Star Trek: Voyageris better today than it was when it premiered 30 years ago. Hype forStar Trek: Voyagerwas high in the months leading up to its July 25, 2025, premiere.Voyagerpromised a fresh twist on a familiar formula, with Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) asStar Trek’s first female lead,captaining the USS Voyager’s combined Starfleet and Maquis crew through the uncharted Delta Quadrant.Star Trek: Voyageralso reversedStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’s thematic departure from exploration and featuredLieutenant Tuvok (Tim Russ)as the first series regular Vulcan since Leonard Nimoy’s Spock.
During its UPN network run,Star Trek: Voyagercouldn’t escape harsh scrutiny as anewStar Trekshow. Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Janeway faced criticism just for being a woman in command. Inevitable comparisons betweenStar Trek: VoyagerandStar Trek: The Next GenerationdeemedVoyagera rehash of its predecessor. Even asStar Trek: Deep Space Ninesteadily improved by embracing serialization,Voyager’s ratings languished.Seven of Nine’s (Jeri Ryan) fourth-season addition was lambasted as a cheap way to attract viewers with blatant sex appeal.When viewed through a modern lens, however,Star Trek: Voyageris greatStar Trekin its own right.
Star Trek: Voyager Overcame Its Problems From 30 Years Ago
Voyager’s 1990s Problems Diminish In the Rear View
Viewed today,Star Trek: Voyagerovercomes its problems from 30 years ago.Star Trek: Voyager’s merits as a standalone show are easier to see today when it’s clear thatVoyagerlearned from its predecessors' early mistakes.Star Trek: The Next Generation’s lackluster season 1suffered from trying too hard to recaptureStar Trek: The Original Series, andDS9struggled with its purpose until shifting focus to the Dominion War. As a premiere episode, “Caretaker” clearly laid outStar Trek: Voyager’s whole conceit, resulting in a show that knew what it was early on and rarely wavered from its central premise as it continued.
EvenStar Trek: Voyager’s missteps, like season 2’s oft-derided “Threshold”, have attained immortality as beloved memes in the decades since airing, withStar Trek: Prodigyeven commenting on that time Janeway was a salamander.
Star Trek: Voyager’s strong central premise is both a strength and a weakness.Star Trek: Voyagerdelivered comfortable, even-handedStar Trekstories on a fairly consistent basis,but its clear storyline and goal meant early seasons offered little room for growth besides just getting home. Complaints thatStar Trek: Voyagerhit the reset button too frequently were countered with Seven of Nine’s arrival and subsequent character arc, which gaveVoyager’s writers more room to let other characters grow, too.Star Trek: Voyagerdid have character development, but it was slow, especially compared toDS9’s more dynamic pace.
Voyager Was Always A Better Show Than It Seemed In The 1990s
Star Trek: Voyager’s Homeward Journey Maintained Roddenberry’s Vision Of Cooperation
Star Trek: Voyagerwas always better than its 1990s perception as aStar Trek: The Next Generationreplacement that lackedStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’s gravitas. WhileDS9explored the difficult reality of maintaining a utopia,Voyagerembraced core tenets ofGene Roddenberry’sStar Trekvisionfrom the start.Janeway’s decision to include Chakotay’s (Robert Beltran) Maquis crew—and later, Seven of Nine—instead of relegating them to the brig laid the groundwork forStar Trek: Voyager’s tone. ByStar Trek: Voyager’s end, Captain Janeway’s stubborn optimism and radical compassion transformed the USS Voyager’s crew into the best versions of themselves.
Star Trek: Voyager’s 20 Best Episodes Ranked
Star Trek: Voyager’s 20 best episodes bring out the best in Captain Kathryn Janeway, Seven of Nine, and the USS Voyager in the far-off Delta Quadrant.
Despite its episodic nature,Star Trek: Voyagerdoes feature recurring themes in a generalized arc.InVoyager’s early seasons, characters grieve the lives they planned to live and learn how to cope with their new normal.Star Trek: Voyager’s third season heralds the Borg with stories about colonization and rebellion. In seasons 4 and 5,Voyagerquestions traditions and directives, while the USS Voyager’s growing Delta Quadrant reputation in seasons 5 and 6 drives themes like storytelling and perception. With home in sight,Star Trek: Voyagerdoubles down on the themes of family and individual choices that were always present.
Voyager Changed Star Trek For The Better
Star Trek: Voyager Expanded The Galaxy And Drew In Female Viewers
Star Trek: VoyagerchangedStar Trekfor the better by taking the proven formula to the next level. AfterStar Trek: The Next Generationevolved and even perfected whatStar Trek: The Original Seriesestablished,Star Trek: Voyagerleaned into the inherent weirdness of the Delta Quadrant.Voyagertook more risks with its storytelling and fleshed out concepts that were previously one-dimensional.Star Trek: Voyagergave fans anew version of the Borg Collectivethat was more alien culture than force of nature, andredefinedStar Trekholograms' capabilities with Robert Picardo as the USS Voyager’s Emergency Medical Hologram.
Seven of Nine’s brilliant character arc drew a road map to liberation.
Perhaps most visibly, a generation of women becameStar Trekfans because ofStar Trek: Voyager, which eventually led to the gender parity seen in today’sStar Trekensembles.Star Trek: Voyagerwas female-focused from the jump,with Captain Kathryn Janeway as the franchise’s first leading female Captain and Roxann Dawson’s Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres asStar Trek’s first female Chief Engineer. Seven of Nine’s brilliant character arc drew a road map to liberation, and her moral tug-of-war with Janeway evolved into the philosophical heart of the show, proving Seven was more than just eye candy for the male gaze.
Why Watching Voyager Is Better Today Than It Was 30 Years Ago
Time—And New Star Trek Shows—Have Been Kind To Star Trek: Voyager
Today, it’s easier to appreciate whatStar Trek: Voyagerbrought to the table 30 years ago.Instead of just redecorating the house thatTNGbuilt,Voyagerexpanded theStar Trekuniverse and introduced ideas that influence today’s shows. The exotic Delta Quadrant setting was a feature, not a bug.Voyager’s takes on difficult themes of grief and isolation are repeated and explored inStar Trek: Discovery.Star Trek: Picardevolved Seven of Nine into a true Starfleet Captain.Star Trek: Prodigycouldn’t introduce yet another generation toStar Trekwithout Admiral Janeway leadingProdigy’s Delta Quadrant teensto the Federation.
Kathryn Janeway catches more internet flak in the 2020s for “straight up murdering” Tuvix (Tom Wright) than she does for simply being a woman in command of a Federation starship. It’s weird, but it’s progress.
Star Trek: Voyageris the perfect modern-day watch. The predictability and stability of the storyline makesVoyagerexcellent comfort food that’s perfect for binging.Captain Janeway no longer has to bear the burden of representing her entire gender,but instead shines on her own, sinceJaneway paved the way for female commanderslikeStar Trek: Discovery’s Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) andStar Trek: Strange New Worlds’Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn). Thirty years on,Star Trek: Voyagerclaims its well-deserved place as the beloved part of theStar Trekuniverse it was always meant to be.
