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By the mid-1990s,
Trekkies would have not one
2
00:00:11,098 --> 00:00:14,144
but twoStar Trek shows
to give them their fix.
3
00:00:14,188 --> 00:00:15,972
Good luck.
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00:00:16,016 --> 00:00:18,192
We were a few seasons
into Next Generation when they said,
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00:00:18,235 --> 00:00:20,368
"Let's get another one going,"
and that was Deep Space Nine.
6
00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:22,892
So I said,
"Man, this is really cool.
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00:00:22,935 --> 00:00:24,328
"They're gonna do
a whole another series."
8
00:00:24,372 --> 00:00:26,330
One day that's going to be me.
9
00:00:26,374 --> 00:00:29,725
They're chugging out
20-some-odd episodes a year of two different series.
10
00:00:29,768 --> 00:00:31,901
And then there was
the big screen.
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00:00:31,944 --> 00:00:34,991
When Next Generationended,
it went right into its first feature film.
12
00:00:36,210 --> 00:00:39,648
They say time is the fire
in which we burn.
13
00:00:39,691 --> 00:00:41,519
Prophetic warnings aside...
14
00:00:41,563 --> 00:00:44,870
Paramount said, "Simultaneously,
let's get another show."
15
00:00:44,914 --> 00:00:46,655
...another
Star Trek series?
16
00:00:46,698 --> 00:00:48,265
Everything Star Trek's
is exploding.
17
00:00:48,309 --> 00:00:50,702
But would
the new series blow up...
18
00:00:50,746 --> 00:00:51,877
Welcome aboard Voyager.
19
00:00:51,921 --> 00:00:53,401
...or be more of a bomb?
20
00:00:53,444 --> 00:00:56,012
So beam aboard
and hold on tight
21
00:00:56,056 --> 00:01:00,016
as we boldly go
into the depths ofStar Trek.
22
00:01:02,105 --> 00:01:06,544
And you can see it all
from here inThe Center Seat.
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00:01:10,896 --> 00:01:17,120
In 1994, development began
on a fifthStar Trek show, adding to a growing family.
24
00:01:17,164 --> 00:01:19,166
We were the baby that came along
25
00:01:19,209 --> 00:01:21,603
when Next Generation
was seven years old
26
00:01:21,646 --> 00:01:23,692
but Deep Space Nine
was only two years old.
27
00:01:23,735 --> 00:01:27,783
We had six stages at Paramount
going at one time.
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00:01:27,826 --> 00:01:29,524
It was basically
the Star Treklot.
29
00:01:29,567 --> 00:01:31,830
Walking down
Star Trek Street at Paramount,
30
00:01:31,874 --> 00:01:34,964
here's Shatner and the entourage
out in the alley between the buildings.
31
00:01:35,007 --> 00:01:37,967
He's all decked out
in his monster maroon.
32
00:01:38,010 --> 00:01:39,751
And meanwhile, here's TNG.
33
00:01:39,795 --> 00:01:41,405
They're trying to get
their thing wrapped.
34
00:01:41,449 --> 00:01:45,148
Across the street, you've got
the three stages of DS9.
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00:01:45,192 --> 00:01:48,238
And then in the offices,
you've got the art department.
36
00:01:48,282 --> 00:01:50,719
You've got people
who are planning what's gonna be Voyager.
37
00:01:50,762 --> 00:01:55,985
So you really have
four Star Trekprojects in the works at one time
38
00:01:56,028 --> 00:01:59,075
in this insane summer of 1994.
39
00:01:59,119 --> 00:02:01,208
The patriarch
of this family was a man
40
00:02:01,251 --> 00:02:04,254
who would come to define
theStar Trek of the '90s.
41
00:02:04,298 --> 00:02:07,170
Rick Berman,
as the executive producer of the shows,
42
00:02:07,214 --> 00:02:10,608
he has to carry
the load of all these multiple productions.
43
00:02:10,652 --> 00:02:15,309
So much so that
the era would become known as the Berman era.
44
00:02:15,352 --> 00:02:17,833
It's funny. I have heard it
referred to me.
45
00:02:17,876 --> 00:02:19,617
It was the Westmore years.
46
00:02:19,661 --> 00:02:21,532
Whatever
it was called, there was only one person
47
00:02:21,576 --> 00:02:24,100
who didn't want another show
on his hands.
48
00:02:24,144 --> 00:02:27,321
My feeling was,
"Let's take a break. We're doing it too quickly."
49
00:02:27,364 --> 00:02:30,411
And their feeling was,
"We have ratings. Do it."
50
00:02:30,454 --> 00:02:32,064
But there was
a little more to it
51
00:02:32,108 --> 00:02:35,285
because Paramount's
bold plans forStar Trek
52
00:02:35,329 --> 00:02:38,419
were one part
of a much riskier project.
53
00:02:38,462 --> 00:02:42,684
Paramount and Chris-Craft
United television stations
54
00:02:42,727 --> 00:02:46,514
joined forces to start
the United Paramount Network.
55
00:02:46,557 --> 00:02:48,690
Better known as UPN.
56
00:02:48,733 --> 00:02:50,387
And I went to run that.
57
00:02:50,431 --> 00:02:53,869
Paramount had explored
this territory 20 years earlier
58
00:02:53,912 --> 00:02:57,699
when it tried to launch
a fourth network to challenge the big three.
59
00:02:57,742 --> 00:03:01,181
But armed with wunderkind
executive, Lucy Salhany,
60
00:03:01,224 --> 00:03:03,008
and a newStar Trek show,
61
00:03:03,052 --> 00:03:06,490
Paramount was confident
this time would be different.
62
00:03:06,534 --> 00:03:09,232
Perhaps a little too confident.
63
00:03:09,276 --> 00:03:11,887
We had from September
until January.
64
00:03:11,930 --> 00:03:15,673
The middle of January,
we had promised the stations we would be on the air.
65
00:03:15,717 --> 00:03:18,198
And if launching
a network in four months
66
00:03:18,241 --> 00:03:21,418
wasn't groundbreaking enough,
Voyager would be...
67
00:03:21,462 --> 00:03:25,944
The first time we would see
a female captain leading a show.
68
00:03:25,988 --> 00:03:28,120
...still
a controversial move.
69
00:03:28,164 --> 00:03:32,473
It was, in fact,
whatStar Trek's creator had espoused 30 years earlier.
70
00:03:32,516 --> 00:03:36,607
It's another reflection
of Gene's whole thing about humanity,
71
00:03:36,651 --> 00:03:38,957
encompassing
all of its elements.
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00:03:39,001 --> 00:03:42,265
Star Trek was
once again ahead of its audience,
73
00:03:42,309 --> 00:03:44,311
but not too far ahead.
74
00:03:44,354 --> 00:03:47,357
The only way the audience
would accept a female captain
75
00:03:47,401 --> 00:03:49,881
is if we made her
as much of a man as possible.
76
00:03:49,925 --> 00:03:53,537
Which sounds like
the male idea of what a female should be.
77
00:03:53,581 --> 00:03:55,887
But producers had a plan
to avoid that.
78
00:03:55,931 --> 00:03:58,977
Rick said to me,
"We're going to do a series about a female captain.
79
00:03:59,021 --> 00:04:00,414
"Do you wanna be a co-creator?"
80
00:04:00,457 --> 00:04:01,980
To which
Jeri responded...
81
00:04:02,024 --> 00:04:03,243
Yes. Yes.
82
00:04:03,286 --> 00:04:05,027
I thought
it was important,
83
00:04:05,070 --> 00:04:07,899
especially because we wanted
to have a female captain
84
00:04:07,943 --> 00:04:10,337
that we had
a female executive producer.
85
00:04:10,859 --> 00:04:12,861
Obviously.
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00:04:12,904 --> 00:04:15,951
And obviously,
Jeri had some opinions about the female captain.
87
00:04:15,994 --> 00:04:18,736
I was one who felt very strongly
88
00:04:18,780 --> 00:04:23,524
that she should be allowed
to have compassion and sensitivity
89
00:04:23,567 --> 00:04:25,656
and maybe a maternalness.
90
00:04:25,700 --> 00:04:28,529
That she should be
a complete human being.
91
00:04:28,572 --> 00:04:31,532
And most importantly,
a sense of self.
92
00:04:31,575 --> 00:04:34,230
A real sense of self
without apology.
93
00:04:34,274 --> 00:04:36,493
But the creators
ofVoyager knew that
94
00:04:36,537 --> 00:04:38,582
it would take
more than a female captain
95
00:04:38,626 --> 00:04:41,237
to set their show apart
from the crowded slate.
96
00:04:41,281 --> 00:04:43,021
Because,
as previously established...
97
00:04:43,065 --> 00:04:44,893
Every Star Trekbegins with
98
00:04:44,936 --> 00:04:47,939
"How do we make it
exactly like the others, except totally different?"
99
00:04:47,983 --> 00:04:51,073
Rick Berman, Michael Piller
and Jeri Taylor
100
00:04:51,116 --> 00:04:53,336
begin a series
of secret meetings.
101
00:04:53,380 --> 00:04:55,512
Now it was getting
very, very difficult
102
00:04:55,556 --> 00:04:57,340
because there had been
The Original Series,
103
00:04:57,384 --> 00:05:00,125
there had beenNext Gen,
there had beenDeep Space Nine.
104
00:05:00,169 --> 00:05:03,564
So how do you come up
with something that feels fresh?
105
00:05:03,607 --> 00:05:06,871
The answer was simply
to ask fans what they wanted.
106
00:05:06,915 --> 00:05:09,439
Paramount does focus research,
107
00:05:09,483 --> 00:05:13,313
and they ask fans
if they would want another Star Trekshow.
108
00:05:13,356 --> 00:05:17,447
And fans say, "Yes,"
and they prefer a ship-based show.
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00:05:17,491 --> 00:05:21,538
That meant daring
to chart an unknown course forVoyager.
110
00:05:21,582 --> 00:05:27,152
It was Michael who came up
with the idea of losing them in Deep Space.
