I'm Watching the Series for the First Time...

[scottydog]

..... and it's good, overall. Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it's bad. In other words, it's comparable to all the other trek series.

Right now I'm in the middle of season 4. And I'm finding that I can't really visit this forum much at all until I'm completely finished, because the thread titles here often give away what's to come!

I have to admit, I was hesitant to begin watching Voyager. I heard a lot of negativity. Now that I'm watching it, I think I can understand why. Voyager was a victim of overly high expectations. Episodes that would have been judged as fabulous if they had appeared in earlier series are judged in VOY as merely so-so, either because the same (or similar) themes are being explored or because we expect new work to always exceed previous work.

Although I'm only half-way through watching the series, here are some initial impressions:

1. Janeway is a kick-ass Captain, easily as good and as enjoyable to watch as Kirk, Picard, and Sisko.

2. Tuvok is a terrific Vulcan character.

3. Paris is a breath of fresh air compared to the "other" ladies man of trek, Riker.

4. The writing is, unfortunately, very inconsistent. Sometimes the scripts are phenomenally good, and some leave me wondering whether there was any quality control going on or not.

5. By season 4 (where I am now), I'm wishing they would finally get the hell back to the alpha quadrant so that the writers aren't eternally held hostage to the "they have to get home but never can" premise. Why not let them come home and then keep the same crew continue exploring unfamiliar parts of the galaxy?

6. Belanna is easily as good an engineer to watch as Scotty, O'Brien, and LaForge.

7. Ensign Kim.... hmmmm... maybe the weakest character. Very expendable.

I have more thoughts but have rambled enough. In a few months, when I've finished watching the entire series, I'll come back and start posting regularly here. Right now there are too many spoilers floating around! Thanks for listening, and see you soon

 

[JNG]

5. By season 4 (where I am now), I'm wishing they would finally get the hell back to the alpha quadrant so that the writers aren't eternally held hostage to the "they have to get home but never can" premise. Why not let them come home and then keep the same crew continue exploring unfamiliar parts of the galaxy?

How do you think fans would have responded to abandoning the premise of the series midway through its run? The creators wanted to get away from the now-familiar elements of the more local space, so yes, even if the ship had escaped the Delta Quadrant and returned to an area close to the Federation, their adventures would have continued in unexplored regions so we could see new and different things. I imagine a lot of fans would have said something along the lines of "Why bring the ship home at all if that's the way it's going to be?" Some sense of narrative drive and focus, and the unique circumstances that set the series apart, would have been sacrificed—and for no real gain, since I argue they found some creative ways to effectively use more familiar Trek elements anyway (Barclay, Troi, Romulans, et cetera).

I'd have frankly preferred a Flying Dutchman-scenario kind of ending where they never got home (as was strongly considered), and some sort of undertone throughout the series leading up to this. It could have held the show to a strong moral center and given it a very different feel than the other Treks.

Enjoy the rest of the series!!

 

[scottydog]

^Good points. I should probably reserve judgment until I've seen the series in its entirety. I'm only half-way there!

Right now, I only raise the possibility that forever being trapped in the delta quadrant is a hindrance to the show. I arrive at this tentative conclusion because we, as audience, know that every time an episode centers around the possibility of getting home, the possibility is doomed to failure.

 

[dave_R_treker]

.....
1. Janeway is a kick-ass Captain, easily as good and as enjoyable to watch as Kirk, Picard, and Sisko.

2. Tuvok is a terrific Vulcan character.

To be honest I would have to strongly disagree with this. Especialy number 2. Tuvok, in my opinion, was the worst Vulcan.
And as for Janeway, if I had to rank the captains, I would be her at the bottom of my list.

 

[scottydog]

.....
1. Janeway is a kick-ass Captain, easily as good and as enjoyable to watch as Kirk, Picard, and Sisko.

2. Tuvok is a terrific Vulcan character.

To be honest I would have to strongly disagree with this. Especialy number 2. Tuvok, in my opinion, was the worst Vulcan.
And as for Janeway, if I had to rank the captains, I would be her at the bottom of my list.

Why? Please cite some evidence!

 

[Jon1701]

..... and it's good, overall. Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it's bad. In other words, it's comparable to all the other trek series.

Right now I'm in the middle of season 4. And I'm finding that I can't really visit this forum much at all until I'm completely finished, because the thread titles here often give away what's to come!

