Star Trek: Voyager is unique in the fact that it is the first Star Trek show to feature a female captain. Aside from that it expanded the universe quite a bit and provided a new direction for the franchise to take off in. The premise is that the Voyager takes off from Deep Space Nine in order to track down a rebel ship. While on their mission however their ship is struck by an energy wave and knocks them 70,000 light years from earth, meaning that they would need 75 years to return home. Throughout the series’ run they encounter a wide array of aliens both hostile and benign, and the crew gradually settles in and learns how to cope with their losses and acclimate to their situation. Eventually they find ways to cut down the length of their trip and reduce it to seven years’ travel instead of a grueling seven and a half decades, but it doesn’t come without a cost. The crew has to endure quite a bit throughout their several seasons, and sometimes that included dealing with each other off camera.
Just being a popular show isn’t always enough to keep the peace on a set.
10. Almost everything had to be built from scratch.
Since the show was going in a slightly different direction than the others the sets had to reflect this. The method and techniques used were still the same in many regards.
9. There was a lot of drama thanks to casting a female captain.
This had never been done before and was a bit of a shock to many people.
8. Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan didn’t get along.
On the show their characters managed to get along and keep the peace, but off camera they were fairly antagonistic to each other.
7. There was a lot of conflict when Jeri Ryan came on the show.
Her character seemed to get too much attention and many of the cast felt that she was not a team player no matter how things worked out.
6. One of the writers quit.
The executive producer actually decided to deny one of the writers any say in the creative process and as a result the writer packed up and left.
5. The Kazon were written out completely.
These aliens were called Klingon knock-offs and were fashioned after LA gangs. Their appeal was very low and so they were cut out completely.
4. Jeri Ryan turned down her role four times.
She absolutely did not want this part and yet was convinced to take it after being begged and pleaded with.
3. The male actors would attempt to trip up Kate Mulgrew.
There were times that it might have been playful and innocent but there were also times when it was a bit malicious.
2. A lot of people were expecting a male captain.
There has always been a male captain in Star Trek shows. Installing a female captain was something that a lot of Trekkies simply weren’t ready for.
1. Jeri Ryan’s character is credited with saving the show.
It’s been said that she added a level of sex appeal that the show hadn’t enjoyed at first.
I can recall a lot of people stating that Voyager wasn’t their favorite part of Star Trek. It seems that there was good reason for this.
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