Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to reboot Voyager. You can do this almost anyway you choose, but it must be in TV format and involve a good number of the original characters. When would you set it? Right after Endgame? 15 years later? Would you alter characters or keep them the same? Ex. Promote Harry, marriages/divorces, leaving Starfleet, What would the premise be? Feel free to post multiple reboot ideas or add to what you've already posted.
Shortly after Endgame. Janeway gets rid of this awful Mark and absconds with Chakotay, who was deserted by Seven who prefers a flashy holo dude now. Tuvok receives command of Voyager with the ECH als Nr. 1, Paris as pilot, B'Elanna still Chief Engineer. Harry has a higher rank and is about 10 years older than his counterpart. I would make B'Elanna full Klingon. Following in Worf's footsteps, so to speak. I would include a Romulan spy instead of Seska, posing as Vulcan. The Paris family lives on board of course with Miral showing no signs of soap opera rapid aging syndrom. She would look more Klingon of course. The stay in contact with Neelix on New Talax. Starfleet improves the Quantum Slipstream Drive. As there is no mission for Voyager in the Alpha Quadrant (all the good missions are given to Enterprise, Aventine, Defiant, Titan .....), SF prepares to send them back with the option of a quick return. Admiral Paris sends Reg Barclay with them, as he is holo specialist. The Doctor functions mainly as Nr. 1, being chief medical advisor to CMO Dr. Kathrine Pulaski. Janeway and Chakotay enjoy themselves on Risa. When Voyager returns to the DQ, the first agenda item is Neelix's `Welcome back´party. Captain Tuvok's main tasks are to find potential allies in the DQ and to discover further threats. Sounds very boring. But that's my brainstorming. I'd like to read about other stories....
Didn't we reboot Voyager five times already this year? OK fine, let's do it again. I'd maintain the Delta quadrant premise (otherwise, it's less of a reboot and more of a sequel). I'd make it clearer from the start that Janeway is inexperienced and this is her first command (rather than mentioning it in season seven in the hope that it would explain away some of her decisions and behaviour). I'd increase the Maquis involvement. I'd make the show ongoing and serialised in nature and as such, would increase the amount of noticeable damage they experience as well as better character continuation. I'd have more relationships between crew eventually leading to families. I'd have them meet the Equinox earlier and have both ships travelling together (plus maybe a few other aliens who want to go to the Alpha quadrant for various reasons). Conversely, i'd have crew leaving more often and choosing to settle on planets or simply rejecting Janeway's methods (maybe another crew under Seska which comes into conflict with Janeway's.....maybe one episode set with Seska's group then the next episode with Voyager etc). I'd have MUCH MUCH better aliens. Characters Chakotay - More confrontational. More Maquis. Tom - If you're gonna be a bad-boy then do it properly (and for longer). Kim - Actually show him developing and growing as a character. Seven - More messed up. Separate Neelix and Kes much earlier. Keep the rest as they were. More involvement from other crew (make it feel like a ship of hundreds rather than a ship of twenty).
So are you asking more about what we'd want to see after Voyager ended? Because that wouldn't technically be a reboot; that'd be more of just a continuation.
