Ep 25. Equinox: Part 1

The Star Trek: Voyager season 5 episode 25, titled Equinox: Part 1, follows the crew of the USS Voyager as they encounter another Federation starship, the USS Equinox stranded in the Delta Quadrant. The Equinox crew consists of Starfleet officers who have made a deal with an alien race called the Nucleogenic lifeforms, whose bodies emit a powerful energy that can be harvested for propulsion and weapons. The Equinox has been using the Nucleogenic technology to outrun the hostile alien group called the Kazon and the Borg.

Captain Janeway welcomes the Equinox crew to the Voyager to coordinate a plan to return to the Alpha Quadrant together. The Voyager crew soon realizes that the Equinox has been using unethical and morally questionable tactics to sustain their ship's energy requirements, including killing the Nucleogenic lifeforms for their energy. The Voyager and Equinox crew must work together to fend off an attack from the Kazon while they attempt to find a way to stop the Equinox from harvesting the Nucleogenic lifeforms.

The episode deals with themes such as the morality of survival in hostile situations, the consequences of breaking the Starfleet Code, and the balance between morality and expediency. The episode sets up the premise for the season finale, Equinox: Part 2, where the Voyager and Equinox crews are pitted against each other in a battle of survival and ideals.