Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) The Omega Directive (1998) User Reviews

Odd but not bad.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 23 February 2015]

"Omega Directive" is an odd episode, as Captain Janeway sure acts strange compared to her usual touch-feely character. When the show begins, Janeway is very secretive about something that's occurred nearby. It soon turns out that the so-called 'omega particle' exists here and this material is considered so destructive and deadly that ALL Starfleet captains have been secretly ordered to destroy it if they encounter it! And, more interesting, they are to ignore the Prime Directive--something you could never see Janeway doing. The problem here is that Janeway needs Seven of Nine's help- -and the Borg see this particle as perfection and the closest thing they know of as a god.

The best thing about this episode is that it's different. It's a bit cerebral but I could accept that. Worth your time.

The Perfect Particle

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 8 February 2010]

In this stand alone episode when the captain receives a classified message about something called "The Omega Directive" she discusses it with nobody on the crew apart from Seven of Nine who knows about Omega due to her time in the Borg Collective. Omega is a molecule which so unstable that a single molecule can explode causing major damage and destabilising warp fields for several light years. Because of this Star Fleet standing orders state that where found it must be destroyed. From her time in the Borg Seven has a different opinion, viewing Omega as perfection. As they get closer to the source they realise they they aren't dealing with one molecule but far more than they can destroy easily. Janeway briefs the senior crew and she takes an away team down to an alien research facility to take the Omega particles while Seven builds a containment device. The aliens protest that the particles are needed to power their civilisation which is on the brink of collapse, however the Omega directive requires Janeway to ignore the prime directive and destroy the particles anyway.

This was a good episode which can be enjoyed out of order. It was good to see Seven get a chance to hold a position of responsibility and for her to repay that trust by following her orders even though that means destroying what is the Holy Grail for the Borg. It was also interesting to see that there are conditions where the prime directive can be overruled.

Seven versus Janeway

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 2 September 2018]

Janeway knows of something called the Omega Directive. Apparently, there is a molecule that has immense power. It has been reproduced and is on the verge of a destructive vent. At first Janeway is quite secretive, but at the insistence of Chakotay, she changes her mind and lets her officers in. Seven has a different view of what to do because she is aware of Omega from the Borg's dealings with it. She butts heads with the Captain. She feels how inferior everyone is and is frustrated when they outrank her. Entertaining episode but leaves us wth unanswered questions.

One of the best Voyager episodes

[zenmateisshite · 9/10 · 3 August 2018]

This episode encapsulates the true meaning of "science fiction".

Omega is a huge discovery that represents the "holly grail" to all advanced species across the galaxy, and Voyager's crew mission is to contain it.

It is a mixture of sci-fi and spiritual faith. A very good episode.

Solid episode with good Seven and Janeway moments.

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 7 June 2023]

Janeway initiates the mysterious Omega Directive.

The plot has a mysterious premise that unfolds well, but it is mainly a character arc for Seven of Nine and contains some good allusions to the development of religious beliefs. She has the most interesting scenes that link well the sci-fi aspect and help the character develop. Janeway also has a strong episode and both Jeri Ryan and Katie Mulgrew do justice to the material.

Arguably the writers using an alien species as antagonists is unnecessary, as the character development and stakes are entertaining enough already.

Visually it is a good one, particularly in certain scenes involving Seven as the story develops.

For me it's a 7.5/10, but I round upwards.

classic Trek

[mgl-92037 · 7/10 · 25 March 2022]

This is a solid, interesting episode. In comparison with modern Trek series there is more focus on entertaining without preaching. Voyager is my favorite Trek series. The acting is better than in TNG or DS9. The stories vary in quality but the arc of the overall storyline is nice.

Space WMD.

[thevacinstaller · 6/10 · 28 November 2021]

It is an interesting episode that touches upon a few themes ----- There is the omega molecule that I viewed as a placeholder for weapons of mass destruction (the actors even reference the atom bomb just in case it was a bit too subtle).

We also get some discussion on technology being too advanced to be safely controlled ------ This is how I feel about modern human society ----- We have collectively been uplifted by the genius of a few (electricity/modern vehicles/industrial revolution) but my feeling is that we still have a long way to go in terms of historical/cultural/sociological/political intelligence and the last century is evidence of that.

There is also an attempt to generate conflict between SO9's pursuit of perfection (Or 'God') and Janeway's decision to destroy the particle. I felt this could have been handled more effectively ---- I certainly did not feel any true suspense on how this was going to play out and there was no surprises for me in this one.

As one of the reviewers stated ------ how do we know this alien society does not have records of how to recreate the Omega molecule on their home world? I guess we are just crossing our fingers on that one? That's two glaring plot holes in a row for the voyager writing team.

