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trekkie central voyager special
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Welcome to the latest issue of TCM,
In this issue we will be taking an in depth look at Star Trek Voyager.
We have biographies of all the main characters written by Gerri and
Eugenia. We also have interviews with Eugene Rod Roddenberry
and the female Q herself, Suzie Plakson, Also we have an article
written by Star Trek Stunt woman Leslie Hoffman.
Finally our Captains Log is written by acclaimed Star Trek author
Michael A. Martin.
So all that remains to be said is we hope you all enjoy the issue.
Live long and Prosper
Richard
FEATURES Star Trek Voyager 2371-2378
By Camren T. Burton 6
Star Trek Stuntwoman
By Leslie Hoffman 8
Captain Janeway Biography
By Gerri Donaldson and Eugenia Stopyra 11
Suzie Plakson Interview 14
Commander Chakotay Biography 19
Lt. Commander Tuvok
By Gerri Donaldson and Eugenia Stopyra 21
The Doctor Biography
By Gerri Donaldson and Eugenia Stopyra 23
Star Trek Voyager 2371-2378 A Timeline Seasons 1 and 2
By Camren T. Burton 26
Neelix Biography
By Gerri Donaldson and Eugenia Stopyra 34
Kes Biography
By Gerri Donaldson and Eugenia Stopyra 36
Seven of Nine Biography
By Gerri Donaldson and Eugenia Stopyra 38
Eugene Rod Roddenberry Interview 41
Ensign Kim Biography
By Gerri Donaldson and Eugenia Stopyra 51
Lt. Tom Paris Biography
By Gerri Donaldson and Eugenia Stopyra 53
Lt. BElanna Torres Biography
By Gerri Donaldson and Eugenia Stopyra 55
Special Thanks:
Interviewees:
Suzie Plakson and Eugene Rod
Roddenberry.
Writers:
Camren Burton; Gerri Donaldson; Leslie
Hoffman; Michael A. Martin; Richard
Miles and Eugenia Stopyra.
Production Companies:
Roddenberry Productions.
Staff:
Writers:
Camren T. Burton; Gerri Donaldson;
Leslie Hoffman; Michael A. Martin;
Richard Miles and Eugenia Stopyra.
Graphics:
Richard Miles
Images:
Bing.com Images; Google.com
Images; Leslie Hoffman; Suzie
Plakson.
Head Writers:
Gerri Donaldson and Eugenia Stopyra
Creative Consultants:
Michael Hudson and Rick Pike
Assistant Editors:
Alex Matthews
Editor:
Richard Miles
Publisher:
Richard Miles
REGULARS
Captains Log
By Michael A. Martin 59
Next Issue 60
In 1994, the unthinkable was happening Star
Trek: The Next Generation was coming to an end.
The ratings for season 2 of Star Trek: Deep Space
Nine were low, but the rumor mill was ripe with
speculation about the new Star Trek series in
development, Star Trek: Voyager.
Set aboard the U.S.S. Voyager, NCC-74656, the
series made some bold leaps forward with the
casting of a female captain (as a regular), a first
for Star Trek. Kate Mulgrew assumed the center
seat as Captain Kathryn Janeway. Also surprising
to some viewers was the presence of a black
Vulcan, Tuvok, played by Tim Russ. Other
crewmembers included Native American First
Officer Chakotay (Robert Beltran), pilot Tom Paris
(Robert Duncan McNeill), half-Klingon Chief
Engineer BElanna Torres (Roxann Dawson),
Asian Ops officer Ensign Harry Kim (played by
Garret Wang, and still waiting for his promotion),
a holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo), a Talaxian
guide and cook named Neelix (Ethan Phillips), a
young Ocampa named Kes (Jennifer Lien), and
later a liberated Borg named Seven of Nine (Jeri
Ryan).
With Voyager and Deep Space Nine airing at the
same time, the loss of The Next Generation was
somewhat softened, more so by their movie
Star Trek: Generations which opened the
autumn following the shows ending.
Voyager and Deep Space Nine maintained their
own storylines but occasionally crossed paths,
maintaining a decent continuity. The two series
would also have major impact on the Star Trek
fan-film community, as depicted in the following
timeline of Voyagers seven season run.
The timeline continues on page 31
I have always been a Trekkie ever since TOS. I even
attend the second Star Trek Convention that was
held in New York City. Imagine years later to walk
onto Paramount Lot and walk into the imagination of
Gene Roddenberrys Star Trek!!! I had been doing
stunts on DS9 for Dennis Madalone, Stunt
Coordinator for TNG, DS9 and Voyager. I could not
stunt double for Dax or Kira on DS9 due to my
height, for I was too short.
Then Star Trek: Voyager started up and there was a
Klingon-Human Hybrid named BElanna Torres.
Torres would rather punch someone first and ask
questions later. Dennis felt I would be a perfect
Double for her. The most memorable stunts I have
done for her were on Blood Fever where I did the
repelling stunt fall with Neelix and the final Pon Farr
fight with Vorik.
In Day of Honour I did the whole fight for Roxann
due to the fact that she was 10 weeks pregnant and
the Producers did not want to risk the health of
Mother and unborn Child. If you watch the fight very
carefully, you will see that there are no cuts
throughout the whole fight but at the end the camera
swings down to the Klingon that Torres had knocked
down and then swings back up to Roxann!!!!! so
that she could say her final line. All we did was to
switch places quickly but personally it is one of my all
time favorite fights that I have done.
Star Trek: Voyager was a major part of my Life for 7
wonderful years. There are so many wonderful
memories on and off the set. The main Cast was
always friendly and the crew especially Special Effects
always took care of the Stunt People who worked on
the set. In Memorial I had to be phasered in the
back. The Head of the Special Effects Department, Dick
Brownfield was very upset because up until then no
woman had been killed that way on any Star Trek
Series. Dick was so concerned about my wellbeing that
he personally rigged up the squib (explosive) on my
back. That was above and beyond what Dick had to do
and that is how I will always remember Star Trek:
Voyager.
I worked several other episodes as well. If interested
about my Career you can always visit:
Memory Alpha
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Leslie_Hoffman
IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0389003/
or my own site:
www.stuntrek.com
please feel free to ask me any more questions and I
will answer them.
Thank you Trekkie Central Magazine for inviting me to
share my experiences with you and your Readers.~
Personal Log, Stardate 48546.2. Our journey home is several weeks
old now, and I have begun to notice in my crew and in myself, a
subtle change as the reality of our situation settles in. Here in the
Delta Quadrant, we are virtually the entire family of man. We are
more than a crew and I must find a way to be more than a Captain
to these people
Kathryn Elizabeth Janeway grew up on a farm in Bloomington,
Indiana. Her father was a Starfleet Admiral. She adored her father
and credited him with forcing her to learn how to work things out
for herself. When he drowned under the polar ice cap on Tau Ceti
Prime Janeway was grief stricken, not moving from her bed for
days until her sister dragged her out of bed and coerced her to
accept the fact that their father was dead and it was time to move
on.
One of her heroes were her family ancestor, astronaut Shannon
ODonnell who she believed was the driving force behind the
construction of the Millennium Gate also Amelia Earhart a 1930s
airplane pilot. These people, along with her father inspired her to
join Starfleet.
Janeway studied hard often pulling all-nighters with a pot of coffee
by her side. Her love for coffee was one of the things she missed
most when first lost in the Delta Quadrant.
Graduating from Starfleet her first posting was on the USS Al-
Batani under the command of Captain Owen Paris as Science
Officer. Under his patronage she eventually took command of the
USS Billings. It was here that she first met Tuvok when she was
dressed down by him in front of three Starfleet Admirals for failing
to observe proper tactical procedures. Soon after Janeway and
Tuvok became close friends and she found comfort in the fact that
she could rely on his insightful and unfailingly logical advice.
Her next command was on the Intrepid-class USS Voyager and her
first mission was to locate and capture a Maquis ship that had last
been reported in the Badlands. Whilst there, the Maquis and
Voyager crews were transported against their will by an alien being
called The Caretaker into the Delta Quadrant, 75 000 light years
away. The Maquis vessel was destroyed while fighting the Kazon-
Ogla and the two crews had to start working together when
Janeway destroyed the Caretakers Array that had the potential to
return them to the Alpha Quadrant. Janeway following the Prime
Directive meant they were stranded and it would take 75 years to
return home.
At the Academy, we are taught that a captain is expected to
maintain a certain distance. Until now, I've always been
comfortable with that distance. Maybe this is just the way it works.