111
00:05:27,196 --> 00:05:28,676
When
a displacement wave
112
00:05:28,719 --> 00:05:31,331
knocks theVoyager
clear across the galaxy...
113
00:05:36,205 --> 00:05:37,598
Report.
114
00:05:37,641 --> 00:05:40,078
We're over 70,000 light years
from where we were.
115
00:05:40,122 --> 00:05:41,558
Not much
to worry about.
116
00:05:41,602 --> 00:05:44,953
Just 75 years at maximum warp
and they'd be home.
117
00:05:44,996 --> 00:05:47,782
We had an overall mission.
Get home.
118
00:05:47,825 --> 00:05:52,352
It was radical enough
that it made me a little nervous.
119
00:05:52,395 --> 00:05:55,355
And others
a little disappointed.
120
00:05:55,398 --> 00:05:57,618
I mean, come on. What warp?
121
00:05:57,661 --> 00:06:00,534
Where is the exploration?
122
00:06:00,577 --> 00:06:04,581
Where is the drive
to expand our knowledge?
123
00:06:04,625 --> 00:06:06,757
No. We just wanna go home.
124
00:06:06,801 --> 00:06:09,630
It's a fine crew,
and I've got to get them home.
125
00:06:09,673 --> 00:06:12,720
This is what will make it fresh.
This is what makes it original.
126
00:06:12,763 --> 00:06:15,592
This is what makes it different.
This is what will make it work.
127
00:06:15,636 --> 00:06:17,507
And they were right
to be apprehensive
128
00:06:17,551 --> 00:06:19,117
because there was
a price to pay
129
00:06:19,161 --> 00:06:21,642
for sendingStar Trek
into the unknown...
130
00:06:21,685 --> 00:06:25,341
No Klingons, no Romulans,
no Cardassians, no Trill.
131
00:06:25,385 --> 00:06:28,431
The popularity
ofStar Trek has a lot to do
132
00:06:28,475 --> 00:06:30,694
with the Klingons,
the Romulans.
133
00:06:30,738 --> 00:06:35,264
That area of space
that we all know and love in producing such good stories.
134
00:06:35,307 --> 00:06:37,788
Completely breaking
withStar Trek tradition.
135
00:06:37,832 --> 00:06:40,704
They're setting themselves up
with this incredible challenge.
136
00:06:40,748 --> 00:06:42,576
And that
challenge was...
137
00:06:42,619 --> 00:06:45,361
Is the audience
going to accept that?
138
00:06:45,405 --> 00:06:47,842
Are they going to buy it?
Are they going to resent us?
139
00:06:47,885 --> 00:06:49,234
Let's find out.
140
00:06:49,278 --> 00:06:51,411
As the premier script
came together,
141
00:06:51,454 --> 00:06:55,763
this trio dared to introduce
new alien races.
142
00:06:55,806 --> 00:06:57,329
Ranging from the tragic...
143
00:06:57,373 --> 00:06:58,896
She is Ocampa.
144
00:06:58,940 --> 00:07:00,985
Why would you be interested
in such worthless creatures?
145
00:07:01,029 --> 00:07:02,247
...to the comic.
146
00:07:02,291 --> 00:07:03,945
I must admit,
I haven't had access
147
00:07:03,988 --> 00:07:07,339
to a full
replicator before.
148
00:07:07,383 --> 00:07:11,169
Even the very bones
ofStar Trek were getting a new twist.
149
00:07:11,213 --> 00:07:14,085
Computer, initiate Emergency Medical Holographic program.
150
00:07:14,129 --> 00:07:17,611
That is to say,
the ship's new doctor was now just an app.
151
00:07:17,654 --> 00:07:19,830
Please state the nature
of the medical emergency.
152
00:07:19,874 --> 00:07:22,137
When I read
the character description, it said,
153
00:07:22,180 --> 00:07:26,141
"a computer program
of a doctor, colorless, humorless."
154
00:07:26,184 --> 00:07:29,449
But I'd heard they'd seen,
like, 900 actors,
155
00:07:29,492 --> 00:07:32,713
and they wanted someone funny,
but I didn't think the part was funny on paper.
156
00:07:32,756 --> 00:07:36,107
So in his audition,
Robert ad-libbed a line,
157
00:07:36,151 --> 00:07:39,067
a little something extra
to show his chops.
158
00:07:39,110 --> 00:07:41,025
The last scripted line,
159
00:07:41,069 --> 00:07:45,203
"The doctor has been
left active in sick bay and he has nothing to do."
160
00:07:45,247 --> 00:07:47,597
Doesn't anyone know
how to turn off the program when they leave?
161
00:07:47,641 --> 00:07:52,428
And after that last line,
I took a long, deadpan look at the 16 people watching me
162
00:07:52,472 --> 00:07:55,083
and I said, "I'm a doctor,
not a nightlight."
163
00:07:55,126 --> 00:07:57,477
Bones couldn't have
said it better himself.
164
00:07:57,520 --> 00:07:59,522
I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer.
165
00:07:59,566 --> 00:08:03,874
But even
a computer-generated doctor needed a snappy name.
166
00:08:03,918 --> 00:08:07,748
The doctor was going to be
named Dr. Zimmerman through the entire first season.
167
00:08:07,791 --> 00:08:10,402
Right before we premiered,
they changed my credit
168
00:08:10,446 --> 00:08:13,014
from Doc Zimmerman,
Robert Picardo, to The Doctor.
169
00:08:13,057 --> 00:08:15,495
And suddenly,
Star Trek's new doctor
170
00:08:15,538 --> 00:08:19,977
sounded a bit like a certain
more famous doctor from across the pond.
171
00:08:20,021 --> 00:08:22,371
And in that moment,
unwittingly, I ripped off
172
00:08:22,414 --> 00:08:24,808
fifty years of British
science fiction television.
173
00:08:24,852 --> 00:08:28,769
Other new characters
had problems much bigger than what they were named.
174
00:08:28,812 --> 00:08:31,162
Kes, this is a surprise.
175
00:08:31,206 --> 00:08:34,209
Kes is an Ocampan,
has a very short lifespan.
176
00:08:34,252 --> 00:08:36,864
Living not much longer
than your average pet.
177
00:08:36,907 --> 00:08:42,173
It was a character who gave us
an interesting perspective on mortality.
178
00:08:42,217 --> 00:08:44,393
You know how finite
a human lifespan is.
179
00:08:44,436 --> 00:08:48,615
Producers found
their mayfly in a young actress from Illinois.
180
00:08:48,658 --> 00:08:51,269
Jennifer Lien who played,
uh, Kes,
181
00:08:51,313 --> 00:08:54,359
a very, very good actress.
182
00:08:54,403 --> 00:08:56,231
I thought
Jennifer Lien was wonderful.
183
00:08:56,274 --> 00:08:58,320
Extremely talented.
184
00:08:58,363 --> 00:09:00,583
And I thought,
"Excellent choice for that role."
185
00:09:00,627 --> 00:09:02,977
She played it to the hilt.
186
00:09:03,020 --> 00:09:05,501
And there were plenty
more characters to cast.
187
00:09:05,545 --> 00:09:07,938
We need a Robbie McNeill type
to play Paris.
188
00:09:07,982 --> 00:09:09,984
I'm already doing a job.
189
00:09:10,027 --> 00:09:11,812
It's true.
190
00:09:11,855 --> 00:09:14,510
He'd already
played a small part in theNext Generation.
191
00:09:14,554 --> 00:09:15,642
But not to worry.
192
00:09:15,685 --> 00:09:17,513
Fine. He's another character. Okay.
193
00:09:17,557 --> 00:09:19,384
Well, then I guess I'm yours.
194
00:09:19,428 --> 00:09:23,258
AnotherNext Generation veteran
was Ethan Phillips
195
00:09:23,301 --> 00:09:26,522
who would swap a spiky teeth
for pointy ears and a mohawk.
196
00:09:26,566 --> 00:09:28,611
Neelix.
197
00:09:28,655 --> 00:09:31,135
Eventually,
the initial script suggested something different.
198
00:09:31,179 --> 00:09:33,485
It said he was an android,
199
00:09:33,529 --> 00:09:35,357
and I didn't know what that...
200
00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:37,794
I figured it was a guy who had,
like, an oid hanging from his...
201
00:09:37,838 --> 00:09:39,796
I didn't know
what the hell it was.
202
00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:42,233
Well,
at this point, no one knew what much of anything was
203
00:09:42,277 --> 00:09:45,019
because without
its beloved Klingons,
204
00:09:45,062 --> 00:09:47,717
Star Trek needed a new band
of would-be villains.
205
00:09:47,761 --> 00:09:49,806
Hail the Maquis.
206
00:09:49,850 --> 00:09:53,593
One of the ingredients
was this group of rebels called the Maquis.
207
00:09:53,636 --> 00:09:56,944
These renegades, they are
broken away from the Federation.
208
00:09:56,987 --> 00:09:58,772
They are our antagonists
209
00:09:58,815 --> 00:10:00,904
that we're gonna have
to come to some kind of understanding with.
210
00:10:00,948 --> 00:10:03,646
And leading
these potentially sinister insurgents,
211
00:10:03,690 --> 00:10:05,648
Robert Beltran as Chakotay.
212
00:10:05,692 --> 00:10:07,998
Commander, you and I
have the same problem.
213
00:10:08,042 --> 00:10:10,784
I think it makes sense
to try and solve it together, don't you?
214
00:10:10,827 --> 00:10:15,571
And this
rogue faction soon found itself aboardVoyager.
215
00:10:15,615 --> 00:10:17,094
Watch out, Captain.
They're armed.
216
00:10:17,138 --> 00:10:21,098
That, to me, was the most
interesting part of the pilot.
217
00:10:21,142 --> 00:10:24,014
We are going to have conflict
not only with aliens
218
00:10:24,058 --> 00:10:26,626
and other stuff that we meet
out in the universe,
219
00:10:26,669 --> 00:10:28,715
we are gonna have it
on board the ship.
