Each Star Trek series brings forth multitudes of characters, both human and alien. Some roles are main ones, appearing in each episode or at least most of them, while other roles are recurring, often participating in a story arc or in episodes that have similar storylines. And of course, there are those who become the central focus of a single episode. Star Trek: Voyager’s main storyline involved traversing the Delta Quadrant to get back home to Earth. That quadrant was largely unexplored in the Star Trek universe, so that gave the creators and writers opportunities and free rein to conceive new alien species.
This was a blessing and a curse at the same time. A blessing because the chance to really be creative could provide fans and viewers with some of the best content. And why was it a curse? Because there was also the likelihood that whatever character was presented, it would make people cower, and ultimately, it would be better to simply forget them. Most of the characters on this list are recurring or guest roles. A few of the characters that found themselves on this list played larger parts on Voyager, with vital inclusion in that episode or story arc’s plotline. But, no matter how entangled a character was in that plot or episode, their addition didn’t necessarily mean that they were well-liked by critics or the Star Trek community. Whether the characters boosted the lore of Star Trek is subjective, but those roles included here had a consensus that they should be forgotten. With that being said, here are 20 Characters Voyager Wants Us To Forget.
Neelix
One challenge Voyager faced when flung into the Delta Quadrant was energy consumption. They couldn’t continue the same usage, since supplies constantly ran low. When they brought Neelix on board, the food replicator issue was fixed... somewhat. Neelix happened to be an accomplished cook, able to use just about any ingredient to make anything he felt like making. And therein lies the most annoying thing about Neelix: he was so consumed with making food and figuring out the crew’s next meal.
No matter what transpired on the ship, Neelix’s main concern was food. The way he obsessed over Kes, whined to Captain Janeway about the smallest details, and found a myriad of ways to vex the other crew members made Neelix the kind of character you either liked or disliked. But overall, the show would have been fine without him.
Hogan (Ex-Maquis)
The first ex-Maquis on the list is Hogan. When he transitioned to a Voyager crew member, he became an engineer, since that was his specialty under the command of Chakotay on the Val Jean. Most of the Maquis members remained good friends, especially Hogan to Michael Jonas, who wasn’t an upstanding crew member himself. However, Hogan tried to talk others into double-crossing Janeway and the Voyager. He wanted to give technology to the Kazon for safe passage and wanted Torres to contact Seska (who was also part of the Maquis prior).
When Jonas double-crossed the ship, and Hogan was assigned to comb through the logs (episode “Investigations”), Hogan’s behavior nearly implicated him. Not all Maquis members under Chakotay needed a role on the Voyager, and it would have been better for many members to be mentioned in passing.
Culluh
It didn’t help Culluh that his alien species wasn’t popular with Star Trek fans. The Kazon race were commonly compared to Klingons, with Kazons being warlike and ready to fight at any time. Many Kazon members were scavengers, marauders seeking out deserted ships, or finding ways to empty them.
Culluh was a Kazon leader of the Nistrim Sect whose main goal when meeting the Voyager was to get its tech. Possibly due to his Sect’s fall from power, Culluh tried too hard to do what was necessary to obtain technology from the ship. Also, there was no depth to Culluh; he was a mean leader who wanted something he didn't have. He was jealous of Starfleet’s ship and it wasn't clear if he wanted it for his people or just for himself. While Star Trek writers were good at developing short-lived characters, they didn't do a great job with Culluh.
Q Junior
Q is a fan-favorite character that has caused turmoil to many of Star Trek’s TV screen captains. John de Lancie played Q with charismatic indifference, which is the opposite of how his son, Keegan de Lancie, played Q Junior in Voyager.
With a slight obsession with Janeway when they first met, Q grew to respect the Captain, even hoping she’d be a good mentor to his son when he started to get out of control. Except Q Junior is basically an annoying, entitled character. It’s as if the writers felt like they wanted more Q roles and didn’t know how to bring about a new story. So, they created a cliched, angst-filled son, whom Q didn’t know how to handle.
Kes
Kes (Jennifer Lien) was an Ocampan female that came on board at the same time Neelix did. Her people only live about nine to ten years and she took to the Voyager life quickly, with her pride being the airponics lab.
The character didn’t have outstanding storylines, with her main one being the object of Neelix’s lurking tendencies. The couple didn’t have the strongest chemistry, and honestly, she could have done better. Kes is keen on discovering and developing her psionic powers, which she believes her ancestors had and used with expertness. So, why should you forget Kes? Because her great potential as a character was weakened with trite plots. Later, when Jennifer Lien was written out of the show and replaced with Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, even Kes’ departure episodes, “The Gift” and “Fury,” felt weird.