I don't think fiddling around with the character elements is as important as to get rid of what allowed for the bad writing. Nix the holodeck. Jeesh, we have this whole new quadrant to explore and the writers already have to do an holodeck story by ep12 of Beowulf in Heroes in Demons? This ship is looking for energy constantly and we're led to believe these are still running? The holodecks always felt like a lazy way for the ST writers to say "We're sick of ST, so we're gonna write what we feel like and insert it into a space show." And the result is about as interesting as an adventure show in the 20th century following people around playing Nintendo and Sega.... over and over and over again. Plus heroes and demons was plainly a vehicle to get the popular EMH for the first time into a starring role (which escalated in S2 and peaked with the portable emitter). There are only a few holodeck usages or eps per series that were worth watching. Minuet distracting Riker and Picard in 11001001. That two big Barclay eps in TNG. Vic Fontaine helping Nog get back on his feet. Maybe the first Barclay ep in V. Maybe the one where an alien falls for Tuvok. That's 2/3 or less per series. All of these advance the characters and worked because they were not "Oooh gee, look what we can make popup on our 24th century always faulty Nintendo!" Voyager had a whole slew of bad ones. I'd explain that because the holoemitters has a usage lifespan and cannot be replicated, they'd are laid to the side for the EMH, which is more important to have than holodeck. It would make what should have made what is a tense situation more tense by taking people's entertainment away. Then they'd have a reason to treat the EMH poorly as well. We never really see just daily life and struggles on the ship, this would have helped.Reset Button I would have nixxed the reset button. The ship isn't always nice and clean at teh beginning of each episode. No magical repairs. No magical maintenance without spacedocks. There is no feeling that this is an ongoing journey.Forehead of the Week Now that it's 2015, get rid of forehead of the week aliens and give us some truly bizaare aliens. Farscape did a much better job at this mostly without CGI over 10 years back with muppets and probably much lower budget. (Didn't care too much for the rest of the show, but the aliens themselves were good). Make this seems like an alien quadrant for once, not just the same old, same old. Bar alpha quadrant aliens and most elements. No Ferengi. No wandering Klingons looking at B'ellana's baby as a savior. No magical contact with Star Fleet. No worm holes to Romulan ship captains. Lazy, lazy, lazy! Make the isolation real. The "will we get home?" a real question and not just an inevitable conclusion.Misc People died. A lot. It's time to get more recruits on board after caretaker. Some who will bring tension of one sort or another. Allow tension. Everything don't need to be solved at the end. The crew doesn't need to be one big happy family. Get fresh writers rather than recycled ones from the previous series. If it's supposed to be a fresh series, get fresh minds. Have a series' roadmap. Not every detail needs to be mapped out ahead of time. But for a journey series, give the rough clue where the ship will be when, why, etc so half-assed endings don't happen. If a series gets nixxed before they're home, oh well, that's how the ball drops. Characters Neelix. Should have no relation with Kes. Should be very competent as a guide to a Tuvix like degree but an opportunist. Fully flesh out the hints of rogue about him. Nix the family friendly part of him. Should have a different character design. Kes. More of a seer with her telepathic abilities cast out by her people. More competent than Troi. Kim. Up his bromance with Paris. The two could have made each other more interesting. Paris. To tell the truth, John Crichton from Farscape feels a lot like he was based on Paris in some ways. I can't find too much fault with Paris, but he vaguely goes into his accident but this was screaming out for an episode on its own, Locarno notwithstanding. Chakotay. Dump the native american stuff to background elements. It's who he is, but offscreen and just hints onscreen. He doesn't talk about talking to spirit animals on the bridge just like Torres wouldn't be talking about Stovokor just like Paris won't be talking about the 10 commandments and Barclay won't be on about some Scientology stuff. They're Professionals. Don't have him fall for Janeway and instead make his promotion to XO contentious and on account of his bargaining -- Janeway doesn't have the manpower to run the ship and she and he know it. Threaten to walk off a few times and have his crew get a new ship. They get sick and tired of constant danger for Starfleet ideals. Seska. Keep her on for longer. Rather than dealing with the Kazon, she double deals with them or better aliens. Let her be really in love with Chakotay but keep the Cardassian part, I like that. Lon Suder. Keep him. No reset button. No get out of jail dying prematurely card. Torres. Make her less whiny, angsty, and always on the verge of tears. Have her watch some K'Ehylr episodes from TNG. Or just invite Kehlyr's actress to this role. EMH. Have people actually be rude to him because he's causing their holodeck inconvenience. 7 of 9. Just got too repetitive and too much of a Mary Sue on top, seeming to know everything. Drones by the very word to me seem to imply something dumb and almost instinctual. That's why they can assimiliate technology but not really innovate. Keep her haughty and arrogant but dumb her down from always being this Deus Ex Machina on call 24.... seven? Janeway. She's fine. As is. Entertaining and believeably so in power. But terribly flawed. Except the show should have presented it in that light and not "The Captain's always Right" as Tuvok said. This is a ragtag ship of misfits lost deep in space and not all of them get along. But it's never shown, just told. Over and over again. What they showed was TNG on a normal day.
