The lights dimmed. Static crackled across the screen as Captain Janeway and Tom Paris, their faces now grotesque masks of amphibian evolution, croaked their vows on the abandoned planet. Thirty years later, fans still shudder at the memory of “Threshold,” the Star Trek: Voyager episode that dared to go where no Trek had gone before… and maybe shouldn’t have. But even in the deepest pit of Trek infamy, a flicker of brilliance can ignite.
Thirty years ago, Star Trek: Voyager broadcast one of its most controversial episodes ever: “Threshold,” the episode that is now infamous as “The One Where Captain Janeway and Tom Paris Mutate Into Amphibians and Have Babies.” Over the years, revisitation has allowed the chance to reframe “Threshold” from one of the worst things that Star Trek has ever done to a charmingly memetic moment of camp to an episode that, while deeply flawed, still has sparks of potential.
So to mark 30 years of this moment in Trek infamy, we decided to put aside the space amphibian sex jokes (aside from the ones we’ve already made—please, we’re only human) and remember one of those sparks of potential, a bright spot in an otherwise very silly episode: what “Threshold” has to say about Voyager‘s rebellious conn officer, Tom Paris.
In the early seasons of Star Trek: Voyager, one of the few recurring arcs the show engaged with on a regular basis from episode to episode was the reformation of Lieutenant Paris. Tom joins the show with a shockingly messy background: an ex-Starfleet officer drummed out of service for covering up a piloting error, jailed for pettily running into the arms of the Cardassian resistance group known as the Maquis, and then paroled by Captain Janeway on what was meant to be a brief trial run for her new ship rather than a 70,000 light-year journey home from an unexplored quadrant of the galaxy.
Almost everyone on Voyager in its early days is operating with a sense of grief that their lives and futures they’d had planned were destroyed in the blink of an eye, but not Paris. Paris is living his dream, piloting a top-of-the-line starship, still getting to bite his thumb at the Maquis who joined Voyager‘s crew through necessary circumstances, and the only Starfleet authority to answer to is the woman who trusted him enough to give him a second chance in the first place. This largely manifests in one particular way in those early seasons: Tom is kind of a huge, cocky asshole, even when he is sincerely trying to prove the faith put in him was justified.
That brings us to “Threshold” and Tom’s perfectly cocky, yet aspirational, idea of figuring out a way to breach the titular Warp 10 threshold—the long-established Star Trek lore that warp drives could not achieve faster-than-light speeds above that maximum. It’s a fascinating idea that a show with a premise like Voyager, about an isolated Starfleet vessel trapped tens of thousands of light-years from Federation space, is primed to tackle, even more so when one of its main characters is a cocky ace pilot with a chip on his padded uniform shoulder. That in and of itself is a brilliant way of the show engaging with Star Trek‘s broader legacy even while it’s isolated from it.
But that’s not the moment we’re talking about. That moment comes after Tom’s first experimental test flights successfully see him manage a sustained speed above the warp threshold—and then have medical complications as his body undergoes what is ultimately revealed to be a rapid-onset acceleration of the evolutionary process. Tom’s body starts breaking down bit-by-bit, requiring nonstop medical treatment: his hair falls out, eyes glaze over, skin mottles and flakes, and his joints and limbs start fusing together. The dashing young hero of the hour has been turned into this broken, evolving-yet-devolving wreck of a thing.
It’s in this form that “Threshold” delivers its greatest moment. It’s a fascinating grotesquerie: the body horror is incredibly effective for Trek and feels like Voyager building on its stunningly creepy effects work with the Vidiians the season prior, made all the more chilling by the fact that it’s one of our heroes who has been rendered horrifying. But it’s the breakdown of Paris’ persona that is most effective. The wild changes he’s undergone almost feel like the dropping of a mask, both metaphorically and literally, as parts of his face slough off.
In one moment, he rails at Captain Janeway for taking pity on his gruesome form; the next, for her trying to diminish what he’s accomplished in breaking past warp 10. His ego, usually kept in check by his earnest desire to prove himself to the world and Janeway in particular, runs rampant, making for a scene that’s chilling and tragic in equal measures as he vacillates between the man we’ve come to know and this wretched figure. It’s a great character beat for Paris to find himself again at the heart of an accident caused by his own hubris and to respond to it by impulsively lashing out at the world around him—it’s just that this time the ugliness that marks his soul, and the filters he’s built up as he tried to redeem himself in Voyager‘s early days up to this point being stripped away in his despair and agony, are now reflected on the outside.
