Would we have watched Voyager if they HADN'T gotten Caretaken?

[Mark_Nguyen]

The central premise of Voyager was to put two diverse crews (and then some) and cut them off from all that was familiar to them, and set them on a journey home. Whether that was successful or not is one thing, but that was the idea.

But far earlier than that, there was originally talk of just prolonging TNG into season eight and beyond; if Patrick Stewart wasn't continuing, to place Riker in charge, get a bunch of new crew, and keep on truckin' on the Enterprise-D.

So let's split the difference here. What if Berman & Piller & Taylor had decided to do with a new ship and wholly Starfleet crew and keep them doing along various Alpha Quadrant adventures? Heck, what if we got a show with the original Voyager crew, including Commander Cavit, Dr. Fitzgerald, Lt. Stadi, and some un-named Chief Engineer?

I think it could have been fine keeping it local. There would be lots of potential to interact with TNG and DS9 crews, plus we'd develop the AQ while still having both good and mediocre new worlds and new civilizations to bump into. Post-First Contact, the Borg would surely be brought back into it as well.

So would things have been that different? Based on how Voyager turned out, I don't think it would have. Your thoughts?

Mark

 

[borgboy]

I'd have watched it. I'd at least try any Trek show. I think the stranded in the Delta Quadrant was an interesting set up, even if it wasn't executed as well as it could've been.

 

[USS Triumphant]

I watched Voyager, and I would've watched that, too. I'd have watched if they were doing cargo flights between Earth and Vulcan. I'm a TREKKIE. They've got me.

What might have made the show more *broadly* successful would have been much better writing, no actors that hated their jobs phoning in scenes, and no use of the reset button (except for like in "Year of Hell" where it actually made sense to the plot). If they had done that, your premise, the original premise, my premise above, or, heck, just about ANY premise could have done better than the show actually did.

 

[kirkfan]

I think if they were planning to keep Commander Cavit, Dr. Fitzgerald, Lt. Stadi... they would have cast their roles to different actors. Maybe even the ones who played the regulars on this show. So it wouldn't have made much of a difference. They'd all just have different names, is all.

 

[USS Triumphant]

I think if they were planning to keep Commander Cavit, Dr. Fitzgerald, Lt. Stadi... they would have cast their roles to different actors. Maybe even the ones who played the regulars on this show. So it wouldn't have made much of a difference. They'd all just have different names, is all.

On the contrary: Seeing Robert Duncan McNeill play a female helmsman in a relationship with Roxann Dawson playing the unnamed chief engineer would have been a hoot at the least, and an opportunity to build on TOS's legacy of diversity at best.

 

[kirkfan]

I think if they were planning to keep Commander Cavit, Dr. Fitzgerald, Lt. Stadi... they would have cast their roles to different actors. Maybe even the ones who played the regulars on this show. So it wouldn't have made much of a difference. They'd all just have different names, is all.

On the contrary: Seeing Robert Duncan McNeill play a female helmsman in a relationship with Roxann Dawson playing the unnamed chief engineer would have been a hoot at the least, and an opportunity to build on TOS's legacy of diversity at best.

You got me!

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Voyager Alpha Quadrant style could've been interesting.

The first two seasons could've seen them on a deep-range mission, out on the frontier of explored space, then in season three they could've been recalled back with the outbreak of the Dominion War. It could've allowed the war to be even larger and on a grander scale, with crossover episodes between DS9 and VOY. Then after the war ended and DS9 finished the crew could've been reassigned to relief and reconstruction work in Cardassian space.

Character work could also have been explored differently. I'm not sure I'd keep Cavit or the CMO, but I'd want to see more of Stadi--a Betazoid who wasn't all "touchy-feely" like Troi, a more practical, career-orientated officer. Janeway would have to face being torn away from what she loves (exploring the unknown) to go to war, with all the burdens that would put on her. If they'd kept Chakotay (as a proper officer from the beginning), then he would be torn between his obligations to Starfleet and his people--even more so when the war began (this could open up the chance for him to go AWOL and have the role filled by someone else). Tuvok would remain the Captain's steadfast and supportive friend and confidante. With Stadi at the conn, Paris could be shifted to Ops (thereby removing the dull as dishwater Kim). Torres would be down in engineering, maybe not Chief to begin with but promoted up over time. EMH only as a recurring character. No Neelix, Kes (unfortunately), or Seven.

