Star Trek fans around the globe are still celebrating the 30th anniversary of Voyager, which debuted on January 16, 1995. However, there’s another Voyager anniversary worth making note of, and that’s the 24th anniversary of the show’s finale, “Endgame,” which premiered on May 23, 2001.
To this day, fans debate the merits of “Endgame,” and we get it… both sides of the conversation. Among the pros, audiences saw Janeway and… Janeway, with Kate Mulgrew killing it as both Captain Janeway and Admiral Janeway. Tim Russ got the chance to let loose as a deeply disturbed, super-emotional, even delusional Tuvok. B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) and Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) welcomed a baby daughter into the world. Fans got to see recurring characters/actors one last time, including Dwight Schultz as Barclay, Richard Herd as Owen Paris, and Alice Krige as the Borg Queen. Krige had played the Borg Queen to perfection in Star Trek: First Contact but Susanna Thompson took over the role for the character’s handful of appearances on Voyager, until the finale. And, of course, the U.S.S. Voyager at long last made it home. We also welcomed the time travel elements, the superior visual effects, the emotive and complementary score, the presence of the still-menacing Borg, and the looks at some of the characters’ possible futures. And the finale’s final line, “Set a course… for home,” echoed the last line of the Voyager pilot, “Caretaker.”
On the other hand, many fans found “Endgame” too rushed and crammed with nonstop “technobabble.” Next to no one bought into the hastily introduced romance between Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Chakotay (Robert Beltran), despite the fact that the actors evinced some genuine chemistry. Most controversially, the finale left Voyager approaching Earth. Yes, we could celebrate that fact, but if fans spent seven years watching the trek back to the Alpha Quadrant, then many of them hoped, even expected, to at least see glimpses of the characters on terra firma. Were they welcomed with open arms? How did Seven adjust? Were any of the former Maquis in trouble with Starfleet? How did the characters’ families react? And what about Janeway’s dog? Was Mollie alive and waiting for her? Fair questions, all. But, for better or for worse, the show’s brain trust chose to leave the answers to such questions up to the imagination of viewers. Like it or not, you’ve got to respect the decision.