To The Journey: A Star Trek Voyager Podcast

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243: Julius 'The Doctor' Erving Mar 01, 2018

Show notes

Halfway Home.

The seventh-season episode "Shattered" offers a tiny glimpse into one possible future for the Voyager crew, 17 years into the future. If the events of the Voyager series finale "Endgame" had not occurred, presumably Voyager would have continued its long trek back to the Alpha Quadrant over a period of 75 years. In that time, there would naturally be changes aboard Voyager as crew members age, retire, or pass away, and with younger officers rising through the ranks to take their place.

In this episode of To The Journey, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Suzanne Williamson discuss other possible futures for Voyager, 30 years into the journey and halfway home. Who would the captain of Voyager be after 30 years? What would the command structure be like? Who would the senior officers and department heads be? How would the careers of junior officers and the children born aboard Voyager develop over 30 years? And would there be any major changes to Voyager itself or the premise of the series as a whole?

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Ensign H. Kim (00:04:26) Redemption? (00:09:12) There are Garfields Everywhere (00:16:33) Standing Room Only (00:19:57) So Which One is Betty White? (00:22:25) Delta Quadrant Saltpeter (00:28:34) Pornstar Medallion (00:32:45) Commander Naomi Wildman (00:36:46) Certified Pre-Owned Starship (00:41:20) Whittling Away (00:49:38) Closing (00:52:53)

Hosts Zachary Fruhling and Suzanne Williamson

Production Suzanne Williamson (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Bruce Lish (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Associate Producer) Patrick Carlin (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

242: Soccer Mom Seska Feb 22, 2018

Show notes

Seska...What If?

Seska may be the character fans love to hate in Star Trek: Voyager. And sadly, or perhaps gladly, Seska met her demise at the beginning of Season 3. But what would have happened had Seska remained on Voyager for all seven seasons? How might the Voyagerstory have unfolded differently had Seska not in fact been a Cardassian spy, but instead an ordinary, run-of-the-mill (but still feisty) Bajoran?

In this episode of To The Journey, hosts Suzanne Williamson and Zachary Fruhling explore alternative directions that the character of Seska could have taken in Voyager. What if Seska and Chakotay had maintained a long-term relationship and raised a family together? What if Seska were actually a changeling instead of a Cardassian? What if, instead of the Delaney Sisters, Voyager had more than one twin or clone Seska Sisters? And how exactly is laundry done aboard Voyager, and what does that have to do with Seska?

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Seska Sestras (00:02:41) Spies Aplenty (00:04:44) Voyager: The Soap Opera (00:07:42) Dime Store Changeling (00:11:00) But What About the Baby? (00:15:14) Alpha Seska (00:20:49) The Laundry Question (00:25:35) She's a Spitfire (00:30:15) Shippers Go Down With the Ship (00:34:11) Chell Is Like Klinger (00:42:27) Closing (00:46:09)

Hosts Suzanne Williamson and Zachary Fruhling

241: Leola Root Seeds, Anyone? Feb 08, 2018

Show notes

Course: Oblivion.

Things are looking up for the Voyager crew at the beginning of the fifth-season episode "Course: Oblivion," from the wedding of Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres to an enhanced warp drive. But that all changes when the ship and crew begin losing their molecular cohesion, only to discover that they are, in fact, merely biomimetic duplicates of the real Voyager ship and crew, created a year before when Voyager landed on the aptly named "Demon Planet."

In this episode of To The Journey, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Suzanne Williamson (or perhaps their biomimetic duplicates; you be the judge!) discuss the merits of "Course: Oblivion." From the minutiae of the wedding of Fake-Tom and Fake-B'Elanna to the existential burdens of being a biomimetic duplicate, Zachary and Suzanne wrestle with whether "Course: Oblivion" is as riveting as they recall and whether "Course: Oblivion" is really just one big metaphor for our finite human lives.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Distinguished Melting Neelix (00:03:27) What about Harry Kim? (00:07:28) Warp Cores Are Like Cats (00:10:13) Who Is Ensign Harper?! (00:12:21) This Episode Is a Metaphor for Life (00:18:02) Goo People and an Enhanced Warp Drive (00:20:54) Tom with a Tommy Gun (00:25:07) Not as Riveting as We Remember (00:30:14) Goo Gone (00:34:40) Closing (00:37:49)

Hosts Zachary Fruhling and Suzanne Williamson

240: Green Shag Carpet Jan 25, 2018

Show notes

What Voyager Means To Us.