 

[kirkfan]

I am not sure Voyager makes a lot of sense without the "stranded a long way from home" premise, regardless of how they got there.

 

[Dukhat]

The thing is, most of the time in VOY we got exactly what we would have gotten if they'd been in the Alpha Quadrant anyway. I mean it even got to the point where Janeway would introduce herself as "Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager," and the alien-of-the-week would act as if he knew exactly what she was talking about. Not once did anyone ever say, "Federation? What Federation? What are you talking about, lady?"

 

[hux]

Voyager in the alpha quadrant would have been a fascinating show. Especially during season two when Janeway is transferred to a ship with significantly less responsiblities once its been established that she's painfully out of her depth (leading to an entire second season that revolves around the inevitable employment tribunal)

A trek show where they change captains after we've watched them for a whole season. That's the kind of cutting edge direction I'd like to see star trek go in (plus some full on hot gay lady action)

 

[kirkfan]

The thing is, most of the time in VOY we got exactly what we would have gotten if they'd been in the Alpha Quadrant anyway. I mean it even got to the point where Janeway would introduce herself as "Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager," and the alien-of-the-week would act as if he knew exactly what she was talking about. Not once did anyone ever say, "Federation? What Federation? What are you talking about, lady?"

I know what you mean. They even "defended" their reputation in Live Fast And Prosper, as if it had any meaning to a ship moving on a straight line.

 

[hux]

Voyager in the alpha quadrant would have been a fascinating show. Especially during season two when Janeway is transferred to a ship with significantly less responsiblities once its been established that she's painfully out of her depth (leading to a second season that revolves around the inevitable employment tribunal)

 

[C.E. Evans]

I never really thought it was necessary for the Voyager to be in the Delta Quadrant, but then I never really liked VOY's "lost in space" premise to begin with.

I think space is big enough for the Voyager to have been assigned to explore and patrol a distant corner of the Alpha Quadrant that was still a year away from Earth at nominal warp (too far away for the ship to come home in any timely manner, but not hopelessly stranded and isolated on the other side of the Galaxy). Almost everything in VOY could have been told just 1,000 light-years from home, but with the trying to get home stuff replaced by a mission to stay and tame a wilderness just outside the Federation's backyard.

 

[kirkfan]

I never really thought it was necessary for the Voyager to be in the Delta Quadrant, but then I never really liked VOY's "lost in space" premise to begin with.

I think space is big enough for the Voyager to have been assigned to explore and patrol a distant corner of the Alpha Quadrant that was still a year away from Earth at nominal warp (too far away for the ship to come home in any timely manner, but not hopelessly stranded and isolated on the other side of the Galaxy). Almost everything in VOY could have been told just 1,000 light-years from home, but with the trying to get home stuff replaced by a mission to stay and tame a wilderness just outside the Federation's backyard.

Wouldn't it have been the same as any other Enterprise show, though?

 

[USS Triumphant]

With Stadi at the conn, Paris could be shifted to Op. <snip> EMH only as a recurring character. No Neelix, Kes (unfortunately), or Seven.

Not sure about these. Paris pretty much HAS to be the hotshot pilot, or he isn't Paris. Of course, maybe he's only a small craft hotshot - so he ends up always being the shuttle pilot while Stadi's at Voyager's helm. Or, he could be left as we know him - more or less (I'd change his name back to what it was on TNG) - and Stadi could be Ops.

Maybe a ship of 141 doesn't rate a CMO, so Voyager has an EMH and a full-time nurse practitioner - Kes, who could still be Ocampan, but Ocampa could be a Federation member world.

