I really should be more clear... What I meant to say was that EARLY ON in VOY they should've been saying stuff like that, like maybe a few weeks or a month or two. By halfway through S1 they'd stop this after realizing it wouldn't be so easy.
I think that the crew really wouldn't need to breed in order to have a replacement crew for the trip back to the A.Q. Are we forgetting that this is the future where people are actually expected to live up to 140 barring any unfortunate alien disease or being killed? How old was the crew of Voyager anyway? Janeway and Chakotay perhaps in their 40-ies? Kim for example was fresh out of the Academy. Torres was similar to Kim in regard to age, as was Paris most likely. Tuvok was on his way of getting to 100, but I think he was about a decade away from that. The Doctor doesn't age, and most of the crew was below 40 years old or in their mid/late 30ies. Give me a break ... by the time they'd reach the A.Q., even if they had to travel for 75 years ... they's still be alive and vibrant (just about ready for retirement - after which they can all go to the Baku planet in the Briar patch and rejuvenate themselves in only 10 years - which would be an adequate rest for them and ready to take on the Galaxy again). Problem solved.
i liked the borg children. and how seven was there guardian. till there homeworlds were found. it was god how 1 minute seven didn't want responibility then found it hard to give them up. i think it was great having them on voyager it was different.
I was a bit shocked actually when at the beginning of 'Imperfection' the twins and Mezoti were just whisked away by the Wysanti. It seemed that the writers simply thought, 'Let's just get rid of them as quickly as possible in a nice way so we can get on with the story'. I found that a bit unfair and unrealistic as it would have been a long process to get the three kids to leave Voyager with the Wysanti I think. They should have kept Mezoti with Icheb. Her brashness and outspokeness would played off really well against Icheb and Seven and it would have been just plain fun to have an episode just focused on her and Naomi Wildman getting up to all kinds of mischief. Also, it would have made an interesting character development for Seven to have to take them both under her wing and be responsible for them. I don't think portraying her as 'mother' would have been right in keeping with her character but more of guardian and as a person who is just recently starting to experience and deal with a variety of emotions. Much better than having her suddenly get together with Chakotay, for example...
Mezoti was indeed a likeable kid. I was disappointed when they got rid of her with the twins (which were quite frankly an unnecessary addition ... they barely spoke, though I really couldn't even connect to those two).
I really want to know what happened to the Borg Baby. I assumed that it was put into some kind of incubator or something, but shouldn't it have been "done" by the time Voyager hits the Alpha Quadrant? Does it die? Does it go to an orphanage? Does Captain Picard adopt it (jk, lol, a borg and a kid combined, Picards's worst nightmare EVA) - the writers just kinda dropped that one. I just finished watching Endgame, and although it was a good episode, I was dissapointed by all the loose ends of the series. I would have liked to see a reunion scene with Admiral Paris and Tom, and his reaction to his new granddaughter. I also would have liked to have seen Tuvok with his wife and kids. It's just kind of like, 'we're home, yay,' and then the series is totally finished. It was pretty funny when the Borg queen is falling apart, and Janeway says "Must have been something you assimilated."
On another note, I liked Icheb, and I wish that there could have been more interaction between him and Seven and the other crewmembers. If Iched had exhibited more adolescent characteristics, he would have been a stronger character. As he stands, he's very mature, perhaps too much for his years. Wouldn't he feel some kind of anger or resentment for being made a Borg? Wouldn't that come out somehow?
Icheb's potential for angst is great. Used by his own species, cut off from them entirely, being ex-borg.. 7 gets to discover her humanity but what is Icheb? Hardly an origin he will be able to embrace, both because of the abuse and the fact that he ends up on the other side of the galaxy. You can't go home again and all that. We need an Icheb novel.
Hey teacake -- I don't usually do the self-promotion thing, but ... you want post-Endgame Icheb angst, you got it: Angsty Icheb novel. Start of second angsty Icheb novel (in progress). (More where that came from at Ad Astra.)
How can you hate the twins? They didn't have a personality between them to hate. (And you sort of have to admire their ambition ... remember how they wanted to clone Naomi? I can just imagine the conversation they had through their neural link ... "One for me, one for you. It'll be awesome.") Anyway, I can totally understand being indifferent toward them and thinking they added nothing to the show, but hating them?
Answering for myself, you answered your own question there. Lack of personality can be just as offputting as a grating one. Also, just looking at them screamed, "We are terrible actors!". Probably another reason they were limited in dialogue. Honestly, I didn't see anything about them to like, at all.
I think this is why I'm indifferent toward them. They didn't do anything for me to love nor hate them. They might not even be official actors but rather models selected to fill the role and promote their career. They could also just be like the actor playing Vorik and are just some studio heads kids, who thought it was cool putting his kids in Star Trek. Kinda like what they did with Padma Lashmi on ENT, who started as a model and is now is more famous as a spokes person and host of TOP CHEF on BRAVO.
As for the baby, I don't see the big deal. Obviously they're not gonna have it as a character, so either it must have 1) died, 2) was adopted by a crewmember, or 3) was dropped off with the twins and Mezoti.
Mezoti was by far the best character. She shouldn't have left. Everything she said was pure gold. "The turbolift started to fall faster and faster...! Anybody hungry?" (Outraged) "Neelix!" "Well, you haven't touched your snacks..." "Snacks are irrelevant! Continue the story!" She was also a master of that annoying but cute little sister smirk, which is why she should have stayed as Icheb's surrogate annoying little sister. Plus she was foil not only to Icheb but also Seven, and seeing Seven frustrated never, ever gets old. She really evolved as a character because of those children. Truer words are rarely spoken, my good chum.