Maquis: missed opportunity?

[Mage]

Although I'm not a big VOY fan, one of the things that attracted me in the beginning was the idea of the Maquis on a Federation ship, and all the rubbing that could cause. I was already a bit disappointed that by the end of the pilot, it was already decided that it would be a joined crew, I would have loved a few more episodes that would deal with the strife of these different types of people now having to work together.

For example, Chakotay. At the end of the episode, he's already the ships XO. Now, this man has clearly made a consious choice to leave Starfleet for something he believes is worth fighting for, and probably didn't agree with Starfleet's way of handling the situation in the DMZ. This could have made for some interesting TV with Chakotay being offered the position of XO and declining, or needing to think about it. Internal struggle with himself (the choices he has made, what he needed to sacrifice for it, if he's willing to go back to that life) and struggle with the rest of the crew (I can really see a strong scene between Tuvok and Janeway, on how he feels it is unwise to let a member of the Maquis become the XO).

Another direction could be Chakotay offering his services and that of his fellow Maquis to Janeway, but her not being sure about it all. She realizes there is certainly potential among the Maquis to fill positions on Voyager, but they are wanted criminals in her eyes. Not a few days earlier, she was trying to capture them. Sure, the reason for her going after them was because Tuvok was among them, but still, I doubt Janeway would agree with the Maquis and their way of doing things.

In the first season, they were a few hints towards the crews needing to learn to work together, but IMO, it was all to peachy to quick, I would have loved some more struggle, some more conflict about the whole situation.

 

[exodus]

I never really expected much friction, honestly.
Starfleet Officers & the Maquis were both still Federation citizens.
The Maquis had always asked the Federation not to get involved in their conflict with the Cardassians because they didn't wish to fight both of them. All the Maquis wanted was to retain the social & political life they had under the Fedredation.
It was my understanding Starfleet was called in because Cardassia threated to kill all the Maquis if the Federation didn't get their people under control. The Federation didn't do it fast enough, so Cardassia sided with the Dominion because they would. How do we know Janeway like many others in Starfleet didn't sympathize with the Maquis which is why she did welcome them with an open hand.

Seeing how the DQ was far, far from their political issues, there was no reason to be adversaries. Many people and countries are allies even if they have different views politically, people are the same depending on how extreme their views are. In order to have the conflict of crews many expected, it would have to be from a social & political group other than a rogue group of Federation citizens. It would have to be either the Romulans or Cardassians.

That just my 2 cents.........or is it only one cent in this economy?

 

[Lynx]

I think they handled the Maquis thing rather good.

Chakotay and the other Maquis were no dummies. They realized that Voyager was the only way home and that they simply had to adapt to Starfleet rules in order to come home.

They did actually have some people among them who weren't that happy with becoming Starfleet. Some of them did finally adapt and accept the situation, like Dalby, Henley, Gerron and Chell while some never did, among them Seska, Suder and Jonas.

I do think that B'Elanna became tame a little too quick, considering her actions in "Caretaker". That process should have taken at least three episodes.

 

[froot]

I think they handled the Maquis thing rather good.

Chakotay and the other Maquis were no dummies. They realized that Voyager was the only way home and that they simply had to adapt to Starfleet rules in order to come home.

They did actually have some people among them who weren't that happy with becoming Starfleet. Some of them did finally adapt and accept the situation, like Dalby, Henley, Gerron and Chell while some never did, among them Seska, Suder and Jonas.

I do think that B'Elanna became tame a little too quick, considering her actions in "Caretaker". That process should have taken at least three episodes.

Yeah, Seska and Jonas straight up turned traitor. Clearly not everyone was happy.

I always wonder if folks who claim nothing happened at all ever watched the second season. They were bringing this stuff up constantly. I actually think the Maquis/Starfleet stuff happened more in the second season than it did in the first (although the first season had way more than little hints - see "Parallax," "Learning Curve," or "State of Flux.") But, yes, the business with B'Elanna smoothed out too quickly after "Parallax."

J/C had a bit of tension, as well - particularly with the Jonas business as well as during "Alliances" and "Parallax." But it would have been interesting to see them spar a bit more. Or, even better, for Chakotay to get outright pissed that Janeway seemed to listen and trust Tuvok way more in the beginning.

 

[Guy Gardener]

You seen M*A*S*H*?

