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Survival Instinct (VOY S6 E02)

Published on: 1st September, 2026

Survival Instinct (Star Trek: Voyager, S6 E2) was recommended by Tonks (they/them) , who said: I had hoped to break the streak of serious Voyager episodes by revisiting some of my old favourites, but this episode called to me.

I resonate strongly with Seven in this episode. She as an individual chose actions motivated by fear that impacted the lives of other people and hurt them deeply.

What little she can do to correct it now, and get some closure on her repressed memories is often something I wish I could have, but this episode emphasises that some wounds cannot be healed no matter what you do.

I do not remember this episode hitting as hard as it does now on prior viewings, but possibly due to a recent diagnosis of ADHD I'm in a more reflective mindset.

This is overall a great exploration of Seven's relationships with her past and her found family on Voyager.

Survival Instinct first aired on September 29, 1999, written by Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Terry Windell

Three Borg from Seven's past appear, and ask to be completely separated from the Collective.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

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About the Podcast

The Joy of Trek
Every Star Trek story is somebody's favorite, and that might as well be us!
Two lifelong besties (and their trusty engineer) adventure through the vast constellations of Star Trek's decades on TV, especially the lesser-loved stories.

But instead of bitching about why they’re bad, we’re going to find the joy in each of them, because everybody loves the great episodes, but it takes dedication, insight, and hard-working fools to love the clunkers too.

And by Jove, we are those fools!

Positive, inclusive and optimistic (though not uncritical!) we try to find the brilliance even in the least-loved episodes of our favorite TV shows!