The Disappearance of Minor Characters

[RoJoHen]

I've been doing a random rewatch of Voyager the last couple weeks. I say "random" because I'm jumping all over the place, not watching anything in any particular order.

However, one thing I've noticed (I've noticed it before, but I haven't really thought too much about it) is the disappearance of minor characters as the show goes on.

There's definitely a change in the show when Seven joins the cast. We're all aware of the greater focus on the Captain, Doctor, and Seven.

However, there was a certain charm in the early seasons, a certain consistency from seeing so many of the same minor characters pop up over and over. Hogan, Carey, Vorik, Samantha Wildman, Lon Suder, Chell, that one Maquis guy who was secretly communicating with the Kazon whose name I can't remember...

All of these people just seem to disappear. Granted, Hogan gets eaten by a giant worm, and Suder gets killed by the Kazon, and Carey is eventually brought back in the final season. But for several seasons there is a complete lack of any of these minor characters.

It just seems that they made a bigger effort early on to make us remember that this was a small crew. They're trapped on this ship, and they need to get used to living together. It gave them a sense of family. Then they all vanish, and I think a lot of that family is lost.

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

The only explanation is that they were all workaholics. Vorik was in an episode early in season 5, Extreme Risk, I think. It would have been nice to see Samantha more, considering we saw a fair amount of Naomi.

 

[hux]

Voyager always felt like a ship with about thirty people on it, to me. There was never any real sense of a significant number of crew. For a ship that became a travelling community, that was a huge flaw.

We should have seen a lot more but we've been criticising Voyager for this for years (well I have). Not enough background characters, not enough relationships, not enough of a sense that these people are genuinely travelling for years together.

It just felt like the standard bridge crew doing a seven year mission.

Of all of Voyager's (many) wasted opportunities, this is the one that I most dislike.

 

[RoJoHen]

We should have seen a lot more but we've been criticising Voyager for this for years (well I have). Not enough background characters, not enough relationships, not enough of a sense that these people are genuinely travelling for years together.

It's mostly weird because it really did seem like there was at least some attempt to do it early on. This show was obviously going to focus on the main characters, but at least minor characters were regularly seen doing things. Until they all disappeared...

 

[Tosk]

The biggest crime (in my mind) in terms of under-using the lower tier characters was that they never featured the remaining Equinox crew again. Did they even get a mention?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Vorik also appeared from an unrecognizable distance in Counterpoint.

The writers didn't care and the network wanted the audience to have to remember as little as possible.

 

[RoJoHen]

The biggest crime (in my mind) in terms of under-using the lower tier characters was that they never featured the remaining Equinox crew again. Did they even get a mention?

Nope, although there were only like 5 of them left when all was said and done. They were forced to serve as crewmen, probably in some crappy position in the lower decks. No real reason to bring them back.

 

[SPCTRE]

Out of universe, I remember reading that some of the really minor characters were literally forgotten by the writers for extended periods.

 

[stardream]

We hear names thrown around like Susan Nicoletti, Vorik and Chell and sometimes we 'see' the same extras in the background but that's about it.

LOST did the same thing. They had secondary characters that they referred to early one but eventually they to disappeared. They didn't even bother to keep the same extras. I guess they thought we wouldn't notice.

 

[hux]

It's mostly weird because it really did seem like there was at least some attempt to do it early on. This show was obviously going to focus on the main characters, but at least minor characters were regularly seen doing things. Until they all disappeared...

Were they saving money?

If they were paid as extras then they should have been able to show them a lot more. Ayala got a few eps, Fitzgerald, Andrews. I'm not sure how it works but I assume that if an extra is given a certain amount of lines, they graduate from extra to actor and the cost dramatically goes up.

I would have loved to have seen more Mortimer Harren but that guy was clearly an actor paid to play a role for that episode. It would be too expensive to keep him on as an extra because he would presumably demand an actors wage.

We should have seen the extras more but I suspect giving them lines was the problem so they stopped bothering.

 

[The Wormhole]

that one Maquis guy who was secretly communicating with the Kazon whose name I can't remember...

That was Michael Jonas. His storyline was resolved in Investigations.

 

[Scotchy]

The airlock door is right next to the crew bathroom door. Sometimes, bleary-eyed in the middle of the night, a minor character vanishes never to be heard from again.

