I think the maquis and the federation crew shouldn't have fully integrated until the end of season one. It would have been more impactful if Chakotay showed up on the bridge in uniform during the season finale.
The problem with the Maquis was that easy integration was kind of inevitable. They were basically all Federation citizens a matter of months prior to Caretaker and had split off due to a territorial dispute that was now 70,000 light years away. Which is why in the end most of the "conflict" seemed to be more like the military vs civilian dynamic Stargate occasionally played with than the deeper cultural clash most people wanted. If the writers had really wanted to do a disperate crews coming together story, they should have used Gul Evek's ship instead of the Maquis. Or any other species if they wanted more distance from DS9. The Romulans would have worked well.
What bothers me most about the maquis is that, in the pilot, Tuvok is introduces as spy on the maquis ship and that's never mentioned again. in "learning curve", he is the most star fleet guy imaginable who has not knowledge at all about the maquis. doesn't sound like a good spy to me.
The biggest reason they didn't do that is probably becuase of people thought about tv series back then. they made most of their money from syndication and you couldn't know if the episdoes wouldn't show in the right order, so you just made sure that most of the episodes could be watched random order, just how you did stuff back then
To my knowledge, which I believe is accurate, the reason for the conflict being dropped, wasn't due to the writers, or showrunners, for that matter, at all. The network determined that it wasn't a beneficial course to pursue, even though it had been included in the show bible. So, with a few exceptions, that were really focused on individual Maquis, it went away. Frankly, I've always thought that it would have been increasingly become difficult, if not unsustainable, to maintain such an artifice. They were in a predicament, that far superceded any plangency that continuing crew intra-dynamics would have attempted to seem at all significant. Sure, there was regret and loss, when the fate of nearly all their colleagues was revealed. But, I think that's about as far as the original intention could plausibly been pursued.
If Janeway concentrated on getting home and not working on their star fleet duties she would have easily turned into Captain Random. By stopping and categorizing nebula or making first contact missions the crew would have gone crazy. Janeway's up and down personality could be contributed to PTSD or extreme guilt. But she among the cast is the only one who exhibit that behavior. Voyager is like eating a home cooked meal it fills you up and satisfies.
Also, on a more aesthetic note, I just want to say that, as my first time viewing your content, you have an awesome voice that is itself comforting, kinda like these shows.
not an official trekkie, but i was born in 1990 and grew up watching deep space nine and voyager. those shows sewed the seeds for my astronomy major in college. every few years i rewatch voyager!
"And your heart beats so slow through the rain and fallen snow across the fields of mourning to a light that's in the distance. Oh don't sorrow, no don't weep for tonight, at last I am coming home I am coming home."
"You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
To your end half of your video, I feel where you are and where you've been and I offer a hug which is virtual sure, but nonetheless heartfelt. I can't hug a tv screen, but I can at least let you know that you touch our lives and we care. Much love sweetie. Hang in there.
"Where Picard demands higher moral accountability, Janeway demands survival. Where Sisko defends and fights, Janeway persists." You're giving me some Friday feels Captain Jessie. That right there is why Janeway is my captain. Nevertheless, she persisted.
I grew up essentially by myself. I felt hated everywhere I go. Voyager came at the perfect time, when I desperately needed a family. Family was EVERYTHING loyalty was everything to the crew of Voyager. And I needed that. Seven was my first massive crush before I even knew that I was bi. So yeah, Voyager is my favorite Star Trek series. Always has been always will be. Flaws and all.
The personal stuff at the end really got to me. It reminded me of the saying: "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." Hang in there people, you are not alone. let's stick together.
Honestly, Voyager was my favorite of all the post TOS shows. It was the characters that did it for me. The stories were not always great, but I cared about the characters.
For me Stargate has the same emotional connotations as guessing which of your children you like more (I guess, don't have childrens yet 😅). I mean, they are all different, you love them very much, you say you have no favorite but indeed you do 🤣...
it breaks my heart that Stargate is not remotely as popular a franchise as Trek or Wars. I hardly ever meet anybody irl who even knows about the series, at best they vaguely recall the original movie.
@@Michoss9 Never liked the movie. Well, I never liked the back half. Once Spader figures out how to make the gate work, I can happily turn it off. I loved both SG-1 and Atlantis They're like sci-fi comfort food and hold up very well even decades later.
I've been binge watching Voyager over the past month, and the show feels like wrapping yourself in a soft warm blanket. I'm in my late 30's, and I finally understand why people love Trek so much.
It makes sense in terms of episodes. People rewatching DS9 would be all the eps in a row. Voyager being episodic, it doesn't need to be seen in any kind of order.
I relate to everything you said, Brexit has made me feel like a stranger in my own country doubly so with Covid. I think I will give a Voyager rewatch a try. Your videos are a highlight in my life. Much love and solidarity from the UK.
Hey Jessie, I know its been a while since I've commented; I've had a lot going on in my own life (including working with an editor on my upcoming book about growing up Autistic which has been greenlit! Yay! :D), but I wanted to comment on this video. Because this video...oh my god this video. More than most you've made recently (and there have been some epic ones!), this one spoke to me. I'm an extroverted introvert - I love my humans, and I need human connection, but humans also exhaust me. So I tend to CHOOSE me time, punctuated with getting to see my friends and loved ones regularly when I want to on my terms. Because of this...I struggled ALOT early on in the pandemic. I felt isolated, and alone. I didn't even see my best friend for two months despite us living in the same city because of COVID worries. We talked every day on the phone, as I did with many of my friends...but it wasn't the same. I live in Canada, and we got a pretty good handle on the virus before long...so thankfully our lockdown didn't last forever and gradually we reopened as it became safe to do so...so my mental health got better. I gave my best friend the biggest hug when I saw him again, standing at the entrance to my building, waiting for me to let him in for a long-awaited coffee hangout. But I know EXACTLY what you're going through...and its fitting that during the worst of that back in March and April? I too took comfort in a rewatch of Star Trek Voyager. It's not a perfect show by FAR...but as you said; in both its flaws and its triumphs, its exactly the show we need right now. It's Star Trek at its most imperfect best, and that's why I've always loved it. I'm sorry you're going through this hard time right now Jessie...and I know its not the same as real human connection (heck, I'm only some random person who comments on your videos and joins your livestreams occasionally)...but I'm happy to do my small part to be part of your online community and give you some kind of human connection. You certainly have done the same for me! Live long and prosper, internet friend! :)
You've been a real benefit to a trans friend of mine, Jessie Gender. She's a Star Trek fan who is dealing with her family and her unhappiness for a variety of reasons. You gave her a lot of confidence as well as inspired her. You may have honestly saved her life and it's been a huge improvement for her over the past months. She's been binging your stuff repeatedly and I am so happy to have recommended you to her. Never think your stuff here isn't important.
Voyager is a pretty solid comfort show for me too. It’s the first Trek show I remember watching consistently as a kid, cos it was my dad’s favourite and was still airing at the time I was getting into Trek (would’ve been in season 6 or 7 by then). And it was being rerun a lot on Sky One. So it’s cemented in my memory as my entry point into Star Trek I guess, and the first one I’m certain I saw every episode of. Plus me and my brother playing the absolute shit out the Star Trek Voyager Elite Force vídeo game probably didn’t hurt. So I have a lot of good memories attached with the show, and that’s pretty comforting in our very own year of hell. Team “I would follow Janeway into hell” for life
my dad and I watched TOS reruns all the time when i was a kid. when TNG first premiered, he hated it. it would take until the third season before i got him into it. and then DS9 came out. that was OUR show. i miss my dad a lot, but he fell into a certain rabbithole and if he had survived til today, he would probably be a doomcock.
First about Voyager- I've always maintained that Voyager's biggest flaw was UPN. Whole swaths of the country didn't get UPN, and thus it didn't have the ratings that TNG or DS9 did. Same holds true for Enterprise. Seven of Nine is one of my favorite characters even now. I don't tend to rank very well, but she's in a small pool. She spoke to me as someone who barely functions in society and for whom just keeping up the mask is tough, and her continued story in Picard added to that. It's been a really crappy year, and it's been very hard for most people. I'm constantly scared for my friends and relations living in the dangerous places out there. Just remember, none of us are alone. I have to admit that I've been watching Red Dwarf and Lower Decks a lot. Red Dwarf certainly is a show about dealing with isolation and loneliness (With a little help from a slightly crazy ship's computer, a hologram, a sapient cat, and an android.) I find laughter helps a lot.
Voyager had fairly good ratings. It was UPN's biggest show. DS9 had much lower ratings despite being critically acclaimed. Voyager's biggest flaw was the bad writing.
@@dangerkeith3000 I debated responding, but...this is going to be long and complex. First of all, you have to understand that, according to what little I can reliably find, Voyager and DS9 had about the same ratings; however, DS9's ratings mattered less than Voyager's and here's why. Paramount had been trying since the mid-70's to create a broadcast company. Their plan was to make a Star Trek series the flagship of the network. To do this, they green-lit Star Trek Phase II only to change their minds when Star Wars came out and a movie seemed better. They then tried to go into partnership with another studio with DS9 as the flagship only for that to collapse and DS9 headed to syndication. That story, btw, is fascinating and still kind of fragmentary. They finally got a network off the ground. UPN's flagship was to be Voyager. With this burden, Voyager got a lot more interference from the network execs. They kept pushing for better ratings despite not having the affiliates required to cover the country. They wanted the show aimed at the 'key' demographic- 18 to 24 year old males. They wanted more 'T&A' on the show, especially as the show began to flag and ratings for the whole network were tanking. By 2000, UPN was bleeding out to the tune of $800mil per year. As Voyager was wrapping up, they green-lit another show- Star Trek Enterprise. They continued interfering in the show, and by 2005, they pulled Enterprise off the air and the network collapsed a year later. The network interference resulted in the show's writing and acting suffering as well as the whole thing being pushed in strange directions. In the end, if UPN had not existed and Voyager had gone to syndication, things might have been different, but it didn't. Sorry that this was so long, but you had to understand the background to see why UPN was the problem. You are right, the writing was very uneven, but that wasn't the problem- it was the symptom.
