Summary
- B'Elanna Torres distinguishes herself early on as Voyager's half-Klingon Chief Engineer, proud of her differences from Scotty in TOS.
- In "State of Flux," B'Elanna refuses to exaggerate completion time for Captain Janeway, earning her respect for her honesty.
- B'Elanna's exchange with Janeway references Kirk and Scotty's interactions in TOS, showcasing the interconnectedness of the Star Trek franchise.
Star Trek: Voyager made it clear early on that B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) isn't like Montgomery "Scotty" Scot (James Doohan) from Star Trek: The Original Series, a fact she is actually proud of. B'Elanna was Voyager's half-Klingon Chief Engineer, promoted to the position after the USS Voyager became stranded in the Delta Quadrant in the show's pilot episode. Although B'Elanna had dropped out of Starfleet Academy, joined the Maquis, and had an impressive temper due to her Klingon heritage, she proved herself to be an excellent engineer and valuable member of Voyager's crew during the show's seven seasons.
However, B'Elanna also made sure to distinguish herself from previous Star Trek Chief Engineers early on. During Voyager season 1, episode 11, "State of Flux," the engineering team had devised a plan to retrieve a piece of Federation technology from a Kazon vessel. B'Elanna told Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) that they would be ready for the extraction the following morning, but Janeway countered that she wanted to attempt it by the end of the day. Instead of agreeing to the demand, B'Elanna pushed back on Janeway's request, saying that if she said tomorrow, she meant tomorrow and that she "didn't exaggerate" about the time it took her to complete a task.
