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Monday, September 9, 2013

Starting Voyager

I remember the first time I started Voyager. My parents had been divorced nearly four years and, the summer before, I had taken up residence (for the first time) with my single dad. I suddenly found myself living in the house where my parents announced their split. I lived in the room they had shared as mine had been converted into storage for computer stuff and art supplies (see the kind of family I come from?) I didn't think much about this at the time. I was too distracted by the fact that I had my very first personal television. It was a used, 13-inch model with foil-covered rabbit ears and shiny knobs. It made a distinct, blooping electric sound when you turned it off and on and took a good forty-five seconds to "warm up."

It was on this very TV that I sat at the edge of my bed, probably eating pizza rolls (or potted meat or some other bachelor chow) wrapped up in my old Little Mermaid blanket watching the premier of Voyager.

It. Was. Magical.


I've seen all of Voyager a lot. They re-ran it over and over on cable when I was in college and as soon as Trek went to Netflix I just had to get me some Janeway. I love Voyager but, after so much DS9 and such a frought ending with that crew, I have to confess I was a little apprehensive about jumping back into the bouncy, rompy adventures of Voyager.

But, oh, how wrong I was.

From the cold open of "Caretaker," I was instantly pulled back in. Seeing those characters, introduced one by one, was like meeting up with old friends. The blinking lights of the bridge and LCARS flashing behind them reminded me how great it was to be back on a ship, traveling through space. By the end, as Janeway made her big speech about continuing their mission to seek out new life, I was in tears. TEARS.


I loved DS9. I love it now more than I ever have. But, man, it felt really good to be hopeful again. Star Trek hopeful.






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9 comments:

  1. Karen M. PetersonSeptember 9, 2013 at 7:38 PM

    I never even gave Voyager a shot. I keep meaning to, though.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 10, 2013 at 5:19 AM

    Voyager is my fave (after TOS). I love everything about it.

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  3. KJ @ PlustheMagicSeptember 10, 2013 at 8:30 AM

    Halfway through the first episode, I was struck by just how... FAMILIAR all these characters were. I had watched a handful of episodes not too long ago (including Ex Post Facto, which is why the Baneans were on my mind last spring), but aside from that, it had been many years. I'm several episodes in now, and it's great to remember so much about the characters, but not so much the details of episodes. It's kind of the best of both worlds, because it's almost like seeing these episodes for the first time, but without having to get to know everyone from scratch.

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  4. Jo-Anne's RamblingsSeptember 10, 2013 at 6:48 PM

    I loved that Voyager had a female captain, I have not seen all the episodes of Voyager though a lot but not all................

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  5. DaveSeptember 10, 2013 at 8:48 PM

    I enjoyed VOYAGER much more the second time around. But the beginning was kind of aimless. The whole Maquis threat was vanquished almost immediately as they all agreed to operate like a Starfleet vessel with smiles on their faces. Sure, Seska's alliance with the Kazon lurked in the background, but it still stinked of Starfleet. I looked forward to torn uniforms and rough times--kind of like the "Year of Hell" episode. It was just too clean.

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2013 at 7:28 AM

    Great choice of video clip. Interesting how Trek’s captains and their goals evolve…from Kirk’s “boldly going where no man has gone before” –often in an aggressive, interfering way - to Picard’s more diplomatic style of exploration; then Commander Sisko’s job of protecting Bajor and the outpost of Deep Space Nine...now the woman captain has the task of reconciling the Maquis with the Starfleet crew and trying to find their way back from the Delta quadrant. Janeway’s courage and intelligence are equal to the men’s, but her story arc is about coming home

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2013 at 9:53 AM

    i started Star Trek about the same time as you and am halfway through season 2 of Voyager right now...inadvertently doing a year of Star Trek with you, i guess :)

    i LOVED Deep Space 9. i remember being really into it in middle/high school, but i loved it even more this time around. i haven't cried about a tv show that much...ever. i'm pretty sure it's my favorite thing that's ever been on television. i'm having a hard time getting into Voyager though. i remember liking the little of it I saw the first time around, but I'm having trouble "feeling it" now for some reason. I don't really like Janeway yet (or her facial expressions) and the characters aren't (yet) as well fleshed out as the ones i already loved going into DS9. i'm going to push thought though, partly because i have faith in Trek and partially because i've never seen Enterprise and feel like i have to "stick it out" so to speak.

    wish i'd found this blog sooner, especially since we're going at about the same rate in our Star Trek watching :)

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  8. Kellie @ Delightfully LudicrousSeptember 12, 2013 at 3:59 AM

    Voyager will always be the Star Trek series I'll carry in my heart, because it was the first one I watched from start to finish in the right order as the episodes came out. Damn, I love that show. I have a framed picture of the crew on my desk at work, yep, I'm that much of a nerd :D

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  9. AnonymousMay 4, 2016 at 12:04 AM

    just love voyager though TNG is my favourite.......

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