220
00:10:28,758 --> 00:10:32,109
And although
this could have been the source of a lot of tension...
221
00:10:32,153 --> 00:10:33,720
Didn't go anywhere.
222
00:10:33,763 --> 00:10:36,418
I didn't think this Maquis thing
would last, and I was right.
223
00:10:36,461 --> 00:10:40,161
In fact,
it didn't even survive the first episode.
224
00:10:40,204 --> 00:10:41,902
Permission to speak freely.
225
00:10:41,945 --> 00:10:44,208
I was hoping that
they would play with that a little bit longer.
226
00:10:44,252 --> 00:10:47,124
There's conflict embedded
in the whole situation.
227
00:10:47,168 --> 00:10:51,259
But writers
soon realized the conflict scenario didn't make sense.
228
00:10:51,302 --> 00:10:54,479
Now was it because
I didn't wanna deal with it and I ignored it?
229
00:10:54,523 --> 00:10:56,568
Or is it because they're stuck
on a desert island?
230
00:10:56,612 --> 00:10:58,396
We are not at home.
231
00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:02,313
There is no purpose for them
in the wrong quadrant of the galaxy.
232
00:11:02,357 --> 00:11:04,446
And we are on the lifeboat.
233
00:11:04,489 --> 00:11:07,101
What kind of trouble
are you gonna make on a lifeboat, man?
234
00:11:07,144 --> 00:11:10,974
So instead of conflict,
the Maquis brought the opposite.
235
00:11:11,018 --> 00:11:15,065
Both crews are going
to have to work together if we are to survive.
236
00:11:15,109 --> 00:11:17,851
Diversity
in the Starship's crew was mirrored
237
00:11:17,894 --> 00:11:20,636
by real diversity
inVoyager's cast.
238
00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:23,552
My grandparents are from Mexico.
We are Mestizos.
239
00:11:23,595 --> 00:11:25,772
We are half European,
half native.
240
00:11:25,815 --> 00:11:28,122
I'm Puerto Rican,
and as I was growing up,
241
00:11:28,165 --> 00:11:30,994
I didn't really see anybody
that looked like me on TV.
242
00:11:31,038 --> 00:11:32,822
Star Trek's
infinite diversity
243
00:11:32,866 --> 00:11:35,999
was once again challenging
its audience.
244
00:11:36,043 --> 00:11:38,741
They asked me,
"Well, how could there be an African-American Vulcan?"
245
00:11:38,785 --> 00:11:40,438
Well, I think the phrase is
246
00:11:40,482 --> 00:11:42,876
"infinite diversity
in infinite combinations," isn't it?
247
00:11:42,919 --> 00:11:45,095
And for
the true pedants out there,
248
00:11:45,139 --> 00:11:49,143
it's worth pointing out
that the planet Vulcan has multiple suns.
249
00:11:49,186 --> 00:11:51,536
Meaning it's hot.
250
00:11:51,580 --> 00:11:55,192
So what is the temperature
gonna be like on the equator of that planet?
251
00:11:55,236 --> 00:11:59,501
But the producers
had left their toughest casting decision until last.
252
00:11:59,544 --> 00:12:03,374
And for the captain,
even getting the name right was a challenge.
253
00:12:03,418 --> 00:12:05,289
The first name was Elizabeth.
254
00:12:05,333 --> 00:12:08,989
It turns out there is
a real-life Elizabeth Janeway of high repute.
255
00:12:09,032 --> 00:12:12,470
She is the wife
of economist Eliot Janeway.
256
00:12:12,514 --> 00:12:14,559
So, no, we can't use
a real person's name.
257
00:12:14,603 --> 00:12:16,039
So then it becomes Kathryn.
258
00:12:16,083 --> 00:12:18,650
And then 20 years later,
Jeri Taylor has a chance
259
00:12:18,694 --> 00:12:22,089
to interact with the real-life
Elizabeth Janeway.
260
00:12:22,132 --> 00:12:25,527
And she says, "You know,
we almost named her for you, but we couldn't name..."
261
00:12:25,570 --> 00:12:27,485
And Elizabeth Janeway says,
"Oh, my God,
262
00:12:27,529 --> 00:12:29,400
"I would have been thrilled
if you'd named her Elizabeth."
263
00:12:29,444 --> 00:12:32,186
Instead Elizabeth
was now a Kathryn.
264
00:12:32,229 --> 00:12:34,797
But who best to embody
this new matriarch?
265
00:12:34,841 --> 00:12:37,539
They had to find
this middle ground
266
00:12:37,582 --> 00:12:39,497
of someone
who could show a heart
267
00:12:39,541 --> 00:12:43,675
and be kind of,
in many respects, a mother to her crew,
268
00:12:43,719 --> 00:12:45,634
but also be in charge.
269
00:12:45,677 --> 00:12:50,465
We struggled to find
an actress to do that.
270
00:12:50,508 --> 00:12:53,381
I mean, we read
hundreds of people, literally.
271
00:12:53,424 --> 00:12:56,688
Leaving
no stone unturned in their search for a captain,
272
00:12:56,732 --> 00:13:01,215
producers considered
nearly every established TV heroine ever.
273
00:13:01,258 --> 00:13:02,738
Erin Gray from Buck Rogers.
274
00:13:02,782 --> 00:13:04,696
Attention, alien spacecraft.
Do you read?
275
00:13:04,740 --> 00:13:05,828
Linda Hamilton.
276
00:13:06,916 --> 00:13:08,004
There's Susan Gibney.
277
00:13:08,048 --> 00:13:09,136
We made a good team.
278
00:13:09,179 --> 00:13:11,921
Lindsay Wagner,
The Bionic Woman.
279
00:13:11,965 --> 00:13:14,706
But this catalog
of kick ass led to nothing.
280
00:13:14,750 --> 00:13:19,711
They brought in an actress
who had obviously had some success with Mrs. Columbo.
281
00:13:19,755 --> 00:13:21,757
The working actress,
Kate Mulgrew.
282
00:13:21,801 --> 00:13:23,803
And I know
what you're thinking.
283
00:13:23,846 --> 00:13:25,413
But she didn't get the job.
284
00:13:25,456 --> 00:13:26,588
At least not yet.
285
00:13:26,631 --> 00:13:27,981
We weren't all that taken,
286
00:13:28,024 --> 00:13:31,854
and so didn't even offer her
a second reading.
287
00:13:31,898 --> 00:13:34,683
But then a big name
put her hat in the ring,
288
00:13:34,726 --> 00:13:37,338
albeit a hat that
no one saw coming.
289
00:13:37,381 --> 00:13:41,733
It was made known to us
that Genevieve Bujold was interested in this.
290
00:13:41,777 --> 00:13:45,912
Genevieve Bujold
was an Academy Award nominated actress.
291
00:13:45,955 --> 00:13:47,130
She was a name.
292
00:13:47,174 --> 00:13:49,393
She was more associated
with art films.
293
00:13:49,437 --> 00:13:51,265
Brother, I must fight. I must.
294
00:13:51,308 --> 00:13:54,442
Everybody was excited
beyond belief.
295
00:13:54,485 --> 00:13:56,444
I pushed hard
for Genevieve Bujold.
296
00:13:56,487 --> 00:13:59,839
I was a huge fan of hers.
297
00:13:59,882 --> 00:14:05,279
We asked her to read
and she didn't wanna do that.
298
00:14:05,322 --> 00:14:08,456
I think she felt
it was demeaning to her
299
00:14:08,499 --> 00:14:13,330
that an actress of her stature
and caliber to be asked to read a part.
300
00:14:13,374 --> 00:14:16,943
Not wanting to offend
the Oscar nominated actress...
301
00:14:16,986 --> 00:14:19,902
We made the decision
not to ask her to read,
302
00:14:19,946 --> 00:14:23,123
but to give her the part
convinced that it would be wonderful.
303
00:14:23,166 --> 00:14:25,255
But not everyone
shared the hunch.
304
00:14:25,299 --> 00:14:27,431
And I remember
very, very clearly
305
00:14:27,475 --> 00:14:30,043
telling both Michael Piller
and Jeri Taylor
306
00:14:30,086 --> 00:14:33,829
who were enamored with her
that I didn't think it was gonna work.
307
00:14:35,962 --> 00:14:37,920
Star Trek: Voyager
had landed
308
00:14:37,964 --> 00:14:42,011
a genuine marquee star
to be its first female captain.
309
00:14:42,055 --> 00:14:45,493
People know Genevieve Bujold
is a marketable name.
310
00:14:45,536 --> 00:14:48,061
But not everyone
was quite so excited.
311
00:14:48,104 --> 00:14:51,064
There was a part of me
that knew it wasn't gonna work.
312
00:14:51,107 --> 00:14:55,677
And with
a very expensive pilot on the line,
313
00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:58,332
Voyager needed to hit
the bull's eye.
314
00:14:58,375 --> 00:15:01,726
Voyagerabsolutely
was our premiere show.
315
00:15:01,770 --> 00:15:03,990
Luckily,
they had an A-list cast.
316
00:15:04,033 --> 00:15:07,428
The Cardassians claim
they forced the Maquis ship
317
00:15:07,471 --> 00:15:10,953
into a plasma storm
where it was destroyed,
318
00:15:10,997 --> 00:15:13,695
but our probes haven't
picked up any debris.
319
00:15:13,738 --> 00:15:18,178
After one day's shooting,
we were a little dismayed.
320
00:15:18,221 --> 00:15:20,484
She was very passive.
321
00:15:20,528 --> 00:15:22,834
And I literally can't hear
what she's saying.
322
00:15:22,878 --> 00:15:24,271
That was the first sign.
323
00:15:24,314 --> 00:15:25,881
Excuse me, Captain, is that...
324
00:15:25,925 --> 00:15:27,622
Now? You mean now?
325
00:15:27,665 --> 00:15:29,972
We might be able to disperse it
with a graviton particle field.
