If Janeway really had the heart of an explorer in her...

[Guy Gardener]

She would have said in the pilot after Caretaker had been resolved, something like "70 thousand Light years is a good start. Lets keep going and find out what's really out there."

But, turning back...

Going home?

Running back to mummy's tit?

That really doesn't seem like the antics of a woman who swore an oath to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before, does it?

It would have changed the premise completely. Instead of telling the aliens of the week that space is big and scary and they miss some home cooking. it's going to be "We thought it would be nice to meet you."

Really, it would have only been a 15 year detour at most to see the Galactic Barrier, which would be of some interest to find out if it's any different on this other side of the Galaxy.

The Maquis didn't have a home to go to, and frankly neither really did the regular Starfleet either (to a point.) since it's likely they burnt most of their bridges to be so committed to their careers.

But how would the crew have reacted if Janeway had decided to go forward instead of recoiling to wards the home front?

 

[spot_loves_data]

You lost me at "Galactic Barrier." No idea what that is.

I'd be on board with your idea if the Caretaker gave Voyager intergalactic warp. But since the delta quadrant was unexplored, she's traveling into the unknown either way. A one-way trip into the vasty nothingness does have a queer appeal, though.

 

[Anwar]

Yeah, in a way VOY pretty much contradicted what Trek is about.

"We're in an unexplored area of space, let's run away from it!"

 

[Sandoval]

What they should have done is use the Array to throw themselves another 70,000 light-years out into the void between the galaxies.

 

[spot_loves_data]

Yeah, in a way VOY pretty much contradicted what Trek is about.

"We're in an unexplored area of space, let's run away from it!"

Nah, they all meant to return home. It was never about perpetual travel. Besides, they had to travel through unexplored space, there was no escaping it.

 

[Guy Gardener]

You lost me at "Galactic Barrier." No idea what that is.

I'd be on board with your idea if the Caretaker gave Voyager intergalactic warp. But since the delta quadrant was unexplored, she's traveling into the unknown either way. A one-way trip into the vasty nothingness does have a queer appeal, though.

In the second pilot, back in '66 when Kirk showed up, it was the Enterprises first mission to leave the Galaxy and see what's out there.

To do so they had to pass through/ram "The Galactic barrier" a wall/fence of energy they didn't understand and could barely identify.

A monumental mistake.

It's what gave Garry Mitchel his glowing silver eyeballs, and god like super powers.

Not to be confused with the great barrier which, was an ineffable fence/wall that curtains off the centre of the galaxy, seen in the fourth movie where God lives.

But the Delta Quadrant wasn't unexplored.

The Federation had had unmanned probes in that area for hundreds of years (You think Friendship one was their first and last attempt at mapping unknown space?) and for all her talk about 70 years from home, there were long range exploration vessels right then in 2370 that were 25 thousand light years from the Federation border (See Lifeline) who would be meeting up with Voyager in about 20 years, to say "hello" and then in another 20 years after that would be taking scans of the debris left behind by the Caretakers Array.

Do you suppose those ships would stop at Caretakers Array and turn back, or had their plan been to proceed to the galactic barrier or something equally interesting to Starfleet worth planning out a 200 year long mission round trip for purely science's sake?

 

[RoJoHen]

Seeking out new lifeforms and exploring space doesn't do you a lot of good if you never make it home to report your findings. There was plenty of Delta Quadrant to explore on their way back home.

 

[The Dominion]

Speaking from a writing point of view, the whole idea of the Caretakers was a rare chance to flesh out the concept of meeting aliens from other galaxies that goes back to episodes of TOS. But of course the Caretakers were no more than forgettable aliens of the week, so there goes that interesting idea.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Seeking out new lifeforms and exploring space doesn't do you a lot of good if you never make it home to report your findings. There was plenty of Delta Quadrant to explore on their way back home.

They had to spend the next 70 years trekking through, first Borg, then Klingon, and then Romulan Space before they get home.

Decades being victimized by their most hated enemies.

Home in a straight line was always a death sentence.

Even if they didn't get killed by assholes, Janeway was going to die of old age around about the half way mark.

 

[RoJoHen]

That isn't actually an argument.

How is going the opposite direction any less of a death sentence?

 

[Guy Gardener]

It's not.

If they die no matter what they do, then they why play it safe?

or more accurately in this case, why play it stupid?

Of course...

With Romulus destroyed, that makes the shattered remnants of the Star Empire plain sailing or a Klingon Smorgas Board, but Janeway didn't know that, and besides, once you start taking the movie into account, it's altogether possible that the universe as we know it was over written in favour of Abrams vision, and none of these people were ever born.

 

[Kemaiku]

She does, unfortunately it's in a jar in her quarters, really not sure who it belongs too...

 

[RoJoHen]

"The Devil you know."

At least they're familiar with the Borg, and in the 24th Century the Klingons and Romulans are hardly their enemies anymore.

 

[Deks]

I do agree with the premise that Voyager in a sense contradicted Trek's essence.
Then again, it might be justifiable since we could argue that Picard could have done the same thing in 'Where no one has gone before' (Season 1) but ultimately decided to return to the Federation ASAP.

I think communication contact and speed are influential factors here.
Voyager had neither to report back to SF in a timely manner... although I suppose they could have once they established contact with SF by receiving messages once per month.

We've seen examples where other crews 'chickened' out of exploration missions when finding themselves under extreme circumstances.
Had Voyager had the ability to return to Federation space in months or just a few years via regular Warp speed, then sure, I could see them doing pure exploration... but I would also surmise that SF likes to be able to send backup to deep space vessels so they aren't out there completely alone.

 

[RoJoHen]

It's also wasn't Voyager's mission to explore anything. Their mission was to capture the Maquis and return them to Starfleet.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Mission? Mission?

Kathryn Janeway doesn't need no stinking mission.

Besides, I think it's amazing that The Maquis didn't stage a sit in until they got a pardon, a commuted sentence or time served metered against their pseudo commissions on board Voyager.

"The heart of an explorer" Rojohen.

Does she have a noble heroic romantic soul?

Or is she a paper pushing bureaucrat?

 

[Kemaiku]

I mean really, a volley of torpedoes into the Badlands would have essentially started a raging storm of plasma distortions inside taking care of any Maquis inside, settling down a few days later, no need to go in after them.

 

[RoJoHen]

She is a captain responsible for the safety and well-being of her crew. Explorer or not, that has to be her first concern.

 

[Anwar]

I'm saying that if they took the trouble to stick them in the DQ, they shouldn't have had the premise be to run away from it to a known location.

If you want them to be in the DQ and still stick to the "Lost Ship" thing, then they shouldn't know how to get back to Earth. Have them explore the DQ to find out how to survive long enough until they know how to get back to Earth.

Or have the Warp Drive be crippled early on in the show so they can't just run from everything and have to stay in the DQ until they can fix it or find some plot contrivance to get back to Earth.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Which would make them idiots and muddy the canon built up in the last seven years of TNG. They tried that in DS9 Valiant. A broken Warp Drive to explain why they had been behind enemy lines running silent fora year, which Nog fixed in 4 and a half minutes because he's not an idiot.

She is a captain responsible for the safety and well-being of her crew. Explorer or not, that has to be her first concern.

If they were afraid of a little bloodied nose every now and then, then they shouldn't have left Space Dock.