Picard - 10 Essential Seven Of Nine Star Trek Episodes

4. Overwhelmed By Assimilation - The Voyager Conspiracy

USS Voyager
deviantart

Seven's question to know everything and achieve perfection has led her down some dark paths. In the sixth season episode The Voyager Conspiracy, Seven assimilates so much information that she begins to piece together scenarios in her mind.

She first sees a Starfleet conspiracy to trap the crew in the Delta Quadrant before changing her mind to fixate on a potential Maquis uprising. Finally, she settles on the simple truth: Voyager's entire mission to the Delta Quadrant was to capture her and force her to return to the Alpha Quadrant.

Ryan plays what could have been a messy episode idea (wait, who is doing what now?) and displays the paranoia and fear she is feeling in such a clear way that we almost believe she is correct in what she is thinking. Janeway and Chakotay are taken in, walking through the corridors armed in preparation for their rivals' assault.

Clear heads do win the day but the episode manages to capture the essence of old spy thrillers. Seven is an effective stand in for Cary Grant in this story that calls to mind North by Northwest. Hitchcock and Star Trek, together at last!

Contributor
Contributor

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"