Maybe the distance is necessary. Maybe more than ever now, they
need me to be larger than life. I only wish I felt larger than life.
Computer, delete last sentence....
Early days in the Delta Quadrant, Janeway felt uneasy about how
to interact with her crew and especially the Maquis. As time went
on the loneliness of being the only Federation ship in the quadrant
led her to relax the separation between Captain and crew. She
viewed herself as a shepherd looking after her flock and the crew
viewed her with respect and admiration.
Janeway was a Captain who was not afraid to take
chances, in many cases putting herself in the firing
line. She was intelligent, thoughtful and totally
committed to getting her crew home.
Chakotay, leader of the Maquis became Janeways
second in command. She slowly began to trust
Chakotay and admired the way he handled the crews
of both ships. They became firm friends, although
not always seeing eye-to-eye, often sharing a meal
and debriefing. When contracting a deadly virus and
were left on a planet where the virus was held in
remission it was here that Chakotay revealed to
Janeway just how his life had changed by meeting
her.
I can tell you a story, an ancient legend among my people.
It's about an angry warrior who lived his life in conflict with
the rest of his tribe, a man who couldn't find peace even
with the help of his spirit-guide. For years he struggled
with his discontent. But the only satisfaction he ever got
when he was in battle. This made him a hero among his
tribe, but the warrior still longed for peace within himself.
One day he and his war party were captured by a
neighbouring tribe, led by a woman warrior. She called on
him to join her because her tribe was too small and weak
to defend itself from all its enemies. The woman warrior
was brave and beautiful, and very wise. The angry warrior
swore to himself he would stay by her side, doing
whatever he could to make their burden lighter her needs
would come first and in that way the warrior began to
know the true meaning of peace.
When Janeway severed Seven of Nines connection with
the Borg she took it upon herself to help rediscover her
human identity. Janeway became her mentor and role
model challenging Seven to remember her past and to
pursue what a normal life should be. Often at
loggerheads with each other as Seven questioned
Janeways opinions but over time they became friends.
It was her personal relationship with Tuvok and Chakotay
that was the determining factor for a future Admiral
Janeway wanting to change the timeline after Voyager
returned from its twenty-three year journey. Tuvok
suffered a condition that destroyed his mind, with the cure
only available on Vulcan they had returned too late for it
to be effective. Chakotay had married Seven of Nine in the
Delta Quadrant but she was killed during an away mission
and since returning Chakotay died from what Janeway
believed was a broken heart.
(At Chakotay's grave) Any final words of advice for your old
Captain? Wait, don't tell me: I'm being impulsive. I haven't
considered all the consequences. It's too risky. Thanks for
the input. But I've got to do what I think is right. I know it
wasn't easy living all these years without her, Chakotay.
But when I'm through... things might be better for all of us.
Trust me.
Travelling back in time Admiral Janeway provided Captain
Janeway with sophisticated anti-Borg technology, including
transphasic torpedoes and ablative generator armour
technology, in order for her to enter the nebula that
housed the transwarp hub. Not in any way unexpected
Admiral Janeway sacrifices herself so that her crew get
home.
As Voyager flies out from the wreckage of a Borg Sphere
that surrounded them, she was greeted by the voices of
Admiral Owen Paris and Lt Reginald Barclay welcoming
them home. After seven years in the Delta Quadrant she
accomplished what she had set out to do. She got her
crew home.
We're alone - in an uncharted part of the galaxy. We've
already made some friends here... and some enemies. We
have no idea of the dangers we're going to face. But one
thing is clear: both crews are going to have to work
together if we're to survive. That's why Commander
Chakotay and I have agreed that this should be one crew -
a Starfleet crew. And as the only Starfleet vessel assigned
to the Delta Quadrant, we'll continue to follow our
directive: to seek out new worlds and explore space. But
our primary goal is clear. Even at maximum speeds, it
would take 75 years to reach the Federation. But I'm not
willing to settle for that. There's another entity like the
Caretaker out there somewhere who has the ability to get
us there a lot faster. We'll be looking for her. And we'll be
looking for wormholes, spatial rifts, or new technologies
to help us. Somewhere, along this journey, we'll find a
way back.
Upon the return of Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant,
Janeway was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and
was assigned to Starfleet Command.
Here are three things to remember about being a starship
captain: keep your shirt tucked in, go down with the ship,
and never abandon a member of your crew!!
TCM: How did you first get cast as KEhleyr for The Next Generation,
was it on the back of your role of Selar in an earlier episode or did you
have to audition for it?
SP: I auditioned for it.
The stand out memory for me in that audition was...well, wait: I
should set up the fact that though Im profoundly and eternally
grateful to Star Trek fans, and have felt so incredibly blessed and
honored a thousand times over by my inclusion on Planet Star Trek, I
dont happen to be a SciFi person at all. And as an actor, I tend to
come, predominantly, from comedy. So, back to the audition, and the
fact that an alien chick with a gnarly forehead should stand at a door
and silkily say, Sorry Im late, I had to make myself look beautiful,
was something that I knew all the comedy and theatre folks in my life
would be in stitches over.
Well, of course, it was quite a serious moment, and the panel of
judges as it were, didnt, rightfully, crack a smile, which I found rather
unnerving.
I also think something about my generally (subtly, I hope) comic take
on things, probably led to me giving a bit of a wink to someone at
some point, which consequently led to a notable note I later received
from the producers: Um, Suzie: theres no winking in the 24th
Century. (Which frankly, makes me glad I wont be around to see it, if
thats the case.)
Point herein being, even though Id been on the show before, it took
me some time to really grasp the world I was entering, and get on the
same train with respect to the tone of things. Not much time, of
course, because I got the role on, what, a Thursday, went in for
makeup and hair on Friday, shot on Monday.
TCM: You have played a number of different characters in Star Trek,
did you prepare for them in the same way?
SP: Probably. Theyre all a thousand years ago now, and remember --
its television. Hailing back to the speed of light at which one is cast
and thrown into the mix, there generally isnt time to prepare in any
depth, nor, frankly, does there need to be. I think I took most of my
character cues from the script, as usual, and Im pretty sure they gave
me a few episodes to watch. Though I remember as I write, that
I didnt need to see a Vulcan; Id watched just enough Trek with my
brother -- whos a big Trek fan -- that one of the coolest I-got-cast
phone calls Ive ever made was to him saying, Mike, youre gonna
freak: Im playing a Vulcan.
Also, to be noted with respect to my approach to acting and Star Trek:
I find it hooks pleasantly into kid energy. In other words, the fun,
the plain old, ordinary, serious fun of getting clothed in wild makeup
and cool costumes and pretending the thing youre holding measures
diseases, or shoots firey rays of some sort is a transformational
impulse that comes from a very deep place.
And as far as the stunt stuff for KEhleyr, they just threw me in the
deep end. And with the exception of two stunts, I did everything. It
was exhausting. And hilarious.
Egotistically, I was always a little miffed they used
me only in close-ups when I thought I was just a
bit more convincing than the stunt gal, and we
have totally different heights and measurements.
The stunt stuff for the Andorian, thank God, was
done beautifully by Katie Holmes, who was
terrific. I could never have pulled off something so
tough, and my body would have been very angry
with me.
TCM: All 4 of your characters had different
personalities, were any them more difficult to
play then the other?
SP: The Vulcan was the most difficult. Firstly, Im
so insanely animated, that its a real challenge to
be still. And every decent actor knows that less is
more and that projecting with ever so much less
takes serious chops. The guy in the new movie (I
saw it on a plane), I thought was true genius. If
you look closely, in my first scene in The Schizoid
Man, I look like a deer in the headlights, and my
facial muscles are so at a loss I look like a dinner
plate.
TCM: In Star Trek Voyager you played the Female Q, how
different was she to play from K Ehleyr?
SP: Well, as vastly different as they are to watch. Ones
very, very physically demanding, the others just, well, a lot
closer to playing Noel coward.
TCM: A lot of the Voyager episode The Q and the Grey
features a Q Civil War, with American Civil War Dress, what
was it like to film?
SP: It was a blast. I loved it because we were outside,
instead of on a dusty soundstage, getting our lungs full of
that atmosphere smoke. Much as I love the theatrical
effect of the makeup, I loathe the practicum and the hours
involved, so with the q, in that era, it was about beauty
makeup and a bit -- well, more that a bit, actually -- of hair
curling and styling and such. Im mad for period costume,
though I happily took the opportunity to wear sneakers
under my dress. It was a gorgeous day, and lots of fun. I
was, to be honest, a bit disappointed in the little lace doily
afternoon tea dress: I think the Q -- the Q I played anyway -
- wouldve easily been vain enough to wear something very
low cut and ravishing and wildly inappropriate in the
middle of a battlefield. But, alas, I was only a hired hand.