326
00:15:30,016 --> 00:15:32,932
Do it. Red alert.
327
00:15:32,975 --> 00:15:36,370
I think this was a very
conscious choice on her part,
328
00:15:36,413 --> 00:15:39,547
that she didn't need
to be strong
329
00:15:39,590 --> 00:15:42,942
or imperious or controlling.
330
00:15:42,985 --> 00:15:46,946
Dramatically, this did not
translate well.
331
00:15:46,989 --> 00:15:50,906
It created the effect
that she didn't care if she was there or not.
332
00:15:50,950 --> 00:15:53,039
The film actress
also struggled to fit
333
00:15:53,082 --> 00:15:57,086
her big screen expectations
into small screen realities.
334
00:15:57,130 --> 00:16:00,002
This was a woman
who had just done feature films.
335
00:16:00,046 --> 00:16:01,221
She had never done television.
336
00:16:01,264 --> 00:16:03,049
She was used to doing
one page a day.
337
00:16:03,092 --> 00:16:04,441
We do seven.
338
00:16:04,485 --> 00:16:06,356
You know, with dialogue changing
every ten minutes.
339
00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:10,230
Day one
of shooting had become a slow-motion train wreck.
340
00:16:10,273 --> 00:16:13,363
And we talked to the director
and said, you know,
341
00:16:13,407 --> 00:16:16,323
we need to have
a little more substance from this woman.
342
00:16:16,366 --> 00:16:20,762
And he said,
I know and I have tried and it's not happening.
343
00:16:20,805 --> 00:16:23,678
Perhaps things
would be better on day two.
344
00:16:23,721 --> 00:16:25,767
It was exactly the same.
345
00:16:25,810 --> 00:16:30,337
Genevieve had
gone down a rabbit hole and she decided to stay there.
346
00:16:30,380 --> 00:16:34,515
She, basically,
went into her trailer and wouldn't come out.
347
00:16:34,558 --> 00:16:36,908
And our shooting schedule
went to hell.
348
00:16:36,952 --> 00:16:38,867
The studio got incredibly upset.
349
00:16:38,910 --> 00:16:42,088
This was
starting to cost Paramount serious money.
350
00:16:42,131 --> 00:16:46,005
Problem is, if you fire her,
you have to pay her for the whole season.
351
00:16:46,048 --> 00:16:48,224
It's a lot of money,
even for Star Trek.
352
00:16:48,268 --> 00:16:50,270
But before
push came to shove,
353
00:16:50,313 --> 00:16:52,837
Genevieve offered
an olive branch.
354
00:16:52,881 --> 00:16:57,364
She summoned the three of us,
Rick, Michael, and I, to her trailer,
355
00:16:57,407 --> 00:17:00,889
and said she just didn't feel
she could go on with this.
356
00:17:00,932 --> 00:17:04,545
This was not
the right choice for her. It was not the right part.
357
00:17:04,588 --> 00:17:06,851
And while sympathetic,
the producers were,
358
00:17:06,895 --> 00:17:07,939
more than anything...
359
00:17:07,983 --> 00:17:09,593
Deeply relieved.
360
00:17:09,637 --> 00:17:12,553
A move that instantly
saved Paramount money,
361
00:17:12,596 --> 00:17:15,164
but landed the production
in choppy waters.
362
00:17:15,208 --> 00:17:18,211
Our Academy Award-winning
actress is going.
363
00:17:18,254 --> 00:17:21,562
Scandal, scandal.
This is the doom ship. This is the ship of the dead.
364
00:17:21,605 --> 00:17:23,520
The Star Trekthat will never
get off the ground.
365
00:17:23,564 --> 00:17:26,567
It was back
to square one. And with time against them...
366
00:17:26,610 --> 00:17:30,788
They go back through the files
and see, maybe, we should give a second read to some people.
367
00:17:30,832 --> 00:17:33,008
And thanks to
a little detective work,
368
00:17:33,052 --> 00:17:36,403
they discovered
Mrs. Columbo, again.
369
00:17:36,446 --> 00:17:39,928
And so Kate came in and read.
370
00:17:39,971 --> 00:17:44,019
...for a second time,
but that didn't mean she was doubly prepared.
371
00:17:44,063 --> 00:17:45,673
I didn't watch any Star Trek.
372
00:17:45,716 --> 00:17:48,110
In fact, somebody once said,
"Oh, Patrick Stewart is here."
373
00:17:48,154 --> 00:17:50,765
I was at a party and I said,
"Who's Patrick Stewart?"
374
00:17:50,808 --> 00:17:52,332
And they all gasped.
375
00:17:52,375 --> 00:17:55,117
Well, in any case,
at the second audition...
376
00:17:55,161 --> 00:17:59,861
I was free in the audition room,
I was able to give my take on Kathryn Janeway.
377
00:17:59,904 --> 00:18:03,517
It was less gasping
and more sighs of relief.
378
00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:07,129
And it was such
a profound difference
379
00:18:07,173 --> 00:18:10,176
between what Genevieve had done
and what Kate was doing.
380
00:18:10,219 --> 00:18:14,005
And I remember
as I left the room, if I didn't do it literally,
381
00:18:14,049 --> 00:18:16,356
I felt that I was winking
at Rick Berman.
382
00:18:16,399 --> 00:18:18,227
So there's
no surprise that...
383
00:18:18,271 --> 00:18:20,403
My first choice
and all of our first choice was Kate.
384
00:18:20,447 --> 00:18:23,711
But Kate had
little time to get accustomed to the chair.
385
00:18:23,754 --> 00:18:27,193
I think I had about a weekend
to pull myself together,
386
00:18:27,236 --> 00:18:32,633
but it felt like I was
being shot out of a cannon. It was so intense.
387
00:18:32,676 --> 00:18:35,375
And if learning
her part overnight wasn't enough...
388
00:18:35,418 --> 00:18:37,507
She was under a tremendous
amount of scrutiny.
389
00:18:37,551 --> 00:18:41,163
With jittery
studio suits hovering, Kate had inherited
390
00:18:41,207 --> 00:18:43,383
the toughest of tough crowds.
391
00:18:43,426 --> 00:18:48,388
I only remember coming onto
the bridge and having to perform that initial monologue.
392
00:18:48,431 --> 00:18:49,519
We're alone...
393
00:18:50,694 --> 00:18:53,523
in an uncharted part
of the galaxy.
394
00:18:53,567 --> 00:18:57,875
With a lot of men in suits
standing at the lip of the bridge, arms folded,
395
00:18:57,919 --> 00:19:02,402
"Is she going to do this
because we've got a wonderful actor in the wings."
396
00:19:02,445 --> 00:19:05,448
Kate was not only
the producers' last chance,
397
00:19:05,492 --> 00:19:08,582
she was turning into
the sisterhoods last stand.
398
00:19:08,625 --> 00:19:12,063
There were all these rumors
that if we didn't find the right woman
399
00:19:12,107 --> 00:19:17,547
to play Captain Janeway,
that the studio might make it a male after all.
400
00:19:17,591 --> 00:19:21,247
Suddenly, Kate wasn't
the only cast member getting nervous.
401
00:19:21,290 --> 00:19:25,773
If Janeway were now a man,
then one of the other characters that was, presently, a man
402
00:19:25,816 --> 00:19:27,427
might be turned into a woman.
403
00:19:27,470 --> 00:19:30,343
So we were all a little nervous
about losing our jobs.
404
00:19:32,301 --> 00:19:34,216
With the fate of
a new network
405
00:19:34,260 --> 00:19:37,741
and the entire
Star Trek franchise on her shoulders,
406
00:19:37,785 --> 00:19:39,656
Kate Mulgrew dug deep.
407
00:19:39,700 --> 00:19:43,356
When that kind of
attention is on you, it's very hard to relax
408
00:19:43,399 --> 00:19:46,576
and inhabit the character
with the kind of grace and confidence
409
00:19:46,620 --> 00:19:51,233
that only comes over time,
so I had to really act.
410
00:19:51,277 --> 00:19:52,582
Let's see what happens.
411
00:19:52,626 --> 00:19:54,454
I had to pull myself together
and I thought,
412
00:19:54,497 --> 00:19:56,804
"Well, this is
what it's going to be like. It's going to be tough."
413
00:19:56,847 --> 00:19:59,807
Kate came on set.
We were filming in the corridors,
414
00:19:59,850 --> 00:20:02,070
and everybody
burst into applause.
415
00:20:02,113 --> 00:20:04,420
"Oh, my gosh,
we can get back to work now."
416
00:20:04,464 --> 00:20:07,423
Kate Mulgrew came in
and just took charge of that role from the beginning,
417
00:20:07,467 --> 00:20:10,034
and she was clearly the captain.
418
00:20:10,078 --> 00:20:11,949
She was in charge.
419
00:20:11,993 --> 00:20:14,648
And you could totally buy
a ship full of people following her orders.
420
00:20:14,691 --> 00:20:16,780
It just felt right.
421
00:20:16,824 --> 00:20:19,609
But there were still
plenty of other things they could get wrong.
422
00:20:19,653 --> 00:20:24,614
Like the entire plot for
the two-part premiere episode called"Caretaker".
423
00:20:24,658 --> 00:20:28,531
They were supposed to be
an advanced race, but they can find any water.
424
00:20:28,575 --> 00:20:31,839
The Kazon
were no substitute for the Klingons.
425
00:20:31,882 --> 00:20:35,146
You know, you've got, like,
warp-capable spacecraft,
426
00:20:35,190 --> 00:20:36,322
but you're thirsty.
427
00:20:36,365 --> 00:20:38,367
I mean,
it just seemed kind of silly.
428
00:20:38,411 --> 00:20:41,849
And incidentally,
it wasn't just the Kazon who were thirsty,
429
00:20:41,892 --> 00:20:43,372
And it was, you know,
100 degrees
430
00:20:43,416 --> 00:20:44,765
and I was in that makeup.
