Star Trek: 10 Times Captain Janeway Was Right And Everyone Else Was Wrong

In season five’s In the Flesh, the Delta Flyer happens across a perfect recreation of Starfleet Headquarters, which even comes with its own Boothby, and just enough Vulcan literature to ensure you won’t need to replicate a doorstop. Practically indistinguishable from the original, the fabrication is the work of Species 8472.

It seems like conflict or all-out-war is inevitable, and Captain Janeway orders the creation of bio-molecular warheads that use Borg nanoprobes to attack 8472. However, Janeway can’t get Starfleet directive 010 – every attempt at a nonmilitary solution must be made before combat – out of her head. Seven thinks this option is impossible: "It’s time you resisted your Starfleet philosophy".

Janeway proves both Seven and 8472 wrong when she de-escalates the situation and proposes a "class reunion" with the Boothby duplicate. The meeting is extremely tense, and neither side seems to be trusting each other, until the Captain decides to take her finger off the trigger. She orders Seven to disable the nanoprobe warheads. The dramatic move convinces 8742 to keep talking, and a conflict is avoided. Seven later admits that she anticipated immediate attack in response to the Captain’s "human weakness," but that she was wrong to think so. Were it not for Janeway having a little "faith" in her decisions being the right ones, an unprepared Alpha Quadrant might have been invaded.

Now, we really must figure out how to shake hands with an 8472!