and provided the first episode with a hook that never fails to draw me inevery time I watch it: the teaser of a brainwashedCaptain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew)being seemingly killed by the Hirogen Alpha (Danny Goldring).
Why “The Killing Game” Isn’t A More Popular Star Trek: Voyager Season 4 Two-Parter
Other season 4 two-parters are better-remembered
Unfortunately, while “The Killing Game” is a memorable addition toStar Trek: Voyager’stwo-parters, it isn’t the most popular one in season 4. That’s not to say the episode isn’t impressive, butit was unquestionably overshadowed by season 4’s other two-part episodes: “Year of Hell” and “Scorpion.““Year of Hell” is often considered one ofVoyager’s best episodes in general, and outdid “The Killing Game” with an even more harrowing storyline. Likewise, “Scorpion” was the first episode to feature Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), an extremely important character introduction that overshadowed anything revealed in “The Killing Game.”
While I ultimately don’t think “The Killing Game” isStar Trek: Voyager’s best two-parter, I really appreciate the episode’s choices overall.
While I also think “Year of Hell” and “Scorpion” are impressive episodes,it’s a little disappointing to me that “The Killing Game” doesn’t get more love as part ofVoyagerseason 4. The use of the holodeck and the different scenarios the crew was placed in was inspired, and the show brokeStar Trektradition by releasing both episodes back-to-back on the same night, something that I’m sure must have been an exciting event at the time. While I ultimately don’t think “The Killing Game” isStar Trek: Voyager’s best two-parter, I really appreciate the episode’s choices overall.
