Amazon.com Star Trek: Voyager began life in 1995 with some truly fascinating prospects in its two-hour pilot episode. Opening in the 24th century, a setting contemporary with that of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and carrying over story elements from each of those series, "Caretaker" finds Starfleet Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) stepping into the middle of Federation troubles with the Maquis, an army of rebels violently resisting the interplanetary organization's treaty with the brutal Cardassians. In the process, both Voyager and the Maquis ship under surveillance are accidentally catapulted out of the galaxy's Alpha Quadrant (the familiar stomping grounds of Starfleet personnel) by a benign but dying being called the Caretaker. Voyager ends up in the unexplored Delta Quadrant, some 70,000 light years away.
So much seemed dramatically promising in this debut, especially the unwieldy alliance of Starfleet regulars and hostile Maquis, and the likelihood that a lifetime spent in isolation, trying to get home, would lead to the development of a self-contained society on the ship, yet Voyager never entirely made up its mind what it was supposed to be about. The curiously cheesy sets and fascinating, progressive management style of Janeway (half mommy, half taskmaster) were also new developments in Star Trek culture. As the 16-episode season continued, character backstories were developed in such episodes as "The Cloud" (arguably the best episode of the season), "Eye of the Needle" (underscoring Janeway and the crew's sadness), "State of Flux" (in which a search for a traitor reveals a past romance between Commander Chakotay, played by Robert Beltran, and sexy Bajoran engineer Seska, played by Martha Hackett), and "Jetrel" (which explores the character of Neelix, the Talaxian played by Ethan Phillips, during a parable about scientific ethics and moral responsibility).
Among other notable episodes, "Phage" strikes a nice balance among character development, story hook, and moral and emotional conflict when Neelix is literally robbed of his lungs by the Vidiians, a once-civilized people who are combating a deadly disease called the Phage by stealing organs. (The disease would return in "Faces," a fine showcase for Roxann Biggs-Dawson as Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres.) "Emanations" stirred controversy among the series' producers and some fans for its philosophical look at death, and "Time and Again" is a unique time-travel story in which Janeway and Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) get caught in a subspace fracture that places them just hours before they know a planet is going to be destroyed. In "Prime Factors," latent tensions among Voyager personnel erupts into serious conflict, an issue revisited in the season finale, "Learning Curve." Despite a pat ending that resolves the Maquis conflict much too easily, the episode drives home the fact that Voyager and its crew are all alone, making the most of a difficult predicament. --Tom Keogh and Jeff Shannon
Excellent serviceJuly 24, 2010 RG 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I received excellent response to my order. The product Star Trek Voyager - The Compoete First Season arrived in perfect condition and the DVDs were perfectly recorded. I will definitely order more but only through Amazon directly and not through outside vendors as I have not had good luck with them.
Love all Star TrekJuly 23, 2010 Christine K. Roberts(Ogden, UT United States) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love all things Star Trek. I just wish the first season had more episodes. A little pricey for only 16 episodes. Still happy with purchase.
It is GreatMay 26, 2010 Dawson C. Wood(Woodstock ,GA.) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
It is a real good take on Star Trek! I am really liking it! Dawson
Good Show and Season, but not for the priceMay 19, 2010 Lauren Sheldon(Chicago, IL) I'll admit that I'm not a big Star Trek fan, but there's something about the mix of characters and the premise of trying to get home that draws me to Voyager. Yes, it's a bit campy and predictable at times, with a moral compass that's just a bit too straight--with way too much exposition, which has become a trait of the Star Trek franchise--but that's what makes for good escapist television. And Season One delivers on that promise of good television, with some interesting extras on the DVD set. Unfortunately, the season isn't long enough to justify such an expensive price; the 5 extras also do not make up for a lack of shows in the shortened first season. (The price for all the Star Trek shows, as well as X-Files, makes me wonder if there's some sort of attack on sci-fi fans, whom studio executives think will pay through the nose to get the DVDs.) That's why I held back a star. If you can get the DVD for about $19.95, then it's worth it--but closer to $50? The Phage has eaten away your brain.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this one Star Trek Rules!!May 7, 2010 Rodolfo Samayoa(Guatemala) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Great video and audio quality, great stories, awesome characters, and in Amazon's side, a deliver service so fast that i almost could not believe it. Star Trek is definitely the best franchise ever in the science fiction bussiness. 5 stars, if you don't have it, you are the one who is missing it!
