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Guest OrionGirlFan

What sets VOYAGER apart?

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Guest OrionGirlFan

I am a big TOS, TNG (and after watching several seasons of DS9 DVDs as a result of a recommendation of this message board) - a fan of DS9 as well. So I ask again -- what makes Voyager so special? I never got into it during its orginal run on TV. It seemed a little cartoony. Am I wrong? I want to enjoy it --especially since I have each of the other series collected on DVD. Please help - I value your opinions!!

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Frankly, I kind of feel the same way. I love Voyager, but compared to any other Trek, it pales. The only think that sets in apart in my mind is that it deals with the Borg somewhat extensively.

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I'm not sure that I would describe Voayger as cartoony! True, I like the other Trek series slightly better. But I feel Voyager is a good Star Trek series. Now, as to your question..What sets it apart from the other series? Well, the obvious thing is that for the first time we have a female Captain..I have always viewed the female characters in Voyager to be very likable and strong trek characters..Janeway, Torres, Kes, Seven..I like them alot..And let's not forget that we have a holographic Doctor for the first time. In fact he's probably the most interesting character on the show..Fantastic! As with DS9, I'm re-discovering Voyager with the DVDs..And I am enjoying them immensely! Well, that's my opinion..I feel that Voyager is a great Trek series and you should check it out..

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Thanks, Cap and Tigger! This is the kind of feedback I have come to rely on here on this board! Anyone else care to convince me to pick up Season 1 on DVD?

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Well, Voyager is my favorite of all the series.

Why? To me, the crew is more like a close-knit (albeit disfunctional) family than several of the other crews. That tends to happen, I suppose, if you're stuck on a small ship with a group of people 70,000 lt yrs from home for 7 years. VOY has many incredible storylines, and the acting is respectable (not the greatest, I'll admit, though Ryan and Mulgrew were excellent). The Tom/B'elana relationship was believable. Doc is an incredibly fun/interesting character, as was 7 of 9. Janeway's battles within herself when deciding the right courses of action to take were also believable. Plus, IMHO, the special effects are the best of all the series,,, even Enterprise (case in point: "Timeless").

I just believe that Voyager has alot more "heart" than the rest (though I like em all :) ).

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Thats it...HEART...it does have heart...you are lost with them and they seem

to be more close knit, because of their situation. All the characters have their

space but they all interac and butt heads just the way you'd expect...

 

You could read Pathways...after you've watched the first few episodes

it goes into their pasts and shows character developement...its the best VOY

book I've read.....Enjoy!

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I grew to admire Janeway as not only the Captain but as a friend to each crewmember. She dealt with their personal concerns with true sensitivity and warmth. More so than that of Picard, Sisco or Kirk. She seemed at times to act more like a parent to some. Seven's uniqueness and her struggle to regain her humanity was largely due to Janeways encouragemnt and direction. I enjoyed watching 7's metamorphis from a mostly technical being to a human, very intriguing especially at the end with the changes to her actual physical appearance. The EMH was a lovable kind of hologram. His struggle to be recognized as a sentient being was enlightening as he explored his personality subprograms. Tom and B'lanna, weren't my favorite characters, couldn't seem to connect with either one. Harry Kim seemed to be kind of a wolf. Chakotay, Janeway's paramour, loved from afar, never yeilding to temptation, although there was alot of hinting around. Strong first officer. Yea, I guess I liked Voyager the best of all the series.

I know I've left some people out, just for brevity.

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I personally didn't like the first 2 seasons of Voyager, there were good episodes contained in those seasons but on the whole I didn't card for the seasons.

 

Starting with season 3 I found more to be interested in but I always seemed to enjoy the Doctor's episodes more. I would say that if you are a Trek fan you need to get Voyager, I will. But I would say to do it this way, get the series and season's that you REALLY like first then fill in what you need later. I have all of DS9 now, I will now get all of TOS and TNG then I'll work on Voyager.

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It's into the technicallity of science...

There's no permanent home...

You're away from rules and regulation...

constant struggles..

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Voyager is different to the other star treks because it actually has a plot. Hear me out star trek fans, before you set your phasers to kill and shoot me down. In star trek voyager, there is one general plot: to get home to the alpha quadrant. But the plots in the other ones aren't so clear cut.

