A season-long arc?

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

There should have been no improved relations. For once we should have no bridge from humanity to that which is truly alien.

But this is Star Trek and that was kind of the whole point of the thing.

 

[DGCatAniSiri]

I don't mind the concept of a bridge to 8472, but it REALLY bugs me how they made that happen in the course of a single episode. If instead 8472 made sporadic appearance through the second half of Voyager as antagonists, and then, in the mid- to late final season, they FINALLY, after many attempts, manage to make a connection to them and find a way to make peace, yeah, that'd have been fine. But having their final appearance come in the fifth season and making them 'just misunderstood' in the course of a single episode, after they were introduced with the catchphrase 'the weak shall perish' was just disappointing.

 

[Anwar]

So...let me get this straight. If the show dealt with the consequences of the events of its more serious stories and didn't hit the reset button...your imaginary legion of unpleasable fans would complain that it did that exact thing.

Undoing any consequence is hitting the reset button, no matter how long it takes. Healing an injury, repairing damage, not matter how it's done or how long it takes it's hitting the reset button.

I don't mind the concept of a bridge to 8472, but it REALLY bugs me how they made that happen in the course of a single episode. If instead 8472 made sporadic appearance through the second half of Voyager as antagonists, and then, in the mid- to late final season, they FINALLY, after many attempts, manage to make a connection to them and find a way to make peace, yeah, that'd have been fine.

Unfortunately, the idea that there was at least one alien species more powerful than the Borg out there was too offensive.

 

[T'Girl]

Undoing any consequence is hitting the reset button, no matter how long it takes. Healing an injury, repairing damage, not matter how it's done or how long it takes it's hitting the reset button

So if we see a nurse on the Enterprise who isn't pregnant, and then we find out she's pregnant, and then we see her pregnant, and then she has a baby, and then we see her (again) not pregnant ...

... that a "reset button?"

 

[Anwar]

If the kid isn't constantly mentioned and seen, it more or less is a reset button in the narrative.

If Tuvok had been blinded, then they found a Doctor to heal him and he wasn't blind anymore, it would just be seen as a reset button.

Like when DS9 destroyed the Defiant, but then they got a new Defiant not too long after.

 

[fireproof78]

I don't mind the concept of a bridge to 8472, but it REALLY bugs me how they made that happen in the course of a single episode. If instead 8472 made sporadic appearance through the second half of Voyager as antagonists, and then, in the mid- to late final season, they FINALLY, after many attempts, manage to make a connection to them and find a way to make peace, yeah, that'd have been fine. But having their final appearance come in the fifth season and making them 'just misunderstood' in the course of a single episode, after they were introduced with the catchphrase 'the weak shall perish' was just disappointing.

I could see that working. The big reveal of Species 8472's appearance could be saved for later, with both the Borg and Voyager uncertain what they are facing. Through snippets of data (collective mind accounts and Kes's telepathic insights) they assemble something that might resemble it. Then, they are wrong and get pulled in to fluidic space.

They barely survive, and try to determine what the space is, and whether or not they can use it to get home faster. But, the Borg are engaged in a war, and Voyager needs to retreat in order to avoid destruction.

There is more that can be done, and you can weave that in throughout a season, no problem. If you save the reveal of 8472, you can save on CGI costs and tease at their appearance.

 

[Anwar]

The premiere's storyline could've been extended a bit more.

Example: The Caretaker's own natural power (boosted by the Array) is what brought they to the Delta Quadrant. He overestimated himself and was too weak to send them back before he died. Since he couldn't find a successor (or a mate) he had a back-up plan for the Array to be automated to continue to look after the Ocampa and repel intruders.

Unfortunately, the AI wasn't programmed as well as it could've been, being a back-up and not plan A so it sees Voyager as an intruder as well.

It destroys all the Kazon camps on the surface, but Voyager manages to hide on the surface by powering down.

The next few episodes are about them fighting off Kazon survivors on the planet, working together to get by them to the Ocampa city and try to find a way to get the Array to stop seeing them as enemies.

They use an old shuttle in the city to take some Ocampa up there, and the Array recognizes them as friendlies. They reprogram the AI to not attack Voyager and explore the Array to find clues as to what to do next. The Array is their HQ as they do short-term exploring the system until they decide to leave for good.

There, and extended opening like that could last the first season.