If VOY had an eighth season, what would it have been about?

Just wondering if there was any mileage in a season where the Voyager crew adjusts to their return to Federation space.

 

As much as I have been intrigued for the basic concept, what could they really do?

Tuvok might rush home to get the help for all those conditions he got throughout the course of the show's run, while spending each passing microsecond pining over the absence of Neelix. Or maybe not.

Janeway would get a medal and trial and another medal. Then go back in time to prevent Caretaker from abducting them to begin with and then get a medal for that . Now there's a fun retcon...

The Maquis no longer exist thanks to DS9, so what would they do?

A dozen episodes to the continuing soap opera between Seven and Chakotay would be boring, unless they turned to the screen and asked someone from the audience to join in, and as that happens to nobody...

 

I can’t imagine more than a six episode miniseries needed to cover that. It’d be a stretch to keep them all in the ship. But Short Trek style episodes would neat.

Naomi meeting her father could have been a good scene. Having difficulty adjusting to the only family she’s ever had broken up and then thrown into the arms of this stranger who expects immediate love.

I imagine amnesty for the Maquis given what happened to their cause and seven years of service to the Federation considered time served.

The Doc having to invoke Data v Maddox as precedent to be legally considered a citizen with rights.

Tom and B’elana probably settling down to civilian life and re-bonding with Admiral Paris,

We know what happened to Seven.

 

Cant see there would have been much appetite to see a what happens next series.

 

I just don’t see them going for such asymmetry in 2001. An eight-season show would’ve meant delaying the ship’s return by a year, gradually intensifying communications with Earth and coming up with new adventures along the way. Maybe they could’ve introduced more Earth-side characters like Barclay and built a few episodes around them, but that’s about it.

 

A post return Voyager story would have only worked in Short Trek format.

 

They could have made a jump to an region relatively close to Romulan and Klingon space but a bit out reach of the Federation where they would encounter races who had experiences with both races, and could make things dicey when they see B'Elanna and Tuvok...

 

What Voyager was always pressured to do...be a "TNG lite" and do random stuff in the Alpha Quadrant I guess.

Though, realistically, considering Voyager's original mission and that a good chunk of the crew is marquis, the whole crew would be broken up upon their return to Earth.

Yes...because the one thing 90s Trek needed more of was Klingon stories

 

I'm guessing...mountains of technobabble and 7 wearing a sexy catsuit?

 

They wouldn't have needed an eighth season to tie things off. I'd say, two or three episodes at most. Most important, though, don't torment us by telling us what happened, only to erase it all with a time travel rehash that was done better in "The Visitor", "Timeless", and even "Year of Hell".

That being said, the fact that the series beginning with "Homecoming" (which I just got the first book of) exists suggests that there is definite plot potential for Voyager in the Alpha Quadrant.

 

26 episodes of Harry not getting promoted as they turn around and, oops, get flung into the Gamma quadrant. They also introduce a new character: Tom and Harry's new friend Richard, who's as syrupy as Neelix was and is also Tuvok's caregiver that also goes out on away missions with Tom and Harry. Guess his nickname and it'll be as surprising as every time Janeway beats the Borg.

 

Hmmm... Richard... could it be "Richie"?

 

I had this weird idea when I read this. What if Chakotay had a first name and it was Richard. Then B'Elanna could honestly say her 3 best male friends were Tom, Dick and Harry.

 

The combination occured to me as well.

 

I can't imagine it would have been very interesting to see everyone settling down on Earth and going their separate ways. Inevitably there would have been some big crisis that would throw the gang back together for one last big adventure.

Kor

 

I see a lot of opporttunities here.

First of all, the decision of having only seven seasons of TNG, DS9 and Voyager was a childish and downright stupid decision. Those series had so much potential that they could have gone for decades with new adventures and new exciting events.

Look at NCIS which has been going on for 18 seasons thanks to great actors, great characters and skilled writers who have been able to come up with new and exciting adventures. look at Law And Order SVU still going strong after 24 or so seasons.

