Was Voyager better?

[The Mirrorball Man]

Yes, the Voyager characters were friendlier, but I don't think it was the right option for the show.

[Guy Gardener]

If Tom from early season one is anything to go by... "Harry, we have to get as much tail as possible before everyone pairs off."

The first couple months must have been a non stop orgy for everyone of the rank of lieutenant and under.

You know, and then they started relationships and got boring.

[zarkon]

They were trying some weird "future human" thing at the beginning of TNG weren't they?

If you compare later TNG, where that notion seemed to be forgotten and everyone is a lot more relaxed to VOY, I don't think there's a great deal in it. As has been said, VOY should be naturally friendlier in a "we must all hang together, or we will most assuredly all hang seperately" kinda way.

[lurok]

I think I'm going to scream the next time someone brings up the hoary old 'but there should have been more friction! '

[You_Will_Fail]

Well there obviously should have been.

Anyway, yes, the Voyager crew did have a pretty good rapport but the DS9 crew undoubtedly had the best rapport. Voyager was almost always about business, fitting in a story to 43-45 minutes and that often didn't leave much time to just watch the crew in their natural habitat which was unfortunate. If we'd had a slower paced, more story-driven show we really could have seen these characters truly together and get to explore the dynamics between them. Nonetheless I enjoy watching them and am even starting to think I might like Voyager more than TNG at least with regard to the later TNG seasons.

[sonak]

jinglebellrok wrote:

---

I think I'm going to scream the next time someone brings up the hoary old 'but there should have been more friction! '

er, considering that there was a good number of Maquis crewmembers who had been stranded by and were taking orders from a Federation captain, I don't think that complaint is without merit.

[Guy Gardener]

"The difference between men and women is friction. Friction, friction, friction, orgasm! ...Fishism."

[R. Star]

King Daniel Into Darkness wrote:

---

Voyager > The Next Generation. The crew had a chemistry that the Next Genners lacked.

I never got this. Where was this "chemistry"?

Janeway was a tyrant at times. Chakotay didn't have a pulse. The EMH was treated as an object for much of Voyager's run, so say nothing of how rude he was. Torres was hostile to everyone to the point of violence at times. Paris was really the only guy that could get along with most everyone, but even he sparred with Neelix, the EMH, Chakotay and his own wife at times. Everyone made fun of poor Harry Kim, Voyager's whipping boy. Neelix was in your face about everything to the point of being overbearing. Seven was confrontational with pretty much everyone.

Kes and Tuvok are the only ones who get a pass on this being they were the two least confrontational people on the ship. Kes really was the only genuinely friendly person on the ship, and Tuvok's Vulcan logic keeps him non confrontational usually. Though even he had a hard time getting the Maquis to respect him.

Now, did this drama make Voyager more interesting at times than the TNG crew? Sure. But to say they had good chemistry is a stretch.

[Ln X]

jinglebellrok wrote:

---

I think I'm going to scream the next time someone brings up the hoary old 'but there should have been more friction! '

Don't worry, only the DS9ers are the ones wishing for more friction. But seriously VOY didn't have that edge which TOS or DS9 had.

Overall I would say VOY is a bit more better than TNG, due to a more consistent theme, however TNG had far more stand out episodes which were totally awesome. I always believe that VOY was what TNG should have been barring the screwed up continuity and multiple timelines and resets...

[teacake]

jinglebellrok wrote:

---

I think I'm going to scream the next time someone brings up the hoary old 'but there should have been more friction! '

"Hoary" describes every discussion we have here! That's why we get so off track, wore the track out long ago.

[Guy Gardener]

The theme was consistent because the reset button continually returned the storyline to first principles each week.

It's like in Casper cartoons. He has no friends. He's sad. He makes some friends. He's happy. Next week he has no friends. What the hell did Casper do, where did Casper bury all those kids that agreed to be his friend and play with him? Casper is into some seriously fucked up shit in the weekend I can tell you.

[teacake]

King Daniel Into Darkness wrote:

---

Voyager > The Next Generation. The crew had a chemistry that the Next Genners lacked.

No arguments from me. I have had a helluva lot more fun with Voyager. Yeah TNG has far more big episodes that make you think about big issues but I'm not actually showing up to Trek to think. I want a romp, not a lecture.

[lurok]

Ln X wrote:

---

I always believe that VOY was what TNG should have been barring the screwed up continuity and multiple timelines and resets...

thank you I've always said the reason I enjoy VOY more than other series (even if they are dramatically better) is the VOY crew/actors seem so much nicer, and funnier. You know...human

[R. Star]

jinglebellrok wrote:

---

thank you I've always said the reason I enjoy VOY more than other series (even if they are dramatically better) is the VOY crew/actors seem so much nicer, and funnier. You know...human

But if you took out all that stuff, you'd only have about two seasons worth of material! But they'd be very good seasons.

[The Overlord]

King Daniel Into Darkness wrote:

---

Voyager > The Next Generation. The crew had a chemistry that the Next Genners lacked.

Don't see how, Harry Kim was a loser with almost zero personality that Harry Kim whom Janeway seems give arbitrary and cruel punishments to (giving him a reprimand for getting an STD) and Chakotay a big wuss who acted like a door mat and Janeway would either ignore him or punish him if he suggested anything that was contrary to her way of thinking. Janeway seemed like a my way or the highway type leader. Also Neeelix seemed to be there just to get on everyone's nerves, he didn't really add any chemistry.

Its also hard to have chemistry with a pair of characters who have such one note personalities. Also the crew's devotion to Janeway sometimes comes across as cultish rather then family like. Also she seems to brook very little in the way of dissent, like when the Doctor tried to remove her from command in "Year of Hell" and she threaten to delete him.

The TNG characters seemed far more dynamic and less dysfunctional. Picard may have been distant at times, but he didn't give out arbitrary punishments and was far more willing to listen to his crew then Janeway was. Also Picard warmed to his crew over time, he was very distant in the first season, but very close to them by the 7th season. Janeway never had that character development, she was constantly bipolar, taking widely different positions in different episodes and she never did lose that my way or the high way attitude. She should have been very strict and authoritarian at first, but become more relaxed in her command over time. That's why I like the TNG crew better, there was more character development.