Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: Voyager first aired in in 1995 and is set around the same time as TNG and DS9 (year 2371). The overall storyline revolves around the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager, who are stranded on the far side of the galaxy (the Delta quadrant, 75,000 light years from Earth) and struggling to make their way home. Although the story begins with the Starfleet and Maquis crew members at odds with each other, the crew eventually forms a very close family unit. The series ran for seven years and is chronologically last, ending in 2378.

Captain Kathryn Janeway
Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) is the captain of Voyager. After being responsible for her ship and crew being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, she is committed to getting them home and is very protective of them. She dislikes time travel, but frequently encounters it. She plays an important role in rehabilitating Seven of Nine, and has faced down the Borg more times than any other Starfleet captain and come out (relatively) unscathed. She is also shown to have a fondness for coffee.

In fanfiction, she is most commonly paired with Chakotay or Seven of Nine, while Janeway/Coffee is a popular crack pairing. In badfic, she may give command of the ship to a Sue, likely her uncanonical daughter, or one of the above pairings will be written badly.

Commander Chakotay
Chakotay (Robert Beltran) is the first officer of Voyager, formerly the captain of the Maquis ship Val Jean. He took the position of first officer after the original first officer died in the transition to the Delta Quadrant. He plays an important role in helping the Starfleet and Maquis crew work together, since he was a Starfleet officer before becoming part of the Maquis. His personality is calm and composed, helping to balance out Janeway's occasional recklessness. He is also unique among Star Trek characters because he has a clearly defined religion, an unnamed Native American spirituality.

In fanfiction, he is often paired with Janeway or his canonical partner, Seven of Nine, though Janeway/Chakotay is much more popular. He rarely appears in badfic unless the story's focus is on a pairing that he is part of.

Lieutenant Commander Tuvok
Tuvok (Tim Russ) is the Vulcan security officer aboard Voyager. Like all Vulcans, he is logical and practical. However, he was capable of infiltrating Chakotay's Maquis ship, and unlike most scientific Vulcans he seems at ease commanding security officers. This may be put down to his age and experience - he has a wife and children back on Vulcan. He has a long-lasting friendship with Captain Janeway, often advising her. Neelix enjoys needling him, calling him "Mr. Vulcan" and trying to get him to crack. Unlike Spock, Tuvok is full Vulcan, and therefore less likely to crack.

In fanfiction, he may be paired with Janeway, though it is uncommon. In badfic, he rarely appears, but if he does, the Suethor tendency to write Vulcans OOC is in full force.

Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres
B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) is the half-human, half-Klingon chief engineer of Voyager. Her mixed heritage leads her personality to vacillate between "intellectual engineer" and "volatile Klingon". She was expelled from Starfleet Academy due to her inability to control her temper, and joined the Maquis. Like Chakotay, her placement in a high-ranking position was important to helping the Maquis and Starfleet crew integrate. Eventually, she adjusted to Starfleet. She and Tom Paris had belligerent sexual tension early in the series, and eventually dated, married, and had a daughter, Miral.

In fanfiction, she is most often paired with her husband, Tom Paris, though pairings with Chakotay, Seven of Nine, or Janeway are not unheard of. In badfic, a pairing with her will be written badly.

Lieutenant Tom Paris
Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) is the helmsman of Voyager. A rebel, he quit Starfleet very early in his career to join the Maquis - and was caught on his first mission. Janeway managed to get him out of prison for one mission, which happened to be when they got stuck in the Delta Quadrant. He was given the honorary rank of lieutenant, and piloted Voyager for the rest of the series. Besides being a skilled pilot, he is a competent medic, and helps the Doctor in sickbay (much to both's chagrin). He and B'Elanna Torres had belligerent sexual tension earlier in the series, but eventually dated, married, and had a daughter, Miral.

In fanfiction, he is most often paired with his wife, B'Elanna Torres, though pairings with Janeway or Harry Kim are not unheard of. In badfic, a pairing with him will be written badly.

The Doctor
The Doctor (Robert Picardo) is an Emergency Medical Hologram, designed to be used only in extreme scenarios. However, when all the medical staff were killed on the way to the Delta Quadrant, he was activated to take their place. His originally emergency programming gave him a brusque bedside manner and a significant amount of sarcasm. With Kes's help, he became more compassionate, and with his mobile emitter he was able to leave sickbay. He expanded his programming to include singing, daydreaming, and command skills. He eventually became something of a mentor to Seven of Nine, as well as developing a crush on her. By the end of the series, he was working for the rights of holograms, having had to overcome prejudice himself.

In fanfiction, he is paired with Seven of Nine, which is a more popular pairing than the canonical Chakotay/Seven. In badfic, he only appears to act in his capacity as doctor, and it is often ignored that things that would incapacitate the rest of the command crew wouldn't affect him.

Ensign Harry Kim
Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) is the operations officer. He is fresh out of Starfleet Academy at the beginning of the series, and is quite naive, attempting to always do things by the book. He becomes friends with Tom Paris, who is much more worldly, and eventually gains more experience. He is chronically unlucky with women, falling for ex-Borg Seven of Nine, a hologram, and various aliens that turned out to have plans against Voyager.

In fanfiction, he is paired with Seven of Nine or Tom Paris. In badfic, he is a common target for Mary Sues. However, this isn't as OOC as it could be, since he is usually unlucky with women.

Neelix
Neelix (Ethan Phillips) is a Talaxian trader Voyager takes aboard as a guide to the Delta Quadrant. He also becomes a chef, dealing with Delta Quadrant foods that Voyager's crew is forced to eat due to limited replicator power. He is cheerful and bubbly and the self-proclaimed "chief morale officer". However, his attempts to cheer people up don't go over well with Tuvok, who he calls "Mr. Vulcan". He also enjoys taking care of children, and becomes Naomi Wildman's godfather.

In fanfiction, Neelix is paired with his canonical girlfriend Kes. In badfic, he is the subject of "kill Neelix" fics.

Kes
Kes (Jennifer Lien)

Seven of Nine
Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan)

Seska
Seska (Martha Hackett)

Icheb
Icheb (Manu Intiraymi)

Q
Q (John de Lancie)

Naomi Wildman
Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers)

Ensign Vorik
Vorik (Alexander Enberg)