If You Could Reboot VOY
- Thread starter RagazzaMatta
- Start date
I love a lot of these ideas, ESPECIALLY the one about Kes! If you write this as an AU fic I will read the shit out of it.
What's so unreasonable about that? I'm proud to be American, but Starfleet is supposedly comprised of humans from all over the globe plus tons of off-world colonies. I find it highly unlikely that Kirk, Janeway, Archer and Sisko (?) would all just happen to be from mainland U.S.A.
I would have liked it if they had shown more scenes on Earth from places other than the United States. They had an opportunity to show us a future where all countries are equal decision makers on Earth and instead just showed everything still centered in America.
I like the idea of meeting another of the hundred shapeshifters but I don't get the point of having a shapeshifter crew member then permanently making her human.
I like the idea of meeting another of the hundred shapeshifters but I don't get the point of having a shapeshifter crew member then permanently making her human.
I stick to the original setup, but actually carry through with the concept of two crews at odds with each other. Do this by getting fresh producers, a couple actual scifi writers on the staff, and make the show straight to syndication like TNG and DS9.
Use Jim Henson's studio for aliens, like in Farscape.
Make it clear right off that Voyager is Janeway's first ship as CO, at the rank of Commander. It's a little like Sisko at the rank of Commander heading DS9. That shows she not only lacks experience as a leader, but is still in development as an officer.
It becomes a point of contention for the Maquis who want Chakotay to lead. He had the rank of Commander in Starfleet before leaving, so they see him as more experienced and more worthy of the lead. Janeway won't give up her first big posting, and she has more people backing her. Chakotay is easy going and practical enough that he doesn't actually care who leads just so long as the crews can be brought together. He backs Janeway, but he knows forcing his portion of the crew into uniforms is a no go for most of them.
Most of the Maquis crew are either colonials who hate or resent Starfleet, followed by people with no grudge but identified with the colonials, and lastly a small mixed bag of ex-Starfleet officers who range between not holding it against the Federation for not helping the colonies, to ones who don't feel right or worthy to put the uniform back on, to those who hate the idea of doing it again.
Next, the Kazon slavery angle needs to be part of their background sooner. It should have a kind of recent ex-colonialism, Spartacus kind of thing going on. Their space isn't big, but it's fractured and competitive. The group which knows about replicators doesn't tell the others, but the others are bastards in their own ways and screw around with Voyager with heavy tolls, rampant random piracy, abuses by official forces, and pointless red tape. It's civilized space but not as we know it. Maybe even have the water starved Kazon from the first episode get asked by Janeway why they don't just harvest comets for water, and have them stare at her in dumbfounded amazement, because they never knew comets have water.
B'Elanna gets passed over as chief engineer, because the other guy has seniority. This causes loads of strife, because she has no social skills and is actually the more skilled choice, even if she is the worse officer. That latter bit is what really counts, the guy is just better at managing people.
Year of Hell happens as an entire season. Other than that season, no reset button on damage, it works more like Enterprise where the ship collects wounds. However, the old wounds do gradually heal over the course of episodes, thanks to replicators being amazing at supplying finished materials.
I like the idea of no holodecks, so early on they're simply rationed to the point no one is allowed to use them at first, but later they get blown out. They don't get repaired for a long time since they're low priority.
Initially, the damage from the Caretaker array, and first fight with the Kazon is consuming the engineering division's time. A very early episode is them trying to find a trustworthy dry dock which Neelix attempts to help with. But that's when a certain group of Kazon find out about the replicators again. Those are the ones who hound them for a few episodes until they're wiped out.
Neelix focuses more on just being a guide and merchant representative for the ship. Then again I guess he didn't try being chef and ship jester until the second season? Maybe make him more Han Solo-ish?
Get rid of Kim. Give the ship a proper councilor. Treatment of the EMH needs to be a little more mixed, too many people treat him as an object straight from the start.
Even with the Maquis crew Voyager should be running low on personnel, so more local aliens should be picked up as things go on. I actually like the arc of Neelix's rough edges eventually coming off and him actually accepting the ship as his home. He could start as even more shifty, and stay shifty longer, but use that shiftiness for the benefit of the crew, more and more. Kind of a Quark character in some ways.
