The Omega Directive
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"The Omega Directive" is the 89th episode of the American
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'' airing on the UPN network. It is the 21st episode of the fourth season. In this episode, Captain Janeway must undergo a top secret mission to destroy a
molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by Force, attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemi ...
called an "Omega Particle" that the Federation has deemed too dangerous to be allowed to exist.


Plot

'' Voyager'' is suddenly rocked by a distant explosion. Although ship systems appear undamaged, all information and control screens are suddenly locked and display an ominous
omega Omega (, ; uppercase Ω, lowercase ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and last letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value ...
symbol. Captain Janeway arrives on the bridge and instructs the crew not to worry. She orders the ship's computer to override the lockout and transfer all sensor data to her ready room, but leaves without explaining to her bemused crew what happened. After locking herself in her office she asks the computer to brief her on the detection of an object referred to as “Omega.” Janeway also summons
Seven of Nine Seven of Nine (born Annika Hansen) is a fictional character introduced in the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Voyager''. Portrayed by Jeri Ryan, she is a former Borg drone who joins the crew of the Federation starship ...
, an ex-Borg member of the crew, to her ready room, as the
Borg The Borg are an alien group that appear as recurring antagonists in the ''Star Trek'' fictional universe. They are Cyborg, cybernetic organisms (cyborgs) linked in a Group mind (science fiction), hive mind called "The Collective". The Borg co- ...
have their own knowledge of “Omega.” Because ''Voyager'' has been separated from
Starfleet Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduct ...
, the Omega Team (a specially trained group which would normally be tasked with handling situations involving "Omega") cannot be brought in to deal with the problem. Janeway decides to break the code of silence involving the symbol and share information with her senior officers. She announces that a molecule hazardous to relativistic space travel, the Omega Particle, has been detected and she intends to follow the “Omega Directive,” an
order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...
that requires Starfleet captains to destroy Omega at all costs—even the Prime Directive is null and void under such circumstances. As Janeway explains, Omega is unstable and even the explosion of one particle out in space can nullify subspace for many light years around it, rendering faster-than-light travel impossible within that area. Moving to the coordinates of the explosion they encounter the planet and its resident alien race that created it. The society is on the brink of economic failure and is making Omega particles to “give their children a chance at a future.” Seven of Nine displays an interest in the scientists' methods, however, hoping to save the Omega particles and harness them because she believes them to be perfection—infinite parts working together as one (like the Borg)—despite ample Starfleet and Borg evidence of their incredible danger: The Borg, referring to the Omega particle as “Particle 010,” are expected to assimilate it at all costs, even though they have experienced the loss of a large quantity of Borg vessels to Omega particle explosions while trying to harness the power of the substance. Seven notes, furthermore, that the ability to harness Omega would make the Borg a nigh-unstoppable force; this remark only strengthens the urgency and motivates Janeway to wipe out all Omega particles, at any cost, as determined by the Omega Directive. Eventually and through a series of issues and difficulties, all the particles are safely gathered together and detonated a safe distance from the alien planet. Just before they are destroyed, they inexplicably stabilize, and Seven is able to view
perfection Perfection is a state, variously, of completeness, flawlessness, or supreme excellence. The terminology, term is used to designate a range of diverse, if often kindred, concepts. These have historically been addressed in a number of discre ...
for 3.2 seconds, “an eternity worth.”


Critical reception

''
Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (often abbreviated as ''PM'' or ''PopMech'') is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do it yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation an ...
'' reacted with derision to the concept of the Omega Particle, listing it as one of "6 Ridiculous Sci-Fi Energy Schemes" and describing it as a "ridiculous" deviation from the general ''Star Trek'' value of "mak ngits technobabble believable". ''
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'' said in 2007: "All around this was a great episode".


Home media

It was one of the episodes included in the anthology DVD box set ''Star Trek Fan Collective - Captain's Log''; the set also includes episodes from other series in the franchise including ''Star Trek'', ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' and ''Enterprise''. The set was released on July 24, 2007, in the United States. In 2017, the episode was included on the complete ''Star Trek: Voyager'' series which was released in a DVD
box set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...
with special features.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Omega Directive, The 1998 American television episodes Star Trek: Voyager season 4 episodes