Worst example of Voyager ruining an opportunity to return home

[The Overlord]

It seems like the Voyager crew had a lot of opportunities to return home, but ruined them somehow.

What was the worst example? I think False Profits had the worst example, the Voyager crew broke the Prime Directive instead of taking the worm hole home and then at the end of the episode they let the Ferengi escape and their escape results in the wormhole being destabilized. That was a pretty bad showing for the Voyager crew.

 

[Melakon]

Yes. They should have blown those Ferengi bastards right out of the stars. On the bright side, there's no guarantee the Ferengi arrived where they wanted to go, as their graviton pulse destabilized both ends of the wormhole.

 

[Third Nacelle]

I agree on False Profits. They should have just destroyed the Ferengi technology from orbit (PD violation maybe, but the right thing to do) and gone on their way.

It also bothered me that that they never seemed to make any progress on quantum slipstream after Hope and Fear and Timeless. It was like they just gave up after one screwup.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

False Profits was probably the WORST example of Voyager not seizing the opportunity to return home. Besides Caretaker. :P

However, the one that made me most moved while watching was probably Eye of the Needle. They could have easily returned home, but then they find out the wormhole actually leads 20 years into the past. So sad.

 

[BruntFCA]

The worst example is the slipstream drive. In Course Oblivion the alt crew was able to make the slipstream work so why didn't the real crew? Did they just give up?

Janeway-"Oh it doesn't work? Well that's too bad you better scrap it then, keep scanning for worm holes Mr Kim"

 

[Anwar]

This is what happens when you have a show that suffers from Gilligan's Syndrome. All those attempts HAD to fail, otherwise the show would be over. Problem was, they kept doing stories where failure was the only option instead of developing any secondary plots that they could accomplish within the show without ending the series.

 

[Stephen!]

It also bothered me that that they never seemed to make any progress on quantum slipstream after Hope and Fear and Timeless. It was like they just gave up after one screwup.

They probably didn't want to tempt fate after almost getting themselves killed / getting themselves killed in another timeline

And the dependency on benamite crystals, which seemed to be difficult to synthesize.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The aliens wanted Ferengi gods, so the Prime Directive says leave them alone. The Ferengi want to be Ferengi Gods, so the Prime Directive says leave them alone.

Janeway did not leave them alone.

This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass.

Janeway tried to bend, then snap the Prime Directive and paid the consequences.

The stupidest near miss was Futures End.

They already were there in near Earth orbit, all Janeway needed to to do was slingshot around the sun and she'd be back to the Future and macking with Mark.

HOLYSHIT!

Garret Wang!

New B-moive called Rock Jocks has a chunky Garret pony taild rocking it out.

So far, it's not awful, clearly a modern 80s movie, but Felicia Day dulls my attack posture, so I'm sweet.

OH! Picardo too!

Picardo just said #####fucker 30 times in 60 seconds.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

This is what happens when you have a show that suffers from Gilligan's Syndrome. All those attempts HAD to fail, otherwise the show would be over. Problem was, they kept doing stories where failure was the only option instead of developing any secondary plots that they could accomplish within the show without ending the series.

I never understood why a portion of the series couldn't have been used to deal with Voyager's return and the subsequent fallout. Why not show the characters trying to adjust to life back in the Alpha Quadrant? So much potential wasted because the return was delayed until the end of the series.

--Sran

 

[R. Star]

However, the one that made me most moved while watching was probably Eye of the Needle. They could have easily returned home, but then they find out the wormhole actually leads 20 years into the past. So sad.

The episode was good in it's own rights... the biggest flaw I found in that episode was, barely a few episodes into the franchise and they're already doing a "will they get home?" plot. Even my adolescent teenage self knew it would be a resounding NOOOOOOO!!!!!! back then when I was watching it the first time.

 

[Melakon]

. . .Picardo just said #####fucker 30 times in 60 seconds.

I can easily imagine the EMH saying #####fucker every time Paris walks into the room.

 

[Shatnertage]

This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass.

If you haven't seen the US broadcast version this won't be funny, but here goes...

Can you picture an enraged Chakotay screaming "This is what happens when you fight a stranger in the Alpha Quadrant!" while busting up Voyager in "Caretaker?"

 

[bryce]

This is what happens when you have a show that suffers from Gilligan's Syndrome. All those attempts HAD to fail, otherwise the show would be over. Problem was, they kept doing stories where failure was the only option instead of developing any secondary plots that they could accomplish within the show without ending the series.

I never understood why a portion of the series couldn't have been used to deal with Voyager's return and the subsequent fallout. Why not show the characters trying to adjust to life back in the Alpha Quadrant? So much potential wasted because the return was delayed until the end of the series.

--Sran

Agreed. We didn't even get a few minutes at the end of an episode to deal with them adjusting to home - just Voyager arrives in Earth space, and roll credits.

A flawed as the last episode of the new BSG was, at least we got to see *some* kinda coda.

