This Star Trek: Voyager Season 4 Episode Made 2 Massive Retcons In Less Than 1 Minute
By Dan Bibby
September 6th, 2025
Star Trek: Voyager season 4 brought with it a whole bunch of changes for the show. With the departure of Jennifer Lien as Kes, Captain Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) crew was left without someone who had become a vital figure. Thankfully, the writers had someone waiting in the wings to replace the USS Voyager's resident Ocampan.
Kes' exit was felt immediately aboard Voyager, as the remaining crew had to reshuffle their responsibilities to account for her absence. The main way the Voyager writers patched the hole was by bringing in Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine as a series regular, who made her debut at the end of season 3.
Despite reports that Seven was largely brought aboard by Star Trek to serve as eye candy and thus boost the show's ratings, Ryan's character went on to be terrific in her own right. That said, Voyager's adjustment to swapping Kes for Seven was unavoidably clunky. It resulted in two ham-fisted, but necessary, retcons.
Kes' exit was felt immediately aboard Voyager, as the remaining crew had to reshuffle their responsibilities to account for her absence. The main way the Voyager writers patched the hole was by bringing in Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine as a series regular, who made her debut at the end of season 3.
Despite reports that Seven was largely brought aboard by Star Trek to serve as eye candy and thus boost the show's ratings, Ryan's character went on to be terrific in her own right. That said, Voyager's adjustment to swapping Kes for Seven was unavoidably clunky. It resulted in two ham-fisted, but necessary, retcons.
"Revulsion" Made 2 Huge Changes To Star Trek: Voyager Canon In Rapid Succesion
Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 5, "Revolution," opens with Tim Russ' Tuvok being promoted to Lt. Commander, and the installment's main storyline goes on to be about a rogue hologram who wants all organic beings dead. However, the other, more minor arcs revolve around Seven of Nine's recent arrival aboard Voyager - even when they don't seem like it.
Around the episode's six-minute mark, the Doctor (Robert Picardo) can be seen sourcing a replacement for Kes, who had served as Sick Bay's only nurse for her time as part of the crew before she left. Surprisingly, the Doctor chooses Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), Voyager's ace pilot and primary helmsman.
While Tom had long been established to have some rudimentary medical training, it had always been implied to be relatively basic. Still, in "Revulsion," he can be seen confidently running Sick Bay while the Doctor is on an away mission, and he even suggests he's capable of certain surgical procedures.
With Seven being brought in to replace Kes, both in the world of the show AND behind-the-scenes, particular attention is drawn to the fact that the writers retroactively make Tom a way more knowledgeable medic because of the personnel shake-up. A more logical choice would arguably have been Seven, given her immense intellect and wide array of knowledge due to her time with the Borg.
The second retcon in "Revulsion" comes immediately after the Doctor's exchange with Lt. Paris. Back in the mess hall, Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) tells Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) to "enhance the astrometrics lab," announcing that it hasn't been updated since Voyager left the Alpha Quadrant in the pilot episode.
Chakotay's conversation with Harry is more than the first officer giving orders. In essence, he's creating an entirely new area of the ship. The astrometrics lab had never been shown or even mentioned before "Revulsion," and there's a good reason for that. The writers hadn't created it yet.
So, again, Star Trek: Voyager was making a retcon with this moment, and it was the second in a very short space of time. Seven's presence was once more to blame. Confined largely to the cargo bay at first, Ryan's character needed somewhere to set up shop that allowed her to make more of an impact. So, the astrometrics lab was written into the show - even if it had "always" been there within the show's lore.
Around the episode's six-minute mark, the Doctor (Robert Picardo) can be seen sourcing a replacement for Kes, who had served as Sick Bay's only nurse for her time as part of the crew before she left. Surprisingly, the Doctor chooses Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), Voyager's ace pilot and primary helmsman.
While Tom had long been established to have some rudimentary medical training, it had always been implied to be relatively basic. Still, in "Revulsion," he can be seen confidently running Sick Bay while the Doctor is on an away mission, and he even suggests he's capable of certain surgical procedures.
With Seven being brought in to replace Kes, both in the world of the show AND behind-the-scenes, particular attention is drawn to the fact that the writers retroactively make Tom a way more knowledgeable medic because of the personnel shake-up. A more logical choice would arguably have been Seven, given her immense intellect and wide array of knowledge due to her time with the Borg.
The second retcon in "Revulsion" comes immediately after the Doctor's exchange with Lt. Paris. Back in the mess hall, Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) tells Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) to "enhance the astrometrics lab," announcing that it hasn't been updated since Voyager left the Alpha Quadrant in the pilot episode.
Chakotay's conversation with Harry is more than the first officer giving orders. In essence, he's creating an entirely new area of the ship. The astrometrics lab had never been shown or even mentioned before "Revulsion," and there's a good reason for that. The writers hadn't created it yet.
So, again, Star Trek: Voyager was making a retcon with this moment, and it was the second in a very short space of time. Seven's presence was once more to blame. Confined largely to the cargo bay at first, Ryan's character needed somewhere to set up shop that allowed her to make more of an impact. So, the astrometrics lab was written into the show - even if it had "always" been there within the show's lore.
Star Trek: Voyager's Clunky Transition To Seven Of Nine's Arrival Was Worth It
Introducing Seven of Nine to the Star Trek: Voyager audience was initially done very well. Having her enter the fray as a fully-fledged member of the Borg Collective made her eventual liberation all the more rewarding. It was when she was forced to adapt to life as part of Janeway's crew that the narrative hiccups started to arrive, which required a little bit of forcing a square peg into a round hole.
Still, the adjustments to the story caused by Seven's arrival ultimately didn't hurt Voyager. Any writing that came across as overly convenient at the time turned out to be necessary in order to bring Ryan's character more solidly into the Star Trek universe. From season 4 onward, the show benefited tremendously from Seven's presence, and some of the best episodes revolve around her journey towards regaining her long-lost humanity.
She became far more than just a way to get more eyes on Star Trek: Voyager - although she did achieve that as well. Her 2020 return to the franchise in Star Trek: Picard proves that Seven is still an adored character whose story isn't over yet. If Star Trek: Voyager hadn't gently forced her into the story, such a comeback wouldn't have been possible, and the saga would be poorer for it.
Still, the adjustments to the story caused by Seven's arrival ultimately didn't hurt Voyager. Any writing that came across as overly convenient at the time turned out to be necessary in order to bring Ryan's character more solidly into the Star Trek universe. From season 4 onward, the show benefited tremendously from Seven's presence, and some of the best episodes revolve around her journey towards regaining her long-lost humanity.
She became far more than just a way to get more eyes on Star Trek: Voyager - although she did achieve that as well. Her 2020 return to the franchise in Star Trek: Picard proves that Seven is still an adored character whose story isn't over yet. If Star Trek: Voyager hadn't gently forced her into the story, such a comeback wouldn't have been possible, and the saga would be poorer for it.