TCM: How different was it working on Voyager
compared to The Next Generation?
SP: Different cast, of course, just as much fun and
welcoming as Next Gen. - same crew, though, so the
experience still felt very similar, very filial, in its way.
TCM: There was a sex scene in that episode, which the
fans found a little humorous; was it interesting to film
after the whole build up through the episode?
SP: Im sure it wasnt filmed in sequence, so we didnt
get the effect of any build-up: at least I didnt, but I can
be a bit dim. I seem to remember it being funny to film,
and having to have been informed about what it was we
were doing.
TCM: Is there anything else you can tell us about your
time on the Star Trek episodes you filmed?
SP: Well. Youre asking for a novella with that one. Lets
pick one thing: I seem to, at this sitting, remember being
punchy a lot of the time. Theres something about
everyone being dressed up in Sci-Fi costumes, working
insanely long hours (from dark to dark), being deadly
serious about wildly imaginative things, that tends to
bring out the giggles in me. And I happen to be an
inveterate giggler anyway, and barely professional, if
truth be told. I remember on Next Gen., Brent had to
enter via the elevator, which was manually operated,
and he had to do some crazy number of takes; and the
elevator just couldnt get it together. Hilarious, in my
book. I was pretty sure they were going to have to fire
me, if I got out of control, and I was teetering, let me tell
you. I was very thankful, that I didnt know anyone well
enough for them to realize how dangerous I can be
when I think somethings funny. Yeah. Its amazing I
kept it together long enough and convincingly enough to
pick up my paychecks.
Hey, Thanks so much for asking me to do this.
Be well and happy, folks!~
TAKEN FROM WIKIPEDIA.ORG. NO INFRINGEMENT
INTENDED.
Chakotay was born in 2329. As a boy, he often rebelled
against his Native American upbringing in his father
Kolopak's unnamed tribe, with its sometimes strict
spiritual and cultural traditions. He dreamed of
entering Starfleet Academy, which he finally managed
to do at age 15, sponsored by Captain Sulu. (Voyager
episode "Tattoo"). He attended Starfleet Academy from
2344 to 2348, where he engaged in the sport of boxing.
During his tenure in Starfleet, he was assigned as an
instructor in Starfleet's Advanced Tactical Training and
achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander. This may
be a reference to the TNG episode Pre-emptive Strike
where Ro Laren reveals that her tactical training
instructor, a lieutenant commander, left Starfleet to
join the Maquis. While not explicitly stated in the
series, Chakotay's official biography on the official Star
Trek website also states that he was Ro Laren's
instructor at Advanced Tactical Training.
In 2370, Chakotay's home planet in the Demilitarized
Zone was ceded to the Cardassians in accordance with
a treaty between the Federation and Cardassia. He
subsequently resigned from Starfleet and joined a
rogue group known as the Maquis. During his time as a
renegade fighter against the Cardassians, Chakotay
inducted into his Maquis cell the half-Klingon woman
B'Elanna Torres who became his chief engineer. He also
invited a Bajoran named Seska and the two became
involved in a romantic relationship for a time. However,
unknown to Chakotay, Seska was actually a Cardassian
spy who had been surgically altered to infiltrate the
Maquis.
Chakotay was captain of the Val Jean raider (the ship's
name appeared on a readout screen in the episode
"Repression"). This vessel was destroyed after both it
and the USS Voyager were transported to the Delta
Quadrant. Captain Kathryn Janeway, the commanding
officer of Voyager, offered the Val Jean crew a chance
to serve on her ship, and appointed Chakotay as her
first officer with the provisional rank of commander (in
episode "Caretaker"). Janeway and Chakotay eventually
become close friends, though in the second season
episode "Resolutions", they experienced romantic
tension when they entered a state of self-imposed
quarantine on an alien planet, after contracting a fatal
virus. After several weeks on the planet, however, the
Voyager crew managed to find a cure, and they
returned to the ship.
Near the end of Voyager's seven-year journey in the Delta
Quadrant, the former Borg drone Seven of Nine chose
Chakotay to be the object of her affections in her
continuation of her rediscovery of her humanity. In an
alternate future, seen in the series finale "Endgame",
Seven and Chakotay married, though she died before
Voyager reaches home and Chakotay dies in 2394.
Chakotay's character is a unifying presence on Voyager.
He is well-liked and well-respected by both Starfleet and
former Maquis crew members. As First Officer, he often
serves as a mentor to the junior crew members and as an
intermediary between the junior crew and the Captain.
Tuvok was born on the Vlucanis Lunar Colony on
TRukhemai in 2264. His parents Sunak and TMeni
thought that Tuvok had a narrow view of the galaxy
and enrolled him in Starfleet Academy. Tuvok
wanted to continue his study in logic and the
Kolinahr discipline but did not want to disobey his
parents so in 2289 he joined Starfleet.
After his Graduation from Starfleet he was assigned
to the science division of the USS Excelsior under
Captain Hikaru Sulu. He stayed on the Excelsior for
six years but because he was always uncomfortable
associating with non-Vulcans he decided to resign
from Starfleet to return to his home and continue
his study of the Kolinahr discipline.
During this time Tuvok was struck by the Pon Farr
and was married to TPel who had been betrothed
to him at a young age. He fathered four children, his
sons Sek, Varith and Elieth and daughter Asil and
was a devoted father and husband.
In 2340s Tuvok made a pilgrimage to Mt. Seleya on
Vulcan on foot. The journey took him several
months and during his journey he decided that it
was time for him to give something back to the
universe that had given him so much, so in 2349 he
rejoined Starfleet serving aboard the USS Wyoming.
Over the next twenty years Tuvok has various
assignments including a number of years teaching at
Starfleet Academy. After he took part in a covert
mission behind Romulan borders he was assigned to
Starfleet Command to review the tactical and
procedural records of starship captains. It was here
that he first met Captain Kathryn Janeway and was
appalled by her lack of attention to tactical and
security matters in deference to scientific research.
In 2371 Janeway requested that Tuvok join her as
Tactical Officer on USS Voyager which was her new
command. Over time Janeway respected Tuvoks
advice and became a good friend. Tuvok in turn
trusted Janeway completely and considered her the
closest thing to family aboard Voyager.
Under Janeways command Tuvok was asked to
infiltrate the Maquis and became part of a crew
captained by Chakotay. Janeway ended up chasing
this ship into the Badlands to rescue Tuvok.
After Voyager was transported to the Delta Quadrant they
picked up two natives that wanted to join the crew. A Talaxian
by the name of Neelix and an Ocampa named Kes. Over time
Tuvok and Neelix formed an odd couple relationship. Neelix
was always fond of the Vulcan however Tuvok never returned
the sentiment because he thought Neelix was frivolous and
undisciplined. When Tuvok lost his memory after an attack by
mysterious aliens called the Baneth, it was Neelix that helped
Tuvok to recover, strengthening their friendship.
Tuvok encouraged Neelix to be reunited with his people when
he joined a lost Talaxian settlement to assist them to develop
their society again. As a going-away gift Tuvok danced a brief
step, to the delight of Neelix who always said he would get the
Vulcan to dance. It was evident through this display that Tuvok
had developed at least respect if not affection for the Talaxian.
During his time on Voyager his physical, investigative and
tactical skills were an inspiration and he was one of the most
respected members of the crew. In 2377, Tuvok was diagnosed
with a degenerative neurological disease that would eventually
eat away at his self-control. To cure this disease Tuvok needed
to mind-meld with a blood relative. A simple remedy if you are
in the Alpha Quadrant but a death sentence in the Delta
Quadrant. Janeway ended up changing the timeline where
Tuvok succumbs to the disease by going back in time and
bringing Voyager through a Borg transwarp hub all the way back
to the Alpha Quadrant in time for Tuvok to mind meld with his
Son Sek.
The Doctor also known as Emergency Medical
Holographic Program AK-1 Diagnostic and Surgical
Subroutine Omega 323, had been programmed with an
expectation that the program would run for 1500 hours
in total.
The Doctor who was not given a name due to
understanding that it was just a tool was required to
become the fulltime medical officer of USS Voyager
after the death of all of the medical staff on the ship.
