Star Trek: Voyager had a cast that worked well together from the beginning. There didn't seem to be a hint of an issue between them all, and for three seasons, they created some incredible episodes. Of course, some weren't as good as others, but that's the way it goes in show business. The actors really played well off one another, and it seemed to be smooth sailing. However, at the end of season three that changed.
Jennifer Lien's contract was not renewed for the fourth season, and Jeri Ryan stepped in to portray ex-Borg drone, Seven of Nine. Lien played Kes for two more episodes on season four before returning in season six to supposedly finish out her character. In all honesty, though, that episode, "Fury," did more disservice to her character, and Lien agreed, telling Startrek.com in 2010 that "there were a lot of poor acting choices on my part," and that she "wasn't really proud of that one." That might be her one regret.
One thing Lien doesn't regret is her decision to step away from acting in 2001. In fact, it was an easy decision for her, even though she misses it. Lien told Star Trek that "It was actually becoming something that didn’t fit into my life anymore. I still love acting, but I don’t like that life anymore. I can’t."
Many things can be said about the reasons for Lien's departure from Voyager, but at least we know she doesn't regret the decision the executives made to remove her character from the show as she went on to say that "I have no regrets. Everything worked out the way it should have. Everything happens for a reason."
After twenty-three years of absence from television and films, it's doubtful Lien will decide to make a return to acting, but, as of 2010, she was content with her life and the choices she had made as she added "I’m perfectly at peace and content with my life. I don’t live in the past and I don’t wish anything were different."
As this interview is old, it would be nice to know if Lien still feels the same and if we can ever hope to see her at a convention with the rest of the Voyager crew. With Voyager hitting the thirty-year milestone this year, Star Trek The Cruise is celebrating. All of the cast members will be returning...except for Lien. This would have been the perfect opportunity to get everyone together one last time. While that didn't happen this year, as we all know with Star Trek, never say never.