Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) Night (1998) User Reviews

Not quite alone in the darkness

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 16 February 2010]

As the episode opens one could be forgiven for thinking you were on the wrong channel as a scene from what appears to be an old black and white science fiction comes on to the screen. It turns out this is just Tom and Harry's latest holodeck program. It turns out the holodeck has become more popular than ever since Voyager entered a strange void which will take two years to cross and in that time there will be nothing visible outside in the blackness. As they go deeper into the void crew morale is diminishing, not helped by the fact that Captain Janeway is hardly seen as she sits in her quarters mulling over the decision she made four years ago which trapped them all in the Delta Quadrant. They find a radiation source so decide to investigate; once near the source they are attacked by an unseen enemy which drains Voyager's power. Several aliens beam aboard and one is captured. Just when it looks like Voyager might be defeated another ship arrives and chases off the attackers. This ship is the source of the radiation that was detected earlier. When Janeway hears his offer of help by showing them the whereabouts of a vortex out of the void she is left with a problem; taking the help would shave two years off their journey but their assistant is dumping radioactive waste that is killing the natives of the void. Wanting to help her crew and the local aliens she comes up with a plan to stay behind and destroy the vortex after Voyager enters it however the crew refuse to leave her behind come up with an alternate plan.

This episode was a good start to the fifth series; the environmental message that wasn't too heavy handed. Controller Emck the polluting alien was of the villain-of-the-week variety but that didn't matter as this episode was all about how the crew of Voyager sticks together in a crisis and makes the right decision even though it is likely to make life harder for them.

A voyage into the black depths

[gus495 · 8/10 · 8 November 2019]

Star Trek, and also Voyager, is in large part a story about exploration, traveling through the stars, and finding new destinations. What then, if instead of hitting on a new society or planet, you instead hit on nothing?

Bad things, as shown in this episode. "night" centers around a really interesting premise: what would happen if a Star Trek crew would encounter, basically nothing? Ironically, while Star Trek crew and captains have been able to survive decades of adventures, the one thing that seems to take the heaviest toll on this Star Trek ship is literally nothing.

The episode is quite beautifully shot and directed: darkness is basically everywhere. There are a plethora of camera shots where we see characters from a small distance, surrounded by blackness, or in a very illustrative shot of the captain literally shrouded in darkness. Blackness and darkness is all around and there is no escaping it.

Besides it being very interesting to see how every individual crew members reacts to the darkness, watching the story unfold is also satisfying. In a twist consistent with the thematics of this episode the ship has an energy shutdown in the midparts of the episode which casuses the ship to lietarlly become shrouded in darkness. It marks a low-point for an already quite morally exhausted crew and a very inspired beat for the story.

Things pick up from there and the story goes into more conventional trek territory, but man, those first 20 minutes are something else. All in all a beautifully conceived and executed episode of Star Trek, highly recommended.

An interesting controversy

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 24 February 2015]

When the show begins, folks are in the holodeck...and I hate that. Fortunately, this did not make up the bulk of the episode AND the Dr. Chaotica set did look really cool--much like an old "Flash Gordon" serial.

Voyager is in the midst of a black void. They've been there for a while and it's taking its toll on the ship. However, their boredom is interrupted when the ship is attacked! But another ship arrives and scatters the small attackers. While the Captain is thrilled that they were saved, she soon learns something shocking--their 'savior' uses a ship that pollutes space with toxic radiation! So Voyager offers to help both sides--to offer the offending ship an alternative to dumping their waste in the void. Amazingly, the commander of this ship LIKES dumping in the void and couldn't care less about his harming the folks in the void! So what's next?

This is a very good episode overall and offered some interesting aliens and an interesting dilemma. Worth seeing.

Not Alone

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 3 September 2018]

This is a pivotal episode in the canon. The ship has entered a period of dead space that they call "The Void." Boredom reigns and they are on each other's nerves. There is a need to conserve energy and so their jobs are curtailed and since there are no challenges, they are left to their thoughts. This is when Janeway drops into depression and self-pity and guilt. Remember that it was her unilateral decision that put them in their predicament. She withdraws from the crew. But a "savior" is at hand. A disgusting toxic cargo dumper shows up. It turns out an alien race is being destroyed by this guy's awful stuff. One of that race ends up on board Voyager and we find just how evil our dumper is. Suddenly, everyone has a purpose and Janeway is put to the test. The crew must make a serious decision. This is a nicely written and produced episode. Great start.

Should have spanned a few episodes

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 29 June 2019]

I loved the debut of Captain Proton! Thankfully we got a whole episode of Captain Proton later this season.

I thought that the resolution of the relevant conundrum came about too easily. The Malon antagonist, and we have heard the term "garbage scow" used in Trek frequently- we finally get to see a garbage scow. This antagonist was a little too easy to defeat.

It would have been interesting to get further into this zone of night, I suppose this was one of the areas in between the galactic arms of our galaxy where there are few Stars. There may have been other things interesting in this area, but we only got to see what we get to see in this episode.

Nevertheless this was a strong introduction into season 5, an important episode. it was interesting to see with the impending two-year span of boredom that they were facing, how each character had ways to cope with it, Tom Paris in the Holodeck, Harry Kim engrossed in his music, and Captain Janeway, at a dangerous low point. Thankfully they did not have to spend that entire time in this area, and neither did we.

Great Beginning to Season Five!

[shelley-bourdon · 10/10 · 19 May 2017]

I, for one, can't stand the fact that Captain Janeway's personal ethics continued to put her crew at risk throughout Seasons 1 - 4. In this episode, however, she finally becomes as disgusted with herself as I have been. (Thank Heavens!) It was refreshing to see a glimpse of humility in this character. It's the first time I felt a genuine sense of fondness for her.

