If you're open to slightly less canon sources, there was a Voyager novel "Homecoming", which pretty much covers this scenario. It's generally positively received. Might help "scratch that itch" a bit?
this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2024
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I just finished my rewatch of Voyager and re-read both Homecoming and The Farther Shore, so I can weigh in here.
Respectfully, both books were traaaash. The author, Christie Golden, got almost all of the characterizations wrong - none of the characters sounded or behaved like the people I'd spent 7 seasons watching. The plot is beyond stupid, the main villain is laughably one-dimensional, her motivation was super thin and the motivations of her cronies were totally absent, our heroes are pretty dumb (like, really dumb), B'Elanna is off on some totally unrelated (and pretty pointless) quest, and the novels were full of typos, inconsistencies, and just generally careless writing. It very much read like a teenager's underdeveloped fanfic. And it's one story told over two books - the first ends in a pretty predictable cliffhanger, meaning that you have to buy both books if you actually want to read a complete story.
Seriously, if you want a laugh, go check out the one-star reviews on Amazon or GoodReads.
I don't remember it being that bad... but on the other hand, everything you've written above sounds familiar, and probably true.
I definitely remember being annoyed about a few things, but overall still had a "actually, I'm glad I read that" by the end.
It probably helped that there was at least 10-15 years between when I last saw Voyager, and when I picked up a cheap copy of the book.
Not positively received. Actually quite the opposite.
I bought it in hardcover, then bailed on the entire Christie Golden Voyager series on the sequel.
A horrible return with heartbreaking situations for just about every beloved character.
I don’t truly blame tie-in writer Golden, or even Peter David who got tagged with responsibility for the most egregious plot and character point in the Relaunch universe version of the Voyager follow-up.
Paramount itself clearly had but dire restrictions on positives for the returning crew that only came off when Kirsten Beyer was allowed to undo the damage in her Voyager Full Circle series when she took the helm from Golden.
It was most definitely rushed. They should have started the finale in the episode where we say goodbye to Neelix--it would have given them more time to do it justice.
I agree--we'd like to see Janeway giving a report to a board of Admirals. We'd like to see Harry Kim give his mother a hug and she notices that he's changed. etc.
I wanna see Harry kims mom disappointed that he hadn't been promoted yet
I love that take.
my gut reaction was: absolutely not, the show was about the journey, not some schlocky wrap-up where everyone hugs their family and dogs and whatnot.
edited to add: the part i liked was that they were their family - and my gut says that it would cheapen the ship relationships by bringing everyone right back to where they were 5 years ago. end edit
but you’re right, i think, that the ending really was kinda abrupt - “so nice to see everyone,” borg go boom, end of 7 seasons.
in retrospect, i’ve seen trek do some good homecoming episodes, so maybe a final close out ala picard’s season finale wouldn’t have been so bad - a nice group goodbye after 150+ episodes.
Honestly, it'd be kind of awesome if there were a few episodes where the crew struggled to re-acclimate. Something as simple as hating the replicated food, to "We'll take your service aboard Voyager off your decades long prison sentences, Maquis terrorists."
Even if they didn't add more episodes, I will complain that it was an incredible waste of time that Endgame spent so much focus on Future Janeway's shenanigans. They could've done a cold open establishing her motivations and then taken the time used by the future scenes to unpack the weight of the crew we actually care about getting home.
Yes, would have loved that. I imagine after all those years everyone was probably ready to be done with the show though.
I imagine it being like the awkward last 10 minutes of the last Harry Potter movie.
Hey! Spoilers! I'm only half way through the first season of Voyager right now.
Sorry but you can't claim "spoilers" about a program that went off the air literally 23 years ago.
I've been busy! Okay?
lol fair enough
What were we talking about? Who are you, making that suit look so good?
Did you just flashy thing me?
What the Voyager finale needed was an epilogue - a short bookend scene after the plot has been resolved so the audience can feel closure. TNG handled this wonderfully with the card game in Riker's quarters in its series finale, which is a satisfying, memorable bookend to a long-running show. Voyager didn't get that epilogue treatment, which boggles the mind because it's a basic story mechanism and only needed a minute of screen time. That show deserved better.