Starfleet Academy Just Used Voyager To Turn Star Trek Heroes Into Scary Pirates
By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Although there was controversy, Starfleet Academy has tried to make itself must-see TV for those who like it Star Trek: Voyager. One reason for that is the presence of the amazing Robert Picardo, reprising his role as the fan-favorite holographic Doctor. Another reason is that the new edition has taken on many of the classic threads Voyager stories, including the Doctor raising (and later losing) a holographic daughter back in “Real Life.”
Now, the most recent episode Starfleet Academy (“300th Night”) followed Voyager episode “The Omega Directive,” which revealed that Starfleet is very afraid of the cosmic destroyer known as the Omega particle. In “300th Night,” we learn that future Starfleet has found a way to weaponize these particles against their enemies. Unfortunately, the main part of this episode makes one thing clear: the Federation has now become the bad guy forever.
Alpha and Omega
What is an Omega particle, you ask? In a proper composition Voyager episode “The Omega Directive,” Captain Janeway reveals that the Omega particle is one of the greatest threats Starfleet has ever faced. When these particles explode, it becomes difficult to travel through the affected area at warp speed. Therefore, Starfleet has a fixed plan: when the captains encounter Omega, they must do anything and everything in their power to destroy it.
With her usual calmness and style, Janeway managed to find and safely detonate all the annoying Omega particles in the area. However, the Starfleet Academy episode “300th Night” revealed that the Federation of the 32nd century had secretly changed its mind about Omega. Rather than destroying these particles on sight, one skeezy starbase has developed a way to turn these pesky particles into a super weapon.
When Star Trek meets Star Wars
In the previous episode of Starfleet Academy (“Come, Let’s Go”), Nus Braka behaved like a reluctant person before establishing his plan: to destroy a Starfleet ship and loot Starbase J19-Alpha. At the time, it was unclear what he stole or what kind of starbase J19-Alpha actually was. However, “300th Night” revealed that the base was focused on advanced weapons research, and one of their creations was the Omega-47. As the name suggests, this is a synthetic version of the Omega particle, with all the destructive power of the real thing.
“The 300th Night” was actually a really solid episode, but I was shocked at how it confirmed that Starfleet was building massive weapons that would put the Empire from Star Wars to shame. So far, it seems like Chapter 31 isn’t in the 32nd century, which is a good thing: after all, many fans don’t like the idea of the peace-loving Federation relying on a secret cabal of violent assassins.
Unfortunately, the revelation that Starbase J19-Alpha was producing such illegal weapons is proof that the edge of Section 31 is no longer needed; the high and mighty Starfleet is happy to wreak havoc and break intergalactic law whenever and wherever they see fit.
The development of Omega-47 is also insanely hypocritical because the Federation of this era had to survive the Burn, a rare cosmic event that made warp travel completely impossible. In both Adoption again Starfleet Academythis is portrayed as something that has destroyed countless lives and often turned a utopian future into a brutal, survival-of-the-truth slugfest. Considering that the main effect of the Omega is that it can seal off space and make warp travel impossible, it is clear that Starfleet is now ready and willing to cripple all civilizations by limiting their movement and leaving them at the mercy of pirates.
Never Light Your Heroes
On balance, “300th Night” is actually the best episode of Star Trek: it builds on it Starfleet Academy lore, develops our favorite characters, and follows one of them Voyager‘s wildest stories. For longtime fans of the show, this episode is a testament to how strong the series really is. Meanwhile, if you’re someone who left the show early, this latest episode is undoubtedly the best one to watch when you’re ready to catch up on the show again.
Unfortunately, Starfleet arming Omega is at the heart of this Starfleet Academy episode, and this seriously damages the reputation of our characters. How are we supposed to focus on the next generation of Starfleet officers knowing that all these tortured geniuses will grow up to support supervillains? This organization is rotten from top to bottom, which gives him a lot of credit The Original Series: in the 32nd century, everything admirals are bad admirals!
