Voyager...should I give it a second chance?

[Rocket_Scientist]

I have a random personal question regarding ST: VOY. I have been watching my way through all of Star Trek in order, and so far, IMO, every series has been better than the last. DS9 was spectacular, again IMO, and maybe one of my favorite TV shows overall. I recently started VOY, and am now about halfway through Season 2. So far, I have been unable to get into it at all. I did not have this problem with TOS, TNG, or DS9. I just find it boring and don't really like the characters.

Phew. That's a longer summary than I intended. So, my question is, does it get better, or is it just not my thing? Should I keep watching and hope my attitude towards it improves, or just skip it altogether and give ENT a chance (and maybe have the same problem)?

It's been a disappointment for me, because all along I've heard people say VOY is the best of all of ST and I was really looking forward to it.

(In other words, I'm really hoping someone will tell me that it does get better and I should stick with it. )

I appreciate any and all advice!

[DigiFluid]

Voyager? Best of Trek? Bwahahahahaha, what clown told you that?

Honestly, don't bother if you're not into it after two seasons. You gave it a respectable effort, and there's some marginal improvement in the season 4-5 area, but the god-awful writing and horrific acting is pretty much the hallmark of the series as a whole. It's a generally very frustrating exercise in terrible execution of decent ideas.

[Rocket_Scientist]

I'm actually relieved to hear you say that. I was worried there was something wrong with me, and I was just missing whatever it was that made VOY so good. I love the premise, but it just isn't that well executed, unfortunately.

[blueray]

i like voyager but it doesn't even compare to DS9, which might be my favorite show or definitely up there.

the first 2 seasons are okay but it gets better as you get into it, all the stuff with the borg is good. and it has pretty good characters like the doctor .

[Rocket_Scientist]

I do like the doctor...he's probably my favorite part. And not JUST because he'll always be Mr. Woolsey to me....

[Crazedwraith]

It does get better. But then tails off again. It's best isn't as good as TNG or DS9s best though.

Though tbf I've not watched any for years myself so I could be wrong.

[The Urban Spaceman]

There are some very good episodes of Voyager, but IMO, they are interspersed with some very average or mediocre episodes. I personally would recommend you stick with it, just to give it a chance, but I tend to agree with your initial assessment, that DS9 > TNG > TOS. VOY attempts to follow early TNG in being quite episodic, with arcs generally being fairly short (Kazon arc, Year of Hell arc, Hirogen arc, Borg arc) in comparison to DS9's intricate plots which come to fruition with the subtleties of the Dominion war.

I do think that Voyager is worth watching at least once, because the EMH starts getting some off-ship time, which is good, and 7of9 sort of replaces Kes, which is also good, and personally, I like the Hirogen. Give it a chance, I say. At least you can then judge it on the merits of having seen each episode.

Also I echo DigiFluid's maniacal laughter.

[kmiller1610]

I like Voyager primarily because I like TOS.

Voyager is Going Where No Man Has Gone Before.

DS9 is clearly the best drama, but it's a spin-off of the original series idea.

Voyager has more arcs than TNG, an actual, connected plot, a goal and an ending. It has TOS archetype characters than represent parts of humanity, specifically Ego, Idealism and the Community Organizer himself.

It's solid trek with some of the first explorations of the reverse prime directive, how compassion and federation ideals can kill and many other variations.

[McAvoy]

Best of Trek? What crackpot told you that? VOY is a bad ripoff of TNG which has superior... everything. DS9 is in it's own category.

[Dixie_Vampiress]

I say yes, you should give a second chance. Personally I love Voyager. While I consider TNG as the best of Trek Voyager is a close second and Janeway is the best captain in the fleet. You're only two seasons in, I see no reason to give up so easily. Especially if you're working your way through all Trek (I've been doing the same, btw). It does have some rather bad episodes, but EVERY Trek series does. Take it from someone who's seen every episode, it gets better and it's worth it.

[escyos]

it is the best of the treks.