There should be more episodes about trading services for resources. "Workforce" is a very interesting episode because it shows how skilled and valuable the crew of the Voyager is. They should be selling those skills as trouble shooters, teachers, and device designers. They should also start carrying cargoes like a warship in the Age of Sail, ready to trade and fight as needed. That also gives more use to Neelix.
Over all, the situation should be more desperate at times, with tougher decisions, a little like Season 3 of Enterprise at times. Janeway also needs to question her own decisions in private. Have her wracked by doubt and act contrary to her own stated ideals; not inconsistently, but show her actions evolving in a direction even if she still believes in another thing.
She tricks Neelix into getting her out of the Okampa city at any cost to himself, because she is jaded and smart enough to know how things are heading. She helps the Starfleet people escape because she is getting desperate waiting for Neelix and realizes their aid might get her out.
However, I would keep the nonsense age thing, explaining it as a control method by the Caretaker. The Okampa know five years and one child per couple is a biological dead end not their natural life cycle. It was inflicted on them to drive their population down in order to keep it manageable for the available resources.
I would make it so the only one who even suspects he is being tricked is Tuvok. Eventually it gets to the point where he is certain something is up and it leads to her getting kicked out.
Use Jim Henson's studio for aliens, like in Farscape.
Make it clear right off that Voyager is Janeway's first ship as CO, at the rank of Commander. It's a little like Sisko at the rank of Commander heading DS9. That shows she not only lacks experience as a leader, but is still in development as an officer.
It becomes a point of contention for the Maquis who want Chakotay to lead. He had the rank of Commander in Starfleet before leaving, so they see him as more experienced and more worthy of the lead. Janeway won't give up her first big posting, and she has more people backing her. Chakotay is easy going and practical enough that he doesn't actually care who leads just so long as the crews can be brought together. He backs Janeway, but he knows forcing his portion of the crew into uniforms is a no go for most of them.
Most of the Maquis crew are either colonials who hate or resent Starfleet, followed by people with no grudge but identified with the colonials, and lastly a small mixed bag of ex-Starfleet officers who range between not holding it against the Federation for not helping the colonies, to ones who don't feel right or worthy to put the uniform back on, to those who hate the idea of doing it again.
Next, the Kazon slavery angle needs to be part of their background sooner. It should have a kind of recent ex-colonialism, Spartacus kind of thing going on. Their space isn't big, but it's fractured and competitive. The group which knows about replicators doesn't tell the others, but the others are bastards in their own ways and screw around with Voyager with heavy tolls, rampant random piracy, abuses by official forces, and pointless red tape. It's civilized space but not as we know it. Maybe even have the water starved Kazon from the first episode get asked by Janeway why they don't just harvest comets for water, and have them stare at her in dumbfounded amazement, because they never knew comets have water.
B'Elanna gets passed over as chief engineer, because the other guy has seniority. This causes loads of strife, because she has no social skills and is actually the more skilled choice, even if she is the worse officer. That latter bit is what really counts, the guy is just better at managing people.
Year of Hell happens as an entire season. Other than that season, no reset button on damage, it works more like Enterprise where the ship collects wounds. However, the old wounds do gradually heal over the course of episodes, thanks to replicators being amazing at supplying finished materials.
I like the idea of no holodecks, so early on they're simply rationed to the point no one is allowed to use them at first, but later they get blown out. They don't get repaired for a long time since they're low priority.
Initially, the damage from the Caretaker array, and first fight with the Kazon is consuming the engineering division's time. A very early episode is them trying to find a trustworthy dry dock which Neelix attempts to help with. But that's when a certain group of Kazon find out about the replicators again. Those are the ones who hound them for a few episodes until they're wiped out.
Neelix focuses more on just being a guide and merchant representative for the ship. Then again I guess he didn't try being chef and ship jester until the second season? Maybe make him more Han Solo-ish?
Get rid of Kim. Give the ship a proper councilor. Treatment of the EMH needs to be a little more mixed, too many people treat him as an object straight from the start.