I have to admit, I was hesitant to begin watching Voyager. I heard a lot of negativity. Now that I'm watching it, I think I can understand why. Voyager was a victim of overly high expectations. Episodes that would have been judged as fabulous if they had appeared in earlier series are judged in VOY as merely so-so, either because the same (or similar) themes are being explored or because we expect new work to always exceed previous work.

Although I'm only half-way through watching the series, here are some initial impressions:

1. Janeway is a kick-ass Captain, easily as good and as enjoyable to watch as Kirk, Picard, and Sisko.

2. Tuvok is a terrific Vulcan character.

3. Paris is a breath of fresh air compared to the "other" ladies man of trek, Riker.

4. The writing is, unfortunately, very inconsistent. Sometimes the scripts are phenomenally good, and some leave me wondering whether there was any quality control going on or not.

5. By season 4 (where I am now), I'm wishing they would finally get the hell back to the alpha quadrant so that the writers aren't eternally held hostage to the "they have to get home but never can" premise. Why not let them come home and then keep the same crew continue exploring unfamiliar parts of the galaxy?

6. Belanna is easily as good an engineer to watch as Scotty, O'Brien, and LaForge.

7. Ensign Kim.... hmmmm... maybe the weakest character. Very expendable.

I have more thoughts but have rambled enough. In a few months, when I've finished watching the entire series, I'll come back and start posting regularly here. Right now there are too many spoilers floating around! Thanks for listening, and see you soon

I agree with most of your points there, scotty dog. Janeway is a good captain, but I'd probably rank her after Picard, Kirk and Sisko. Paris is okay, but he never really pulled off the "han solo" type character that they were going for. He's good, but not great.

I've been rewatching Voyager quite a bit lately, and it has good rewatch value although several episodes are....quite frankly, shit. Voyager is an above average Star Treks show, with a smattering of brilliant episodes and some quite poor ones - but I enjoyed the show throughout, and I am enjoying rediscovering the episodes again.

 

[LtGodard]

First of let me say good for you, Your enjoying the very best Trek.Definitly not perfect but by far the best.

1 Janeway is more excited by science and exploration than Picard by a long shot , But she also is the most prone to break the P.D.

Tuvok second best Vulcan.

third Kim should have died ,So Nelix could of had his job

Number 4 Voyager best designed ship in the fleet

Last i'de like to say Endgame is the best Trek episode past or future.

 

[scottydog]

Janeway is a good captain, but I'd probably rank her after Picard, Kirk and Sisko.

I think Janeway is often evaluated lower because of the unique situation she was in. Because the writers of the show could never allow her to succeed in her goal to get the ship back to the alpha quadrant, she is always associated with failure. The other Captains in trek had no such association with failure.

First of let me say good for you, Your enjoying the very best Trek.Definitly not perfect but by far the best....

Last i'de like to say Endgame is the best Trek episode past or future.

The best of VOY is just as good as the best of any other trek series. I'm not sure it's quite as consistently good as other trek, but it's highs are VERY high, I'm pleased to say

Haven't seen Endgame yet... just wrapping up season 4 right now. Thanks to both of you for your comments!

 

[Lucy of Nine]

You're right, Janeway is a great captain. And through the seasons she just gets better and better.
I've never been a huge fan of Tuvok, but I have just started rewatching the whole series, and I'm really liking him. ]]]]]]]
Its funny because I have always loved Neelix, but since watching the series again, and watching his early episodes, he's really annoying me now! I'm glad his character evolved into what it was later. I think getting rid of the Elf helped... lol.

 

[scottydog]

You're right, Janeway is a great captain. And through the seasons she just gets better and better.
I've never been a huge fan of Tuvok, but I have just started rewatching the whole series, and I'm really liking him. ]]]]]]]
Its funny because I have always loved Neelix, but since watching the series again, and watching his early episodes, he's really annoying me now! I'm glad his character evolved into what it was later. I think getting rid of the Elf helped... lol.

It's interesting that when I've re-watched any of the series, my impressions of some of the characters do change. When I re-watched TNG, I actually started liking Riker. When I re-watched DS9, I started liking Bashir. Does this mean I'll like Ensign Kim when I re-watch VOY? Only time will tell!

I have mixed feelings about Neelix. He strikes me as someone who should never be part of the A-plot of the show, only the B-plot. Just like the Ferengi in DS9, his character is too silly and light to carry an entire episode single-handedly.

