Customer Reviews

Star Trek Voyager - The Complete First Season

5 star:		(101)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(37)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

Star Trek Voyager has taken a lot of flack. 'The Red Headed Step Child' of the Trek family took a lot of shots for being mediocre retreads of other Trek stories which had to resort to some cosmic eye-candy to pull in new viewers. Frankly, I think the series has been given the short end of the stick. The ensemble does a fine job, and its good to see a Trek show visiting 'strange new worlds' once more. Its great to see Jennifer Lien(Time and Again) again, and Bob Picardo's Doctor is especially comical in this first season(Heros & Demons). So aces for the episodes found in this collection. The extras are pretty good, too. The piece on Captain Bujold is nearly worth the price of admission alone.

But speaking of the price... C'mon Paramount ! You've been slowly dropping the price on the Trek boxed sets, but we're not nearly where we should be. ESPECIALLY when there are only 15 episodes in this first 'season' of Voyager. And the packaging is truly horrendous. I'm sure this was someone's idea of a clever novelty, but its just downright awkward and cheap. If you're going to ask us to pay upwards of a hundred bucks, at least give us something worthwhile. So as I say, the material is good, but there should be more to offset the price, and the packaging should rise to the quality of the content !

In a matter of one week, huge numbers of fans have gathered on the message boards of www.startrek.com and other websites to discuss their disappointment with the newly released box set, including its packaging, poor quality disc branding, and the shockingly disgraceful special features disk.

When I first got a hold of the box set, I was very excited to have something to look forward to watching that evening. In my mind, all I could think about were "What are they going to do with this box set?" First and foremost was the packaging: a new, sleek design intrigued me when I first saw it. However, to my dismay and that of countless fans all throughout the US, we instead discovered a low-quality, poorly constructed box-set providing little to no protection to the discs held within. Furthermore, the box set (opening in two pieces) I found to be quite clumsy and uninteresting. Other than the Voyager logo imprint, there was nothing to make this set "unique".

This alone did not dissuade Star Trek fans, however.

Yet we were then again struck down. This time, by the CD branding: a white lettering on a plain, reflective silver background. When held upright to be read, the ST:Voyager label and season/disc number could be read easily, but the episode names and release dates were scratched into the center of CD, and wrapped around the interior circumferance with some 8pt, arial-like font. After having SQUINTED my eyes to finally make out the episode name, "Caretaker", I popped the DVD into my player and pressed play.

The DVD menus were, by far, the most blan and un-eventful ever! Both TNG and DS9 box sets provided the viewer with a nearly interactive menu and the feeling and sensation that you were operating out of a console from a Star Trek set. In addition, music and sound FX added to this experience. Instead, we're left with four still images of Voyager, and a delayed Voyager fanfare. At this point, I and others like myself, began to wonder if Paramount had made a mistake with their released box set... if somehow, Paramount had accidentally released a beta version of the set.

Then came the episodes. All crisp quality picture and sound. But that's to be expected with DVD technology and was precedented with TNG and DS9.

After the first disc, many fans quickly moved on to the second disc only to find that, in certain box sets, discs were mixed up and/or missing! Fortunately, I escaped this problem, but countless others who purchased the box set had to return it for another set containing all of the correct discs.

And finally, after watching all of season one's episodes, we arrived at the highly-anticipated special features disc described by startrek.com as containing "...one of the most interesting "what if" scenarios you will ever see is the footage of acclaimed actress Genevihve Bujold as Captain Janeway." Granted, this special feature was intriguinging and made me wonder how the series would have shaped with that particular captain. But that was all this special features disc had to offer us fans. There was little to nothing about how the actors first approached their characters, any "funny outtakes", or even a significant insight as to how and why producers Rick Berman, Jeri Taylor, and Michael Piller came to discovering Voyager. Furthermore, rather than providing anything of value to fans, we reluctantly learned that the startrek.com website was re-vamped four times. My question: WHY!? And some fans have gone so far as to calculate the amount of time each character did talk about their moments on Voyager's launch. This was the biggest shock, as fans everywhere learned that the actors' testimonials COMBINED barely matched the amount of time they gave to talking about the website. Startrek.com went on to state that "[the] fifth [disc] contain[s] the ever popular bonus features. (Remember, these are why we love DVDs!)." Indeed, that IS why we love DVDs. Where'd we go wrong?

The special features left me with bewilderment, which was soon followed up by anger and disbelief! This box set is a travesty! In addition, the MSRP of $139.99 is nowhere near justifying its value to the fans, many of which are fed up with Paramount's lack of respect for Star Trek. And while some have come out to speak against Paramount, its has also been said that they would still purchase the box sets, regardless of its poor quality. Why? Because Paramount believes that if they release anything with the Star Trek name on it, it would be purchased by fans. This is unjust and unfair!

