Star Trek: Voyager - Episodes 1 & 2 (VHS, 2000, Comes with special Voyager Mission Data Guide)

As a Star Trek fan, I have always had a love/hate relationship with the Voyager series. One the plus side, there was great writing, fantastic special effects, and memorable characters and situations. On the down side, there was the corporate desire to do "whatever it takes" to get ratings, be it cheesy plotlines, poor series continuity, or an overwillingness to put female cast members into cheesecake appearances. I faithfully watched the show when it was on, even putting together a complaint campaign when my local television stations dropped it for cheaper, less impressive shows that never had a chance at seven seasons of story arc.

Of the five regular shows in the Star Trek lineage, Voyager had the best pilot episode(s). Whether viewed as a single long show, or the two continual shows, the first episode set the tone for the entire series, as well as assigning a storyline that would be faithfully followed for the entire seven year run. The first episode, "Caretaker", not only introduced the viewer to a ship and remarkable crew, it watched these people get catapulted across the galaxy due to the machinations of a powerful entity, one that ended up stranding them in a position that suggested that if the ship did ever get home, the crew would likely be long gone, and the ship manned by the descendents of the crew. This show introduced us to all but one of the regular cast members, as well as the Star Trek firsts of a sentient hologram, an American Indian warrior, and a female captain. (A follow up to the third series' first, an African American commanding officer.) While there were some gaping holes in the storyline, the interaction of the characters and the great special effects gave us a look at a great future storyline. An interesting point about this particular episode was that the Voyager series stayed clear of home video format for quite some time, despite the first three series coming to video very quickly. The pilot episode was only available for some time as part of a collector's set, even as the other shows were cranking out videos of each episode almost as soon as they aired.

If you're a Star Trek fan, this particular episode is a must-have. Most of the major characters were quickly established in this episode, and these characters were solid and remained well defined throughout the entirety of the series.

Now, as you may have noticed, this particular purchase was for a VHS copy. Why, you ask, would I settle for VHS when DVD sets are available? Two points - First, I enjoy VHS, and don't have a problem with the older system. If you feel the same way, then there are plenty of copies of Star Trek episodes available in this format. Secondly, the sets are more expensive, a lot more expensive. I don't mind picking and choosing my way through the series one tape at a time,especially since only a few episodes are truly rare on tape.

Please, find yourself a copy, and enjoy.