Synopsis of TV Show

Here’s a mystery of the universe for you to ponder: if space is infinite, and Star Trek fans’ appetites for all things Trek is bottomless, then in theory, Star Trek spin-offs could multiply into infinity and still be successful. Whoa. In practice, we have yet to see whether this theory holds true, but Paramount boldly went on with its fourth live-action Trek TV series in 1995, Star Trek: Voyager.

Debuting one year after the cancellation of Star Trek: The Next Generation (and with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine still in first-run syndication), Voyager offered a few new looks at the Trek universe. For starters, the captain’s chair no longer had a “men only” sign on it. Captain Kathryn Janeway was the first female commanding officer to helm a Star Trek series, and she was every bit up to the task.

On the premiere episode (which was, coincidentally, the first episode of an original series aired on the UPN network), the crew of the Starfleet vessel U.S.S. Voyager chased a band of Maquis rebels into dangerous territory. A passing probe transported both ships over 75,000 light years away from Earth, a gap that would take 75 years to cross at maximum warp. When the Maquis ship was destroyed, the rebels joined forces with the Voyager crew, and the long journey home began.

On board with Captain Janeway were First Officer Chakotay (the former Maquis leader), dashing human pilot Lieutenant Tom Paris, half-human/half-Klingon Chief Engineer B’Elanna Torres, Vulcan security officer Tuvok, Talaxian cook Neelix, Ocampan psychic/telekinetic nurse Kes, human Ensign Harry Kim and holographic doctor Louis Zimmerman. Each week, these intrepid spacefarers made the most of their unwanted exile, exploring strange new worlds and meeting exotic races on their trip back to Earth.

Most of the crew’s encounters were with new species (they were in unknown space, after all), but the series made sure to include the occasional encounter with fan faves the Borg. These collective-dwelling, race-assimilating, bio-mechanical baddies had several memorable encounters with the Voyager crew, but none more important than the two-part Season 3 finale/Season 4 opener, “Scorpion.”

In this series-altering double-hour, the crew was forced to form a temporary alliance with the Borg to stave off an even greater threat. In so doing, the Voyager crew took aboard a disengaged member of the Borg Collective, an assimilated human now known as Seven of Nine. As the crew removed the Borg implants from Seven’s body, she regained the ability to choose for herself, and she eventually joined the Voyager crew. Blessed with a pin-up body to accompany her emotionless, recovering Borg demeanor, Seven of Nine quickly became the show’s most popular character.

As the voyage continued, character relationships were developed and new situations threatened the ship’s chances each week. B’Elanna and Paris struck up a romance, and the series spawned yet another classic race of nemeses in the hunter aliens called the Hirogen. New changes arrived in each of the show’s seven seasons, winding toward a final episode in 2001. And while the voyage may be at least temporarily over for Captain Janeway and crew, space is still vast, Trekker appetites still aren’t sated, and the Star Trek legacy will surely continue its mission of interplanetary exploration for years to come.

Release History of Prime Time Show

1/15/95 - ? UPN

TV Sub Categories

drama
sci-fi/fantasy

Television Network

UPN

Television Studio

Paramount Television

TV Cast

Captain Kathryn Janeway Kate Mulgrew
First Officer Cmdr. Chakotay Robert Beltran
Chief Engineer Lt. B'Elanna Torres Roxann Dawson
Field Medic/Nurse Kes (1995-97) Jennifer Lien
Flight Control Officer Ens. Thomas Eugene Paris Robert Duncan McNeill
Morale Officer/Guide Neelix Ethan Phillips
Chief of Security Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok Tim Russ
Emergency Medical Hologram ('The Doctor') Robert Picardo
Seven of Nine Jeri Lynn Ryan
Operations Officer Ens. Harry Kim Garrett Wang
Seska (1995-97) Martha Hackett
Federation Computer Voice Majel Barrett
Engineer Ensign Vorik Alexander Enberg
Lt. Susan Nicoletti Christine Delgado
Lt. Ayala Tarik Ergin
T'Pel Marva Hicks
Ensign Samantha WIldman (1996-) Nancy Hower
Naomi Wildman (1998-) Scarlett Pomers

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