“I’m not sure I can ‘define parameters’. But I can tell you a story,
an ancient legend among my people. It’s about an angry warrior who lived
his life in conflict with the rest of his tribe. A man who couldn’t
find peace, even with the help of his spirit guide. For years he
struggled with his discontent. The only satisfaction he ever got came
when he was in battle. This made him a hero among his tribe, but the
warrior still longed for peace within himself. One day, he and his war
party were captured by a neighboring tribe led by a woman warrior. She
called on him to join her because her tribe was too small and weak to
defend itself from all its enemies. The woman warrior was brave, and
beautiful. And very wise. The angry warrior swore to himself that he
would stay by her side, doing whatever he could to make her burden
lighter. From that point on, her needs would come first. And in that
way, the warrior began to know the true meaning of peace. ”
“Is that really an ancient legend?”
“No… but that made it easier to say.”
HOT DAMN. It’s Resolutions-Day.
That episodes still kills me. Every single time I watch it. And God knows I watch it often enough. How can two people so perfect for each other be tortured like this? That last shot on the bridge tears my heart out.
The only reason I can handle it is because I accept the books as 100% canon and refuse any other opinion on the matter.
I didn’t realize today is Resolutions Day! Wow. My favorite ship and the ship that introduced me to so many online friends around the world. Happy Resolutions Day J/Cers!
This is a promo pic of the first season cast that was printed in TV Guide. Janeway, Tuvok, and Chakotay are front and center; they were supposed to be the Kirk, Spock, and McCoy of Voyager.
One thing that strikes me about this photo: no cheesecake. Maybe because a woman (Jeri Taylor) was one of the creators of the show? (They certainly stocked the cast with ample male pulchritude.)
TOS had Rand, Uhura, and Chapel in miniskirts and go-go boots. TNG had “Counselor Cleavage” in her catsuit. DS9 had Jadzia and Kira, both “aliens” in a way that did not obscure their human sex appeal. (And Kira, at least, often wore clothing that was more form-fitting than the men’s.)
But Voyager originally had no cheesecake. Captain Janeway, played by 40-year-old Kate Mulgrew, was older than your standard space babe (and 52-year-old Genevieve Bujold was the one originally cast). B’Elanna was played by a 36-year-old actress with a lobster on her forehead. (Roxann Dawson says originally the Klingon makeup was much less attractive; she asked them to change it so she looked prettier.) And then there’s Kes. Jennifer Lien was just 19 when she was cast, and conventionally pretty; she seemed obvious cheesecake material.
But they (mostly) didn’t use her that way. Her clothing was not revealing; no cleavage, and it was often pretty loose-fitting as well. I read an early interview with Jennifer, where she talked about how blessed she felt, getting to play a character like Kes. Most young women end up being cast as eye candy; she felt Kes was not, and she realized how lucky she was.
Unfortunately, TPTB decided the lack of cheesecake was a mistake, and Jennifer was fired and replaced by Jeri Ryan. I remember Braga promoting Enterprise by saying T’Pol’s costume would make Seven’s catsuit look like a muumuu. (It didn’t save Enterprise from cancellation, just as Voyager’s ratings continued to fall, even after they swapped out Kes for Seven.)
Still…looking back, I’m surprised Voyager even launched without cheesecake. Almost half the cast people of color, too. Pretty daring for the time. They eventually fell back into a more conventional pattern, adding Jeri Ryan, and writing far more for the white characters than the others. But they deserve props for casting the show the way they did.
bekjaneway 