We, the fans, demand that Paramount re-release the box sets and supply each season with expanded special features, easier to read disc labeling, and improved packaging equal to or surpassing in quality to that of the British version. To do this, I decided to come to the Communicator and ask to put it in print in an attempt reach countless other fans, and perhaps unite them to finally show Paramount we do not appreciate being taken advantage of.

But please, don't take my word for it. As I write this, more and more fans are viewing and posting to the already growing message board petition at www.startrek.com/community (located in the Star Trek Voyager message boards).

Although I have been critical of Voyager in the past, I must confess that it was nothing short of impressive in its first three seasons. The show had so much promise, its huge story arcs and original concept made it a show to watch. The first season had the show proving itself quite nicely, with riveting science fiction and the intense drama of two disparate crews trying to work together. This show certainly had the makings of a champion, and although it certainly didn't fulfill all hopes, it had more than a few good moments.

Voyager's first season put exposition on hold to give us great stories. The approach paid off, as many were hooked on the show from the beginning. One of the show's greatest strengths was combining human drama and science fiction in such a way that the season never got formulaic, and we certainly saw that here. "Caretaker" was a magnificent pilot that nicely set up the show, introduced the crew's principal enemies and some of the tumultuous politics of the Delta Quadrant, and had quite a bit of excitement and suspense. From there, we saw episodes dealing with classic Star Trek motifs like time travel (Time and Again), unusual life forms (The Cloud), and justice (Ex Post Facto, one of the season's best shows). The show also tackled unfamiliar territory, such as genocide (Jetrel, another of the season's best shows) and treason (State of Flux, where Seska defects to the Kazon). All the while we got to know (albeit less than in the second season) the various officers of the ship: Janeway, the stern but optimistic captain (and, in the first year, far from the sanctimonious shrew she became); Paris, the navigator and funnyman (he provided the best comic relief) and his friend Kim, the homesick wet-behind-the-ears recent Academy graduate; Tuvok, the wry Vulcan; the Doctor, a crotchety hologram (and also very amusing); and Neelix and Kes, the pair of aliens along for the ride. The first season did a good job of introducing them, although it wasn't until the second season that they really became more concrete.

The DVD is loaded with extras, probably to compensate for the fact that the set is exorbitantly priced. In any case, it's a must have for a collector or a fan.

In this different but wonderfully well crafted boxed set of Star Trek Voyager season one; fans of Star Trek Voyager are treated to its first season which, in comparison with the other series, is a very good season. Of course, Voyager benefits greatly from the mistakes made during the first seasons of Star Trek The Next Generation and Star Trek Deep Space Nine. With this great first season, Voyager isn't struggling to establish a series or establish a framework to work within, that's already been set up both those two other exceptional series.

Voyager's first season albeit a short one, does a wonderful job of establishing the premise of the series and establishing the characters that will inhabit the imaginations of fans for the next seven years. One of the better aspects of this season is it doesn't suffer from some of the mistakes made during the second season as in that season they concentrated a little too heavily on the Kazon, which for most fans was a major detractor as I know I was and most fans were asking, when are they ever going to get out of and away from Kazon space.

Of interest to me about this first season and the series as a whole is the series producer's perfect decision to captain this new vessel with a strong female character in Captain Kathryn Janeway, which was a welcome decision that was a long time coming but a definitive eventuality.

The characters of Star Trek Voyager:

Captain Kathryn Janeway - Played brilliantly by Kate Mulgrew, Janeway is a strong and brilliant engineer and sciences minded commanding officer. Among her strongest features is also her principles which lead her to the decision to save the Ocampa by destroying the Caretaker's array in the premiere episode which results in stranding her crew and the crew of the Maquis ship in the Delta Quadrant with a 70,000 light year trip home to which she vows to her newly combined crew that she will get them home... After watching the special feature with Genevieve Bujold as Janeway, one simply cannot imagine her having been in this role!

Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) - Maquis leader and former Starfleet officer; he is a member of a Native American tribe which relocated to what later became the DMZ between the Federation and the Cardassians. When the treaty went bad for his homeworld, he left Starfleet to fight with the Maquis. As Janeway's first officer, he must tread the thin line between Maquis principles and rigid Starfleet codes.

Lieutenant Commander Tuvok (Tim Russ) - Vulcan Starfleet security officer who is well aged and to whom many aboard Voyager but especially B'Elanna look upon as a mentor. Without his counsel, Janeway would be lost.

