Kes (Jennifer Lien) may have been a great Big name Trek: Voyager persona if Jennifer Lien hadn’t left the display in season 4. True, Kes has a name as an underwhelming persona whose 9-year lifespan trapped Voyager writers in a story nook, however there are hints in Voyager‘s early seasons that there used to be extra to Kes than what we noticed. And what we noticed wasn’t all unhealthy, both: Kes used to be type, curious, and desperate to spend her quick lifestyles exploring the galaxy with the USS Voyager group. Maximum apparently, Kes’ burgeoning telepathic talent promised a darker aspect to the younger Ocampa.
Sadly, we by no means were given to peer any of Kes’ teased storylines play out, as a result of Jennifer Lien left the Big name Trek: Voyager solid only some years into the display’s run. On the time, Lien’s departure used to be framed as an issue with the nature no longer figuring out, and making room for Jeri Ryan’s Seven of 9 to spice up scores. Extra lately, Jennifer Lien’s struggles with psychological well being have come to gentle, making it transparent that Kes staying on Voyager used to be by no means truly an choice. That stated, some Big name Trek: Voyager episodes trace at Kes’ long run persona construction, had Lien been ready to stick.
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Big name Trek: Voyager Season 1, Episode 5 – “Phage”
Kes’ Baseline Optimism May just Have Been Challenged All over Big name Trek: Voyager
Big name Trek: Voyager season 1, episode 5, “Phage”, establishes indiscriminate kindness because the baseline for Kes’ persona. The friendship between Kes and the Physician (Robert Picardo) begins right here as a result of Kes is the one one aboard the USS Voyager—thus far—who treats the Physician like an individual, and believes that he is in a position to studying. Even if the Physician treats himself like he does not topic, Kes does not consider carefully about being type to him. Kes could also be desperate to surrender her personal lungs to Neelix (Ethan Phillips) after the Vidiians stole them.
Kes displays the adaptation between type and great in Voyager season 2, episode 9, “Tattoo”, when the Physician develops a case of holographic flu to higher empathize along with his sufferers, and Kes would possibly not inform the Physician when she’s programmed his sickness to finish.
“Phage” suggests Kes’ series-long problem could be whether or not she holds onto optimism, or turns into cynical after her outlook is exploited as naïveté. Big name Trek: Voyager does finally end up interrogating the worth of maintaining onto one’s beliefs in an inherently unkind atmosphere. As an alternative of that being simply Captain Janeway’s (Kate Mulgrew) tale, Voyager may have additionally explored that with Kes, as a non-Starfleet Big name Trek persona, navigating how the arena works—and Kes may have a special conclusion that’s not all sweetness and lightweight. Balancing kindness and toughness would’ve made Kes a more potent persona, particularly when her powers evolved.
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Big name Trek: Voyager Season 2, Episode 10 – “Chilly Fireplace ”
Kes Recognizes Her Capability For Evil
When the USS Voyager encounters an Ocampa colony, Kes befriends Tanis (Gary Graham), who has mastered Ocampa psychokinetic skills and encourages Kes to dig deeper into her personal possible. Kes if truth be told relishes the sensation of destroying lifestyles when she unthinkingly burns the hydroponics bay and by accident boils Lieutenant Tuvok’s (Tim Russ) blood throughout one in all their courses. Tanis utterly takes benefit of Kes and manipulates her; in spite of everything, Kes offers in to her darker impulses and psychokinetically harms Tanis. Arguably, Kes attacked Tanis in self-defense, however she additionally did not have to head that some distance.
Tanis is 14 years previous, and his father reached the age of 20, so if Kes—who used to be born in 2369—reached and even surpassed Tanis’ level of enlightenment, Kes may theoretically nonetheless be alive when Prodigy occurs within the mid-2380s.
“Chilly Fireplace” is the primary time that Big name Trek: Voyager truly recognizes Kes’ possible for darkness, which Kes desires not anything to do with by way of the tip of the episode. Tuvok issues out that everybody has the capability no longer simply to be harmful, but additionally to experience inflicting hurt. The essential factor is acknowledging the ones dispositions as a result of ignoring them will handiest cause them to more potent. This implies Kes may have a vintage Big name Trek ethical predicament about whether or not to make use of her energy to assist others, even supposing it way shedding herself within the procedure, however we by no means see that.