431
00:20:44,808 --> 00:20:46,941
They all trade and they all kill
each other for it.
432
00:20:46,984 --> 00:20:49,857
Everybody was bitching.
Finally, I just got so sick of listening to the bitching
433
00:20:49,900 --> 00:20:53,730
and said, "Listen, guys, I got
a mattress glued to my head, you guys should shut the... up."
434
00:20:53,774 --> 00:20:57,299
My friends,
it's good to see you again!
435
00:20:57,343 --> 00:21:00,911
Well, the script
wasn't quite holding water for Brannon Braga, either.
436
00:21:00,955 --> 00:21:03,218
My only contribution
to the pilot, I think,
437
00:21:03,262 --> 00:21:06,874
was that I thought
the initial drafts were missing
438
00:21:06,917 --> 00:21:08,267
some kind of weirdness.
439
00:21:08,310 --> 00:21:10,094
Well, not for long.
440
00:21:10,138 --> 00:21:14,055
I'm up here,
I have a pitcher of lemonade and some sugar cookies.
441
00:21:14,098 --> 00:21:16,971
You're being catapulted
to the Delta Quadrant.
442
00:21:17,014 --> 00:21:19,539
You need a little
Twilight Zone-nessgoing on.
443
00:21:19,582 --> 00:21:22,672
And I think their answer to that
was this banjo man thing.
444
00:21:24,413 --> 00:21:26,589
But not just
your regular banjo man.
445
00:21:26,633 --> 00:21:29,331
He turns out to be
a super powerful dying alien.
446
00:21:29,375 --> 00:21:31,333
Who really
looks like this.
447
00:21:31,377 --> 00:21:34,989
And was responsible
for the well being of the subterranean Ocampas.
448
00:21:35,032 --> 00:21:38,079
He had no idea
that our technology
449
00:21:38,122 --> 00:21:40,821
would be so destructive
to their atmosphere.
450
00:21:40,864 --> 00:21:46,217
But aside from
a cool banjo, the caretaker also has a very powerful array
451
00:21:46,261 --> 00:21:48,002
that could sendVoyager home.
452
00:21:48,045 --> 00:21:51,440
But in doing so,
it would fall into the hands of the Kazon,
453
00:21:51,484 --> 00:21:54,225
who would use it to steal
the Ocampas water.
454
00:21:54,269 --> 00:21:56,097
And they won't be able
to survive.
455
00:21:56,140 --> 00:21:58,926
Leaving Captain Janeway
with a tough choice.
456
00:21:58,969 --> 00:22:02,321
Either use
the caretaker's array to get home,
457
00:22:02,364 --> 00:22:04,279
or destroy it
and save the Ocampa.
458
00:22:04,323 --> 00:22:06,455
But it means being stranded.
459
00:22:06,499 --> 00:22:09,415
I'm aware everyone has families
and loved ones at homes they want to get back to.
460
00:22:09,458 --> 00:22:11,417
So do I.
461
00:22:11,460 --> 00:22:14,855
But I'm not willing to trade
the lives of the Ocampa for our convenience.
462
00:22:14,898 --> 00:22:16,552
We'll have to find
another way home,
463
00:22:16,596 --> 00:22:19,163
And she carries
that burden with her for the entire series.
464
00:22:19,207 --> 00:22:22,210
But it was very brave
to cut all the moorings loose.
465
00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:30,131
We're like castaways out there.
We are on our own, and we are in unexplored space.
466
00:22:30,174 --> 00:22:32,133
They've taken away
the safety net.
467
00:22:32,176 --> 00:22:36,355
There is no Klingon, Romulan,
Cardassian to fall back on.
468
00:22:36,398 --> 00:22:41,490
What you hope is that by
going into a completely fresh area of space,
469
00:22:41,534 --> 00:22:44,406
you have enough
potential material
470
00:22:44,450 --> 00:22:48,845
that you don't have to have a...
a favorite enemy.
471
00:22:48,889 --> 00:22:51,979
Furthermore,
since they're still on a one way trip home,
472
00:22:52,022 --> 00:22:54,242
that meant there'd be
no doubling back.
473
00:22:54,285 --> 00:22:57,941
Even if we encountered,
you know, a really interesting species, like the Vidiians,
474
00:22:57,985 --> 00:22:59,943
you know, as soon as we were
past somebody's space,
475
00:22:59,987 --> 00:23:01,771
we wouldn't be coming back
and seeing them again.
476
00:23:01,815 --> 00:23:04,600
In a way, it was a little bit
of a drawback.
477
00:23:04,644 --> 00:23:08,125
The fact that Voyager
was constantly moving under,
478
00:23:08,169 --> 00:23:11,694
on a trajectory to get home
was not a drawback.
479
00:23:11,738 --> 00:23:15,045
In terms of encountering species
a second time,
480
00:23:15,089 --> 00:23:18,571
because a species like
the Vidiians, and they can be far spread.
481
00:23:18,614 --> 00:23:21,965
They can live on other worlds.
They have warp ships, too.
482
00:23:22,009 --> 00:23:25,969
Like, and so what, by the way,
it forces you to come up with new stuff.
483
00:23:26,013 --> 00:23:28,450
Producers were confident this lost in space
484
00:23:28,494 --> 00:23:30,278
Star Trek would find
an audience.
485
00:23:30,321 --> 00:23:32,149
We'll find a way back.
486
00:23:32,193 --> 00:23:34,195
Even if
they couldn't find home.
487
00:23:35,414 --> 00:23:37,067
And they were right.
488
00:23:37,111 --> 00:23:40,027
And, of course, Voyagerpremieres
in January, 1995.
489
00:23:40,070 --> 00:23:41,724
to extraordinary viewership.
490
00:23:41,768 --> 00:23:44,466
21.3 million viewers.
491
00:23:44,510 --> 00:23:48,470
We were the second highest-rated
network and that was big for UPN.
492
00:23:48,514 --> 00:23:52,343
But unlike
the Kazon, this audience wasn't thirsty for more.
493
00:23:52,387 --> 00:23:54,824
You never know
what an audience is going to do.
494
00:23:54,868 --> 00:23:56,260
Soon after
the premiere...
495
00:23:56,304 --> 00:23:59,046
The numbers diminished
and that was...
496
00:23:59,089 --> 00:24:03,137
distressing,
and we weren't certain why
497
00:24:03,180 --> 00:24:06,401
And neither was UPN
but they forged ahead.
498
00:24:06,445 --> 00:24:09,273
They had really left themselves
with no other option.
499
00:24:09,317 --> 00:24:12,451
And depending on one show,
to launch an entire network.
500
00:24:12,494 --> 00:24:15,323
It seemed to me.
"Well, I guess they know what they're doing."
501
00:24:15,366 --> 00:24:17,934
There was
at least one place where they could find out
502
00:24:17,978 --> 00:24:21,416
what the audience
really thought ofVoyager and Captain Janeway.
503
00:24:21,460 --> 00:24:26,813
In March of 1995,
there is the first Star Trekconvention
504
00:24:26,856 --> 00:24:28,336
since the show came out,
505
00:24:28,379 --> 00:24:30,860
And they opened it up
for a question and answer time.
506
00:24:30,904 --> 00:24:33,950
So, this middle-aged man
gets up and he says,
507
00:24:33,994 --> 00:24:39,478
"The jury is still out on you
as captain of Voyager.
508
00:24:39,521 --> 00:24:42,785
"As a woman
leading a Star Trekseries.
509
00:24:42,829 --> 00:24:44,700
"And as you as an actress."
510
00:24:46,223 --> 00:24:51,794
And you could have heard
a pin drop in that room.
511
00:24:51,838 --> 00:24:56,625
If memory serves,
she responded, "Well, I'm sorry. You think that way."
512
00:24:56,669 --> 00:24:59,976
How many Star Trekfans
does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
513
00:25:00,455 --> 00:25:01,848
Four.
514
00:25:01,891 --> 00:25:03,719
One to screw it in
and then three to argue about
515
00:25:03,763 --> 00:25:05,765
how much better they did it
on the original series.
516
00:25:05,808 --> 00:25:07,462
Within
a few episodes,
517
00:25:07,506 --> 00:25:10,334
Voyager's voyage
appeared doomed.
518
00:25:10,378 --> 00:25:14,948
If you don't have viewers,
then you don't have a show that's going to continue.
519
00:25:14,991 --> 00:25:17,341
For now,
Paramount had a show,
520
00:25:17,385 --> 00:25:20,301
but they barely had
a network to run it on.
521
00:25:20,344 --> 00:25:24,653
We called ourselves a network,
but we only had a few nights. We only had six hours.
522
00:25:24,697 --> 00:25:26,873
We weren't a legitimate network
at that time.
523
00:25:26,916 --> 00:25:30,137
United Paramount Network had a credibility issue.
524
00:25:30,180 --> 00:25:33,662
And it was, you know,
universally called the "you pretend network."
525
00:25:33,706 --> 00:25:35,664
"Let's pretend we're a network."
Okay.
526
00:25:35,708 --> 00:25:37,405
And the other
science fiction on it
527
00:25:37,448 --> 00:25:40,277
wasn't looking
terribly legitimate, either.
528
00:25:40,321 --> 00:25:43,454
Give us one good reason
why we'd be in business with you again.
529
00:25:46,980 --> 00:25:49,112
That's two good reasons.
530
00:25:49,156 --> 00:25:51,550
There was no sense
of what the brand was.
531
00:25:51,593 --> 00:25:53,856
Voyager'sthe biggest
thing there and they all have high hopes
532
00:25:53,900 --> 00:25:56,119
that it's going to bust UPN
into the stratosphere.
533
00:25:56,163 --> 00:25:59,558
Well, it hadn't,
but UPN doubled down.
534
00:25:59,601 --> 00:26:04,824
The feeling was that something
needed to give some oomph to the show.
535
00:26:04,867 --> 00:26:08,436
And it's not like
they could rely on Captain Janeway's love life
536
00:26:08,479 --> 00:26:09,916
to spice things up.