Although his outward appearance was that of a human
male he did not have reproductive features as it was
believed that there was no need for them.
The Doctor was programmed with all known Federation
worlds medical knowledge and included information on
over five million surgical treatments and had the ability
to create new techniques and treatments when
required.
The Doctor was a Hollow Man not only a Holo Man. It
had little control over his destiny and in fact initially had
no control over whether its program was on or off! This
was a frustration for it and it was only when Kes
convinced the Captain that it should have the same
rights as any other member of the crew giving it control
over his (he saw himself as male) deactivation sequence.
Kes went on to teach The Doctor about social graces and
it was then that his personality began to develop.
The Doctor although technically a medical genius was
oblivious to what his patients really suffered. He was
considered unsympathetic to his patients although he
attempted at times to try to see it from the point of
view of his patients! Once he programmed the
symptoms of a nasty flu which lasted for a finite 29
hours thinking that he could say see you lot are just
wusses! but trusty assistant Kes changed the time
frame and he finally found out what an illness was like
for those that suffered it. Now he understood what his
patients went through!
Having a hologram crewmember proved invaluable to
Voyager and Captain Janeway. The Doctor was able to
hide himself in the ships computer when the ship was
attacked on many an occasion. So much so that he
considered that he should be a Command back-up
program! The Doctor was if nothing else quite
conceited and believed in his own abilities. Sometimes
this would find him in conflict with the crew, such as
when he wrote a holo-novel with thinly veiled
references to the crew. He had sent this to a publisher
and although the crew did not like the content they
defended his right as a person, albeit not recognised as a
sentient being by the Federation, to the copyright of his
work even when his publisher tried to say that he had
no rights over his work!
Two events in The Doctors journey were extremely
significant in his life they were his falling in love with another
being and his gaining of a remote holo-device from the
future.
His relationship with a Vidiian who was rescued by Voyager
was the first time that he found himself in what may be called
a relationship with another being. He even changed his
program to give him all the attributes of a human male!
With the acquisition of a remote holo-emitter The Doctor was
now free to move not only around the ship but also off the
ship and now it was hard to stop him.
The growth that The Doctor went through on his seven-year
journey would fill a very long holo-novel. He saved the ship
on numerous occasions, he came through in medical
disasters, he taught Seven of Nine how to be human, just like
Kes had done for him. He gained hobbies, photography,
singing and more. He really became a renaissance man!
Voyagers journey was not only a physical one for The Doctor
it was one of personal growth for him as he went from just
being a tool that was used in an emergency but a well
rounded and developed sentient being.
Caretaker 1 & 2 48308.2
While pursuing a Maquis vessel, the U.S.S. Voyager is pulled 70,000 light-years across the
galaxy by a powerful alien called the Caretaker who is protecting a primitive species called the
Ocampa. The two enemy
crews are forced to work together to survive
after being attacked by the hostile Kazon-Ogla.
(First appearances of the Ocampa and the
Kazon. Lt. Carey appears in Engineering, but
isnt named until Parallax.)
Parallax 3 48439.7
Voyager is in an uproar by BElanna Torres attack on the acting
Chief Engineer. Chakotay lobbies for Torres to be the Chief
Engineer while Voyager attempts to rescue what they believe is
an alien ship caught in the event horizon of a singularity. (First
appearance of Seska, second appearance of Carey.)
Time and Again 4 No Stardate
Kes has a vision of a planets destruction at the same time Voyager passes through the
shockwaves of that planets explosion.
Investigating the phenomenon causes Captain
Janeway and Lieutenant Paris to be lost in
time.
Phage 5 48532.4
While scouting an asteroid for dilithium, Neelixs
lungs are removed by an aggressive alien attack, and
Voyager attempts to capture the thieves and recover
the organs. (First appearance of the Vidiians. Seska
appears)
The Cloud 6 48546.2
Voyager enters a nebula to replenish its declining
energy reserves but the nebula is no mere gas cloud.
(First appearance of Sandrines Bistro on the
holodeck. This program would remain popular until
season 3)
Eye of the Needle 7 48579.4
Voyager encounters a miniscule wormhole
which allows them to communicate with a
Romulan ship in the Alpha Quadrant. The
Doctor learns to stand up for himself
against crewmen who treat him like an
object.
Ex Post Facto 8 No Stardate
Lt. Paris is convicted of murder
on Benaea, and forced to re-
live his crime through his
victims eyes every fourteen
hours. Lt. Tuvok takes it upon
himself to re-investigate the
incident.
Emanations 9 48623.5
Ensign Kim is lost in a subspace phenomenon which
transports him to an alien world but the locals
believe he has returned from their afterlife, while the
subspace phenomenon also deposits alien corpses on
Voyager. (Seska appears)
Prime Factors 10 48642.5
Voyager is invited to a respite on Sakaris,
a pleasure-seeking society, which possesses
advanced technology that could speed their
journey home. (Note: This episode occurs
during the movie Star Trek: Generations.
Seska and Carey appear)
State of Flux 11 48658.2
After a close call with the Kazon, Tuvok suspects someone
on Voyager of clandestinely selling their technology to the
enemy. The two prime suspects are Lt. Carey and Ensign
Seska. (First appearance of First Maje Culluh)
Heroes and Demons 12 48693.2
While gathering energy samples from a protostar, several Voyager
crewmembers vanish inside a holodeck program based on the epic Beowulf,
forcing the Doctor on his first Away Mission. (Note: The Doctor briefly
assumes the name Schweitzer for this episode. A music track from this
episode was also used as the original theme song for the short-lived fan
series Voyages of the U.S.S. Angeles.
Cathexis 13 48734.2
Chakotay and Tuvok are attacked on a shuttle
mission, leaving Chakotay brain-dead. Bizarre
incidents on the ship lead Janeway to suspect
there to be a non-corporeal alien intruder on
board.
Faces 14 48784.2
BElanna awakens in a Vidiian laboratory to find
herself completely Klingon, while in the Vidiian
prison camps, Paris and a very human BElanna
are held in captivity. Voyager attempts to mount
a rescue operation. (Note: Brian Markinson plays
both Vidiian Dr. Sulan and the ill-fated Lt. Durst
in this episode.)
Jetrel 15 48832.1
An alien scientist named Jetrel boards Voyager,
concerned that Neelix may be in danger of
contracting a fatal illness, but Neelix is angered by his
very presence, as Jetrel was the scientist who
designed the weapon that destroyed Neelixs entire
home colony, as well as his family. (Note: Neelix
mentions he had little brothers in this episode, but in
all subsequent stories, he mentions only having older
sisters)
Learning Curve 16 48846.5
Four Maquis crewmen are having particular difficulty
adapting to Starfleet regulations. Tuvok is assigned to
show them the ropes, but the training lessons get off
to a very rocky start. Voyagers bio-neural circuitry is
infected with a virus. (Technical finale of Season 1.
The next four episodes aired as part of season 2, but
were filmed for season 1)
Projections 17 48892.1
The Doctor is activated to find an empty
Voyager, victim of a Kazon attack. But a
series of bizarre events proves that
things are not what they seem. (First
appearance by Dwight Schultz as Lt. Reg
Barclay)
Elogium 18 48921.3
Voyager encounters a swarm of space-borne life-
forms and gets pulled into their group. Kes also
begins the Elogium, the Ocampas single fertility
cycle. (First appearance by Nancy Hower as Ensign
Samantha Wildman)
Twisted 19 No Stardate
On Kess second birthday, Voyager
encounters a spatial distortion which
twists the inside of the ship into an
impossible labyrinth.
The 37s 20 48975.1
Following an ancient radio signal, Voyager discovers a planet inhabited by
descendants of humans abducted from Earth in 1937, where they also
discover the fate of Amelia Earhart. (Note: This episode marks the first time a
Star Trek ship has landed on a planet)
Initiations 21 49005.3
Chakotay is attacked by a young Kazon seeking to earn
his name in combat, leading to a confrontation with
the Kazon-Ogla sect. (Note: The Kazon boy is played by
Aron Eisenberg, better known as Nog on Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine)
Non Sequitur 22 49011.0
Harry Kim awakens to find himself in
San Francisco on Earth, where no one
else seems to realize that events have
been changed.
Parturition 23 No Stardate
Neelixs jealousy toward Paris and Kes comes
to a head when Paris and he crash on a hostile
planet and find a reptilian hatchling that
needs their care to survive.
Historical note: U.S.S.
