Voyager Flashback: The Gift

Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine had both written main characters off the show during their runs. Voyager's turn came with season four's "The Gift."

As Seven of Nine faces difficulty adjusting to life outside the Borg collective, Kes suddenly undergoes a spike in her mental abilities. One of them struggles to fit in with the crew, while the other is forced to say goodbye.

There are two vastly different stories surrounding the circumstances in which Kes was written off of Star Trek: Voyager -- the version told at the time in 1997 (and enhanced with small details over the years), and a version that emerged more recently in 2020 (when authors Ben Robinson and Mark Wright wrote a behind-the-scenes book on the series).

In the first version of the story, budget was to blame. Voyager was bringing on the new character, Seven of Nine. The show already had nine regular cast members and couldn't afford a tenth; someone had to go. Kes' story arc had proven more limited than the writers had originally imagined, so she was the one to go. (Later, a rumor would emerge that Harry Kim had been on the chopping block, but actor Garrett Wang's timely appearance on People magazine's list of the "50 Most Beautiful People In The World" persuaded the Powers That Be to keep him around.)

In the later version of the story, actress Jennifer Lien had been having problems with the production that were kept from public knowledge. She'd become erratic and unreliable, and the decision was made to write her character off the show wholly separate from the introduction of Seven of Nine. This would seem to comport with clear mental health challenges Lien would face later in life; she has had multiple legal run-ins since 2015. But which came first: Lien's untreated condition leading to her dismissal from Star Trek: Voyager, or her firing from the show being a formative event echoing decades later in her life? (Producer Jeri Taylor indicates that Lien refused any offer of help at the time.)

There's probably no way of knowing how it all really happened. But apparently, writing Kes off the show happened sooner than originally planned. After thinking Kes would leave in the fifth episode of season four, the departure was abruptly moved up to the second episode. Unfortunately, Seven of Nine had not yet been fully introduced, and so the episode couldn't be just a goodbye to Kes. The result is a very tightly packed episode.

There are good scenes within it, though. The real life feelings of the actors spill through all over the Kes half of the story. The only Neelix-Kes scene we've had in ages is good, and the later Janeway-Kes scene even better; both are clearly brimming with real emotion. More time would have allowed us similar scenes with the Doctor and Tuvok at the very least, but at least the writers avoid killing the character. Sending her off with ascendant powers is satisfyingly similar to Wesley Crusher's ultimate fate, and with the added sweetness of shaving a big distance off of Voyager's journey home.

Moments of the Seven story are good too. She is an addict going through withdrawal, and Jeri Ryan gives a solid performance. But also, the show is already pushing her sex appeal even before she's fully de-Borged: there are lots of long, almost leering camera angles, Seven is sporting an amount of visible hip that feels like "side butt," and the Doctor takes a slightly gross level of interest in establishing her ultimate physical appearance.

Other observations:

• Kes uses her mental abilities to literally save Seven of Nine's life. This requires Jennifer Lien to stare intently at the actress who is replacing her. Rough.

• In one scene (at the left), there's some truly weird blocking for the camera that just makes no sense in real life. In the middle of Janeway making an impassioned argument to Seven of Nine, she walks behind the Borg to deliver the words to the back of her head. (Just so we can see both faces in frame at once.)
  

• Neelix says Kes always hated his cooking. So he's known this WHOLE TIME?!

• We lose another shuttle. But "shuttle for 10 years closer to home" is a good trade.

As a continued introduction of Seven of Nine, this is a pretty strong episode. As a goodbye for, frankly, one of the best characters Voyager had? It's a nice idea, but the execution feels rushed and insufficient. I give "The Gift" a B-.