I just finished streaming the Star Trek: Voyager series and had forgotten how good it was. As a matter of fact, it was so good, I didn’t want it to end and hesitated watching the final episode “Endgame”. Of course, I was also hesitant because I remembered being disappointed in it, but didn’t remember why. Eventually, I set aside the time and watched the 90-minute episode.
As I was watching the final credits scroll across the screen, I realized that the show was actually very good. I love time travel stories to begin with, and this one was very well done. The future Kathryn Janeway showed yet another face of the versatile captain, this one fraught with grief and regret. So, why was I so disappointed the first time?
I think the reason was that, suddenly, the series was just over. The crew of Voyager was back, not just in the Alpha Quadrant, but in the solar system, with Earth looming big in the view screen. There was no hoopla, no celebrations, no last minute thoughts. They were just there.
Even though I enjoyed the episode this time, other thoughts came to me which made the finale less satisfying to me than it could have been. First, it did seem to happen too fast in relation to the previous episodes. Were the producers in a hurry to get the season and the series over with? Because it certainly seemed that way to me. For instance, the evolving romance between Seven of Nine and Chakotay was great, but it came on fast and we didn’t get to see enough of it. It should have started earlier and had more time to develop.
My other problem with the episode is that they weren’t able to get home without the future Janeway’s help and the use of future technology. This means of getting home helped the fight against the Borg, which that was good, but what did it say about the crew of Voyager and Star Fleet Command that they couldn’t get the ship home without help from the future?
The crew of Voyager has to be the best in Star Fleet history, just because of all they had to overcome, and all without the help of Star Fleet Command! The fact that they had to rely on help from the future seems a bit of a cheat. I would have preferred to see the ingenuity of the captain and crew get the ship home, and for the writers in the 7th season to have taken the time to wrap everything up in a neat little package. They managed to get Neelix settled and Tom and B’Elanna’s baby born, but what of the rest of the crew? What of good-byes? What about reintegration — especially of the Maquis?
A lot of things were missing, thus the initial disappointment of this otherwise well-made episode. Final thoughts — it was a good episode but I would have preferred more build-up, no help from the future, and a definitive ending. Reunion movie, anyone?