Let's list all the ways Voyager was derivative of other sci-fi (or fictional) works

[Yukaphile]

Chuck already mentioned how "Blink of an Eye" was ripping off Dragon's Egg, so that's one.

There's Janeway's stupid Victorian Gothic Horror Romance novel holodeck program, which ran for three episodes. Oh, and the fact it was named the Lambda program is a ripoff of Star Wars, so that's mark five. Oh, and then there's two other references to Lambda, so that would make it seven. Wow.

Then there's the fact the Krenim temporal weapon looked like Babylon 5, so you know, there's strike eight. And then the fact the Hierarchy are just the Sontarans, which I could see Brannon Braga being a fan of Doctor Who, so that's the ninth mark. Then there's possibly Species 8472, who were a poor man's version of a fusion between the Vorlons and Shadows. So, I'm counting it. We've reached ten marks! Oh, and how could I forget the two uses of the word Quarren, for a species and that man in "Living Witness?" Twelve marks. And then there's the use of Nar Shaddaa... man, they sure loved their Star Wars ripoffs, didn't they?

As is, we stand at thirteen marks. Holy Toledo. Anyone else wanna think up some more?

[Karha of Honor]

Chuck already mentioned how "Blink of an Eye" was ripping off Dragon's Egg, so that's one.

There's Janeway's stupid Victorian Gothic Horror Romance novel holodeck program, which ran for three episodes. Oh, and the fact it was named the Lambda program is a ripoff of Star Wars, so that's mark five. Oh, and then there's two other references to Lambda, so that would make it seven. Wow.

Then there's the fact the Krenim temporal weapon looked like Babylon 5, so you know, there's strike eight. And then the fact the Hierarchy are just the Sontarans, which I could see Brannon Braga being a fan of Doctor Who, so that's the ninth mark. Then there's possibly Species 8472, who were a poor man's version of a fusion between the Vorlons and Shadows. So, I'm counting it. We've reached ten marks! Oh, and how could I forget the two uses of the word Quarren, for a species and that man in "Living Witness?" Twelve marks. And then there's the use of Nar Shaddaa... man, they sure loved their Star Wars ripoffs, didn't they?

As is, we stand at thirteen marks. Holy Toledo. Anyone else wanna think up some more?

You hold that against the franchise?

[Dargaron]

There's Janeway's stupid Victorian Gothic Horror Romance novel holodeck program, which ran for three episodes. Oh, and the fact it was named the Lambda program is a ripoff of Star Wars, so that's mark five. Oh, and then there's two other references to Lambda, so that would make it seven. Wow.

Then there's possibly Species 8472, who were a poor man's version of a fusion between the Vorlons and Shadows.

Erm, Lambda is just the Greek letter "L." It's a long-established part of Star Trek that the Federation uses a lot of Greek letters in place of numerical designations (such as the Alpha-Beta-Gamma-Delta Quadrant system). Counting the use of "Lambda" as derivative would be like saying that The Walking Dead is ripping off Star Wars by using the term "Walkers" for its zombies. (Heck, the use of Lambda is more out of place in Star Wars, since the Greek Alphabet canonically exists in Star Trek, while it does not in Star Wars).

The only use of Lambda that I know of in the Star Wars universe is the Lambda-class shuttle from Ep VI, which is so-named because it looks like a lowercase Lambda.

To paraphrase you from your "Jar Jar Binks: Racism?" thread, "I don't see [Babylon 5 Shadows/Vorlons] in the [Species 8472] at all." They use bioships, and have the capacity to destroy planets, but that's pretty much where the similarity ends. Until "In the Flesh," they're more like the Yuuzhan Vong (sp?), in that they're omnicidal, outside-context aliens with inexplicably-powerful biotech. In "In the Flesh," they also take human form and plan to infiltrate their enemies directly via pseudo-changelings, while in B5, do the Shadows or Vorlons ever take human form themselves? IIRC, they tend to operate through blackmailed/subverted lesser species, like Mr. Morden or that psychic lady the Vorlons empowered.

[ChiggyvonRichthofen]

I don't see being derivative as a big issue with Voyager. Similar concepts cropping up in different sci-fi series, some re-used names, that kind of stuff isn't a big deal to me. Some of the examples mentioned in the OP seem like nitpicking, particularly when DS9 and B5 contain much more obvious similarities.

"Blink of an Eye" might be the most egregious rip-off, but they seemed to have gotten away with it. I'm not a big fan of it, but it's one of the most popular episodes of the show.

[Yukaphile]

The big problem here is what Chuck has illustrated over the years. Voyager is status quo, safe as hell, and always looking for something to work in a very business-like mindset, something that will sell. So, they look to where others have written great stories, and "adapted" it to their story from a cynical marketing perspective.

[Mecha82]

Thing is not many things in fiction are truly original instead of taking things from other works of fiction and using those to form they stories.

[Yukaphile]

Voyager was a business, not a story, was my point, and as a result, it was highly derivative, not inspired by, other works. Let's leave that aside. I wanna count the ways it was.

[Karha of Honor]

Voyager was a business, not a story, was my point, and as a result, it was highly derivative, not inspired by, other works. Let's leave that aside. I wanna count the ways it was.

And you can distinguish the art written for money and art written for the sake of art?

[Elderdog]

Truthfully a lot of TV, Literature, etc. ultimately becomes similar to or derivative of something else. The real question becomes how a creator or team of creators can effectively differentiate between what they are creating and their inspirations.
For example, the typical Shonen anime/manga owes a lot of credit to both the story structure and style of the Dragonball franchise just as Dragonball owes its life to Journey to the West.
Whether or not Voyager becomes derivative of its parent franchise or its contemporaries is difficult to answer because Voyager the series was (on average) pretty mediocre. The real question that should be asked is, what does Voyager say about its predecessors?