Enterprise, NCC-1701-E
launched 49037.6
Persistence of Vision
24 No Stardate
A stressed-out Janeway
begins seeing elements
of her holodeck program
in real life, while
Voyager seeks
permission to cross a
hostile species territory.
Tattoo 25 No Stardate
While searching for needed materiel, Chakotay
discovers an ancient symbol from his tribes culture
which brings him face to face with his peoples Sky
Spirits. (First appearance of Chakotays father,
Kolopak, played by Henry Darrow. Second
appearance of Ensign Wildman)
Cold Fire 26 No Stardate 2
Voyager discovers a space station similar to the Array that brought them
to the Delta Quadrant, inhabited by Ocampa with powerful mental
abilities, learned from the Caretakers vengeful mate Suspiria. (Note:
Ocampa Tanis is played by Gary Graham who would later have the
recurring role of Vulcan Ambassador Soval on Star Trek: Enterprise)
Maneuvers 27 49208.5
Voyager is attacked by the
Kazon-Nistrim, who have
Seskas assistance in stealing
transporter technology for
themselves. (Seskas first
appearance as a Cardassian.
Second appearance of
Culluh. Seska supposedly
impregnates herself with
Chakotays DNA)
Resistance 28 No Stardate
Tuvok and BElanna are captured by an
oppressive government while trading for
desperately needed supplies, and a
wounded Janeway is hidden from the
troops by a half-senile old man who
believes her to be his long-lost daughter.
Prototype 29 No Stardate
BElanna repairs a robot Voyager finds
drifting in deep space, inadvertently dragging
the ship into a robotic conflict.
Death Wish 30 49301.2
While investigating a rogue comet, Voyager accidentally releases a member of
the Q Continuum from confinement. When the familiar Q (John DeLancie)
appears to lock him away again, he demands asylum on Voyager, with the
express desire of committing suicide. (John DeLancies first appearance as Q,
Special guest appearance by Jonathan Frakes as Commander William Riker)
Alliances 31 49377.4
After losing several crewmen to Kazon attacks,
Captain Janeway reluctantly seeks to end the
hostilities by seeking an alliance with one of the
sects. (Seska appears. This episode begins a story
arc with crewman Michael Jonas, played by
Raphael Sbarge, secretly funneling information
to the Kazon-Nistrim. First appearance of
Crewman Hogan. Third appearance of Culluh.)
Threshold 32 49373.4
After successfully breaking the Warp 10 barrier,
Tom Paris suddenly begins to undergo a series of
bizarre mutations. (Second appearance of
Crewman Jonas)
Meld 33 No Stardate
When a murder is committed aboard Voyager, Tuvok mind-
melds with the killer to understand his motivation, with
terrifying results. Paris starts a gambling ring, much to
Chakotays displeasure. (First appearance by Brad Dourif as
killer crewman Suder. Second appearance of Hogan)
Dreadnought 34 No Stardate
Voyager pursues a Cardassian-built weapon
that BElanna once reprogrammed to attack
enemies of the Maquis, which has now
targeted an innocent alien civilization. (Third
appearance of Crewman Jonas. Third
appearance of Ensign Wildman)
Lifesigns 35 49504.3
The Doctor falls in love with a holographic
recreation of a comatose Vidiian female found in
deep space. Pariss dereliction of duty lands him in
serious trouble. (Seska appears. Fourth appearance
of Crewman Jonas. First appearance of Danara Pel
played by Susan Diol)
Investigations 36 49485.2
Tom Paris leaves Voyager to work for a Talaxian convoy. New
journalist Neelix investigates a series of strange computer logs,
uncovering the presence of a spy on Voyager. (Seska appears. Final
appearance of Crewman Jonas. Third appearance of Hogan)
Deadlock 37 49548.7
Voyager passes through a subspace phenomenon which duplicates
the entire ship and crew, but both ships cannot exist in the same
space and time. (Fourth appearance of Ensign Wildman. Fourth
appearance of Hogan. Naomi Wildman is born in this episode, but
does not become a major character until season 5)
Innocence 38 No Stardate
After a shuttle crash on a class-M moon, Tuvok encounters a group of children
who claim they were brought to the moon to die. Voyager makes contact with
a very insular alien culture.
The Thaw 39 No Stardate
When Voyager uncovers a small group of disaster
survivors in suspended animation, Kim and
BElanna interface with the virtual world inside and
Kim is trapped by a computer-generated clown
who torments and terrifies his captives for
pleasure.
Tuvix 40 49655.2
A transporter malfunction fuses Tuvok
and Neelix into a single person who
calls himself Tuvix. It seems there is no
way to restore Tuvok and Neelix to
their individual selves. (Fifth
appearance of Hogan)
Resolutions 41 49690.1
Janeway and Chakotay must be left behind when
they are infected by a virus that the Doctor
cannot cure. Voyagers crew suffers from their
absence, forcing Tuvok to risk the ship in an
attempt to secure medicine for them. (Final
appearance of Danara Pel)
Basics Part I 42 No Stardate
When Seska pleads for Chakotays
help to protect their son from an
outraged Culluh, Voyager heads into
a region of space heavily controlled
by the Kazon, only to fall into a
brilliant trap. (Seska appears. Fourth
appearance of Culluh, second
appearance of Suder)
SEASONS 3
AND 4
COMING NEXT
ISSUE.
Neelix was a Talaxian from Rinax which was a moon in
orbit around the planet Talax in the Delta Quadrant.
Life was never the same for Neelix after his home was
destroyed and his family irradiated along with the rest of
the population of Rinax by a metreon cascade during a
conflict with the Haakonians.
After the war he was forced to become a junk dealer
scavenging the planets for whatever he could trade,
surviving on his wit, instinct and his conning ways.
It was on one of his salvage trips in a debris field near the
Ocampa home world that he was discovered by the crew
of USS Voyager. The Starfleet crew were searching for
some of their missing officers and Neelix suggested they
may have been transported by the Caretaker to a city
beneath the surface of the Ocampa home world. He
offered himself as a guide and took them to the surface
of the planet that was controlled by a Kazon sect a
scavenging war like race led by Jabin.
But Neelix had an ulterior motive for helping Voyager.
He had fallen in love with an Ocampa named Kes who
was being held as a slave by the Kazon. Water was a
scarce commodity on the planet and he persuaded
Captain Janeway that they could use the water as trade
for information about the missing crew members.
However, Neelix really wanted the water to trade for
Kes. Even though the Kazon refused to trade, the crew
members were about to escape rescuing Kes in the
process.
Seeing a chance to leave his scavenging ways Neelix
offers his service to Captain Kathryn Janeway, as a guide
to the Delta Quadrant. She accepts not realising how
much of a difference this Talaxian would make on the
ship.
Straight away Neelix took over the Captains Mess (much
to her surprise) and changed it into a Mess for the crew.
Appointing himself chef, Neelix cooked culinary delights
and not so culinary delights as replicator usage had to be
rationed due to Voyagers limited power supplies.
Each of Neelixs dishes was an adventure filled with
flavour (not always suited for human consumption) and
colour. Each dish was served with a story and a smiling
face.
Later he appointed himself as chief morale officer
making it his duty to cheer up the crew (even if they
didnt want to be cheered up!!) He offered personal
counselling sessions and ran a daily intership video
program for the crew called A Briefing with Neelix.
Captain Janeway gave Neelix the unofficial title of
ambassador when he proved that he had a flair for
diplomacy.
He also became godfather to Naomi Wildman who had been
born aboard Voyager. Each night he would tuck her into bed
and tell her stories. While her mother was on away missions
he would babysit. Neelix loved and treasured these special
times with Naomi.
His relationship with Kes did not continue. She found it
difficult to handle his jealous nature and eventually decided
that she would like to spend some time apart from him.
Neelix respected her decision and continued to immerse
himself in the life of the ship.
After nearly seven years on Voyager Neelix ended up leaving
the ship and joining a Talaxian colony that had taken refuge
on an asteroid and made it their home. Neelix discovered the
asteroid when his shuttle had crash-landed on it. He was
nursed back to health by Dexa one of the Talaxian women and
ended up helping them to defend themselves against a group
of miners who attempted to drive them off the asteroid.
Having fallen in love with Dexa he opted to leave Voyager and
stay behind with the colonists to live a life with Dexa and her
son.
The crew were sorry to see Neelix go. Even Tuvok, who Neelix
affectionly called Mr Vulcan showed recognition of Neelixs
valuable assistance to Voyager by doing a little dance.
