Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About B'Elanna Torres

That's how Roxann Dawson quite brilliantly described her character's development "over the course of seven years" in an interview at the Voyager wrap party in 2001. B'Elanna Torres, as well as a certain "flyboy," had no doubt the most well-defined and distinct arc of the series — going from easily irascible Maquis rebel with a deep lack of self-worth to Starfleet convert with a newfound confidence and a family.

Much like Voyager's path through the Delta Quadrant, B'Elanna's journey was far from a straight line (little ever is), but Dawson was largely satisfied with how her character was portrayed throughout, both the good and the bad, telling Star Trek: Voyager The Official Magazine in June 1997:

I don't want B'Elanna to be a goody two-shoes. I don't mind seeing her darker, uglier sides. That's important. It's part of who she is. It's good to see her at her worst. It's good to see her learn from her mistakes. That's what makes a character interesting.

In a 2003 interview for StarTrek.com, Dawson further praised the character development over the seven years, feeling that each change was "earned in the writing". Dawson noted that the depiction of Tom and B'Elanna's conflictual relationship — as two strong-willed individuals just trying to make things work — had helped, in some way, to redefine what it meant to be married and that the pair would probably still be "fighting and loving each other" back on Earth.