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Big name Trek: Voyager Season 3, Episode 18 – “Darkling”
Kes Represents Big name Trek’s Trust That Cooperation Will Triumph Over Evil
In “Darkling”, the Physician turns into his personal evil dual after experimenting with new personalities in his subroutines, and Kes considers leaving the USS Voyager together with her rebound, Zahir (David Lee Smith). Neelix famously stepped forward after breaking apart with Kes, and we get hints Kes would have got higher, too. Actually, Kes displays she may have been the USS Voyager’s much-needed counselor when the Evil Physician kidnaps Kes and rails about his proper to exist as a result of Evil has been suppressed for see you later. Regardless of being a part of Voyager‘s “Trilogy of Terror”, “Darkling” proves why Kes had to keep on Voyager.
Comparable
10 Techniques Jennifer Lien’s Kes Staying On Voyager Would’ve Modified Big name Trek
Jennifer Lien’s Kes staying on Voyager adjustments Big name Trek with Ocampa powers and battle with Seven of 9 resulting in Kes’ persona construction.
Kes embodies Big name Trek‘s imaginative and prescient by way of believing kindness and cooperation will at all times conquer evil. The Evil Physician has no qualms about being egocentric or harming other folks, metaphorically screaming he should persist in anyway essential. Kes tells the Physician that nature itself is inherently just right as a result of other people naturally live to tell the tale by way of development communities to uplift and beef up each and every different, just like the cells of the frame cooperating to stay an organism alive. Even understanding everybody has baser instincts, Kes demonstrates goodness thru small acts of kindness. This is the Kes we might’ve gotten if she’d stayed.
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Big name Trek: Voyager Season 3, Episode 21 – “Earlier than And After”
Big name Trek: Voyager Displays Us Kes’ Complete Lifespan In One Attainable Long run
Big name Trek: Voyager season 3, episode 21, “Earlier than and After”, cleverly begins on the finish of Kes’ lifestyles, and takes her backward thru time, as Kes works to resolve her thriller sickness. It is a distinctive premise that might handiest paintings with Kes, as a result of her quick lifespan and telepathic skills. All over the inexplicable backward time jumps, Kes is decided to determine what is taking place to her, whilst we get to peer Kes being married to Tom Paris and having a daughter, shedding buddies in Voyager’s “12 months of Hell“, turning into a grandmother, and attaining the tip of her lifestyles.
The USS Voyager would certainly move throughout the “12 months of Hell” in season 4’s 2-part episode of the similar title, however with some distance fewer casualties and a special result than in “Earlier than and After”.
With each and every leap backward, Kes ultimately offers up on making an attempt to give an explanation for the placement patiently, as a result of she’s operating out of time. I really like seeing Kes talking extra straightforwardly and performing on her convictions, versus the tender-hearted uncertainty that typically characterizes Kes. Whilst all of the episode does ultimately get erased as a result of its very nature, this tale displays us Kes’ possible long run, so “Earlier than and After” is a sexy just right indication of the way Kes’ lifestyles may have long past if Lien had stayed on Big name Trek: Voyager.
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Big name Trek: Voyager Season 4, Episode 2 – “The Present”
“The Present” Displays How Kes May just Have Grown A ways Extra Robust
Kes’ remaining steady Big name Trek: Voyager episode unearths essentially the most about how tough Kes may have grow to be. “The Present” hurries up Kes’ psychokinetic powers to the purpose the place she will be able to see past the submolecular, and manipulate topic, making Kes a possible risk to the structural integrity of the USS Voyager. It is a handy solution to write Kes off of Big name Trek: Voyager as a result of Jennifer Lien needed to depart, however I feel reckoning with the energy of Kes’ Ocampa powers may have been a robust arc if it had been drawn out over Voyager‘s season 4—and even all of the sequence.
The remaining Big name Trek: Voyager episode to characteristic Jennifer Lien as Kes comes later, with Voyager season 6, episode 23, “Fury”.
In a special sequence finale, Kes’ ultimate burst of psychokinetic power may push the USS Voyager all of the approach house. “The Present” turns out to leap to the tip of an extended persona arc, as a result of Kes is so confident whilst Janeway and Tuvok argue for her to stick. Consider a model of Kes who is lived together with her darkness and balanced it, rising as Voyager’s secret weapon with an inherent connection to the material of space-time. That is the Kes who would make without equal noble sacrifice on the finish of Big name Trek: Voyager, and I want we may have noticed her.
Big name Trek: Voyager
8/10
- Unlock Date
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January 16, 1995
- Community
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UPN
- Showrunner
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Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor, Brannon Braga, Kenneth Biller
- Administrators
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David Livingston, Winrich Kolbe, Allan Kroeker, Michael Vejar
- Writers
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Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor
