In 2371 the USS Voyager was pulled from the Badlands to the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker, leaving it 70,000 light-years from home.
In 2371 Captain Kathryn Janeway took the USS Voyager into the Badlands to find a Maquis ship, the Val Jean, which had vanished there with Tuvok aboard as an undercover agent. Both ships were swept up by a displacement wave and carried 70,000 light-years to the Delta Quadrant.
They had been pulled there by the Caretaker, a dying alien who had long protected the Ocampa and was searching for a compatible species to continue his line. The Caretaker died before he could send them home, and his array was the only means of return. The Kazon wanted to seize the array, and Janeway destroyed it to keep it from being used against the Ocampa.
The Maquis ship was destroyed in the fighting, and its crew, led by Chakotay, joined Voyager's crew. Janeway set course for home, a journey expected to take about 75 years. Neelix and the Ocampa Kes also joined the ship.