What Voyager episodes do you rewatch?

[ChiggyvonRichthofen]

Sorry! Might be controversial, but while TNG and DS9 told a lot of great stories (far more than Voyager), I can't say I was always a fan of their look. TOS was a very colorful show- lots of primaries, bright and bold. It reminds me of early technicolor films (like The Wizard of Oz) designed to show off that this was a different animal than B&W.

TNG replaced that with... beige. DS9 took place for the most part on a space station that wasn't designed to be luxurious- lots of brown. Both improved on their look as they went along, but Voyager looked good from the beginning (it had the advantage of being the latest series to air). Sometimes the lighting is too dark, but overall it still looks pretty modern and cool.

[Yukaphile]

I was kidding.

[Makeshift Python]

I liked some of the early photography in TNG which made more use of dramatic lighting and shadow. I’m thinking of a shot of Riker in the command chair in “The Battle” that feels reminiscent of how Kirk was lit in TOS.

Then in the third season they brought in a new photographer that basically evenly lit every set that made things feel more dull.

[Admiral X]

Not really. Blade Runner, Dune, Ghost in the Shell 1 and 2 (Innocence) are pretty much at the top of my all-time favourites.

Ah, a fellow anime fan. Neat.



As far as VOY goes, I honestly think one of its biggest problems is that it seemed to forget an important aspect of TNG in its vain attempt to recreate it - while TNG often threatened armed conflict as a way of generating drama, they usually stopped short of it, while on VOY they seemed to resort to ship-to-ship battles quite frequently. And on top of it, they didn't do it all that well, so it actually got to where their little battles every episode got to be boring to watch. Anyone else feel that way?

[Yukaphile]

The topic is "what Voyager episodes do you rewatch..."

[Makeshift Python]

Not really. Blade Runner, Dune, Ghost in the Shell 1 and 2 (Innocence) are pretty much at the top of my all-time favourites.

Ah, a fellow anime fan. Neat.



As far as VOY goes, I honestly think one of its biggest problems is that it seemed to forget an important aspect of TNG in its vain attempt to recreate it - while TNG often threatened armed conflict as a way of generating drama, they usually stopped short of it, while on VOY they seemed to resort to ship-to-ship battles quite frequently. And on top of it, they didn't do it all that well, so it actually got to where their little battles every episode got to be boring to watch. Anyone else feel that way?

Precisely because Gene put it in the writers bible that ship to ship battles would preferably be avoided because after awhile they’d just get boring. That’s why when an actual battle took place on the occasion it felt exciting because it wasn’t so frequent.

Same with exploding consoles. TNG barely did any of that, but VOY seemed to do it every other episode. It was one of the things Beltran criticized the show for indulging too much in because after awhile the pyrotechnics felt false as the next episode would have the ship look like it launched out of dry dock.

Paris: “OMG WE’RE GONNA DIE”
*last two minutes*
Neelix: “I finally made that leola root cake for Mr. Paris’ birthday!”

Executive Producers
RICK BERMAN
&
BRANNON BRAGA

[Yukaphile]

I guess Gene knew a little bit about something.

[Nessus]

When I think of the episodes that stand out to me as the best of Voyager, the two episodes that rise to the top in my memory are "Living Witness" and "Nothing Human".

"The Thaw" is well done, and gets extra points for doing a really good job replicating the aesthetic of TOS in the dream zone. Despite being good though, it still feels like a.. novelty to me, for lack of a better word.

I'd agree that for all it's faults, Voyager was at least on point with the set design and lighting, and feels like a more "finished" version of the TNG look, whereas actual TNG's beigeness has dated it a lot worse than DS9 or Voyager. TNG's general aesthetic belongs to very specific era, and while not exactly ugly, it does not survive well outside that era, whereas many of Voyager's sets look like they'd probably still look good if put into a show with modern cameras and cinematography. I do prefer the uniforms of later DS9 though. The problem with DS9's sets IMO wasn't the colors, but rather that was supposed to be the Cardassian architectural elements had a very ornamental rather than utilitarian feel, which was both in contrast to the whole "former military industrial station" thing, and stretched the set budget in ways that made the plywood and vacuuform construction more apparent despite the better than TNG lighting and cinematography.

[Yukaphile]

Oh yes, I do love "Living Witness" as well.