Voyager: Season Six Essentials

Is it possible that Voyager is almost over? Is it possible that I started Season Seven yesterday? Is it possible that it's the middle of November and I only have a month and a half left in My Year Of Star Trek? How has this happened?

Somehow (Temporal vortex? Guardian of Forever? Slingshot around the sun?) it's time for the Season Six Essentials:

1- Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy:
The Doctor programs himself to have daydreams and adorable aliens start watching them like a daily soap opera. Hijinks ensue.
This is maybe my favorite episode of Voyager. I love, love, love romps and this is one of the best Trek Romps of all.

2-Pathfinder:
Reginald Barclay is back and he's on a mission--to make contact with Voyager.
Basically, I love Barclay. You put this guy on screen and I'm in. Get him talking to holo-versions of the Voyager crew and there's no way you can pull me away from that.

3- Blink Of An Eye:
Basically, Gavin Park from Angel shows up on Voyager from his planet which spins way faster than the rest of the entire universe.
This episode is a lesson in the finer points of fandom and inspiration.

4- Good Shepard:
Janeway goes on a roadtrip with some of her black sheep crewmen.
This one's pretty underrated and unsung but it's beautifully written and acted and it reinforces the whole "this is a family and I'm going to take care of us" Janeway perspective.

5- Muse:
I'll admit that I may be a little biased about this one for personal reasons but it doesn't matter. This is a solid episode of Star Trek and I'd put it up against just about anything else out there for its use of theme and pseudo-history to underscore the ever-present mission of Star Trek to engage and inspire.

Runners Up:
Alright, all my runners up this time have to do with the Borg kids. I don't care what anyone says, I love these little guys. I love Seven-of-Mom. I get that they're not especially "essential" but they're a great part of Seven's character arc and one of my favorite things about Season Six so, if you're feeling especially ambitious, here are the Borglet episodes:

Collective:
Harry, Tom, and Tuvok stumble upon a wrecked Borg cube inhabited by a number of drone children. If you thought regular kids were creepy, just wait till you see these little Borg kids wandering around.

Ashes To Ashes:
The A-story in this one is all about Harry's back-from-the-dead girlfriend but the B-story is all about Seven's problem kids and it's great.

Child's Play:
Icheb, Seven's oldest kid, finds his mom and dad and everyone's eating cookies and getting excited about the reunion--except Seven-Of-Mom.
Bonus Points to this one for featuring Mark Sheppard i.e. Lord of the Nerds.

Ok, one more thing:
If you regularly read this blog, or if you only just stumbled across it, please help spread the word about it before the year is out. Let someone know about your favorite post. Heck, let me know. I like knowing you're out there. I've seen my numbers take a sudden jump lately but I'm not sure why. So, if you're enjoying this project, let me know you're out there. I'm nice--promise.