The third season of Star Trek: Voyager saw Captain Janeway's intrepid crew fly deeper into the center of the Delta Quadrant, leaving the Kazon behind and entering territory even Neelix was not familiar with ... putting them on the doorstop of the galaxy's most dreaded and relentless antagonist, the Borg. Year 3 was full of highly entertaining stories and some great science fiction, culminating in the series' most significant turning point (alas, no Jeri Ryan just yet, but setting the stage!). Below are some of the high points of this season.

"Flashback"
One of the most enjoyable episodes in all of Voyager, this story skillfully found an excuse to probe deep into Tuvok's memory to his days aboard the Excelsior under the command of Captain Sulu. Thus we were able to see George Takei again in a role he relishes (that of captain), and re-experience the events of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" from Sulu's point of view. It was a Trek lover's dream. And you know, Janeway looks pretty good in that 23rd-century uniform.

"False Profits"
Anyone remember the Next Generation episode "The Price" when two Ferengi get through the Barzan wormhole and strand themselves in the Delta Quadrant? Well, this was the clever, and perhaps inevitable, sequel to that. What do you know, Dr. Arridor and his partner Kol found a way to survive, Ferengi-style, and it involved manipulating a gullible society. Thank goodness a Federation starship happened by to set things right again.

"Future's End"
This epic two-parter is often cited by the Voyager actors as one of their favorites, simply because it gave them a chance to get out of the soundstages and into the fresh (relatively speaking) air for awhile. And it gave us a chance to see our characters walk around in modern-day Los Angeles, learning that their strangeness to this world doesn't much matter in places like the Santa Monica Pier. This show introduced to most viewers for the first time the wonderful and sexy Sarah Silverman, a prominent comedienne, and it was given further potency by the casting of Ed Begley Jr. as a Bill Gates-type character. All around one of the most fun and colorful episodes of the series. And it was a particular turning point for Robert Picardo's Doctor, who finally got his freedom from Sickbay in the form of the mobile emitter.

"Warlord"
This is easily the best performance by Jennifer Lien, a fine actress whose talents were arguably underused in the show. The chance to play an evil tyrant whose consciousness invaded Kes' body demonstrated the young woman's range — the inflections of her voice, her demeanor and even her walk changed as she believably filled the role of Tieran. And it was a good story to boot, one of political intrigue, ambition and murder that would make Shakespeare proud.

"Fair Trade"
After two years of travelling toward the Alpha Quadrant, Voyager finally got to the edge of known space — that is, what was known to Neelix. Afraid of having outlived his usefulness to the Starfleet crew, the Talaxian took part in inadvisable subterfuge simply to obtain a map of the Nekrit Expanse ... rather than just admit his limitations. It was a key episode for Neelix because it affirmed that he had a place in this "family" even after his initial purpose had expired, and demonstrated one of Janeway's strongest points — her unshakable loyalty to her people.

"Blood Fever"
Except briefly in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," the subject of Pon Farr had never been dealt with beyond the classic episode "Amok Time." Not only was the mating ritual itself explored here, but Vulcan mores and attitudes were put under the microscope, in ways that remained entirely consistent with what had come before. The interaction between Voyager's two Vulcans, Tuvok and Vorik, was — in a word — fascinating. Besides illuminating that aspect of the Trek universe, this episode also furthered the budding relationship between Torres and Paris in interesting ways, and perhaps more significantly, turned the corner toward things to come, in the discovery of a Borg corpse.

"Real Life"
Even though he's basically a computer program, the Doctor probably experienced the most growth of any character in Voyager. Perhaps the most hilarious milestone in this character arc is "Real Life," when the Doctor creates a holographic family life for himself. Of course, he egocentrically makes the scenario way too "perfect" and it drives B'Elanna crazy, prompting her to reprogram it with a little more "reality." Credit the guest actors for doing a 180-degree turn in their roles, and credit Robert Picardo for pulling out all the emotional stops as the story takes some jarring twists. If the family scenes had a strangely familiar tone to them, guess what — this episode was directed by "Potsie" himself, Anson Williams (of Happy Days fame).

"Distant Origin"
This is, simply put, good science fiction, worthy of classic Star Trek. The story postulates that the dinosaurs of Earth evolved an intelligent species that developed spacefaring technology and left the planet tens of millions of years before man emerged. This saurian race ended up in the Delta Quadrant, but over the eons the truth of their origin got replaced by dogma. Not only is it great use of science, it is a distressingly familiar moral tale (a tragedy, by definition) about the institutionalized repression of knowledge.

"Worst Case Scenario"
Any excuse to bring Seska back is a good one, but this was a particularly well-conceived way to do it. Yes, the Cardassian spy continues to haunt Voyager from beyond the grave, and this time it was by tampering with a holo-novel which Tuvok wrote as a tactical training exercise in case of a Maquis mutiny. If you had friends trapped inside a story by a malevolent force, what if you could make changes to that story from the outside to help them out? It's downright Twilight Zone-ish.

"Scorpion, Part I"
Well, they knew it was coming, but they never could've guessed the circumstances. A transdimensional species more powerful than the Borg? Capable of destroying entire planets? So filled with hate they're determined to extinguish all life in our galaxy? This intensely dramatic scenario set the stage for Voyager's first direct encounter with the Borg, one that played out in the most unthinkable way possible: an alliance. A deal with the devil. Oooh, heady stuff. This is undoubtedly Star Trek: Voyager at its peak, with its most terrifying situations and its most visually exciting moments culminating in a breathtaking cliffhanger. (Not to mention a delightful cameo by the great John Rhys-Davies.) Watching it again will make you salivate, especially knowing what's coming up next ...