I'm getting ready to possibly do an entire series rewatch over the next several months.
Rewatching Voyager
- Thread starter tomalak301
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I'm getting ready to possibly do an entire series rewatch over the next several months.
It's amazingly easy to do!
I'm getting ready to possibly do an entire series rewatch over the next several months.
Me too
I'm getting ready to possibly do an entire series rewatch over the next several months.
I do it all the time. I'm on Season 5 (just finished EXTREME RISK) - for the 37th time! 
You are an inspirationI do it all the time. I'm on Season 5 (just finished EXTREME RISK) - for the 37th time!
I binge watched ep 1-5 yesterday, I'd forgotten how much I really loved this show. I'd fallen into the trap of associating VOY with the Seven of Nine era and dismissing a lot of what came before. I really enjoyed the pathos of Eye of the Needle again and how much Janeway struggled in the early days with feelings of isolation. It really stands up 23 years on!
Thanks. Well, I know this is like an addiction for me but there really is nothing more entertaining than VOY as far as I am concerned....You are an inspiration
Oh and by the way Refuge ... Tuvok sends his greeting to you:
Either way, I do hope that at least my wallpapers are an inspiration. I often sit down to make a wallpaper for something different ... but VOY beckons and I find it difficult to resist its lure ... You know ... Resistance is futile ...
Yeah, I think it's a common mistake that people equate VOY with Seven ... when we all know that Voyager means Janeway, don't we?
Her presence is just as strong in the first three seasons as in the last four.
I personally love everything Voyager (except that horrible FURY) and for different reasons. There's something appealing about the first season: these people are lost in space, they have no idea who they are, where they are, who their travelling companions are and what adventures will await them. There's a certain innocence I associate with VOY in the earlier seasons that gets completely lost in later ones.
@Thomas Eugene Nice Tuvok 'paper! It's a simple design, but the colors pop and the pic and graphics work well together. I could see that as a published advert for the series back in the day. 
Aaaahhhh...the aftermath of Storm Skylar is keeping me home from work today. I'll be watching one or two animated films for a film challenge on another board, and then continuing on with my VOY rewatch. I'm up to Prime Factors... gotta love snow days! 
Thank you for that! I count us fans as particularly lucky to have these wallpapers and snapshots of Voyager it makes this forum just that more happier to be honestThanks. Well, I know this is like an addiction for me but there really is nothing more entertaining than VOY as far as I am concerned....
Oh and by the way Refuge ... Tuvok sends his greeting to you:
Either way, I do hope that at least my wallpapers are an inspiration. I often sit down to make a wallpaper for something different ... but VOY beckons and I find it difficult to resist its lure ... You know ... Resistance is futile ...
"Prime Factors" is among my favorites.
I already did my rewatch of it starting last summer and ending last week. I don't really binge watch anything cause I like to take each episode at a time. This was my second watching of the show. I originally saw it on air when it was new but didn't follow it from beginning to end. Mostly catching seasons 3-5. My first start to finish was in 2009 renting DVDs from Netflix. I did that for all the shows as the Abrams movie was coming out and I wanted to definitively see every episode.
In 2009 I found it really frustrating to watch towards the 5th season and on. I just couldn't get past how so much of Voyager was just a retread of TNG. Like "oh here's The Inner Light rip-off" but with the Braga era settling in for just being a big dumb action show. Episodes like "Dark Frontier" just grated with me because they felt so meaningless and I could only take so many times the ship is in "danger" with Kim shouting "shields down 40%", with all the pyrotechnics going throughout the bridge and the darker lighting during red alert.
This time, knowing what was ahead, I figured I'd try approaching this show accepting it for what it ultimately decided to become and watch it on that level. I enjoyed it much more this time, but some of my frustrations still persisted. I kind of look at Voyager as several different shows because of the changing of showrunners it constantly went through. So I'll divide my thoughts of the show via showrunner:
Michael Piller era, S1-2
Like INSURRECTION it feels like a compromise. Some weak aspects, but some strong character work. I think most of the cast aside from Harry Kim actually gets something to do. It doesn't feel too lopsided like it will in later seasons where Chakotay is barely a presence. The Kazon/Seska arc, the only legitimate story arc throughout the entire show, is something I admire more than I like. Painting the Kazon as misogynists is self defeating because it already makes them an inferior antagonist compared to Romulans. I get it, we have a woman captain so let's have her face misogyny! It didn't help that Culluh looks as stupid as he acts. I do like the dynamic with Seska actually being in control via suggesting orders to Culluh. Had Voyager not gotten in the way I'm sure Seska would have been running the Kazon sects altogether because she's that great a manipulator. It was a big mistake to kill her off. I know Piller originally wanted her captured at the end of "Basics" and the third season would have the crew trying to figure out what to do with her. But oh well... stand out episode is "The Thaw".
