Why Do People Prefer the Earlier Seasons?

[LeadHead]

I love season three (hint: the avatar) and I am in a decided minority for this opinion; or that anyway is my impression. I thought it was Voyager's strongest season overall. I feel the show's quality overall was a gradual improvement until it hit S3, followed up with the almost as good S4, and then a gradual but increasingly rapid decline. The show remained fairly interesting right up to the end, though, despite its many and ample flaws.

Don't fear, you are not alone. Season 3 was decidingly Voyager's strongest season. It did what none of the other seasons did, it had drama and fun in a very entertaining mix. Seasons 1 & 2 were high quality, but the show's dynamics were still a little too serious. Season 3 got those dynamics in a good zone. Season 4 shook things up a bit with Seven, which worked for awhile, sadly watching the end of season 4 looking to set things up for season 5 comes off badly because Season 5 was where the wheels started to come off the wagon.

When the show started the transition from Star Trek: Voyager to the Janeway, Seven & The Doctor show, was where I start losing interest.

 

[Cyke101]

Oh and Year of Hell should have been a whole season, hell, they should have even considered giving that season the subtitle...

STAR TREK​

V O Y A G E R​

YEAR OF HELL​

After watching Year of Hell recently, I disagree. I like the way the episode works as a 2-parter. HOWEVER, I think they should have ended it a different way, without the reset. That way they could have had the rest of the season be about Voyager torn to shreads, and the senior officers flying around trying to track down the rest of the crew.

They could have avoided the reset without having to focus on the Krenim being the bad guys for a whole season.

That's a brilliant idea. The senior staff spending a year trying to find the rest of the crew? THAT right there is a great conflict. Heck, go one step further and have the entire senior staff separated as well in groups, so that the story can still focus on the main cast but bring in that multi-faceted appeal. In a set-up like that, I'd be pleasantly surprised if Neelix turned out to be the most useful and most heroic of the bunch (and I hate Neelix!).

But back to the original question: I don't really have a preference per se, but I'm indeed a fan of Kes and less Borg stories. Also, I have nothing against Seven and the Doctor as characters per se, but they did get much more focus than the rest of the cast towards the end of the run.

 

[JM1776]

There was Voyager and then there was Voyager: The Seven of Nine Show. The first seasons of Voyager had variety, the sense of travelling through the Delta Quad, facing perils, trying to get home. Then it was Seven, Borg, Borg Borg. And Beltran bottomed out.

Well and truly said.

 

[scorpius1701]

I think early on they did a much better job of portraying the Delta Quadrant as being an uncivilized rough place. Aliens like the Vidians were some of the most brutal aliens we have seen in Trek. In any other Trak, the Kazon would not be a good enemy but in Voyager's position, theyre very dangerous.

 

[ialfan]

Oh and Year of Hell should have been a whole season, hell, they should have even considered giving that season the subtitle...

STAR TREK​

V O Y A G E R​

YEAR OF HELL​

After watching Year of Hell recently, I disagree. I like the way the episode works as a 2-parter. HOWEVER, I think they should have ended it a different way, without the reset. That way they could have had the rest of the season be about Voyager torn to shreads, and the senior officers flying around trying to track down the rest of the crew.

They could have avoided the reset without having to focus on the Krenim being the bad guys for a whole season.

That's a brilliant idea. The senior staff spending a year trying to find the rest of the crew? THAT right there is a great conflict. Heck, go one step further and have the entire senior staff separated as well in groups, so that the story can still focus on the main cast but bring in that multi-faceted appeal. In a set-up like that, I'd be pleasantly surprised if Neelix turned out to be the most useful and most heroic of the bunch (and I hate Neelix!).

I would have loved to have seen that. Prehaps the actual conflict with the Krenim lasts the first 6-8 episodes of the season and the rest is the crew finding each other and trying to piece together their lives. Maybe some of them have been captured somewhat like in ENT's Borderland and the crew has to free them as well? Certainly would have made a great concept even better by not resetting it.

