I'm in agreement with you, Lynx, and I'll also say that Kes should have stayed on as a counsellor to the ship like Troi on TNG, helping out Seven to regain her humanity and then eventually falling in love with Seven, leading to Star Trek's first LGBT relationship. Ulitimately, Kes would feel that she'd have to leave the ship to help out her people, and also because of her powers advancing, leaving Seven somewhat heartbroken but enriched by the experience. As for Berman, Braga, and Taylor, the best that can be said about them is what was said by one poster here on Trek BBS a while back: they're hacks. With regards to Wang, I would've gotten rid of him despite the People magazine article anyway, but I would not kill off Harry Kim; I'd send him back through a wormhole instead, having him reach home before the rest of the crew. As I said above, I would get rid of Harry Kim, and keep Seven and Kes, as well as bring in Silverman as Robinson beforehand (it would be better for her to be a part of Starfleet and live in the 24th century that her being an agent of the Aegis with Roberta Lincoln in the 20th, IMHO.) And it would give the show a character from the 20th century that would serve as an observer of the 20th century onto the 24th.
I was reading an old thread on here about meeting some of the Stars and Beltran was universally panned as a total and complete asshole, if even half of what I read was true then I have absolutely no respect for him whatsoever.
/\All right then,tell me where you disagree with him. Voyager was a chore to watch,working on it must have been hellacious.
Honestly, that wouldn't have been a good idea. Rain Robinson was a good character for that particular episode but bringing her in as a "blast from the past", I'm not sure that it would have worked that well when the novelty of a 20th century character would have gone away after a couple of episodes. Besides that, I don't consider Silverman as such a great actress either. Those they already had were much better. Honestly, I can't understand Braga's way of thinking. They had an excellent cast and excellent characters. Why didn't they use that potential they had instead of starting dabbling with new actors and new characters in the middle of the series. Were they trying to blame their own lack of skill on the actors and characters?
A reminder : Ed Begley Jr., the actor who played the machiavellian but brillant, Henry Starling*, in Future's End, who invented the mobile emitter proudly wore by the Doctor from s3, which allowed him to claim being a sentient hologram. -> by chance, I saw him yesterday, much younger, playing in an episode of Charlie's Angels & Colombo! :-) And as seeing as we are talking of chance, did you know that Tim Russ & Robert Picardo have already worked INDIRECTLY with their co-star, Kate Mulgrew? Robert Picardo in Roses are for the Rich (1987) & Tim Russ in Racines: The Gift - alongside with Avery Brooks & LeVar Burton -, in 1987.
I honestly forgot he was a main character for a while, when watching the later seasons. He just seemed so bland.
I feel like Beltran makes some fair points with his critiques but I'm watching Voyager for the first time now (on season 6) and although he is definitely becoming more like 'unnamed crewman number 2', he occasionally gets decent material to work with. But when he does, he is so unbearably wooden, his voice is flat and bored and it makes the viewer bored (not to mention the writers I guess). I want to like his character but it makes it hard...
I think that Chakotay is a great character and Beltran is doing a good job. With better writers, Chakotay could have been even better.