What if...Season 4 was one of change?

[Bry_Sinclair]

An idea occurred to me reading another thread, but what if the PTB had decided to really shake things up in S4, by axing a couple of the actors throughout?

In "Scorpion" they go ahead and kill off Kim, bringing Seven onboard and having her essentially taking over for him at Ops (in a proper Starfleet uniform). During this episode, Neelix then starts training with Tuvok to become a security officer. Then in "Year of Hell", Chakotay sacrifices himself to save Voyager and the timeline.

Tuvok becomes the new First Officer with Neelix finding himself at Tactical. Whilst down in the mess hall, Chell becomes a recurring character who is the ship's new cook (who wouldn't want 'plasma leek soup'?). Kes takes on more of the role of ship's morale officer/counsellor as well as being the medical assistant.

 

[Lynx]

Interesting idea. But I don't want to lose neither Chakotay nor Kim.

 

[TwoJakes]

Losing BeLanna would have shaken things up, but not "too much" in terms of the show's dynamic. I would have preferred to see a unknown (who was alway there, but was never seen) introduced and placed in BeLanna's position as chief engineer.

Janeway would have been irreplaceable, it would have placed the show in danger and I don't see TPTB taking that big a step.

Killing Paris would have been a possibility, a nice heroic death. Or maybe he pisses Janeway off one too many times and she dumps him somewhere.

 

[Finn]

^Would have to be hell of a thing compared to what Tom did during Thirty Days

 

[JirinPanthosa]

What would have been interesting is if Year Of Hell were a longer arc with permanent consequences. If Tuvok were left blind at least for half a season, if they took a big body count and were understaffed in key areas, forcing people to take new roles they weren't used to.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

What would have been interesting is if Year Of Hell were a longer arc with permanent consequences. If Tuvok were left blind at least for half a season, if they took a big body count and were understaffed in key areas, forcing people to take new roles they weren't used to.

In my rebooted notion of Voyager, YoH would've been a big event that remained in the timeline (no reset button at the end), which would've seen the EMH permanently deleted, Tuvok blinded for a short time, Neelix (a more Han Solo-esque charming scoundrel-type) becoming Security Chief, Voyager heavily damaged and forced to land on a planet for repairs, not knowing if they'd ever be able to take off again.

As teams head off the planet in shuttles to look for parts and materials to fix the damage, they discover they're not the first humans to be seen in the region. With the ship still in a bad way, they manage to get off the planet and head towards the system where the other humans are said to inhabit. In the system they find debris from a Starfleet ship, with many of the parts they desperately need, and on a small, L-Class moon they discover the crashed saucer of the U.S.S. Hera. Together, both of the crews manage to get Voyager repaired and ready for launch, unfortunately she cannot carry the entire crew complement, though several are transferred aboard to fill many of the vacancies (including a new CMO). Before being forced to leave the Hera behind, the Captain vows to do whatever she can to get them home as well.

Voyager would then get to the AQ at the beginning of Season 7 (not using Borg tech), after a few episodes dealing with the crews homecoming, she would be part of a task force sent back (by the same way they returned) to the DQ to recover the Hera and see about the possibilities of establishing a permanent Starfleet base of operations, to further explore the Quadrant.

 

[Thomas Eugene]

You want change? Here it goes: Change the events - I don't mind in what direction but with zero loss of the main characters - so that Voyager lasts for 20 seasons!

 

[Lynx]

You want change? Here it goes: Change the events - I don't mind in what direction but with zero loss of the main characters - so that Voyager lasts for 20 seasons!

I agree. I don't want any of those great main characters killefd off or ruined in any way.

 

[Ghislaine H. B. BRAEME]

I agree. I don't want any of those great main characters killefd off or ruined in any way.

Maybe it was the main problem with ST: Voyager. I mean that sometimes, it is necessarely to see some people killing off when some others appear on screen, not necessarely to replace those who disappeared but to give a new boost to the series, which will allow to create some new intrigues (for example, the arrival of Seven on board, The Doctor which becomes sentient. etc...)
For Voyager, there was no important death to be counted among senior officers (=the main casting) while practically in every episodes, there are losses within the crew. I mean, it isn't logical. The fate doesn't choose its victims. It affects everybody, big or small.
(as for Kes, even if I regret her disappearance, I am anxious to remind that she wasn't killed but left voluntarily the vessel not to damage it).

I think that producers should have remained on the idea to kill off a key element of the crew, dear to Janeway (it could have been Harry Kim in S4 and later, Chakotay, Tuvok or Seven between S6 and S7). This new situation would have been able to redistribute cards, in particular if it was a sacrifice to allow the crew to keep going its journey (Janeway didn't stop to use the term of "family" to describe her crew, what means that of course, she was pained by the loss of Carey and Cie, but what about someone who was a member of her cabinet (those whom she saw regularly in staff meetings of service), like :
- Harry KIM (whom she feels particularly responsabe -> Kim's parents are alive and expect to see their son safe and sound),
- Seven, another Janeway's protégée for whom she assumed the role of mother and mentor
- Chakotay, a Maquis member whose reassuring presence she learnt to estimate by her side? -> how the rest of his crew would have reacted if their leader had died? -> would there have been a mutiny?
- Tuvok, her dear old and loyal friend?

(it could have quoted Tom Paris, still another Janeway's protégé and a brilliant helms officier, or B'Elena, Chakotay's protégée this time, who became an estimated and appreciated chief engineer).

