Year Of Hell 

Voyager comes across a Krenim timeship that's wiping whole species from existence to change the existing timeline.

Director:

Allan Kroeker

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (based upon "Star Trek" created by), Rick Berman (created by)

Stars:

Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Mulgrew	...	Capt. Kathryn Janeway
Robert Beltran	...	Cmdr. Chakotay
Roxann Dawson	...	Lt. B'Elanna Torres
Robert Duncan McNeill	...	Lt. Tom Paris
Ethan Phillips	...	Neelix
Robert Picardo	...	The Doctor
Tim Russ	...	Lt. Tuvok
Jeri Ryan	...	Seven of Nine
Garrett Wang	...	Ensign Harry Kim
John Loprieno	...	Obrist
Kurtwood Smith	...	Annorax
Peter Marx	...	Krenim Commandant (as Peter Slutsker)
Rick Fitts	...	Zahl
Deborah Levin	...	Ensign Lang
Susan Henley	...	Ensign Brooks (as Sue Henley)

Storyline

Voyager enters the Year of Hell that Kes once reported. A Krenim timeship, lead by Captain Annorax, aims to rewrite regional history by selectively wiping out entire species of warp-capable humanoids from ever existing. Though many light years away, Voyager, in protecting itself with temporal shielding from a foe, becomes a fly in the ointment of Annorax' plan for 100% restoration of the Krenim Imperium.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to clark gable | reference to cary grant | genocide | speech | space battle | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The basic methodology of Anorax's weapon is almost exactly that used by the 'Eternals' in Isaac Asimov's novel 'End of Eternity' (1955). The key difference is that the Eternals are affecting particular centuries of Earth's history (including suppressing spaceflight) rather than the entire galaxy.

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Goofs

After erasing the Garenor civilization from history, Obrist reports that the Krenim Imperium has reverted to a pre-warp state. If that were true, the Krenim warship Voyager had been dealing with at that time should have vanished completely, not just diminished in size, unless the Krenim in that timeline are so bold as to venture into deep space in primitive vessels without warp drive to confront other, more powerful ships, which seems unlikely.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Obrist: Temporal incursion is complete. All organisms and man-made objects have been eradicated.

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Connections

References Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

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Soundtracks

Star Trek: Voyager - Main Title
Written by Jerry Goldsmith
Performed by Jay Chattaway

User Reviews

Excellent Temporal Causality Loop Episode

This episode was previewed in "Before and After" -But we really get to see the results of the Krenim's Time-Incursions here, in this excellent 2-parter.

Some say that 7-of-69 being there instead of Kes, is some kind of Inconsistency, but it really is not, if you consider the entire storyline - These Krenim are changing TIME. Ergo, they must have been changing time for the entire Voyager series, up to now. Therefore, we got to see a version of Year of Hell where Kes discovered the time displacement instead of 7-of-69. But since then, the Krenim's own meddling has changed that original story, and this is completely consistent with "Before and After".

The Kremin attack Voyager with Torpedoes which have a time variance, much the same as how the Enterprise D destroyed the Microcentrum Lifeforms on Dividia Two. Voyager must needs make a defense against these, and this required someone to see one of these torpedoes and scan it with a tricorder. In Before and After, this was Kes. Here, it is 7- of-69.

But the result is the same - After Voyager is protected from further Timeline Incursions, their internal Timeline remains the same. This prevents Janeway and Torres from being killed in this version of events.

Kurtwood Smith is 'Annorax" - a Krenim Time-Scientist who has been performing these Incursions for 200 Years - But he has an ulterior, personal Motive. I suppose this story is much like "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" where Annorax becomes Nemo as well, as well as "Captain Bligh" - There is a very Nautical Theme underlying these episodes.

Another thing we can discard as "Inconsistency" is that if Annorax was doing this for 200 years, he may indeed have started sometime after the very last scene in this two-parter. He could have built his Time Weapon at any moment after the Magic Reset Button Phenomenon. But the ending of this dual episode shows, maybe he made a different decision within that timeframe- And this explains how he could have been doing it for 200 years of his internal time, because the Time Weapon was not existing and operating within our concept of time. What I garner from the ending, is that he decided not to build it in the first place. So, he built it but he also did not build it. Quantum Theory explains how both and neither could have happened.

In the Original Trek Universe, Timeline Incursions always get the "Magic Reset Button". It is only since 2009's Trek, where the changes were not set back. This same concept was used in Fringe Season 4. But time always has some kind of "Rubber band Effect" where at least one person becomes aware of changes - In Next Generation, this was Guinan, in Fringe, it was Peter Bishop.

But we can see here, not all of the Voyager timeline was reset back to Pre 7-of-69. If that had happened, then 7-of-69 would not have been on Voyager, and Kes would have returned. Obviously, this could not happen because Jennifer Lien had been unceremoniously and cruelly FIRED from Voyager, which caused that actress to quit acting.

This is how Politics can affect Time.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 1997 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Network Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

46 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1