Lieutenant Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) - Former Starfleet officer that ran into trouble and fled to the Maquis only to end up in a Starfleet prison. He is a superior pilot and helms Voyager through thick and thin. This is the Captain Kirk of the crew when it comes to womanizing...

Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) - Fresh from Starfleet Academy; at the outset of the series he is very green in the role of operations officer but look for this character to mature rapidly when faced with everything the crew must face in their journey home.

Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) - Half Klingon and half Human former Maquis now Chief Engineer. Until Seven of Nine shows up, look to this character for some of the strongest non Janeway stories as she continues to struggle between her Klingon and Human sides to achieve some form of inner peace.

The Doctor (Robert Picardo) - Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH Mark I). Look for this character to provide some of the most poignant and hilarious scenes throughout the seven year run.

Neelix (Ethan Phillips) - A Talaxian who helps Janeway during "Caretaker" and along with Kes becomes members of Voyager's crew. This character will most certainly provide some of the most memorable episodes throughout the series run as he takes on the roles of Ambassador, Head Cook and Morale officer.

Kes (Jennifer Lien) - Ocampan who is rescued during "Caretaker" and is, at the outset of the series, Neelix's companion. During her short time on Voyager she takes on the role as the Doctor's assistant. The Ocampan's only live for nine years but her part only lasts for three years as she joins the Denise Crosby and Terry Farrell club.

Standout episodes:

Caretaker - I list this one as it does, as a premier episode, a great job of introducing the series even that much more so than the premier episodes of TNG and DS9.

Emanations - This is a highly intriguing episode which goes where few Star Trek episodes dare to go, into "religion" and the afterlife.

Heroes and Demons - This episode does a wonderful job of establishing itself and future episodes in which the Doctor will be the prime player.

Faces - This is an extremely fascinating episode that does a superior job in establishing some of B'Elanna's back story while telling a poignant tale.

Jetrel - This is an extremely poignant story about Neelix and the destruction of his home world's moon during a costly war in which the Talaxian's enemy used a weapon of mass destruction.

I highly recommend this series to any and all fans of good Sci-Fi from the universe of Star Trek. This is a great series that should be given a chance by all fans of Star Trek. {ssintrepid}

Episode List:

Caretaker

Parallax
Time and Again
Phage
The Cloud
Eye of the Needle
Ex Post Facto
Emanations
Prime Factors
State of Flux
Heroes and Demons
Cathexis
Faces
Jetrel
Learning Curve

Special Features:

-Braving the Unknown: Season One
-Voyager Time Capsule: Kathryn Janeway
-The First Captain: Bujold
-Cast Reflections: Season One
-On Location with the Kazons
-Red Alert: Visual Effects Season One
-Launching Voyager on the Web
-Real Science with Andre Bormanis
-Photo Gallery
-Some hidden clips

I wish I could review these discs, but I can't even think about paying what Paramount is charging for them. The reviews are interesting, though. There are the worshippers, the people who think Voyager/Star Trek/Paramount is so wonderful they'd gladly fork over $200/season for handful of discs with no extras served up in a manila envelope, and claim that isn't a problem because they know how to use a manila envelope. Those are the true fans -- short for fanatics. Then there are the folks who have the presence of mind (can you tell which group I'm in?) to notice that Paramount consistently provides Star Trek fans with the lamest series sets in the industry for some of the highest prices, simply because the worshippers have shown Paramount they can get away with it. In the middle are the sheep, the people who realize Paramount is ripping them off, but they pay through the nose because they can't fathom *not* owning ST on DVD or they're afraid that if a series doesn't sell well, Paramount will stop releasing ST on DVD (like *that* would ever happen).

TNG, DS9, and now Voyager are some of the most expensive TV sets you can buy, and with pathetic features. Stargate SG-1 runs about $25/season here at Amazon.com for 22 episodes vs. $90 for Voyager with 16 episodes. Babylon 5 runs $24/season for 22 episodes. X-Files now runs $20-40/season depending if it's on sale or now. The list of TV shows that are less expensive with more features goes on and on. The shows that are more expensive you could count on one hand.

If I'm not mistaken, we now have 18 seasons of ST on DVD (3 TOS, 7 TNG, 7 DS9, and 1 Voyager), and not one episode has an audio commentary as far as I know. Packaging gets cheaper with each successive series as Paramount tests the fans to see just what they'll tolerate. And now it seems Paramount, having little left to cheap out on, has stooped to giving people (including the worshippers) the worst quality control fiasco I've ever heard of in TV DVD seasons for any show. Missing discs and multiple copies of the same disc in a set? How much more will it take to prove to some people how much Paramount takes ST fans for granted?

Go ahead, buy these sets. But if you do, don't be surprised if when Enterprise comes out on DVD you get six discs wrapped up in Saran Wrap. Just kidding of course, Handi Wrap is cheaper than Saran Wrap.