Jeri Taylor era S3-4
Kind of an odd pair of seasons. The third feels like it's desperate for a direction and has no idea where to go. It feels like a transitional period between the first two seasons and the rest of the show. "Scorpion" is still excellent, actually taking full advantage of the show's premise. Season four may be my favorite of all the seasons because it had a much stronger lineup of episodes. Seven of Nine was also a much needed shot in the arm, though I really regret losing Kes (seriously Harry should have been killed off). Even though I like S4 the best I don't have as much to say. It is a nostalgic season because I did see this on air 20 years ago. "Living Witness" is the stand out episode of this era.
Brannon Braga era S5-6
I think this has a very strong start. In a lot of ways it feels more confident than it ever did in previous seasons. It's weird to think it took four whole seasons for the show to realize what it is, now that Seven is firmly established. But at some point this era just settled into "let's go big" but in a dumb action movie kind of way. That can be fun. I love dumb action movies when it's silly enough and VOY can work on that level, but when it tries to be both dramatic like in "Dark Frontier" I just check out. Doesn't help that the Borg Queen never worked for me. "Equinox" as a two-parter feels so confused, because it was more obvious this time how they had no plan to finish it. Also I started to find the Doctor more annoying by this point. In the earlier seasons I loved what a big irritable sardonic asshole he was. He still is but they made him more "chipper". He's so much it annoys me, like when he becomes a famous opera man celebrity at one point. "Blink of an Eye" is not only one of the best episodes of Voyager but also of all Trek. Kudos!
Kenneth Biller era S7
With episodes like "Repression", "Shattered", "Flesh and Blood", "Q2", etc, this season feels like it wants to look back on everything the show did in past seasons but has little interest in giving a resolution to the characters aside from Neelix, who does get a nice send off. I get that impulse because final seasons tend to do self reflecting. I feel that's too much here. "Endgame" pretty much makes that clear in where this show's priority lies. Stand out of the season is "Critical Care" which is as classic Trek as it ever gets.
Though I'm critical, I did have a much breezier time revisiting this than I did in 2009. It's probably still my least favorite, but I can no longer say I dislike the show. I actually like it, but I do think it could have been more interesting if it took more advantage of its concept beyond "will they get home at the end of the episode" like "Eye of the Needle" and "Inside Man."
I already did my rewatch of it starting last summer and ending last week. I don't really binge watch anything cause I like to take each episode at a time. This was my second watching of the show. I originally saw it on air when it was new but didn't follow it from beginning to end. Mostly catching seasons 3-5. My first start to finish was in 2009 renting DVDs from Netflix. I did that for all the shows as the Abrams movie was coming out and I wanted to definitively see every episode.
In 2009 I found it really frustrating to watch towards the 5th season and on. I just couldn't get past how so much of Voyager was just a retread of TNG. Like "oh here's The Inner Light rip-off" but with the Braga era settling in for just being a big dumb action show. Episodes like "Dark Frontier" just grated with me because they felt so meaningless and I could only take so many times the ship is in "danger" with Kim shouting "shields down 40%", with all the pyrotechnics going throughout the bridge and the darker lighting during red alert.
This time, knowing what was ahead, I figured I'd try approaching this show accepting it for what it ultimately decided to become and watch it on that level. I enjoyed it much more this time, but some of my frustrations still persisted. I kind of look at Voyager as several different shows because of the changing of showrunners it constantly went through. So I'll divide my thoughts of the show via showrunner:
Michael Piller era, S1-2
Like INSURRECTION it feels like a compromise. Some weak aspects, but some strong character work. I think most of the cast aside from Harry Kim actually gets something to do. It doesn't feel too lopsided like it will in later seasons where Chakotay is barely a presence. The Kazon/Seska arc, the only legitimate story arc throughout the entire show, is something I admire more than I like. Painting the Kazon as misogynists is self defeating because it already makes them an inferior antagonist compared to Romulans. I get it, we have a woman captain so let's have her face misogyny! It didn't help that Culluh looks as stupid as he acts. I do like the dynamic with Seska actually being in control via suggesting orders to Culluh. Had Voyager not gotten in the way I'm sure Seska would have been running the Kazon sects altogether because she's that great a manipulator. It was a big mistake to kill her off. I know Piller originally wanted her captured at the end of "Basics" and the third season would have the crew trying to figure out what to do with her. But oh well... stand out episode is "The Thaw".
