My main problem is to do with writers ignoring what you would think to be the biggest issues in Voyager's unique situation. Being cut-off from aid and supplies, I was expecting the ship to loose many of it's systems/technology from fire fights and lack of power. But each episode, we see Voyager looking brand-new and fully functional.

It would be much better if, say for example, the shield generators were badly damaged and couldn't be used again until they could find replacements via trade or something. Their ability to repair anything at any time just detracted from the fact that they were supposed to be in a harsh situation.

Also the whole Maquis thing was hardly touched upon except in the first season. We are supposed to believe that they are all getting along fine now, since the crew agree with every decision that is made, without any internal conflict. Some great stories could have come from this, but alas, it was not to be...

I think that this season realised they hadn't done what was expected, so just admitted that and did much bigger and better stories, without worrying too much about the being cut-off aspect of the show or the crew conflict side, unless a particular story required it.

So with that, we are introduced to new character 7 of 9 and lose the lovable Kes. The Borg also play a much bigger role this season, although they don't seem as deadly as The Next Generation's Borg. 7 of 9 has this uncanny ability to solve just about any of Voyager's problems with [insert Borg technology here] or by recalibrating [insert modified technology here], which can become tiresome at times. But the sci-fi story is still fun to watch, if somewhat unbelievable.

I would have thought that Voyager would become a much deeper and complex show, but has in fact become more fluffy, but in an enjoyable way. No where near as good as Deep Space Nine, but worth seeing if the long story arcs of DS9 are a little too ming boggling for you. Voyager is just no-brainer fun!

Voyager just get better
Review date: 2005-02-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

Having been collecting Voyager on DVD since its release, series four is the season when the programme came into its own. In retrospect the ditching of Kes for Seven of Nine was a masterstroke and simply gave fresh impetus, direction and interest not just to its look but also to the writing. There is not a single weak episode in season four but stand out episodes such as The Gift, Revuslion, Year of Hell, Mortal Coil, The Omega Directive and One contain intelligent writing, brilliant performances and iconic images which are worthy to stand alongside the best of Trek. It makes one realise now why Enterprise has been such a let down. Voyager is my favorite Trek franchise because it combines the best of what had gone before and breaks new ground. It did not always reach the consistent heights of this season and the finale was a let down but season four is one of the best. The special features are also well thought out and attractively presented. Respect to all concerned.

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