Oh, as for the series, I thought it was mediocre. Watchable, but nothing to write home about. You could see them struggle to make it interesting, such as adding a new character after the first three seasons and sticking her in an outfit that made her look like a Barbie doll, using the Borg and Q (I like both, but still, I'd rather Voyager hadn't needed to rely on them). Too many episodes where they were vacationing on some planet (and ticking off the locals) instead of flying home as hard as they could go. Too much scowling from Tuvoc. Too many "bad Seska" episodes. Not enough really imaginative stories. But alas, it's Star Trek, so some of us still love it. I just won't pay for it at these prices.

Why are the Star Trek series so outrageously priced?Any other series for tv are half this price or less.Why is that?

I started watching Star Trek TNG but lost interest after it ended. When Voyager started i was thrilled to finally see a woman captain in the big chair.The story line was unique having them stranded so far from home.I think what ultimately made this the best ST ever was the Crew of Voyager. It was a perfect blend and balance from Tom the prankster to Tuvok the voice of reason. Chakotay the stable rock and foundation to B'Elanna and her fiery temper and the all inquisitive holographic Doc. I have tried to give the new Enterprise a chance but it hasn't grabbed me and i have yet to see the depth in these characters as in Voyager. I'm relieved that it's finally coming out on DVD and hope to see ST. Voyager The Movie soon!!!!!

Star trek Voyager is my first DVD season collection. Though I have lots of movies I had to get Voyager season 1 when paramount announced that they were releasing the whole series on DVD! And I am happy to say that I am SATISFIED. I just finished viewing all the discs and the quality of both video and Audio are quite good. Yes the Bass is not too good but then thats how it was even on TV! So theres not much reason to complain if you enjoy the show. Coming back to the episodes they were mostly good in the first season but the real good ones are there in season 3 and season 5. Anyhow I plan to get all the seasons on DVD. I also see from the packing that Paramount is releasing the original Star trek series on DVD. That should be interesting . Before I go kudos to Amazon for their superb shipping! I pre-ordered and received my copy on 26th through expedited shipping! By the way I am from India!! Keep up the great work guys. And to all prospective buyers here is what I say " Buy the DVD set if you like Voyager. You will not be disappointed.

I have been a Star Trek fan for over 30 years, having watched TOS as a kid in the 1960's and 1970's. I eagerly anticipated and enjoyed all the motion picture releases as well as TNG series. I always though the series projected hope and the best aspirations of mankind.

Until now I had never given STV a chance. I recall watching an episode or two on TV, but I didn't like the politically correct idea of a female captain, and I thought the basic premise was idiotic. In retrospect my thinking was the only thing idiotic.

I now find Janeway a very believable leader, and she could probably give ol' James Tiberius a run for his money. The premise, when you stop and think about it, is genius because it's really just TOS and TNG in reverse. Instead of "going where no man has gone before", these folks are just trying to get home.

After finishing the first three discs of Season 1 this looks very promising. Many reviewers have indicated Season 1 is weaker (as you might expect) than the following seasons. If that's true I can't wait to buy the rest. My favorite episode so far is "Heros and Demons", which was crafted in the very best Trek tradition.

My rating of four stars was due to the packaging, which as many have noted seems somewhat cheap and easily damaged. I would concur the retail price is out of line, but I purchased mine used. Other than that, Paramount keep up the good work! Maybe I'll even give DS9 a try.

"Voyager" was a great show in that fans got to go "trekking" back into space after having been stationed on "Deep Space 9" for a while and saying goodbye to the"The Next Generation." These new "Star Trek" adventures would take place in a whole new quadrant of the universe - the delta quadrant - and would lead to a fresh new set of stories that didn't have to necessarily rely on what had gone before. A lone Federation ship and her crew having to deal with a whole new way of life, and many years before it could get home definitely appealed to me. Also the fact that a female captain was finally cast in a leading role was certainly an excellent move.

My rating is for 4 out of 5 stars because I find the packaging annoying. I don't like this split, clear slip-case, or whatever you want to call it, deal. As these DVD's are $100 or more, better care should be taken in the way the package functions and in its appearance. The DVD's are just plain old silver with no fancy pictures on them, which is weird because DS9 had illustrated discs. I guess I just expect a little bit more when it comes to packaging and the fact that this set only has 5 discs (only 15 episodes) I feel a little bit skunked, considering the price. Alas, the collector in me will eventually fork over money I don't have because I am an inveterate nerd.

Overall I enjoyed the first season of "Voyager." The extras were great and I finally got to see who was originally cast for the role of Captain Janeway and why she was wrong for the role.