Even with the Maquis crew Voyager should be running low on personnel, so more local aliens should be picked up as things go on. I actually like the arc of Neelix's rough edges eventually coming off and him actually accepting the ship as his home. He could start as even more shifty, and stay shifty longer, but use that shiftiness for the benefit of the crew, more and more. Kind of a Quark character in some ways.
There should be more episodes about trading services for resources. "Workforce" is a very interesting episode because it shows how skilled and valuable the crew of the Voyager is. They should be selling those skills as trouble shooters, teachers, and device designers. They should also start carrying cargoes like a warship in the Age of Sail, ready to trade and fight as needed. That also gives more use to Neelix.
Over all, the situation should be more desperate at times, with tougher decisions, a little like Season 3 of Enterprise at times. Janeway also needs to question her own decisions in private. Have her wracked by doubt and act contrary to her own stated ideals; not inconsistently, but show her actions evolving in a direction even if she still believes in another thing.
This might be the best idea of the bunch, she could even replace Seska. It reminds me of the concept with her having low level psychic powers which allow her to convince people of anything, without her knowing she is doing it. Make it so she knows she has a knack for scamming, but doesn't realize she is actually poor at it, but succeeds anyway.
She tricks Neelix into getting her out of the Okampa city at any cost to himself, because she is jaded and smart enough to know how things are heading. She helps the Starfleet people escape because she is getting desperate waiting for Neelix and realizes their aid might get her out.
However, I would keep the nonsense age thing, explaining it as a control method by the Caretaker. The Okampa know five years and one child per couple is a biological dead end not their natural life cycle. It was inflicted on them to drive their population down in order to keep it manageable for the available resources.
I would make it so the only one who even suspects he is being tricked is Tuvok. Eventually it gets to the point where he is certain something is up and it leads to her getting kicked out.
Hmm....lets see...
Reboot Idea 1
Make Voyager an older ship (like a Soyuz or a Cheyenne class) don't Name it Voyager, call it the Yorktown, (Homage to original show), rename the show Star Trek: Delta, keep the Caretaker Idea, but instead of trying to reproduce he is trying to find an antibody or something to cure the Ocampa of a disease or something. He is dying of old age, and is terrified he won't be able to save the Ocampa, whom he considers his children, the Ocampa are in no danger of attack or running out of resources since they live in some sort of miniature Dyson sphere the Caretaker constructed for them millennia ago. however when he dies the sphere will "lock down and the Ocampa will live for eternity thinking the interior of the sphere is the whole of the universe. better aliens obviously, have a interconnected quadrant like the alpha quad versus a bunch of independent territories that don't seem to be aware of each other. make most of the alien races have better ships/tech. then what the Yorktown has, (yes I know this was done in enterprise) crew mostly the same but have fleshed out characters, I'd probably ditch the Marquis angle and just have an all Starfleet crew, focus on how the individual characters are handling isolation, etc.
Idea 2: Scientists discover a unstable wormhole to the delta quadrant that is estimated to collapse in 2 months. sending probes through, they find dozens of resource rich paradise worlds on the other side, Starfleet throws a bunch of colony equipment, spare parts, etc. into an old ambassador class ship, assembles a crew of volunteers, scientists, civilians, etc. and sends them through the wormhole to set up a colony on the other side. Starfleet is banking on being able to develop a galaxy spanning propulsion system within 10-15 years (what will become quantum slipstream) so our band of explorers is only to set up a foundation for a base of operations, and make contact with surrounding races, if any. So, the ship goes through the wormhole and finds nothing but supernova's and blackhole's. Turns out this end of the wormhole intermittently jumps around in time, so they wind up millions of years in the future in a dying MilkyWay with no way back, let the adventure begin....
