calling something “background television” sounds like an insult until you need a show that won’t punish you for putting the laundry away.
there is a very useful kind of sci-fi where the ship is familiar, the uniforms tell you roughly who does what, and today’s problem is that a perfectly reasonable space object has become everyone’s business. you can miss a little conversation and still understand that the ship probably should not be doing that.
Voyager has that familiar-place appeal: recurring voices, a recognizable rhythm, and room for an episode to be a weird little detour instead of a deposit on a finale.
not every viewing session needs to be an appointment with Important Television. sometimes the television’s job is to make the room feel occupied while your actual life continues.
it can still earn your attention. that’s different from demanding an incident report every time you look away.
A thought from this conversation about background sci-fi. Featured image: Star Trek: Voyager, via StarTrek.com; used for commentary.