This is a more of an explanation why Voyager never got in contact with StarFleet.

This takes place in Season Four, episode 14; Message in a Bottle.

We will leave it up to your imaginations how things turned out in the Alpha Quadrant.

xxxxx

Voyager had been waiting at the alien relay network for nearly a week. Waiting for a ship to pass by so that they could attempt to contact it.

But after six days they were starting to lose hope.

On the Bridge Janeway sighed.

"We can't keep waiting here hoping that a friendly ship will come into range," she announced. "Sending a message to StarFleet is important, but it could be weeks, months, perhaps even years before a ship comes through and even then, we have no guarantee that it will be a Federation ship."

Chakotay nodded. As much as it pained him they needed to move on before they ran low on both supplies and fuel.

"Lieutenant resume our course for home." Janeway ordered.

xxxx

Later that day Janeway got ready for the most important announcement she would make as captain of Voyager.

"Voyager; the name of this ship has become more fitting than any of us expected. It has been nearly four years since Voyager and the Val Jean were deposited in the Delta Quadrant, four years since the crews combined. In that time, we have overcome many obstacles. We have survived the machinations of the Kazon, the organ harvesting Vidiians, the Q, and run-ins with the Borg.

"We have truly become a unified crew, able to face the worst this quadrant can throw at us. We all hoped that this relay would be our chance to contact those we have left behind. But, though it pains me to admit it, we can wait no longer. We cannot pin our hopes on what appears to be a dead end. The Alpha Quadrant is a large place and we have had the misfortune to arrive at the wrong time in what is clearly an isolated area of space.

"It is true that we could stay and wait. Someone is bound to come eventually. But we must consider our priorities. Our main priority is to get home. I cannot allow this ship to sit here for months, perhaps even years waiting for a ship that may not even be friendly. No, it is time to move on. There may be other chances to contact home later, but the important thing is to get there.

"We all miss friends and family left behind and we grieve, knowing that by now we have be missing so long that they probably believe we are dead, so we grieve for their grief. We have sorrow for the relationships and the chances lost. That is only right and fitting.

"However, this should not stop us from moving forward. A crew that has come through so much is too strong to allow that. It is time to stop looking back at what we have lost and begin looking forward. We have a mission to complete. We are united by our goals. We have become a family." Janeway paused.

"Which brings me to another important point. By the time we reach home we will be very old. Add to that the dangers of traveling so far when we know so little of what we are up against. Already we have lost many crew members. And while we have gained a few, Neelix, Seven of Nine, and young Naomi, we will eventually need more to bridge the gaps. We cannot count on replenishing our ranks from outsiders. Few of those we encounter will be willing to leave their own homes and loved ones forever just to travel with us. That leaves one option: we must increase our family from within.

"Socialize, date, get to know each other. We need children. They are our legacy. They will bring hope and joy into our lives. They will be the ones to bring us home."

xxx

Three days later Tom and B'Elanna along with several other crew members marry.

xxx

A year later the couples are each blessed with a child, Owen Paris, Marion Ferguson and Robert Williams