I've honestly tried to look at Voyager in a better light, and the show certainly has its moments, but in the end I always look back on it with disappointment over what it could have been with its premise…
A lone Starfleet ship stranded 70,000 light-years from home, with little hope of making it back.
But instead of letting that isolation create tension, desperation, or moral compromise, they kept things perfectly status quo. The ship never looked worn down, and the crew acted like they were still in the comfort of the Alpha Quadrant. Such a complete waste.
Enterprise actually embraced its premise... eventually. The crew felt inexperienced and vulnerable in deep space, and the show leaned into the sense that Starfleet was learning how to survive in hostile territory.
In regards to the characters, the word that comes to mind is static. Aside from her hairstyle, Janeway changes very little throughout the show. There’s very little, if any, character growth across seven whole seven seasons. The same can especially be said of Chakotay, Tuvok, Paris, and even the supposedly rebellious Torres.
By comparison, Archer shows significant growth, becoming far more pragmatic and hardened over the course of the series. T’Pol goes through a genuine emotional journey. Trip learns to deal with grief and trauma and comes out a better person for it.
Voyager essentially became TNG 2.0, perfectly clean and sanitized, even in terms of its characters. Interpersonal conflict was kept to an absolute minimum. It felt safe and predictable.
Enterprise was willing to let characters disagree, hold grudges, make mistakes, and carry those consequences forward into later episodes. It gave them texture and made them feel like actual people.
The Voyager characters often felt boiled down to a single trait:
Janeway was the determined leader.
Chakotay was the ever-loyal XO.
Tuvok was the logical Vulcan.
Paris was the roguish pilot.
Kim was the green rookie.
The Doctor and Seven were the few that managed to break free from this mold.
Enterprise gave its characters more complex identities:
Archer wasn’t just The Captain, he could be idealistic, petty, reckless, or compassionate depending on the situation.
T’Pol was logical, yes, but also conflicted about her place among humans.
Trip wasn’t just The Southern Engineer, he had ambition, humor, and deep emotional beats.
Phlox and Malcolm even managed to have some interesting character traits.
Sure, Hoshi and Mayweather were a little one dimensional, but had the series gone on, I’d like to think they would have had their moments.
Yes, I’m aware that many of these issues were the fault of UPN. Voyager’s episodic reset button was no doubt forced on them. But it was still incredibly frustrating that even when something dramatic happened, by the next episode it was like nothing had changed.
Is it?
I kind of feel like a lot of people have given Enterprise a second chance since it ended and have come to appreciate it far more.
