Howiya, Commanders! Paul here, from the STFC Narrative Team! It’s been a while since I’ve stepped outside the comfort of our writing cave, so I thought I’d say hi and talk to you all about Voyager!
The Appeal of Voyager
Voyager has always been a bit of a weird one for me. I adore the format of the show and how well the writers were able to make us root for and sympathize with the crew and their struggle to get home. I love how we feel the uplifting hope when Janeway finds a prospective way home, and the crushing defeat when it inevitably slips through her grasp.
Voyager rode the line between serialized and episodic approaches extremely well, too! The adventure-of-the-week episodes serve the overarching plot in a way that rewards persistent viewers but isn’t alienating to those of us who liked to drop in and drop out, which was all but essential in the days before streaming or TV recording (shout out to all my fellow oldies).
Characters at the Heart
The thing I love most about Voyager, though, is its characters. The show truly committed to making its ensemble cast the heart of the story. Each and every one of them is written impeccably: complex humans who are imperfect, who make mistakes, but who ultimately have each other’s backs through thick and thin. Well, except for Suder and Seska, I suppose.
We grew to love these characters, to root for them. We learn so much about their lives back on Earth that we look forward to eventually seeing them reunite with their loved ones and live out their dreams back home…
Which is why the finale is so bitterly disappointing for me. We don’t get to see Janeway return to her husband and beloved dog. We don’t get to see Tom and B’Elanna settle down together with little Miral, or see Harry Kim finally get a bloody promotion.
Why the Voyager: Year of Hell Arc?
That’s why I wanted to write the Year of Hell arc. What better way to celebrate the anniversary of Voyager than to check in with the crew we learned to love? I wanted to tell the story of what happened after the voyage. I wanted to give fans (and myself, if I’m honest) the emotional catharsis that we never got from the original ending.
Another goal of mine was to bridge the gap between Voyager and Picard, especially in regard to Seven’s character arc. We get some really interesting hints in Picard that she and Janeway had a bit of a falling out, and that she was denied entry to Starfleet Academy, but not much more than that. The story of how Seven-of-Nine transitioned from a no-nonsense bridge officer to a badass space vigilante is one I was dying to tell.
A Worthy Adversary
But what’s a story without a good villain? Originally, I had thought of making the month a sort of “best-of” storyline, with Voyager having to contend with a rogue’s gallery of their most iconic villains. A fun idea, sure, but it ended up feeling very messy and cluttered. Instead, I decided to really focus on one, and who better than Annorax? Year of Hell is my absolute favorite Voyager episode, and the Krenim are such an interesting species that we really only ever got to scratch the surface of in the original show.
While Janeway and the crew have put their voyage through the Delta Quadrant behind them, Annorax has never been able to move on. Janeway took everything from the Krenim, changing the past itself to rob them of their destiny of domination. Well, now he’s back and badder than ever!
Looking Ahead
If you’re as excited by that as I am, I hope you take the time to play through the new missions. I loved writing them, and I really hope that my adoration and respect for Voyager and its characters come through in the final text.
Happy New Year, Commanders!
Cheers,
Paul
Beginning today through January 20th, use code VOY30 for a special gift to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager!
