Ya know, Voyager really is charming...

[Bryancd]

I have been re-watching Voyager on TNT over the past few months. They just showed the episode where Nelix leaves the ship and I have to say when Tuvok does his little 2 step with his foot as Nelix is leaving, I got all choked up. Where TOS IS Star Trek, where TNG took Star Trek to a whole new level of quality, where DS9 was introspective, dark, moody, Voyager is absolutley charming. It has a joie de vive that was missing since TOS. It really was a great addition to the ST family.

[moyer777]

yes, Voyager is a charming arm of the Trek Universe.  I too enjoyed that episode.  When Tuvok does the little dance my wife and I teared up and loved it.  The whole run of Voyager was fantastic.

Great stuff.  Go captain Janeway!

:eekout

[Geekyfanboy]

 :cheering

I have always loved Voyager. From the very first episode  when the shockwave knocks Voyager into the Delta Quadrant.... to the exciting conclusion when Voyager explodes the Borg Sphere and shoots out from the middle. AWESOME!!!!!

I'm glad to see people coming around.. same with Enterprise.  I think people are quick to judge then they see it in repeats and the think... "man that's pretty good".

[Rico]

Yeah, I think the cast really mixed well on Voyager and it showed.  They did some excellent episodes over seven years.  I think the series "gelled" quite a bit sooner than TNG or DS9 did.  You guys are giving me an idea for a special TREK podcast where take a brief look at all the TREK series and give my 2 cents on each.  What do you think of that idea?  Or have I covered that enough on individual episode podcasts?

[Bryancd]

No, I think it would be great to really lay out what made each series so good, from a certain Rico point of view. :). I don't always agree with you on some of your evaluations, but I think you would be a great arbitor for an over-arching view of Star Trek and how the series differed in content, character, and mass appeal.

[Rico]

I take that as a yes?  Hehe.  ;)

[Dan M]

I agree that Voyager was good from the beginning.   I've said for a long time that with each subsequent modern series it took less time to get good.  TNG took until the third season.  DS9 took until the second.  VOY and ENT were good right out of the gate.

I don't think that the best of Voyager can quite compare to the heights of TNG and DS9, but on the other hand I don't believe that Voyager ever sunk as low as some of those shows' mis-steps.

[Rico]

That's a very good take on it all pickard.  I'm pretty much in agreement with you.  It's funny how much TOS isn't like any of those.  It's best shows (I think in almost every fan's view) are the first season by far.  The second season was great as well but the third - well, a big drop off.  Interesting topic.

[moyer777]

Rico, I would love to hear your take on this with an entire podcast.  That is a stunning idea.  (no pun intended)

I would find it very interesting.

[Locutus]

I see I am in the minority here who really did not enjoy Voyager. There were some good episodes, and there were great character moments, but on the whole, I felt it was Gilligan's Island in space. Although, it did get better near the end, when they knew they were ending it, it became much more focussed.

[Bryancd]

No, I don't think you are in the minority, per se Locutus. Indeed, Voyager is probably the weakest of the 3 seven season series. That seems to be universally agreed by the fans. I just think even though it doesn't have punch of TNG or gravitas of DS9, it had a good heart.

[Locutus]

OK, I totally see that. But I think the good heart is from the actors and writers, who loved the idea of doing ANY Star Trek, and not the producers, who at this point were just seeing it as a cash cow.

I guess my point is that it seemed rushed into production, and then had nowhere to go for a while, then headed home. The premise was cool, but perhaps they should have waited another year to really flesh it out and polish it.

Even so, I watch it sometimes, because it is still Star Trek.

[Geekyfanboy]

quesiton for those who don't really like Voyager. Did you watch every episode??  I ask because I have a friend who watched two episodes of Enterprise and told me that he hated it. I don't understand how you can hate something after just two viewings.

[moyer777]

Voyager worked for me because it was familiar settings in unpredictilbe surroundings.  I liked the comfort of seeting starfleet and TNG type of props and uniforms, but loved the premise of the show and the fact that you never really knew what you were going to run into.  That was cool.  I also liked having a Vulcan science officer and the DR. was way cool.

I did enjoye TNG the best.  Of course TOS is an icon all it's own.  DS9 was great .... Oh, let's face it... I just love Trek!  :wub

[Jen]

question for those who don't really like Voyager. Did you watch every episode??  I ask because I have a friend who watched two episodes of Enterprise and told me that he hated it. I don't understand how you can hate something after just two viewings.

That's a great question Kenny. I was in the "hater group" for DS9 back when it first came out. I had been opposed to a Trek show that wasn't set on a starship and for that reason alone, I didn't watch it. Since Enterprise went off the air, I have missed Star Trek as a whole. To fill the void I have watched quite a bit of DS9 and have come to  realize that I judged it too soon. It was an excellent show.

I was too busy with college to watch Voyager, but I've been catching up in reruns and have found that though I still love TNG the best, Voyager was also very enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed episodes like "Message In A Bottle" and  "The Raven". Episodes like these allowed the actors to shine. Jeri Ryan's ability to portray different types of characters in The Raven, demonstrated that she was more than the space vixen they hired her to be, she was also a very talented actress. They should have let the Voyager actors stretch their legs a bit more. I felt DS9 was the best at showing off the actor's talents...

I learned my lesson and when Enterprise came out I gave it a chance instead of judging it by its theme song. I still haven't watched every episode of the three series mentioned above but I'm working on it.