Summary
As a lover of bothStar Trek: Voyagerand John Rhys-Davies, I’m still sad about how completely the show wasted his talent.Voyageris and likely always will be my favoriteStar Trekseries. After becoming obsessed with the franchise at a young age, I found a special kinship withVoyager’s diverse cast of characters, especially the show’s lead, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). Overall,I find Voyager to be the best and most enjoyableStar Trekseriesin terms of character development and storylines. However, that doesn’t mean I like everything about it.
One of the storylines I found less appealing inVoyagerseason 4 was the introduction of the holographic Leonardo da Vinci (John Rhys-Davies). Da Vinci made his debut in theStar TrekTV show’sseason 3 finale, “Scorpion, Part 1” andthe character and his workshop went on to have a minor recurring presence throughout season 4. Created by Janeway as one of her many recreational holodeck programs, da Vinci was an interesting diversion for the characters and provided a change of scenery in many episodes. Despite this, the character and actor who played him were never done justice.
The Complete Star Trek Timeline Explained
Star Trek’s timeline spans a thousand years of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, with alternate realities and time travel galore.
John Rhys-Davies’ Talent Was Wasted In His Star Trek: Voyager Role
The actor deserved a better part in such a great franchise
John Rhys-Davies is an incredible actor, but his talent was utterly wasted as da Vinci. Davies has had a distinguished career, with roles like Sallah in theIndiana Jonesfranchise andGimli in theLord of the Ringstrilogy. I’ve been a fan of Davies for years, which is whyit baffles me that of all actors,Voyager’s creative team selected him for such a minor and ridiculous role as da Vinci. To be clear, I have nothing against Davies’s performance in the role. He is as delightful as always and brings the character to life wonderfully, all things considered.
However, to see Davies so little, and playing such an absurd part, is a complete waste of his range. Securing Davies under contract was undoubtedly a big get forVoyager, and the show had the opportunity to cast him in a more interesting role than da Vinci. At the very least,Voyagercould have had Davies play a character who appeared in more than two episodes, including one of the lowest-rated and most forgettable episodes of season 4, “Concerning Flight.” I would personally have loved to see Davies have a more distinguishedStar Trekcareer than he ended up getting.
There was still one good thing about Davies' Leonardo da Vinci
Despite my objection to the Leonardo da Vinci hologram, there was one aspect of Davies’s appearances onVoyagerthat was well worth having him on.Davies and Kate Mulgrew had incredible chemistry, and watching the two of them play opposite each other is a genuine delight. It’s a good thing that most of da Vinci’s scenes are with Janeway, because Davies and Mulgrew act against with each other so well, and it’s clear they gelled completely during filming. Seeing two such great actors perform together almost makes up for how pointless the da Vinci hologram subplot is.
Star Trek: Voyager’s misuse of John Rhys-Davies still had its bright spots, but these don’t outweigh the fact that the character doesn’t nearly do him justice.I’m often surprised to remember that the show featured Davies as a guest star at all, which shouldn’t be the case for such a great actor. If anotherStar Trekmovie or TV showever wanted to bring Davies back in a new role, I would personally love to see him redeem his time onVoyager, this time with a part that he could really sink his teeth into.
Star Trek: Voyager
Cast
The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they’ve never faced before.