Reboot Idea 1
Make Voyager an older ship (like a Soyuz or a Cheyenne class) don't Name it Voyager, call it the Yorktown, (Homage to original show), rename the show Star Trek: Delta, keep the Caretaker Idea, but instead of trying to reproduce he is trying to find an antibody or something to cure the Ocampa of a disease or something. He is dying of old age, and is terrified he won't be able to save the Ocampa, whom he considers his children, the Ocampa are in no danger of attack or running out of resources since they live in some sort of miniature Dyson sphere the Caretaker constructed for them millennia ago. however when he dies the sphere will "lock down and the Ocampa will live for eternity thinking the interior of the sphere is the whole of the universe. better aliens obviously, have a interconnected quadrant like the alpha quad versus a bunch of independent territories that don't seem to be aware of each other. make most of the alien races have better ships/tech. then what the Yorktown has, (yes I know this was done in enterprise) crew mostly the same but have fleshed out characters, I'd probably ditch the Marquis angle and just have an all Starfleet crew, focus on how the individual characters are handling isolation, etc.Idea 2: Scientists discover a unstable wormhole to the delta quadrant that is estimated to collapse in 2 months. sending probes through, they find dozens of resource rich paradise worlds on the other side, Starfleet throws a bunch of colony equipment, spare parts, etc. into an old ambassador class ship, assembles a crew of volunteers, scientists, civilians, etc. and sends them through the wormhole to set up a colony on the other side. Starfleet is banking on being able to develop a galaxy spanning propulsion system within 10-15 years (what will become quantum slipstream) so our band of explorers is only to set up a foundation for a base of operations, and make contact with surrounding races, if any. So, the ship goes through the wormhole and finds nothing but supernova's and blackhole's. Turns out this end of the wormhole intermittently jumps around in time, so they wind up millions of years in the future in a dying MilkyWay with no way back, let the adventure begin....
I would do away with Kes entirely and just start with Seven Of Nine.
There are several changes I would have made:
1)There would be no magic reset on the ship each week, they get damaged and yet somehow they seem to have "infinate" spare parts to fix it as good as new (yes I know that they have replicators but surley not everything can be replicated.
2) characters
Janeway: she is a Lt cmdr and 3 in line to command perhaps in the science division, who is left as the senior officer after the death of the captain and XO. She has limited command experience (this could aslo work as a newly promoted to XO but as a lt cmdr)
Chakotay: a maquee who held a rank of full commander, he would have vastly more command experience and I think it would be a good contrast between experience of Chakotay and the line of sucession. He would accept the position as XO for the good of the ship (it would be 90% starfleet crew after all) but he will "mentor" Janeway and always call her out in her more idealistic methods.
Paris: Look the character is Nick Lacarno, so just be done with it.
Kim: Make it so he's either the relief ops officer on his first assignment or as a cadet on "work experience" placement
Tuvok: Fine as is
Torres: not a character I ever actually cared for either way
The doctor: something not human trying to understand and become human something thats been done before in trek and better too. This character would be removed completly.
Nelix: Would be the new ships doctor after the original doctor was killed, think more Phlox from enterprise
7 of 9: not sure if really needed
Kes: not sure if really needed
Developments through the series
Voyager meets the equinox as in the series but the equinox is salvaged, the crews are reassigned Chakotay given command and the other staff split up. This ship can or maynot last until the series final.
Post series:
Voyager is retired with the name given to a new ship (maybe Titan class) with more crew, better sensors etc, with a experimental slipstream drive with the idea that it will be sent back to the Delta Quadrent for a science expedition (the idea being that voyager did not focus on everything over their main mission of returning home). but not stuck there.
Janeway: Promoted to Admiral but will go back to the Delta quadrent in a science capacity but not directly in command of voyager
Chakotay: promoted to Captain and given command of the new voyager
XO: either a promoted Tom paris to lt cmdr or a brand new character
Tuvok: stays on as security chief
Kim: stays on as ops officer but as its a bigger ship the can be promoted without breaking the chain of command
Nelix: stays on as Doctor.
1)There would be no magic reset on the ship each week, they get damaged and yet somehow they seem to have "infinate" spare parts to fix it as good as new (yes I know that they have replicators but surley not everything can be replicated.
2) characters
Janeway: she is a Lt cmdr and 3 in line to command perhaps in the science division, who is left as the senior officer after the death of the captain and XO. She has limited command experience (this could aslo work as a newly promoted to XO but as a lt cmdr)
Chakotay: a maquee who held a rank of full commander, he would have vastly more command experience and I think it would be a good contrast between experience of Chakotay and the line of sucession. He would accept the position as XO for the good of the ship (it would be 90% starfleet crew after all) but he will "mentor" Janeway and always call her out in her more idealistic methods.
Paris: Look the character is Nick Lacarno, so just be done with it.