 

[Cyke101]

After watching Year of Hell recently, I disagree. I like the way the episode works as a 2-parter. HOWEVER, I think they should have ended it a different way, without the reset. That way they could have had the rest of the season be about Voyager torn to shreads, and the senior officers flying around trying to track down the rest of the crew.

They could have avoided the reset without having to focus on the Krenim being the bad guys for a whole season.

That's a brilliant idea. The senior staff spending a year trying to find the rest of the crew? THAT right there is a great conflict. Heck, go one step further and have the entire senior staff separated as well in groups, so that the story can still focus on the main cast but bring in that multi-faceted appeal. In a set-up like that, I'd be pleasantly surprised if Neelix turned out to be the most useful and most heroic of the bunch (and I hate Neelix!).

I would have loved to have seen that. Prehaps the actual conflict with the Krenim lasts the first 6-8 episodes of the season and the rest is the crew finding each other and trying to piece together their lives. Maybe some of them have been captured somewhat like in ENT's Borderland and the crew has to free them as well? Certainly would have made a great concept even better by not resetting it.

Oh, very much so. That way, we'd see the characters down to their core. There'd be a great way to truly emphasize the Maquis skills of Chakotay and Torres, or Seven's leadership skills and Kim's rapid maturing process. It'd also be a great way to kill Tom's Captain Proton fantasies once and for all (in that, hey, reality sucks, man. Grow up). Pretty much every main character would get a chance to shine and really take for some considerable character development. Heck, it'd be nu-BSG years ahead of BSG.

 

[Jaro Stun]

My personal opinion is that it's because first few seasons represent the golden age of star trek (i think it's my case as well).

...and, because ppl used to watch later seasons more often (more action, vfx and so on...) so they return now to earlier eps, they are not so much fed-up with yet.

 

[Ro_Laren]

I never knew that people prefer the earlier seasons. I like the later seasons better (thought I think there are great episodes in all seven seasons).

One of the reasons I like the later seasons better is because I always liked Seven episodes better than Kes. I found a lot of the Kes centered episodes boring (with the exception of Warlord), but maybe it was just the Kes-Neelix couple that I found boring. On the other hand, I enjoyed most of the Seven episodes. One beef I do have with the later episodes is I feel like B'Elanna is ignored more than in the earlier seasons.

 

[JM1776]

I'm just the opposite: Seven of Nine, though portrayed brilliantly by Jeri Ryan, was, overall, a detriment to the ensemble cast. I would have preferred to see Kes remain and thereby have more attention alloted to some of the characters that became, essentially, bit players.

 

[Cyke101]

I'm thinking that the general consensus is that Seven is a fine character (played by a fine actress), it's just that we got too much of her.

 

[Broccoli]

Oh and Year of Hell should have been a whole season, hell, they should have even considered giving that season the subtitle...

STAR TREK
​

V O Y A G E R

YEAR OF HELL​

That was the Braga's initial plan, but UPN said no.

 

[crouteru]

I've recently been watching Voyager again from the beginning. Season 1 still holds up pretty well as first-seasons go. With season 2, the first half of the season is largely medicore until 'Resistance', and then it's like someone turned on a switch to produce stronger episodes (with the exception of 'Threshold' and 'Innocence'). I don't really like the Kazon, and it's annoying how they remain a common foe when Voyager is supposed to be warping away from their territory. There's about 6 episodes in season 3 that I really don't like ('False Profits', 'Sacred Ground', 'Alter Ego', 'Darkling', 'Rise' and 'Favorite Son'), but Voyager's first introduction to The Borg in 'Unity' and later in 'Scorpion' was a positive turn for me, and then the introduction of Seven in season 4 added new chemistry to the series.

 

[kimc]

I'm thinking that the general consensus is that Seven is a fine character (played by a fine actress), it's just that we got too much of her.

I agree. In fact one could argue that she became a "Mary Sue" which is too bad since both the character and the actress who played her deserved better treatment.

 

[exodus]

I never knew that people prefer the earlier seasons. I like the later seasons better (thought I think there are great episodes in all seven seasons).