In this 50th episode of To The Journey with the hosting team of Kay Shaw, Suzanne Williamson, and Zachary Fruhling, we take a personal look at the Voyager moments and circumstances that meant the most to us in the course of our ongoing love affair with Star Trek: Voyager. From first impressions of Voyager to the ways Voyager has helped us through life's darkest moments, we take a personal look at the meaningfulness of Voyagerthrough our own personal stories and reflections. Plus we have an important announcement about the future of To The Journey and the journey ahead.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) An Announcement (00:01:52) It's Learning to Survive on Their Own That Will Help Them to Evolve (00:06:29) Like All Fear, You Eventually.... Vanish (00:11:12) Grandma's House (00:18:16) Who Am I? What Do I Want in Life? (00:23:20) The Truth About Harry Kim (00:29:57) They Belong Together as a Family (00:32:59) Introspection vs Action (00:35:57) To The Journey (00:38:47) Why Voyager? (00:45:21) Closing (00:50:50)

Hosts Kay Shaw, Suzanne Williamson, and Zachary Fruhling

Production Kay Shaw (Editor) Suzanne Williamson (Producer) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Bruce Lish (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Associate Producer) Patrick Carlin (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)

239: Large Lung Donor Pool Jan 18, 2018

Show notes

Non-Doctor/Seven Episodes in Seasons Five through Seven.

Seasons five through seven of Star Trek: Voyager are known for their many memorable episodes featuring the great on-screen chemistry and friendship of Robert Picardo and Jeri Ryan as The Doctor and Seven of Nine, so much so that one might naturally think that seasons five through seven are really just the Doctor/Seven show! In this episode of To The Journey, however, hosts Suzanne Williamson, Kay Shaw, and Zachary Fruhling go in search of their favorite non-Doctor/Seven episodes from the last three seasons of Star Trek: Voyager.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Not Just The Doctor/Seven Show (00:01:53) Time Travelling with Zima (00:03:25) Harry Grows a Pair (00:08:45) Praaaaaaax!! (00:16:35) Sky People Action Figures (00:22:30) Klingons are Chekov (00:25:42) Feeling Meta Tonight (00:29:48) Baking with a Set Square (00:31:00) A Soldier AND a Philosopher (00:36:50) A Better Ending (00:41:31) A Holy Time of Awakening (00:46:19) Honorable Mentions (00:49:11) Closing (00:54:41)

Hosts Suzanne Williamson, Kay Shaw, and Zachary Fruhling

238: Chakotay Is Carol Jan 11, 2018

Show notes

We Need to Talk about Chakotay.

Unquestionably the character of Commander Chakotay was underutilized in Star Trek: Voyager. But beyond merely being underutilized, some Star Trek fans have developed a form of loathing for Commander Chakotay, partly because of his nonplussed demeanor and partly because of his amalgam of stereotypes about Native American beliefs and spirituality. In this episode of To The Journey, hosts Zachary Fruhling, Kay Shaw, and Suzanne Williamson come racing to Commander Chakotay's defense with a discussion of what they love about, and what was done right with Voyager's intrepid first officer.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) The Man in Black (00:01:55) She Didn't Know That He Liked Dante (00:07:00) Lost, or Found? (00:12:32) A Mashup of Han Solo and Indiana Jones (00:18:48) Jack of All Trades (00:25:13) Seska Is Very Questionable (00:30:43) Maybe We're All Chakotay (00:36:42) Closing (00:44:22)

Hosts Zachary Fruhling, Kay Shaw, and Suzanne Williamson

237: Temporal Swimlanes Jan 04, 2018

Show notes

"Year of Hell" Commentary.

