Voyager 2x2 "Initiations"

**

The Kazon received an unfairly bad rap as one of the signature recurring aliens in Voyager.  Perhaps it didn't help that they looked like hobo Klingons, but they were a distinctive species with motivations and a story of their own that neatly fit into the first few seasons of the series.

Split into rival gangs, the Kazon had a lot of space to cover and a built-in grudge with our crew, not the least because one of them ended up turning traitor to help solidify the conflict.  Chakotay became integral to this arc, and so it's only fitting that one of the standalone episodes during this time also featured him, stumbling into a Kazon youth attempting to pass his rite of passage.  I found the Kazon to be endlessly fascinating, and "Initiations" was no exception.  For any species to keep up with the ship, they had to be nomadic, and the Delta Quadrant seemed to be a region of space ideally suited for that kind of living.  The Kazon were no different than the Talaxians, the Vidiians, the Hirogen, and yes, the Borg, in that regard.  In the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, there were more clearly defined territories, and that's exactly the kind of thing the Kazon were attempting to do.  Perhaps "Initiations" helps explain a little more why they weren't as successful.  They were always in transition, even within the individual sects.

franchise * series * essential * character

Notable guest-stars:
Aron Eisenberg

Memory Alpha summary.