@@artemisiatheta7549 this is such a fascinating comment! I remember UPN fondly, because it housed Voyager and the later seasons of Buffy, but it was a weird network. Even things I liked, like showing episodes of I Dream of Genie, and Bewitched, as well as reruns of black sitcoms, didn't really gel as a whole. I watched A LOT of UPN, it was the channel I always watched in the summer when I was home during daytime television, but I don't think it had a strong identity. 3rd rate cartoons, classic sitcoms, black sitcoms, all the Star Trek, and Buffy....it's great, but cohesive, it's not.
This video led me to this thought: Star Trek, at its best, shows us that we don't need to be better than other people. What we need is to be better than our own past selves. Doesn't matter if that past was generations behind us, or only five minutes ago. Only then will we be able to raise each other up to the heights we so desperately dream of being able to reach.
One thing that really resonates with me from Voyager is her absolute loyalty to Tuvok. She’s the kind of person who would do literally anything for her friend.
I'm sorry you're lonely and I'm glad you have someone to talk to I found my fiance doring the pandemic all though we have not seen each other in person we still talk and send each other pictures and we love each other but if I had no power or no internet we could not talk and that would be so hard for me I hope I can be with her in the near future but she lives in a nother country I'm in the US and she is in Canada so it's not easy I hope for the best for you I love your videos and please be happy
I've always been a Voyager fan; it was my favourite when I was growing up; around the time TNG was finishing and DS9 and VOY were kicking off. And I still love it today, despite all the flaws it has, most of which are well known. I think the reason it's so well watched these days is in part due to one of the heaviest criticsms; it's episodic nature. Quite rightly people criticise VOY for having the weekly Big Reset Button and minimal season-wide character arcs, which in large part was due to budget and time (For example, the external footage of the ship had to be recycled because there wasn't the budget for 'update' shots, even when they switched to full CGI), BUT, that heavily episodic nature, fairly static characters and Big Reset Button means that anyone who knows the basic premise can literally pick an episode from anywhere in the run and watch without needing to go through any required watching. I still enjoy ST:Voyager, for all it's failings due to background issues, I like the characters, the concept and the USS Voyager is still my favourite ship in all of Trek (Fight me! xD).
I feel like they had an opportunity to make a mini federation in season 2. They had opportunity to unite the Kazon and the their old slavers but they dissolved into a “do not interfere” episode. Voyager was just so many missed opportunity.
I hear you and feel you. That's why I identify with 7of9. All from that one episode of 7of9 being isolated while the other crew were asleep. "I am 7of9. I am alone. I will adapt." I am naturally a loner introvert. Yet mainly I am a loner on purpose. I have cut out so many people in my life. My last victim was my half brother and since my father died a year ago all of the half siblings. On my mother's side I have only one cousin left that I consider family. Everyone else is dead (literally) and I do think of leaving and joining them quite often. I don't because I have my 2 children who are grown now so actually it's just me. It does get very hard being alone and yes I have a bad habit of drinking (in moderation but still daily) to help self medicate myself. I fear that this world will get worst before it gets better. I fear the damage that Trump has inflicted will continue whether he remains in office or not. I fear we are doomed. But in order for change the old ways must end and our old ways in America will not die without a fight. Star Trek for me has been my only constant in life. If I die old then my only instructions from my kids is to draw on my eye brows, put a turban on my head, and make sure Star Trek (TNG) is playing non-stop as I drift off into space. Just know that there are people out here in the dark supporting you and living life right along side of you. And one way or another we will LIVE LONG and Damnit We Will PROSPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
I relate very deeply to your comment. Very similar situation though my kids are still growing up. They are pretty independent now.and since my spouse passed away I been pretty alone too. I love the camaraderie and family feel of trek and helps me, at least for a bit forget my situation.
Jesse, If you would like a sympathetic ear, I offer mine, no judgment, no pressure. I am a stranger, but you can check me out, I can send you my info. I'm not a nut or even a traditional fan, though I love all things trek and I love your insights. I hear your pain. That is my calling.
My favorite Star Trek series has always been voyager. I have often been inspired by the strength and persistence of Janeway and the Voyager crew. Thank you so much for continuing to make content! I love your perspective and I hear you.
Thank you so much for your insight and especially for your self-disclosure toward the end. I identify with your feelings of isolation. I can't drive (medical reasons) so I've always tried to live in urban areas with good public transportation. Even so I often feel very lonely. The pandemic lock-down, of course, has made it worse. Peace, and all goodness as you work through this.
I never really watched Voyager. I've seen a few episodes here and there. But this video is making me want to give it a shot. Maybe it might help me find some hope in this tough situation.
That isolation sounds terrible, I hope it gets better! I guess We’re all going through it to varying degrees. Your points about Voyager are really good; it’s the show I grew up waiting for every week and remains one of my favorites. It’s very comforting but also inspiring. Good video, LLAP 🖖🏻😎🖖🏻
Voyager was my family’s favorite show for years in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Certainly not the worst Star Trek show. Yes it had its bad episodes, but by and large it was consistently solid and my whole family could watch it. Not many shows exist like that. Yes it was safe, and I’m so thankful for that. My kids have fond memories of us being together every evening and watching Voyager, TNG, and X files. Then came Alias and 24. Great time to have kids.
Jessie! You are AMAZING! Voyager is a point of contention I have with Steve "Voyager Hater" Shives; I will admit that DS9 was the best-written, and TNG had the best acting, but (for me) Voyager was/is always the most fun to watch. Back to you: I LOVE YOU (not in a creepy stalker way, but a proud parent sort of way). What you are doing is so important to more people than you may realize. You are a beautiful, intelligent, thoughtful, funny, caring, and (most of all) GOOD human; I can't think of a better role model for young people - especially young people who are confused and upset because they are ostracized and/or hated for simply being who they are (and you're also a good role model for young people who are open-minded, but don't know what it means to be transgender). I wonder how many suicides you've prevented; probably more than you can imagine. You're also a great role model for people like me, who already "take a special delight in the wonderful differences" (as Gene Roddenberry would say) that make up the human condition. Not that I was ever really bigoted, but being a white, straight, middle-aged, probably entitled male, I could always use more education and insight into the thoughts/feelings/struggles of other people - the kind of insight you provide more adeptly than almost anyone I've ever seen/known. With 18,000 subscribers (most of whom probably share my opinions of you), please ALWAYS remember that you are appreciated and loved. Thank you for making these videos, and keep up the great work!!!
It just so happened that I restarted Voyager in my ongoing Star Trek rewatch right as the lockdowns started. That experience changed my perspective on the series so much. This video and your work is so appreciated and needed. Thank you ❤️
Overall enjoyed the video. I know you are experimenting with your video techniques - but I have some hearing issues and found the background music was a little too loud, so I had problems focusing on what you are saying. Best to give you that feedback (still have a thumb up). Sorry to hear you had a breakdown and feeling isolated.
I'm a photographer and a visual artist, I fall under the Asperger's umbrella and I've tried to find connection with others through a photographic project (well at least until the depression hit me really hard once again) in which I photograph people trying to establish connections through internet and screens. Maybe you can find it interesting. Thank you so much for share your experience, I'm far from home in a Indigenous Reservation and the quarantine has been an enlightening but challenging experience.
i guess it is ok that voyager has a good run now on netflix and this difficult time, but DS9 fits much more to me and i do not use netflix so i am not one of those voyager watchers atm
I get that DS9 is better written and more technically 'deep' (no pun intended) but I just like the VOY characters more, idk I guess I should try harder with DS9 cuz ultimately I always felt like the characters on DS9 were just unlikable (which I also get was intentional!) so i dunno gah fuck it I like Voyager most lol
The good episodes are some of the best "TNG" episodes that were produced, but the wasted premise still hangs around the neck of the show like an albatross. I think if it came before DS9, Voyager might have been better accepted. But if you were watching both, and you had one show that told this connected and serialized narrative where Nog gets his leg blown off and has to deal with the PTSD and then you have this other one where nothing matters between episodes, it's just hard not to be disappointed. I imagine if you started Voyager now, without that baggage, you might not even notice that the whole "Lost in Space" concept doesn't matter and just be fine watching the Doctor own the series since he has the best episodes. lol I can see it being great comfort food in that context, because there's a lot of "alone together" moments that you don't otherwise get from Trek.
the reason they had to cook food should have been they were replicating warp coils the whole time beause they were traveling at warp 9.975 and would burn them out
Sorry you're feeling bad, Jessie, I wish I could say it gets easier. When you mentioned the flaws I was immediately thinking of what Steve Shives and Lore Reloaded said in their videos about Voyager, how the writing and events of the characters were never consistent. A great example of what made it great and yet confusing was the reference to Voyager as a science vessel despite Tom telling Harry that it was a warship. As much as Steve has criticized Voyager in several of his videos and claiming it ruined the Borg I can't help but think it was the Borg that got Voyager home like they kicked a hornet's nest that chased them across the Delta Quadrant and back to Earth. Aside from episodes like "One" and "Night" it was inspiring to see how the crew would push themselves forward without separating from each other
Voyager has always appealed to me because it is female-centric. Even the main male characters are more nurturing than usual for Trek. Jessie's commentary makes me rethink the importance of Chakotay. Although he lacks true development, he is the key to the Starfleet - Maquis cooperation and acts as both support and buffer to Janeway's headstrong persistence. p.s. I think all of us Trek lovers should immigrate to Nepenthe, build a pizza oven and drink Picard wine.
Based on the fact that 87.3% of statistics quoted on the internet are fabricated or wrong (increasing to 91.2% of Netflix data) I would suggest that they didn't come from Netflix and if they did Netflix probably made them up.