 

:) LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

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Voyager is fluff... no offense to any voy fans but i just found it to b kinda pointless u watch the episode then it all ends up all good in the end and you wonder "well why did i just watch that?" at least in DS9 or TNG it added a lot more to teh character and it would show in other episodes ex picard getting assimilated, julian being in a dominion POW camp.. thats what sets voyager apart its not the fact that it has something, its just missing something

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Although I am late to this subject........I hope you are still checking out your post. Voyager is a great series. From the theme of being lost in space, trying to find a way back home, to the challenges of integrating two diverse crews, the development and growth of the personalities as they assume new responsibilities on the ship, the relationship and personal issues that are woven into the various plots, the strong female role models that are very powerful messages to female and male fans of Star Trek, as well as the excitement of and continuous interactions with the Borg........are just a few of many reasons why Voyager is not a series to be taken lightly................. :blink:

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The one reason why most people didn't like Voyager is because the first 2 seasons were fairly slow. Not a lot happened, it was all a little bland. But after "Scorpion", the series took off. Seasons 4-7 were absolutely amazing as a stand-alone series. That's what sets it apart. They aren't close to the Federation, and there was a much broader spectrum in which to devise plot and character development. If you watched it religiously, like myself, you would notice the connection between the characters is better than any series in the past, minus the TOS crew, which is pretty evenly matched. That one ship is all they had, and it was their home and they were a family, working together toward a common goal. To some Trek fans this seems like a boring addition to the universe, and to each their own. I personally think Voyager exceeds TNG and DS9 in terms of plot and character development. So if you are thinking about getting the seasons on DVD, you may want to wait until season 3 comes out and start there. Then if you enjoy it, go back and pick up the others.

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i watched it rigourously and i have to say that i felt it got better after scorpion, but i still felt that the episodes were pointless i wood watch it and wonder... and as for the best crew connections, i think that it wood b TOS, TNG, DS9 and then Voy.. personally i felt it was good but some of the stuff seemed to b a rip off of other serieses in my opinion

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It wouldn't really be considered a ripoff. The every series shares a small bit of continuity, as in this wasn't just a random series (i.e. Enterprise). Everything that had happened in the timeline up to this point was still incoroprated into the plotline, in one way or another. Plus every ship in Starfleet has the same regulations and protocols, so they would behave in the same manner. I don't really know where else i'm going with this, (lol) so i'll let it be :)

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The one reason why most people didn't like Voyager is because the first 2 seasons were fairly slow. Not a lot happened, it was all a little bland. But after "Scorpion", the series took off. Seasons 4-7 were absolutely amazing as a stand-alone series. That's what sets it apart. They aren't close to the Federation, and there was a much broader spectrum in which to devise plot and character development. If you watched it religiously, like myself, you would notice the connection between the characters is better than any series in the past, minus the TOS crew, which is pretty evenly matched. That one ship is all they had, and it was their home and they were a family, working together toward a common goal. To some Trek fans this seems like a boring addition to the universe, and to each their own. I personally think Voyager exceeds TNG and DS9 in terms of plot and character development. So if you are thinking about getting the seasons on DVD, you may want to wait until season 3 comes out and start there. Then if you enjoy it, go back and pick up the others.

I disagree. The first three seasons had some of Voyager's best episodes. Everything from character development to new alien first contacts. I started loosing interest after Kes was replace by a Borg babe in the fourth season. I found the fourth season lacking in several key areas. The rest of the fifth, sixth and final seasons were filled with recycled themes and plots. I found this boring. NTL I am going to collect all seven seasons all because Voyager continued GR's original Star Trek vision - "To explore new worlds, discover new civilizations and boldy go where no one had gone before."

 

Let the journey begin.

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voyager is my favorite series, but the reason why has very much already been said, for me it is about a crew all striving for the same thing-to get home- the early series were very much about crew development and there were a few good episodes. The strong female charaters were always a strong point on voyager as well as a captain that cared about her ship and crew.

I personally thought voyager was a reminder of trek, as they went where no-one had gone before and most of the time abided by the prime directive, and met new races and learned about new cultures.

And as for being slow in the first few episodes was not the same thing said about tng?

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This is something I wrote when someone asked the same question. :(

 

so I hope this will do, lol

 

Though Voyager is my favorite of all, I still like the other series for what they are. Its just that Voyager had the advantage by being created after TNG & DS9, to improve on it.

 

The first time I watch Voyager, I was at Primary school age & I must have forgotten or didn't see the 1st 2 episodes, so i was confuse on why are they talking that getting home is such a hard thing to do. I once asked my brother why can't they just point to earth & go there at max. warp, surely should reach there in few days wherever they are. What I didn't realize is they are 70,000 light years away. I only realized it when they show the show again in my country when I reach 16 years old then I finally understood it & watch the series 6 times & keeping notes, sort off.

 

Ok, now for opinion on why I think its the best. with the Help of previous series & movies they have help make Voyager & future series to be very realistic, logical, more real knowledge on our own galaxy example: & more possible of things to be happening in reality.

 

TOS Helps bring the Star Trek to existence

TNG Helps bring the old ways to a more modern point of view

DS9 Helps in starting large fleet scenes & realistic dialogs

[mainly the small ships, their big ships still barely moves]

 

Movies Helps in the graphics part mainly the Borg,

[they made the Borg more beautiful in point of view, more cybernetic like, different races looking, its techs are more finalized & their history of a Queen's existence.]