Off the top of my head: * Janeway is an ensign - she's the last surviving line officer (there are other officers left but they aren't line officers) * The marquis don't put on the uniform - which always made as much sense to me as members of the IRA putting on british army uniforms * Tuvok is actually a Romulan undercover in the federation but we don't discover this for quote a while * The EMH is constantly changing and is recast ever series * Kes gives the clap to most of the crew, her wide eyed innocent thing is an act - she's a harden con-artist. The age thing is made up as part of the con. * Neelix is her partner and is more devious than series and come across as less of a sex offender * Kim's only lines over several years are "Shields are failing!" and "yes sir" - he speaks in most episodes but these are the only lines he ever says
If I were to relaunch Voyager, I'd have it that Janeway was promoted to head up the Starfleet Science section assigned to go over all the data they gathered. Chakotay would be on extended leave to return to the former DMZ. Kim and Seven are assigned to Janeway's team. The EMH is at Starfleet Medical. Tuvok is promoted to Voyager's new First Officer, whilst Paris and Torres remain onboard in their familiar posts (Miral is withe them). The new Captain is Erika Benteen, who has once again attained the rank (after being demoted following Leyton's coup), with the ship being her chance at redemption. The command staff would include a couple of former junior crewmembers as well as a couple of new additions. * * * * * If I were to reboot it, then I'd have Elizabeth Shelby on as Captain, with Voyager being her first command, so she is set on making it the best ship she can. Gone is the 'motherly' woman in command, she is smart, feisty and ambitious. Her new XO would be Calvin Hudson, who burnt his uniform and resents having to put it on again. He and Shelby but heads frequently and hard. Tuvok remains the Captain's counsel, having served with her previously and mentored her early in her career. Torres as well remains much the same, though she will come to terms with her Klingon side, she will still refuse to embrace anything about her heritage. Nathan Hawk would be the new conn officer, he quite Starfleet for the Maquis after the Cardassians were responsible for the death of his boyfriend--he has a lot of anger and resentment to work through. Sam Lavelle would be the new Ops Manager, promoted up after his predecessor was killed in transit--cocky and somewhat arrogant, he has a lot of maturing to do though shows promise. Aiva Stadi would be the ship's science officer, a warm and sensual Betazoid with a mind as sharp as they come (she and Hawk were once classmates). Neelix looks and acts drastically different, with a more felinoid appearance and a Han Solo charming scoundrel manner. Kes lives for a little longer (twice the original Ocampan age), but remains the ship's medic and hydroponics specialist. She and Neelix aren't a couple, though are close friends after he saved her from the Kazon. The EMH isn't limitless and will remain confined to sickbay and the holodecks. He also has hair and is based of a physician of British origin. Seven will be male, though his backstory will remain much of the same, though won't become the focus of the show. he will start off in catsuits, though 'graduate' to uniforms in the latter seasons. The ship won't have energy to waste on holodecks (other than the EMH), they will also struggle with food, fuel and other provisions, relying on scouting worlds and making agreements with native races to survive. Crew morale will also be a major problem for them to face. Any damage the ship takes will mount up and cause problems down the line. The Starfleet/Maquis relationship will be very tense, with frequent arguements and disagreements between both sides until they begin to trust one another. They wouldn't have an endless supply of shuttles or torpedoes, not without acquiring more materials to make them. There would also be more consistancy with crew complement, which would include far more alien members. It would be more serialised, with no reset button, what happens to them happens and they have to deal with it if they can. They will be a crew lost and cut off, things will get desperate at times, there will be a sense of threat and uncertainty about their future (through which their hope and optimism will shine through). Some of the bigger plot changes: Seska, after she is revealed to be a Cardassian, remains aboard. They will get out of Kazon space at the beginning of S2 then move into Vidiian territory. The Year of Hell will be a longer arc (two to three episodes that will span almost a full year) followed by the aftermath, which will see Tuvok blinded, the EMH deleted and the ship barely holding together. At this, their lowest moment, they find the remains of the starship Hera, whose crew have formed a colony on a small moon, where Voyager picks up a few crew replacements, including a Bolian doctor. Tuvok will remain at tactical and Neelix will become Security Chief (as a non-com), whilst Kes begins to train as a doctor rather than just a medic. At the beginning of S7 the ship will get back to Earth, then lead a task force back (using some form subspace corridors) to recover the Hera survivors, as well as begin to further explore the Delta Quadrant. However, they find a hostile race they encountered (not the Borg) has managed to expand and become a major threat. The task force must form a mini-Federation to help defeat them (seeing as how they were, in a way, responsible for their rise to power). In order to stop the hostiles, Voyager must face the decision whether to collapse the subspace corridor network and strand the crew once again in the DQ...
