I need encouragement with Voyager

I've recently started a VOY (and ENT) rewatch, and I'm in a similar position. I think part of the problem is that the lack of story arcs doesn't provide "hype". DS9 has that: when I did a DS9 rewatch, I found myself looking forward to the S6 6-episode arc, even though I knew the quality of the episodes in that arc was inconsistent. You just want to know what happens next. Even outside specific arcs, hype is DS9's forte: on any rewatch, you always want to get to Way of the Warrior or The Search part I, just to revisit the arrival of Worf / the Defiant.
The borg arc should help, in S4. It's not directly a story arc, but it does provide direction.

With a show like TNG, you didn't need the "hype" factor, because the episodes were (usually - after S1) so good, the hype was the show itself.

In my case, since this is a rewatch, I find myself looking forward to certain episodes. I remembered that I'd loved Distant Origin on first watch, so that got me through the slog of the "trilogy of terror" (3 pretty bad episodes near the end of the season). I can confirm that I still loved Distant Origin on rewatch. Prior to that was the fact of moving on beyond the Kazons and other early VOY villains.


If you're going to skip S3, I'd advise to skip to episode 21 rather than skipping it all. You'll still miss a few gems (Unity, for instance), but at least not the great stretch of episodes (not including Displaced) that close the season.

 

I'm about halfway through a rewatch of Voyager. I finished an Enterprise run before that. I have never seen all of DS9, so I'll proably start watching that a bit after VOY.

I had to laugh when I saw the OPs comments on Neelix, because I also made the JarJar Binks association early on...that probably isn't uncommon. At least his story line got better after season 2 and beyond anyway.

I don't remember noticing attention to this before (my last watch was a while ago though), but Voyager sure loses a lot of shuttles. You obviously have to suspend reality a bit with a SciFi show, but it kinda sticks out that a resource strapped ship can keep replacing warp capable shuttles.

The conversation about episode arcs was quite intersting to read. The impact of the re-run factor was something I had never heard about. That apparently was no longer a concern for Enterprise.

 

The shuttle problem was adressed when we saw the crrew didn't have much of a problem building the Delta Flyer. Still, it would have been nice if the producers had decided how many shuttles Voyager had so they could use that as tension. Something simple, like bridge officers talking about loosing shuttles, they only have so many. Alternatively, establish that starships have the resources to rebuild lost shuttles. Remember, space is big. Ships aren't going to go home, simply because they lost a few shuttles.

As for Enterprise, the episodic mandate for reruns continued. It was only in Season 3, when the Network said do what you can to raise the raitings or you're cancelled, that the show got freedom to do a long running story arc.

Sesson 4 only happened due to a slashed budget and to appease the studio so there'd be enough episoded for syndicated reruns. Season 5 was never going to happen.

 

They may have had resources for building shuttles, but given how they're meant to be cut off from everything constantly building more seems like a waste, given how much damage they take from battle--after losing the first one or two they should've rethought the need to take so many side trips that resulted in shuttle being lost, unless they were specifically for gathering resources (Chakotay getting one for some sort of vision quest was ridiculous!).

They have the same issue with torpedoes, with only a limited stock and Janeway specifically says they can't replenish them once they're gone, but they fire them off at every opportunity they get. As well as how many crew are actually onboard, it's always around 150-ish, but then some certain numbers are mentioned that constantly fluctuate.

I know it's a really petty thing to be annoyed about, but when the whole premise of the show is about a starship alone in a hostile, unexplored quadrant, trying to get home, then all these aspects would help ramp up the tension and make the journey actually seem like a struggle--especially early on.

 

4 sections in I would still like to know what EnriqueH 's thoughts on what he's seen of Voyager so far?

 

The shuttles... you know, on every rewatch, I keep wondering "Why does Janeway allow Chakotay to take one out?"

He personally lost almost as many shuttles as the entire crew put together.

Chakotay: "INITIATIONS", "UNITY", "NEMESIS", "NATURAL LAW"

Everyone else: "NON SEQUITUR", "PARTURITION", "DAY OF HONOR", "HUNTERS", "GRAVITY", "TSUNKATSE"

I didn't count giving Kes one in "THE GIFT" or the refugees the 2 in "COUNTERPOINT", or the assimilated one in "DARK FRONTIER", as they were deliberately left with no expectation of recovery.

This means one thing... he let his spirit guide take the wheel too often.

 

That's accurate. Voyager is TNG lite. The best episodes of Voyager are quite good. The average episode is trying to reclaim something the show can't live up to.

Take the top 50 episodes of Voyager, it's a great series. Try to watch them all, it's a slog.

 

The show wasn't meant to be "binged."

Pull up an episode guide online, and cherry pick out the ones that sound interesting. And skip Season 2.

 

I'd argue season 2 has more good episodes than bad.

"PERSISTENCE OF VISION", "MANEUVERS", "RESISTANCE", "DEATH WISH", "ALLIANCES", "MELD", "DREADNOUGHT", "LIFESIGNS", "DEADLOCK", "THE THAW", and "TUVIX" were all really good to great episodes. (And even though "PROJECTIONS" is an episode produced in season 1 and I go by production order, it aired in season 2 and the dvd and reruns show it as such, so I definitely add that one in the 'great episodes' list.)

Season 3 is the one with a mixed bag, particularly the middle of the season.

 

Well, I have no problem watching a few episodes in succession (provided I have the time and the mood for it, of course).

Brings up an interesting (though slightly off topic) question. Are shows written differently nowadays, with that "binging" possibility in mind?

 

I think streaming shows certainly are. Many shows that follow that straight flowing narrative tend to be streaming and bingeable. Not sure about network shows, as the only network show I watch that is still on the air is SUPERNATURAL. (Which ends soon.) THE ORVILLE was one, but that's heading to Hulu.

 

Exactly. Which is why I struggle. But, the show has it's high points. I hope the OP at least found some of those.

 

Season 2 had a lot of good ones, Meld is amazing.

 

Ronald D Moore summed it up best: the show was too reluctant to commit to its premise. Describing Voyager as falling on old habits would be something of a compliment because you would then have to credit the show for keeping an eye over its continuity. Instead, it's the TNG-tribute hour.

There's a lot I like about the show (characters in particular), but everything in Voyager had been done before and better.

 

NuBSG and Stargate Universe do the 'ship/crew lost and alone' far better and really show what Voyager could've been (if they'd pushed the concept to its limits)

When they got it right then the show was really good (no DS9 of course) which made all it's misfires just that much worse.

Loved Janeway, Tuvok, Torres and Kes, Paris had his moments as did Neelix (especially when they focus on just what a damaged character he was) and Seven (when she wasn't hogging the limelight). Chakotay and Kim were just the personification of dullness, The less said about the egomaniac that was the Doctor the better.

 

I've heard people say this before but i'd find this direction too grim. The show definitely needed to address the human factor in what was going on where you would get on board factions. But, really, what I wanted to do was see the crew actually work. What a perfect time to double down on trade and diplomacy. Imagine if things got so desperate that they would need to consider the idea of potentially dealing with criminals.

Not a Kes girl, myself and Seven...was just there to fill out a latex outfit. But it was a nice outfit.

I actually loved the Doctor.