To The Journey: A Star Trek Voyager Podcast

Thomas Eugene Paris. It’s never easy being the son of an Admiral. Expectations run high and the pressure can get to even the best of us. In this episode of To The Journey, Char, Tristan, and Lorrie talk about Tommy-boy and the character arc that made him wonderful to watch. From playboy to daddy, the growth of his character made him one of the most realistic crew members on Voyager.   Send us your...

Shattered Commentary. With Tristan in Sickbay, Char and Lorrie talk about the Voyager “clip episode” that wasn’t: “Shattered.” We look at the missed opportunities in a seven-year retrospective—such as Seska’s possible romantic re-entanglement with Chakotay or Chakotay’s choice to not violate the Temporal Prime Directive and tell Kathryn about the ship’s future.    Send us your feedback! Twitter: @...

Photonic Lifeforms. TNG had Moriarty. DS9 had Vic Fontaine. But Voyager... had the motherload. From the EMH to Michael Sullivan, were these characters real or were they just lights and computer programs? In this episode of To The Journey, Lorrie, Charlynn, and Tristan go in deep to tackle the topic of photonic life; but instead of answering the question they may just create a few more.    Send us...

Voyager’s Best-known Guest Stars. You see them on the screen and know who they are; but not because you’ve watched every episode of Voyager a million times. In this episode of To The Journey, Lorrie, Charlynn, and Tristan discuss guest stars on Voyager whom we know from other TV programs, such as Sarah Silverman, Jason Alexander, The Rock, and more.    Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Faceb...

The Voyager Movie. The Original Series had its movies, and TNG was followed by some great features of its own. Loyal fans of Voyager demand equal treatment! We don’t require much—maybe a movie that deals with snippets from each of the post-Voyager novels and rewrites “Endgame”? Perhaps a sci-fi thriller pitting the Voyager crew against an unstoppable villan? Or simply a trip back to the Mirror Uni...

B’Elanna Torres. This week we show our love for B’Elanna Torres in our in-depth character analysis. From Maquis rebel to Starfleet darling, B’Elanna was a rich and well-developed part of the Voyager crew. We all agreed that she was one of our favorites. So, Qa’Pla and listen to us sing her praises. 

Badass Janeway. Sisko was a yeller, Picard gave flowery speeches, and Kirk was uber dramatic. And Janeway, our intrepid leader? She ran the gamut from almost inappropriate banter to just plain “dress-you-down” guilt. In this episode of To The Journey, Tristan, Charlynn, and Lorrie discuss the one-liners and eloquence that make Janeway so memorable. We know you have your favorites, so give ours a l...

Kes vs Seven. Kes, the sweet little innocent pixie, and Seven of Nine, the Borg who took her place. In this episode of To The Journey, Tristan, Charlynn, and Lorrie talk about the feels they had when Kes left and the “development” that occurred when Seven was added to the Voyager cast. Should Kes have stayed? Well, we know that Tristan’s cardboard cut-outs of Kes and Seven got along, so perhaps it...

Romance on the Love Boat in Space. Valentine’s Day is in the air, and everyone’s fancy turns to love. Or, at least, to “like.” In our romance-filled episode, we discuss the pairings we adored, the couples that Cupid should’ve ignored, and the alien-crew twosomes we wanted to see continue. Char spills her adulation for Jaffen, Lorrie purrs for Kashyk, and Tristan again stuns us with his fervent all...

Episodes we for some reason love. We all enjoy things that are bad for us. Things like cheeseburgers, soda, and Lady Gaga. Every single Star Trek series has it’s bad episodes—and Voyager is no exception. Charlynn and Tristan discuss the episodes that they love but can’t defend. These episodes get the hatred and eye rolls they deserve but that will never stop the To the Journey crew from loving the...

Q2. Sometimes an episode just doesn’t live up to its potential. In this week’s episode of To The Journey, Lorrie, Charlynn, and Tristan take a look at the episode “Q2” and delve into its good and bad points. We also discuss what we would do if the show had been ours to create: Q Sr. has a midlife crisis, Q Jr. confronts his role as the savior of the Continuum, and Junior takes Aunt Kathy on her ow...