Kim: Make it so he's either the relief ops officer on his first assignment or as a cadet on "work experience" placement
Tuvok: Fine as is
Torres: not a character I ever actually cared for either way
The doctor: something not human trying to understand and become human something thats been done before in trek and better too. This character would be removed completly.
Nelix: Would be the new ships doctor after the original doctor was killed, think more Phlox from enterprise
7 of 9: not sure if really needed
Kes: not sure if really needed
Developments through the series
Voyager meets the equinox as in the series but the equinox is salvaged, the crews are reassigned Chakotay given command and the other staff split up. This ship can or maynot last until the series final.
Post series:
Voyager is retired with the name given to a new ship (maybe Titan class) with more crew, better sensors etc, with a experimental slipstream drive with the idea that it will be sent back to the Delta Quadrent for a science expedition (the idea being that voyager did not focus on everything over their main mission of returning home). but not stuck there.
Janeway: Promoted to Admiral but will go back to the Delta quadrent in a science capacity but not directly in command of voyager
Chakotay: promoted to Captain and given command of the new voyager
XO: either a promoted Tom paris to lt cmdr or a brand new character
Tuvok: stays on as security chief
Kim: stays on as ops officer but as its a bigger ship the can be promoted without breaking the chain of command
Nelix: stays on as Doctor.
I've always thought they should have actually showed them struggling with resources more. So anything that showed that would have been a good idea. Also the idea that Janeway not actually being Capt. when they were grabbed by the Caretaker is good. She's the highest ranked bridge officer left when they end up in the Delta Quadrant.
Some of you mentioned picking up new crew along the way from either Delta Quadrant natives or perhaps other Alpha/Beta Quadrant crews taken by the Caretaker. Some ideas I've thought about for that are:
1.The crew of the Hera obviously
2. Professor Gegen of the Voth, he was curious about Earth (his ancestral home) and he was an outcast of his own people. Perhaps his daughter and assistant/future son-in-law as well.
Some of you mentioned picking up new crew along the way from either Delta Quadrant natives or perhaps other Alpha/Beta Quadrant crews taken by the Caretaker. Some ideas I've thought about for that are:
1.The crew of the Hera obviously
2. Professor Gegen of the Voth, he was curious about Earth (his ancestral home) and he was an outcast of his own people. Perhaps his daughter and assistant/future son-in-law as well.
NuBSG fell apart after only two seasons, because that was all the "lost ship" plot was ever good for.
The New Caprica arc was fantastic. After that it was still above average with just a weak finale. I like what they were trying to do, they just should have let the cylon integration arc breathe a little more.
I like most of this idea except for the Section 31 part and the losing the shapeshifting abilities bit.
I would keep Kes as well as the shapeshifter to the end.
How I would do it
1: Have two Starfleet ships get warped to the Delta Quadrant but one is a Miranda or other older ship that is so wrecked it has to be abandoned. Janeway is captain of that ship but ends up in command of Voyager because all of Voyager's command qualified officers are dead.
2: Keep The Maquis ship around longer and make it larger. Maybe a modified heavy transport, an old ship belonging to the defense fleet of a Federation member world, or a very old small starship something never before seen but clearly from the TOS TV Series era.
3: As the first season goes on Seska begins gaining the loyalty of those members of the crews that want to found a colony in the Delta Quadrant. Her being a Cardassian is discovered in the middle of the season and this is what leads to Chakotay breaking up with her. She spends the rest of the season trying to prove her love to him but in the end she discovers that she is pregnant with his child after almost losing the baby which leads to her convincing her followers to seize his ship and set out on their own. Include occasional episodes focusing on the splinter group throughout the series.
4: Carry over damage between episodes. Have episodes where they are making deals to obtain repairs and supplies regular occurrences and even after they get repairs leave scars on the ship to show what they have gone through. As their Starfleet shuttle supply dwindles have them start using shuttles from races they have made trade deals with. Also show a lot of problems from integrating local technology into the ship and the crew having to choose between compromising their ideals or obtaining needed supplies should come up as well. No reset buttons outside of cases like Year of Hell
5: Have Janeway be on one of her first missions as commander of a ship when the story begins while Chakotay had commanded an Escort or Frigate for some time before joining the Maquis.