 

Voyager Helps bring more realism in dialogs [especially after season 2], multi firing attacks, various new tech. graphics, Now even large vessels moves example 15 Cubes & Borg war with 8472, Interesting space faring life form & etc.

 

I know people say even in TNG there are multi-firing, but that is not multi firing its only rapid firing. What I mean by multi-firing is multiple arcs firing at the same time.

 

Possible spoiler in the continue of my view on Voyager. if you haven't seen the series.

 

The Story

Its a great & very unexpected one pretty unique in my opinion & original, there's no other stories that I know of that talks about the other corner of the galaxy.

 

A single & latest in design of a Federation Starship at that time, lost in the Delta Quadrant along side a Marquis Raider, 2 crews join as 1 & follows the Federation ways to keep track in mind of who & what they are.

 

The Caretaker a outer galaxy visitor hundreds or thousands of years ago visiting & unconditionally ruined a race's planet just by trying to help them.

 

New species encounters, Time travel situations, space life forms being injured & healed by them, challenging them in sex appeal, eating them, etc.

 

Closing to & Entering Borg Space, the Federations worst nightmare, aided & have a temporary alliance with the Borg, new understanding of the Borg's real hidden side that they barely show to other species. A better sign of possibility of bringing peace with the Borg. Thanks to Kes, they don't really have to worry of passing Borg space.

 

"People fear what they do not understand"

 

In TNG - DS9 - First Contact, we all see the Borg as a 100% totally non-feeling threatening race,

 

But when we meet them in their own home, talk with them, understand them. They turn out to be no different then any other species [except for their powerful tech & all], they are trying to survive, seeking knowledge, bringing their version of peace & perfection to other races. unfortunately their methods of doing so only scares other races & create enemies even in their own flanks [when drones get freed]. Most of all, they are emotional deep inside & through their Queen.

 

The Queen seeking a companion for both an equal & help to control the Collective "Unknown - Locutus - Data", sparing the remaining ship for 7 of 9 "Dark Frontier", wanting to strangle Janeway's hologram "Unimatrix Zero", 7's child released her when she represents pain, Drones taking care of one another, etc. Such a beautiful thing. This all shows that they do care, just not about non-assimilated beings, they have a strong bonding with one another thanks to the Hive-mind & that's what they want to share with other beings. I think they got addicted to it. :)

[That's what I love about them, threatening & peaceful at the same time]

 

It is not a sign of weakness but a potential in their being

 

7 of 9's journey in regaining her humanity, & knowledge of the Borg, interesting info, 7's & the doctor's 29th century child, 7's parents tale, etc.

 

A view of Borg Unicomplex, a realistic view that even the Borg have their own life other then assimilations, they got their problems with natural anomalies, Borg Renegades, Other races constantly finding ways to fight them, Races who ignores & hide from them, Races who thinks they are irrelevant "Species 8472", Races who met them in more peaceful times "Dragon's Teeth" 700 years ago, research to find Perfection like the Omega Particle "Particle 010", etc.

 

No direct missions from the Starfleet until after 4 years.

 

First Contacts being made in the Delta Quadrant, new technology achieved & discovered, Warp 10 tryout, Voyager being temporary assimilated [beautiful :cheese: ], etc.

 

Story connections to past histories.

TOS - "Flashback" Tuvoks memories of that time

TNG - Mentions of Picard, Wolf 359, Intelligent Holograms, Barclay opening fissures with a deflector dish when he achieve great intelligent - in Voyager its opened by Q's son, Q's mentioned of Picard & Riker's visit

DS9 - Voyager started from DS9, The doctor heard about the Dominion in "Message in Bottle.

ST:First Contact - Borg encounter at that time mentioned by 7 of 9.

 

A view of TOS in modern graphics "Flashback"

 

A crew that really takes their ship seriously as a home. The Captain will go down with her ship. [Picard didn't get the chance with the Enterprise-D because he's on the planet.

 

It is a great show, something really to behold, [in my opinion]

 

I myself plan to buy the series, that is when the price decreases  :cheese:

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I do disagree with you on some points, mainly on the subject of the Borg. A Borg Queen ruins the Collective, she's a center in a decentralized society. She's their weakness.

 

I also have a problem with Voyager being lost. They knew exactly where they were, they knew where to go, it would just take them a long time to get there. They weren't lost.

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The term "lost"

 

is for Starfleet, not the Voyager crew.

 

Voyager is lost to starfleet until they made contact with them.

 

another way of thinking about lost is, the path they are going is unknown. That too in a way, is considered lost.

