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

[7thsealord]

No point.

Andromeda is dying.

The radiation levels are rising mentally.

Which is why the kelvins left.

Comparison only - trying to put across just what the UFP's Argus Array might have been capable of doing.

And one has to wonder about this alleged disaster that was going to render an entire Galaxy uninhabitable. But that may be a subject for another thread.

 

[Timewalker]

I have a wallchart of the Solar System hanging up in my home. But the fact that I have it does not make me the rightful Overlord Of Jupiter.

And THAT is one of the wisest things I have ever seen ANYBODY say! Just think how our real-world history might have been different if those who were active during the Age of Exploration thought the same and actually RESPECTED the rights of self-determination and occupancy of the people they met in Africa, Australia, North/South America, and assorted islands...

 

[Jaro Stun]

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!"

Boldly run, from where no one has run before.

 

[7thsealord]

I have a wallchart of the Solar System hanging up in my home. But the fact that I have it does not make me the rightful Overlord Of Jupiter.

And THAT is one of the wisest things I have ever seen ANYBODY say! Just think how our real-world history might have been different if those who were active during the Age of Exploration thought the same and actually RESPECTED the rights of self-determination and occupancy of the people they met in Africa, Australia, North/South America, and assorted islands...

Totally different mindsets then. By their lights, what you are talking about was downright incomprehensible. Like teaching Quantum Mechanics to a Medieval Alchemist.

Also, despite what far too many people prefer to believe, that sort of thing (Crush-The-Current-Tenants-And-Build-Yer-Own-Empire-On-Their-Bodies) was NOT unique to the European powers OR the Age Of Exploration. Read the histories of Ancient Egypt some time. Or China. Or the Aztecs. Or any other group / society / culture that ever took land from, warred with or otherwise supplanted "lesser" groups. Basically, every society / culture that ever survived is provably guilty of this somewhere in their history, plus quite a few that did not survive.

Does not mean this was all OK or that we should approve now or anything, but sackcloth and ashes are not necessarily the answer either. We should acknowledge that this has a nasty habit of Humanity's as a whole - not just something that can be self-righteously pinned on one specific subgroup thereof.

 

[Guy Gardener]

What about "Men"?

Maggie did the Falklands, but apart from that, half the planet from the dawn of times, only claim to blood on their hands, is that they let boys be boys, which probably saved them from a good kicking.

 

[Tidus79001]

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?

I found that speech that Captain Janeway gave at the end of the Caretaker episode to be one of the most powerful & most inspiring moments in Star Trek history.

Janeway never said that they were just turning tail, and running home.

In the speech she even said quote "As the only Starfleet vessel assigned to the Delta Quadrant we'll continue to follow our directive to seek out new worlds, and explore space". Then she goes on to explain that their primary goal is to get the ship & crew home. Their directive is exploring & getting home is the goal. Those are concurrent missions that don't necessarily conflict with each other.

Also if Voyager never gets home then Starfleet & the Federation never gets to benefit from all of the knowledge the crew has gained from their exploration of Delta Quadrant & from the data gathered during Voyagers journey through the Quadrant. Captain Janeway made it clear that Voyager was still a Starfleet ship adhering to the principles, regulations, and directives of Starfleet so that being said therefore she doesn't have the luxury of doing whatever she wants to do with the ship & crew since Starfleet has a vested interest in the return of its property (Voyager), and the disclosure of the data gathered, and knowledge gained by the crew during their time in the Delta Quadrant.

I don't see any contradiction with Voyager from what we have seen in any other Star Trek series. Captain Kirk had a 5 year mission to explore & return home to disclosure the knowledge & data gathered during its mission. Every ship & crew has to report back home at the end of its mission regardless of if it is was short term mission or a long term mission. Voyager after returning home after 7 year had a longer mission than even the long 5 year extended missions. The ship need to return home for supplies, repairs, and to replace crew who might have been lost during the extended period away from home.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Kirk didn't have a 5 year mission to explore the unknown. That's just how long they thought they could trust a human being to stay sane, and a star ship to stay in one piece. That guy zigzagged from unknown to known space and back again constantly, hells what was up with that planed science mission to earth in the 60s?

Do you remember the polar concerns of the speech in the pilot from "Captain" Chakotay a few virtual weeks later?

SESKA: Told you it was a mistake letting Starfleet people in on this.
CHAKOTAY: Now is not the time, Seska. Take a good look around you. You're under armed guard. You may also notice that your senior officers aren't here. They're in the brig. They'll be put off the ship at the first habitable planet we come to. All except Janeway and Paris, who will arrive at their rendezvous co-ordinates to find that Voyager's not there. In short, I've taken control of the ship. I don't blame any of you for the mistakes of your leaders, so I'm giving you a choice. You can be put off the ship with your superiors or you can do what Neelix and some of your other crew members have already done and join me. If you do, you'll be part of a crew that's going to do whatever it takes to get us home as fast as possible. Under my command, we won't let almighty Federation principles get in the way of opportunities the way Janeway did when she destroyed the array that could have gotten us home. And we won't be wasting precious time stopping to investigate every insignificant anomaly that we come across. What we will do is use any means necessary to acquire technology that can shorten our journey. To hell with Starfleet regulations. You have fifteen minutes to make up your minds.

As far as reporting back, there were several "adventures" Voyager went on that were unqualified suicide missions up to an including the Omega Directive were it was star fleet policy that the ship, a fleet of ships, entire civifuckinglizations were expendable to see that omega was stamped out.

Reporting back is no were on the list of important things to do compared to being decent people, being good officers, obeying the prime directive, and a litany of other motives and instincts that avoid falling into the descriptivism of assholidity.

It's not just enough that they can live with the decisions they make to survive, because that way lays Captain Ransom.

 

[7thsealord]

What about "Men"?

Maggie did the Falklands, but apart from that, half the planet from the dawn of times, only claim to blood on their hands, is that they let boys be boys, which probably saved them from a good kicking.

W-e-l-l, it has been said with some justification that most of the really stupid things men do are intended, at a subconscious level at least, to impress women.

As regards the Falklands, different story. Mrs Thatcher is seen as 'The Iron Lady' now but she was well along the way to dismantling much of the UK's military (stripping defenses from the Falklands and other overseas possessions, about to scrap HMS Ark Royal and selling HMS Invincible to we Aussies) when it all began happening. The Argentinian junta needed a 'Short Victorious War' in a big hurry - the Falklands were thought an easy target and that the Brits would just fold and slink away.