Why do you like Voyager?

[I am not Spock]

I liked:

-the characters
- the premise
- the humour
- the visual effects
- the high concept episodes (Year of Hell, Blink Of An Eye, etc)
- I actually liked the episodic nature of Voyager. If they had continuous arcs like DS9, people would accuse the staff of copying the latter. Fact is, if you're travelling along through the DQ, you would meet new races, and move on, and encounter new ones. I liked it how we had mainly different foes every season. The Kazon in seasons 1 and 2, , the Hirogen (s4), Malon (s5), etc.
-The Borg. Yeah, sue me. I liked them. Again, if you're in the Delta Quadrant, how can you not do the Borg? They're the major power in the region!

Voyager may not have been the best of the Trek series. But it was still entertaining to me, and I don't hate on it like many people here do. All of the Trek series have their plus points.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

(Still am, but not to the extent as back then and given there is no Trek on, it's a little hard to "get into it")

Hmm... I guess I've never "gotten out of it". Just uhh... start from the beginning! The Cage---->ST:XI

 

[tomalak301]

(Still am, but not to the extent as back then and given there is no Trek on, it's a little hard to "get into it")

Hmm... I guess I've never "gotten out of it". Just uhh... start from the beginning! The Cage---->ST:XI

Well, back then I was really just excited. Now it's not so much, and I'm watching Enterprise so it's all good.

 

[sevenstars]

You know, I've often said I loved the characters, but it's not just the individual characters, but their relationships with each other and how these grew and deepened over time. There's a humanity about the show that was much less evident in some of the other series; TNG, for example, where the personal relationships often seemed static, and empty.

That quality was evident in the humor, the spiritual elements, the acceptance of personal liabilities as well as strengths. That's what I think of when I think of Voyager. Even Q was tolerable when he was on that ship.

 

[Mareika]

I`m wondering that nobody loves Voyager because of J/C. I do.
Chakotay and J/C are the reasons I like Voyager.

 

[Orac Zen]

It just confuses me that this show is more popular than DS9, a show which had excellent characters and an engaging story...

See, for mine DS9 had neither of those things (Kira excepted), while Voyager had them in spades. Chuckles and (to a lesser extent) Kim aside, Voyager IMO had by far the best group of characters in Trek. They were engaging, interesting people who kept me watching for the duration. They engaged me as people. I gave a damn about them. I wanted to know what happened to them. Their journey - both literal and metaphorical - was one I wanted to see unfold.

I'd have to dispute your claim that Voyager is "more popular" than DS9 - particularly on this board. It wasn't until I signed up at TBBS that I realised I was supposed to hate Voyager and that I was (at best) a simpleton for liking it. It may be different elsewhere but it was (is?) certainly the case here.

Voyager was a flawed series, certainly, but it had great characters and a sense of heart and camaraderie the other Trek shows lacked. Janeway (who along with Picard is the only Trek captain I can envision actually wanting to serve with) often spoke of the crew being a family and that's how they struck me as well. Warts and all, these people cared about each other. At least, that's how it seemed to me. It didn't work for others and that's fine; no TV show (or book, or movie, or song, or whatever) appeals to everyone, after all. To each their own.

 

[Saquist]

Simple really. I dont hate Voyager with the same passion as a lot of people, but I still think it was pretty poor. Barely any element of the show seemed to actually tie in with them being stuck in the Delta Quadrant, and the characters didnt seem to relate well to each dramatically. The only show I ever enjoyed was Year of Hell. I get sick to the stomach when people say that Janeway was like a good mix of Picard and Sisko, seems to me people got that impression because she just flipped between what those two would have done depending on what was happening in the show.

It just confuses me that this show is more popular than DS9, a show which had excellent characters and an engaging story (until season 7). Im not here as a hater, I just honestly dont understand Voyagers popularity.

I love Voyager, because it's FUN...
It stayed fun...and escapism....
I didn't ask to much from it and I didn't expect what wasn't promised.

 

[Roberta Lincoln]

I liked Voyager mainly because Janeway is a woman.

It took me a bit of time to get used to the characters but this was true with all the other Trek shows since the original one.

 

[Jetfire]

^
Cup-Kate Mulgrew always reminded me of a 30's/40's film Goddess.

[edit] Full of SEXY...much like Jeri Ryan.

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

I liked Voyager because it had a good mix of action and reason.

TOS was a space cowboy adventure. That's okay, it was great. Yes, they tackled some heavy-hitting social issues, but it had lots of blasty-blasty.

TNG was more about diplomacy. Picard tried to talk his way out of most situations. (Not a lot of blasty-blasty) Unlike Kirk, Picard was reserved and full of tact, refined and full of Starfleet ideals. TNG also tackled the social issues, but it wasn't as in your face as TOS's had been. The over-all effect of TNG to me was like sitting down to watch an educational tv show hidden within a fun story. A very "the more you know" kind of thing. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't always like that, and I really liked TNG. I grew with with Picard. He taught me all the bigs words I use to us in school.

Both shows, however, were about exploration and traveling through the stars, and I really loved that.

DS9 was about a space station. It was a 180 from what I was accustomed to, and felt like I was watching "Star Trek: All My Children". I just couldn't get into it. Between the religion (Prophets and such) and the War, it became too dark and too full of meaning for me to really enjoy.

Voyager, I think, balanced things out nicely. You have a crew full of unity, a great premise, characters that were easy to relate to, stories that didn't become overly preachy, travel and exploration, a captain not afraid to punch her way through if diplomacy failed, and the TOS/TNG feel of being out there exploring.

I know you all think I watched it just for Janeway, and I do like my Janeway fix. But, I watched Voyager because I truly enjoyed the series. The actresses were just an added bonus.

