‘Star Trek: Voyager’ Finally Gets the Ending Fans Waited 25 Years For, and It’s Not What You’d Expect
Twenty five years after Captain Janeway and her crew limped home to a rushed, three minute reunion, ‘Star Trek: Voyager‘ fans are getting a real send off. The new comic series ‘Star Trek: Voyager, Homecoming’ has stepped in to finish what “Endgame” never quite delivered, and the wait for closure is almost over.
For a fandom that spent seven seasons rooting for the crew to make it back to the Alpha Quadrant, the actual homecoming felt like a footnote. Now, with the finale issue on the horizon, that emotional debt is finally being paid off in a way longtime viewers say feels earned.
The ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ Original Finale Left Fans Wanting More
The ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ finale, “Endgame,” saw the crew meet a future version of Janeway who had already made it home after a journey that cost the lives of many of their friends, and who was determined to get them back faster this time. It sounds like a satisfying setup, but the execution left a lot to be desired for the people who had spent years with this crew.
Many fans still consider the ending anticlimactic, since after the crew finally made it home, only about three minutes of screen time was devoted to the emotional payoff, leaving the finale feeling like something was missing. That imbalance, epic battle followed by almost no denouement, has fueled a quarter century of “what if” conversations among Trekkies.
Former showrunner Brannon Braga admitted the biggest creative struggle was simply deciding whether the crew should get home at all, calling it a decision that came down to the wire. Knowing how close the writers came to a completely different show adds another layer to why so many fans felt the actual finale never fully landed.
Alternate Endings That Almost Changed ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ Forever
Behind the scenes, the writers’ room considered some genuinely shocking directions before settling on the version that aired. Producer Rick Berman later revealed that the team discussed killing off Janeway, having Seven of Nine sacrifice her life, and building the finale around a massive showdown with the Borg Queen.
Braga specifically pushed to have Seven of Nine die in the finale, believing her only fitting arc was a heroic sacrifice that would let the rest of the crew get home, and he was overruled by his fellow writers. In hindsight, that decision mattered more than anyone realized at the time.
Had Braga gotten his way, Seven’s death would have made the character’s fate in the alternate future timeline permanent, since that version of events already saw both Chakotay and Seven of Nine die before the crew made it home. Instead, the show gave Seven a happier note, having her agree to remove the implant suppressing her emotions so she could pursue a relationship with Chakotay.
Braga even acknowledged years later that keeping Seven alive turned out to be the right call, since her survival meant she could return for ‘Star Trek: Picard.’ It is a rare case of a scrapped idea aging into a blessing in disguise for the wider franchise.
Why The New ‘Star Trek: Voyager—Homecoming’ Comic Matters So Much
Enter ‘Star Trek: Voyager, Homecoming,’ the miniseries that picks up the exact moment “Endgame” left off, with the ship on its final approach to Earth. The story, written by Susan and Tilly Bridges with art by Angel Hernandez, pits Janeway and her crew against the mysterious Species 8472 in a plot that promises real consequences before the story wraps.
Nobody expected the twist that kicked off the series, with Species 8472 hijacking the ship and yanking it away from the system just as the crew thought their journey was finally over. It is a cruel gut punch for characters, and fans, who thought the hard part was behind them.
The good news is that the creative team insists this detour has a purpose. Co-writers Susan and Tilly Bridges reassured fans that a satisfying, long awaited ending is coming by the series finale, teasing that there is still a lot to learn about what Species 8472 wants and where they were actually taking Voyager.
The solicitation for the final issue, due out in February, promises “one last epic, soaring moment” for the crew, though the publisher has kept most other details close to the chest. Covers for earlier issues confirm the Borg are also getting pulled into the story, with Seven of Nine set to play a major role across the final two chapters.
The ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ Ending We Never Got Is Almost Here
Part of what makes this new chapter compelling is its focus on Janeway’s handling of Species 8472, a storyline the Bridges have described as genuinely meaningful for the show’s most dedicated fans, rather than just an excuse for more action. Instead of rewriting canon or undoing what came before, the comic is using an old loose thread to give the crew, and the audience, the send off that was always missing.
Timed for both the 30th anniversary of ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ and the 25th anniversary of its finale, all five issues of ‘Homecoming’ have now been collected into a single graphic novel, giving fans a way to experience the full story in one sitting. The series comes from Tilly and Susan Bridges, who previously worked on the acclaimed animated series ‘Star Trek: Prodigy,’ with art from IDW veteran Angel Hernandez.
Whether the finale can actually deliver on that promise remains to be seen, and reactions to the miniseries so far have been mixed enough that expectations are cautiously optimistic rather than certain. Still, for a fandom that has spent 25 years debating what “Endgame” got wrong, the chance to finally see Janeway, Seven, Chakotay, and the rest of the crew get a proper landing feels like a long time coming.
Now that Janeway’s crew is finally getting the homecoming they were denied back in 2001, do you think ‘Homecoming’ can actually deliver the emotional closure “Endgame” left on the table?