Since someone (V. Sandrone) apparently missed the point of this video, I'll give you a starting point: www.businessinsider.com/most-watched-episodes-of-star-trek-on-netflix-2017-9
Jessie, I was really moved by the coda to this video. I've been trying to work out what to type without it sounding like its about me and not your horrible experience with anxiety and isolation; because I empathise a lot. So instead, I'll just say that I never knew about this channel before lockdown/ getting furloughed from my job and geeking out on Star Trek RUclips stuff but I am really glad they exist and will keep watching as long as you keep making them.
Voyager endured because they replaced boring virginal psychic elf girl with sexy Borg Barbie played by an actual decent actress forced to wear a costume that literally choked her. Cue a spike in ratings!
the cat suit got me in the door, the arch made he one of my favorite characters in trek. from a purely thirsty POV t'pol was hotter but was far less interesting. though like most things in ENT, season 3 was very kind to her in that regard.
I still wish Year of Hell had been a more significant event. From what I recall, DS9 was not doing well, and much of the criticism was levelled at the serial nature of it. Voyager was created to return to the episodic, crisis-of-the-week format. Unfortunately most of the TNG writers had shifted over to DS9 (which is why DS9 languishes for 3 seasons then suddenly gets really good) so Voyager kind of ended up with the B team. Add Berman to that mix and you've got a show of lesser quality that struggles to find its own identity. I also find Voyager extremely difficult to re-watch, knowing about all the sh*t that went on behind the scenes. Especially scenes between Seven and Janeway. That doesn't take away from the message of Voyager, but it does affect my viewing experience. --------------------- I completely understand how you feel Jessie. I have days where I've needed to scream and just let it all out. It's great that you've got a friend to whom you can reach out. A single good friend is worth their weight. Wishing you good things.
@@trekker105 mulgrew resented ryan's addition to the cast and felt that she was was only there for sex appeal and essentially treated her very poorly for a very long time. I don't know why that would effect the enjoyment of the show, there's all kinds of hints that Auberjonois and Brooks went toe to toe on a semi regular basis. The only cast that basically locked arms and sang kumbaya was TNG. And even that wasn't a perfect world. Berman's treatment of wheaton, and rumors that Sirtis and Mcfadden weren't always bestest of chums. There's a couple of panels from STLV where they butt heads if you look hard enough.
When I rewatch Star Trek, I watch each one differently. I binge watch DS9 from beginning to end. I like Voyager in doses. Episodes like Equinox, Scorpion, and Timeless. I remember HATING it when it originally aired. At that time, when the intro to the show came on I would literally boo out loud. I have a different take today.
Same with DS9. With Voyager there's usually a specific episode that gets into my brain and lives there until I watch it. Then I just kind of jump around, ideally by character. So I'll watch the B'Elanna episodes, or the three good Icheb episodes, or the Seven episodes. I just follow my whim.
I had no idea people didn't like voyager. Now enterprise i understand. I love how u keep it real!! Im.so glad you share with us. I feel your pain. Life is scary. Sometimes overwhelming! Im so glad i found this channel.
Jessie, what a beautifully stated video about Voyager. And I agree. What were than considered flaws of Voyager closest to its time are today its greatest advantage. Really shows you how perceptions can change in a times where uncomfortable change is occurring so thick and fast.
I’d heard so many put downs of Voyager that I put off trying to watch. It turned out to be my favorite Star Trek series. As good as TNG is, no matter how well written, I never really connected with the characters. On Voyager, the characters and their feelings for each other, made the show for me. Definite family vibes.
I think the 1 thing Star Trek Voyager absolutely nailed was rewatchability. It feels like it follows a different formula because it doesn't feel made for grand finales or high stakes action scenes/conflicts like many other shows, and focuses instead on fleshing out the world and characters, and that's kinda what does it for me, if that makes sense.
Watching videos like this make me feel less isolated. Voyager was my Star Trek, Janeway is my captain. The one I grew up watching as each episode aired. I'm at the exact age where I kinda remember watching the first episode as it aired, and definitely remember watching the last, on the night that it aired...though taped, and somewhat corrupted by our shitty vhs player. We had to be somewhere while it was airing, but watched it as soon as we got home. That's all beside the point. Knowing there are people, and communities that love the things I love, find comfort in them, and talk about them critically is one of my tethers to a world outside this pandemic. Outside the horrors of our government. So thanks for continuing to do this, even while you're struggling.
I adore your videos. I came to your channel because of JK & trying to process my own feelings of her transphobia (I'm a trans man). The video where you get really emotional over the consequences of her actions on our community hit me so deeply, and ultimately led me to doing some videos here in June about my writing universe with regards to representation and the difficult task of creating fiction that's as inclusive as possible. Thank you for being here, your channel has become one of my go-to channels for my own "comfort TV". You're awesome. :)
@@pathevermore3683 I did read all of my first book out on youtube, but I also did five videos on the social justice aspects of my world creation as well. :) Thank you for the sub! :)
I find your argument about BSG being a response to Voyager a bit misleading. BSG predates Voyager and though the remakes might be influenced by Voyager, the 'travelling alone in the galaxy with limited resources" was already a part of its story before Voyager aired.
Well done and thank you. Voyager has gotten me through many a tough time too. If they had to constantly struggle for resources, I would resent it. The unity that was forced onto them, worked so well, that the day to day needs to survive, were taken care of, as a matter of course because they did it together and they did it so well, that they were free to devote themselves to truly living, rather than just exisiting. They didn’t sideline their passion and joy in the present, for the POSSIBILITY of being rewarded, AFTER successfully fulfilling a very long term goal, that many wouldn’t even realise. We are here for a good time, not a long time! Janeway’s strength came from accepting what is, focusing on what they had, not lacked, then used it in the best way possible, in enormously challenging circumstances. Way to go!
Star Trek Voyager is my comfort show. I know it's far from perfect in parts *coughTuvixcough*....However, I still come back to this show in different parts of my life whenever I need a little bit of comfort. My mom is part of the reason I love this show so much. We used to watch it a lot together at different points...and in 2020...my mom passed away to COVID. And so it takes on a slightly different meaning today. I feel comforted somewhat watching the Voyager crew come together and help each other...in much the same way Yugi's friends help him get through...they're a family....and that's what is the best part of this show...no it ain't perfect but that's what I love about it. Janeway is definitely my captain...she's an inspiration to me. Just like your videos are Jessie... live long and prosper.
Sending you much Love, Hugs but above all strength. You are never alone my sister we are all here for you. The furry family send you warm loving snuggles.... Live Long and Prosper...... 🥰🥰🥰🥰❤❤❤❤
I love sci-fi and fantasy. As a little kid The Outter Limits and The Twilight Zone were the best thing ever. Space 1999. Star Trek with Piccard. Neverending Story. The original Star Trek movies. Star Wars. Such fantastic worlds. And Voyager. I remember it as the one thing on tv I missed when for about a month our tv was broken. I'm addicted to stories: tv, books, comics, cartoons. Just give me stories. And yet I was ok with no tv. Except during that hour when I knew Voyager was on tv...
Voyager is my number 2 series(tied with Enterprise, behind TNG). I love so much about this show. Even more since I binged the whole of Trek(the time between the end of DS9 and the beginning of ENT season 3 was some of the best Trek I watched.....IMHO since the end of TNG. I also contend that Endgame is the best finale after All Good Things, again IMHO). Living Witness is one of my favorite episodes of all of Trek
I liked Voyager, despite its flaws. It did start finding itself, esp. once Seven of Nine came on. I wish they'd had a little more time before the Maquis and Starfleet crews integrated, with more like DS9 did with that. I also wish they'd shown more of the struggle to get by, to get repairs, supplies, and crew replacements. -- It occurred to me recently, if they'd lost certain crew members (sorry-wise or actors leaving), what would they have done, have some ensign or random, never-seen-before officer take one of the regular main character jobs? Or who gets to bump up in rank and position? Nellie gets a job besides cook and trader? (And why not write him better?) Does an alien come on as crew? Would Voyager get alien parts, like new nacelles, whatever? All sorts of possibilities. Maybe that's armchair show design after the show's over, hindsight. But I still thought the show as good, and had standout episodes. Also I later liked the BSG reboot, but it took me a little while to warm up to it. And dang, the Voyager crew kept at it. The recent Netflix Lost in Space reboot was an interesting take too. I wonder what Voyager would be like if they did it today? And I liked several of the characters, but wish they'd done more or rewritten a few. -- I did wonder, with rewatches, why they never took on anyone as a nurse to assist the EMH doctor, or an assistant doctor. Ens. Kim never got promoted. :-/ -- Costuming note: I always thought the casual uniform they had Paris in for his first scene, the intro between him and Janeway while he was at the penal colony, looked like a really practical, comfortable uniform. They should've used it on the show.
Gotta love ST Voyager and of course Captain Janeway :D But then again, I love all STAR TREK and STARGATE too, with the "good or bad" that goes with it: It's the best escape and go-to place when the world around you gets far too much... And PS: Jessie, glad you are feeling better, I love this channel and all the tubes here:=) Stay safe!
Such an important message these days. I hope everyone over in the US is doing alright - I wouldn't want to be in your shoes right now. Fingers crossed things get better soon... In a crisis, my own favourite way of coping is to distract myself with an even bigger crisis but one that's not mine, so I can feel more prepared. My 2020 "comfort" has therefore, oddly, been Babylon 5 (including Crusade). But there was one time when Voyager was so important to me: when I moved out last year. Suddenly being alone in a new country, barely speaking the language, all around strangers... Something about it was so much like Voyager. My room, like the ship, quickly became familiar, but everything outside was new and scary. Janeway's speeches kind of always gave me hope I could make it through. Picard's speeches are about morality. Sisko's speeches are about justice. Janeway's are about hope.
