why was the series sub-par when it had the potential

That's a matter of opinion. I like all the series and can make an argument on why each series is the best of the bunch. Of all the series I think Voyager has more of my favorite episodes. I also find Voyager the easiest and most pleasant to rewatch.

I've watched every episode of every series at least 5 times (closer to 10 for TOS) except the cartoon series which I only went through twice. I went to my first convention in the 70s. If I had to pick a favorite DS9 and Voyager would tie for the top.



No Sitcoms! No Sports! No Reality! Death to the new timeline.

IMHO this show was almost the best of the bunch! It was unique and had some great episodes that didn't rely on TOS. And the last two shows made up a great finale, my favorite and I was a fanatic for TNG! I even enjoyed Enterprise because it explained all the terms we were used to hearing in the other shows for example the origen of M- Class planet. I also I liked the temporal aspect of the show. Anyway, I'm glad Voyager has been picked up by BBC America and all the shows are on Heroes and Icons.
I'm glad I got a chance to share my opinion before they closed up Messages!

Just been rewatching all the treks on H&I.

Gaah! Voyager has the most eye-rolling episodes since TOS season 3. If I had a dime for every time some individual managed to escape, or steal a shuttlecraft, by transferring ship control to some isolated station, overriding protocols, and modifying shield harmonics (Geez, how could such a sophisticated ship have no effective lockouts?); during its seven year run, I think every major cast member did it, including the holographic doctor! The show would consistently play fast and loose with time travel, overuse the holodeck for story material, and constantly pulled technological BS out of its rear to save itself. The characters, at various times, were bland, saccharine sweet, irritating, or self-righteous.
I always found Voyager to be a comfy show, with its predictable happy endings, ramifications that lack real impact, deaths that don't last, worth watching before bedtime. Pleasant but, ultimately, not as bold as its concept allowed; Enterprise's 'Expanse' season actually did it better.

The problem was that it couldn't commit to its own premise of having Maquis crew and being stuck far from home. The Maquis crew just turn into clones of starfleet officers after like three episodes and don't behave any differently from the starfleet crew for the vast majority of the series. The crew TALKS about being low on supplies etc., but they never have any trouble repairing damage...how many times does the ship get half-destroyed in battles and then is fine in the next episode? They talk about using a real kitchen to save energy, but then the crew is always replicating stuff that they don't need, playing on the holodeck, etc...they don't seem like they're rationing anything or act concerned about running low on supplies/energy/whatever. The crew never acts like they're REALLY upset about having their lives ruined by being stranded, they say a few lines about wanting to get home but then just shrug and act like they're on any other starfleet ship on routine patrol in the alpha quadrant. Basically, the show wastes the cool premise by ignoring it.

The show ignored the Dominion War and the total destruction of the Maquis--by Dominion & Cardassian forces, which took it out of perspective. The Maquis crew on Voyager did not spend enough time talking about what happened back in the Alpha Quadrant.

The externals of the ship did not look worn down as the seasons progressed, in fact the ship looked like it left Starfleet Drydock every few episodes. The very idea that Holodecks would always be powered and used while they had to ration food replicators is beyond ridiculous. The very idea that Holodeck had a power supply that was incompatible with the rest of the ship was ridiculous and contradicts holodeck issues in The Next Generation.

Not enough anxiety from the crew in being flung to the far side of our galaxy. I feel the writers of Battlestar Galactica reimagined would have done an excellent job giving characters better depth and well, character.

The final episode sucked because the moment that Voyager entered Federation Space, the series ended. We wanted to see the crew we had loved for 7 years reunite with their families, have Captain Janeway debriefed and promoted to Vice Admiral as a result, and see how the former Maquis would fit in a Federation where their Maquis brethren had all been wiped out--and of course, getting to see the Aftermath of the Dominion War that caused hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives.

And it would have also been paramount for Janeway to brief the Federation on the advanced races of the Delta Quadrant, especially Species 8472 and the Borg--and that the Borg has a massive amount of territory in Delta. Just because another queen was dealt with, does not mean the threat is over--in fact the threat would have been greater than ever before now.

So much potential, instead Voyager pops into Federation Space and the credits roll. Sigh.

Then we get all these prequel Star Trek series that deal with before Kirks time. We don't want that. We want 24th & 25th Century ST.

IMHO the short answer is that the writers weren't willing to think big or take risks. They weren't willing to have the Maquis people plot to take over the ship, to have Tuvok and Janeway have a friendship-ending conflict or have Belanna and Paris have a nasty divorce, to have the straight male crew members trying to get humanoid women from planets to move onto the ship and be their babymommas, etc. There just wasn't any interesting interplay between the main characters, with or without Seven. They all stayed dutiful and ethical, in a way that wasn't really believable under the circumstances.

And I LOVED the finale, BTW, I think it's so freaking good that it redeemed the whole series in retrospect. Somewhat redeemed, anyway.

The first season and about half the second are legit good sci-fi. It suffered from the long seasons. Today it would be a 10 episodes/season show much better for it.
edit, typo

The writers didn't intend for the show to go through any majors changes or any arcs or grow as a story, Voyager is the most static of all Trek shows.