Could Equinox have turned Voyager around?

[Dukhat]

If I were you I'd be careful what I wish for since it's pretty clear that you followed me trying to cause an issue, after I stopped entertaining your tiresome debate elsewhere... I recommend taking your own advice and letting it go, instead of perpetually trying to get the last word in.

Since you asked, every reply starting with #91.

No.

Talk to a mod, or drop your nonsense.

 

[FederationHistorian]

I don’t think I would have made a difference when considering how tightly of a control UPN had on VOY. As they had such an opportunity several episodes prior to have another ship fly along Voyager for half a season and did not take it.

Weeks before meeting the Equinox, Voyager meet the Varro. And after repairing the generational ship and dealing with Harry’s attachment to Tal, they go on their merry way. On a better written show, the Varro rebels that left the generational ship would have been granted asylum and joined the Voyager crew, with Harry and Tal moving in together. And the divisions and tactics that led to the Varro rebels splitting off (a desire to explore, being a generational ship, an oppressive hierarchal structure) would have reignited division between the Starfleet and Maquis. And then the addition of the Equinox could have led to a volatile situation when half the crew continues on home on Voyager. While the other half either explore the DQ with the Varro in a hybrid Equinox/Varro starship, or settle on a world in the DQ.

Since that would equate to a season long arc broken up over two season (final 11 episodes of S5 and first 12 episodes of S6), and UPN was very resistant to season long arcs, it was never going to happen. Even if it would have made VOY less middling towards the end.

 

[Akiraprise]

Hmmm... evidently you two @Blip @Dukhat have a preexisting dysfunctional relationship with each other. I wish you both well in mending that. However, this isn't the place to hash that out. Maybe you should stop posting in this thread if you aren't able to help yourselves from sniping at each other.

@Blip the pedant flaming comment was out of line which I've opted to warn you for. Additionally, telling someone they're on Ignore is also a no no. If you feel an explanation is necessary feel free to PM me but I base my actions on activity in this thread alone. No more back and forth in this thread from either of you please.

I'm not really seeing any nonconstructive comments myself. The thread topic is somewhat difficult to discuss without mentioning some of the real world concerns that prevented Equinox from sticking around. It's ebbed and flowed. Guess we'll carry on for now.

 

[Dukhat]

Don’t even know the guy. But I’m perfectly fine continuing to talk about roads not taken for Voyager

 

[DSG2k]

I just figured, if they were going to send them to a faraway place like the Delta Quadrant, they may as well have more native DQ characters in the crew to have a proper connection to the Delta Quadrant to start with. Neelix and Kes aren't enough.

I've long thought that there should've been attrition of the regular cast. This could even have allowed for a longer show, but for UPN. We could have literally had the seventy year journey if they'd pulled an NCIS.

Of course, one could take Delta Quadrant crew pickups too far: Voyager finally rolls up to Earth and Starfleet's first inquiry is "who the hell are, like, any of you?"

 

[Dukhat]

If there was an actual purpose to the show, that might have been different. As it was, a show lasting 70 years, even with a changing cast, is simply not sustainable if there's no real plot other than the ship visiting aliens of the week and getting shot at by them.

 

[thribs]

Around from what?

 

[Anwar]

I've long thought that there should've been attrition of the regular cast. This could even have allowed for a longer show, but for UPN. We could have literally had the seventy year journey if they'd pulled an NCIS.

Of course, one could take Delta Quadrant crew pickups too far: Voyager finally rolls up to Earth and Starfleet's first inquiry is "who the hell are, like, any of you?"

That would be biting off way more than they could chew. But yes, they should've had the crew be more DQ Natives.

I mean heck, anyone watching the new show about Captain Nemo? It's doing the same thing by having the crew not be some "Hand picked by Nemo himself" setup but be made up of random folks they pick up (though a lot of them are oneshots who die by the end of their 1 episode). French Scientist, English Noblewoman with engineering knowledge, Maori and Indian and Chinese, French Bodyguard Lady, etc.

 

[Riley]

Really, VOY should've resolved the "Go Back to Earth" thing by like Season 3 or 4 and then just have them go back out there voluntarily for something else.

Man, this is a great idea that I've never once considered. It would provide a soft-reboot for the show with minimal effort. They get home at the end of one season, the next season jumps ahead a few months, and the new premise is introduced. Janeway wants to go back since they found a quick and sustainable way home, Voyager gets repairs and a refit, some crew remain, others leave, Voyager goes back out. As for the finale of the series itself, Voyager goes home a second time and we see everyone move on from what was essentially a seven-year mission.

If there was an actual purpose to the show, that might have been different. As it was, a show lasting 70 years, even with a changing cast, is simply not sustainable if there's no real plot other than the ship visiting aliens of the week and getting shot at by them.

That's another interesting idea that I'm sure UPN wouldn't have gone for: time jumps and character replacements. Season one deals with Voyager's crew assessing their options and deciding to head home, seasons two and three are set twenty years later, seasons four and five jump are set another twenty years later, six is set fifty years in, and season seven jumps ahead to the seventieth year. Voyager gets home in the third to last episode, with a two-parter that reveals the state of the Federation and Starfleet in the 25th century.

 

[DSG2k]

If there was an actual purpose to the show, that might have been different. As it was, a show lasting 70 years, even with a changing cast, is simply not sustainable if there's no real plot other than the ship visiting aliens of the week and getting shot at by them.

I mean, arguably, isn't that just several shows all called Star Trek?

 

[Dukhat]

I mean, arguably, isn't that just several shows all called Star Trek?

Not 70 consecutive years of it.