I was never a huge Voyager fan, but I watched it with Trekkie devotion, why because it's undeniable Star Trek; unlike some other recent franchises I will not mention. Did they squandering the opportunity to tell an unique different storyline and hit the reset button way too often? Of course they did. But the show is still enjoyable. Did they have stinker episodes? Yep they did, enough said with the word salamander. But look at the first 2 seasons of TNG and later episodes like Sub Rosa. Even though those episodes were cringe, I didn't give up on TNG. And being Voyager oozed Trek, I gave it the same consideration. BTW I subbed you, awesome channel!
I Like season one, two and three alot more then the others. I liked the kazon, seska plot because Michael Pillar was the show runner for season 1 and 2 and had influnce over season 3 and 4. It had a lot of my favoite elements that was established in my favoirite star trek show Deep Space Nine. Its crew conflict, poltical (SEKSA plot point) and a mystery like the Gamma Q with the Delta Q. But when barga became show runner lots of plots with time travel, the borg over and over again and there season 6 which was bad, which is not the norm, DS9, TNG season 6 were both great. They had a Deep Space Nine ark and made it into TNG light with out the great TNG story telling with poltics see unfication and repdemation.The point is its the last good star trek show but not great like DS9, TNG or TOS. But it is the last Star Trek show to Michael Pillars influnce. Pillar was the hart and soul of trek after Gene's passing.
3years later I’m seeing your very touching video. Hoping you have been finding your way. Been binge watching Star Trek and Voyager is my favorite and been Trekkie since TOS days.❤🖖
My SF comfort watching during the pandemic has been Babylon 5, Farscape, BSG, Sense8, and the Trek movies so far. Back in the day, Voyager was the final nail in the coffin of my Trek watching. I was getting increasingly disillusioned with the franchise in general, from a storytelling sense DS9 and VOY were both falling short of the stakes and serialised storytelling of Babylon 5, and I was getting more and more into hard SF novels at the time so the technobabble solutions for problems grated on that front. I distinctly remember that the last episode of DS9 I watched as it was airing was the series 6 finale, and for Voyager I'm not sure. I definitely saw the series 4 finale but I missed a lot of the episodes leading up to it. And I definitely saw Bride of Chaotica! on TV. Reading the leaked script for the Enterprise pilot turned me off that show right away. Between repeats on TV and (almost) all of Trek being on Netflix outside the US I caught up on DS9, but I've never felt the urge to go back to Voyager and watch the episodes I missed, though I have watched some random episodes I saw before and knew I enjoyed. philosophical themes weren't as strong (IMO), and of course it didn't have the most important person in the history
I watched the first episode of BSG, saw it looked really depressing, and noped out. Even at my best, I've never been able to enjoy that stuff. What I love about Star Trek is the optimism, and I honestly wouldn't have wanted Voyager to be anything like BSG. Even DS9 gets too bogged down with it at times, which is why I don't watch much of it. I find I like the brightness (literally and figuratively--they were in the "low lights are cinematic" phase with Voyager) of TNG better, but Voyager does also scratch that itch.
Voyager is my personal favourite Trek to be honest. Janeway, Seven, Torres, and Paris (and that theme song) just make it for me. But I'm curious if you (or anyone) thinks, as I do, that maybe a lot of these "flaws" could be in part due to how long the seasons were. 24 episodes, 45 minutes each is SO LONG, and I feel like if those seasons had been halved, we would see a lot of those issues of plot arcing smooth out just by virtue of less (forgive me) open space, since it is a highly specific plot conceit they're dealing with that should have (and often did but not often enough) led to Big Emotions.
Jessie! Such great timing. I've long been a devoted fan to DS9 (my favorite Trek) but missed most of Voyager except for catching some when it was new when I was a kid in the late 90s. I always thought it was.... OK but pedestrian. Since the pandemic I've actually been doing an intentional watch-through and you know what, it's got some major issues but also some fantastic episodes and a lovable cast and I find myself way more endeared by it than I ever thought I would be.
Voyager being my favorite, I also have some opinions on how it could have been better. For example, while I do love Seven of Nine, I didn't like much how the show turned into the Janeway/Seven/Doctor comedy hour after her arrival. They failed to utilize their ensemble cast as effectively as other Star Trek shows. Also I feel like the show could have had a more unique over-arching threat like the Dominion was in DS9 instead of focusing so heavily on the Borg. Heck, like that guy who made Battlestar Galactica, the missed opportunities in Voyager inspire me to write pages and pages of things they could have done. But still, the show is good, actually, despite and in ways because of its flaws like you say.
Janeway was my first captain. my first ever exposure to star trek was walking in on my dad watching Dark Frontier part 2. I knew nothing, and still knew nothing at the end of the episode but I watched the entire thing through nonetheless. then my mom dragged me to Nemesis when it came out in theaters which was more "WTF" but at least I knew it was called "Star Trek". I remember my mom geeking out over Janeway's cameo and abosultely not getting it. I asked my mom for more. She had a VHS with various trek episodes on it, and the very first episode on it was voyager's "Concerning Flight". the rest of the episodes were TNG, but I wasn't interested in them. I must have watched that episode hundreds of times. I never really got into TNG at all, even when a friend of my mom loaned me dozens of TNG episodes that he'd recorded - I'd watch them through wanting at the end of each episode for the next one to be voyager. when I started to seek out my own star trek via the library, it was Voyager, then DS9, then TOS that I searched out. I'd find out when reruns of voyager would be airing and stay up until 11 pm to watch them. and while DS9 has objectively better storytelling and characters, Voyager is still where my heart lies. are there issues? yes. Could it have been better? yes. but still, for me, when I think about Star Trek, my mind immediately lands on Voyager.
I think for a lot of people it's a disconnect between those who watched it as it came out, those who watched it causally, & those who watched it later. And I don't mean that in any gate-keeping way, I watched Voyager as it aired, as I watched every series TNG through Enterprise because I came from a Star Trek family. I was really excited about Voyager and I liked the first few seasons. I had reasonable expectations a show needed to grow into itself, watching that & DS9 together was a good kind of contrast. The Seska plot twist in April 95 had origins in the DS9 episode "Second Skin" from Oct 1994, that was really cool to me. My general feeling of cynicism when I think back at the show has less to do with the content of the show then the context around it. I was 14 when Jeri Ryan joined the show & every article talked about her catsuit or her body & that dipped into RL where grown men thought me just mentioning "I like star trek" would justify so pretty disturbing comments. I liked the characters & most of my disappointment with the show was not knowing how to use the cast they had effectively, creatively. But change up help the show, to a point. A new character can only work for so long but the show wasn't as bad as people hyperbolicly go on about it. I think Voyager let a lot of opportunity pass them by. That's the thing, when you were watching a show week to week, season to season: Voyager was quality show, but we were kind of Star Trek fatigue & there was Stargate & Buffy people think because they remember them more because they were new, they must have hated Voyager.
I've always wondered if a fan could (as if possible?) cobble together a single mini-series out of Voyager episodes, to try and make a "Year of Hell Season". After seeing recently what the SW fan that did a fan edit of Obi-Wan to turn it into an actual gut-wrenching, heartbreaking story that hits you square in the feels for days, I have hope!
Voyager is a great and I think the reason it gets so much hate is because of how rough the first 2 seasons were. Whether you like like Voyager or not we can all agree that it's 10X better than Discovery and Picard. Instead of being episodic shows about exploration, morality, science, ethics and existence, Star Trek has turned into Social Justice Warriors in Space! Michael Burnham is insubordinate and the entire cast of Discovery spend more time crying to each other rather than doing their jobs. Picard is just Jean Luc going about the galaxy grovelling at the foot of every women he comes across and apologising for being a white cis male. Hopefully Strange New Worlds can save the franchise and take it back to it's roots.
I think the maquis and the federation crew shouldn't have fully integrated until the end of season one. It would have been more impactful if Chakotay showed up on the bridge in uniform during the season finale.
Voyager had to let everyone know up front that there is no dramatic premise it wouldn't squander.
The problem with the Maquis was that easy integration was kind of inevitable. They were basically all Federation citizens a matter of months prior to Caretaker and had split off due to a territorial dispute that was now 70,000 light years away. Which is why in the end most of the "conflict" seemed to be more like the military vs civilian dynamic Stargate occasionally played with than the deeper cultural clash most people wanted. If the writers had really wanted to do a disperate crews coming together story, they should have used Gul Evek's ship instead of the Maquis. Or any other species if they wanted more distance from DS9. The Romulans would have worked well.
What bothers me most about the maquis is that, in the pilot, Tuvok is introduces as spy on the maquis ship and that's never mentioned again. in "learning curve", he is the most star fleet guy imaginable who has not knowledge at all about the maquis. doesn't sound like a good spy to me.
The biggest reason they didn't do that is probably becuase of people thought about tv series back then. they made most of their money from syndication and you couldn't know if the episdoes wouldn't show in the right order, so you just made sure that most of the episodes could be watched random order, just how you did stuff back then
To my knowledge, which I believe is accurate, the reason for the conflict being dropped, wasn't due to the writers, or showrunners, for that matter, at all. The network determined that it wasn't a beneficial course to pursue, even though it had been included in the show bible. So, with a few exceptions, that were really focused on individual Maquis, it went away.
Frankly, I've always thought that it would have been increasingly become difficult, if not unsustainable, to maintain such an artifice. They were in a predicament, that far superceded any plangency that continuing crew intra-dynamics would have attempted to seem at all significant. Sure, there was regret and loss, when the fate of nearly all their colleagues was revealed. But, I think that's about as far as the original intention could plausibly been pursued.
If Janeway concentrated on getting home and not working on their star fleet duties she would have easily turned into Captain Random. By stopping and categorizing nebula or making first contact missions the crew would have gone crazy. Janeway's up and down personality could be contributed to PTSD or extreme guilt. But she among the cast is the only one who exhibit that behavior. Voyager is like eating a home cooked meal it fills you up and satisfies.
As well as potentially finding technology that could have helped them get back faster.
