Had Voyager Stuck To Its Original Premise

[The Salt Umpire]

Worry about getting home? No worries at all, because the audience already knows that any time it looks like they found a way home, something will happen to fuck it up, because they can't get home until the end of the show. It's like Gilligan's Island in space.

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a Starfleet ship
That started in the usual way
Then took an unscheduled trip

Chakotay was a mighty Maquis man,
Janeway brave and sure.
Voiyager set sail that day
For a three light-year tour, a three light-year tour.

The array sent them who knows where
The tiny ship was tossed,
If not for the Feddie and the Maquis crew
Voyager would be lost, Voyager would be lost.

The ship wound up stranded in the Delta Quadrant zone, Cap wants her coffee strong
With Chakotay
The Skipper too,
The creepy cook and his wife,
Thomas Paris and Seven of Nine ,
Here on Yoyager's Trial

 

[Danja]

The long term deployment frustration I get but without looking into any detail of what you've stated about the Abraham Lincoln I find it hard to believe that the modern US military industrial complex would allow one of it's most state of the art warships to not be supplied properly. Does it not have cleaning supplies or is the crew just choosing not to clean the showers, for example?

The Abraham Lincoln was caught in a lurch. It was slated to go home, but Donald Trump suddenly decided to send it to Iran.

The decision was made so quickly, there was never any thought given to the logistics of keeping the ship supplied.

 

[fireproof78]

eight months is tough, imagine having to endure a situation like that for seven years. >.<

For me it was ignoring all the dramatic opportunities with a blended crew, building relationships and people working together despite differences.

 

[Mondragon]

Voyager's original premise was ... Gilligan's Island in space.

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a Starfleet ship
That started in the usual way
Then took an unscheduled trip

Chakotay was a mighty Maquis man,
Janeway brave and sure.
Voiyager set sail that day
For a three light-year tour, a three light-year tour.

The array sent them who knows where
The tiny ship was tossed,
If not for the Feddie and the Maquis crew
Voyager would be lost, Voyager would be lost.

The ship wound up stranded in the Delta Quadrant zone, Cap wants her coffee strong
With Chakotay
The Skipper too,
The creepy cook and his wife,
Thomas Paris and Seven of Nine ,
Here on Yoyager's Trial

Alternativley:

John Robinson (Guy Armando Catallano Williams) - Chakotay
Maureen Robinson (June Lockhart) – Janeway
Major Don West (Mark Goddard) – Paris
Judy Robinson (Marta Kristen) – B'Elanna
Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris) – The Doctor
The Robot (A B-9 model)- 7 of 9

 

[AntonyF]

there was never any thought given

I think that sums it all up in a nutshell.

 

[valkyrie013]

If they made it more "serial" like Ds9 was, and not Tng where there was generally a "reset" at the begining of each episode. Ship is ready on all acounts, no damage, crew morale high. etc.
Having some serialized things of having to find spare parts, crew morale, some indiviuals going into depression, stuff like that. could have had most of the same episodes, but an episode with "we're on our last deuterium injector" and need a new one. Some things can't be replicated, or would requre a starbase's "Industrial" replicator to make some larger parts.
Basically. They could have made it a harder ride home.

 

[AntonyF]

Basically. They could have made it a harder ride home.

I was thinking recently how it's fate that Ron Moore went to DS9 and Brannon Braga to Voyager. Because Brannon was more concept TV. The dealing with aliens to negotiate and get bits and the slog home wasn't so much his bag.

If they were swapped around both shows may have been quite different.

 

[Anwar]

Wasn’t the issue that the network didn’t want two gritty, serialized Treks running at the same time?

I wonder if they’d have been better off sleeping on Voyager for a few years and having an adventure-of-the-week show to air opposite DS9.

The problem was that no one involved in Production genuinely wanted to make the show as the Premise promised.

UPN didn't really want a "New" Trek show. It wanted a TNG continuation because of what a monster hit TNG had been. It had no interest in changing anything and just having it be TNG continued...even though TNG had clearly been running out of steam by Season 7 anyways.

Micheal Piller hadn't wanted to actually do the show and wanted to move onto new stuff and not keep doing Trek, but his other UPN shows failed so he worked on VOY for 2 seasons before leaving for good.

Jeri Taylor didn't want to do the show either, she just wanted to do more TNG and implemented her unused ideas for TNG in VOY.

Rick Berman admitted he never really thought the premise of the show gelled with Trek in the first place and wasn't really onboard with making it, but it was direct order so he did it.

Berman actually had a point....Trek is supposed to be about "Boldly Exploring" while VOY's premise was already an incomplete one and called for "Gritty Survival".

You can't be "Boldly Exploring" while "Grittily Surviving", they're opposites.

 

[Starflight]

Voyager was designed for long-term solo deep space missions. Their situation isn't immediately any different from the five-year-missions that countless other ships have been sent on, and obviously, they make it home in seven (which iirc is still within what the Intrepid-class was designed for).

The show's premise isn't "bunch of melodramatic clowns go to pieces under stress", it's "likeable people have weird adventures on a grand journey home", same as something like Red Dwarf. Their attitude is "we might as well enjoy the journey", which strikes me as more likely and believable than the alternative.

The one point where the "it abandoned the premise" accusation lands is the Maquis, who were reduced to a recurring plot point rather than a constant presence, but to be honest I'm glad they handled it that way because it would have only damaged the show to be cutting away to Maquis shit every episode. They used it when there was a good story hook, like B'Elanna getting the news about them being wiped out, or "Worst Case Scenario", or the funny one where they're all sleeper agents.