Something Neelix always wanted to see the Vulcan do.
Neelix kept in contact with Voyager right up until the ship
entered the Borg transwarp hub to travel back to Earth. He
would never forget the time he spent on a small Federation
ship from the Alpha Quadrant.
Kes belongs to the Ocampa peoples of the Delta Quadrant
who only live nine earth years. She was brought up in the
underground city in the south of the planet where all
Ocampas live because of a disaster that causes the planets
surface to become virtually uninhabitable. Kes mother
wanted her to see the planets sun some day, whilst Kes also
believed the legends about the metal powers that the
Ocampas seem to have forgotten. Being a bit of a rebel she
eventually left the city through some of the old tunnels to
find out what the surface was like.
When Kes reached the surface she was captured by the
Kazon and in particular the Ogla sect who tried to torture
her for information about entering the city. During her time
as a slave with the Ogla she met Neelix, a Talaxian also
native to the Delta Quadrant, when he stole water from the
Kazon-Ogla to bring to her. The two of them fell in love and
Neelix promised to return and rescue her. Neelix eventually
conned the crew of USS Voyager to help him rescue Kes.
On board Voyager the first thing Kes did was to volunteer to
establish a hydroponics garden in cargo bay two. The
garden provided fresh fruits and vegetables to allow for
more variety in meals for the crew.
Kes formed a strong friendship with the Doctor and ended up
studying medicine and helping the Doctor in sickbay. She not
only helped the Doctor in his medical procedures but she
more importantly helped the Doctor to interact more easily
with the crew teaching him how to act in social situations.
Whilst on the ship Kes started to exhibit some of the mental
powers her species had long ago lost. Under the guidance of
Tuvok, Kes began to learn how to control her mental powers.
and her telepathic abilities saved the ship and crew on many
occasions.
Kes affection for Neelix began to change when she felt he
was becoming jealous, suffocating and too protective of her
eventually calling off the long-term romantic relationship.
They remained friends but never returned to the love she
had once for Neelix.
When Kes became exposed to the powerful telepathic influx
of Species 8472, she began to evolve into a different state of
being. Kes became telekinetic and was able to carry out
delicate surgical operations using her mind. Because of this
she found that she could no longer stay on Voyager as her
powers were becoming unsafe for the crew as she started to
rapidly destabilise at the subatomic level causing massive
damage to Voyager.
Kes brought a great deal of joy to the Voyager crews her
compassion, curiosity and youthful exuberance made her a
favourite amongst the crew. Captain Janeway in particular
found it hard to say goodbye to Kes as she had had a strong
connection with the young Ocampa.
As a parting gift Kes hurled Voyager safely beyond Borg
space, 9 500 light years closer to home.
A year or so later Kes returned to Voyager appearing much
older and more powerful and extremely vengeful towards
the crew. In her old age Kes had forgotten why she had
chosen to leave Voyager thinking the crew had abandoned
her. Making her way to engineering she used her powers to
inflict extensive damage along the way. A hologram that she
had recorded herself before she left Voyager was activated.
The hologram reminded her how the crew cared for her and
how it was her decision to leave the ship. Janeway asks her
to stay but she refused, opting to return to her homeworld of
Ocampa.
Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01 was a Borg
drone for 18 years having been taken by the Borg at age four.
Annika Hansen did not always travel with her parents when
they went on scientific trips but as this one was for a long
period they took her with them. The Hansens were pioneers
in their field and were studying the Borg even before the
Federation knew too much about them. Following them with
technology they designed so that they could remain hidden
and even go onto their ship they became obsessed with this
species. It was only after an ion storm that took down the
technology that they were assimilated by the Borg.
So for the next 18 years Annika was a drone and having been
assimilated so early she did not remember her early childhood.
Being part of a collective was normal for her hearing millions
of thoughts that were not her own was just the way it was.
Seven had an early taste of being an individual but as she was
only 16 at the time she panicked, afraid of being just one, she
forced a collective consciousness on three other drones with
which she had crash-landed. The others who were adults
started to regain their identities but she just got scared
because she only had knowledge of life as a drone.
Voyager made an alliance with the Borg when aliens
known to the Borg as Species 8472 attacked both of them,
Seven was one of a group of drones placed on Voyager to
work with the crew to deal with the attacks. The cube
from which Seven was from sacrificed itself to save
Voyager as they were the ones with the weapon that
would save them both. But with Janeway injured Chakotay
made the decision to get rid of the Borg by decompressing
where they were working. However, showing the tenacity
with which we have come to know she Seven managed to
remain on board.
With the mission successful Seven attempted to assimilate
Voyager but the crew were prepared. Seven was severed
from the collective and was now just one. Accepting
this was hard for Seven, 18 years of knowing everything
and not having to make a decision on her own were
suddenly gone. Most of implants were removed but not all
as some were still critical to her health. There were two
particular non-human traits that made her not yet fully
human she still had to regenerate and did not eat solid
food.
Seven was like a very intelligent and precocious child not
knowing how to interact with humans, selfish and
egocentric, afraid of what Janeway had forced her to
become. Seven contributed much to Voyager as she
retained most of the information that she gained whilst as
a drone and along with Harry Kim built what would
become one of Voyagers most important tools, The
Astometrics Lab. With the aid of this tool the crew were
now able to plot courses that allowed them to take years
off the journey and ultimately to contact home.
It was slow but Seven began to except her humanity and
in a very Borg way tried to plan and develop this side of
her. Like The Doctor who took lessons from Kes, Seven
began taking lessons from The Doctor. This though was
hard work for Seven who was forthright and direct,
thinking that she knew more than those around her,
finding it hard to follow The Line of Command on the
ship. Caught between two worlds the one that she knew,
as a drone and the one that she was gaining, humanity at
was a hard journey for her. Working with people as a
single entity and remembering what she had done as a
drone meant that she had to face many moral conflicts.
Sevens journey on the ship was not the same as the
others in the crew. Her journey was about self-discovery,
learning who she was, understanding the human condition
and how to be one amongst many.
TCM: What is your first memory of Star Trek?
ER: I dont have a super clear first memory of Star Trek, but I do
remember conventions. My mother ran Lincoln Enterprises, for
fans who purchased Star Trek items in the late 60s and early
70s you would have most likely purchased them from Lincoln
Enterprises. They went to conventions, Creation Entertainment
had a convention at Disney in Orange County California and I
loved it for two reasons firstly I would get to spend half the day
at Disneyland and secondly I would get to go to a giant costume
party, everyone was dressed in costumes and there were tables
selling all these cool knickknacks. I must have been around 4, 5,
6 Im not sure how old. Another memory, again Im not sure
how old I was, but now youve got me thinking about it, my
father used to have an old 16mm projector in his home office
bathroom and on those projector wheels that he would have
were episodes of Star Trek and one particular one was the
blooper reel from the original series and he would have it on his
counter top in the bathroom and a little piece of white card in
front of it and he would play the blooper reel for me, now to be
honest I didnt even get what Star Trek was at this time. I could
repeat the phrase that I had heard other people say which was
my father was a producer on Star Trek or my father created Star
Trek but I didnt know what it was, I just knew the blooper reels
were funny because these guys would run down stairs and trip
and all sorts of things would happen. So those are my two
earliest memories of Star Trek.
TCM: Did you ever go to the set of a Star Trek shoot?
ER: Well the first time I remember
Going to the set was really when I was,
it probably happened before this but I
cant remember, the first time I was
there was on the set of The Next
Generation, in fact the first season.
My father like all fathers wanted to
teach me about earning a living, so he
got me a job one summer at the
Paramount lot working on the season
one set of The Next Generation and my
title was essentially whats known as a
production assistant or a gopher and
my job was to essentially run packages,
scripts, tapes and everything from
department to department all over the
lot as well as make coffee as well as a
lot of the other important yet
Non-production level things, but I was 13 it seemed like great
fun to me at the time riding around the lot. I have to say initially
I was kinda mad at my father cause all of my friends had the
summer off and they were all playing, we were all 13 we wanted
to go goof off and have a good time, but my father forced me to
work and so I did. I remember saying do you know how many
people would kill for this job and I would always tell him they
dont have to kill anyone Ill give it to them (laughs) so that was
really my first experience. The sad part, well I wouldnt say sad,
and I wouldnt say regret either but at that age, I was till relatively
young I never went from department to department actually
trying to learn how television or how Star Trek was mad. It really
was just a fun summers job for me and yes it would have been
great if Id taken a real interest and learn but Im gonna forgive
myself because I was so young at the time, but that was really the
first time I was on set. I got to know all the cast, I had free reign of
the paramount lot to some degree, and I could go on sets
whenever I wanted. It wasnt that big of a deal at that time, you
know, after going on because you kind of get to know the crew get
to know the cast and just how everything works but in retrospect
looking back at it I do have extremely fond memories and I do miss
the experience because it was really like a family even though I
was the youngest and I was the producers son could tell all the
cast and crew. I mean they worked together between 12 and 18
hours a day. I mean were talking a minimum of 12 hours and it
really becomes a second family to them for some of them
probably their first family and there was definitely that closeness
that everyone had and again it just warms my heart when I think
about it. Id love to have that experience again one day in the
future on one of my productions.