I'm impressed with Janeway. Not sure I quite understand the criticisms directed her way. Yet. Still have a ways to go before I've watched the entire series.

 

[LtGodard]

You're right, Janeway is a great captain. And through the seasons she just gets better and better.
I've never been a huge fan of Tuvok, but I have just started rewatching the whole series, and I'm really liking him. ]]]]]]]
Its funny because I have always loved Neelix, but since watching the series again, and watching his early episodes, he's really annoying me now! I'm glad his character evolved into what it was later. I think getting rid of the Elf helped... lol.

It's interesting that when I've re-watched any of the series, my impressions of some of the characters do change. When I re-watched TNG, I actually started liking Riker. When I re-watched DS9, I started liking Bashir. Does this mean I'll like Ensign Kim when I re-watch VOY? Only time will tell!

I have mixed feelings about Neelix. He strikes me as someone who should never be part of the A-plot of the show, only the B-plot. Just like the Ferengi in DS9, his character is too silly and light to carry an entire episode single-handedly.

I'm impressed with Janeway. Not sure I quite understand the criticisms directed her way. Yet. Still have a ways to go before I've watched the entire series.

I think Neelix was voyagers attempt to recreate Guinan , but sadly Neelix is no Whoopi Goldburg . His personality doesn't bother me but i think if he would have been better if his job was more important . He walks the line of being a good character but he wasn't used enough .he never had that hero episode that one defining moment . All in all Neelix good but not great but definitly enjoyable.

It's like my third or fourth time through and Kim is just another Neelix . Not the cream of the crop thats about it.

 

[scottydog]

Just watched season 4's Message in a Bottle. It's easily one of Voyager's best episodes! I was shocked to see Andy Dick do such a great job as the Mark 2 EMH. And Picardo's comic genius truly shined.

My favorite Picardo line, after Dick says they must think Romulans are on board: "THEY'RE RIGHT!"

 

[Akiraprise]

That is one of my favorite episodes too. My favorite part is when Seven knocks the Hirogen unconscious with a mild shock. The look on Kathy's face, priceless.

 

[scottydog]

^Yes, excellent! "He will recover."

 

[Spock-2012]

Hm. I must interject my opinion.

Harry Kim...is the weakest character? Hello, did you see Kes?? Even Neelix! Seriously--when you watch the whole thing (I won't say what happens) and see all Kim has been through, you'd seriously start thinking he's 'strong', in a sense.

I'm done ranting now. XD Overall though, your theories (Except 7) Are quite accurate.

 

[Jeri]

I'm a fan of Neelix; he did have talents to add to the crew, and I found him fun and warmhearted (i.e., hilarious with the female Klingon office in "Prophecy"). But I think he was better after his Kes period than during it, which sometimes brought out the worst in him.

 

[Triskelion]

I couldn't believe it in season 5 when Janeway discovered that Tuvok was in that secret Vulcan order, and he tried to kill her, but Kes ate his brain. But what really surprised me was in season 6 when Harry Kim took over as Security and got really belligerent and married Seska after they stole Voyager, but afterwards Janeway let Seska rejoin the crew - oh, sorry, I wasn't supposed to mention all this was I. It's all good, up until they paint Voyager that glitter pink color. Was Okuda high?

 

[voyagerfan]

I like voyager the best as it is more centered around science and exploration, I find it fascinating, as seven herself said when they were on the planets where the perpetrators got purged for having mad thoughts, that the safe way to get through the delta quadrant is to bypass the planets. Janeway disagreed and said it would make it boring and it was a science vessel.

My fave character is the Dr, sometimes the things he says make me laugh LOL

 

[Jeri]

I couldn't believe it in season 5 when Janeway discovered that...

Gawd, I hate spoilers!

 

[kimc]

I couldn't believe it in season 5 when Janeway discovered that Tuvok was in that secret Vulcan order, and he tried to kill her, but Kes ate his brain. But what really surprised me was in season 6 when Harry Kim took over as Security and got really belligerent and married Seska after they stole Voyager, but afterwards Janeway let Seska rejoin the crew - oh, sorry, I wasn't supposed to mention all this was I. It's all good, up until they paint Voyager that glitter pink color. Was Okuda high?

Seska and Harry!? Not a good day to be out of brain soap...