Your videos always make me feel less isolated. Thank you Jessie and I hope you can find peace in the changes to come in your life. ❤️
Also, on a more aesthetic note, I just want to say that, as my first time viewing your content, you have an awesome voice that is itself comforting, kinda like these shows.
not an official trekkie, but i was born in 1990 and grew up watching deep space nine and voyager. those shows sewed the seeds for my astronomy major in college. every few years i rewatch voyager!
"And your heart beats so slow
through the rain and fallen snow
across the fields of mourning
to a light that's in the distance.
Oh don't sorrow, no don't weep
for tonight, at last
I am coming home
I am coming home."
"You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
You make such great star trek commentary. Love You JessieGender
So good thanks I needed that.
To your end half of your video, I feel where you are and where you've been and I offer a hug which is virtual sure, but nonetheless heartfelt. I can't hug a tv screen, but I can at least let you know that you touch our lives and we care. Much love sweetie. Hang in there.
Is the ending song a remix of the outer wilds theme? Where can I find it?
A moment to remember Tuvix.
When mixing the audio for a video, it would be nice if the music didn't drown out the dialog.
Turns out that the real worst Star Trek ever made was the friends we made along the way.
And by that I mean Star Trek Nemesis.
"Where Picard demands higher moral accountability, Janeway demands survival. Where Sisko defends and fights, Janeway persists."
You're giving me some Friday feels Captain Jessie. That right there is why Janeway is my captain.
Nevertheless, she persisted.
So, Janeway is Gandalf?!?
I grew up essentially by myself. I felt hated everywhere I go. Voyager came at the perfect time, when I desperately needed a family. Family was EVERYTHING loyalty was everything to the crew of Voyager. And I needed that. Seven was my first massive crush before I even knew that I was bi. So yeah, Voyager is my favorite Star Trek series. Always has been always will be. Flaws and all.
lol i think seven was lots of young boys first crush haha she is stunning
Steve Adams yes
You might be intrested in our upcoming sci-fi project featuring Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager) ruclips.net/video/VqI2rm1UpMY/видео.html
The personal stuff at the end really got to me. It reminded me of the saying: "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." Hang in there people, you are not alone. let's stick together.
Like Voyager, I feel it could take us 70 years to get back to normal.
Like Voyager, I'm sure it'll happen much sooner. But we'll still have to work for it.
@@DrTssha Like the mirror universe, there's no guarantee that the good guys win. We may be on the final decline here. Just (pessimistically) sayin'.
Unless our future selves come back and sacrifice themselves to get us out of it faster
@@Seetiyan I think we might be IN the mirror universe…
Honestly, Voyager was my favorite of all the post TOS shows. It was the characters that did it for me. The stories were not always great, but I cared about the characters.
Mine also
In the words of my favorite show: "Remember: Your flaws are beautiful!"
Entrapta? is that you?
@@wellingtonsmith4998 Hordak? :D
Stargate: SG1 ist my comfort-nostalgia show as well ^_^
For me Stargate has the same emotional connotations as guessing which of your children you like more (I guess, don't have childrens yet 😅). I mean, they are all different, you love them very much, you say you have no favorite but indeed you do 🤣...
SG1 is thematically similar to Star Trek but using the USA in the 90s as the setting, plus a heaping scoop of Xena.
it breaks my heart that Stargate is not remotely as popular a franchise as Trek or Wars. I hardly ever meet anybody irl who even knows about the series, at best they vaguely recall the original movie.
@@Michoss9 Never liked the movie. Well, I never liked the back half. Once Spader figures out how to make the gate work, I can happily turn it off.
I loved both SG-1 and Atlantis They're like sci-fi comfort food and hold up very well even decades later.
I would love to have you review SG1 seasons at a time. I love all 3 Gate Series....💖
I've been binge watching Voyager over the past month, and the show feels like wrapping yourself in a soft warm blanket.
I'm in my late 30's, and I finally understand why people love Trek so much.
It makes sense in terms of episodes. People rewatching DS9 would be all the eps in a row. Voyager being episodic, it doesn't need to be seen in any kind of order.
@@ericmatias2799 DS9 can be very heavy where Voyager is more ...comfort food.
@@trekjudas DS9 isn't really designed to "cuddle" the viewer, in many instances, where TNG or VOY may be able to do that.
@@Corbomite_Meatballs Interesting comment. I quite agree...
@@ericmatias2799 yes at the start first fue seasons where crap got alot better when the dominion came in
Ds9 had plenty of stand alone episodes, they just were usually not as engaging as the tension filled series arc episodes.
"This ends right now...Our course is locked in, only my authorization can release it." This is my favorite Janeway scene.
PEPPERONI!
I go back to John Waters’ “good bad taste” quote. It’s why I love Enterprise, and it’s why I love the “bad episodes” of Voyager.
I relate to everything you said, Brexit has made me feel like a stranger in my own country doubly so with Covid. I think I will give a Voyager rewatch a try. Your videos are a highlight in my life.
Much love and solidarity from the UK.
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Really sorry to hear that you’re having such a hard time I sincerely hope things get better for you
Hey Jessie,
I know its been a while since I've commented; I've had a lot going on in my own life (including working with an editor on my upcoming book about growing up Autistic which has been greenlit! Yay! :D), but I wanted to comment on this video. Because this video...oh my god this video. More than most you've made recently (and there have been some epic ones!), this one spoke to me. I'm an extroverted introvert - I love my humans, and I need human connection, but humans also exhaust me. So I tend to CHOOSE me time, punctuated with getting to see my friends and loved ones regularly when I want to on my terms. Because of this...I struggled ALOT early on in the pandemic. I felt isolated, and alone. I didn't even see my best friend for two months despite us living in the same city because of COVID worries. We talked every day on the phone, as I did with many of my friends...but it wasn't the same. I live in Canada, and we got a pretty good handle on the virus before long...so thankfully our lockdown didn't last forever and gradually we reopened as it became safe to do so...so my mental health got better. I gave my best friend the biggest hug when I saw him again, standing at the entrance to my building, waiting for me to let him in for a long-awaited coffee hangout. But I know EXACTLY what you're going through...and its fitting that during the worst of that back in March and April? I too took comfort in a rewatch of Star Trek Voyager. It's not a perfect show by FAR...but as you said; in both its flaws and its triumphs, its exactly the show we need right now. It's Star Trek at its most imperfect best, and that's why I've always loved it. I'm sorry you're going through this hard time right now Jessie...and I know its not the same as real human connection (heck, I'm only some random person who comments on your videos and joins your livestreams occasionally)...but I'm happy to do my small part to be part of your online community and give you some kind of human connection. You certainly have done the same for me! Live long and prosper, internet friend! :)
You've been a real benefit to a trans friend of mine, Jessie Gender. She's a Star Trek fan who is dealing with her family and her unhappiness for a variety of reasons. You gave her a lot of confidence as well as inspired her. You may have honestly saved her life and it's been a huge improvement for her over the past months. She's been binging your stuff repeatedly and I am so happy to have recommended you to her.
Never think your stuff here isn't important.
Voyager is a pretty solid comfort show for me too. It’s the first Trek show I remember watching consistently as a kid, cos it was my dad’s favourite and was still airing at the time I was getting into Trek (would’ve been in season 6 or 7 by then). And it was being rerun a lot on Sky One. So it’s cemented in my memory as my entry point into Star Trek I guess, and the first one I’m certain I saw every episode of. Plus me and my brother playing the absolute shit out the Star Trek Voyager Elite Force vídeo game probably didn’t hurt. So I have a lot of good memories attached with the show, and that’s pretty comforting in our very own year of hell.
Team “I would follow Janeway into hell” for life
my dad and I watched TOS reruns all the time when i was a kid. when TNG first premiered, he hated it. it would take until the third season before i got him into it. and then DS9 came out. that was OUR show. i miss my dad a lot, but he fell into a certain rabbithole and if he had survived til today, he would probably be a doomcock.
First about Voyager- I've always maintained that Voyager's biggest flaw was UPN. Whole swaths of the country didn't get UPN, and thus it didn't have the ratings that TNG or DS9 did. Same holds true for Enterprise.
Seven of Nine is one of my favorite characters even now. I don't tend to rank very well, but she's in a small pool. She spoke to me as someone who barely functions in society and for whom just keeping up the mask is tough, and her continued story in Picard added to that.
It's been a really crappy year, and it's been very hard for most people. I'm constantly scared for my friends and relations living in the dangerous places out there. Just remember, none of us are alone.
I have to admit that I've been watching Red Dwarf and Lower Decks a lot. Red Dwarf certainly is a show about dealing with isolation and loneliness (With a little help from a slightly crazy ship's computer, a hologram, a sapient cat, and an android.) I find laughter helps a lot.
Voyager had fairly good ratings. It was UPN's biggest show. DS9 had much lower ratings despite being critically acclaimed. Voyager's biggest flaw was the bad writing.
@@dangerkeith3000 I debated responding, but...this is going to be long and complex. First of all, you have to understand that, according to what little I can reliably find, Voyager and DS9 had about the same ratings; however, DS9's ratings mattered less than Voyager's and here's why.
Paramount had been trying since the mid-70's to create a broadcast company. Their plan was to make a Star Trek series the flagship of the network. To do this, they green-lit Star Trek Phase II only to change their minds when Star Wars came out and a movie seemed better. They then tried to go into partnership with another studio with DS9 as the flagship only for that to collapse and DS9 headed to syndication. That story, btw, is fascinating and still kind of fragmentary.
They finally got a network off the ground. UPN's flagship was to be Voyager. With this burden, Voyager got a lot more interference from the network execs. They kept pushing for better ratings despite not having the affiliates required to cover the country. They wanted the show aimed at the 'key' demographic- 18 to 24 year old males. They wanted more 'T&A' on the show, especially as the show began to flag and ratings for the whole network were tanking.
By 2000, UPN was bleeding out to the tune of $800mil per year. As Voyager was wrapping up, they green-lit another show- Star Trek Enterprise. They continued interfering in the show, and by 2005, they pulled Enterprise off the air and the network collapsed a year later.