Jeri Taylor era S3-4
Kind of an odd pair of seasons. The third feels like it's desperate for a direction and has no idea where to go. It feels like a transitional period between the first two seasons and the rest of the show. "Scorpion" is still excellent, actually taking full advantage of the show's premise. Season four may be my favorite of all the seasons because it had a much stronger lineup of episodes. Seven of Nine was also a much needed shot in the arm, though I really regret losing Kes (seriously Harry should have been killed off). Even though I like S4 the best I don't have as much to say. It is a nostalgic season because I did see this on air 20 years ago. "Living Witness" is the stand out episode of this era.
Brannon Braga era S5-6
I think this has a very strong start. In a lot of ways it feels more confident than it ever did in previous seasons. It's weird to think it took four whole seasons for the show to realize what it is, now that Seven is firmly established. But at some point this era just settled into "let's go big" but in a dumb action movie kind of way. That can be fun. I love dumb action movies when it's silly enough and VOY can work on that level, but when it tries to be both dramatic like in "Dark Frontier" I just check out. Doesn't help that the Borg Queen never worked for me. "Equinox" as a two-parter feels so confused, because it was more obvious this time how they had no plan to finish it. Also I started to find the Doctor more annoying by this point. In the earlier seasons I loved what a big irritable sardonic asshole he was. He still is but they made him more "chipper". He's so much it annoys me, like when he becomes a famous opera man celebrity at one point. "Blink of an Eye" is not only one of the best episodes of Voyager but also of all Trek. Kudos!
Kenneth Biller era S7
With episodes like "Repression", "Shattered", "Flesh and Blood", "Q2", etc, this season feels like it wants to look back on everything the show did in past seasons but has little interest in giving a resolution to the characters aside from Neelix, who does get a nice send off. I get that impulse because final seasons tend to do self reflecting. I feel that's too much here. "Endgame" pretty much makes that clear in where this show's priority lies. Stand out of the season is "Critical Care" which is as classic Trek as it ever gets.
Though I'm critical, I did have a much breezier time revisiting this than I did in 2009. It's probably still my least favorite, but I can no longer say I dislike the show. I actually like it, but I do think it could have been more interesting if it took more advantage of its concept beyond "will they get home at the end of the episode" like "Eye of the Needle" and "Inside Man."
I hope you feel better very soon.Reading this thread plus a severe flu led me to start another of those "Rewatching Voyager"- periods.
Next up is "Prime Factors" with that "pleasurable" Gathorel Labin!
I just started a new watch. I watch Voyager a lot less often than TNG and DS9 but it seemed about time.
Small nitpick I never noticed before: In Time and Again, they take away Janeway and Paris's communicators, which are also their universal translators and then can all still talk to each other.
Watching Voyager has that same comfy Trek appeal as Orville. I guess they have a lot in common, both are risk averse, both are light and fun, and both are trying to copy TNG. Only difference is one has the Trek name and the other doesn't.
Small nitpick I never noticed before: In Time and Again, they take away Janeway and Paris's communicators, which are also their universal translators and then can all still talk to each other.
Watching Voyager has that same comfy Trek appeal as Orville. I guess they have a lot in common, both are risk averse, both are light and fun, and both are trying to copy TNG. Only difference is one has the Trek name and the other doesn't.
on the rewatch. I finished season 1 a couple of nights ago. I think Time & Again and Jetrel are my 2 least fav from 1 while State of Flux and Caretaker are my 2 favorites.Have you noticed anything else you hadn't before so far? Some of the vocal inflections (mainly Janeway, but one or two others as well) I noticed differ from later seasons. Plus I noticed something regarding the EMH in season 1 that actually seems contradictory to something that occurs in season 7, but there might be another reason for this. Curious to see if you pick up on it as well, so I'll hold off on mentioning it for now.
I like Time and Again, I think some of the ones in the middle of season 1 like Ex Post Facto and Emanations are really dull, and I strongly dislike Faces.
Is it that in Phage, he had to press buttons to go from solid to not, and then the rest of the series he could just kind of do it at will?
Is it that in Phage, he had to press buttons to go from solid to not, and then the rest of the series he could just kind of do it at will?
Well, I like Faces, but I agree on Emanations and EPF, to a lesser extent. .
Re the EMH it was him eating, and enjoying, food in Heroes, which seems contra to Body and soul much later on. He was, however, in the holodeck while eating, so maybe that’s the reasoning.
?
Re the EMH it was him eating, and enjoying, food in Heroes, which seems contra to Body and soul much later on. He was, however, in the holodeck while eating, so maybe that’s the reasoning.
?
Also good point on Phage... that's something I missed on rewatch
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