6: Never reduce Neelix to bad joke status. Seriously the actor could do good work when the writers weren't sabotaging him.
7: Have Kim grow more, and eventually get promoted.
8: Have them recruit members of friendly species and groups to fill in crew gaps as they go along,
9: Around the end of season 5 have Voyager be so badly damaged that she has to be scrapped. Whatever allies they were aiding when Voyager took that damage can't build a replacement craft the size of Voyager so instead they provide them with a flotilla of five or six smaller ships with the cast being divided among these craft. This would allow things like plots where the flotilla has scattered, either searching for needed resources or to evade some hostile force and episodes that focus on one or two of the ships.
10: Have the Voyager flotilla return home at the end of part two of a three part finale with part three focusing on how the crews adjust to life back home.
What, you mean like Lee stupidly destroying the Pegasus because the writers couldn't think of how to keep both around?
Just because NuBSG couldn't do a lost ship plot for longer than two seasons doesn't mean other writers couldn't pull it off.
But personally I don't think the reset button is all that bad in Voyager since it's a mainstay of all trek TV and it's expected. I don't think I'd want a total reboot of voyager, I'd just tweak it to have more focus on minor characters and less Seven of Nine.
But personally I don't think the reset button is all that bad in Voyager since it's a mainstay of all trek TV and it's expected. I don't think I'd want a total reboot of voyager, I'd just tweak it to have more focus on minor characters and less Seven of Nine.
I would have this been all about The Borg. I expected them earlier than what happened. I know I am a Borg groupie but they are cool. 
ETA: The is no real evolution of The Borg on VOY just demystifying.
ETA: The is no real evolution of The Borg on VOY just demystifying.
No "Lost Ship" show of the last 40 years worth remembering managed to sustain the "Lost" plot for more than 2 seasons before replacing it with something else.
That's not even factually correct. Lee wanted to abandon the people on New Caprica, sacrificing the Pegasus was Bill's idea.
And the quality of the arc had nothing to do with the way they were rescued, it was all about the portrayal of terrorist tactics on the ground.
B
Belcher
Guest
That's quite good to start with. I must appreciate your thoughts here.
Reboot Voyager? May as well add my 2 cents...
Season 1 - Tom Paris is a loyal Maquis in prison for his actions to help them. He doesn't want to help Janeway, but is convinced to do so to get a shorter sentence. Janeway, for her part, doesn't trust him as far as she could throw him.
When they get pulled into the Delta quadrant, the Caretaker himself sends them away once he determines the crew are unsuitable for his needs. He makes no pretense of caring what happens to them now that he has no use for them, and essentially tells them to get out of his sight. He nearly destroys both ships when they refuse (initially) to leave. They are forced to flee or be destroyed.
The first few race they encounter is from another area of the galaxy that the Caretaker has brought to this region of space. One member of that ship's crew decides to join the Voyager.
The Maquis ship is not destroyed in the pilot. The first season, both ships form an uneasy truce, but Chakotay insists that they are not allies, merely 2 ships with a common cause. This creates problems for Janeway when the Maquis decide their brand of diplomacy is going to be more aggressive than she would like.
The first season ends when the Maquis risk-taking comes back to bite both vessels. Only through the sacrifice of the Maquis ship are they able to escape.
In the second season, the two crews are initially segregated on Voyager. Janeway was forced to let these people onto her ship - she was not about to let Federation citizens die if she can help it - but that doesn't mean she has to accept them without some indication they will respect her authority.
The Maquis are confined to non-critical areas of the ship, and round-the-clock guards are posted in the most sensitive areas. The Maquis complain they are being treated as prisoners. Tensions boil over, and it's Chakotay that is able to broker the peace. - At least he is a man she thinks she can deal with... the season shows a transition from this virtually-prisoner status to integration. Maquis members who complete Tuvok's crash course in Starfleet protocols are allowed duties, and gradually more responsibility. Those who demonstrate unusual ability like Torres and Chakotay rise quickly. Chakotay becomes more than an advisor and mediator to first officer when Janeway's #1, who survived the pilot, is killed on an away mission.