The two-part episode "Year of Hell" is taken by many to be one of the highlights of season four of Star Trek: Voyager, if not of the entire Voyager series. From memorable moments with a certain replicated pocket watch to Annorax's Captain Ahab-like quest against time itself, "Year of Hell" shows the strength of the Voyager crew as a family, even in Voyager's darkest hours (the Voyager reset button aside). Switch on your temporal shielding and join hosts Kay Shaw, Zachary Fruhling, and Suzanne Williamson in this episode of To The Journey for an audio commentary on "Year of Hell," parts I and II.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Initial Thoughts (00:01:53) Commentary Part I (00:04:55) Commentary Part II (00:51:13) Final Thoughts (01:36:48) Closing (01:40:03)

Hosts Kay Shaw, Zachary Fruhling, and Suzanne Williamson

236: Carbonated Gagh Dec 21, 2017

Show notes

Prixmas Potluck.

Prixmas season is a time for merriment, Talaxian cheerfulness, and (of course) food! In this special holiday episode of To The Journey, hosts Suzanne Williamson, Zachary Fruhling, and Kay Shaw attend the Voyager Prixmas potluck in search of the crew's favorite Alpha Quadrant and Delta Quadrant holiday potluck dishes. Find out what the Voyager crew would bring for a little taste of home in the Delta Quadrant. Also, we solve the mystery of how exactly it's possible to burn food in the replicator.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Merry Happy Prixmas (00:01:53) Her Favorite Food (00:02:43) Burnt with Love (00:10:37) A Smorgas-borg (00:19:30) Captain Proton Rocket Grill (00:24:41) "It Tastes Good!" (00:29:13) Womaning the Pancake Station (00:34:00) Harry Dim Sum (00:38:41) Closing (00:44:50)

Hosts Suzanne Williamson, Zachary Fruhling, and Kay Shaw

235: Neelix Interruptus Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

Desert Island Episodes - Voyager Season 4.

Season 4 of Star Trek: Voyager saw a great deal of change with the departure of Kes and the arrival of Seven of Nine. But it's also safe to say that Voyager hit its full stride in season 4, with the exploration of Seven of Nine's reclaimed humanity and some of the most memorable episodes in Voyager's entire run.

In this episode of To The Journey, hosts Zachary Fruhling, Suzanne Williamson, and Kay Shaw continue their "Desert Island" series, comparing their high-stakes choices for the top three Voyager episodes from this season that they would take with them to a desert island, forsaking all other episodes from season 4 forever. Find out who's coming over for Voyager night in whose desert-island hut, and who's watching which season 4 episodes alone.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Barbecues and Babies (00:01:53) It's All About the Pocket Watch (00:03:55) The 'Frasier' Episode (00:12:21) Voyager's 'Odyssey' (00:20:31) A Person in Uniform (00:29:09) They'd Have to Sedate Me (00:34:33) You Can't Go Wrong With Ray Wise (00:39:08) Honorable Mentions (00:43:42) Closing (00:52:18)

Hosts Zachary Fruhling, Suzanne Williamson, and Kay Shaw

234: Ocampans Are Hobbits Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

Daddy Issues.

While the crew of Voyager rightly constitute their own adopted family aboard Voyager, an important aspect of many Voyager characters' backstories is their troubled, or at least challenged, relationship with their respective fathers and father figures. From Tom Paris's sense of inadequacy in living up to Admiral Paris's expectations to The Doctor's ongoing attempt to build a relationship with his father-figure and creator, Dr. Lewis Zimmerman, the crew of Voyager frequently explores the murky realm of parental and familial relations.

In this episode of To The Journey, hosts Kay Shaw, Suzanne Williamson, and Zachary Fruhling explore the complex and often troubled paternal relationships of the Voyagercrew, building new bridges and tearing down old walls along the journey!

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Qualifying in the Daddy Issue Category (00:01:54) A Tattoo and a Quest for Vengeance (00:06:18) Salamander Blues (00:13:28) 'Son' Issues (00:17:52) Survivor Guilt (00:24:39) She Has All the Issues (00:30:08) 'Oh Look We Got Assimilated... Whoops!' (00:36:13) Looking at Her With Suspicion (00:41:38) Closing (00:49:21)

Hosts Kay Shaw, Suzanne Williamson, and Zachary Fruhling

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