Plus Harry had that episode where he was surrounded by women (bent on killing him though, still it was remarkable). That episode was one of Voyager's worst duds though.
IF she has really left of her own accord, the cast wouldn't have spoken up so loudly, with Mulgrew as leader, to the producers, in particular Berman, to make Lien coming back. And what to say about Jennifer Lien's dramatic descent into hell, which followed (she was left overnight unemployed and on the long term until ending in jail further to accusations of !). Plus, Jeri Ryan's presence would not have arouse the hostility of the cast right the beginning if it has not been perceived as "illegitimate". The dissention between Mulgrew and Ryan about the hypersexualization of Seven's character coming afterwards. -> producers used any allergy (and even created a drug problem) to justify Lien's departure but no, this latter wasn't the one who wanted to quit.
I wonder if the bridge dynamics wouldn't have been better (for lack of better word) had Chakotay been more Riker-like. Perhaps a little more self assured, pushing his ideas a little more... The man came in hot from battling Cardassians, willing to put down Tom as soon as they met on Voyager's bridge and commanding his own ship and once he put on a Starfleet uniform, bam! personality change! He became agreeable, content to just follow Janeway's lead and when he did voice objections he was quickly shushed. Had Chakotay been more of a wild card, then Janeway being more strict and demanding they uphold Starfleet values above all else, would come across as necessary (rather than her being on a bad day or just bipolar, like others said). It would explain why Janeway looked more to Tuvok for guidance instead of her own Commander as well. What's the point in asking your second in command his opinion if all he does is shrug and just follows along?
I've heard about that and always considered how true it was. Do allergies just show up one day after Lien used the same glue for, what, three years? And if so, why didn't they look into a different glue or keep up with the hair trick or even a trick to have the ears stuck on a hair accessory? I didn't watch Voyager when it first aired, nor had I heard any rumors. When the Kes/Seven change came, all it seemed to me was that the producers had decided a sexier character was needed. So off went a more fragile and child-like character and in came a more developed and mature character (who did seem to be filling out the catsuit better). I do wonder though, if the rumors are true and originally Seven was to replace Harry, why didn't the writing took into consideration that a different actress/character was axed instead? As it was, Seven practically took over most of Harry's and B'Elanna's jobs while the Doctor was left without an assistant.
I know one thing though, allergies can develop anytime, for many reasons, some unknown. So at least that part of the story is plausible. I for one didn't exactly become allergic but I was part of a swimming team for several years until I became sick of pool water, I just couldn't stand it. I wasn't physically allergic to it as I didn't get a rash or inflammation or anything. It was more a psychological thing. The smell of chlorine made me sick and ruined the experience for me, so I switched to other sports instead.
Among others, his repeated delays on sets and for sessions of interviews (it must be said that Garrett Wang as young as he was, was known to love to party, what obviously left little time to sleep and... learn his dialogs!). The fact that he criticized Bernan/Braga publicly did not help either, of course, but for this point, the producers, failing to fire him (because of UPN's executives who wanted to keep him) found a solution: to make his character, Harry Kim, an eternal and uneasy calm Enseign, who played more often than he would have wanted, the fifth wheel of the carriage! Not very subtil but well...
To come back to Jennifer Lien, she wasn't, strictly speaking, fired but her producers refused to automatically renew her contract as it was customary when actors/actresses are regulars. About Robert Beltran, I'm surprised to hear how present he is on Twitter but that 's great for his fans.
Yes, people used to say that he hated the series and didn't want to have anything to do with its fans. Either he changed his mind or the rumor was completely unfounded.
I think he changed his mind because 1) if he is honest with himself, he has to recognize how a good period his ST's period (1994-2001) was ; 2) he needs his fans to keep acting (in TV productions/on theatre scene/in movies ) / attending Conventions and winning money in selling his autographes -> the day where fans will not be interested to see him (on TV/big screens/ in a piece) anymore, he will have to find another thing for a living (directing theatre pieces is not known to be particularly remunerative!)
A longtime role in any show often closes more doors than it opens. From the top of my head, I can only think of Mulgrew and Ryan who landed another 'big' role or more post Voyager. Perhaps I'm wrong or just don't watch the right shows, but I haven't seen any Star Trek regular actor on TV currently/lately. Perhaps Beltran simply realized or decided that his leading/big show days are behind him and changed his tune about the show. He wouldn't be the first or the last actor to come to that realization. Edit to add: the captain from ST.Enterprise is in the NCIS francise but I haven't watched that one yet (or DS9, That one couldn't hold my attention and I dropped it).
Yes they can. One can potentially become allergic to anything at anytime as long as there is exposure and sensitization. However, I don't think Lein left the show solely because of allergies... my guess there was some combination of personal conflict and changes made by the producers. Plus, if you read about what happened to Lein even years after her leaving the show you can tell that something is not right in Dodge with her. People don't go off the rails years after losing a job unless they already had some emotional or mental illness to begin with. It was probably a combination of things which led to her leaving.
I'll take your word for it. To me, a sudden allergy leading to an actress leaving the show, sounds a bit iffy and, well, convenient. Especially since Kes had spent the last leg of the season with her hair being long and her ears fully covered. Now, had there been other problems behind the scenes with the actress or if the character worked on paper but not on screen, then I could see her allergy being used as an excuse to replace her. I haven't read a lot, just that Lien spent some time in jail, in the past and fairly recently. No idea why or the circumstances about it though.
I agree. I was mainly responding to the point about the allergies themselves. I don't think that's the reason she left the show.
Oh, no I agree. I understood your point and, perhaps allergies do just happen one day. That's one problem with getting into a fandom/show late, I suppose. I only know what is on the DVD extras or read what people say on forums like this one or cast interviews from the various panels etc. I'm sure at the time, a lot of attention had been given at Lien's sudden departure from the show.
I hear you. I am late also, only having seen VOY initially in 2017. There are a number of threads about Lein on this forum.
I started it last year, took a break for a bit and now I'm halfway through season 6. Is it me, or is there really a shift in it? I think it was end of season 4 or maybe early season 5 but it feels like there are less casual episodes and more "this week we're going to die" ones ever since.
There does seem to be a shift after season 5... although some of the more stalwart Trek fans might disagree. I've heard more about changes following both season 3 and 4 from others. My fav seasons are 3, 4 and 5 probably with 4 being tops. I love Counterpoint to pieces though. It's my fav VOY ep.