VOY Season 4 Summary . Season four furthered and even embellished upon the changes to the franchise already seen by the middle to end of season three . Seven of Nine had plenty of character development on which to catch up when compared to the other principal actors . Season four could be described as the " Seven of Nine season " , heavy with episodes centering solely on developing Jeri Ryan ' s new character . Relationships between Seven of Nine and all the other main characters needed to be quickly established , and so conflict between Seven and B ' Elanna Torres was introduced in , and Harry Kim ' s infatuation with Seven became a hallmark of the season in . The Doctor , for so long a student under Kes ' tutelage , turned teacher to Seven in , kinship with Tuvok was explored in and , quintessential to the remainder of the series , Seven ' s relationship with Janeway took center - stage in , , , , and the season finale , . However , with audience figures ballooning , it appeared that the producers of " Voyager " had finally found a character that appealed to the crucial 16 - 24 - year - old male demographic . Prior to season four , story writers had given " Voyager " six thwarted opportunities to return to the Alpha Quadrant , aside from the series premiere . However , as the series continued to mature , episodes presenting the " Voyager " crew with the possibility of returning home were absent throughout season four , until the finale . Instead , making large jumps closer to Earth became a regular occurrence . Kes ' " gift " at the start of the season provided " Voyager " with its first big jump , knocking 10 , 000 light years and 10 years off their journey , as well as placing them well outside Borg space . These " jumps " would continue throughout the remainder of the series , getting " Voyager " out of danger while simultaneously removing years from their journey . Consequently , fewer opportunities to return to Earth in one " giant leap " were presented for this and remaining seasons , with season five ' s , season seven ' s and the series finale being notable exceptions . Alongside this change of pace , the concept of the crew as " family " and " Voyager " as " home " started in season three was continued in season four and script writers clearly made a conscious effort to include these references in their scripts . Examples of this can be found scattered throughout many season four episodes : " " So , how ' s the newest member of our family ? " " " " This ship has become our home , it ' s part of our family . " " " " We do not stand alone . We are in the arms of family . " " " " It ' s time to meet your new family . " " Other notable developments in season four included the cementing of Tom Paris and B ' Elanna Torres ' relationship in , the Krenim conflict ( hinted at in season three ' s ) and the opening of " Voyager " s new astrometrics lab in . Additionally , introduced " grey mode " in which all non - essential ship functions are shut down to conserve power . However , one of the biggest developments for the series arc as a whole occurred midway through the season in when The Doctor is transported back to the Alpha Quadrant using alien technology and makes " Voyager " s first contact with Starfleet since being stranded . " Voyager " s use of the alien technology has unforeseen consequences however , as the crew are introduced to the Hirogen , a hunting species who would re - assert themselves throughout the remainder of the season in , , and , and at least once in each subsequent season . By the end of the series , the Hirogen joined the Kazon , the Borg , and the Vidiian s as one of the few species to interact regularly with " Voyager " and whose interactions often created or furthered a particular story arc involving that species . It is fair to say that by mid - season four , the introduction of Seven of Nine , the departure of Kes , and the new " jump " method of moving " Voyager " closer to home meant the series had become quite different from the previous three seasons . Associate Producer : Dawn Velazquez Credits . Crew . Executive Story Editor : Lisa Klink Music by : Dennis McCarthy Director of Photography : Marvin V . Rush , ASC Production Designer : Richard D . James Editor : Daryl Baskin Unit Production Manager : Brad Yacobian First Assistant Director : Adele Simmons Second Assistant Director : Arlene Fukai Original Casting by : Nan Dutton , CSA Casting Executive : Helen Mossler , CSA Costume Designer : Robert Blackman Set Decorator : Jim Mees Visual Effects Producer : Dan Curry Visual Effects Supervisor : David Takemura Scenic Art Supervisor / Technical Consultant : Michael Okuda Senior Illustrator / Technical Consultant : Rick Sternbach Make - Up Designer / Make - Up Supervisor : Michael Westmore Art Director : Louise Dorton Set Designer : Greg Hooper Assistant Editor : Keith Dabney Visual Effects Coordinator : A . Y . Dexter Delara Visual Effects Assistant Editor : Elizabeth Castro Visual Effects Associate : Chad Zimmerman Script Supervisor : Cosmo Genovese Special Effects : Dick Brownfield Property Master : Alan Sims Construction Coordinator : Al Smutko Scenic Artist : Wendy Drapanas Video Supervisor : Denise Okuda Hair Designer : Josée Normand Wardrobe Supervisor : Carol Kunz Sound Mixer : Alan Bernard , CAS Camera Operator : Judd Kehl Chief Lighting Technician : Bill Peets First Company Grip : Randy Burgess Music Editor : Gerry Sackman Supervising Sound Editor : Bill Wistrom Supervising Sound Effects Editor : Jim Wolvington Production Coordinator : Diane Overdiek Post Production Coordinator : April Rossi Pre - Production Coordinator : Lolita Fatjo Assistant to Producers : Michael O ' Halloran Stunt Coordinator : Dennis Madalone Science Consultant : André Bormanis Main Title Design by : Dan Curry Companies . Main Title Design by : Santa Barbara Studios Post Production Sound : Modern Sound Filmed with : Panavision cameras and lenses Motion Control Photography : Image " G " Digital Optical Effects : Digital Magic Special Video Compositing : CIS Hollywood Editing Facilities : Unitel Video Computer Generated Effects : Foundation Imaging