The network interference resulted in the show's writing and acting suffering as well as the whole thing being pushed in strange directions. In the end, if UPN had not existed and Voyager had gone to syndication, things might have been different, but it didn't. Sorry that this was so long, but you had to understand the background to see why UPN was the problem. You are right, the writing was very uneven, but that wasn't the problem- it was the symptom.
@@artemisiatheta7549 this is such a fascinating comment! I remember UPN fondly, because it housed Voyager and the later seasons of Buffy, but it was a weird network. Even things I liked, like showing episodes of I Dream of Genie, and Bewitched, as well as reruns of black sitcoms, didn't really gel as a whole. I watched A LOT of UPN, it was the channel I always watched in the summer when I was home during daytime television, but I don't think it had a strong identity. 3rd rate cartoons, classic sitcoms, black sitcoms, all the Star Trek, and Buffy....it's great, but cohesive, it's not.
I love how you used Chaotica's music theme!
I’m just gonna say it..Voyager was my favourite! I loved it!
This video led me to this thought: Star Trek, at its best, shows us that we don't need to be better than other people. What we need is to be better than our own past selves. Doesn't matter if that past was generations behind us, or only five minutes ago. Only then will we be able to raise each other up to the heights we so desperately dream of being able to reach.
One thing that really resonates with me from Voyager is her absolute loyalty to Tuvok. She’s the kind of person who would do literally anything for her friend.
I'm sorry you're lonely and I'm glad you have someone to talk to I found my fiance doring the pandemic all though we have not seen each other in person we still talk and send each other pictures and we love each other but if I had no power or no internet we could not talk and that would be so hard for me I hope I can be with her in the near future but she lives in a nother country I'm in the US and she is in Canada so it's not easy I hope for the best for you I love your videos and please be happy
I've always been a Voyager fan; it was my favourite when I was growing up; around the time TNG was finishing and DS9 and VOY were kicking off. And I still love it today, despite all the flaws it has, most of which are well known.
I think the reason it's so well watched these days is in part due to one of the heaviest criticsms; it's episodic nature.
Quite rightly people criticise VOY for having the weekly Big Reset Button and minimal season-wide character arcs, which in large part was due to budget and time (For example, the external footage of the ship had to be recycled because there wasn't the budget for 'update' shots, even when they switched to full CGI), BUT, that heavily episodic nature, fairly static characters and Big Reset Button means that anyone who knows the basic premise can literally pick an episode from anywhere in the run and watch without needing to go through any required watching.
I still enjoy ST:Voyager, for all it's failings due to background issues, I like the characters, the concept and the USS Voyager is still my favourite ship in all of Trek (Fight me! xD).
I was actually not a big Seven of Nine fan until Star Trek: Picard. I more dislike her storylines in Voyager then the character.
I feel like they had an opportunity to make a mini federation in season 2. They had opportunity to unite the Kazon and the their old slavers but they dissolved into a “do not interfere” episode. Voyager was just so many missed opportunity.
That and they couldve stayed in contact with that Amelia Earhart planet too
Missed opportunities was Voyager in a nutshell.
It was just a horrible show and the worst of the franchise.
I hear you and feel you. That's why I identify with 7of9. All from that one episode of 7of9 being isolated while the other crew were asleep. "I am 7of9. I am alone. I will adapt." I am naturally a loner introvert. Yet mainly I am a loner on purpose. I have cut out so many people in my life. My last victim was my half brother and since my father died a year ago all of the half siblings. On my mother's side I have only one cousin left that I consider family. Everyone else is dead (literally) and I do think of leaving and joining them quite often. I don't because I have my 2 children who are grown now so actually it's just me. It does get very hard being alone and yes I have a bad habit of drinking (in moderation but still daily) to help self medicate myself. I fear that this world will get worst before it gets better. I fear the damage that Trump has inflicted will continue whether he remains in office or not. I fear we are doomed. But in order for change the old ways must end and our old ways in America will not die without a fight. Star Trek for me has been my only constant in life. If I die old then my only instructions from my kids is to draw on my eye brows, put a turban on my head, and make sure Star Trek (TNG) is playing non-stop as I drift off into space. Just know that there are people out here in the dark supporting you and living life right along side of you. And one way or another we will LIVE LONG and Damnit We Will PROSPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
I relate very deeply to your comment. Very similar situation though my kids are still growing up. They are pretty independent now.and since my spouse passed away I been pretty alone too. I love the camaraderie and family feel of trek and helps me, at least for a bit forget my situation.
Jesse, If you would like a sympathetic ear, I offer mine, no judgment, no pressure. I am a stranger, but you can check me out, I can send you my info.
I'm not a nut or even a traditional fan, though I love all things trek and I love your insights. I hear your pain. That is my calling.
I'm one of those that re watch voyager alot, along side Ds9, I loved your perspective and discussion 💙
My favorite Star Trek series has always been voyager. I have often been inspired by the strength and persistence of Janeway and the Voyager crew. Thank you so much for continuing to make content! I love your perspective and I hear you.
Thank you so much for your insight and especially for your self-disclosure toward the end. I identify with your feelings of isolation. I can't drive (medical reasons) so I've always tried to live in urban areas with good public transportation. Even so I often feel very lonely. The pandemic lock-down, of course, has made it worse.
Peace, and all goodness as you work through this.
I never really watched Voyager. I've seen a few episodes here and there. But this video is making me want to give it a shot. Maybe it might help me find some hope in this tough situation.
That isolation sounds terrible, I hope it gets better! I guess We’re all going through it to varying degrees. Your points about Voyager are really good; it’s the show I grew up waiting for every week and remains one of my favorites. It’s very comforting but also inspiring. Good video, LLAP 🖖🏻😎🖖🏻
Voyager was my family’s favorite show for years in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Certainly not the worst Star Trek show. Yes it had its bad episodes, but by and large it was consistently solid and my whole family could watch it. Not many shows exist like that. Yes it was safe, and I’m so thankful for that. My kids have fond memories of us being together every evening and watching Voyager, TNG, and X files. Then came Alias and 24. Great time to have kids.
Jessie! You are AMAZING!
Voyager is a point of contention I have with Steve "Voyager Hater" Shives; I will admit that DS9 was the best-written, and TNG had the best acting, but (for me) Voyager was/is always the most fun to watch.
Back to you: I LOVE YOU (not in a creepy stalker way, but a proud parent sort of way). What you are doing is so important to more people than you may realize. You are a beautiful, intelligent, thoughtful, funny, caring, and (most of all) GOOD human; I can't think of a better role model for young people - especially young people who are confused and upset because they are ostracized and/or hated for simply being who they are (and you're also a good role model for young people who are open-minded, but don't know what it means to be transgender). I wonder how many suicides you've prevented; probably more than you can imagine.
You're also a great role model for people like me, who already "take a special delight in the wonderful differences" (as Gene Roddenberry would say) that make up the human condition. Not that I was ever really bigoted, but being a white, straight, middle-aged, probably entitled male, I could always use more education and insight into the thoughts/feelings/struggles of other people - the kind of insight you provide more adeptly than almost anyone I've ever seen/known.
With 18,000 subscribers (most of whom probably share my opinions of you), please ALWAYS remember that you are appreciated and loved.
Thank you for making these videos, and keep up the great work!!!
It just so happened that I restarted Voyager in my ongoing Star Trek rewatch right as the lockdowns started. That experience changed my perspective on the series so much. This video and your work is so appreciated and needed. Thank you ❤️
Overall enjoyed the video. I know you are experimenting with your video techniques - but I have some hearing issues and found the background music was a little too loud, so I had problems focusing on what you are saying. Best to give you that feedback (still have a thumb up).
Sorry to hear you had a breakdown and feeling isolated.
I'm a photographer and a visual artist, I fall under the Asperger's umbrella and I've tried to find connection with others through a photographic project (well at least until the depression hit me really hard once again) in which I photograph people trying to establish connections through internet and screens. Maybe you can find it interesting. Thank you so much for share your experience, I'm far from home in a Indigenous Reservation and the quarantine has been an enlightening but challenging experience.
i guess it is ok that voyager has a good run now on netflix and this difficult time, but DS9 fits much more to me and i do not use netflix so i am not one of those voyager watchers atm
Episode 200 of SG-1 is like a top 10 episode ever of TV I have seen.
I get that DS9 is better written and more technically 'deep' (no pun intended) but I just like the VOY characters more, idk I guess I should try harder with DS9 cuz ultimately I always felt like the characters on DS9 were just unlikable (which I also get was intentional!) so i dunno gah fuck it I like Voyager most lol
2:01 you're watching SG1, you should do a video on the Jaffa as civil rights allegory.
The good episodes are some of the best "TNG" episodes that were produced, but the wasted premise still hangs around the neck of the show like an albatross. I think if it came before DS9, Voyager might have been better accepted. But if you were watching both, and you had one show that told this connected and serialized narrative where Nog gets his leg blown off and has to deal with the PTSD and then you have this other one where nothing matters between episodes, it's just hard not to be disappointed.
I imagine if you started Voyager now, without that baggage, you might not even notice that the whole "Lost in Space" concept doesn't matter and just be fine watching the Doctor own the series since he has the best episodes. lol
I can see it being great comfort food in that context, because there's a lot of "alone together" moments that you don't otherwise get from Trek.
the reason they had to cook food should have been they were replicating warp coils the whole time beause they were traveling at warp 9.975 and would burn them out
Star Trek Voyager - the most enjoyable rewatch of any of the Treks.
Shout out to that delicious opening theme with dat French horn solo 📯 aww yeah
I was hesitant to watch voyager I didn’t watch it when I was a kid . Only ds9. But just rewatched recently I’m loving it
Sorry you're feeling bad, Jessie, I wish I could say it gets easier.
