Star Trek Voyager: Season 2

Unlike the previous three "Star Trek" television series, which (for the most part) took place within the bounds of the Federation of Planets (or in nearby sovereign areas of space, such as the Klingon Empire or the Romulan Empire) in the Alpha Quadrant, the starship Voyager is hurled tens of thousands of light-years from home into the previously unknown and unexplored Delta Quadrant, which is located at the far side of the Milky Way Galaxy. Even while traveling at warp 8 (the fastest safe speed that a typical starship can travel), it would take Voyager several decades to return to Earth. Hence, the series focuses on the survival of Voyager's Starfleet crew, who are completely isolated and unable to even maintain normal communications with Earth, as well as the crew's ultimate desire to find a way home faster than their ship is capable of doing. Also, along the way, Voyager adopts a few Delta Quadrant natives.

The primary cast members of the second season of "Voyager" include Captain Catherine Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran), the half-Klingon Lt. B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson), Delta Quadrant native (Ocampan) Kes (Jennifer Lien), Lt. Thomas Eugene Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), Delta Quadrant native (Talaxian) Neelix (Ethan Phillips), the holographic Emergency Medical Holographic Program (a.k.a., "The Doctor", played by Robert Picardo), the Vulcan Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang). Voyager's primary enemy in the second season is still the Delta Quadrant native species known as the Kazon. With less sophisticated technology than the Federation, several of the Kazon desperately want to capture Voyager to use against their own warring people. Seska (Martha Hackett), who left Voyager to join the Kazon during the first season, convinces a Voyager Maqui crewmember, Michael Jonas (Raphael Sbarge), to spy for the Kazon. Jonas' spying, the Kazon's desperation for technology and Seska's obsession for revenge culminate in the second season's cliffhanger final episode (a two-part episode that carries over into the third season).

Through the second season, the holographic doctor's personality continues to develop as he works with Kes, the crew encounters the phage-infected Vidians again, Neelix's duties expand beyond cooking and B'Elanna continues her inner human-Klingon battle. There are also several guest appearances from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" characters, including Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) in episode "Projections", as well as William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Q (John de Lancie) in episode "Death Wish", which is one of the season's best episodes. The best second-season episodes, in order of airdate, include "Non Sequitur", "Tattoo", "Resistance", "Dreadnought", "Death Wish", "Lifesigns", "Deadlock", "The Thaw" and "Tuvix". The season's least memorable episodes include "Cold Fire" and "Investigations".

Overall, I rate the second season of "Voyager" with 4 out of 5 stars. Sadly, the continued participation of the Kazon started to get old, as was the appearance of Voyager's second traitor (Raphael Sbarge's character of Jonas); but several of the second season's episodes clearly demonstrated that the show could have some very good creative writing.