As the fifth official Star Trek series, Star Trek: Voyager introduced audiences to an entirely new Starship and her intrepid crew. After the stationary setting of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Voyager brought things back to the stars by flinging the titular ship into an unexplored part of the galaxy. As Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) fought to bring her crew home, the USS Voyager encountered all kinds of new life forms and strange new worlds. In addition to Captain Janeway, Voyager would introduce several new characters to Star Trek, some of whom have made appearances in current Star Trek shows

The series began with Captain Janeway leading a mission to find the missing Maquis ship the Val Jean, on which her colleague and friend Tuvok (Tim Russ) was serving undercover. After Janeway found the Maquis ship, both ships were thrown 70,000 light-years across the galaxy, from the Alpha Quadrant to the Delta Quadrant, by a dying entity known as the Caretaker. Over the course of the seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager, Captain Janeway and her crew encountered alien species both old and new, as they made their way home through the uncharted Delta Quadrant.

10 Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway

The Captain of the USS Voyager, Kate Mulgrew's Kathryn Janeway has the distinction of being the first female Captain to lead a Star Trek show. Janeway initiated first contact with many new alien species across the Delta Quadrant and would eventually become an Admiral in Starfleet. As Captain of Voyager, Janeway had the difficult task not only of navigating the unfamiliar Delta Quadrant, but also of merging a crew of Starfleet officers with a crew of rebel Maquis. She managed both tasks admirably and did her best to uphold the ideals of Starfleet even 70,000 light-years from home.

9 Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay

Captain of the Val Jean, Chakotay (Robert Beltran) was a former Starfleet officer turned Maquis who became First Officer of the USS Voyager after the destruction of his ship. Chakotay helped smooth over relations between the Starfleet officers and the former Maquis, and devoted himself to serving Voyager and Captain Janeway. Despite Robert Beltran being Mexican American, his character Chakotay was of Native American descent and had a strong connection to the spirituality of his tribe. He also had a strong sense of justice and, while he mostly supported Janeway, would occasionally speak up against her, particularly if he felt she was being reckless with her own life.

8 Tim Russ as Lieutenant Tuvok

Lt. Tuvok served as the Chief Security and Tactical Officer aboard Voyager, as well as Janeway's Second in Command. When Star Trek: Voyager began, Tuvok was undercover as a member of the Maquis abroad the Val Jean, but he was quickly reinstated as a security officer after the ships were thrown into the Delta Quadrant. As a Vulcan, Tuvok valued logic and reason, and Janeway often relied on him for advice and counsel. Tuvok and Janeway had served together before their time on Voyager and had become close friends. Despite his Vulcan stoicism, Tuvok seemed to feel deeply and often expressed himself with biting sarcastic remarks.

7 Roxann Biggs-Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres

Though B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) initially attended Starfleet Academy, she eventually dropped out to join the Maquis. As a half-Klingon half-human, B'Elanna struggled with her anger and was prone to lashing out, which was part of the reason why she chose to join the rebels. She and Chakotay would become friends as they fought together with the Maquis, and Chakotay helped her work through some of her anger. When she joined the crew of Voyager, B'Elanna became the Chief Engineer after she saved the ship from a quantum singularity. She would eventually begin a romantic relationship with pilot Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill​​), and the pair got married early in season 7.

6 Robert Duncan-McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris

The USS Voyager's helmsman Tom Paris had been kicked out of Starfleet and was serving prison time when Janeway approached him to join Voyager's crew. Janeway had previously served under Tom's father, Admiral Owen Paris, and she wanted to help Tom turn his life back around. Due to Tom's less-than-stellar reputation, it took time for his Voyager crew mates to trust him. He would eventually become close friends with Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) and enter into a romantic relationship with B'Elanna Torres. Tom had a particular fascination with 20th-century American culture, and created a holodeck program called The Adventures of Captain Proton inspired by the science fiction serials of the 1930s.

5 Robert Picardo as The Doctor

After Voyager's first Doctor was killed when the ship entered the Delta Quadrant, the Emergency Medical Hologram or EMH known as The Doctor (Robert Picardo) became the ship's Chief Medical Officer. In the Star Trek: Voyager season 3 two-part episode "Future's End," The Doctor acquired a futuristic mobile emitter, which allowed him to move freely about Voyager and even join away missions. Since he was a created hologram, The Doctor's rights were sometimes called into question, much like the android Data (Brent Spiner) from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The longer he stayed active, the more human traits The Doctor acquired, and his crewmembers on Voyager stuck up for him when his sentience was questioned.

4 Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim

Eternal Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) had recently graduated from Starfleet Academy and was on his first deep space mission when Voyager was flung across the galaxy. Over the course of his time on Voyager, Harry became close friends with Tom Paris, and the two would often go on adventures together in the holodeck. Though Harry was a bit naive and overeager when he first joined Voyager's crew, he had a brilliant mind and was valedictorian of his class at the Academy. He had always wanted to join Starfleet and requested Voyager as his first assignment.

3 Ethan Phillips as Neelix

When Voyager first arrived in the Delta Quadrant, they found a Talaxian named Neelix (Ethan Phillips) near the Collector, as well as the Ocampa homeworld. He helped them navigate the underground Ocampan city where Harry Kim and B'Elanna Torres were being held prisoner. Neelix and the Voyager crew also rescued Kes (Jennifer Lien), an Ocampan woman and Neelix's romantic partner. Neelix and Kes then joined the crew of Voyager and Neelix acted as a guide for their journey through the Delta Quadrant. Neelix would serve as Voyager's chef as well as the "chief morale officer," a title he created for himself. Though Neelix was not the most popular character among fans, his stories improved after Kes left the show.

2 Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine

Assimilated at the age of six when she was still Annika Hansen, Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine joined Voyager's crew for the show's fourth season after she was disconnected from the Borg collective. After their introduction in Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Borg became one of the Federation's most dangerous foes, and Seven was the first former Borg drone to join the crew of a Federation Starship. It took Seven a while to adapt to her newfound humanity and Captain Janeway became a mentor to her. Seven used her knowledge of the Borg and their technology to build an astrometrics lab on Voyager, and she would prove instrumental in helping the ship make it back to the Alpha Quadrant. Seven would become a fan-favorite character, and Jeri Ryan later reprised Seven in Star Trek: Picard.

1 Jennifer Lien as Kes

As a member of the Ocampan species, Kes had a very short life span of only eight or nine years, as well as a natural telepathic ability. Kes chose to join Voyager's crew with Neelix after they helped rescue her, and she soon began studying medicine with The Doctor. She and The Doctor became close friends and she fought for him to be treated better by the crew. She also worked with Tuvok to hone her telepathic abilities. At the start of the series, Kes was involved in a romantic relationship with Neelix, but they broke up in season three. Kes left Voyager early in season 4 after her psychic abilities grew too strong, but she returned for one episode of season 6. With Kes and the rest of the USS Voyager's crew, Star Trek: Voyager introduced some truly compelling characters to the Star Trek universe.