At last, we’re getting a new Star Trek: Voyager project, but just what is the reason the show has been ignored for so long in projects? We have an answer!
It’s been almost a quarter of a century since Star Trek: Voyager wrapped up its seven-season run in 2001. It was a strong finale involving time travel and a clash with the Borg, and ended with Voyager finally returning to Earth.
Since then, there have been mentions of the crew and their fates in the various Trek novels (now considered non-canon), and Kate Mulgrew has reprised her role as Kathryn Janeway in Nemesis and Star Trek: Prodigy. Also, Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine had a major showcase in Picard and a cameo from Tuvok (Tim Russ) in that series as well.
Aside from that, however, there’s been almost nothing in any major Voyager project. Unlike other Trek shows, it never got a big comic book series from IDW, and little progress was made in other shows. Given the show is celebrating its 30th anniversary, you’d think there’d be a lot more than that. That is changing with a new comic series whose writers have explained the reasoning behind the absence of Voyager in modern Trek!
Why was Voyager ignored?
The new comic series Star Trek: Voyager—Homecoming takes place right where the series left off as the ship returns to Earth. Obviously, they have to adjust to a Federation recovering from the Dominion War amid other issues.
Without giving away too many spoilers, the first issue sends Voyager on another dangerous mission that puts off the homecoming for a bit. Talking to Flickering Myth, writers Tilly and Susan Bridges explained the reasons it’s taken so long for Voyager to get its own spotlight.
"Most folks probably don’t know, but the license holder (in this case, Paramount) fully controls the entire property and has final say over every show, novel, comic, game, or anything else. We’d already been talking with IDW’s Star Trek lead editor, Heather Antos, about possible Trek comic pitches and places where we could hopefully contribute, because we’re huge Trek fans and writing for it is the literal dream. And what Heather’s been doing with the Trek books is really extraordinary, and we hoped we could be part of it."
It is odd that Paramount would hold back on any Voyager projects, considering how popular the show was. Exploring the fallout of the series and the crew adjusting to their return to Earth is fodder for some great storylines, and hopefully, this new comic book can open the doors.
The Bridges acknowledged there is a novel called Homecoming by Christie Golden that uses the same idea of Voyager returning to Earth. They assured readers the comic would stand on its own and “we did not pick the title, so don’t be mad at us about that.”
The writers have teased some great action and excitement to carry on the Voyager tradition and to make up for lost time for the series. It seems a fitting celebration of Voyager, and it’s about time it got its due with a project fans will love.
Star Trek: Voyager—Homecoming now on sale.