'Star Trek: Voyager' Star Shares Fond, Funny Memory of Filming 100th Episode

On November 18, 1998, Star Trek: Voyager aired its 100th episode, "Timeless." While it is often overshadowed by the release of Star Trek Generations four years earlier on fans' "on this day in Star Trek history" calendars, it was nonetheless an important Star Trek milestone, especially for Ensign Harry Kim.

"Timeless" was one of Voyager's many time travel episodes. In the timeline introduced here, Kim and Commander Chakotay had managed to make it back to Earth from the Delta Quadrant, but Voyager had crashed on a frozen planet and the rest of its crew perished. Years later, Kim and Chakotay decided to go rogue to set things right, stealing a ship to find Voyager and send a message to the past that would prevent Voyager's catastrophic end from ever having happened.

The episode was very focused on Kim because it was Kim's mistake in trying to guide Voyager through a slipstream that caused Voyager to crash land. The episode gave star Garrett Wang a chance to show a different side of Kim through his older self, who had spent his entire life living with the guilt and shame of what happened and trying to set things right. He also had a touching and powerful character moment in older Kim's message to his younger self, delivered after Voyager was saved.

Today, Wang looked back on filming "Timeless" as a high point for his time playing Ensign Kim, sharing a funny story that took place during production.

"Ah yes, season five...the best Harry Kim focused episode," Wang tweeted. "While filming the scene where Harry figures out the right calculation to save the day, after the director yelled 'Cut!', Robert Picardo exclaimed, 'Garrett, you can act!' It only took 5 years for him to realize that. Lmao!"

Picardo was Wang's Voyager co-star who played the Doctor, and he chimed in on Twitter to correct the record.

"Not true," Picardo tweeted. "I realized it far earlier. Just waited five years to say it. Still waiting for you to say it about me!!"

"Timeless" was directed by Star Trek: The Next Generation alum LeVar Burton, who also had a cameo role in the episode as his Next Generation character Geordi La Forge who, in the future timeline, had been promoted to captain in command of the USS Challenger and tasked with stopping Kim and Chakotay from messing with the timeline.

The episode was written by Brannon Braga and Joe Menosky, based on a story they conceived of with Rick Berman. Kim previously revealed that Braga told him "Timeless" was meant to be Voyager's "The City on the Edge of Forever." Whether "Timeless" measures up to an episode often cited as the best of Star Trek: The Original Series if not the entire Star Trek franchise remains a matter for debate, but most will agree it ranks as one of Voyager's best.

What did you think of "Timeless"? Let us know in the comments!