Why was Kes written off the show?

[tomswift2002]

Lynx wrote:

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It was a stupid mistake to dump Kes.

I agree. Seven seemed to be more of a sex symbol on the show than a character that was actually interesting. Kes, while she did have that sexual appeal, it was more toned down and, because I was in my teens at the time Voyager was on, I could relate to her sense of wonder, much like teenagers in the early 90's could relate to Wesley.

[You_Will_Fail]

Just because she wore a skintight catsuit and had big boobs didn't mean she wasn't an interesting character. Seven was a breath of fresh air to the show, we got someone who was actually standing up to Janeway and providing desperately needed conflict in the show. And the story of her assimilation as a child, and how she grew to accept her humanity was arresting and interesting if not executed in the best manner.

[Guy Gardener]

1. you just called Kes a breath stale old air.

2. Data already did this.

[DeepSpaceWine]

Seven was an interesting character. Her quest for humanity was interesting because she wasn't entirely comfortable with the steps and wasn't at all eager compared to eager beaver Data & the Doctor. She also regularly challenged Janeway (which was probably one of the aspects of finding humanity/being deprogrammed from the cult of the Collective that she happily embraced) which was something people wanted the Maquis to do more of. She also took over Neelix's role as Sacagawea of the Delta Quadrant, using the Borg's knowledge of space to explain races or phenomena in different episodes. If things went differently, she could have been the cook, using all the recipes the Borg have assimilated to cook for Voyager a wider culinary selection than Annorax's culinary museum ever could, and she could have improved the efficiency of the cooking appliances with her Borg knowhow.

And "Latent Image" *was* Season 5. Aired January 1999.

[Guy Gardener]

She became a very accomplished chef.

We saw this in The Void.

We're also to assume that she spent a lot of time drinking a lot of wine to figure out which wine is served with which serving... And which is not.

"Wine Nazi".

[You_Will_Fail]

Guy Gardener wrote:

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2. Data already did this.

I don't agree, I think Seven's journey was far more real than Data if you can even say he had one, since she was actually capable of feeling emotion

[teacake]

They may have brought 7 in as a sex symbol but the character became far more than that thanks to the writing and excellent acting. People who only see a catsuit and big breasts aren't watching the show IMHO. I found her journey much more interesting than Data or the Doctor, for one thing neither of them were someone you felt incredible sympathy for. They were created, they wished to exceed their programming. 7 had her life stolen from her in childhood and yet she also had an incredible life given to her in that loss. She never loses sight of that and this is one thing that makes her struggles interesting. It would have been easy to make her hate everything Borg but she has tasted perfection. She may no longer wish to be a slave but she keeps her slave name because finds strength in that identity, even as she moves beyond it.

My in universe explanation of the catsuit is that 7 is used to being completely encased as a borg. Loose fitting fabric is both inefficient and discomforting to her, she does not wish to think about clothing or adjust it. To wear a catsuit is to feel safely held together.

[Deks]

I agree that it's entirely possible they brought in 7 of 9 as a sex symbol initially (one which grew into something more).
However, I have to wonder, just how much of the decisions were made as a direct result of network interference.
Don't get me wrong, I still think Voyager beats DS9 and TNG, but Berman and Braga apparently wanted to serialize the show at some point to flesh it out more (only to be prevented by the network).
If Voyager got something along the lines of 4 episode stories like Enterprise did, it could have showed certain situations in a bit better capacity (Scorpion for example or the Equinox).
Maybe even preserving the Nova class ship to tag along - plenty of options to consider.
:-)

[Miss Lemon]

teacake wrote:

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They may have brought 7 in as a sex symbol but the character became far more than that thanks to the writing and excellent acting.

I couldn't agree more. I was very sceptical when they brought her in, but she proved to be a much more interesting character than Kes. The character Kes had great potential, but the writers just didn't seem to know what to do with her.

It's a pity though the writers didn't write more strong character shows for other characters such as Tuvok and Chakotay. In the end, I became a bit tired of all the episodes that focussed on Janeway and Seven.

[teacake]

Deks wrote:

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I agree that it's entirely possible they brought in 7 of 9 as a sex symbol initially (one which grew into something more).
However, I have to wonder, just how much of the decisions were made as a direct result of network interference.
Don't get me wrong, I still think Voyager beats DS9 and TNG, but Berman and Braga apparently wanted to serialize the show at some point to flesh it out more (only to be prevented by the network).
If Voyager got something along the lines of 4 episode stories like Enterprise did, it could have showed certain situations in a bit better capacity (Scorpion for example or the Equinox).
Maybe even preserving the Nova class ship to tag along - plenty of options to consider.
:-)

I think we all would have loved that, but sadly we didn't get it. Watching those ENT min-arcs in season 4 makes you realize how great this would have been.

Miss Lemon wrote:

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In the end, I became a bit tired of all the episodes that focussed on Janeway and Seven.

You mean the All Janeway, All 7 Lovefest that has been like air and water to me all these years?

[Miss Lemon]

teacake wrote:

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You mean the All Janeway, All 7 Lovefest that has been like air and water to me all these years?

Some might argue that one can desire too much of a good thing.

[teacake]

Miss Lemon wrote:

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Some might argue that one can desire too much of a good thing.

Well I switch to Neelix/Kim now and then, to keep myself from overdosing.

[NightOwl]

teacake wrote:

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Well I switch to Neelix/Kim now and then, to keep myself from overdosing.

I'd rather OD on J/7 instead.

[teacake]

Dude it's like vegetables, gotta eat them so the dessert tastes sweeeeet.

Neelix: Ah Mr. Kim, I've fashioned this leola root to be an exact replica of my..

[Guy Gardener]

not a lot of people watch star trek.

The audience of horny little bastards trading those first sexy snap shots of Seven of Nine would of been about a hundred times the size, and probably still larger, than the actual audience who watched the show week in week out to discover that she was more than a pin up dolly bird.

perception is everything + majority rules.

Inshow answer...

EMH: I've extracted eighty two percent of the Borg hardware. The remaining bio-implants are stable and better than anything I could synthesise at such short notice.
SEVEN: It is acceptable.
EMH: Fashion, of course, is hardly my forte. Nevertheless I've managed to balance functionality and aesthetics in a pleasing enough manner. I also took the liberty of stimulating your hair follicles. A vicarious experience for me, as you might imagine.

The EMH is a pervert.