I would NOT make "Year of Hell" the entire series. Just one season. Any more than that and it risks being as gloomy and depressing as nuBSG. And I wouldn't get RID of the holodecks; just don't actually use them on the show. Have all references to them be in dialogue only. Indeed, a holodeck would be a valuable mental 'tonic' for the crew in a situation like this; without it, stranded so far from home, people might start going space crazy!
All the other Trek series had "Holodeck" stories, even TOS. They just had them go to Western world or Roman World or Andy Griffith world. NuBSG had Holodecks too, anytime a character would start hallucinating or having big flashbacks it's the same as a holodeck plot.
Janeway would have been first officer and the captain is killed instead of the other way around. The Maquis/Starfleet conflict goes on a lot longer. Dump the Kazon much earlier, more eps with the Vidiians. Take on more aliens to replace dead crewpersons.
REBOOT: Rather than be stranded in the Delta Quadrant, the Voyager is assigned to a distant and often forgotten corner of Federation space--too far away to return to the core worlds in any feasible length of time, but not so far removed where they're completely cut off from everything (they'll occasionally encounter the two other Federation starships in the region--the Equinox and the Prometheus--and make a stop now and then at the only Federation starbase there). While there will be occasionally new aliens, the series will mainly have a small number of reoccurring alien races that are the power players in the area. No Neelix. No Borg. No EMH (but there is a fully Human Doctor Zimmerman with an initial lack of people skills though as well as a very blunt science officer named Annika Hansen). RELAUNCH: 15 years later, a brand-new USS Voyager (no Voyager-A!) is launched with a new female captain and a mostly new crew--First Officer Tuvok is the only one from the original ship there, although there will be other familiar faces, including Janeway, returning for a special episode here and there. Equipped with slipstream drive, the new Voyager is capable of traveling to and from the Delta Quadrant within a month and is now assigned to casually explore and establish new diplomatic contacts without the burden of trying to find a way home. A number of races previously encountered by the original Voyager will return, including a significantly more formidable (and politically dangerous) Kazon Order that make the earlier one look tame in comparison--rather than use brute force, they now use more effective politics and espionage to undermine the Federation in the Delta Quadrant.
1 year after their return Voyager is finished with its refit. More decks were added so any of the crew that would like to bring their families could. Quarters were made bigger and classroom and child care was added. The command team wer married so Janewasy turned down the admirty so she and her husband could jointly captain Voyager. All of the crew that wanted to were given positions. Barkley became a member of the crew. All of the new tecolay was installed. Sincce the Federation ships were now much faster, Voyager was sentback to let the pants know others were comming
Are we talking about a reboot or a sequel? Sounds like you mean a sequel. If reboot: I'd keep the identity of the characters mostly the same only Paris and the Maquis, while they would always be on the same team as the Starfleet crew, would continue to have discipline problems and not want to conform completely. Also Kim would start out just like he was in the show, always trying to please everyone and do as he's told, but somewhere in the middle he'd become more assertive and take more risks, and that's when he'd get promoted. Neelix's personality is similar but he's got a dark, skeptical side where he still feels he's on his own and has to act that way to make the crew like him and gradually warms up to trusting them and sharing their point of view. If sequel: This would take place maybe 15-20 years after the end of Voyager. Starfleet now has mastered quantum slipstream drive, and is sending a ship on a contact mission to the delta quadrant to see what allies can be made and what enemies can be expected. Captain Nog convinces Tuvok, Paris and his family to come out of retirement to act as guides. Icheb is assigned to the ship with a secret mission to keep tabs on the Borg situation that only Nog and Tuvok are in on. They are in contact with Seven who is secretly already in the Delta quadrant, but a recurring character, not a main character.