 

[Lynx]

A lot of characters dissapeared because they were assigned to:

The Shuttle and Torpedo Building Team

Here is the story:

Two days before the events in the episode "Twisted"

Stardate 48942.07 (Friday 10 December 2371)

Captain's log

The latest events have put us in a difficult situation since we have wasted a lot of torpedoes and damaged a shuttle. Therefore I have asked Commander Chakotay, Liutenant Tuvok and Lieutenant Torres to come to my ready room to discuss an idea I have.

"You all know what has happened" said Janeway. "After the recent adventure with the Furies (Voyager book "The Final Fury" which took place between the episodes "Elogium" and "Twisted"), we have lost a shuttle. We have also wasted too many torpedoes. If we keep on wasting our topedoes in the same way, we will be out of them soon. Considering our long journey and the risk of running into hostile aliens, we need both shuttles and torpedoes. Therefore I want to discuss an idea I have."

"What woud that be?" Chakotay asked.

"I suggest that we set up a special workforce on the ship" Janeway said. "The Shuttle And Torpedo Building Team". "Some really skilled people who can have as their priority to build shuttles and torpedoes when it's necessary. If we do so, we will have a chance to avoid being without those in a critical situation."

"That sounds like a good idea", Chakotay said.

"Indeed. And a very logical idea too considering our need for such items" Tuvok said.

"Exactly my thoughts too", said Janeway. "B'Elanna, do you have any people to spare?"

"Well, I think that Dalby, Henley, Gerron and Chell would be perfect for the job. And I would also like to have Lt. Carey in charge of the team. He's the right person for that. If necessary, I can give a helping hand too in a crisis. But I must point out that I need these people in Engineering too and that they would only work with shuttles and torpedoes when necessary."

"I agree", Janeway said. "I would also suggest that we find some other people too among the crew who can assist with shuttle and torpedo building when necessary". Janeway touched her combadge: "Mr Carey, can you come to my ready room immediately!"

And so The Shuttle and Torpedo Building Team was born. From the beginning, it was Lt.Carey, Dalby, Henley, Gerron and Chell. Later on Rollins, Vorik, Samantha Wildman and The Borg baby were added to the team. In fact, those people are the true heroes on Voyager. Without their hard work, Voyager's mission would have been almost impossible.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The biggest crime (in my mind) in terms of under-using the lower tier characters was that they never featured the remaining Equinox crew again. Did they even get a mention?

Nope, although there were only like 5 of them left when all was said and done. They were forced to serve as crewmen, probably in some crappy position in the lower decks. No real reason to bring them back.

The reason to bring them back would have been to have a redemption story and to explore whether Starfleet could ever accept somebody knowing they murdered innocent creatures for personal gain.

More a DS9 style story than Voyager.

Lost was okay about tracking minor characters until season 4 when the original group split.

 

[borgboy]

Minor recurring characters are crucial in world building. It really was glaring how all the minor characters disappeared and I missed Vorik, Carey and Samantha. It really made no sense that Samantha wasn't seen more when Naomi was shown a lot.
I also was really disappointed that the Equinox characters didn't get used more. You'd think there would be some interesting storylines they could've done with them.
There's no excuse for the writers forgetting about characters. Keeping up with details like that is their job,

 

[MacLeod]

And the problem is componded in VOY by the fact they had no replacements, crew couldn't be transferred to explain why we never see them.

 

[Terok Nor]

Just one of many issues with Voyager.

For me the most interesing recurring characters were Seska and Lon Suder. Both taken before their time.

 

[Tosk]

The biggest crime (in my mind) in terms of under-using the lower tier characters was that they never featured the remaining Equinox crew again. Did they even get a mention?

Nope, although there were only like 5 of them left when all was said and done. They were forced to serve as crewmen, probably in some crappy position in the lower decks. No real reason to bring them back.

With that attitude, you should have written for Voyager.

 

[Lynx]

I would have liked to see more of Dalby, Henley, Chell and Gerron. Tal Celes too. They are great characters.

Fortunately, Dalby, Henley, Chell and Gerron are present in some of the Voyager books.

But I must point out at least one positive aspect of how the writers neglected some of the characters and messed up a lot of other things. Without their errors, I wouldn't have come up witth the splendid idea of The Shuttle and Torpedo Building Team and all the other explanatiosns I present at the kes Website under the link "Voyager Mysteries-and how to solve them".