TCM: Which Star Trek series is your favourite?
ER: Thats a simple one for me actually because The Original Series was
from 1966-1969. I was born in 1974 so by the time I started watching
TV Star Trek already seemed too old for me. Im a product of the Next
Generations (laughs). I love that show, I was 13 when I was working on
the set and my father would bring home the final tapes, they were VHS
tapes back then, every Thursday night. I wouldnt say that I got Star
Trek by then but I really thought it was a fun show and I watched
episode after episode, out of all the series except for the original (the
original and the next generation are the two that I have seen every
single episode) and even to this day I have to say The Next Generation
is still my favourite. What makes it my favourite is the fact that, my
father through out his life grew and evolved as a human being, his
philosophy, his ideas, his expectations I mean The Original Series had
this young Kirk who was willing to get in to a fist fight and even though
he did the right or ethical thing at the end of the episode, he was
definitely a little bit more of a cowboy, where as Picard was more laid
back, used his mind a bit more then his fists and theres something
about his character and in fact the entire cast that I was able to respect
more and enjoying more. So The Next Generation it is for me.
TCM: What were your initial thoughts when Enterprise was cancelled?
ER: TO be honest my initial thoughts were I didnt care to much. I gave
it a chance, I watched the entire first season and I thought it was good,
maybe not great but sort of a good Star Trek with a little bit of a rocky
start. It had jumped too far ahead for me, in fact I thought the
entire first season should be a build up to discovering the
Klingons. So I kinda just wanted a slower more natural
progression of this young civilization reaching into the depths
of space, it just moved a little bit to fast for me.
I tuned into the second season for just a few episodes and was
immediately turned off and I cant particularly remember why
at this time but I remember it just didnt interest me, and you
know how it is, the minute you miss a season or a number of
episodes its hard to tune back in. Id heard that seasons
three and four were much better, thanks to Manny Coto, but
I never really gave it another shot and even to this day I
havent given it another shot because Ive gotta sit down and
watch it all over again from one to four.
So my first thoughts were kind of I dont care but I did care
that it was, you know, the end of Star Trek running as a TV
series, now truthfully I never thought and I still dont think
that its off the air permanently. It had a good run and I figure it
needed a hiatus, the audience, the market and the TV waves
had been saturated with Star Trek series after Star Trek series
and I thought it might be a good idea for it to rest for five, ten
or even fifteen years, and to be honest I still feel that way.
I think Star Trek will come back on TV whether its in a year or
twenty years, its never going to die, the fans are gonna keep it
alive and also CBS and Paramount are always going to see profit
to be made. So one day they well dig it back up and say well
hey lets make something out of this. I do know that Star Trek
will come back in one form or another on TV, I just dont know
when and I dont know how good it will be (laughs). The last thing
I want it to do is to become Star Wars, that doesnt deal with
ethics, humanity, the human potential, we dont want
science fiction that doesnt have a statement about the
positive attributes of humanity as well as learning from our negative
ones.
TCM: What did you think of the latest Star Trek Movie?
ER: Well to be honest I thought it was pretty good, umm yeah there are
plenty of things that I would do differently, there were plenty of things
my father would do differently and there were plenty of things that you
out there reading this would do differently, but I thought it was pretty
good. In fact I was very impressed that they stayed as true as they did to
the Star Trek canon. Now I know theres a lot of naysayers out there
that are upset because it went on a different timeline but I have to give
them credit for at least doing that, you know they could have gone back
and said you know what were gonna re-write history and were gonna
do it our way. I would have been very disappointed had they done that,
but instead they branched off on to a new timeline which allowed all the
original fans, the people who like the original stuff like me to still
connect and believe in that timeline, that it does still exist but theres
also a whole new generation and for those of us with open minds
theres a whole other timeline that we can go down, you know I thought
it was fairly intelligent and basically very respectful of the current fan
world out there. The story was fine but what really made it were the
characters, I mean the story was nothing really special it was good guy
verses bad guy, planets going to get destroyed, weve kinda seen it
before, but again done by JJ. its always unique. Where I have to give
credit is to the characters, they did a great job of casting, I mean Spock
was Spock, McCoy was McCoy, they all did a fantastic job on that and
that really helped I think ease some of the pain, some of the fears and
some of the expectations we might have had. It lived up to that
expectation by really making sure the characters stayed true to the
original series, so I thought they did a great job.
My only issue, my only gripe if you want to call it that is that at the ed
when Neros ship is being sucked into the wormhole type thing and
being destroyed. I was happy Kirk said hey were willing to offer you
assistance if you just as for it, and of course Nero says no Id rather
die. I didnt think it necessary that they fire all the photon
torpedoes to blow them out of the sky that was a little bit
over kill for me and I know that it came from a vengeful Spock whod
just seen his planet destroyed but the true Roddenberry/Star Trek way
is to do what they did, offer assistance but then show remorse for and
pity for the loss of life regardless of what its done.
TCM: When did you first become aware of Star Trek Fan Films?
ER: I cant put a date on it but I can tell you that it was six to eight years
ago. The major one was Star Trek New Voyages, I came across either a
web series or a DVD and I was extremely impressed by the quality of the
sets and the wardrobe. I mean it didnt seem like somebody just picking
up a video camera and goofing off with it, it seemed like a relatively well
made production and after I contacted them they sent me a script and
the script really seemed to get Star Trek. I as very impressed with it, it
was the closest thing to The Original Series since The Original Series at
the time, thats what I was telling people and thats what o thought
about it. Ive seen a number since. Im really impressed by the quality
and the production values theyre giving it. Im sure all those hard core
people out there say hey it will never be like the original series, I dont
think that anyone out there is trying to beat or be like The Original
Series, may be if they have half a million dollars they can get up to that
or now a days they would probably need $1.5million to $2 million but
until independent fan film productions get the donation of $1.5 million I
dont expect to see them of the production quality that TV shows are
made of these days, but that aside it is the story and the passion that
has drawn me to them and thats why Im supporting them. I mean hell
the studios arent making a series right now, the fans might as well do
just a good a job representing the Roddenberry name the Star Trek
philosophy .
TCM: Can you tell us about Roddenberry Productions, like when it was
founded and was Star Trek the only show represented when the website
was launched?
ER: Roddenberry Productions basically came from my fathers company
called Lincoln Enterprises. Lincoln Enterprises was a Star Trek
merchandising catalogue show that was started in 1968 by my mother
and father and it was basically mail order Star Trek merchandise.
Anyone who got a patch, a pin or a shirt back in the 60s, 70s and even
the early 80s probably got it most likely from Lincoln Enterprises. So my
mother ran that basically up until the early-mid 90s and then it kinda
sat defunct for a while. In 2000 I decided to bring it into modern times
and bring it online, so I also didnt like the name Lincoln Enterprises. I
know my father was a big fan of Abraham Lincoln but I wanted to bring
it closer to home, closer to the Roddenberry philosophy, so of course I
called it Roddenberry.com and we simply replicated what my mother
has done for so many years but through an online interface. W also
introduced new merchandise and at the time it was only Star Trek, in
fact for 40 years its only been Star Trek, but now we can open it up and
call it Roddenberry merchandise, not just Star Trek merchandise. We
dont branch into Star Wars or any of the other science fiction simply
because we dont have a licence to do so but its merchandising for all
Roddenberry products now.
Now back to your question of when Roddenberry products begin well
that is sort of the umbrella company which houses all the other ones
below it that is an entertainment company which houses
Roddenberry.com it also houses Trek Nation, Genes Journal and
Days Mis5ing, those are properties which we currently have
In development. Roddenberry Productions was started anywhere
between three and five years ago and its essentially there to create and
invite all forms of science fiction that have that philosophy attached to
it. So for example were not just putting out any sci-fi about a monster
who attacks a city and sci-fi space. This is about anything that has heart,
has ethics to it, that has a story about humanity that gives us sort of a
look into our potential. Thats what we call the Roddenberry philosophy
and there are all kinds of ideas and products and properties that were
gonna be putting out through Roddenberry Productions.
