Bingo. This is pretty definitive proof that there are parts of standard photon torpedoes that can't be replicated by the types of replicators that Voyager shipped out with. It doesn't preclude the crew finding one or more ways of acquiring those parts, but it is what it is.
Actually, the premise did preclude them from finding external aid. "No Support" is in the premise, and that means no external aid from friendly aliens as well.
I don't think so. First of all, the critical peace of dialog in "The Cloud" says only this. Second of all, here's Janeway's final log entry in "Caretaker", with relevant parts boldfaced. It would seem quite clear that a) their technology was not originally intended to replace photon torpedoes and that b) they were open to being helped by aliens. A word or two, that they traded for critical materials needed to replenish their torpedoes, or found places where they could mine such materials, or just some plausible explanation for how they overcame the limitation that was deemed worthwhile to mention in the first place, would have been enough to put the issue of how the limitation was overcome to rest (though of course, likely some people wouldn't have been satisfied for other reasons).
Yes, but like it's been pointed out those lines about irreplaceable torpedoes didn't make much sense when you take everything else into consideration. And when it's brought up how Voyager violated it's premise the whole "We made friends" thing is part of that violation. The premise is that they'd have no support, that means no help from anyone at all. No aliens or anything. As soon as they made friends and did trading and all that, they were violating the premise.
Neelix said that they were in Kazon Space. Logically if the Kazon even had a modest credible empire, then the next 100 ships they encountered, or the next 2 dozen worlds they ran across would have all been Kazon who all had a hard on to get back at Voyager for the shit that went down in Caretaker. And that's just if Kathryn was a criminal murderer with a price on her head wandering about until she bumps into the next stump of Kazon law and order... There should have been a posse hunting her once the Oolga got their shit together. A city ship was destroyed, That's twenty thousand souls minimum.
Everyone who's ever said that Voyager violated its premise. "Lost ship with no support". Well, "No Support" is a lot more constraining than most assume.
My question is, "Where in the premise did they say that Voyager was to get no support, even to the degree of not getting help from aliens?" The answer is nowhere, right?
If the audience didn't expect the crew to find help and do repairs (any repairs at all), then they wouldn't have been so upset that they DID manage to replenish supplies and do repairs. So they were mad that they found external support.
If Year of Hell hadn't been reset, and they spent the next full season doing nothing but repairing the ship and finding alien doctors who could restore Tuvok's sight and everything was explained and done slowly and painstakingly.... ...The audience still would've complained that they "reset" everything.
This is absurd. You're being purposely blind. Regardless of what Janeway said, they turned around and showed they could. They corrected their own mistake in writing. You have what you asked for.
^Or they'd have come across an all-repairing robot station like in ENT's "Dead Stop" and fixed things up in 42 minutes.
The problem is, "fans" are taking one line written as if it's set in stone, when we all know damn well that the writers (GOD) wish to change that idea it will be because many times there works in progress. Many times without explanation. Perfect example: TNG told us Trill can't use transporters but DS9 has Dax beaming down all the time and no mention why. No explanation why the Ferengi culture changed from their first introduction to DS9. Nobody holds them to their word on that. It's absurd.