8 Things The Television Series Star Trek Voyager Did Right.
Ensign Kim
Harry Kim is one of the most beloved characters of Star Trek: Voyager. Portrayed by Garret Wang, a relative newcomer to the screen, Ensign Kim quickly became an essential part of the show. Although a contingent of viewers wished for greater character development throughout the run of the series for ensign Kim – most die hard fans grew to love Harry's try-hard attitude and comedic naivety. His working relationship with Tom Paris was always good for a laugh and allowed episodes to take a lighthearted approach to storytelling, when needed.
Chakotay
Star Trek Voyager will always have it's detractors who claim that Chakotay is nothing more then a one dimensional token character that is neither well written nor 'fleshed out'. As representation of a Native American (Indigenous) experience as 1st officer aboard an interstellar starship, the character is lacking in certain areas. This is acknowledged by the fan base, but what is lost on the casual viewer is that as the series progresses - Chakotay becomes a more nuanced character, one that succeeds in incorporating important cultural aspects into the show.
Considering the geopolitical climate of the early 2000s, this is a win – in my book.
Premise
The idea of a Star Trek series that centers around a federation ship stranded in the Delta Quadrant - 70, 000 light-years from home - is an exciting one. Yes, there are those that say it was simply an easy way to inject drama into a series - one that has the difficult task of innovating while being the fourth entry into a long running franchise.
If this premise was wasted and turned out nothing more than another monster-of-the-week serial. then I would have to agree. What we got instead was a show that balanced episodic adventures with serialized storytelling. Allowing newcomers and longtime viewers to appreciate it equally.
4. Janeway
Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starship Voyager wasthe first female captain to ever grace the screen - also the first commander of a starship that has to deal with every threat and new obstacle – without the help of the vast Federation. This allows her to showcase a capacity for problem solving that far exceeds her contemporaries. In addition, Janeway's knack for diplomacy is called upon regularly – she improves throughout the show’s run due to Voyager relying on trade with alien races that inhabit the uncharted region of space.
In my opinion, Kate Mulgrew did an outstanding job when it came to tackling these aspects of her character. She shouldn't be overlooked when it comes to discussions of the greatest captains that the franchise has to offer. She also brought a certain amount of emotional resonance to the role – allowing for empathy with the character even when she makes questionable judgment calls.
I don't believe anybody could have achieved the same level of gravitas as Kate Mulgrew did – her flair for the dramatic is magnetic, and difficult to rival.
5. Advanced Ship
If you've seen Star Trek Discovery than you will notice some similarities between it and Voyager. A super advanced ship that has experimental technology coming out the 'wazoo'… well Voyager did it first. And I would have to argue that Voyager did it better, allowing for a more gradual introduction to the new tech that the audience has to absorb. I was genuinely excited when the pseudoscience was discussed, whereas new 'Trek' inserts these elements in a hamfisted manner.
6. Holo-emitter
The holo-emitter was a really neat invention. It allowed Robert Picardo's 'Doctor' to leave the med-bay, which was quite an accomplishment, considering the character was an EMH (Emergency Medical Hologram) and normally limited to the areas of the ship that are equipped with stationary holo-emitters.
TNG had numerous episodes that centered around humanoid holograms escaping the holodeck and running amok in the rest of the ship. Voyager took this to the next logical step making a holographic character a member of the crew. Normally the EMH is a temporary measure, only turned on in a catastrophic event – and for a limited amount of time. Star Trek Voyager created a character out of a beloved part of the franchise, the holodeck – and then ensured that character had greater autonomy than the canon would have previously allowed.
7. Seven Of Nine
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first.
Yes, Seven of Nine is sexy as hell.
And that's kind of the point.
Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) was originally brought on to replace the actress Jennifer Lien, who had played the character Kes. Every Star Trek series has had at least one woman on the cast, on the surface the idea is to give the show some eye candy for nerds to drool over. Which is an easy way to ensure a ratings boost. This was true in the original series with Uhura (in-part at least, it was also about class equality, IE: casting a black woman in a position of authority in the 60s) and it continued in TNG with Dianna Troi, and through to Deep Space Nine with Jadzia Dax, coming full circle to Star Trek Voyager – with the addition of Seven of Nine in season 5.
Now having said all that – if you're a Star Trek fan you already realize that these characters are written in a way that they amount to more than just sex appeal. Dianna Troi teaches us about empathy and understanding. Dax was a remarkably well written analogue for trans and non-binary rights, as well as touching on belief in reincarnation something prevalent in many real-world religions and belief systems. Seven of Nine is no different - the character is a great source of discussion on cultural assimilation and xenophobia. Reflected in the way that she contends with Federation principals and values being forced on her and the other wayward Borg – that is a very substantial character, in my opinion.
8. The Year of Hell: 2 Part Episode
Okay, so this one should be obvious to anyone that's seen the entire run of Star Trek Voyager. Kurtwood Smith (Red Foreman from 'That 70s Show’) plays the villain of this no-action packed two episode arc, wherein he is obsessed with time travel and changing events in the past to realign a more favourable future for himself.
This quote describes it best:
“Voyager at times gets grief for not being as gritty as the premise promised, but even the most cynical of fans can't deny that "Year of Hell" delivered the goods, with the crew battling a genocidal villain (Kurtwood Smith) manipulating time itself. This season was about as good as the show got.” - Hollywood Reporter Review [1]
I would have to agree full-heartily with this statement. If I were to show an average person this episode(s), they would probably say it was as good or better than any other Star Trek from the early 2000s. However 'trekkies' are a very fickle people and when it comes to the fan base as a whole - Voyager will perpetually be known as the underdog of the franchise.
Under appreciated, yes.
Unloved? No.
Voyager has a long journey to make, but in the end - she'll find her way home.
[1] ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ — The 15 Greatest Episodes
We boldly go — and revisit the top episodes from 'Star: Trek Voyager.'
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/star-trek-voyager-episodes-best-930900/