[maneth]

Voyager is my least favorite Trek but I still like it better than a lot of other shows out there. I'd say give it a go at least until season 4 when Seven appears.

[Snowman37]

If you're half way through the second season and still bored with the show, perhaps you should watch something else? The tone is set by the second season. It really doesn't change until Seven of Nine shows up in the fourth season premiere. If it's the characters you're bored with, there's only one change in cast, and that's the addition of an ex-Borg and the departure of one of the big nine.

Perhaps it would help us if you shared favorite episodes and contrasted them with those you dislike?

[SaberBlade]

Voyager's strength was in it's two parter episodes. Sadly episodes that would tend to focus on specific characters (The Doctor, Neelix, Harry Kim) would often be crap, irritating or just follow the same old worn out story.

If you finish season 2 and still aren't interested in it, then I'd consider just asking us for a list of episodes of watch. The two parters are definitely the best place to start.

[Rocket_Scientist]

Thank you all. This has helped a lot. I've come to the conclusion that, while probably at some point in my life I'll feel the need to finish watching Voyager, for the time being I'll just skip it and use up all my free time on another show.

I also like SaberBlade's suggestion. I wouldn't mind at all (and would in fact be very grateful) if one or more of you wanted to tell me which episodes are particularly good and I'll just watch those for now.

[Snowman37]

Before moving on, care to share with us what you did not like?

[Rocket_Scientist]

It's hard to pinpoint what, exactly, it was that I didn't like. I can say that it was mostly the characters, but I'm not entirely sure why it was the characters. They were, perhaps, a bit flat or uninteresting. Maybe they weren't likeable enough...half the crew was, after all, Marquis, a group of people we'd been taught to distrust after 7 years of DS9, so we didn't start out on the right foot with them. It's easier, I think, to go from liking a character/group of people to disliking them than it is to go from disliking to liking. I don't know...these are all shots in the dark. I'm hoping it will become obvious to me as I talk about it, but I'm still not really sure. Everyone on the ship just seems so unhappy (and justifiably so). None of the other Star Treks had that element of melancholy, and I just didn't like it. The attempt to brighten the mood (as I saw it) with Neelix and Kes was more annoying than actually helpful. Now I'm just rambling, so I'll stop and hope people at least have SOME idea of what I didn't like, whether you agree with me or not.

[Snowman37]

You're not rambling, I think you identified why you don't enjoy the show. You find the characters unhappy, and you find Neelix and Kes annoying. As for the Maquis... you do realize that Voyager began during DS9's third season, right? The Maquis were introduced on DS9 to set them up for Voyager. Chakotay's cell was isolated in the Delta Quadrant just months after the Maquis had formed. Also, take into account that the Maquis saw themselves as freedom fighters. The Federation/Cardassian border changed, leaving some colonies in Cardassian space. The Cardassians agreed to allow them to stay, but then the Cardassians started screwing around, provoking the colonists to fight back, and then... the Maquis were born.

If you want to see a happier Voyager crew, then keep watching. How far are you into the series? Have you seen "Investigations?" Tom Paris's "bad attitude" leads to a big pay off in that episode, and you learn a lot about Paris, and there's big revelations about Seska and the Kazon.

The show took on a lighter tone in the fourth season and more or less maintained that for the remainder of the show.

[kmiller1610]

I think that the Doctor and BLT are better characters than almost anyone on TNG. Data and Picard are entertaining, but hardly warm or deep. Both the doctor and BLT have real struggles and significant growth during the series.

[Dixie_Vampiress]

I also like SaberBlade's suggestion. I wouldn't mind at all (and would in fact be very grateful) if one or more of you wanted to tell me which episodes are particularly good and I'll just watch those for now.

Well if you're gonna skip around then before you get to season 4 the first thing you should do is watch "Scorpion 1&2", where you get introduced to Seven Of Nine. After that I really liked "The Year Of Hell 1&2", "Message In A Bottle", "Prey", "The Killing Game 1&2", "Night", "Pathfinder", "Unimatrix Zero 1&2" and the finale "Endgame".