One of the reasons I like the later seasons better is because I always liked Seven episodes better than Kes. I found a lot of the Kes centered episodes boring (with the exception of Warlord), but maybe it was just the Kes-Neelix couple that I found boring. On the other hand, I enjoyed most of the Seven episodes. One beef I do have with the later episodes is I feel like B'Elanna is ignored more than in the earlier seasons.

I agree.(just change Warlord to Before & After) Besides, Voyager was loosing it's audience during S3 with a quickness because it was so bad. They had to bring in Seven to get people to watch it again.

Plus, I think Voyager needed a character like Seven to give the show the internal drama it was lacking. None of the other characters(besides BeLanna) brought to the table deep personalities or issues the way she did. People call her a "Mary Sue" but what's the point in being Borg if you don't have the knowledge of near perfection? Isn't that what it means to be Borg?

I also think the later season brought out subtle interactions between other characters that I loved. Neelix over exuberant nature vs. Tuvok's dry wit was a great pairing for an example. Me personally, I didn't need whole eps. devoted to characters, it was the subtle moments of interaction that many overlook is why I cherish the show.

 

[JanineSal]

Why do seemingly most people prefer Voyager from Seasons One to Four to Seasons Five to Seven? I found that Season Five blew Seasons Two and Three out of the water, and was the best Voyager season after Season Four, with the third Season perhaps being the worst instalment (even though there were several individually good episodes). And Jeri Taylor was mostly a bland, bland writer with some terribly weak ideas and uninspiring concepts - love him or loath him at least Brannon Braga attempted to jaz things up (although the much lamented Michael Piller was the best Voyager writer and likely why the first season of Voyager was quite strong on hindsight, UPN bullshit aside).

I am not one of those people. Of the period - Seasons One to Four, my favorites are Seasons 3 and 4. Of the period Seasons Five to Seven, the only season that IS NOT a favorite of mine was Season 6.


I certainly DO NOT feel that the first season of VOYAGER was that strong.

I agree.(just change Warlord to Before & After) Besides, Voyager was loosing it's audience during S3 with a quickness because it was so bad. They had to bring in Seven to get people to watch it again.

Season Three was so bad??? DISAGREE completely. Mind you, I feel that early S3 was a little weak. But mid and late Season 3 is a big favorite with me.

 

[exodus]

The Q & The Grey, Alter Ego, Blood Fever, Coda, Rise, Darkling & Favorite Son were all God aweful. Future's End, Real Life, Distant Origin & Worst Case Scenario are the some of the few saving graces of that season.

 

[kimc]

The Q & The Grey, Alter Ego, Blood Fever, Coda, Rise, Darkling & Favorite Son were all God aweful.

I like "Q & the Gray" but then I have a thing for Q. "Rise" also has my Tuvie in it.

 

[HoundDog]

The Q & The Grey, Alter Ego, Blood Fever, Coda, Rise, Darkling & Favorite Son were all God aweful. Future's End, Real Life, Distant Origin & Worst Case Scenario are the some of the few saving graces of that season.

Don't forget "Unity" (one of VOYs best IMO) and "Scorpion".

 

[exodus]

The Q & The Grey, Alter Ego, Blood Fever, Coda, Rise, Darkling & Favorite Son were all God aweful.

I like "Q & the Gray" but then I have a thing for Q. "Rise" also has my Tuvie in it.

Tuvok is da man and Q is awesome but neither one of them were very good eps for either of them. They were poor character development eps. by not making ever Tuvok or Q very likable.


Thanks Hounddog, those were good too.

 

[kimc]

The Q & The Grey, Alter Ego, Blood Fever, Coda, Rise, Darkling & Favorite Son were all God aweful.

I like "Q & the Gray" but then I have a thing for Q. "Rise" also has my Tuvie in it.

Tuvok is da man and Q is awesome but neither one of them were very good eps for either of them.

Sure episodes like "Death Wish" were better for Q and "Meld" better for Tuvok but I'd personally rather sit through any of the episodes you listed than something like "Human Error".

Well, maybe not "Favorite Son"...