Anyone miss Janeway-B'Ellana once Seven came along?

[exodus]

I loved loved loved Seven, but did anyone else miss Janeway's relationship with B'Ellana once Seven came along? Actually now that I think about it, I just missed B'Ellana in general.

Yes, I did.

In fact, B'Elanna became superfluous in the later seasons which was a shame.

I disagree.
While Torres didn't have the same focus on her that Seven did, I still found Be'Lanna eps. had just as much emotional impact as Seven's did. Due to Roxanne's great acting skills and the wonderful stories they gave her, I felt like I knew the character like the back of my hand by the end of the series and in ways better than Seven. Sorry, I don't find Roxanne/Be'Lanna superfluous. She was worth every dime and I cherished every moment she was on the screen.

 

[JanewayRulz!]

I loved loved loved Seven, but did anyone else miss Janeway's relationship with B'Ellana once Seven came along? Actually now that I think about it, I just missed B'Ellana in general.

Yes, I did.

In fact, B'Elanna became superfluous in the later seasons which was a shame.

I disagree.
While Torres didn't have the same focus on her that Seven did, I still found Be'Lanna eps. had just as much emotional impact as Seven's did. Due to Roxanne's great acting skills and the wonderful stories they gave her, I felt like I knew the character like the back of my hand by the end of the series and in ways better than Seven. Sorry, I don't find Roxanne/Be'Lanna superfluous. She was worth every dime and I cherished every moment she was on the screen.

B'Elanna was an extremely important aspect of Voyager, not just as its chief engineer but as an integral member of its crew. Unlike anyone else on Voyager, her "seduction" into the cult of Janeway hit a huge roadblock in season 5, and it wasn't resolved until season 6 with "Barge of the Dead". She had Tom, she had Chakotay, she even had Tuvok counseling her throughout season 5, but what she really needed was Janeway and she wouldn't allow the Captain into her heart for months. She wouldn't allow herself to forgive the Captain until she learned to forgive her own Mother. As much as I didn't like "Juggernaut" in its first run, its become a fav on repeat viewing because I can see the child rebelling against the Mother, I can see the Mother's trust giving the child every opportunity to succeed.

That "reset button" that so many complain about was never pushed between these two at the end of NH. Talk about lack of "mushy" in their relationship... It always impressed me that the writers kept these two separate for so long... between "Nothing Human" and "Barge of the Dead". Once forgiven, however, their bond was solid, as can be seen when she demanded to join the away team to the BORG cube in Unimatrix Zero. Without B'Elanna on that team, all would have been lost.

B'Elanna's arc through the 7 seasons was inspired, as was her growth in her relationships with Tom and Janeway and even Tuvok. It was one of the reasons I loved writing my fanfic... to show that 10 years after Voyager, she continued to grow in strength and confidence under the loving care of both Tom and Kathryn.

 

[Lynx]

Honestly, I like B'Elanna too. One of my favorites.

But I think that she was shoved aside a bit when Seven arrived, both when it came to "techmical skills and knowledge saves the day" and the relation with Janeway as well.

 

[Cepstrum]

B'Elanna is one of my favorite Trek characters, not just in VOY.

Yes, Seven-EMH-Janeway stole the limelight, but I think they acquitted themselves well.

And I actually preferred B'Elanna's interactions with others, such as Tom and Harry. If we'd had her interact more with Janeway, we might have *really* got to see less of the others.

Plus, I like how B'Elanna grew up quickly and took charge. She seemed pretty well-developed and reasonable: she had her rebellious/anger streak, but she was smart enough to realize working as part of the team and setting an example for her fellow Maquis friends was the prudent thing to do, if they wanted to stay alive and get home while under the command of a SF-majority crew. She early on demonstrated her common-sense and wisdom by calling out Carey and Seska in Prime Factors and then trying to take full responsibility. She had the knack and can-do style. She didn't need nurturing from Janeway.

When she did need guidance, she got it from her mentor Chakotay and would-be counselor, Tuvok.

I thought her character actually realistically grew over the seven years, too. Compare her initial volatility, name-calling (the "Starfleet" epithet to Harry) and hiding her feelings to opening up and acting with mutual selflessness towards Tom.

Not quite as stark as Seven's "exploration of her humanity" or the Doctor's growth from grumpy machine to full self-awareness (and rather a self-important braggart, hehe), but it was there.

 

[exodus]

Honestly, I like B'Elanna too. One of my favorites.

But I think that she was shoved aside a bit when Seven arrived, both when it came to "techmical skills and knowledge saves the day" and the relation with Janeway as well.

Be'Lanna's stories never(or barely) had anything to do with techinical skills. The majority focused on her inner turmoil. Even eps. like "Dreadnaut" ot Juggernaut" where her skills are required still focused solely on her mind set.

 

[kimc]

Honestly, I like B'Elanna too. One of my favorites.

But I think that she was shoved aside a bit when Seven arrived, both when it came to "techmical skills and knowledge saves the day" and the relation with Janeway as well.

Be'Lanna's stories never(or barely) had anything to do with techinical skills. The majority focused on her inner turmoil. Even eps. like "Dreadnaut" ot Juggernaut" where her skills are required still focused solely on her mind set.

I think it was a mix. After all, it was her technical skills that got her the position in "Parallax".

 

[exodus]

Honestly, I like B'Elanna too. One of my favorites.

But I think that she was shoved aside a bit when Seven arrived, both when it came to "techmical skills and knowledge saves the day" and the relation with Janeway as well.

Be'Lanna's stories never(or barely) had anything to do with techinical skills. The majority focused on her inner turmoil. Even eps. like "Dreadnaut" ot Juggernaut" where her skills are required still focused solely on her mind set.

I think it was a mix. After all, it was her technical skills that got her the position in "Parallax".

Come on, she wouldn't have gotten it if that hadn't explored that she had the skills at least once.

 

[jolene_b_fan]

yea, Seven of 9 was the hot chick injection into the show. she stole so many episodes, and Jeri Ryan ran away with the show. Kind of putting a stop to other character development for what seemed like a long time.

 

[exodus]

yea, Seven of 9 was the hot chick injection into the show. she stole so many episodes, and Jeri Ryan ran away with the show. Kind of putting a stop to other character development for what seemed like a long time.

The irony is killing me.