When you mentioned the flaws I was immediately thinking of what Steve Shives and Lore Reloaded said in their videos about Voyager, how the writing and events of the characters were never consistent. A great example of what made it great and yet confusing was the reference to Voyager as a science vessel despite Tom telling Harry that it was a warship. As much as Steve has criticized Voyager in several of his videos and claiming it ruined the Borg I can't help but think it was the Borg that got Voyager home like they kicked a hornet's nest that chased them across the Delta Quadrant and back to Earth. Aside from episodes like "One" and "Night" it was inspiring to see how the crew would push themselves forward without separating from each other
Voyager has always appealed to me because it is female-centric. Even the main male characters are more nurturing than usual for Trek. Jessie's commentary makes me rethink the importance of Chakotay. Although he lacks true development, he is the key to the Starfleet - Maquis cooperation and acts as both support and buffer to Janeway's headstrong persistence.
p.s. I think all of us Trek lovers should immigrate to Nepenthe, build a pizza oven and drink Picard wine.
Just curious - how did you get the re-watch statistics from Netflix?? I'm a data nerd and this sounds fascinating.
Based on the fact that 87.3% of statistics quoted on the internet are fabricated or wrong (increasing to 91.2% of Netflix data) I would suggest that they didn't come from Netflix and if they did Netflix probably made them up.
Since someone (V. Sandrone) apparently missed the point of this video, I'll give you a starting point:
www.businessinsider.com/most-watched-episodes-of-star-trek-on-netflix-2017-9
Jessie, I was really moved by the coda to this video. I've been trying to work out what to type without it sounding like its about me and not your horrible experience with anxiety and isolation; because I empathise a lot. So instead, I'll just say that I never knew about this channel before lockdown/ getting furloughed from my job and geeking out on Star Trek RUclips stuff but I am really glad they exist and will keep watching as long as you keep making them.
Voyager endured because they replaced boring virginal psychic elf girl with sexy Borg Barbie played by an actual decent actress forced to wear a costume that literally choked her. Cue a spike in ratings!
the cat suit got me in the door, the arch made he one of my favorite characters in trek. from a purely thirsty POV t'pol was hotter but was far less interesting. though like most things in ENT, season 3 was very kind to her in that regard.
I still wish Year of Hell had been a more significant event.
From what I recall, DS9 was not doing well, and much of the criticism was levelled at the serial nature of it. Voyager was created to return to the episodic, crisis-of-the-week format. Unfortunately most of the TNG writers had shifted over to DS9 (which is why DS9 languishes for 3 seasons then suddenly gets really good) so Voyager kind of ended up with the B team. Add Berman to that mix and you've got a show of lesser quality that struggles to find its own identity.
I also find Voyager extremely difficult to re-watch, knowing about all the sh*t that went on behind the scenes. Especially scenes between Seven and Janeway. That doesn't take away from the message of Voyager, but it does affect my viewing experience.
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I completely understand how you feel Jessie. I have days where I've needed to scream and just let it all out. It's great that you've got a friend to whom you can reach out. A single good friend is worth their weight. Wishing you good things.
I would not have liked watching year of hell for a whole season. It would have been too much. A seven or eight episode arc would have been ok...
Wait what happened behind the scenes?
@@trekker105 mulgrew resented ryan's addition to the cast and felt that she was was only there for sex appeal and essentially treated her very poorly for a very long time.
I don't know why that would effect the enjoyment of the show, there's all kinds of hints that Auberjonois and Brooks went toe to toe on a semi regular basis.
The only cast that basically locked arms and sang kumbaya was TNG. And even that wasn't a perfect world. Berman's treatment of wheaton, and rumors that Sirtis and Mcfadden weren't always bestest of chums. There's a couple of panels from STLV where they butt heads if you look hard enough.
Discovery, Picard, and lower decks suck, not even a shadow of enterprise, and enterprise was the worst of the 70s to 90s trek.
Entirely agree.
When I rewatch Star Trek, I watch each one differently. I binge watch DS9 from beginning to end. I like Voyager in doses. Episodes like Equinox, Scorpion, and Timeless. I remember HATING it when it originally aired. At that time, when the intro to the show came on I would literally boo out loud. I have a different take today.
Same with DS9. With Voyager there's usually a specific episode that gets into my brain and lives there until I watch it. Then I just kind of jump around, ideally by character. So I'll watch the B'Elanna episodes, or the three good Icheb episodes, or the Seven episodes. I just follow my whim.
You are uberwootsticks!
And I am sorry you feel alone Jessie. Sending all the love and hugs online. Wish there was something more I could do.
group hugs for Jessie 🤗
I had no idea people didn't like voyager. Now enterprise i understand. I love how u keep it real!! Im.so glad you share with us. I feel your pain. Life is scary. Sometimes overwhelming! Im so glad i found this channel.
Jessie, what a beautifully stated video about Voyager. And I agree. What were than considered flaws of Voyager closest to its time are today its greatest advantage. Really shows you how perceptions can change in a times where uncomfortable change is occurring so thick and fast.
I’d heard so many put downs of Voyager that I put off trying to watch. It turned out to be my favorite Star Trek series. As good as TNG is, no matter how well written, I never really connected with the characters. On Voyager, the characters and their feelings for each other, made the show for me. Definite family vibes.
This analysis was perfect! I've been watching Voyager as my comfort show for the past month. It's been a wonderful refuge.
I think the 1 thing Star Trek Voyager absolutely nailed was rewatchability. It feels like it follows a different formula because it doesn't feel made for grand finales or high stakes action scenes/conflicts like many other shows, and focuses instead on fleshing out the world and characters, and that's kinda what does it for me, if that makes sense.
Watching videos like this make me feel less isolated. Voyager was my Star Trek, Janeway is my captain. The one I grew up watching as each episode aired. I'm at the exact age where I kinda remember watching the first episode as it aired, and definitely remember watching the last, on the night that it aired...though taped, and somewhat corrupted by our shitty vhs player. We had to be somewhere while it was airing, but watched it as soon as we got home. That's all beside the point. Knowing there are people, and communities that love the things I love, find comfort in them, and talk about them critically is one of my tethers to a world outside this pandemic. Outside the horrors of our government. So thanks for continuing to do this, even while you're struggling.
I adore your videos. I came to your channel because of JK & trying to process my own feelings of her transphobia (I'm a trans man). The video where you get really emotional over the consequences of her actions on our community hit me so deeply, and ultimately led me to doing some videos here in June about my writing universe with regards to representation and the difficult task of creating fiction that's as inclusive as possible. Thank you for being here, your channel has become one of my go-to channels for my own "comfort TV". You're awesome. :)
OMG, did you read your entire book yourself? this is what i call self publishing. subbed, i'll give it a listen.
@@pathevermore3683 I did read all of my first book out on youtube, but I also did five videos on the social justice aspects of my world creation as well. :) Thank you for the sub! :)
@@keyanadrake no problem.
I find your argument about BSG being a response to Voyager a bit misleading. BSG predates Voyager and though the remakes might be influenced by Voyager, the 'travelling alone in the galaxy with limited resources" was already a part of its story before Voyager aired.
Yes but the way RDM wrote BSG (and even his choice to make it) was directly influenced by his work on Voyager and he’s spoken about it
Well done and thank you. Voyager has gotten me through many a tough time too. If they had to constantly struggle for resources, I would resent it. The unity that was forced onto them, worked so well, that the day to day needs to survive, were taken care of, as a matter of course because they did it together and they did it so well, that they were free to devote themselves to truly living, rather than just exisiting. They didn’t sideline their passion and joy in the present, for the POSSIBILITY of being rewarded, AFTER successfully fulfilling a very long term goal, that many wouldn’t even realise. We are here for a good time, not a long time! Janeway’s strength came from accepting what is, focusing on what they had, not lacked, then used it in the best way possible, in enormously challenging circumstances. Way to go!
Star Trek Voyager is my comfort show. I know it's far from perfect in parts *coughTuvixcough*....However, I still come back to this show in different parts of my life whenever I need a little bit of comfort. My mom is part of the reason I love this show so much. We used to watch it a lot together at different points...and in 2020...my mom passed away to COVID. And so it takes on a slightly different meaning today.
I feel comforted somewhat watching the Voyager crew come together and help each other...in much the same way Yugi's friends help him get through...they're a family....and that's what is the best part of this show...no it ain't perfect but that's what I love about it. Janeway is definitely my captain...she's an inspiration to me. Just like your videos are Jessie... live long and prosper.
Sending you much Love, Hugs but above all strength. You are never alone my sister we are all here for you. The furry family send you warm loving snuggles.... Live Long and Prosper...... 🥰🥰🥰🥰❤❤❤❤
I love sci-fi and fantasy. As a little kid The Outter Limits and The Twilight Zone were the best thing ever. Space 1999. Star Trek with Piccard. Neverending Story. The original Star Trek movies. Star Wars. Such fantastic worlds.
And Voyager. I remember it as the one thing on tv I missed when for about a month our tv was broken. I'm addicted to stories: tv, books, comics, cartoons. Just give me stories. And yet I was ok with no tv. Except during that hour when I knew Voyager was on tv...
Voyager is my number 2 series(tied with Enterprise, behind TNG). I love so much about this show. Even more since I binged the whole of Trek(the time between the end of DS9 and the beginning of ENT season 3 was some of the best Trek I watched.....IMHO since the end of TNG. I also contend that Endgame is the best finale after All Good Things, again IMHO). Living Witness is one of my favorite episodes of all of Trek
Voyager never gets old. It's always entertaining. It takes what TNG did but amps up the action.