Of course, that’s when we get to him kidnapping Janeway, forcing her to undergo the same process, and them having space amphibian sex before Voyager tries to move on from it, never bringing the workplace ethics nightmare of the millennia up ever again. But before that moment that would seal the infamous legacy of “Threshold” for decades to come, it shone with a moment of genuine brilliance. A fine example of even some of Star Trek‘s lowest lows having at least something worth thinking about.
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Imagine you’re at a garage sale. Amidst the chipped china and dusty lamps, a single, gleaming silver coin catches your eye. That coin, that unexpected treasure, is the essence of “Threshold.” It’s a flawed episode, yes, but within its bizarre narrative lies a compelling exploration of Tom Paris’s character.
Tom Paris: More Than Just a Cocky Pilot
Think back to your school days. Remember the “bad boy” who was always getting into trouble, but secretly yearned for approval? Tom Paris is Voyager’s version of that archetype. He arrives on the ship with a past as tarnished as a Klingon targ shield, carrying the weight of dishonor and regret.
In those early seasons, Paris embodies a swaggering arrogance, a defense mechanism against the judgment he expects from his Starfleet peers. He’s given a second chance by Captain Janeway, yet grapples with the internal struggle to prove himself worthy. This internal conflict becomes the backdrop for “Threshold”.
What Does Warp 10 Mean in Star Trek Lore?
“Threshold” revolves around Paris’s ambition to break the Warp 10 barrier, a feat long considered impossible within Star Trek‘s established scientific parameters. It’s a bold idea, perfectly suited to Voyager‘s premise of isolation and exploration. After all, who better to push the boundaries of known science than a crew stranded 70,000 light-years from home?
Think of it as Voyager’s writers winking at the audience, acknowledging the franchise’s history while simultaneously forging its own path. The setup alone crackles with potential, a daring attempt to expand the Star Trek universe.
The Horror Beneath the Surface
The promise quickly turns grotesque. Paris achieves Warp 10, but the consequences are dire. His body undergoes a horrifying transformation, a rapid and uncontrolled evolutionary acceleration. His hair falls out, his skin peels, and his body contorts into something alien.
The special effects, while dated by today’s standards, achieve a chilling effect. This isn’t just a monster-of-the-week scenario; this is one of Voyager’s own crew members, a familiar face twisted into a nightmarish parody of humanity. It’s a body horror sequence that rivals anything the Vidiians cooked up.
What Happens to Tom Paris in Threshold?
The physical transformation serves as a metaphor for Paris’s internal state. As his body unravels, so does his carefully constructed persona. His ego swells, unchecked by humility or self-awareness. He lashes out at Janeway, alternating between seeking her pity and demanding recognition for his achievement. Threshold becomes a raw and unsettling display of a man stripped bare, both physically and emotionally.
It’s as if the filters he’s erected to protect himself are dissolving, revealing the ugliness he’s desperately tried to conceal. The episode lays bare a vulnerability that had previously only been hinted at. This raw honesty is Threshold’s saving grace, a fleeting moment of brilliance amidst the chaos.
Why Is Threshold Considered the Worst Star Trek Episode?
Then, of course, comes the infamous turning point: Paris kidnaps Janeway, subjects her to the same Warp 10 experiment, and they… well, let’s just say they engage in some interspecies procreation before Voyager promptly forgets the entire affair. (In fairness, Paramount’s Rick Berman later admitted it was a mistake.) It’s a plot twist so ludicrous, so utterly bizarre, that it overshadows everything that came before.
This plot thread is like a splash of mud on a pristine canvas, forever marring what could have been a genuinely thought-provoking episode. The consequences of their actions are never addressed, leaving a gaping plot hole that has fueled fan criticism for decades. It is like a broken promise.
Before the amphibian antics forever cemented “Threshold” as a laughingstock, the episode offered a glimpse into the complex psyche of Tom Paris. It dared to explore his flaws, his vulnerabilities, and his desperate need for redemption. It was a moment of genuine character development, buried beneath layers of questionable science and narrative missteps. Was that glimpse enough to redeem the entire episode, or does the amphibian sex irrevocably sink it?
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