The most powerful beings in all of Star Trek are as follows: Q, Trelene, The Prophets, Charlie Evans, V'Ger, Kes. Wait… KES!?
Yes, Kes. The soft-spoken, Neelix-loving, Doctor assisting Ocampa was equipped to be one of the most powerful beings in the Star Trek universe. Or… sort of. Kes’s storyline ended somewhat abruptly, leaving much room for character exploration.
Ocampas age rapidly, about 10 times as fast as a human, and only live for about a decade. They don’t just have shortened lifespans; they speed-run life, maturing mentally 10 times faster than many other humanoid species.
This means, at the age of two, Kes not only had full control over her telepathic powers but also taught herself advanced medical knowledge and displayed strong emotional intelligence. At that same age, most humans can only count to five.
If we base telepathic prowess on age and intelligence, mix in Ocampa maturation rate, then Kes's abilities are theoretically enhanced 10 times faster than her psionic peers. Imagine a young, proficient Spock being outpaced by a toddler. Ocampas have the cheat code to fast-track through telepathy training, and that is a crucial part of Kes's awesomeness.
The Rise and Fall of Kes in Star Trek: Voyager
Although impressive, her powers did not tip the scales until the episode The Gift (S04E02). After flying through an unknown space disturbance, Kes’s powers amplified to the point of chaos. She rescued and catapulted Voyager 9,500 light-years closer to Earth, and with her abilities peaking, she transcended, reaching a higher level of existence. Except… she didn’t. Her return in Fury (S06E23) proved she was still mortal and aging. Something went wrong.
Kes brushed her fingertips along the edge of ascension, leaving her a god-like being still bound by ephemeral limitations. That’s the unfortunate, fatal flaw of this theory: mortality.
Kes' rapid growth means she doesn’t have enough time to command her talents fully. A pretty serious Achilles Heel and one of the many reasons she’s kicked off “The Most Powerful Beings in Trek” lists. But this is sci-fi, and in sci-fi, no character is ever truly gone or finished with her journey.
What happened to Kes after Star Trek: Voyager?
The writers of Trek have created a character with a potentially awesome combination of powers and genetics with Kes. As with any big franchise, there is potential everywhere for compelling stories, but only so much content can air on TV. Kes was often overshadowed by Neelix shenanigans and was pushed to the side as a tertiary character. It would be a disservice, however, if her true capabilities were never recognized. Thankfully, we do have some closure.
In the novel-verse, the doll-like Ocampa gets a proper ending in Book 3: Evolution of the String Theory trilogy by Heather Jarman. A singularity called “Blue Eyes” threatened to rip the fabric of reality apart. At the final climactic showdown, it was Kes who merged with a terrible dimensional rift and rethreaded realities across the multiverse. It was an act of self-sacrifice, as Kes was never heard from again, but theorized to have finally, fully transcended.
It’s a satisfying ending to such a gentle character thrust into the position of goddom. It’s just a shame it was never adapted for television.