I liked Voyager, despite its flaws. It did start finding itself, esp. once Seven of Nine came on. I wish they'd had a little more time before the Maquis and Starfleet crews integrated, with more like DS9 did with that. I also wish they'd shown more of the struggle to get by, to get repairs, supplies, and crew replacements. -- It occurred to me recently, if they'd lost certain crew members (sorry-wise or actors leaving), what would they have done, have some ensign or random, never-seen-before officer take one of the regular main character jobs? Or who gets to bump up in rank and position? Nellie gets a job besides cook and trader? (And why not write him better?) Does an alien come on as crew? Would Voyager get alien parts, like new nacelles, whatever? All sorts of possibilities. Maybe that's armchair show design after the show's over, hindsight. But I still thought the show as good, and had standout episodes. Also I later liked the BSG reboot, but it took me a little while to warm up to it. And dang, the Voyager crew kept at it. The recent Netflix Lost in Space reboot was an interesting take too. I wonder what Voyager would be like if they did it today? And I liked several of the characters, but wish they'd done more or rewritten a few. -- I did wonder, with rewatches, why they never took on anyone as a nurse to assist the EMH doctor, or an assistant doctor. Ens. Kim never got promoted. :-/ -- Costuming note: I always thought the casual uniform they had Paris in for his first scene, the intro between him and Janeway while he was at the penal colony, looked like a really practical, comfortable uniform. They should've used it on the show.
Gotta love ST Voyager and of course Captain Janeway :D But then again, I love all STAR TREK and STARGATE too, with the "good or bad" that goes with it: It's the best escape and go-to place when the world around you gets far too much... And PS: Jessie, glad you are feeling better, I love this channel and all the tubes here:=) Stay safe!
I'm not sure what show you were watching but I'd love to see it someday
Such an important message these days. I hope everyone over in the US is doing alright - I wouldn't want to be in your shoes right now. Fingers crossed things get better soon...
In a crisis, my own favourite way of coping is to distract myself with an even bigger crisis but one that's not mine, so I can feel more prepared. My 2020 "comfort" has therefore, oddly, been Babylon 5 (including Crusade).
But there was one time when Voyager was so important to me: when I moved out last year. Suddenly being alone in a new country, barely speaking the language, all around strangers... Something about it was so much like Voyager. My room, like the ship, quickly became familiar, but everything outside was new and scary.
Janeway's speeches kind of always gave me hope I could make it through. Picard's speeches are about morality. Sisko's speeches are about justice. Janeway's are about hope.
I was never a huge Voyager fan, but I watched it with Trekkie devotion, why because it's undeniable Star Trek; unlike some other recent franchises I will not mention. Did they squandering the opportunity to tell an unique different storyline and hit the reset button way too often? Of course they did. But the show is still enjoyable. Did they have stinker episodes? Yep they did, enough said with the word salamander. But look at the first 2 seasons of TNG and later episodes like Sub Rosa. Even though those episodes were cringe, I didn't give up on TNG. And being Voyager oozed Trek, I gave it the same consideration. BTW I subbed you, awesome channel!
I really hate how hypocritical Janeway is. I don't like her at all.
But I do like Enterprise. So.... I guess I'm weird.
I Like season one, two and three alot more then the others. I liked the kazon, seska plot because Michael Pillar was the show runner for season 1 and 2 and had influnce over season 3 and 4. It had a lot of my favoite elements that was established in my favoirite star trek show Deep Space Nine. Its crew conflict, poltical (SEKSA plot point) and a mystery like the Gamma Q with the Delta Q. But when barga became show runner lots of plots with time travel, the borg over and over again and there season 6 which was bad, which is not the norm, DS9, TNG season 6 were both great. They had a Deep Space Nine ark and made it into TNG light with out the great TNG story telling with poltics see unfication and repdemation.The point is its the last good star trek show but not great like DS9, TNG or TOS. But it is the last Star Trek show to Michael Pillars influnce. Pillar was the hart and soul of trek after Gene's passing.
3years later I’m seeing your very touching video.
Hoping you have been finding your way. Been binge watching Star Trek and Voyager is my favorite and been Trekkie since TOS days.❤🖖
My SF comfort watching during the pandemic has been Babylon 5, Farscape, BSG, Sense8, and the Trek movies so far.
Back in the day, Voyager was the final nail in the coffin of my Trek watching. I was getting increasingly disillusioned with the franchise in general, from a storytelling sense DS9 and VOY were both falling short of the stakes and serialised storytelling of Babylon 5, and I was getting more and more into hard SF novels at the time so the technobabble solutions for problems grated on that front. I distinctly remember that the last episode of DS9 I watched as it was airing was the series 6 finale, and for Voyager I'm not sure. I definitely saw the series 4 finale but I missed a lot of the episodes leading up to it. And I definitely saw Bride of Chaotica! on TV. Reading the leaked script for the Enterprise pilot turned me off that show right away.
Between repeats on TV and (almost) all of Trek being on Netflix outside the US I caught up on DS9, but I've never felt the urge to go back to Voyager and watch the episodes I missed, though I have watched some random episodes I saw before and knew I enjoyed. philosophical themes weren't as strong (IMO), and of course it didn't have the most important person in the history
I watched the first episode of BSG, saw it looked really depressing, and noped out. Even at my best, I've never been able to enjoy that stuff.
What I love about Star Trek is the optimism, and I honestly wouldn't have wanted Voyager to be anything like BSG. Even DS9 gets too bogged down with it at times, which is why I don't watch much of it.
I find I like the brightness (literally and figuratively--they were in the "low lights are cinematic" phase with Voyager) of TNG better, but Voyager does also scratch that itch.
Voyager is my personal favourite Trek to be honest. Janeway, Seven, Torres, and Paris (and that theme song) just make it for me. But I'm curious if you (or anyone) thinks, as I do, that maybe a lot of these "flaws" could be in part due to how long the seasons were. 24 episodes, 45 minutes each is SO LONG, and I feel like if those seasons had been halved, we would see a lot of those issues of plot arcing smooth out just by virtue of less (forgive me) open space, since it is a highly specific plot conceit they're dealing with that should have (and often did but not often enough) led to Big Emotions.
Jessie! Such great timing. I've long been a devoted fan to DS9 (my favorite Trek) but missed most of Voyager except for catching some when it was new when I was a kid in the late 90s. I always thought it was.... OK but pedestrian. Since the pandemic I've actually been doing an intentional watch-through and you know what, it's got some major issues but also some fantastic episodes and a lovable cast and I find myself way more endeared by it than I ever thought I would be.
Voyager being my favorite, I also have some opinions on how it could have been better. For example, while I do love Seven of Nine, I didn't like much how the show turned into the Janeway/Seven/Doctor comedy hour after her arrival. They failed to utilize their ensemble cast as effectively as other Star Trek shows. Also I feel like the show could have had a more unique over-arching threat like the Dominion was in DS9 instead of focusing so heavily on the Borg. Heck, like that guy who made Battlestar Galactica, the missed opportunities in Voyager inspire me to write pages and pages of things they could have done. But still, the show is good, actually, despite and in ways because of its flaws like you say.
Janeway was my first captain. my first ever exposure to star trek was walking in on my dad watching Dark Frontier part 2. I knew nothing, and still knew nothing at the end of the episode but I watched the entire thing through nonetheless. then my mom dragged me to Nemesis when it came out in theaters which was more "WTF" but at least I knew it was called "Star Trek". I remember my mom geeking out over Janeway's cameo and abosultely not getting it. I asked my mom for more. She had a VHS with various trek episodes on it, and the very first episode on it was voyager's "Concerning Flight". the rest of the episodes were TNG, but I wasn't interested in them. I must have watched that episode hundreds of times. I never really got into TNG at all, even when a friend of my mom loaned me dozens of TNG episodes that he'd recorded - I'd watch them through wanting at the end of each episode for the next one to be voyager. when I started to seek out my own star trek via the library, it was Voyager, then DS9, then TOS that I searched out. I'd find out when reruns of voyager would be airing and stay up until 11 pm to watch them.
and while DS9 has objectively better storytelling and characters, Voyager is still where my heart lies. are there issues? yes. Could it have been better? yes. but still, for me, when I think about Star Trek, my mind immediately lands on Voyager.
I think for a lot of people it's a disconnect between those who watched it as it came out, those who watched it causally, & those who watched it later. And I don't mean that in any gate-keeping way, I watched Voyager as it aired, as I watched every series TNG through Enterprise because I came from a Star Trek family. I was really excited about Voyager and I liked the first few seasons. I had reasonable expectations a show needed to grow into itself, watching that & DS9 together was a good kind of contrast. The Seska plot twist in April 95 had origins in the DS9 episode "Second Skin" from Oct 1994, that was really cool to me.
My general feeling of cynicism when I think back at the show has less to do with the content of the show then the context around it. I was 14 when Jeri Ryan joined the show & every article talked about her catsuit or her body & that dipped into RL where grown men thought me just mentioning "I like star trek" would justify so pretty disturbing comments. I liked the characters & most of my disappointment with the show was not knowing how to use the cast they had effectively, creatively.
But change up help the show, to a point. A new character can only work for so long but the show wasn't as bad as people hyperbolicly go on about it. I think Voyager let a lot of opportunity pass them by. That's the thing, when you were watching a show week to week, season to season: Voyager was quality show, but we were kind of Star Trek fatigue & there was Stargate & Buffy people think because they remember them more because they were new, they must have hated Voyager.
I've always wondered if a fan could (as if possible?) cobble together a single mini-series out of Voyager episodes, to try and make a "Year of Hell Season". After seeing recently what the SW fan that did a fan edit of Obi-Wan to turn it into an actual gut-wrenching, heartbreaking story that hits you square in the feels for days, I have hope!
Voyager is a great and I think the reason it gets so much hate is because of how rough the first 2 seasons were. Whether you like like Voyager or not we can all agree that it's 10X better than Discovery and Picard. Instead of being episodic shows about exploration, morality, science, ethics and existence, Star Trek has turned into Social Justice Warriors in Space!
Michael Burnham is insubordinate and the entire cast of Discovery spend more time crying to each other rather than doing their jobs. Picard is just Jean Luc going about the galaxy grovelling at the foot of every women he comes across and apologising for being a white cis male. Hopefully Strange New Worlds can save the franchise and take it back to it's roots.