537
00:26:09,959 --> 00:26:13,180
They were extremely mindful
of writing for a woman.
538
00:26:13,223 --> 00:26:18,968
There was a little less
of the bravado of Kirk or the daring-do of Picard.
539
00:26:19,012 --> 00:26:23,625
And a little more of
the humanity and warmth that we so often think,
540
00:26:23,669 --> 00:26:26,628
in this culture,
belongs to the female gender.
541
00:26:26,672 --> 00:26:28,456
It may have been
a noble approach,
542
00:26:28,499 --> 00:26:30,763
but it left the writers
backed into a corner
543
00:26:30,806 --> 00:26:33,635
when it came to
adding a little bit of on-screen sizzle.
544
00:26:33,679 --> 00:26:36,377
I'd given up any hope
of a marriage,
545
00:26:36,420 --> 00:26:38,771
any hope of having
a child of my own.
546
00:26:38,814 --> 00:26:42,296
Well, I guess that's what we get
for having a woman in the captain's seat.
547
00:26:42,339 --> 00:26:45,168
Because what really
unnerved the producers
548
00:26:45,212 --> 00:26:49,085
was the prospect of
a female captain with desires.
549
00:26:49,129 --> 00:26:50,565
Get out.
550
00:26:50,609 --> 00:26:54,264
They were so concerned
that the audience might think
551
00:26:54,308 --> 00:26:59,879
that Janeway has a thing for Q,
that they took that, kind of,
552
00:26:59,922 --> 00:27:03,099
color off of our palette.
553
00:27:03,143 --> 00:27:05,754
But so she wouldn't
be completely sexless,
554
00:27:05,798 --> 00:27:09,062
they designed a safe,
romantic companion for her.
555
00:27:09,105 --> 00:27:12,456
An interesting
and intriguing man...
556
00:27:14,458 --> 00:27:19,681
who could challenge her
and yet be compassionate with her.
557
00:27:19,725 --> 00:27:21,727
There was only
one man who fit the bill.
558
00:27:21,770 --> 00:27:23,903
I loved all
the Leonardo da Vinci stuff.
559
00:27:23,946 --> 00:27:25,818
Welcome!
560
00:27:25,861 --> 00:27:29,517
That's right.
The 16th century Italian Renaissance man.
561
00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:32,041
Or at least a holographic
projection of him.
562
00:27:32,085 --> 00:27:36,567
There was a group of very,
sort of, strident women,
563
00:27:36,611 --> 00:27:41,050
who were infuriated
that we would have her
564
00:27:41,094 --> 00:27:45,881
have a relationship
with a mock person, rather than a real person.
565
00:27:45,925 --> 00:27:49,537
That somehow that lessened her
or denigrated her.
566
00:27:49,580 --> 00:27:52,105
This is Leonardo da Vinci
we're talking about.
567
00:27:52,148 --> 00:27:53,846
Simulation or not,
568
00:27:53,889 --> 00:27:56,239
he's one of
the greatest creative minds in Earth's history.
569
00:27:57,458 --> 00:27:59,678
In my mind,
it was the perfect solution
570
00:27:59,721 --> 00:28:03,986
because it was the place
she could go when she needed to talk about something
571
00:28:04,030 --> 00:28:06,815
and have a friend
who would talk about it with her.
572
00:28:06,859 --> 00:28:09,731
But during
the years adrift in space,
573
00:28:09,775 --> 00:28:12,168
other relationships
had blossomed.
574
00:28:12,212 --> 00:28:15,084
The Doctor had
a very unique relationship with Kes
575
00:28:15,128 --> 00:28:19,088
because, ostensibly,
he was mentoring her as his medical assistant.
576
00:28:19,132 --> 00:28:21,090
What are the bones
of the middle ear?
577
00:28:21,134 --> 00:28:23,092
Malleus, incus and stapes.
578
00:28:23,136 --> 00:28:28,054
But she really was
mentoring him in his developing sense of entitlement.
579
00:28:28,097 --> 00:28:29,882
as a...
as an artificial intelligence.
580
00:28:29,925 --> 00:28:34,060
Doctor, did you notice
how rudely that officer treated you?
581
00:28:34,103 --> 00:28:36,410
Not more so than most.
582
00:28:36,453 --> 00:28:39,108
Kes and the Doctor
were doing their part to keepVoyager on the air.
583
00:28:39,152 --> 00:28:42,285
She was, uh,
an extraordinary actor,
584
00:28:42,329 --> 00:28:46,420
um, absolutely unedited
and present.
585
00:28:46,463 --> 00:28:51,033
Despite some
gripping performances, it became clear the actress
586
00:28:51,077 --> 00:28:52,905
was in the grip
of something else.
587
00:28:52,948 --> 00:28:58,606
She began to become
distracted, inattentive.
588
00:28:58,649 --> 00:29:00,477
There was just something off.
589
00:29:00,521 --> 00:29:02,349
Well, if you say hello,
"Hey, Jenny. How you doing?"
590
00:29:02,392 --> 00:29:04,133
You don't, you're not sure
what kind of response
591
00:29:04,177 --> 00:29:05,787
you're going to
get back from her.
592
00:29:05,831 --> 00:29:09,660
Jennifer was extremely quiet
and private.
593
00:29:09,704 --> 00:29:11,401
Really monosyllabic.
594
00:29:11,445 --> 00:29:13,708
We don't know
what was going on in her life.
595
00:29:13,752 --> 00:29:18,582
But whatever it was,
it didn't allow her to perform her duties on set.
596
00:29:18,626 --> 00:29:20,933
The previously
focused actress
597
00:29:20,976 --> 00:29:24,066
was turning into
a multi-take factory.
598
00:29:24,110 --> 00:29:25,415
One more time, please.
599
00:29:25,459 --> 00:29:28,027
And you have to take two,
take three, take four.
600
00:29:28,070 --> 00:29:32,509
I asked her to
come into my office and probed gently
601
00:29:32,553 --> 00:29:34,816
to see if there was
something going on in her life,
602
00:29:34,860 --> 00:29:37,340
if there's anything
I could help her with,
603
00:29:37,384 --> 00:29:40,082
and she simply
wouldn't speak at all.
604
00:29:40,126 --> 00:29:42,389
She completely shut down.
605
00:29:42,432 --> 00:29:44,739
I don't think anyone knows
what was going on,
606
00:29:44,783 --> 00:29:48,177
but clearly there was
something emotionally upset,
607
00:29:48,221 --> 00:29:51,920
And, I think, all of us were
kind of getting the...
608
00:29:51,964 --> 00:29:55,881
the feeling
that Jennifer, maybe, really didn't want to be there.
609
00:29:55,924 --> 00:29:58,579
I think, maybe,
the grind was starting to get to her.
610
00:29:58,622 --> 00:30:01,277
Sadly,
the producers never got to the bottom
611
00:30:01,321 --> 00:30:03,627
of whatever was troubling
the actress.
612
00:30:03,671 --> 00:30:06,848
She would not, um,
open up about it.
613
00:30:06,892 --> 00:30:10,069
She would not consider
getting any help for it.
614
00:30:10,112 --> 00:30:12,419
It was more powerful
than she was,
615
00:30:12,462 --> 00:30:15,117
and she was, simply,
unable to continue.
616
00:30:15,161 --> 00:30:17,903
With one of
the most popular characters in trouble
617
00:30:17,946 --> 00:30:20,166
and ratings still sliding,
618
00:30:20,209 --> 00:30:23,299
by the end of season three,
it was obvious.
619
00:30:23,343 --> 00:30:25,998
You have a network
that's demanding changes.
620
00:30:26,041 --> 00:30:28,348
And resistance
was futile.
621
00:30:32,308 --> 00:30:35,572
Due to actress,
Jennifer Lien's personal crisis,
622
00:30:35,616 --> 00:30:39,707
Star Trek: Voyager
was set to lose a crew member in season four.
623
00:30:39,750 --> 00:30:41,927
Jeri Taylor fought the network
624
00:30:41,970 --> 00:30:45,234
who wanted to
just cut things off, you know, "Oh, she's gone."
625
00:30:45,278 --> 00:30:48,455
And Jeri's like,
"No, she deserves the dignity of a farewell as a character."
626
00:30:48,498 --> 00:30:51,197
So Kes got
a glowing goodbye.
627
00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:53,025
The way that we wrote her out
was, kind of,
628
00:30:53,068 --> 00:30:55,201
like killing her off,
in that, she sort of evolved
629
00:30:55,244 --> 00:30:57,986
into a greater form of energy.
630
00:30:58,030 --> 00:31:00,771
With the departure
of a popular character
631
00:31:00,815 --> 00:31:02,948
and ratings
in a downward spiral,
632
00:31:02,991 --> 00:31:06,038
Voyager would live or die
by season four.
633
00:31:06,081 --> 00:31:11,478
And so,
producers came up with a plan best summed up in four words.
634
00:31:11,521 --> 00:31:13,610
Bring back the Borg.
635
00:31:13,654 --> 00:31:15,395
My God!
636
00:31:15,438 --> 00:31:17,963
Everybody was really excited
to be able to use the Borg.
637
00:31:18,006 --> 00:31:20,922
Star Trek
was returning to the tried and true.
638
00:31:20,966 --> 00:31:25,579
The Borg,
a villainous alien species fromThe Next Generation,
639
00:31:25,622 --> 00:31:29,583
would be imported as a way
to introduce some danger.
640
00:31:29,626 --> 00:31:31,977
The Borg are
going to be our Klingons in the Delta Quadrant.
641
00:31:32,020 --> 00:31:34,370
They're going to be
our recurring villain.
642
00:31:34,414 --> 00:31:37,504
Because, you know, obviously,
it had been established in The Next Generation
643
00:31:37,547 --> 00:31:39,941
that Borg was in
the Delta Quadrant, and here we were,
644
00:31:39,985 --> 00:31:41,073
in the Delta Quadrant.
