Star Trek: Voyager may not be as big as TNG, but it is still one of the better shows in the franchise. Headed by Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Kathryn Janeway, the show is a bit different from the others because it chronicles the Voyager as it is transported to another quadrant of the galaxy and sees the ship’s journey back to Earth.
I love Star Trek as much as anyone else, but one of the chief complaints regarding it is the scientific accuracy. It is still a product of its time, after all, and despite Gene Roddenberry’s insistence on a militaristic and professional workspace, it did not quite reach science. Meanwhile, The Expanse is also an incredible sci-fi show that takes its science seriously.
Star Trek: Voyager fans will love The Expanse for its scientific accuracy and performances
We all know that among the two great sci-fi franchises, Star Trek is a lot more set in grounded reality than Star Wars. George Lucas’ story is set in a galaxy far, far away from any sense of time and space, with some tech resembling a retrofuturistic aesthetic than our version of the future. Star Trek is just set beyond the 21st Century and takes a lot of leeway.
One of the biggest complaints that shows like Star Trek: Voyager have always endured is the scientific accuracy. While no fiction show needs to adhere to all rules of physics to be categorized as sci-fi, shows like Voyager, which have influenced tonnes of women to pursue STEM fields, need to have some form of commitment to the genre.
The Expanse, based on the books by James S.A. Corey, is an incredible show, again set in the vast expanse of space (but still near Earth) that uses the magical world of science to its advantage. The show is set in an era when Earth has colonized most of the solar system, and there are three main political factions: Earth and Luna, Mars, and the Belt.
I’m not trying to make a case for The Expanse to be better, but I find that the show really puts a lot of care into its set design, its scientific depictions, and its performances. The sets looked lived-in, despite sometimes being set on Mars, which is something that the Star Trek franchise has constantly received criticism for.
Voyager is set light years away and does not constantly have Earth as a main setting, but the world-building within the ship is what makes it stand out. There are the Maquis, the Ferengi, and more, along with humans, in the ship. Similarly, The Expanse also bands together an eclectic group of people and explores its world.
The Expanse actors threw shade at Star Trek’s sets
As mentioned before, Star Trek’s sets have received a lot of criticism in the past. They are too clean and prim and proper for a ship that traverses galaxies and gets into action-packed battles regularly. Everything is extremely neat and looks like a set. The Expanse, in its quest for realism, makes the sets, even the ones on Mars, look like they have been occupied.
It is not just me who thinks so. The actors of The Expanse themselves mentioned that the production design team puts a lot of effort into making sure that the sets look like people have used them and show the wear and tear of time. Actor Steven Strait mentioned to RT,
We have…three of the largest sound stages in North America, full of sets all the time that are constantly being torn down and rebuilt because we have to go by the books. It’s not like, you know, what you see on maybe Star Trek or something, where you have one set for years and years and years.
Well, The Expanse does not have a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes for nothing. As time passes, it is natural for more recent shows to look better than their predecessors. But The Expanse’s attention to detail is what sets it apart, and if Star Trek fans are looking for something a bit more grounded, the Amazon Prime Video show is the place to go.
The Expanse is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Star Trek: Voyager is streaming on Paramount+.
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