They could still pick Neelix up as a guide - maybe they're exploring a new cluster he's more familiar with. And Seven could have been a Borg drone caught aboard Endeavor (the one ship that survived Wolf 359) and saved - and now she's aboard Voyager because they expect to skim Borg space in their explorations. Change up Talaxians slightly to include them using bionics, and you'd have a nice contrast and relationship (not ship, just relationship) between the machine woman trying to relearn her humanity and the organic man (well, Talaxian) trying to improve himself with artificial parts without losing himself in the process.

 

[kirkfan]

With Stadi at the conn, Paris could be shifted to Op. <snip> EMH only as a recurring character. No Neelix, Kes (unfortunately), or Seven.

Not sure about these. Paris pretty much HAS to be the hotshot pilot, or he isn't Paris. Of course, maybe he's only a small craft hotshot - so he ends up always being the shuttle pilot while Stadi's at Voyager's helm. Or, he could be left as we know him - more or less (I'd change his name back to what it was on TNG) - and Stadi could be Ops.

Maybe a ship of 141 doesn't rate a CMO, so Voyager has an EMH and a full-time nurse practitioner - Kes, who could still be Ocampan, but Ocampa could be a Federation member world.

They could still pick Neelix up as a guide - maybe they're exploring a new cluster he's more familiar with. And Seven could have been a Borg drone caught aboard Endeavor (the one ship that survived Wolf 359) and saved - and now she's aboard Voyager because they expect to skim Borg space in their explorations. Change up Talaxians slightly to include them using bionics, and you'd have a nice contrast and relationship (not ship, just relationship) between the machine woman trying to relearn her humanity and the organic man (well, Talaxian) trying to improve himself with artificial parts without losing himself in the process.

I don't think they put much thought into stadi and the others. They were in the story only to be killed immediately. Technically they were no better than the old redshirts.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I never really thought it was necessary for the Voyager to be in the Delta Quadrant, but then I never really liked VOY's "lost in space" premise to begin with.

I think space is big enough for the Voyager to have been assigned to explore and patrol a distant corner of the Alpha Quadrant that was still a year away from Earth at nominal warp (too far away for the ship to come home in any timely manner, but not hopelessly stranded and isolated on the other side of the Galaxy). Almost everything in VOY could have been told just 1,000 light-years from home, but with the trying to get home stuff replaced by a mission to stay and tame a wilderness just outside the Federation's backyard.

Wouldn't it have been the same as any other Enterprise show, though?

There wasn't much difference between VOY and any other Enterprise show except for the whining about trying to get home and the predictable failures to get home.

 

[kirkfan]

I never really thought it was necessary for the Voyager to be in the Delta Quadrant, but then I never really liked VOY's "lost in space" premise to begin with.

I think space is big enough for the Voyager to have been assigned to explore and patrol a distant corner of the Alpha Quadrant that was still a year away from Earth at nominal warp (too far away for the ship to come home in any timely manner, but not hopelessly stranded and isolated on the other side of the Galaxy). Almost everything in VOY could have been told just 1,000 light-years from home, but with the trying to get home stuff replaced by a mission to stay and tame a wilderness just outside the Federation's backyard.

Wouldn't it have been the same as any other Enterprise show, though?

There wasn't much difference between VOY and any other Enterprise show except for the whining about trying to get home and the predictable failures to get home.

Yes, so it would have been like TNG and a half, instead of Voyager.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Wouldn't it have been the same as any other Enterprise show, though?

There wasn't much difference between VOY and any other Enterprise show except for the whining about trying to get home and the predictable failures to get home.

Yes, so it would have been like TNG and a half, instead of Voyager.

Not really, because it would have been about building a home in a particular sector rather than going to a new alien planet and meeting a new bumpy-headed alien every week.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

It would have worked keeping it local, but not with the original Voyager crew. With a colorful largely alien crew, sure.

The big issue of having the ship in the AQ would be why they wouldn't immediately be called into the war with the Dominion when it heats up.

"Captain's log, Stardate 52815. Earth was attacked by Breen today, making it a battlefield for the first time in centuries. Captain Sisko is about to lead a force of millions in a battle to determine the future of our very way of life, and massive casualties are expected. Meanwhile, Voyager has been ordered to make contact with newly discovered civilization, which seems to have unusual social rules. And it seems, Lt Torres has made a new friend."