645
00:31:41,116 --> 00:31:43,510
Their space appears to be vast.
646
00:31:43,553 --> 00:31:47,079
It includes thousands
of solar systems, all Borg.
647
00:31:47,122 --> 00:31:50,430
But the return
of the Borg was only half the story.
648
00:31:52,649 --> 00:31:55,261
We had the first
all digital villain, I believe,
649
00:31:55,304 --> 00:31:58,003
in all of Star Trek,
which I called 9-0-2-1-0.
650
00:31:58,046 --> 00:31:59,091
Point 2-3-4.
651
00:31:59,134 --> 00:32:00,396
6-7-5-3-0-9.
652
00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:01,484
It's actually...
653
00:32:01,528 --> 00:32:03,486
Species 8-4-7-2.
654
00:32:03,530 --> 00:32:06,011
Species 8-4-7-2 was designed
to be like
655
00:32:06,054 --> 00:32:08,230
the scariest aliens that we had
encountered yet.
656
00:32:08,274 --> 00:32:10,015
With a scary price tag.
657
00:32:10,058 --> 00:32:11,625
This was in the early days
of CGI
658
00:32:11,668 --> 00:32:14,062
and having a CG character
was expensive and difficult.
659
00:32:14,106 --> 00:32:16,586
You know, we only were able
to see that creature
660
00:32:16,630 --> 00:32:18,893
fifteen-eighteen seconds
worth of film, maybe.
661
00:32:18,937 --> 00:32:21,983
But not even
the power of 1990s computing
662
00:32:22,027 --> 00:32:24,551
could outmatch
what they had planned next.
663
00:32:24,594 --> 00:32:26,509
What if there was
a Borg crew member?
664
00:32:26,553 --> 00:32:29,338
The answer to
that question became a character,
665
00:32:29,382 --> 00:32:32,689
that would pose
all sorts of challenges for theVoyager crew.
666
00:32:32,733 --> 00:32:34,604
Her original name
was Para,
667
00:32:34,648 --> 00:32:36,563
in the meetings that they had.
668
00:32:36,606 --> 00:32:39,000
But they always knew
that her name was going to be a number.
669
00:32:39,044 --> 00:32:41,089
Seven of Nine.
670
00:32:41,133 --> 00:32:43,700
Numbers destined
to become the bane of Captain Janeway's life.
671
00:32:43,744 --> 00:32:46,181
And this is Janeway
who's about to take the biggest risk...
672
00:32:47,095 --> 00:32:48,531
a captain has ever taken.
673
00:32:48,575 --> 00:32:50,838
Where Janeway wants
to make a deal with a Borg.
674
00:32:50,881 --> 00:32:54,189
The present situation requires
that we consider your plan.
675
00:32:54,233 --> 00:32:56,757
We had treated the Borg
just as this mass,
676
00:32:56,800 --> 00:33:00,108
you know,
that they specifically did not have individuality.
677
00:33:00,152 --> 00:33:04,025
And yet, we had to develop
this individual character
678
00:33:04,069 --> 00:33:07,115
who had been,
you know, assimilated when she was a child.
679
00:33:07,159 --> 00:33:11,076
And so, had not grown up
as an individual herself.
680
00:33:12,816 --> 00:33:14,470
And so, once we
kind of freed her from the collective,
681
00:33:14,514 --> 00:33:15,689
you know, against her will,
682
00:33:15,732 --> 00:33:19,258
then it was like
she almost had to go back
683
00:33:19,301 --> 00:33:21,347
to being a child again in a way
684
00:33:21,390 --> 00:33:24,611
to define her own personality
and her own voice.
685
00:33:24,654 --> 00:33:27,048
Seven of Nine gave us
the opportunity to show
686
00:33:27,092 --> 00:33:31,270
the struggle of somebody
who's been as badly broken as a human can be
687
00:33:31,313 --> 00:33:35,230
and watch her journey
back to humanity.
688
00:33:35,274 --> 00:33:37,232
And that's not something
that had been done before.
689
00:33:37,276 --> 00:33:40,409
The inspiration
for casting was to move as far away
690
00:33:40,453 --> 00:33:42,759
from the traditionally Borg
as possible.
691
00:33:42,803 --> 00:33:45,153
And maybe
it's a very statuesque,
692
00:33:45,197 --> 00:33:48,330
you know, we talked about
kind of a Grace Kelly, cool demeanor.
693
00:33:48,374 --> 00:33:50,245
Or put another way...
694
00:33:50,289 --> 00:33:52,508
- A babe.
-A Borg babe.
695
00:33:52,552 --> 00:33:54,989
We had lots of casting sessions
696
00:33:55,033 --> 00:33:57,470
because we needed a good actor.
697
00:33:57,513 --> 00:34:00,038
Producers considered
a number of actors.
698
00:34:01,126 --> 00:34:02,344
But in the end...
699
00:34:02,388 --> 00:34:06,218
Michael, Jerry and I
all agreed on Miss Ryan.
700
00:34:06,261 --> 00:34:07,915
That's, Jeri Ryan.
701
00:34:07,958 --> 00:34:12,311
It truly was not
Jeri Ryan's appearance that got her the job.
702
00:34:12,354 --> 00:34:14,443
She read it the best of anyone.
703
00:34:14,487 --> 00:34:16,315
I wanted Seven of Nine
to come on
704
00:34:16,358 --> 00:34:18,882
and freshen up each
and every character
705
00:34:18,926 --> 00:34:21,494
and have her own relationship
with each character.
706
00:34:21,537 --> 00:34:24,366
This was
a case of being careful what you wish for.
707
00:34:24,410 --> 00:34:26,194
All of a sudden,
a new woman arrives,
708
00:34:26,238 --> 00:34:30,633
who is part alien
and who is stunning.
709
00:34:30,677 --> 00:34:34,246
And the press put a lot
of focus on to her.
710
00:34:34,289 --> 00:34:36,552
Which was music
to UPN's ears.
711
00:34:36,596 --> 00:34:38,467
She became very popular.
712
00:34:38,511 --> 00:34:40,513
Please welcome
the lovely Jeri Ryan.
713
00:34:40,556 --> 00:34:43,168
Which was exactly
what producers had wanted.
714
00:34:43,211 --> 00:34:45,692
I think people that weren't
in the Star Trekworld,
715
00:34:45,735 --> 00:34:48,999
or fans of Star Trek
were made aware of this.
716
00:34:49,043 --> 00:34:50,262
This new character coming on,
717
00:34:50,305 --> 00:34:52,264
I mean, there was a huge
amount of publicity.
718
00:34:52,307 --> 00:34:56,398
So we had a lot
of new eyes on Voyager that we didn't have before.
719
00:34:56,442 --> 00:34:58,661
-However...
- It upset the cast.
720
00:34:58,705 --> 00:35:00,881
Some people were really
bothered by this.
721
00:35:00,924 --> 00:35:03,013
The issue that I had
with Seven of Nine's character
722
00:35:03,057 --> 00:35:06,974
is that she sounded
a lot like I did, which is redundant.
723
00:35:07,017 --> 00:35:11,805
You are erratic, conflicted, disorganized.
724
00:35:11,848 --> 00:35:15,025
Every decision is debated,
every action questioned.
725
00:35:15,069 --> 00:35:16,984
If you have a diverse cast,
726
00:35:17,027 --> 00:35:19,378
and every cast member
plays off the other.
727
00:35:19,421 --> 00:35:21,989
If you have two characters
that are too similar,
728
00:35:22,032 --> 00:35:23,904
then you don't get that dynamic.
729
00:35:23,947 --> 00:35:27,429
So,
onscreen conflict was mirrored by offscreen tension.
730
00:35:27,473 --> 00:35:31,564
I'd prefer not
to discuss Seven of Nine.
731
00:35:31,607 --> 00:35:35,220
And I think that I was
startled by her presence,
732
00:35:35,263 --> 00:35:38,571
and I think the tension
and the electricity between us
733
00:35:38,614 --> 00:35:40,138
was quite palpable.
734
00:35:40,181 --> 00:35:42,879
You could come in
and do all this work
735
00:35:42,923 --> 00:35:45,447
and carry the show
as the lead character
736
00:35:45,491 --> 00:35:47,841
and then to have
to take a backseat.
737
00:35:47,884 --> 00:35:50,800
Producers had introduced
a breath of fresh air,
738
00:35:50,844 --> 00:35:54,239
only to find the core cast
gasping for oxygen.
739
00:35:58,460 --> 00:36:01,855
Seven of Nine
had made a splash with viewers,
740
00:36:01,898 --> 00:36:04,074
but now found
herself navigating
741
00:36:04,118 --> 00:36:07,252
troubled waters on
an increasingly rancorous set.
742
00:36:07,295 --> 00:36:10,298
Voyagerbecomes a more
unpleasant place to work.
743
00:36:10,342 --> 00:36:12,953
I get so many close ups,
if she gets a close up, I get a close up.
744
00:36:12,996 --> 00:36:15,216
There was times
where one wouldn't come out of the trailer,
745
00:36:15,260 --> 00:36:17,392
until the other one
came out of the trailer.
746
00:36:17,436 --> 00:36:20,003
I remember one day,
I was coming on to the set in the morning,
747
00:36:20,047 --> 00:36:21,918
Kate comes storming up to me
748
00:36:21,962 --> 00:36:24,921
and she said, "Why do you
shoot her that way?"
749
00:36:24,965 --> 00:36:27,533
And I said,
"What are you talking about?"
750
00:36:27,576 --> 00:36:30,318
She said, "Well, you do
these shots along her body
751
00:36:30,362 --> 00:36:32,015
"and you do this
and you do that."
752
00:36:32,059 --> 00:36:33,408
I didn't know what to tell her
753
00:36:33,452 --> 00:36:35,105
because it was true
that I was doing that.
754
00:36:35,149 --> 00:36:37,195
But also it's because
755
00:36:37,238 --> 00:36:40,850
you can't help,
but show her physicality.