Chell
Also an ex-Maquis who served under Chakotay on the Val Jean, Chell was a Bolian who had an attitude problem towards the Voyager the first year he was on the ship. He was considered a recurring character, and his defining episode was “Learning Curve,” where he and two other ex-Maquis fighters with discipline issues were being trained by Tuvok. All three were mean to Tuvok, but they eventually came around, and in later episodes, did some good.
Chell was an interesting character that didn’t get the screen time he deserved. With a little more backstory, the writers could have made Chell much more interesting than the typical Maquis crew member with a bad attitude towards his new authority. Even though Chell had an opportunity to be more memorable, it wasn't taken.
Seska (Ex-Maquis)
As a Cardassian, Seska probably felt more at home with the Kazon after she was thrown to the Delta Quadrant with the rest of her Maquis brethren. Her previous romantic relationship with Chakotay proved invaluable when she helped the Kazon capture the Voyager. Invaluable, but also convenient.
Like many of the minor or recurring characters in Star Trek: Voyager, Seska needed more time to develop. The character was useful for a couple of short story arcs, but after the last one, she was tossed away. However, her memory lived on in later episodes when a holodeck program she changed was programed to eliminate Tuvok. It’s not odd to think that Seska was used as a character of convenience, rather than someone who had the depth that fans could grow to love.
Braxton
Captain Braxton, played by Allan G. Royal, and later Bruce McGill, was a Starfleet officer hailing from the 29th Century. He came back in time to eliminate the Voyager because it, along with its crew, were responsible for the complete collapse of the Sol system during his time in the future.
As with many time-travel stories (movies or TV), and Star Trek time-travel plots, the person who comes from the future has a vendetta, and most characters are portrayed with calm demeanors, which makes them even more dangerous. Braxton was beyond listening to reason or other solutions. He remained focused on his mission and he would do anything to accomplish that goal. Because of that, Braxton created a whole mess of other problems, even for a generic time-travel bad guy.
Axum
Any episode where Seven of Nine could explore the humanity she once had was a good idea, as it was a common theme in Star Trek. Designated Five of Twelve, Axum was part of a group of Borg Drones that managed to infiltrate Unimatrix Zero. They entered a dream-state while regenerating and could actually be individualistic. However, the only thing that made Axum interesting was his romantic relationship with Annika Hansen (Seven of Nine) in the Unimatrix.
Diving into the Lore of the Borg, like more than a couple of series and movies have done, is probably something most fans and viewers wanted; not an episode with one boring man/drone trying to rekindle his love for Annika.
Pendari Male
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson got one of his first on-screen roles (besides wrestling) on Star Trek: Voyager. He played a Pendari male who excelled at a gladiator-type combat game called Tsunkatse. If you didn’t know The Rock was in Voyager, do you see where the role is going?
The draw, of course, was bringing in some WWE fanfare (since Voyager and WWE were on UPN at the same time). The Rock was quickly gaining popularity, so why not throw him into an episode? However, the episode “Tsunkatse” was a weak one, with characters easily forgettable. Yes, that includes The Rock’s Pendari fighter character. And if you wondered if The Rock was going to do his signature eyebrow-raising move, he did... The casting department of Star Trek would probably like a redo.
Michael Jonas (Ex-Maquis)
Ex-Maquis members have made this list more than once because many of the characters seemed like fill-ins, something to move plots along. Since Maquis were important to the first episode and were the main reason everyone was tossed to the Delta Quadrant, they should have had more development.
Michael Jonas was rebellious at every opportunity against Janeway’s rules. He wanted no part of Starfleet and he would have been content with staying a Maquis member on the Voyager. Jonas double-crossed the Voyager, giving the ship’s plans and other information to the Kazon. No fan wants to see their beloved Captain swindled or taken advantage of, and that’s exactly what Jonas did. His deception put the crew in grave danger.
Henry Starling
Henry Starling, in the Star Trek universe, helped foster in the computer age in the last part of the 20th century. Except, he didn’t have a complete understanding of technology; instead, he developed computer technology from the future ship, Aeon, and he founded the corporation Chronowerx Industries.
Maybe it was Ed Begley Jr.’s campy acting as Starling. Or maybe, it was the boring addition of another alternate timeline. Whatever the reason, Henry Starling had a part in Star Trek that didn’t advance any storylines. Starling was an odd combination of Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates. The character was supposed to be worrisome, but wasn’t. He was probably one of the few villains in Star Trek that couldn’t be taken seriously.
Noss
The blame for why Noss is a character Voyager wants you to forget is mostly on the actress who played her, Lori Petty. Petty is naturally a decent actress, but for the role of Noss, she played the character haphazardly, with hardly any emotion outside of her interactions with Tuvok.
