"Star Trek: Voyager" -- The Second Season
Part II: The Delta Quadrant
Earlier, as I was preparing for my review of the second season of
Voyager, I re-read Tim Lynch's
review and Jammer's
review. There were both reviewers I followed starting from when I first joined the Internet in the spring of 1996. So, these were some of the first Star Trek reviews I read online. I also re-read Ron Moore's
critique of
Voyager (to put it diplomatically) from 2000, shortly after he left both the show and Star Trek altogether. I wanted to look at all their points and address them while also giving my own take. I also like to bear in mind that every story has at least two sides, so I'll also try to look at what I believe Micheal Piller, Jeri Taylor, and their writing staff might've had in mind.
Comparing notes in this manner isn't the way I would normally do things, but I think it's the best way for me to focus and frame this particular review. And a way to address common criticisms of
Voyager head-on. This isn't an approach I plan on using again.
The Maquis
Jammer, Tim Lynch, and Ron Moore all thought that things should've gone much rougher between the Starfleet and Maquis crews. To a degree, that's fair. Several of these Maquis were non-Starfleet types, unlike Chakotay who was ex-Starfleet. I don't disagree with that.
However, conflict has to exist for a reason, not just conflict for the sake of conflict. The main thing unting the Maquis, the cause they were rallying around, was driving the Cardassians out of their territory, with or without the Federation's support. Once they're in the Delta Quadrant, the main source of their cause no longer applies. The Cardassians are 70,000 light-years away and it'll take them 75 years to get back. So now they're just on a ship, just trying to get home. Which is what they
all want to do. Starfleet and Maquis alike. So now, not only does the original cause of the Maquis not apply to being on Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, but their goal is also now all the same: trying to get home.
After those are eliminated, all you're left with is 1) the Maquis wanting to do things one way versus the way Starfleet does them, and 2) not liking Janeway either as a person, as what she represents, or both. Let's look at both cases. There are a few instances where Chakotay is persistent in suggesting that Janway doing some things the Maquis way but, at the end of the day he was Ex-Starfleet and is now Starfleet again. He has a different perspective but not a completely outsider perspective. Since Star Trek series traditionally focused on the senior staff, his point-of-view is the one we'd see the most. Not the Maquis in the lower decks who wouldn't be interacting with Janeway and who we normally wouldn't see anyway. And then there's any Maquis just not liking Janeway. That was covered pretty well with Seska during the first season, even though she turned out to not actually be a Maquis after all. I'm sure she said what a lot of them were thinking anyway, so it would've been redundant to cover that ground again. Chakotay and Torres work for Janeway well enough because Chakotay is still Starfleet at heart, and Torres is finally in a position where she can excel.
This means any conflicts from Maquis crewmembers would either be out of habit, with them not adapting to their changed circumstances, they're just not cut out for Starfleet, or they flat-out have completely different points-of-view. Suder is
clearly not cut out for Starfleet. Jonas
definitely wanted to do things differently than Janeway by trying to leak information to the Kazon. What was missing was having a Maquis chafe against Starfleet who isn't really a spy (Seska), a psychopath (Suder), or a traitor (Jonas). An average Joe who just happens to be in the Maquis and would never be on a Starfleet ship if not for their circumstances. And
Voyager already had a perfect character for this: Chel. But we don't see him at all in the second season! He would've been perfect to keep around for a Maquis crewmember who doesn't fit in with Starfleet but also doesn't have anything else going on with him.
That's all I'm going to say about the Maquis from here on out because, like I said, it's no longer relevant, and won't be going forward unless something plot-specific comes up.
Onboard Voyager
Another common criticism among Jammer, Lynch, and Moore was the state of the ship itself as it travels through the Delta Quadrant. And I've found, while re-watching the show that I have some differing viewpoints from theirs.
The main critique from them in this category that sticks out is the use of the holodeck.
Voyager establishes that holodeck has a different type of power supply than the rest of the ship. I liken it to the equivalent of something running on batteries, even though it's not that, it's still an example of a different power supply. I question rationale since holodeck technology is along the same lines as replicator and transporter technology, but this comes down to what your threshold for suspension of disbelief is and I'll admit that I really don't care. If it's a different power supply, it's a different power supply. I like Sandrine's.
