About the Series

Star Trek Voyager is the third spin off from the original '60's Star Trek series by Gene Roddenbury. First showing on American television in the 1994 and followed to the good old BBC two years later. At the time of writing (Nov 2000) the seventh and last season has started on American networks.

The series follows much of the original series tried and trusted formula of simple unrelated episodic adventures. Especially during the first three seasons, where they could easily be transposed and watched in any order. Rather uninspiring. Seasons four and five proved to be a little better both in continuation and physical story, even a sub plot appearing occaisionally as they try and teach Seven of Nine to be human (Something she seems to be more capable to be than they are).

Other differences? The scenery doesn't wobble as badly, some of the cast aren't as wooden as William Shatner (Captain James T Kirk) and the effects are better (they don't orbit the same planet all the time). Against that there are the similarities. Almost everybody they meet is humanoid, speaks passable English in a genuine all American accent and if they have to walk anywhere, no matter how wild the country, it is almost always flat, firm and covered with sand. Just as well, the heels that Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) wears would be almost impossible anywhere else.

General Story Line

The series starts with Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) taking command of her new vessel Voyager. Tasked with finding and arresting the crew of a Maqui rebel vessel they soon find themselves dragged from the Alpha Quadrant through 70,000 light years to the Delta Quadrant, along with the Maqui ship they were supposed to apprehend.

They find that their kidnapper, an entity known as the Caretaker, is on his last puff and is desperately looking for somebody to look after the race of humans he had supposedly been caring for over the last milenia. Unfortunately there is nobody suitable on either ship and the technology that the Caretaker was using to power the planet below is in iminent danger of being stolen by unfriendlies.

Captain Janeway, being the good Girl Scout, destroys the Caretaker and his station to prevent it being stolen, thus stranding her and her ship 70 years from home. The Maqui decide they all want to be Star Fleet and join her and her crew.

From there the general story is Voyagers adventures as they try to get home the long way round. Though this point is rarely made. Nor do the crew seem to be in a great hurry to get there.

Though disappointing in terms of its lack of continuity and character development, the series is very watchable. When an attempt at developing character is made (generally to Seven of Nine, but also B'Elanna Torres), it produced some memorable episodes and showed what could really have been done.

Final Comment

(Post End Game)

The last episode was spectaclular for effects and story, but disappointing for those that follow characters and continuity. Leaving more questions unanswered than answered and seems to have left Trek Fandom largely split down the middle in their views.

For my tupence worth my thoughts are:-

Captain/Admiral Janeway's character changed more in the first ten minutes of the episode than she had in the previous Seven Years. Not only climbing off her high moral horse to rescue her crew twenty years earlier than did happen, but burrying it six feet under and stamping on the grave.

The relationship between Seven of Nine and Chakotay was as unlikely as it was contrived. Whilst the Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres thing could be seen coming and was gradually built, Seven of Nine/Chakotay was sprung from out of nothing, even going over many of the episodes it does not work. Chakotay is just too laid back and anonymous to form a relationship with somebody like Seven of Nine. Considering how her character built, it needed somebody with something far stronger that could sweep her along. Sadly there was nobody that could fill the role aboard Voyager, so perhaps Chakotay was the best of a bad job?

I also find the return point difficult to accept. Remembering that Voyager started each episode in pristine condition and ended more than a few as a wreck. That the crew appeared not to bear any emotional scars from the previous weeks events. That many of the episodes themselves could not have spanned less than several weeks at least and their rate of meeting new races suggesting that they are wall to wall in the Delta Quadrant, yet they did nothing of interest for twenty years afterwards. Seven years of travel seems much too short to do everything. Fifteen years perhaps, or perhaps the beginning of season three if we do take the seven year journey. (Which definitely throws Chakotay/Seven out of the window).

It would also have been nice to see some of the follow up from their return. See what direction the crews lives went and their reunions.

Still I did enjoy the series. But I have never felt moved to writing fan-fiction for any television show, until Voyager. Whether this is a compliment, or not, I will leave others to decide.