10 Star Trek Episodes That Just Didn't Work

5. Fury - Voyager

Star Trek Fury
CBS

Fury came in Star Trek: Voyager's sixth season, offering Jennifer Lien a chance to return to the show to give Kes some closure. She returned then as an elderly Ocampan, fitting the shorten lifespan of their race. While there are very impressive visuals in the episode, not least that shot of the Vidiian ship tearing away a chunk of Voyager's hull, the idea behind the script simply didn't work.

Kes was last seen in season four's The Gift. Her powers developed to a point where they were threatening the structural integrity of the ship, with no way to control them. She left Voyager to evolve to a higher plane of existence but, here, Kes returns full of anger toward the crew who "abandoned" her.

While the return of Lien was welcome, having her come back in this manner only served to retroactively harm her original exit as well. The Gift, while not a perfect episode, left Kes in a position where she was happy with what was happening to her. Here, it suggests she spent the intervening years frightened and in pain, with this aspect of her life remaining despite a timeloop.

It was an ignoble final story for one of Voyager's original main cast members, another example of the producers treating the character poorly.

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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"