Star Trek: 10 Worst Things Captain Janeway Has Ever Done

8. Shutting Herself Away (Night)

Captain Janeway Night
CBS Media Ventures

The season five premiere episode Night sees Voyager plunged into an area of space that is quite literally made of nothing. There are no stars, no gaseous anomalies, no planets. It is simple a void between the great distances of the Delta Quadrant, and it gives the crew plenty of time to think.

This is bad. This is very, very bad. Once Captain Janeway is given what is effectively a forced shore leave, she retreats into herself entirely. Cut off from the rest of Starfleet, she begins to allow old doubts and fears to surface, going so far as to begin shutting herself away from the crew entirely. Even Chakotay, who is not only her first officer but her closest friend next to Tuvok on the ship, can't convince her to lift her chin.

It takes this friendship to shake her from her doldrums, as she plans what is essentially a suicide mission to stop a Malon scow from polluting the area any further. Tuvok, having seen this behaviour before, warns Chakotay. Though the scene in question is a warm one of friendship, it is unfortunately an example of the captain letting her insecurities take over which, though altruistic, led to her decision to leave Voyager altogether.

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"