TCM: Can you tell us about some of the productions you have put out?
ER: Genes Journal and Rod and Barry are two comic strips currently on
the Roddenberry.com website, they are illustrated by David Reddick
who is well known in the comic industry, hes done many comics such as
Garfield. Those are two creations that my business partner Trevor Roth
came up with, he actually developed both ideas and hired David to
illustrate them. So now I think once a week or if not twice a month we
have a new three celled comic panes that have a cute little clip of Genes
Journal. I should tell you Genes Journals basic concept is Gene (my
father) as a little kid and sort of his life experiences that led him to
create the idea of Star Trek. So as a young kid hes got all these
characters around him and all these experiences where he will get
abducted by UFOs or something and hell meet Klingons or someone
who is painted themselves green and they called themselves Orion Slave
Girls. Theyre just little snippets, fictional snippets of his history and run
ins that helped him create Star Trek. Rod and Barry is another comic
strip that we have and its about two aliens, ones named Rod and the
others named Barry and they were sent out by their evil overload to go
and destroy the earth but on their way there theyve caught some of
our TV shows and they have become caught up they become sci-fi fans,
so they geek out after watching these TV shows. So most of these
comic strips have to do with recent sci-fi entertainment events so what
ever movies come out at the time, randomly for example the matrix all
of a sudden you will find those characters kind of goofing off on each
others characters.
TCM: You have recently been releasing a comic book series
called Days Mis5ing, can you tell us a bit about that?
ER: Well again Ive gotta give credit to my business partner Trevor Roth,
he developed the idea of Days Mis5ing and what it is, is a five book
series. Five comic books at least for starters that tell the story of the
Steward, which is this non-human character who has the ability to fold
time, but only in 24 hour increments, so for example if there were an
event and he decided that event shouldnt have happened or shouldnt
have happened in the way it did he could stop time and jump back 24
hours and some how sort of prevent or change the event, he doesnt
actually jump back but he stops time and throws it back 24 hours and
sort of nudges the other characters involved in that activity to perhaps
decide to do things differently so that it doesnt have the same
potentially catastrophic outcome it did the first time. Thats it in a nut
shell, its available in hard cover from Amazon and a lot of places, but the
important part here is not that weve just doing a comic book but were
doing a comic book in a way that people havent done before or at least
its not as often done. These are real Roddenberry characters and
Roddenberry stories, in the way that they deal with ethics, they deal
with humanity, they deal with social issues and real questions that we
all have. So its very intelligently written and thought out and I think
anyone anywhere whos a fan of Roddenberry and a fan of good sci-fi
will really get a kick out of this. I have never been a comic book fan but I
am very very into these comic books because they are really well done.
One thing that was done differently was that each issue has a different
writer and a different illustrator. Normally when a comic book comes
out they pretty much have just one or two and they do the entire series.
This one what we really did was try and pull from the big names in the
comic book names in the comic book industry and see if we could get
each one of them to do a book and they did and it proved extremely
successful because all they had was a backbone story to stay in line
with, they could all give it their own spin whether it was story or
illustration, so while the stories all follow the same premise of Days
Mis5ing of the Steward, they all have their own feel. Again the exact
same thing for the illustrations, they all have the same basic look but
they are all drawn differently and it keeps it interesting I think. I think
we will probably be releasing another series of five and we hope to have
the same success. We would love to get your feedback on these comic
books, so please go out and get them, of course we want you to buy
them but if you want to steal them thats fine, to me the most
important thing is that we really sort of tap into the Roddenberry
audience out there and get their feedback as to whether were doing a
good job or not.
TCM: You have something called Roddenberry Dive Team listed on the
Roddenberry.com website; can you tell us what that is and what it
does?
ER: For those of you who dont know I am an avid scuba diver. I love the
ocean, I love exploring it. It gives so much whether its education or
enjoyment or fulfilment, I can explore every emotion out there and its
really sort of my place of Zen, its more then just a hobby its a passion
for me and the parallels between scuba diving and going into space/Star
Trek are I think obvious to a lot of us, I mean if you are exploring a
strange new worlds you are seeking out alien life and you are going
where very few have gone before not to put a too fine point on it, but it
really does parallel Star Trek. Thats not why I got into it, I got into diving
on its own but again the parallels are pretty blatant there and it just
made sense to me that I might as well put some passion into
this or take advantage of my passion and make sort of this
dive club and what weve called it is the Roddenberry Dive Team and
the reason why we call it a team is because its not something out there
where we are competing with other teams but it is a group of us getting
together and working as a team to educate ourselves and improve our
environment so weve has a ton of fun with that. We started last May
2009 and its been extremely successful so far. Its a global concept we
hope to reach out to people from all over the world and have them
become members of the team, but right now since weve just started
out we are keeping it localized and small, so its pretty much a California
West Coast thing. At least as far as events go. What we hope to do is if
people have interest in this we hope for people to start their own
Roddenberry Dive Team Chapter in their own state or even country and
this would be great because we could all have exchange programs
where you come out and dive with us and we will come and dive with
you, but again the real focus is not just the gimmicks of Star Trek
because we do have a lot of Star Trek gimmicky things. We have Star
Trek wet suits and dry suits, we also have things that we call the Red
Shirts dives, those are all hooks, those are all the fun things that we get
people involved in. The real idea is to get people involved in preserving
out environment and bringing awareness to the community as how
important not just our oceans are but our planet is and each event that
we do we try to have some sort of educational element, we try to have a
scientist or someone who can teach us about where were diving and
why its important to preserve it. We try to have them come along and
really just sort of bring awareness to why were doing it. Now I started
this with a gentleman by the name of Greg Martin who lives in
Washington and hes been diving for 30 years and hes got a passion for
Star Trek, what we are doing is to try and gain this movement and bring
in as many people as we can.
Visit roddenberrydiveteam.com for more information.
TCM: Is there anything else you can tell us about current or future
Roddenberry Productions projects?
ER: Well we do have a number of things in the works like all production
companies in Hollywood but the most prominent right now is a
project called Questor or for those of you who know it best
The Questor Tapes, it was a series, a two hour pilot I should
say, that my father did in 1974 about an android whos come out
of hibernation and has lost its programming and goes searching for its
creator. You can actually see it on You Tube if you look up Questor
Tapes. We have just sold the rights to Imagine Entertainment which is
another production company much more successful then ours so far in
Hollywood; they do such shows as 24 and Parent Code. We sold it to
them because they are known for doing a high calibre work and we
really have high hopes for it. I dont want to say to much right now
because things can still fall through but its looking good and weve
brought on a writer so far named Tim Marier, he really seems to get the
Roddenberry philosophy and really has a passion about incorporating
those philosophies into this new series because as Ive said in a million
of my other answers we just dont want to put on stock sci-fi,
Roddenberry sci-fi, Roddenberry entertainment has always been about
humanity, its always meant to reveal our follies and our potential from
those follies, its really supposed to show humanity at its worst and best
and its the times when it shows us at its best that it inspires us the
viewers to really want to go create that future and thats what Star Trek
did, it said were fallible creatures but we learn from our mistakes, we
can grow and when we do the right thing we can really be something
special. That sums it up for all future Roddenberry productions they will
all have that type of philosophy in there.
There is another one that I should mention and thats Trek Nation. Trek
Nation is a documentary that Ive been working on for way too long
(laughs). The premise is a son searching to understand who is father was
and its a documentary where I went out meeting my friends, family,
fans and other notables in the entertainment and sci-fi community and
asking them what they knew of Gene Roddenberry and who he was. It
was great because the close friends of the family could really tell me a
bit about the man behind Star Trek and of course the fans tell me about
what Star Trek has done for them and how it has inspired them and the
other people in the industry tell me what his work has done in the
industry and its really a somewhat of the man behind the myth and Im
really proud of it and we have just completed the final rough cut and are
sending it out to distribution companies to see if anyone is interested in
buying it. I have extremely high hopes cause we have put a lot of time
and effort into it and its extremely well done. So look for that sometime
in the next year.~
Harry Kim the unluckiest ensign in Starfleet!! Unlucky in
love, unlucky at staying alive, unlucky