The Maquis should have been unpolished, playfully disruptive, distracted and sometimes drunk...

Janeway is Frank Burns.

(She's not Blake. Possibly Hotlips near the end, but she never seemed interested in command. I suppose she could be potter, but by the time potter turned up, Hawkeye was tired and lacking a degree of zest which disposes of the entire rebel/authoritarian dynamic.)

 

[Anwar]

The whole idea of internal tensions would've worked out better if the second crew were Romulans, the ACTUAL enemy of the Feds.

 

[Guy Gardener]

But there was no internal tension and there never would have been internal tension no matter who Janeway had to team up with?

Even Romulans.

So if it doesn't matter who they would also never have internal conflict with, when all hypothetical conflict is as outrageous as any other conflict produced from some forced pairing...

I always liked the idea of the the Maquis ship in the pilot being staffed with a crew of 100 percent Horta.

 

[HoneyBLilly]

I just wish that there had been a bit more friction between the two groups. For me, I've seen it as basically the those who left the Federation and/or Starfleet left because they felt betrayed on how it was being dealt with. Those in the Maquis felt betrayed when the Federation started to hunt them down. So it would have made sense for more issues. Especially in Chakotay's case.

 

[Guy Gardener]

In Equinox, how out of character would it have been for Chakotay to say "Wow Kathryn, were you this obsessive when you were chasing me? My God! Were you going to hunt me like you're doing now to Ransom? When I signed up, when we joined forces I didn't realize that it was under a threat of death or imprisonment? Still? If we leave, are you going to pass out phasers to your thugs and chain us to our duty stations?"

 

[Anwar]

But there was no internal tension and there never would have been internal tension no matter who Janeway had to team up with?

Even Romulans.

I don't know, if they pitched it THAT way to the UPN Execs and said "Put two ancient enemies together in one ship" they just might have caved, at least for a while. It's one thing for a bunch of humans/human aliens who weren't Starfleets' enemies it's another thing for an established franchise enemy.

The UPN Execs DID cave eventually, otherwise Seven wouldn't have clashed with Janeway as much as she did.

 

[Guy Gardener]

No, I believe they pitched two enemies working together roughly at first like a do-over of enemy mine but with more people...

THEY FAILED!

 

[Bishop76]

I would say the missed opportunity with the Maquis crew members was pretty substantial. It's a big part of what made the show so god damn boring.

 

[Anwar]

Even if they had retained it, it wouldn't have been as good as if they'd used the Romulans instead. I mean, what's better: The second crew are just some random rebels who aren't Starfleet's enemy and they have no real differences politically and ideologically

OR

The second crew are the Federation's oldest foe (predating the Federation even), they have well-defined differences politically, socially and militarily as well as advantages the Feds don't have.

 

[Bishop76]

Romulans would have been worse.

 

[Anwar]

How so?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Because the lack of friction would have been even more unbelievable?

The suits in the real world said "I know we brought a show about tension, but we decided against tension on second thought. No tension."

 

[Bishop76]

^ Yeah, pretty much what he said. They decided to write out any sort of interesting character interactions by episode 2 of the show and they would have done the same if it were a Romulan crew.

 

[BlobVanDam]

It was a lost opportunity, as they purposely stuck them with the Maquis, but then never did anything with it. Chakotay was neutered from the start, and the only other significant Maquis they even included throughout the series was Be'lanna. The episode where she became chief engineer was great, but then they didn't keep up that intensity between the Maquis and Starfleet crew. But she did remain a firecracker.

So although it was a lost opportunity, I don't see that they set it up well enough for it to have much potential anyway. I don't think it detracted too much, as I never had much interest in the Maquis aspect of the show.

 

[exodus]

Even if they had retained it, it wouldn't have been as good as if they'd used the Romulans instead. I mean, what's better: The second crew are just some random rebels who aren't Starfleet's enemy and they have no real differences politically and ideologically

OR

The second crew are the Federation's oldest foe (predating the Federation even), they have well-defined differences politically, socially and militarily as well as advantages the Feds don't have.

..but Guy is right.
If TPTB decided there was going to be no internal conflict, then be it Maquis or Romulan, it wasn't going to happen.

 

[Anwar]

Yeah, you're right. But they did lay off after a while, otherwise Seven and Janeway wouldn't argue as much. And the Doctor wouldn't have clashed with anyone either.