This 1990s Sci-Fi Show Was Undervalued When It Aired, But Now It's A Genre Staple

Some of today's most popular sci-fi shows weren't fully appreciated when they first aired, but have since become very important to the genre, and that's certainly the case for one project in particular. Although the saga in question isn't one of the canceled sci-fi shows that were surprisingly pulled from production, that doesn't mean it received the praise it should have received.

All seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager aired between 1995 and 2001. As the fourth live-action show in the franchise, it played a major role in fleshing out the Star Trek timeline. When held up against some of its contemporaries, Voyager's initial performance and reception pale by comparison, but time has been incredibly kind to Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew.

Star Trek: Voyager Fell Short Of The Acclaim Received By Its Predecessors

Captain Janeway & Company Weren't Welcomed Into The Star Trek Fold Quite So Warmly

Before Star Trek: Voyager, the legendary sci-fi franchise had already produced a string of hit shows. Starting with The Original Series in 1966, the saga moved on to The Animated Series, The Next Generation, and Deep Space Nine. There was even some crossover with the latter, as both shows shared the airwaves for several years.

Until Voyager, every Star Trek show had been a hit and progressed with storylines that both critics and fans found inventive and rewarding. Sadly, the Star Trek: Voyager cast weren't accepted quite so readily into the hearts of 1990s Trekkies. While the show had a devoted following, it fell somewhere near cult status compared to broader hits like TNG.

Even today, Star Trek: Voyager has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of just 76%. While this isn't a terrible score, it's the lowest of all the Star Trek shows released to that point. Voyager did have episodes, and even entire seasons, that were acknowledged as being brilliant, but this level of quality was deemed consistent.

Why Star Trek: Voyager Should Have Been A Bigger Hit Upon Release

Voyager Discovered More Of The Star Trek Universe Than Any Of Its Predecessors

While it had Star Trek's signature aesthetic, Voyager wasn't that much like its predecessors. The previous shows had been fleshing out the world set in motion by Gene Roddenberry for decades by the time Voyager's pilot aired in 1995, and the show's Alpha Quadrant in particular was a well-mapped portion of the sci-fi saga's sprawling universe.

Then, Star Trek: Voyager came along and left pretty much all of that worldbuilding behind as the show's titular vessel was pulled against its will into an uncharted area of space - the Delta Quadrant. The writers were essentially starting from scratch as Janeway and her crew fought to uphold Starfleet principles during their lengthy trip home, surrounded by threats on all sides.

Although Voyager did occasionally find opportunities to revisit pre-established Star Trek characters and storylines, such moments often required some very creative writing. While I liked those episodes, most of my favorite Voyager stories stemmed from the ship coming across brand-new threats and challenges.

Star Trek: Voyager was still bound to the same rules as its predecessors, but most of those laws were rooted in a setting so far from Janeway and her crew that the show bordered on being a fresh property that could do many things shows like The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine could not.

This creative freedom often led to criticism rather than plaudits. While this is a shame, it's also kind of understandable. The Star Trek franchise had become its own beast by 1995 and softly promised certain things from each of its projects. In many ways, Voyager subverted those expectations, which ruffled the feathers of many Trekkies.

Voyager Is The Most Heavily Referenced Classic Star Trek Show In The Franchise's Modern Age

Janeway's Crew Are Still Getting Love 24 Years After The Voyager Finale

Time has been very kind to Star Trek: Voyager. While there hasn't been a new episode of the show in almost a quarter of a century, the renaissance enjoyed by the franchise to which it belongs has given Voyager new life. Ever since Star Trek: Discovery debuted in 2017, the iconic saga has been able to fold in countless elements from across the in-universe timeline.

Voyager isn't the only Star Trek show to be referenced since the TV franchise's 2017 revival, but it has received far more attention than its contemporaries. The love for the show that was perhaps restrained in the 1990s has grown since to make it far more than just a cult classic.

Star Trek: Prodigy is essentially an animated legacy sequel to Voyager, recalling Mulgrew and other former stars to the cast to voice their original characters in the animated project. Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine's presence among the Star Trek: Picard cast is also a massive nod to the show in which she originally appeared, despite Picard technically being a TNG follow-up.

Various Voyager characters, like Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) and Harry Kim (Garrett Wang), also appeared in Star Trek: Lower Decks before the animated comedy ended in 2024. While the future of Prodigy looks unclear at the moment, Robert Picardo's Doctor will be back regardless when Star Trek: Starfleet Academy debuts in early 2026. So, the franchise still isn't done with Star Trek: Voyager.