I guess they were worried that with the crew home, it would be anti-climactic - like the 5th season of Babylon-5...but that's just because B5 had already used up it's good scripts on season 4 (when they thought they were gonna get canned - though I thought that season 5 should have been the Telepath War!) They could have Voyager arriving at Earth, but then have some crisis that the Voyager crew has to re-unite to deal with...like the Borg being hot on their tail, perhaps about to re-open the transwarp conduit, and for some reason only Voyager and crew can stop it (something to do with Voyager and the Delta Flyer having Borg upgrades) ...or maybe something else could have followed them home from the Delta Quadrant, and only the Voyager crew have the experience to deal with it...or maybe Voyager gets home, only to find something from the Delta Quadrant *beat them there* (like those parasites from "Conspiracy")...or maybe they come back with a season to go, and have to go *back* to the Delta Quadrant, like in the new novel series.

Really, Voyager should at least have been outlined from season to season in advance, like Babylon-5 was (until they were canceled and uncanceled around the 4th season) and Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda were *originally*, before the power-that-be decided to say "frak the plan" and threw the plans out...resulting in a directionless mess for both shows. (Heroes and nuBSG both could have benefited from a little pre-planning to...at least a rough draft of an arc, and an *idea* of where/how it was all going to end.)

 

[Anwar]

This is what happens when you have a show that suffers from Gilligan's Syndrome. All those attempts HAD to fail, otherwise the show would be over. Problem was, they kept doing stories where failure was the only option instead of developing any secondary plots that they could accomplish within the show without ending the series.

I never understood why a portion of the series couldn't have been used to deal with Voyager's return and the subsequent fallout. Why not show the characters trying to adjust to life back in the Alpha Quadrant? So much potential wasted because the return was delayed until the end of the series.

--Sran

Because then the show would be over, and they didn't know what to do once they were home.

If they'd bothered giving them a secondary plot that eventually became more important than getting home, then they could do a "They're home" plot because they'd still have something else to drive the series after that.

Really, Voyager should at least have been outlined from season to season in advance, like Babylon-5 was (until they were canceled and uncanceled around the 4th season) and Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda were *originally*, before the power-that-be decided to say "frak the plan" and threw the plans out...resulting in a directionless mess for both shows. (Heroes and nuBSG both could have benefited from a little pre-planning to...at least a rough draft of an arc, and an *idea* of where/how it was all going to end.)

Voyager's "Lost Ship" premise was never that sustainable in the first place, and it really shows how the the program was rushed into development and airing. Berman always thought they should've waited until DS9 was finished to do VOY, and I agree with him. Those years would've given them time to hire new writers and iron out the conceptual problems the show had.

They even came up with a good idea for the show on the fly: The 8472 aliens. The show's plot should've eventually been about them forming a Delta Federation to stop them (with the Borg being slaughtered over years, giving them time to build up their alliances and develop better weapons to get rid of both the Borg and 8472 aliens for good).

 

[JirinPanthosa]

False Profits is easily the worst example. I don't think they broke the prime directive but it's ridiculous how the Ferengi managed to escape to their ship.

False Profits is worse than Threshold.

 

[Zippo and Flask]

How about the chances that may have existed from the appearances of Q?

Janeway stresses over and over again how devoted she is to getting her crew home. If that's so, shouldn't she have taken one for the team and let Q have his way with her, to get her crew home?

Seriously, if an omnipotent being arrives and you are in a desperate situation, would you act like such a bitch?

 

[Dream]

Seriously, if an omnipotent being arrives and you are in a desperate situation, would you act like such a bitch?

Janeway wasn't being a bitch. She treated Q like he was dangerous troublemaker, Sisko did the same.

 

[Zippo and Flask]

Janeway wasn't being a bitch. She treated Q like he was dangerous troublemaker, Sisko did the same.

I'm 70 years away from home. A guy arrives who, with the flick of his fingers, could get me home. I tell him to get off my ship.

Yeah, I was wrong. Definitely not a blown opportunity.

 

[Guy Gardener]

False Profits is easily the worst example. I don't think they broke the prime directive but it's ridiculous how the Ferengi managed to escape to their ship.

False Profits is worse than Threshold.

Janeway faked prophecy.

This would be the same as Harry dressing up as Jesus, materializing on centre stage of the Ed Sullivan Show 1966, upstaging the Beatles, claiming to be the second coming while using 24th century technology to fake a couple miracles, signalling that the end of days was finally over.

That would trigger some serious shit world wide as the lines of religious adversity conformed and waited for the second wave of rapture to grab them...

Janeway altered the development of that world removing those Ferengi cleverly just as easily as she had surreptitiously.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

How about the chances that may have existed from the appearances of Q?

Janeway stresses over and over again how devoted she is to getting her crew home. If that's so, shouldn't she have taken one for the team and let Q have his way with her, to get her crew home?

Seriously, if an omnipotent being arrives and you are in a desperate situation, would you act like such a bitch?

Not whoring yourself out = being a bitch? ...Wow.

@Guy

The Ferengi were exploiting the entire population for personal gain by lying to them and manipulating their religion. Stopping them is the same as seeing somebody robbed on the street and stopping the robber.