I thought this episode was a great beginning for Season Five. Yes, there were a few holes in the script-writing, but nothing worth mentioning, in my opinion. Unlike most Trekkies out there, I'm only now getting around to watching the Voyager series (on Amazon Prime). The writing for the series got dramatically better with the beginning of Season Four. I can only hope this upward arc continues. I look forward to watching the rest of Season Five.

Janeway in the void.

[thevacinstaller · 8/10 · 7 December 2021]

Solid episode.

It's a nice one off episode to have Janeway weighed down by the decisions she has made in the past. Don't get me wrong though ---- I most certainly do not want to see the captain crying every episode or going on an emotional rollercoaster ride every episode.

Couldn't you just fly the contaminated pollutants into a sun? It's a pretty heavy handed allegory about modern day environmental issues .... but ... that's nothing new for star trek and historically episodes designed like this one are some of my favs.

I almost had an emotional moment when the Voyager crew 'mutinied' against Janeway sacrificing herself for the 5th time. That moment felt real and it was earned.

Good episode.

Great start to season 5 but...

[vsek · 7/10 · 18 June 2021]

7 of 10 A great start for the new season! Mysterious aliens, an environmental issue, the crew in unusual circumstances - all of which are signs of an awesome episode. But why do I just give 7/10 stars?

For one, the aliens should have asked Janeway again to close the vortex. This is not just to keep the Malon dirt bags out but the Night Aliens can't get outside anymore (or travel 2 years?), should they ever decide to contact the outside world. It just seems like another "Janeway decision" to me. Making it a straight and clear request of the alien government would make this not seem like "deciding the fate of others".

Also this episode (and a few others) gives a glimpse of what VOYAGER could have been if UPN and the producers had been a bit more courageous. This concept of a void (and the crew feeling the effects of it) should span over several episodes and provide better in-depth character drama (and maybe some consequences for a change?). Instead this is just a blip and quickly forgotten.

A stupid side plot that should have been cut down was the Captain Proton bit. The lights go out everywhere, no sensors and screens - but the holodeck just freezes? And not even that but Paris is able to use equipment from the program (flashlight)? That doen't make any sense in the context of the show.

Furthermore, at the beginning the trip through the void was estimated to take over 2 years. Having to cope with resource problems at the end of last season, this doesn't make any sense. Should we just accept that now they have enough resources and energy for food, shields and holodecks?

But this is a typical VOYAGER problem. The writers just throw in willy-nilly some problems but seldom put them in the context of the season. In past seasons we had limited resources with the crew having to ration replicator use but at the same time they enjoy themselves on the holodeck which must consume a lot more energy than eating some spaghetti.

I liked a lot of this episode and always put it high on my list of VOYAGER episodes but some things compell me to take away some stars.

Why cant they see stars?

[andreassvendsen · 7/10 · 21 May 2022]

Why cant they see stars when inside the Void? Very silly. We can se the sentral region of the milky way VERY clearly from earth 30K light years away. Even when they are only 200k kilometers from the edge they see no stars. Jeezz. Otherwise solid episode.

Captain Proton to the rescue

[snoozejonc · 7/10 · 28 July 2023]

Voyager enters a dark void in space with no star systems.

This is good episode that tries something different but also has some familiar aspects.

The concept of the void is great and I think a lot more drama could have been derived from the situation if it had lasted longer. Most of the reactions by characters to this environment are interesting and plausible, particularly the likes of Tom, Neelix, and Seven.

Janeway's mental state is a surprising choice by the writers, but could have been interesting if the showrunners had committed to it for more than just an episode.

The conflicting alien characters feel like a classic Star Trek 'issue of the week' and is pretty well done with the usual contrivances.

All performances are solid, particularly Katie Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, and Ethan Phillips.

I enjoyed the visuals, especially the space battle and the Captain Proton holodeck program.

Why does the ending of nearly every episode require a firefight?

[wwcanoer-tech · 4/10 · 6 November 2021]

A lot of time is spent explaining the effect that the void is having on the crew, but it's not very interesting. They suddenly meet two new species and then "poof" the episode is over.

Voyager is attacked by residents of the void who are driven away by the captain of a Malon ship. When Voyager discovers that the ship is a garbage scow spreading deadly theta radiation into the void that's killing the natives, they offer technology to recover energy from the theta radiation so that it is no longer a waste product. The Malon captain says that this technology would destroy his business. The crew is remarkably clueless as to how to convince the captain that it is in his interest to accept the technology. I expect that many viewers could suggest solutions, the most obvious of which is that he will be able to make more money because he is paid to dispose the waste and then makes even money selling the resultant energy. But that kind of resolution doesn't have enough drama.

Voyager acts as if destroying the void solves the problem but the void species is sick and will remain ill for years, perhaps centuries, because it will presumably take a long time for the theta radiation to decay. Voyager should be teaching the void species how to clean up the waste while the doctor helps find a treatment and we learn about life in the void. What do they eat? How do they get energy for their ships?

We met two new species but once again learned so little. There was no urgency except to end the episode.

How was Voyager suddenly able to find the vortex when they couldn't see it before?

Why doesn't Voyager give the torpedoes to the void species so that they can close the vortex. Did they even know that she will do this? Or agree with closing it? Talk about environmental impact... what impact does closing the vortex have?! Maybe the vortex brings essential nutrients into the void.

After exiting the void, Janeway forgets about helping the Malon, although that could be because they came out a little short somehow. A logical series would have them reaching the Malon home world in the next episode and have something go wrong.