Reboot? Remake? Some of you have put a LOT of thought into this. I've just made a few notes as I've re-watched. I would have the conflict with the Maquis last a bit longer. I would have an episode or scene where they accept the fact that to continue on with 'the cause' in their current situation would be counter intuitive to basic survival. Some of the very dedicated Maquis would even feel a sense of loss because they might have identified so closely with the rebellion. I would have at least one episode where Tom Paris would actually need a body guard and play up his isolation from both crews. There could be a scene or episode where it is shown that he is basically a good guy and that having him at the helm ups their chances of survival. They don't have to like him but its best to just leave him alone. I would have him have more guilt about his accident. Dreams, hallucinations...something to show that it still tears at him at times or an accident that is a result of pilot error that brings it all back. They just seemed to bury that so quickly. I'd show the funeral of the people who died when they were first flung into the Delta Quandrant. I'd show the funeral of everyone...even Seska. Make Chakotay a member of a 'real' tribe and do some research. Give Kim some growth. Promote him. DO something with him. Make his rebellious moment something we care about. Wouldn't change Tuvok all that much. I didn't mind the holodeck. If Janeway likes period drama how about something interesting...like The Turn of the Screw? Lose the catsuit for Seven but only because it made me uncomfortable watching it thinking about how uncomfortable Jeri was wearing it but you should know I also feel sorry for people who have to wear heavy prosthesis and make up.
I'd have the crew bump into a naive, female shapeshifter, one of the lost one-hundred. Probably in season 2 or 3, there'd be no Kes. She'd be hopeful, forgiving, traveling from place to place despite constantly being mistrusted as a shapeshifter and she's eager to someday meet those people who are willing to accept her. When she finally meets the crew of Voyager, they mention Odo and she eagerly joins the crew, wanting to come along to the Alpha Quadrant to meet another of her kind. But as news about the Dominion War spreads, Starfleet issues that Voyager keeps a close eye on her, to the anger of the crew that has befriended her. As a result, her mood grows sullen and when Section 31 hides the changeling virus within a monthly data-transmision, to be unwittingly transmitted through Seven's nanobots, the Doctor with those same nanobots must find a cure for the virus. While he does find a treatment, it is a one-way solution he where he can use the nanobots to turn his shapeshifting friend into a solid, permanently.
I imagine the Voyager people being divided up into factions-who grudgingly cooperate because they all want to go home. Interesting ideas regarding Seska Tuvok-make him a Romulan spy. Seska and Tuvok each have their own agenda. The Maquis grudgingly cooperate with the Star Fleet crew, but the political divide-at least initially-is hard to bridge. Neelix is the one character everyone trusts. That would give Neelix an unintended/unexpected role, as a peace maker. Of course, one character that comes to mind is Dr. Smith, who found himself trapped aboard the Jupiter 2 (Lost in Space). Star Fleet uniforms-the Maquis reject them. On the other hand, 7 of 9 wears them, rather than that suit.
Not sure if you're talking about a "Voyager" sequel, or a re-write. Since I have already explored the former in fanfiction ad nausiem, I'll share my two cents on the latter. If I could reboot the show from the start, I'd make a few changes to the characters (though I love most of them as they are): Janeway- Make her Canadian, or from some off-world colony. Why does every captain besides Picard have to be 'Murican? Chakotay- Give him some real tribes in his heritage, and scrap the vision quests and spirit animals (but keep the lucid dreaming hobby). The name "Chakotay" is his last name, and his first name is something embarrassing like Seymour. The sexy but culturally inaccurate tattoo I'd keep, and try to come up with a reasonable and interesting backstory for. And combine his archeology love with his badassedry, to make him a space Indiana Jones. That would kick ass. Also, develop his relationship with Seven earlier, and better. B'Elanna: Give her a chance to confront her former "best friend" Seska, Klingon rage vs. Cardassian malice! Maybe let her be the one to kill Seska. Kes: Make her more eccentric, and naive to an actual fault. Like someone Zooey Deschanel would play. I'd also have the recurring characters, you know, recur more often. And keep the Maquis in their Maquis outfits for a few seasons, having them integrate to Starfleet only after learning about the bad news from home in "Hunters." Make the ship more run down more often, like in "Year of Hell."