Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001) is the fifth series installment of the Star Trek franchise, and it premiered two years after Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1993) ended and Deep Space Nine

 (1993-1999) began. For several years, Voyager and Deep Space Nine aired alongside one another, each expanding on the Star Trek universe in a unique way. Voyager, like many of the early 

Star Trek series, is memorable for its incredible cast, who truly felt like a family aboard the ship. It is also the first Star Trek series ever to feature a female captain.

Star Trek: Voyager ran for seven seasons, with a total of 172 episodes, some of which are truly incredible and mind-boggling. Despite how long the series ran, one of its most disappointing episodes happened in Season 2. Season 2, Episode 25, "Resolutions," is one of the most frustrating episodes in the entire series because it gave fans something they had been craving since Season 1. Unfortunately, it only lasted for a single episode, leaving many fans angry and devastated.

Fans Desperately Wanted a Romance Between Janeway & Chakotay

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Every Star Trek series has at least one non-canon relationship that fans desperately want to see happen. In 

The Next Generation, Doctor Beverly Crusher directly asks Captain Picard why he never confessed to being in love with her. Unfortunately, the doctor and the captain never pursued a relationship in the series, but fans of the show didn't let go of that interaction. To this day, plenty of people still insist that they should have at least had a chance to date.

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969), of course, has a huge fan base for Captain Kirk and Spock. Fandom also throws Dr. Leonard McCoy, aka Bones, into the mix a lot, too. Needless to say, due to the time period that 

The Original Series aired, the chances of an openly gay relationship being featured on the show weren't high, but that didn't mean fans didn't see the potential. As Star Trek's
 popularity has soared and remained relevant, modern fans push this ship even harder than before. Another popular gay ship from The Original Series includes Chekov and Sulu, but they pale in comparison to the love Kirk, Spock, and Bones get.

For Star Trek: Voyager, the biggest ship that never became canon has to be Captain Kathryn Janeway and First Officer Chakotay. It isn't difficult to see why so many fans longed to see a relationship between Janeway and Chakotay bloom. Their on-screen chemistry is powerful. They work side-by-side, tending to the USS 

Voyager and her crew with surprising efficiency and compassion. They both come from completely different backgrounds, but their differing experiences help them cover one another's blind spots. These two care for one another deeply and without hesitation, which makes them feel like perfect romantic partners.

Clearly, the writers and showrunners saw the potential in their relationship too, because it was hinted at throughout the series. Fans always expected them to end up together, so it was frustrating to see that their relationship was never allowed to bloom into something more. One episode even confirmed their feelings for one another and allowed them to develop a real connection, only for the rug to be swept out from under them in a matter of days.

 

"Resolutions" Gives Fans Exactly What They Want, For All of 45 Minutes

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In the Season 2 episode, "Resolutions," Captain Janeway and Chakotay are beamed down to a planet and woken from stasis. The pair have been infected with a deadly virus from the bite of a wassoop-insect. Unfortunately, the Doctor is unable to find a viable cure for the pair, and they will likely succumb to the virus quickly if woken up from stasis. To combat their impending demise, they are sent to a strange planet that, for some reason, suppresses the virus' symptoms. Janeway and Chakotay will be able to live on the planet without fear of death, but they cannot leave.

Janeway forbids the Voyager crew to contact the only alien species that might be able to help them, the Vidiians. Although the Doctor believes the Vidiians may have information about the virus, Starfleet knows the species to be hostile. 

Voyager's previous interactions with the Vidiians have all been violent. Janeway and Chakotay agree that while they do want to find a cure, they cannot, in good consciousness, put the rest of the crew in danger. Janeway continues to study the virus while living on the planet she and Chakotay deem "New Earth." Since the planet suppresses the virus, she believes that she can study the wildlife on New Earth to come up with a cure.

While living on New Earth, Chakotay grows surprisingly comfortable. He can be seen building things for their makeshift home, like a bathtub for Janeway to relax in, and headboards for their beds so they can sit up in bed and read. Chakotay seems to accept that they might never get off of New Earth, something that greatly disturbs Janeway. She hasn't given up hope for a cure, but she worries that Chakotay has. In response, Chakotay insists that he isn't giving up on a future free of the virus, but he isn't willing to sacrifice their lives now for a future that may or may not come. Usually, Janeway is the one delivering powerful quotes to live by, but in this instance, Chakotay delivers words of wisdom that she must accept.

After a violent plasma storm destroys most of Janeway's equipment, she realizes that she doesn't have the supplies to continue studying the virus. This forces her to accept that there is nothing more that she can do to get them off of New Earth. Chakotay confesses his feelings for Janeway, and she can't deny that she feels the same. A romance has been blooming between them ever since they touched down on New Earth. Away from 

Voyager, they aren't held back by any sort of professionalism, so they are free to pursue those feelings.

While all of this goes on between Janeway and Chakotay, the 

Voyager crew attempt to persuade the new captain, Tuvok, to ignore Janeway's orders and contact the Vidiians. Tuvok refuses for most of the episode, insisting that ensuring the safety of 
Voyager and her crew is his biggest priority. When the entire crew bands together to insist that they try to get a cure anyway, Tuvok finally agrees to contact the Vidiians. The encounter, as expected, turns hostile, but they are still able to obtain a cure for the virus. After fleeing the conflict with the Vidiians, USS 
Voyager returns to New Earth to retrieve and cure Janeway and Chakotay.

Ultimately, this is the outcome everyone wanted. No fan wanted to see Janeway and Chakotay completely cut off from the rest of the crew. They are two of the most important characters on the show. Simply cutting them both out would have ruined 

Star Trek: Voyager for good. Unfortunately, the second Janeway and Chakotay return to the ship, any thought of their blooming romance fizzles away. They return to their roles as Captain and First Officer, and although Chakotay seems particularly displeased by the turn of events, he accepts that things have to be a certain way. While on New Earth, he admitted that doing what Janeway needed helped him find peace, and he will continue to do that aboard 
Voyager, whether he gets to have a relationship with her or not.
 

Fans Were So Close to Having Everything They Wanted

At the end of the day, "Resolutions" left fans feeling cheated. After 40 episodes, fans finally saw a glimmer of hope that this long-awaited relationship would finally become canon. The series even confirmed that they had feelings for one another by having Chakotay deliver a heartfelt confession that Janeway reciprocated. Obviously, no one wanted to see them stranded on New Earth forever, but fans did want to see them return to the ship hand-in-hand rather than falling back into their professional status.

Most Star Trek series do include episodes like this, where one or two members of the crew get separated from the rest. These episodes often explore potential what-if scenarios for the isolated characters. If that character was separated from Starfleet, what would they do? Where would they go? Who would they become? What would their life look like? These hypothetical situations are always cut short by the inevitable return to the ship, but in "Resolutions," it just felt like rubbing salt into a wound. The episode really did give fans everything they wanted out of Janeway and Chakotay's relationship, only to rip it away less than 20 minutes later.