Ever since I started posting TikTok edits about Kes from Voyager I’ve noticed this pattern of getting comments from weird basement dwellers who are just itching to comment about how much they hate Kes, were happy that she left, and overall found her boring or annoying.
And like, I just cannot fathom how she’s either of those things? I understand if people comment that they wish the writers had done more with her or that they think she was failed by the writers, but calling her boring/annoying???
Given her limited screen time in most episodes, I do think she had some really lovely arcs in the few and far between episodes that focused on her, including:
1. Her arc with the EMH - from encouraging him to choose a name, to outright defending his right to exist and grow when Janeway wanted to reset him to save him. It culminated where the EMH manifested his anxiety and worry of losing her into hurting the man she wanted to leave voyager with! The parental father/daughter mentor/mentee relationship between them was so fascinating!
Hell, He rubbed her feet while she experienced the ocampan puberty!
2. Her moments with Tuvok where she had to learn to control her psychic powers. In one episode she nearly killed Tuvok as a consequence of exploring the depths of her abilities. When she was possessed by the warlord she even forcibly kissed him!
3. Her relationship with Neelix - dealing with his jealousy and possessiveness. I do wish the writers had never paired them together, but her breaking up with him while being possessed by an alien warlord is an all timer.
4. Her overall journey of growing and maturing as a member of an alien race with a lifespan of 12 human years. She lived a lot of her lifespan on Voyager, and seeing her train as a doctor, tend to her own hydroponics garden, and navigate the stages of her life was super interesting! The ocampa are such a fascinating race and they deserved more air time.
Unfortunately none of these arcs were neatly tied up before they wrote her off the show, but there was so much incredible potential and development already in the time we got with her.
At the end of the day, I think no matter what I say to defend her, she will be a victim of the same weird brand of fandom misogyny that has targeted Keiko, Kai Winn, and Dr Pulaski.
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