Everything You Need to Know About Star Trek: Voyager's Seska

The crew of the U.S.S. Voyager faced a variety of foes during their journey home. External threats came from the Borg and the Kazon, but one of the show’s most memorable came from their own crew!

Seska joined the crew as part of the Maquis ship Val Jean when their fighters were brought onboard at the start of the series. However, Seska’s own secrets led to her partnering with the Kazon to try and betray the Voyager crew and Captain Janeway. As she faces off against The Diviner in this week’s round of the Villain Showdown, we’re diving into Seska’s exploits throughout her time on the series.

Seska’s first appearances showed her to be a Bajoran woman, but she was hiding her true identity. She was, in fact, a Cardassian operative disguised as a Bajoran fighter who had infiltrated the Val Jean. She and Chakotay previously had a romantic connection while she was undercover, using their relationship to get information to report to her Cardassian superiors.

This isn’t the first time that a character has undergone surgery to appear as a different alien species. There are plenty of examples from across the franchise, including notably in the Deep Space Nine episode “Second Skin,” when Kira Nerys is kidnapped by Cardassians and gaslit into believing she is a Cardassian operative.

Seska made it clear to Chakotay when they were onboard the Voyager that she would support a Maquis mutiny to take over the ship. Still disguised as a Bajoran, she expressed disapproval of Starfleet and their procedures. She and her close friend B’Elanna Torres were both assigned to Engineering by Janeway; but as B’Elanna became part of the Voyager family, Seska never fully acclimated.

In the episode “Prime Factors,” she and several other crew members attempted to steal spatial trajector technology from the Sikarians; when that plan failed, Seska attempted to lie to Janeway about what happened. However, B’Elanna held her back, stating she didn’t want to lie— this signaled a fracturing of their friendship.

Eventually, Seska collaborated with the Kazon, offering them replicator technology in exchange for their help. In the episode “State of Flux,” her Cardassian background was discovered by The Doctor. Though she tried to lie and cover up her past, she ultimately revealed the truth when confronted by Chakotay, then escaped to a Kazon ship.

As part of the Kazon, Seska became a consort of First Maje Culluh, having a child with him. She continued to aid the Kazon in their attacks on the Voyager until she died.

At one point following her death, Chakotay traveled through time due to temporal distortions and discovered Seska and other Kazon trying to take over the ship through Engineering in the year 2370. Upon learning her fate, Seska tried to change the course of history to ensure the Kazon’s victory and her own survival. However, they were defeated and her memory of the incident was wiped.

Seska appeared in 13 episodes of Voyager. Her trickery and cunning made her a worthy adversary of the crew. Will she emerge victorious in a showdown with The Diviner? Vote for your favorite and check back next week for the winner!

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