I didn't consider Captain Janeway, because well, as Captain, it would have difficult (-> there would have been certainly no S7), neither Admiral Janeway who was came from a distant future and whose sacrifice - even if it allowed her famous doppelhanger to get back The Voyager in Alpha Quadrant - didn't really move the boundaries.

Well, it's just a thought, so please, don't hit me!

 

[Lynx]

^^
No, I won't. I'm in a friendly mood today.

However, I don't think any of the main characters should have been killed off.

 

[stardream]

I know everyone was all about a season long Year of Hell but looking back I'm glad that didn't happen. That would have happened during the Dominion War on DS9 and I don't know if I would have kept watching if there had been two 'wars' going on at the same time.

I would not have minded if it had been extended by an episode or two though...and no reset.

 

[Clym]

You want change? Here it goes: Change the events - I don't mind in what direction but with zero loss of the main characters - so that Voyager lasts for 20 seasons!

that was Voyager's problem. The writers/TPTB didn't have the courage to do anything different or make any changes like DS9 did. They wanted Voy to remain exactly the same from beginning to end with no consequences and minimal continuity. It's why it was such a mediocre, bland series. almost every episode followed exactly the same formula which is why it was so dull and derivitive.

they did the right thing replacing Kes with 7/9, but they didn't go far enough. They should have got rid of a lot more of the dead wood - I doubt many would have missed Chakotay, Kim, Paris or Neelix

 

[TwoJakes]

I know everyone was all about a season long Year of Hell

I'm not. The episode was long enough (too long?) the way it was. It's not that I'm against long arcs, just not that particular storyline.

they did the right thing replacing Kes with 7/9

Replacing Kim with 7/9 would have been better.

One possibility with killing off Chakoty would be that he was the one actively keeping the lid on the Maquis crewmembers. Janeway once told Chakotay that she didn't see the crew as Starfleet and Maquis anymore, Chakotay immediately informed her that he still did. Other Maquis might feel the same.

 

[Anwar]

What would have been interesting is if Year Of Hell were a longer arc with permanent consequences. If Tuvok were left blind at least for half a season, if they took a big body count and were understaffed in key areas, forcing people to take new roles they weren't used to.

And if they found a way to restore his vision later on and repair the ship, it would still be decried as a reset button.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

And if they found a way to restore his vision later on and repair the ship, it would still be decried as a reset button.

Nobody says that about Odo becoming human. Knock off your ad hominem and slippery slope arguments. Adding some conflict in Voyager would not make it Galactica and adding some serialization and lasting consequences WOULD satisfy people.

 

[Anwar]

Nobody says that about Odo becoming human.

Other Treks got away with stuff VOY would've been condemned for. They could undo bad changes to their characters quickly and casually and no one cared.

If Voyager had done something like the Xindi arc and then found a safe port in the finale, and then have the next season premiere take place a month or two after that with the ship fully repaired...they'd still get complaints with the audience completely forgetting how much they enjoyed the prior story-line.

That Solar Flare trick Crusher used to destroy a massive Borg vessel that was equal to a Cube? If Voyager had used that to even DAMAGE a Borg Cube there'd be Hell to pay over how the Borg should've easily survived a Solar Flare with no damage at all.

Adding some conflict in Voyager would not make it Galactica

Conflict meant to last 7 years straight would make it worse than Galactica, frankly.

and adding some serialization and lasting consequences WOULD satisfy people.

If "Scorpion" and "Living Witness" didn't satisfy people, nothing will.

 

[Capn Nick]

I didn't want any of them to get killed (as I like them all at points) and don't think that is necessary for change to occur, but I do think, if I would complain about one thing, it isn't that the characters don't develop but develop too quickly all at once in the first season. Seven and the Doctor have really drawn out changes. We see how difficult it is for them, there is a lot of material there. The marquis (specifically Chekotay and Torres) become mostly happy Starfleet officers within a couple shows. So does Paris. I really like Tom Paris as a character and he has some great moments, but his central struggle is resolved in the first and second season. He has every reason to be happy, he finally achieved respectability and honor that had escaped him before. Tom from that first episode was a fascinating open question. But then they closed it.

Once again, I loved watching Voyager and liked all the characters, but I think if they had spent more time with the original crew adjusting to their roles they wouldn't have to resort to so many altered timelines and whatnot.

 

[Anwar]

The marquis (specifically Chekotay and Torres) become mostly happy Starfleet officers within a couple shows. So does Paris.

DS9 had Sisko be in a tense relationship with Kira and Odo for the first season, then after that any conflict between them is gone and they work together just fine.

 

[Capn Nick]

DS9 had Sisko be in a tense relationship with Kira and Odo for the first season, then after that any conflict between them is gone and they work together just fine.

I agree. And truth be told, I prefer the TNG and Voyager format (if you want to call it that) to the DS9 one. I just meant, I suppose, that if I were to change anything, it would be more time "getting to know" who Paris and Chekotay started out as.

 

[Anwar]

I agree. And truth be told, I prefer the TNG and Voyager format (if you want to call it that) to the DS9 one. I just meant, I suppose, that if I were to change anything, it would be more time "getting to know" who Paris and Chekotay started out as.

The problem with Chakotay and Paris was that they had their conflict be resolved in the Pilot episode.

Of course, the whole idea that Paris would be key to finding the Maquis was kind of silly too seeing how he barely KNEW Chakotay and had only been on one or two missions with him. They didn't have any history, so there being such animosity between them kind of made them seem a bit petty.