Star Trek: 10 Episodes That Wasted An Incredible Premise

In Cinefantastique, Vol. 33, No. 5, Brian Fuller, who co-wrote the teleplay for Fury, explained how he started on Star Trek: Voyager:

Actually the reason I got brought in to VOYAGER in the first place was to come up with a way to kill Kes off. I came up with the story for 'The Gift.' Her whole evolution into a different phase of Ocampan life was my idea.

Nonetheless, Fuller was equally happy with the "twist" he helped devise for Kes' return. As the Cinefantastique piece also pointed out, most fans had been looking forward to a comeback for Kes, but the way in which it was done was surprising to say the least.

Kes' angry, vengeful persona always struck a little odd. It jarred with her still entirely affable self of The Gift. Of course, people do change. That might be especially true for the Ocampa, a species whose average lifespan was only about eight to nine years. In Fury, Kes was barely recognisable, however, seeming like an almost entirely different character, even by the episode's end.

Fury also stumbled somewhat over an explanation for such a dramatic shift in personality, merely stating that Kes 'wasn't ready' for her transformation and 'got lost' along the way. Ultimately, for a character we'd known for three seasons, her final appearance could have been better spent than in trying to deliver Voyager to the nearest organ harvest!