Jennifer Lien left Star Trek: Voyager in season 4, and fellow cast member Roxann Dawson reflects on the impact Lien’s character, Kes, made on the show. Voyager followed Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) as she led the USS Voyager through the unexplored Delta Quadrant on the long journey back to Earth. A member of the Ocampa species, Kes joined Voyager’s crew soon after the ship arrived in the Delta Quadrant, along with her boyfriend at the time, Neelix (Ethan Phillips). With her telepathic abilities and caring nature, Kes quickly became a valued member of Voyager’s crew.
Although Kes’s relationship with Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager never quite worked, Kes herself was an interesting character with a lot of potential. Unfortunately, Jennifer Lien had some personal struggles that led to her departing the series, but her fellow Star Trek: Voyager cast members have praised her acting talent. In The Center Seat – 55 Years of Trek by Peter Holmstrom, the companion book to the documentary series of the same name, Roxann Dawson spoke highly of Jennifer Lien. Read her quote below:
Jennifer Lien was extremely talented, and I thought an excellent choice for that role. I think that when she left the cast, I actually missed the role of Kes. She was a part of the cast that we never got back, you know? A facet of the diamond was missing there. I thought she was fantastic. She definitely was going through some personal things, and at a certain point, I guess it was decided that she wouldn’t continue on with the show, but not at all because she wasn’t excellent. It really had nothing to do with her performance. She was a pro, she always knew her stuff when she was on set. She was great.
Jennifer Lien’s 6 Best Star Trek: Voyager Episodes As Kes
The best of Jennifer Lien’s Star Trek: Voyager episodes as Kes center on her empathy, compassion, and growing telepathic powers.
Star Trek: Voyager Replaced Kes With Jeri Ryan’s Seven Of Nine
Seven of Nine became a breakout fan favorite and the character returned in Star Trek: Picard.
Former Borg drone Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) joined the cast of Star Trek: Voyager just before the show’s fourth season. Seven had been assimilated by the Borg as a young child, making her reentry into life as an individual difficult. Throughout the second half of Voyager, Seven’s journey back to humanity became one of the show’s main storylines. Captain Janeway became a mentor to Seven, and Seven’s knowledge of Borg technology helped Voyager shave years off of its journey home. Although Captain Janeway considered Seven to be part of Voyager’s crew, Starfleet refused to let a former Borg drone join their organization.
After being rejected from Starfleet, Seven joined the Fenris Rangers, which eventually led her to Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Seven joined Picard for his adventures in Star Trek: Picard seasons 1 and 2, eventually finding her way to Starfleet. By Picard season 3, Seven was serving as First Officer on the USS Titan-A under the command of Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick). After Shaw’s tragic death at the hands of recently assimilated Borg drones, Seven took over command of the newly rechristened USS Enterprise-G. Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine has come a long way since her introduction on Star Trek: Voyager, and it’s unfortunate that Jennifer Lien’s Kes didn’t stick around longer, too.
- Cast
- Kate Mulgrew , Robert Beltran , Roxann Dawson , Jennifer Lien , Robert Duncan McNeill , Ethan Phillips , Robert Picardo , Tim Russ , Garrett Wang , Jeri Ryan
- Seasons
- 7
- Writers
- Rick Berman , Michael Piller , Jeri Taylor
- Network
- UPN
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount+
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
