It was Star Trek: Voyager that lived up to the promise made by Q (John de Lancie) to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D, and not Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the TNG episode “Q Who”, which introduced the Borg Collective, Q challenged Picard’s small-minded view of the universe by catapulting the Enterprise into the unexplored Delta Quadrant. Q promised Picard that he was about to move into areas of the universe that contained incredible wonders, as well as “terrors to freeze your soul.” The second part of this prophecy certainly came true for Jean-Luc via his traumatic experiences with the Borg, which haunted him for decades.
Star Trek: Voyager was inspired by Q’s test of Picard and the crew of the Enterprise. Conceiving Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s second spinoff, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor, and Rick Berman began pondering what would happen had Q not returned the Enterprise to the Alpha Quadrant at the end of “Q Who”. In Voyager‘s pilot, the titular starship is catapulted 7,000 lightyears from home by the Caretaker, where it becomes stranded, embarking on a seven-year mission to return home. It was during this mission that Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the crew of the USS Voyager lived up to Q’s TNG promise.
Star Trek: Voyager Fulfilled Q’s TNG Promise, Not Picard’s Enterprise-D
Across seven seasons, Star Trek: Voyager experienced the incredible wonders and chilling terrors that Q had once promised to Jean-Luc Picard. While Jean-Luc made first contact with the biggest threat to the Federation in over a century, Janeway made first contact with all manner of friends and foes. All manner of weird things happened to Voyager as they encountered fluidic space, chaotic space, and a region of the Delta Quadrant that was entirely devoid of stars. They also encountered terrifying new species like the Vidiians and Species-8472. It’s therefore likely that the “you” that Q was referring to in his warning to Picard was Starfleet more generally.
The Q Continuum takes a much less linear view of time than mere mortals, and so Q could have simply been hinting of the adventures to come for Voyager. At one point Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) was apparently considered for command of the Voyager, so it would make sense for Q to hint at the unexplored reaches of the Delta Quadrant. Q took almost as much an interest in the USS Voyager and its progress as he did with the USS Enterprise-D, presumably due to their history-making journey through the Delta Quadrant.
Voyager’s 7-Year Mission Made Them Starfleet Legends Like TNG’s Crew
Janeway’s Voyager did what Picard’s Enterprise failed to do, by exploring the Delta Quadrant, granting the crew legendary status. Both Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Lower Decks have revealed how lauded Janeway and the story of Voyager is by both civilians and Starfleet officers in the 24th century. Janeway only comes second to Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) when it comes to historic first contact missions, and her 7-year mission vastly expanded Starfleet’s knowledge of the hitherto unexplored region of space.
Innovations like the Pathfinder Project and the Quantum Slipstream drive were all thanks to Voyager’s exploration of the Delta Quadrant. These innovations have finally brought the Delta Quadrant within reach for Starfleet and the Federation, finally making good on Q’s promise. For those reasons, the crew of Star Trek: Voyager are just legendary and influential as the much-loved crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