The god particle

[tomsly-40015 · 6/10 · 31 December 2023]

Well, there is so much in this episode which doesn't make much sense.

When Voyager discovers traces of a molecule, the Omega molecule, the Omega directive is automatically enabled. A classified mission to wipe out this molecule because one particle alone can rupture subspace and a chain reaction of several particles could destroy subspace in a whole quadrant, incapacitating warp travel in that quadrant forever.

First Janeway acts all secretive and tries to solve this problem alone, with only minimal information to her crew. Since Seven of Nine knows about this molecule already, Janeway involves her. Chakotay though convinces Janeway to give more information about Omega and her mission, so the crew can help her. Janeway thus assembles a senior staff meeting. Strangely, B'Elanna is not invited although she is chief of engineering. Although Janeway tells her senior officers to keep the mission classified, they all seem to be quite open afterwards. They talk about destroying this molecule on the bridge while not only senior officers are present but a bunch of ensigns, too. On the away mission several crewmen are directly involved and see and hear everything. At that point, Janeway could have just opened a channel to the whole ship and gave away all classified information which wasn't classified anymore anyway.

When they encounter a planet with millions of such molecules, which were used by local scientists to create an inexhaustible energy source, the crew beams those molecules into a containment chamber on the ship, neutralizes some particles and detonates the rest in space with a torpedo. I wonder how this detonation doesn't cause a chain reaction and blow up subspace. Quite illogical. And how comes, they can just beam those highly complex molecules to the ship and rematerialize them with no problem? Also, the alien scientists most likely will continue their research on those molecules. Why didn't Janeway offer them another technology to help them with their energy shortage? At least tell them that they are playing with fire. It's just a matter of time when there is the same threat again to the quadrant. And isn't that molecule said to be rare? Yet, those scientists obviously created millions of them.

OK, but Beltran did a horrible job

[MiketheWhistle · 7/10 · 21 February 2020]

I'm a fan of Chakotay, but I feel like this is one of his worst performances. In fact, I think most of the actors did a bad job. Having said that, I felt the plot was interesting and 7/9s character develops which I think saves it for me.

My feeling was that they overacted too much. And not being knowledgeable, I imagine that it could have been the director that caused the performance issues.

Confused. How do you blow up molecule that's so unstable that you don't want it to explode?

[wwcanoer-tech · 5/10 · 6 November 2021]

Voyager detects the blast wave from the explosion of an Omega molecule. It's existence is a closely held Star Fleet secret that only captains and above can know of because the explosion of one molecule could destroy all subspace within several light years so that warp drive is not possible in that space. In fact, in an accident Star Fleet lost many scientists and permanently destroyed a region of space.

Voyager finds that a research station with many tens of molecules had an explosion but the affected region of space is quite small. In fact, they reach the injured researchers and rescue them before any other ships arrive. So, in my view, the danger is overblown.

Why did only some of these unstable molecules explode but not all? Would have made more sense if we saw a nearby test platform destroyed but the main reservoir of particles remained intact but damaged.

The crew prepares an explosive to destroy the molecule. How does that make any sense? If you try to destroy an explosive with an explosive, the result is an addition of the explosions. Plus, to destroy a molecule you need to create a reaction. Maybe a special beam can excite it to split it in two or a chemical can bind it or something.

How can you beam a novel molecule? Things get lost in transporter accidents and the transporter can modify things (ex. Disable weapons, block viruses). Why not beam it up but then modify it or dissipate the energy instead of rematerializing it? (Ya, too boring, but being able to beam it to Voyager felt ridiculous. But having the crew bring that container to the moon and manually connect it is far too cumbersome for Star Trek. Would need to be handheld container. The most logical would be for the molecule to be destroyed where it is. Could still have a stand-off with the arriving ships, but not the chase.)

It would have made far more sense for a negotiated end than a tired scene of Voyager running and sustaining phaser fire.

Most importantly, Janeway's job isn't done! These people are in desperate need of an energy source. They will simply create more particles. All we get is a simple sentence that they will return the rescued scientists. We need to know that these people will erase all records of their work and pledge to never try again, which means that Janeway should transfer technology that will solve their energy shortage.

Then there's the destruction of the record of this incident. Is it really best to destroy all knowledge of how you were able to capture, neutralize and destroy the molecule? Someone else will create this particle again. Better to be ignorant or knowledgeable?

My recollection is that in the original series, Captain Kirk talked his way out of a lot of situations. It wasn't necessary to have a physical battle in every episode. (Am I wrong?)