The CSI series also went on for a long time and the Las Vegas series is now coming back. If Star Trek hadn't made that "7 seasons and nothing more" into some silly dogm, the party could, would and should have lasted much longer.

TNG could always have come up with new, exciting episodes and DS9 could have continued with the aftermath of the Dominion War with the future relationship between the federation and the Dominion, the restauration of Cardassia with a lot of political plots plus the ongoing scemes on an important space station.

As for Voyager, future seasons could have included a kjourney home through the Gamma Quadrant and encounters with the species there, a decent return of Kes, the break-up between Seven and Chakotay, a decent homecoming for the crew and finally Voyager's transition to a Rescue Force ship, a sort of commando style ship and crew which would be sent to areas and planets where a quick operation was necessary. In that way we could have kept the main characters on the ship and have them participating in new missions.

I see nor reasons why the main characters couldn't have stayed together for new missions. The seven or more years in the delta Quadrant must definitely have created a bond between the main characters which would have made them ready and willing to keep working together.

The opportunities would have been enormous, if those in charge of the show had used their brains a little more.

 

TNG needed another retooling, like what it had for seasons 2, 3, and 5. Season 7 had a retooling since it's exploring the unknown again and not being "soap opera with topic of the week" in the way 5 and 6 were often stuffed with. But it wouldn't have ended if the A-list went to DS9, who were still half-stuck in TNG mode. (I'm just glad DS9 made it to season 4, which tightens up so much and brings in a comfy established character that it's almost as if the show was going to be dropped if they hadn't made those changes?)

Why seven as an arbitrary number? I read some of the makers used "4" and "7", often together, as a (n often subtle) in-joke because they loved "M*A*S*H"... now if ENT had 4 seasons, that would be their 4th series to end with 7 seasons ... but that's dilly as far as speculation goes. Maybe it was coincidental; DS9 and VOY were starting to lose steam and they couldn't think of anything else? Or bring in anyone else? (Manny Coto being the go-to example...)

I'll admit, it was rarely boring when Quark or Garak were around, and I love "Move Along Home" (which feels like an adapted TNG story blended with leftovers from a Doctor Who script they found on a sidewalk. I don't say that in a bad way because it's a refreshingly different one-off story. I also like The Prisoner's episode "The Girl Who Was Death" for the same reasons, it's a break from the formula that (for me) succeeded - but it's easy to see why others wouldn't like it...)

Seven and Chakotay was less uninspired than the contrived and clunkball pairing of Seven with Axum... clunky cornball? But to be fair, who didn't want Chakotay? Apart from Janeway, fortunately - it's good to see platonic friendships and not the lameoid, Pavlovian "gotta be shippin'!" stuff.

Which transcended their different backgrounds, though Torres probably would never have become chummy with Seven... (Dark Frontier's continuity was rubbish but, dang, numerous one-liners and other tactfully-considered character-based moments more than make up for it.)

The network also wanted the show to be "TNG-lite" as DS9's changes weren't bringing in 20 gazillion viewers. The result is more (IMHO) an intriguing mix of TNG and TOS. Without the network, it is fun to think what they would have otherwise done.

 

Why would Voyager go through the GQ to get home if the most direct route didn't involve doing so? Or is the premise that the Caretaker should have been located in an area of the DQ such that getting home by the most direct route would involve going through the GQ?

Let's not get into a discussion of why setting course for the Bajoran wormhole would have been a spectacularly bad idea (even moreso if one assumes Janeway had any awareness of the Dominion).

 

There might be some milage in them adjusting back to like when they are home, but I;m not sure it would warrant a season, if they were going to do they should have brought Voyager home a few episodes from the end and used the reamining episodes to have the reunions.

 

In a sense, the TNG era Trek went 21 seasons, not 7. It just had three different cast lineups.

I could have seen TNG going an 8th season, and DS9 for sure. But from what I hear, Voyager was struggling, bleeding viewers. If they were going to end it on their terms, it had to be then.

I just think they should have canceled an episode ("Friendship One", maybe, spare that Carey guy), and given us a bit of closure at the end. Instead of telling us what DIDN'T happen to the cast, tell us what did.