10 Star Trek Timelines That Were Erased

3. See You Soon, Harry

Star Trek Voyager Timeless
CBS Media Ventures

How must it feel to carry the weight of death on your shoulders? Harry Kim felt this, not just for one person, but for the lives of his entire crew, in the episode Timeless. He blamed himself for Voyager's crashlanding, from which only he and Chakotay escaped, zooming ahead in the Delta Flier.

That guilt weighs a person down. As the years went on, neither man could stomach it, so they set about changing the past. They stole a temporal transceiver from Starfleet, 'reclaimed' the Flier, and found the remains of their old ship and crew. The plan was simple: send the corrected data back in time, and save the crew. Easy, right?

Not quite. The USS Challenger appeared, captained by none other than Geordi LaForge. He posed a question to which they did not have a simple answer: did they have the right to change history so? Fifteen years had passed since their return home, full of joy, sorrow, and everything in between. Who were they to decide that didn't matter? 

Frankly, by the episode's end, that question remains unresolved, even though Harry does change the past. Timeless then is similar to Children Of Time. Though as an audience we are happy to see our familiar crews survive, did Odo or Harry truly have the right to erase what they did? 

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"