Star Trek Needs To Give Voyager A Comeback Like Picard Did For The Next Generation

It is Star Trek: Voyager's turn for a glorious comeback after The Next Generation's cast and the Enterprise-D had their big nostalgic moment in 2023. Star Trek: Picard didn't start as a feelgood tribute to Jean-Luc Picard's heyday, but the spinoff certainly reached that point in season 3. After finally reassembling the main cast of The Next Generation, the crew went into battle, slightly wearier than before, on a secretly restored Enterprise-D. It was an unapologetic throwback designed to rekindle memories of a bygone era. By any measure, that goal was achieved.

Star Trek: Voyager celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025, and despite never hitting the same mainstream heights as The Next Generation, Voyager and its crew reserve a special place in fans' hearts. Modern Star Trek rarely turns down an opportunity to reference - or, indeed, repeat - the past, but such tributes have largely been restricted to The Original Series and The Next Generation thus far. While not immediately clear how or when it could happen, Star Trek: Voyager's cast needs its own "The Last Generation" moment sooner or later.

30 Years Later, Star Trek: Voyager's Legacy Is More Impressive Than Ever

The Love For Star Trek: Voyager Runs Deep

During its era, Star Trek: Voyager never quite lived up to its predecessors. Deep Space Nine had been deliberately engineered as an alternative Star Trek show, but Voyager was the linear successor to The Original Series and The Next Generation. After a bumpy couple of seasons, The Next Generation established itself as arguably the franchise's crowning achievement, but Voyager had no such luck, landing somewhere in the middle of most lists ranking Star Trek's best shows.

Having said that, Star Trek: Voyager is still being discussed and embraced 30 years down the line from its premiere, and not many TV shows can put that on their résumé. Voyager's strengths may have been somewhat overshadowed by the pressure of living up to The Next Generation at the time, but hindsight allows Captain Janeway and her crew to be assessed on their own merits, of which there are many. Janeway herself stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Kirk and Picard, the Delta Quadrant concept still feels bravely ambitious three decades later, and rewatching Voyager's seven seasons provides a consistently enjoyable experience.
Voyager's positive legacy is visible in how much joy more recent character returns have brought. Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran's roles were a big reason behind the popularity of Star Trek: Prodigy, Seven of Nine's central role in Star Trek: Picard led to calls for her own spinoff as captain of the Enterprise-G, and Robert Picardo's return is one of the most exciting things about Star Trek's upcoming Starfleet Academy series.

Voyager & Its Crew Need A Star Trek Comeback Like Picard Season 3's USS Enterprise-D

"The Last Voyage-r"

The best way to honor Star Trek: Voyager's crucial place in franchise history would be with a scene similar to what the Enterprise-D's crew received in Star Trek: Picard's series finale, "The Last Generation," where Voyager's cast reunited alongside their ship for one last hurrah. Granted, the concept isn't particularly original at this point, with both Kirk and Picard leading their crews on similar jaunts previously, but Voyager might be the last Star Trek series actually able to pull off such an epic explosion of nostalgia.

Being set on a space station makes Deep Space Nine immediately unsuited for a scene in the vein of the Enterprise-D's swansong. The overall darker tone of Sisko's show also feels out of sync with a feelgood "getting the band back together" celebration, and Sisko actor Avery Brooks continues to show no interest in returning to Star Trek. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Enterprise lacks the status and reputation to warrant a high-profile reunion, although that may change after a couple more decades fly by.

As such, Star Trek: Voyager represents the last time the franchise can realistically bring together a classic crew for one last fan-pleasing mission. After the original Enterprise crew getting back together on the big screen and Star Trek: Picard's "The Last Generation," the USS Voyager getting its figurative flowers would complete the set.

How Could Star Trek: Voyager's Big Moment Actually Happen?

Star Trek's Calendar Isn't Very Accommodating

At a glance, Star Trek: Voyager's reunion is broadly plausible. Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Robert Picardo, and Jeri Ryan have all made modern appearances already or will do so imminently. Tim Russ sneaked into Star Trek: Picard, while Star Trek: Lower Decks gave cameos to Garrett Wang and Robert Duncan McNeill. Ethan Phillips voiced Neelix in Star Trek: Very Short Treks as recently as 2023, and while Roxann Dawson is better known for her directorial exploits nowadays, she remains involved in both the industry and the wider Star Trek franchise.

Even better, the USS Voyager itself would be easier to bring back than the Enterprise-D. As revealed in Star Trek: Lower Decks, Janeway's old ship becomes a museum piece, but remains mostly functional. Certainly more functional than the Enterprise-D, which was blown up and beaten beyond repair. Harry Kim won't need to spend 20 years quietly recreating the USS Voyager.

The real stumbling block is where a Star Trek: Voyager comeback could actually happen when looking at the franchise's various upcoming projects. Star Trek: Prodigy season 3 appears to have stalled, the Starfleet Academy series with Robert Picardo isn't Voyager-centric enough, and other planned releases have nothing to do with Janeway's crew whatsoever.

The most likely option, albeit still an outside one, would be for the proposed-but-unconfirmed Star Trek: Legacy starring Seven of Nine's Enterprise crew to serve up a Voyager reunion. The connection to Seven provides a strong enough natural link to Star Trek: Voyager, and to see Seven's Enterprise teaming up with Janeway commanding the Voyager would be a delightful sight to behold.