Doug Pyle
Second Unit
That thread above,is awfully one-sided in slamming Voyager. While DS9 and Voyager seemed to appeal to opposite sides of the Trek fanbase, Voyager definitely had its audience as was said before. I for one continue to see it as one of the strongest Trek incarnations, second only to TNG.
No other Trek had so strong an ensemble performance from the actors from episode one on. It took DS9 and TNG two seasons before reaching their most polished acting work.
I disagree with most of the usual criticisms levelled against Voyager as being unfair - it seems so many critics wish it were just like DS9. DS9 plays its sci-fi more often like a vehicle for space battle action dramas; fans of Battlestar Gallactica seem to also prefer DS9. I for one can't stand Battlestar Gallactica or any other sci-fi of that sub-genre, and I liked DS9 best when they were not at war with the Dominion. While I found the Odo search for identity episodes among the best Trek ever, for me, it ruined the DS9 series when it turned to its focus and story arcs upon the war against the Dominion; I lost all interest from season 5 on.
Voyager, on the other hand, remained an ideas and values Trek, a quality of Trek since TOS (as in City on the Edge of Forever, and other early episodes). Asking what is it to be human, and what really matters in the choices we make.
While based in space and with futuristic technology, the drama itself of Trek does not HAVE to be sci-fi at all. I find the closest TV drama in substance and style today is The West Wing. Both Voyager & The West Wing are based on executive decision-making on issues of importance - sometimes on life and death matters - guided by democratic-based values. Both have a main plot and sub- or sub-sub-plot threads weaving among the characters lower in the heirarchy. They both take difficult, often crisis situations and seek resolutions that not only survives the crisis but upholds the values and reflect who we are as a people and as a society.
I thought DS9 abandoned that quality in its latter seasons, while Voyager attempted to keep them up -- though with some writing fatigue creeping in some episodes in later seasons, as the effort to address the bigger-issues sometimes became too contrived, rehashed or self-conscious at times, especially during the final season.
But the first several Voyager seasons were very strong, in contrast to other versions of Trek that warmed up only after their 2nd seasons. If the high price doesn't dissuade, there is no other reason to hold off the early seasons of Voyager. Some of the best performances and freshest ideas are found in the early seasons, and opposite to TNG & DS9 (until season 5), you don't have to wait to 3rd season or later to get it at its peak.
No other Trek had so strong an ensemble performance from the actors from episode one on. It took DS9 and TNG two seasons before reaching their most polished acting work.
I disagree with most of the usual criticisms levelled against Voyager as being unfair - it seems so many critics wish it were just like DS9. DS9 plays its sci-fi more often like a vehicle for space battle action dramas; fans of Battlestar Gallactica seem to also prefer DS9. I for one can't stand Battlestar Gallactica or any other sci-fi of that sub-genre, and I liked DS9 best when they were not at war with the Dominion. While I found the Odo search for identity episodes among the best Trek ever, for me, it ruined the DS9 series when it turned to its focus and story arcs upon the war against the Dominion; I lost all interest from season 5 on.
Voyager, on the other hand, remained an ideas and values Trek, a quality of Trek since TOS (as in City on the Edge of Forever, and other early episodes). Asking what is it to be human, and what really matters in the choices we make.
While based in space and with futuristic technology, the drama itself of Trek does not HAVE to be sci-fi at all. I find the closest TV drama in substance and style today is The West Wing. Both Voyager & The West Wing are based on executive decision-making on issues of importance - sometimes on life and death matters - guided by democratic-based values. Both have a main plot and sub- or sub-sub-plot threads weaving among the characters lower in the heirarchy. They both take difficult, often crisis situations and seek resolutions that not only survives the crisis but upholds the values and reflect who we are as a people and as a society.
I thought DS9 abandoned that quality in its latter seasons, while Voyager attempted to keep them up -- though with some writing fatigue creeping in some episodes in later seasons, as the effort to address the bigger-issues sometimes became too contrived, rehashed or self-conscious at times, especially during the final season.
But the first several Voyager seasons were very strong, in contrast to other versions of Trek that warmed up only after their 2nd seasons. If the high price doesn't dissuade, there is no other reason to hold off the early seasons of Voyager. Some of the best performances and freshest ideas are found in the early seasons, and opposite to TNG & DS9 (until season 5), you don't have to wait to 3rd season or later to get it at its peak.
