Now, even without that little comment in Imperfection, Barge of the Dead would still have been an excellent episode. Then, at the end of the episode, the fact that the crew move on to their next adventure does not negate the quality of the story that has just been told. That s how the original Star Trek and The Next Generation worked. Yet they weren t accused of always pressing the Reset Button. Granted, times have changed.
Story arcs are very en vogue.
Two-thirds into its run Deep Space Nine, became highly serialised, and it worked extremely well. But a television series does not need to have that level of serialisation to be successful. Soap Operas utilise continuing plot lines, yet they re not exactly the paradigm by which we should judge television excellence. But that does not preclude returning to that plotline in the future. For example, the fourth season finale, Hope and Fear, is a fantastic bookend on the themes of the season, as Janeway s decision in Scorpion comes back to haunt her.