From the moment she debuted on Star Trek: Voyager, B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) became a unique addition to the franchise. The half-Klingon-half-human former Maquis rebel was serving as the chief engineer aboard the Maquis ship Val Jean when the ship was pulled into the Badlands and stranded in the Delta Quadrant. After the Val Jean was destroyed, B’Elanna, along with the rest of the Maquis, were absorbed into the crew of the USS Voyager.
With her quick temper and no-nonsense attitude, B'Elanna chafed against Starfleet's rules even while performing her duties as an exemplary Chief Engineer. Over the course of seven seasons, she struggled with the anger that stemmed from how she was treated because of her mixed heritage, her insecurities about her relationships, and her place in Starfleet. B’Elanna’s journey to self-acceptance has resonated with many fans and is one of the best parts of the show. It’s been 20 years since Star Trek: Voyager ended, and this is a great time to appreciate one of the more nuanced characters in the franchise.
To celebrate B’Elanna Torres, we present one episode from each season of Star Trek: Voyager that showcases the many facets of her character.
Season 1, Episode 14: “Faces”
This is the B’Elanna Torres episode that introduces the layers and characterization we’ve come to love about the character. While on an away mission, B’Elanna and her team are captured by an alien species called the Vidiians. This species suffers from the devastating Phage and has developed superior medical skills that they use to split B’Elanna into two people – one fully human and one fully Klingon. B’Elanna’s life-long identity struggle becomes a literal battle when she’s facing herself.
"Faces" was the fourteenth episode in the first season, and it didn’t pull any punches. This was a poignant look at the struggles faced by many people from minority communities. Whether you’re of mixed race, part of the diaspora, or as in my case, struggling to belong in your own home country, B’Elanna’s sense of self, as well as her self-loathing brought on by years of bullying and racism, remains a relevant topic over two decades later.
Season 2, Episode 13: “Prototype”
Star Trek: Voyager is often criticized for its poor writing, and there are some valid arguments to back that claim. However, the show never shied away from being thought-provoking. In "Prototype," we see B’Elanna Torres work her engineering magic to bring a sentient robot to life. However, this exciting new discovery turns sour when the robot’s ulterior motives prove deadly.
B’Elanna is faced with a difficult decision in this episode, and it echoes society's ongoing conversation around the militarization of technology. She is captured by the robot who wants her to build his army. To protect Voyager, B’Elanna creates a prototype that she is proud of, but its existence not only goes against the Prime Directive, but could tip the scales in a devastating war. The episode leaves us wondering, "What would we do in B’Elanna’s shoes?"
Season 3, Episode 16: “Blood Fever”
A Vulcan ensign Vorik (Alexander Enberg) undergoes pon farr (the Vulcan mating cycle that happens every seven years) and decides B’Elanna must be his partner. When a mind-meld goes wrong, B’Elanna starts experiencing the same chemical imbalances as Vorik, except she’s got her eyes on someone else.
If you were ever a hormonal teenager, "Blood Fever" got you hot under the collar. This episode subverts some of the gendered romantic tropes we’re used to seeing in pop culture, as B’Elanna is the romantic aggressor in this episode, while her object of desire, Lieutenant Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), has to fend off her advances. The episode manages to balance the subject of latent feelings and consent while creating the foundation for one of Star Trek’s greatest, underappreciated romances. You also have to hand it to the Star Trek: Voyager writers, who resolved the tense situation by letting B’Elanna herself, instead of any of the male characters, participate in the ritual fight against Vorik herself.
Season 4, Episode 3: “Day of Honor”
Klingon fever is in the air as it’s the Day of Honor, a Klingon tradition involving self-reflection, and this year, B’Elanna has promised to observe it. Except, she has the worst day ever. Everything goes wrong: She oversleeps, has to work with her archnemesis Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), ends up dumping the warp core, and then her and Tom’s shuttle is destroyed, leaving the two of them adrift in space with punctured space suits and fast-diminishing oxygen supplies. Some Day of Honor B’Elanna’s having!
This is a quintessential Star Trek episode, but also a character study. How many characters can face so many figurative beatdowns and still get back up? B’Elanna is resilient, and you feel for her with every defeat. Yet, there’s a win in the end. B’Elanna finally reveals to Tom how she feels about him, which sets her on the path to accepting that she’s worthy of love and friendship.
Season 5, Episode 20: “Juggernaut”
B’Elanna and Neelix (Ethan Phillips) join a Malon crew to repair their toxic ship before it explodes and takes Voyager with it. Tensions are high, as the Malon homeworld creates masses of radioactive waste which they dump in unsuspecting areas of the quadrant. On top of that, there are whispers of a boogeyman haunting the Malon ship. B’Elanna’s temper is short; she’s been dealing with personal losses, the ship is disgusting and they’re on a deadline before the radiation affects them. More than that, B’Elanna can’t abide this species’ ignorant policies.
This episode is a tough watch; while the horror aspect is entertaining, B’Elanna’s choice near the end of the episode is hard to digest. She’s left with a Catch-22 situation of either losing her life or her soul — which one should she choose? Even after numerous rewatches, you’ll still find yourself wanting to console B’Elanna and wishing she’d forgive herself for her actions. I definitely do.
Season 6, Episode 3: “Barge of the Dead”
And speaking of souls, in “Barge of the Dead,” B’Elanna must contend with how she’s "dishonored" her heritage during a near-death experience. B’Elanna is certain that because of her ignorance and hatred of her Klingon beliefs, she has damned her mother, Miral (Karen Austin), to Gre'thor, the Klingon Hell. She enters a comatose state to revisit the Barge of the Dead and complete several Klingon rituals in an effort to save her mother.
The core message of the episode is to stop fighting who you are, and it’s an essential step in B’Elanna’s journey to self-acceptance. Her attitude towards her heritage changes from this point forward, and she definitely embraces her Klingon side more, if not wholeheartedly. This episode also includes this epic line of dialogue that can’t be missed: "You! Kahless! The tooth fairy! Anybody who will tell me what I am supposed to do!"
Season 7, Episode 3: “Drive”
By Season 7, Tom and B’Elanna are a well-established couple, but their relationship isn’t without its pitfalls, many of which come to the fore in "Drive." Tom is head over heels in love with B’Elanna, but she is still unsure of being in a committed relationship, and finds it challenging to put herself and her happiness first. When Tom gets the opportunity to represent Voyager in a space race, he scuppers B’Elanna’s plans for a romantic holodeck getaway in favor of the race.
In this episode, we get the chance to view this science-fiction romance through a realistic lens. Are Tom and B’Elanna just too different to belong together? And do those differences mean they’re a mok'tah – a bad match? The key to their success is simple: they just need to communicate.
Selecting just seven episodes to represent the complex and compelling character that is B’Elanna Torres was not an easy task. But this is an essential highlight reel to understand why B’Elanna still endures as a favorite Star Trek character.