 

[flyerdog]

For me it was ignoring all the dramatic opportunities with a blended crew, building relationships and people working together despite differences.

yeah that could have been done better....

but at the same time "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"...meaning Maquis and Starfleet were facing the same enemy: isolation and exile...yeah there were hints of the Starfleet/Maquis tension in the first season, which did go away quickly, but maybe that was the mindset "We're in this together, guess we better make the best of it..."

I would have preferred a cast of the following:

Janeway
Chakotay
Paris
Torres
Dr.
Tuvok
(later Seven)
Nellix OR Kes (not both, one or the other)

always thought Harry was extraneous, even the 'Harry' episodes were rather bland.
When they made Nelix an Ambassador, he could have done so much more, like actual diplomatic missions, even some confrontation with Janeway (diplomacy vs military)

or Kes without Neelix,
could have explored a romantic relationship with Paris and it would have felt organic...or she could becomes Voyagers Ogawa, or B'Lanna's protoge...so many possibilities...she also was an open communicator, so she might have even taken on a Troi type role eventually

but I'd concur with others in that they needed a show with an optimistic tint (the core of ST after all)...since DS9 was running concurrently.

 

[HotRod]

I understand that when filming an actual studio model and consistently using existing stock footage, showing any kind of wear and tear on Voyager would have been prohibitively difficult. But once they started using the CGI model more and more, I would have appreciated the ship starting to show its mileage, both inside and out. Showing a bit of hastily repaired damage here and there would have gone a long way toward showing the kind of hardship and supply issues they were facing.

The ship always looking like it had just rolled off the showroom floor was a constant annoyance to me when watching the show. I'm not saying it needed to look like Year of Hell at all times, but some state of disrepair would have been appropriate.

Say what you want about Enterprise, but in Season 3, the damage the NX-01 took was consistent throughout the season, and it did a lot of work in showcasing the perilous situation the crew was facing. It also really endeared the ship to me. I cared what happened to it. Every weapon impact made me wince because I knew the ship was hurting. But she carried on. She persevered.

I still get misty eyed when she finally makes it back to Earth, still carrying the scars from everything she went through. We could have had that for Voyager, but in the end, I felt nothing for the ship. It never felt like the ship ever struggled. A missed opportunity.

 

[fireproof78]

but at the same time "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"...meaning Maquis and Starfleet were facing the same enemy: isolation and exile...yeah there were hints of the Starfleet/Maquis tension in the first season, which did go away quickly, but maybe that was the mindset "We're in this together, guess we better make the best of it..."

Then you never have struggles? We just smoothly transition to our new job? No growing pains, no authority challenges, no mistrust because we use to be hunting you?

Damn. And I thought rebuilding Berlin was impressive.

 

[Ogrebear]

Given the damage Voyager took the ‘fixed between episodes’ thing got old after a while. More episodes like the one where they land on a planet and spend some time actually doing repairs would have been nice. Or more scenes of them doing actual diplomacy and trading for parts/raw materials/supplies at space stations, or planets would have added to the survival thing.

The Marquis thing vanishing was a drama opportunity lost, sure it did not have to be screaming rows all the time, but differences of opinion from more than just Torres. A Marquis ‘Lower Decks’ episode would have been lovely.

Sorta related video:

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[flyerdog]

Then you never have struggles? We just smoothly transition to our new job? No growing pains, no authority challenges, no mistrust because we use to be hunting you?

Damn. And I thought rebuilding Berlin was impressive.

assimilation sped up for "TV time"...they did touch on it briefly with the holo novel episode. but i get your point. usually a "turn the page" moment has a lot more growing pain

 

[Anwar]

I would have preferred a cast of the following:

Janeway
Chakotay
Paris
Torres
Dr.
Tuvok
(later Seven)
Nellix OR Kes (not both, one or the other)

I'd have made the case even smaller.

The Primaries, IMO, should have been Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, the Doctor and Paris.

Torres, Kim, Neelix and Kes should've been recurring secondaries.

Given the damage Voyager took the ‘fixed between episodes’ thing got old after a while. More episodes like the one where they land on a planet and spend some time actually doing repairs would have been nice. Or more scenes of them doing actual diplomacy and trading for parts/raw materials/supplies at space stations, or planets would have added to the survival thing.

They should've made Voyager be an alien ship they get from the Caretaker, not a Federation one. Would've opened up newer avenues.

 

[fireproof78]

assimilation sped up for "TV time"...they did touch on it briefly with the holo novel episode. but i get your point. usually a "turn the page" moment has a lot more growing pain

Enemies to allies is a rich plot. TV time is shortchanging it.

 

[Anwar]

Enemies to allies is a rich plot. TV time is shortchanging it.

I mean, how long SHOULD that take? After a season or two it would get really repetitive and you'd wonder "Why are the Fleeters putting up with these people after 2 years of conflict?"

 

[fireproof78]

I mean, how long SHOULD that take? After a season or two it would get really repetitive and you'd wonder "Why are the Fleeters putting up with these people after 2 years of conflict?"

A season. Or just acknowledge the tension set up in the opening episode.

 

[Oddish]

Voyager could have found a spot between "Princess Cruise" and "Year of Hell x7". Or, they could have at least EXPLAINED why they were basically on the cruise in the latter half of the show. Maybe B'Elanna builds a fusion reactor that runs on H¹, which is super plentiful and will give the ship lots of energy, though it's labor intensive to operate. Or Neelix trades with a species that uses matter-antimatter weapons technology and Voyager buys fifty more photon torpedoes. And maybe the 37's ends with the most resistant of the Maquis leaving the ship, so the Starfleet-Maquis conflict dies down.