Tuvok. Moving down the line we tackle another in-depth character analysis, setting our sights this time on Tuvok. In this week’s episode of To The Journey, Lorrie, Charlynn, and Tristan discuss Voyager’s resident Vulcan and discover that, although he was not true to character to begin with, he quickly grew into an integral part of the crew. Tuvok became a Maquis spy, a mentor, a moral compass, and...

Non-renewable Resources. One of the many issues facing Voyager was the replacement of needed items without the luxury of going to a Starbase. In this week’s episode of To The Journey, Charlynn, Tristan, and Lorrie discuss replicator rations, leola root, and the on-again off-again difficulty of finding deuterium. Neelix’s new job as laundress is revealed, as well as Tristan’s need to see corn growi...

Threshold. Like a Janeway hairstyle change or a Harry Kim near-death experience, some things are inevitable. So it is with Voyager discussion and Brannon Braga’s hot mess called “Threshold.” Yes, we had to tackle the episode everyone loves to hate sooner or later—and there’s no time like the present. In this episode of To The Journey hosts Tristan Riddell, Charlynn Schmiedt, and Lorrie Sears mix t...

Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy Commentary. 2013 is a new year, so Tristan, Charlynn, and Lorrie kick it off with something new: an episode commentary of “Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy”. Follow along on Netflix or with your DVD as we discuss the ins and outs of the Doctor’s daydreaming experiment.

Commander Chakotay. You love him or you hate him, but it’s hard to feel lukewarm. Everybody has an opinion on the XO of the Voyager, and Tristan, Lorrie, and Char are no different. This week they delve deep into what the writers did well and what they missed out on. Can Chakotay handle an episode all on his own or does he end up like a beloved doctor from another series? Listen to find out and als...

Alpha-Quadrant Aliens in the Delta Quadrant. We saw quite a few familiar faces from the Alpha Quadrant in the Delta Quadrant. This week, Tristan, Charlynn, and Lorrie discuss the Klingons, Ferengi, and others who showed up in the most unexpected places. We learn about things we’re glad were not displayed on those “Ferengi-fetish” necklaces, Tristan’s love of WWE, and why the Boslic were everywhere...

Underrated Voyager Episodes. Sometimes, an episode just doesn’t get the love it deserves. This week, Tristan and Char tackle this problem and discuss three of their favorite underrated episodes, while also taking on Lorrie’s choices as well, since she was stuck in sickbay. We learn that Tristan is a sucker for character stories, Lorrie likes the episode where Janeway shoots germ-creatures with her...

Children on Voyager. It was brought up early in the series that having children aboard Voyager may be necessary if it really did take 70 years to get home. For a ship ill-equipped to raise children, this was a challenge that Janeway and Co. had to face with the arrival of Naomi Wildman. Later on, we got the Borg kids and the birth of Miral in the series finale. Tristan, Char, and Lorrie discuss ch...

Holodeck Programs. They’ve been around since TNG, but Voyager arguably used them the most. When the crew needed some R&R from the daily rigors of life in the Delta Quadrant, we saw them hanging out in Sandrine’s, the tropical resort program, Fair Haven, and more. Tristan, Lorrie, and Char discuss all of these popular hangouts, and we learn that Tristan would buy a Flotter doll if he could.

Captain Janeway. Whether it was negotiating with Romulans in the middle of the night or putting Kazon bullies in their place, Captain Janeway did it all with her “compassionate badass” command style. In this week’s episode of To The Journey, hosts Charlynn Schmiedt, Tristan Riddell, and Lorrie Sears talk in-depth about Voyager’s captain, including first impressions of Kathryn Janeway, Jeri Taylor’...

The Maquis. When the Caretaker’s array forced together Starfleet and Maquis crews, the potential for conflict was established in a way not really tested before in Star Trek. And while the first few episodes explored the tense relationship aboard the close quarters of a small Intrepid Class ship, the dramatic promise was quickly lost on the writers. In this week’s episode of To The Journey, hosts C...

First Treks and Favorite Voyagers. In the premiere episode of Trek.fm’s new Voyager podcast, To The Journey, hosts Tristan Riddell, Charlynn Schmiedt, and Lorrie Sears introduce the concept of the show, their first experiences with Star Trek, their favorite things about Voyager, and how a worn out VHS tape led to this show.