Star Trek: Voyager wrapped its seven season run on May 23, 2001 with the iconic ship orbiting around Earth as the crew on board waited for their chance to step foot on the planet's surface. Many fans were unhappy the crew didn't get that opportunity. One of the actors feels the same. Garrett Wang, who played Ensign Harry Kim, told Startrek.com [via Slashfilm] that he was not happy about the way the series came to an end. He believed, "after seven years, fans wanted to see actually step foot on terra firma."
Other considerations were made before the finale was finalized with Captain Janeway's death even being one of them. Seven of Nine was also in the running for a death scene. Instead, producers chose to end the series on a poignant note which still left some room for improvement. That probably could have occurred had Voyager had more time. Yes, Star Trek: The Next Generation managed to end its seven-season run in the time allotted, but the Enterprise and its crew hadn't spent seven years trying to get home. The Voyager crew deserved a little more.
And had Wang been in charge, they would have gotten it. Just not on television. Wang's idea for an ending would have been a two-hour series finale ending on a cliffhanger with the words "to be continued at a theater near you." And then the actual finale would have taken place as a theatrical release. Of course, it could have also been used as a jumping point for more adventures in the series, giving Voyager the same treatment The Next Generation got. But viewers already knew that wasn't happening as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine didn't get any follow-up movies, either.
While a movie would have been great for Voyager, most fans would have been satisfied with seeing the crew back at Starfleet Headquarters or reuniting with their families and friends. Now that we're in a time where characters are returning to the screen, the possibility is open for a reunion with the crew. Maybe then, we'll get the chance to see them all on solid ground.