 

[sevenstars]

I`m wondering that nobody loves Voyager because of J/C. I do.
Chakotay and J/C are the reasons I like Voyager.

Oh yeah, that too.

 

[kimc]

I`m wondering that nobody loves Voyager because of J/C. I do.
Chakotay and J/C are the reasons I like Voyager.

Oh yeah, that too.

As big a J/C fan as I am the idea had to grow on me.

 

[SPCTRE]

I like Voyager. It's bad/good episode ratio isn't great, but when it is good ("Scorpion", "Year of Hell" etc) it's good.

Sadly, when it's bad, it's baaaad. Far more tedious/boring/uninteresting episodes than it ever should have had.

QFT. I'd also like to mention the quieter, character-driven episodes like Someone to Watch over Me and 11:59.

Also, the Intrepid class. I was thrilled to see her crop up in DS9 with Bellerophon.

 

[exodus]

I liked Voyager because it introduced us to characters that had key elements & character flaws and made episodes that were like psychological experiments for them by taking these characters and dropping them in situations that tested the limits of those character elements.

 

[JanewayRulz!]

As big a J/C fan as I am the idea had to grow on me.

This is true for me too. I don't think it was until "Elogium" that I (coff, coff) realized how fantastic Chakotay looked when he smiled.

It was also the ep where I first thought, "I can't believe she (Janeway) said that!"

JANEWAY: Good work, Commander. In the future, if I have any questions about mating behaviour, I'll know where to go.

Season 2 was a great season for setting up J/C... what with "Tuvix" where Janeway has the first/only heart to heart with someone over her own loneliness...

JANEWAY: Oh, I struggle with it every day. Sometimes I’m full of hope and optimism. Other times. Then I dream about being with Mark and it’s so real. Then when I wake up and realize it’s just a dream, I’m terribly discouraged. In those moments, it’s impossible to deny just how far away he really is. And I know that someday I may have to accept that he’s not part of my life anymore.

To the very next episode, "Resolutions" where she has to confront the idea that she has to stop trying to "get" home, and allow herself to "be" home.

CHAKOTAY: Well, maybe those camping trips helped prepare you for life here.
JANEWAY: Oh, no. Life here is much better than that.
CHAKOTAY: I think that's the first time I've heard you say anything positive about being here.
JANEWAY: Well, hello there. I haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?
CHAKOTAY: Do you expect him to answer you?
JANEWAY: Not really. I just sense intelligence in him, and I could swear he came to warn me about the plasma storm. Come here, fellow. Come on.
CHAKOTAY: I doubt that he can be domesticated, at least not very easily.
JANEWAY: Well, we have plenty of time. The rest of our lives.
CHAKOTAY: That's a long time. At least I hope so.

I still wonder, in my suspicious brain, if the massage scene in "Resolutions" was purposefully foreshadowed by "Elogium". Until "Resolutions" the only nightgown we saw her in was a pale pink satin job. But in "Resolutions" we have that pastel blue number... and when her "knots were having knots", she did this interesting spasm where she "turned" her back towards her room mate.

Sound familiar?

CHAKOTAY: Every aggressive move we make results in a more aggressive move by the creature. If we're not prepared to use extreme force to destroy him, we need to rethink our actions.
JANEWAY: I'm listening.
CHAKOTAY: If we're right that the creature is responding to us as a sexual rival, we might try behaving in a submissive way. That may appease him. We'd be acknowledging that he's dominant and that we're no match for him.
JANEWAY: How do we do that? We tried to move away slowly. He wouldn't let us leave.
CHAKOTAY: Maybe we need to mimic the behaviour of the smaller creatures. We saw them rolling over and changing color.
KIM: If we vent plasma residue, that might make us look blue.

Yep, J/C took 2 years to grow on me, but once it took hold, it NEVER let go!



Edited to add... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6-CrolFzgk

 

[Ensign Johnson]

J/C could be a reason for disliking Voyager, but it didn't bother me too much. Janeway nearly falling for Chakotay's angry warrior story was irritating though, I wish she'd either done pretend snore or just laughed in his face because that story was lame.

 

[Mareika]

J/C could be a reason for disliking Voyager, but it didn't bother me too much. Janeway nearly falling for Chakotay's angry warrior story was irritating though, I wish she'd either done pretend snore or just laughed in his face because that story was lame.

I think it`s such a touching story and we could see that Janeway was very impressed .

 

[JanewayRulz!]

J/C could be a reason for disliking Voyager, but it didn't bother me too much. Janeway nearly falling for Chakotay's angry warrior story was irritating though, I wish she'd either done pretend snore or just laughed in his face because that story was lame.

I think it`s such a touching story and we could see that Janeway was very impressed .

Yeah, whenever Mulgrew claims "nothing happened" on New Earth between J/C, I always want to ask her how many times Picard dropped a tear when Riker held HIS hand.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

I watched the entire series during it's first run 1995-2001.
I miss it. I've seen a few episodes here and there on the Borg fan collection. Recently while watching Drone #502 I was reminded that I like the show a lot.
I miss the EMH character. I miss them all, well maybe except for Harry Kim.
Today I decided to get season 1 on DVD. It is not going to be redone [VOY-R] in HD so no need to wait.
VOY is not available on Netflix for streaming online and I may as well own it as I'll watch episodes more than 3 times.
Instead of getting the entire 7 seasons used I'll start with season 1 new and buy as I go along.
Next month I'm starting the series over. I'll have to revisit the many Caretaker threads on the pilot. If I remember the EMH was activated in that episode and had to deal with things with just his medical programming.

 

[exodus]

VOY is not available on Netflix for streaming online and I may as well own it as I'll watch episodes more than 3 times.

I just read Netflix signed a new deal with another company that will allow them to offer more films & shows to be streamed. So keep your fingers crossed that Voyager will be one of them.