WHAT IF...

It's silly to think about how things could have been in terms of anything but I can't help it! Voyager would have been completely different if Kes had remained. Don't get me wrong, I love the series as a whole, but it certainly lost something and became a different show when Kes left.

What if... Seven of Nine was never created?

I'm sure the series would have ended sooner. Voyager wasn't as popular early on unfortunately and Seven of Nine gave the show a boost, sex appeal but I do believe she's a good character. Just watch "Someone to Watch Over Me" from Season 5 and you'll see the depth and emotions of the character. I feel somewhat disrespectful to Kes, my favourite character, saying that but I love all of Voyager (more so the early seasons though) in spite of Jennifer Lien's departure.

What if... Harry Kim's character left instead of Kes?

When a decision had to be made as to which character would be lost, apparently it was between Harry Kim and Kes. Garrett Wang was ranked high in a magazine poll of sexiest men on TV and represented Asian-Americans and it was decided Jennifer was the one to lose her job. The men to women ratio has always had more men, wonder why, e.g. Next Gen had five men and two women for most of the series, so it was like no way could Voyager have four women and five men.
So, what if Kes was in Voyager for the whole series? It shows that her role as medical assistant was needed because Tom Paris takes on shifts in sickbay after her departure. In lots of episodes he treats injuries in the Doctors absence and works alongside the Doctor. Kes's mental abilities would certainly have developed further. Maybe like in "The Gift" when she knows that Seven of Nine is trying to contact the Borg and put the ship in danger and she creates an overload to stop her, she could help in all sorts of ways, be invaluable. There's no limit to what the character could have become.

What if... Kes got back together with Neelix?

This is a possibility and I would have loved to have seen it, they were a lovely couple. However, continuing relationships aren't common in television, unpredictabilty is key. Neelix admitted her was holding her back from her potential in "The Gift."

What if... Kes got together with someone else?

It's more likely that Kes would have begun a romance with someone else had she stayed aboard. She could have got together with Tom because he had a crush on her and in the possible future in "Before and After" they were together and had a child. But him and B'elanna made a great couple. The Doctor is a possibility, Kes always thought of him as a person and alive. Kes's mentor Tuvok is probable as well, if somehow he was to give up on his wife. Kes never really interacted with Chakotay or Harry Kim.

What if... things remained the same but "Fury" wasn't the only return for Kes?

She could have appeared in "Year of Hell" even if it was a clip from "Before and After" when she warned Janeway to avoid the Krenim at all costs, which the crew forget about! A perfect opportunity for a reappearance was in Season 7's "Shattered" when different parts of Voyager were in different points in time, the Doctor is from the season two time frame, so she could have been there too! But maybe they already had enough guest stars with Seska, Chaotica, Naomi Wildman and Icheb. And Kes deserved a place in the finale of course! Admiral Janeway places such importance on the family not being complete, causing her to go back in time so Seven of Nine and Chakotay will survive and Tuvok will not be mentally ill. Surely they'd at least mention Kes at the ten year reunion of Voyager getting home!