The lack of personalization on the ship was pointed out. I disagree here, because quarters can be personalized. Ron Moore suggested that they should have plants on the hallway to make the ship more homely. First, while I agree with Ron Moore about a lot of things in general,
this isn't one of them. If you're going to argue about scarcity on
Voyager, having a plant in the hallway runs counter to that argument. Second, this isn't the Enterprise-D. Voyager is under constant attack. If you have a plant somewhere in the hallway, it's getting knocked down once the Kazon show up.
Lack of babies and the crew expecting to get home are pointed out. This is the domestic angle. It's only the second season. At this stage, as I mentioned in my review of "The 37s", they all are still hoping to be able to find a way home soon. They haven't given up on that yet, so they're not going to think about having babies. If they were resigned to, "We're going to be here forever!" then I could see it. But they're not there. And Ensign Wildman's baby covers the baby angle enough for me. I don't know much I'd be able to take of seeing
Star Trek: Voyager -- The Nursery! No, thanks. And then Janeway would have to play it
super safe, with all those babies onboard which, to be brutally honest, I think would make for a less interesting series to watch.
Voyager's supplies are pointed out. Primarily the number of photon torpedoes. I'm not the type of fan who's going to keep track of how many torpedoes are shot. I know there are some fans like that, and it's something to keep track of if consistency is to be maintained. However, I have a rationalization that explains things. Voyager must've figured out how to make the industrial replicators replicate all the materials needed to create their own torpedoes. While I think this is something that should've been addressed in the show, it would've addressed the concerns of those keeping track. It's not outside the wheelhouse of 24th Century Starfleet technology.
The Kazon & the Vidiians
The point about how Voyager should've moved beyond their space by now is the case that's the hardest to argue with. Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor rationalized that it would take about a year to work through an enemy's space, meaning that there'd be new adversaries every season. Because the first season of
Voyager was shorter, I'm going to guess -- and this is ONLY a guess -- that they hadn't told all the stories they wanted with the Kazon and Vidiians yet.
A story focusing on a Kazon youth is a type of "getting to know this species better" episode that would be common on TNG and DS9. I'm going to assume that Michael Piller was still operating under the TNG/DS9 Mentality that he couldn't quite shake and wanted to get to know the Kazon. That doesn't really work as well on VOY, when you're always heading in one direction and there shouldn't be time to get to know them better.
Then there's a deep, personal story of Pel, who for the first time, gets to experience life as someone who looks healthy, even if it's a holographic body, as opposed to deformed and diseased body she really has. This is a "getting to know this species better" episode as well, except for the Vidiians. Also rooted in the TNG/DS9 Mentality. I liked "Lifesigns" because it allowed not only to see a Vidiian in a different light, but to see the Doctor in a different light as well as he tries to pursue a romantic relationship with her.
I think "Initiations" and "Lifesigns" both added something to
Voyager and I wouldn't have wanted to see them done away with just because "It's a new season; we've moved beyond their space!" Yes, the point they're making is valid, but so is suspension of disbelief so these types of stories can exist.
Tim Lynch brought up that even if Voyager was still in Kazon space, they shouldn't still be encountering the same Kazon. I've thought about that, and all I have to say is that Culluh and Seska have been obsessed with chasing Voyager because of its technology. If Voyager were "just another ship in the Delta Quadrant", they wouldn't care. But Voyager's advanced technology would be a true prize for them. That's why they want it so badly. They want to be able to take over the rest of the Kazon with Voyager's advanced technology and then, I assume, try to conquer the Delta Quadrant. That's all that's on Culluh's mind. What's on Seska's mind is that she can have the comfort of Voyager without the frustration of the Voyager crew. Tim Lynch said if that the Kazon were
that much of a problem, Voyager should've just stayed at Warp 9 for a few weeks and problem solved. But, I don't think Voyager can run at Warp 9 for weeks on end. The cruising speed is Warp 6. Second, as soon as they'd slow down, Seska and Culluh would find a way to catch up with them again.
My rationale, and I mentioned this in my review of "Alliances" is that I think Voyager arrived at the outer skirts of the overall area of space that the Kazon, Vidiians, and Talaxians are around, and that Neelix is familiar with, then they travelled into the heart of this space in the middle of the second season, only to finally leave the other end of it at the beginning of the third season.
And the beginning of the actual produced third season is where we're heading next. See you then!