 

:)

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I personally didn't like the first 2 seasons of Voyager, there were good episodes contained in those seasons but on the whole I didn't card for the seasons.

 

I felt the same way about Enterprise in the first season. It was absolutly horrible, IMHO, and I was more than ready to give up hope. Then season two came along, which had solid episdoe after solid episode and built up on the better parts of season one (TCW, Shran). Now hopefully after season three the show will really take off. I think the same is so with all other Trek series. Season 1 introduces the characters, their strenths, weaknesses, problems, and a main arcs which will reoccur through out the rest of the series.

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As previously said the fact that the series in Total had a plot - their struggle to get back home made it a cut above the other series. There were a wider range of storys, lots of variation.

 

But the main indicator in the quality of a trek series is re-watchablity.

 

I can watch Voyager episodes over and over, the more I watch TNG, the more I realise it is more of a kiddies show, they seemed to avoid adult( as iin grown up) themes a lot. Ds9 was great, but with the continuing story arc, you know whats going to happen later on and that lessens the tension a bit when you rewatch it.

I rate ENT season 2 as good as any other series.

 

I hear some that criticise Voyager for the 'alien of the week', but that is why I love it, there is so much variation, instead of the same ship and crew being confined to the goings on in the same sector.

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I also have a problem with Voyager being lost.  They knew exactly where they were, they knew where to go, it would just take them a long time to get there.  They weren't lost.

You brought out some good points. If the ship was truly "lost" they shouldn't be able to figure out they are somewhere on the far side of the galaxy in the Delta Quadrant more than seventy thousand llight years away from the UFP.

 

How did they get this reference if no star charts exists? Maybe the writers could easily toss the ship to the Andromeda galaxy, more than three million light years away. This would force the crew to face the fact they must either reach home or find some way to adopt and start new way of life in the uncharted final froniter.

 

I just had an idea. Deep-Thinker.gif This could be the launch point for a Voyager continuation novel series.

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Voyager was in my oppinion an excellent series. I thought it was a great idea to not finally have to follow the enterprise (i know they did it in DS9 but i didnt enjoy that series for some reason). I also thought that it was a great idea to make voyager far away from home....no matter how weird the episodes got there was always a purpose (to make it back to earth). Plus i thought the effects for the first time were really great compared to the episodes before it. You want to call a series cartoony? i would say enterprise is cartoony....they have simply run out of great ideas for the show. And what is up with those stupid antennae on the...was it andorians....heads. now if thats not cartoony i dont know what is.

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Uh, incase u didn't know.

 

Andorians are from TOS. Enterprise did not design the Andorians. :drool:

 

anyway, I don't think they ran out of ideas is the only reason for Enterprise.

There's lots of reason for that series.

 

1. To explain few things about why Borg came to the Alpha Quadrant so early & far.

2. To show that no matter how many times u see an alien, it can still surprise u as a new encounter, lol "Ferrengi" have been seen in the 20th century & 22nd century. But still they don't know them in the 24th century. :)

3. They show why the PD is created.

4. They show how life was in those days.

5. They explain how toilets work.

6. They show why the Federation are so "interested" in Time research.

7. They show the difference between official & common events.

like:

- though Enterprise met a bunch of bionic Zombies, Picard is still the one who made the "official" first contact with the Borg.

- Archer's Enterprise is Starfleet's 1st, but Kirk is the Federation's first.

- Ferrengi, Klingons & Vulcans have been encountered by humans many times in the past before their official contact.

- Etc.

 

8. They show human's first reaction to transporters.

9. Show how humans survived with old tech.

10. shows how they met the main races who started the Federation, after the coming Romulan War.

 

Anyway, IMO

Enterprise, is to explain alot of things & fill in the gap between Coachrane's flight & Kirk's century.

another reason for this show, is to buy time for other writers to think of new stories for after 2379.

 

:drool:

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um....sorry vold i didnt remember about the andorians from the original. Im only 15 and have only seen the original a little bit. I guess that everything was hoky when TOS came out. well makes sense now.

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That's ok :)

 

oh here's another info, the Andorians are but 1 of the few main races that started the Federation.

 

Can't recall the whole list but

 

Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, & some others, mostly those the Starfleet Enterprise encounters.

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I am a big TOS, TNG (and after watching several seasons of DS9 DVDs as a result of a recommendation of this message board) - a fan of DS9 as well.  So I ask again -- what makes Voyager so special?  I never got into it during its orginal run on TV.  It seemed a little cartoony.  Am I wrong?  I want to enjoy it

well i know the special effects on voy arnt the best but its not cartoony.. and some ppl just dont get into voy. its not exactly yhe best series, though i do like it and thats what i started on. i think voy is just one of those ones that you just have to keep watching untill you starrt to kinda aperciate.. you cant just like this one i guess...

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