For the writers, it seemed easy to have Noss fall in love with Tuvok since they were spending close time together, but that storyline was too obvious and forced. And when Noss got upset with Tuvok for not reciprocating those feelings, Noss became indifferent, not even understanding that Tuvok was a Vulcan. Yes, the writers had a hand in making Noss one to forget, but Lori Petty helped.
Kurros
Jason Alexander is best known for his role as George Costanza on Seinfeld. Although he had always wanted to play a role on Star Trek, he would only be offered human roles. So, when he got the chance to play Kurros, it was his dream.
Even though Alexander was excited to take the role of Kurros in “Think Tank,” the character didn’t have the same charisma as other aliens in Star Trek. It could have been that Alexander had few filming days for the character, as he filmed for five total days with make-up that initially took 150 minutes. Kurros’ colleagues on his ship were more enigmatic, so either one could have been the main character of that episode instead of one being played by a well-known comedian.
Lon Suder (Ex-Maquis)
A character like Lon Suder is either perfect for Star Trek or not. If he had been on Deep Space Nine, or even the later episodes of The Next Generation, Suder would have fit. But on Voyager, where most of the crew were Starfleet, Lon doesn’t belong. And it’s not all his fault. He didn’t ask to be stuck in the Delta Quadrant and be forced to transition to a position on the Voyager’s crew.
It is Suder’s behavior, though, for why the show wants us to forget him. The Maquis weren't really explored in Star Trek, but we know they did some violent things. Suder himself was a violent man just for the sake of being violent. And although he was a constant threat to the Voyager crew, maybe he should have been a character that was left out of the equation.
Azan, Rebi, & Mezoti
These three Borg drone children, Azan, Rebi, and Mezoti, count as one, since they came aboard the Voyager at the same time. Along with Icheb, the other three were assimilated as children, but for whatever reason, never matured into drones.
Their personalities were lacking. Of the four children, Icheb developed into a funny, intelligent, and compassionate character, but the other three sort of remained static. They complained often and were indifferent to anything related to the Voyager. Not even being under the tutelage of Seven of Nine could break them out of their shell. Granted, it took Seven of Nine years to become comfortable with her humanity again, but given the amount of time the writers gave Azan, Rebi, and Mezoti, they shouldn't have been on the show at all.
Reginald Barclay (Only In Voyager)
This entry only pertains to Reginald Barclay in Voyager. On The Next Generation, his social awkwardness was endearing and his genius-level problem-solving skills won the Enterprise crew over.
But on Voyager, something was missing. What Barclay had on TNG disappeared when he was brought on. He still had the intellect, but continued the odd social behavior that was out of place with his new position with Starfleet. His skills improved and grew, but Barclay’s emotional side didn’t. Voyager, as if getting the old gang back together, brought Deanna Troi on to counsel Barclay like they were on the Enterprise. Barclay’s storyline could have been played by just about any other character, not just someone from a previous Enterprise. A new character might have even been more interesting.
Vorik
Ah, Vulcans. The emotionless and logical beings that seem to all be the same. But, in any Star Trek series or movies, any Vulcans you meet are vastly different, each with their own characteristics that you can remember.
However, not Vorik from Voyager. This cookie-cutter character had nothing really going for him. Just like other Vulcans, he was smart, not prone to bursts of emotion, and very logical. Vorik worked for B’Elanna Torres in engineering and was dedicated to his job, if you can determine a Vulcan as dedicated. The writers attempted to introduce some tension by giving him a crush on B’Elanna, but other than that, he was no different from any other Vulcan, with no distinctive characteristics to make him memorable.
Ayala
Ayala was another Maquis character relegated to the background. One unique bit of information about this character was that he was almost in every episode in some capacity. Also, he is the only minor character to appear in the pilot and series finale episodes.
As part of the Voyager crew, Ayala becomes a security officer with a provisional rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. He’s had duties on the bridge, often replacing Harry Kim and Tuvok when they left their post. He had a few speaking parts, but was a minor focus in only a handful of episodes such as “Twisted,” “Shattered,” and “Repression.” At that point, despite being only visible in Voyager most of the time, Ayala might have played better as a major character.
Chakotay
Even though Chakotay was a main character, he is one that Voyager should want us to forget. The biggest reason is that he conformed to Janeway and the ship without any questions or issues almost immediately after arriving on board.
He had some interesting storylines, and it was fun to see him interact with the other crew members, especially Janeway. But as charismatic as he was, Chakotay’s past was thrown out the window… except for when it became convenient to have an episode that dealt with the Maquis background. In the first season, from Maquis to Starfleet, he changed extremely fast. And even though he had a Starfleet history before, there were better ways to handle this character overall.
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Which characters do you want to forget from Voyager? Let us know in the comments!