The season ends with Seska attempting to take control of the ship, putting this new found trust to the test. The Cardassian infiltrator had been secretly plotting to destroy the Maquis before they were sent to the Delta quadrant via a device which implants hypnotic-like suggestions into people to carry out Manchurian candidate like orders.
Chakotay's crew were going to attack Maquis leadership, but she sees an opportunity to use this technology to conquer Voyager - in a manner of speaking. Why would she want to take over the ship? She believes that Janeway is sacrificing potential avenues that could get them home sooner. She doesn't want to take it over and become the Captain in a literal sense. A spy by trade and not a soldier, she wants the ability to pull the strings whenever she wants. Federation principles are not going to keep her here any longer than necessary.
Season 3 is the first one where we see the integrated "Starquis" crew as in the original Voyager. Internal conflict between the Maquis and Starfleet is replaced by a new external threat. The "Year of Hell" is played out over an entire season, with Voyager becoming increasingly damaged. It ends with the destruction of Voyager, but with a new ally who helps save most of the crew.
Season 4 sees "Voyager" as a new (and re-christened) alien vessel. There are additional crew members who have joined, with one taking on a new regular role.
Season 1 - Tom Paris is a loyal Maquis in prison for his actions to help them. He doesn't want to help Janeway, but is convinced to do so to get a shorter sentence. Janeway, for her part, doesn't trust him as far as she could throw him.
When they get pulled into the Delta quadrant, the Caretaker himself sends them away once he determines the crew are unsuitable for his needs. He makes no pretense of caring what happens to them now that he has no use for them, and essentially tells them to get out of his sight. He nearly destroys both ships when they refuse (initially) to leave. They are forced to flee or be destroyed.
The first few race they encounter is from another area of the galaxy that the Caretaker has brought to this region of space. One member of that ship's crew decides to join the Voyager.
The Maquis ship is not destroyed in the pilot. The first season, both ships form an uneasy truce, but Chakotay insists that they are not allies, merely 2 ships with a common cause. This creates problems for Janeway when the Maquis decide their brand of diplomacy is going to be more aggressive than she would like.
The first season ends when the Maquis risk-taking comes back to bite both vessels. Only through the sacrifice of the Maquis ship are they able to escape.
In the second season, the two crews are initially segregated on Voyager. Janeway was forced to let these people onto her ship - she was not about to let Federation citizens die if she can help it - but that doesn't mean she has to accept them without some indication they will respect her authority.
The Maquis are confined to non-critical areas of the ship, and round-the-clock guards are posted in the most sensitive areas. The Maquis complain they are being treated as prisoners. Tensions boil over, and it's Chakotay that is able to broker the peace. - At least he is a man she thinks she can deal with... the season shows a transition from this virtually-prisoner status to integration. Maquis members who complete Tuvok's crash course in Starfleet protocols are allowed duties, and gradually more responsibility. Those who demonstrate unusual ability like Torres and Chakotay rise quickly. Chakotay becomes more than an advisor and mediator to first officer when Janeway's #1, who survived the pilot, is killed on an away mission.
The season ends with Seska attempting to take control of the ship, putting this new found trust to the test. The Cardassian infiltrator had been secretly plotting to destroy the Maquis before they were sent to the Delta quadrant via a device which implants hypnotic-like suggestions into people to carry out Manchurian candidate like orders.
Chakotay's crew were going to attack Maquis leadership, but she sees an opportunity to use this technology to conquer Voyager - in a manner of speaking. Why would she want to take over the ship? She believes that Janeway is sacrificing potential avenues that could get them home sooner. She doesn't want to take it over and become the Captain in a literal sense. A spy by trade and not a soldier, she wants the ability to pull the strings whenever she wants. Federation principles are not going to keep her here any longer than necessary.
Season 3 is the first one where we see the integrated "Starquis" crew as in the original Voyager. Internal conflict between the Maquis and Starfleet is replaced by a new external threat. The "Year of Hell" is played out over an entire season, with Voyager becoming increasingly damaged. It ends with the destruction of Voyager, but with a new ally who helps save most of the crew.
Season 4 sees "Voyager" as a new (and re-christened) alien vessel. There are additional crew members who have joined, with one taking on a new regular role.
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