If I were to re-write Voyager

[Deledrius]

I don't know if I could take the Talaxians seriously as they were on the show, so I'd have to change how they looked, much as I would change the ship design. I know Sternbach-senpai would be upset to see me say that, but I never much cared for the design they went with.

Once I realized Voyager looks like a toilet seat from above, I couldn't unsee it.

[Admiral X]

I'm honestly kind of torn between having it be an older ship like a New Orleans class, or a new ship that is simply of a different design that looks a bit more balanced. I'd keep it roughly the same size and crew compliment, though.

[Karha of Honor]

I don't know if I could take the Talaxians seriously as they were on the show, so I'd have to change how they looked, much as I would change the ship design. I know Sternbach-senpai would be upset to see me say that, but I never much cared for the design they went with.

Once I realized Voyager looks like a toilet seat from above, I couldn't unsee it.

I like the ugly ass Voyager. If they told a great story with this ugly ass ship in the middle of nowhere trying to get home i would like it even more.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I like The Defiant. Partly because of its name.

[Admiral X]

I'm not sure who I'd have then run into first, but the Vidiians would feature much more prominently in my version. There'd also be multiple factions involved, with both the "kill everyone and steal their organs" faction and a more civilized hold-out that is very much against that and realizes Voyager is probably their last hope. There'd also be some independent groups who are somewhere between the two on the spectrum and are just trying to get by. Basically, Vidiian civilization has fallen completely apart, and the only thing keeping them going as a species is the organ modification tech they already had which lets them re-purpose organs and other tissues for their own bodies. The "good" faction is basically what's left of their government, with scientists still struggling to find a cure or at least a way to keep the phage from spreading. The "bad" faction and various shades of "slightly less bad" factions are making that more difficult, though, as they keep attacking the hold-outs for resources and uninfected organs and tissues.

If I had them run into the Kazon it'd be a new version of them that was less stupid. Much like with the Vidiians, I'd actually bother developing their background and culture to flesh them out and give them more believable motivations aside from just being bad guys and easy to beat because they're stupid. I'd probably keep them less technologically advanced than the Alpha Quadrant ships, but I'd make them a legit power, and they'd make up for their technological disadvantages with tactics and intelligence on the part of whatever military commander is charged with taking on Voyager. Maybe that's how the Maquis ship will end up being lost.

Also since they are a big part of my Neelix's background, the Haakonian Order would probably play a big part in the show at some point. Maybe it's them effectively protecting the rest of the quadrant from the Viidians, or at least the part Voyager and the others end up in? They'd probably be as close as I'd go to having straight-up space Nazis, especially since I have them basically committing genocide against the Talaxians. I'd still have there be some nuance there, though, with the irony being that the Talaxians had been so antagonistic toward the Haakonians in the past that when the pendulum swung the other way, it swung hard.

I'd still have the Borg, but much later in the series, and there would be no direct conflict, as Voyager would get curb stomped. It'd be more along the lines of sneaking around and hiding out, hoping they don't get noticed.

I'm kind of curious what people think - would the Kazon maybe be redundant? Would it maybe be better to skip right to the Haakonians? I suppose one could do both and just have the Kazon bordering with the Haakonians, but it would delay getting to Viidians that much longer. Of course, that might not be a bad thing. Thoughts?

[Simplicius]

I'm kind of curious what people think - would the Kazon maybe be redundant? Would it maybe be better to skip right to the Haakonians? I suppose one could do both and just have the Kazon bordering with the Haakonians, but it would delay getting to Viidians that much longer. Of course, that might not be a bad thing. Thoughts?

That would depend on what your version of the Trabe was like, I'd imagine. The Haakonians could either sympathise with the Kazon throwing off their oppressors and turning the tables on them (like they did with the Talaxians) or, if you're going the ultra-authoritarian rout, have the Haakonians be in a protracted guerrilla war with them. The former, would leave the Kazon as the unambiguous villains they were in the show, whereas the latter would complicate things quite a bit (maybe even introducing an unspoken spiritual kinship between the Kazon and the Maquis).

If you'd rather keep the focus on the Haakonians, then you could relegate the Kazon to the status of pests/pirates (a la the Orions and Nausicaans in most Trek video games).

***

Anyway, I'm apparently another person who is working on a Voyager rewrite. I've been on a SF Debris kick recently (whilst an injury has kept me immobile) and it really stoked my passion for the project that I'd abandoned a few years ago.

My main idea is for the crew to commit very early on to the idea of a generation ship. Sure, they're holding out hope for a wormhole or an Iconian gateway or whatever, but that's strictly Plan B. So Linis and Miral would be born sooner (which, obviously, involves Linis being born for real), more emphasis would be placed on the Vulcan crew members as well (not only to resolve various pon farr but, pragmatically, to capitalise on their long life-span). Also, Chakotay (or the Chakotay analogue if I dispense with the name) would have to raise Seska's son (and his, no cop out here).

Another idea is similar to one mentioned on the first page; reproduce the premise of Andromeda. I don't see the need to have an extinct analogue to the Systems Commonwealth, but I do think it would be cool to see Voyager trying to get a Federation 2.0 up and running in the Delta Quadrant. To this end, I would have Janeway consciously violate the Prime Directive. I've toyed with making her a troubled relative of John Gill (TOS: "Patterns of Force"), or just simply being more intellectually curious than Picard was.

Minor changes:

• Tom Paris would be Nicholas Locarno.
• Neelix wouldn't be romantically involved with Kes, and his zaniness and arrogance would be excised.
• Simon Tarses would be on board.
• Janeway's command of the ship would be a field promotion from first officer during my analogue to "Caretaker".

Rather than try to recapture the essence of the old, actually intimidating, Borg I would play into the fact that already fighting an unwinnable war by the time Voyager arrives (with the Devore, the Voth, the Hazari or some mix thereof).

[PerrySimm]

Yeah, the slow burn of this setting is really the key. If Voyager had started basically as Action TNG, and then stuff really hit the fan, that just would have been so much better.

Young Janeway theory is great. Make her a straight up LT, even, versus the veteran Maquis commander.

[Yukaphile]

That's what I plan to do as well. Make Paris Locarno.

[Admiral X]

I'm curious if anyone thinks it'd be worth it to rework the Kazon into something that doesn't suck or not.

[Yukaphile]

I do. I wanna try and do the same for my rewrite fic.