756
00:36:40,894 --> 00:36:43,157
I felt she was
objectified a bit.
757
00:36:43,201 --> 00:36:45,942
Because you have to remember
Voyagerwent on the air
758
00:36:46,639 --> 00:36:48,467
as a feminist statement.
759
00:36:50,033 --> 00:36:53,341
Yeah. We really
embraced her looks.
760
00:36:53,776 --> 00:36:54,995
We did.
761
00:36:55,038 --> 00:36:57,302
I mean, that outfit
was, was something else.
762
00:36:57,345 --> 00:37:00,130
And for the show's star, it seemed like the arrival
763
00:37:00,174 --> 00:37:02,916
of Jeri Ryan wasn't
exactly welcomed.
764
00:37:02,959 --> 00:37:05,310
I can definitely see Kate
being threatened.
765
00:37:05,353 --> 00:37:07,964
Kate is human,
I've worked with her a lot.
766
00:37:08,008 --> 00:37:10,489
But that's something
actors are taught.
767
00:37:10,532 --> 00:37:11,707
No, you've got to fight
for yourself.
768
00:37:11,751 --> 00:37:12,795
You've got to fight
for your lines.
769
00:37:12,839 --> 00:37:14,188
You got to fight
for your scenes.
770
00:37:14,232 --> 00:37:15,450
You got to fight
for your publicity.
771
00:37:15,494 --> 00:37:17,147
All you have is your name.
772
00:37:17,191 --> 00:37:19,237
It's just fear,
and all that comes from fear.
773
00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:21,239
The battle lines
had been drawn,
774
00:37:21,282 --> 00:37:23,371
and cast members
found themselves
775
00:37:23,415 --> 00:37:25,547
having to choose a side.
776
00:37:25,591 --> 00:37:29,812
I stepped away, I stepped back
and just allowed things to settle.
777
00:37:29,856 --> 00:37:33,294
I felt terrible for Kate
778
00:37:33,338 --> 00:37:38,256
because it was, I think,
very difficult for her.
779
00:37:38,299 --> 00:37:41,694
Jeri was just trying
to do her job.
780
00:37:41,737 --> 00:37:45,654
Why screw it up
with these stupid, uh, ego things.
781
00:37:45,698 --> 00:37:48,483
But whatever
friction was going on behind the scenes,
782
00:37:48,527 --> 00:37:52,270
it was somehow creating
real electricity on screen.
783
00:37:52,313 --> 00:37:55,751
In the end, that
relationship between Janeway and Seven of Nine
784
00:37:55,795 --> 00:37:58,232
was not only classic,
but essential,
785
00:37:58,276 --> 00:38:01,496
I think, to the growth
and the movement of Voyager.
786
00:38:01,540 --> 00:38:03,759
It only served the relationship
787
00:38:03,803 --> 00:38:05,979
and Jeri Ryan did
a wonderful job.
788
00:38:06,022 --> 00:38:09,374
There was depth
to the character.
789
00:38:09,417 --> 00:38:13,291
The wild child coming in
and discovering humanity
790
00:38:13,334 --> 00:38:16,294
turned out to be really
the heart of the show.
791
00:38:16,337 --> 00:38:18,600
You're experiencing
difficult emotions.
792
00:38:19,688 --> 00:38:23,475
Guilt, shame, remorse.
793
00:38:23,518 --> 00:38:25,825
Then you haven't lost
your humanity.
794
00:38:25,868 --> 00:38:28,349
I think it ends up a being
completely effective
795
00:38:28,393 --> 00:38:31,657
addition to the cast,
and also her performance was extraordinary.
796
00:38:31,700 --> 00:38:35,487
Jeri was incredibly talented
and for any lingering thoughts
797
00:38:35,530 --> 00:38:37,706
that, "Oh, they've just
hired a bimbo here."
798
00:38:37,750 --> 00:38:40,535
I mean, that was
quickly put to rest.
799
00:38:40,579 --> 00:38:42,363
Just the person
I was looking for.
800
00:38:42,407 --> 00:38:45,366
She brought that
miraculous nuance.
801
00:38:45,410 --> 00:38:50,023
She's both kind of
invulnerable and vulnerable at the same time.
802
00:38:50,066 --> 00:38:51,459
She just got
better and better.
803
00:38:51,503 --> 00:38:54,201
So, we kind of hit
a home run with her.
804
00:38:54,244 --> 00:38:58,684
As real life traumas
reduced cast morale to a new low,
805
00:38:58,727 --> 00:39:00,338
the show reached a new high.
806
00:39:00,381 --> 00:39:03,819
The introduction of Jeri Ryan
briefly did help the ratings.
807
00:39:03,863 --> 00:39:05,647
People don't give up
on us so soon.
808
00:39:05,691 --> 00:39:09,608
But even
with Seven of Nine and a spike in ratings,
809
00:39:09,651 --> 00:39:14,221
you might start wondering
whether the problem wasn'tVoyager's at all.
810
00:39:14,264 --> 00:39:17,529
We were at a disadvantage
in terms of outreach.
811
00:39:17,572 --> 00:39:20,183
Some regions didn't carry UPN.
812
00:39:21,402 --> 00:39:23,099
- Plain and simple.
- In a lot of cases,
813
00:39:23,143 --> 00:39:25,363
where some bad UHF channels.
814
00:39:25,406 --> 00:39:28,540
UPN even get with
a pair of rabbit ears on a TV.
815
00:39:28,583 --> 00:39:31,499
It was, like,
the worst situation you want to be in,
816
00:39:31,543 --> 00:39:34,415
the flagship show for UPN.
817
00:39:34,459 --> 00:39:35,416
God help him.
818
00:39:37,679 --> 00:39:40,552
With the producers
doing everything right,
819
00:39:40,595 --> 00:39:43,163
UPN just couldn't
attract viewers,
820
00:39:44,294 --> 00:39:46,427
but it got even worse.
821
00:39:46,471 --> 00:39:49,778
I had made the decision
before season four started
822
00:39:49,822 --> 00:39:51,737
that I was going to retire
at the end of it,
823
00:39:51,780 --> 00:39:54,566
and it was time, I was ready.
824
00:39:54,609 --> 00:39:57,133
Into the void stepped
Brannon Braga
825
00:39:57,177 --> 00:39:59,658
as co-executive producer
and show runner.
826
00:39:59,701 --> 00:40:02,443
Brannon was the person
who had, sort of, risen
827
00:40:02,487 --> 00:40:06,360
and the one who seemed
like he had the chops
828
00:40:06,404 --> 00:40:08,754
I was completely
caught off-guard by it,
829
00:40:09,624 --> 00:40:11,670
but got excited at the idea.
830
00:40:11,713 --> 00:40:14,499
Braga's involvement
in the show was about to go much deeper
831
00:40:14,542 --> 00:40:16,849
than his predecessors
might have liked.
832
00:40:16,892 --> 00:40:19,939
Jeri Ryan and I became
involved in season five.
833
00:40:19,982 --> 00:40:21,941
And they started
living together.
834
00:40:21,984 --> 00:40:24,204
The furore of
Seven of Nine's arrival
835
00:40:24,247 --> 00:40:28,034
and unexpected rise
had only just started to die down.
836
00:40:28,077 --> 00:40:30,384
I'm sure that actually just
added fuel to the fire.
837
00:40:30,428 --> 00:40:32,168
How is it ever fair?
838
00:40:32,212 --> 00:40:34,997
You're dating somebody
who you have the ear of all the time.
839
00:40:35,041 --> 00:40:36,651
You know, you write
for your girlfriend
840
00:40:36,695 --> 00:40:38,914
and it was a very difficult
situation for everybody.
841
00:40:38,958 --> 00:40:43,571
I remember the day I had to
go to Kate Mulgrew's trailer to tell her
842
00:40:43,615 --> 00:40:46,400
because I knew
that Jeri and I were becoming more serious
843
00:40:46,444 --> 00:40:52,101
and I told Kate
and she was absolutely wonderful,
844
00:40:52,145 --> 00:40:54,626
and she said, "Are you in love?"
845
00:40:56,976 --> 00:41:00,153
I said, "Yes,"
and she said, "I'm happy for you."
846
00:41:00,196 --> 00:41:02,721
Kate was amazing,
but I like to think
847
00:41:02,764 --> 00:41:06,855
it didn't affect my job
being the boss at that point.
848
00:41:06,899 --> 00:41:09,902
Robert Beltran
decided to test that.
849
00:41:09,945 --> 00:41:12,818
Jeri and I were sitting
in the makeup table getting ready
850
00:41:12,861 --> 00:41:15,516
and I said, "You know, Jeri,
I would like to have a scene
851
00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:19,955
"where Chakotay kisses you,
but it will never happen.
852
00:41:19,999 --> 00:41:22,001
"Because Brannon
would get jealous,"
853
00:41:23,698 --> 00:41:25,483
and she laughs.
854
00:41:25,526 --> 00:41:27,310
"Oh, my God, I'm going to tell him what you said.
855
00:41:27,354 --> 00:41:29,617
"That is so funny."
856
00:41:29,661 --> 00:41:33,316
And I said, "Yeah, tell him
I don't think he has the balls to write a scene like that."
857
00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:35,362
Oh, Brannon
had the balls all right.
858
00:41:35,405 --> 00:41:37,103
Remain still?
859
00:41:37,146 --> 00:41:40,933
And he was juggling them. A lot of balls actually.
860
00:41:40,976 --> 00:41:42,761
As the season goes on,
861
00:41:42,804 --> 00:41:46,504
it is, like, running as fast
as you can to keep up with production.
862
00:41:46,547 --> 00:41:49,507
We were all really,
really fatigued.
863
00:41:49,550 --> 00:41:51,944
We used to get
our revisions insights
864
00:41:51,987 --> 00:41:54,729
at 12 o'clock at night,
for the next day,
865
00:41:54,773 --> 00:41:56,339
so we would be
in the makeup chair
866
00:41:56,383 --> 00:41:59,212
trying to learn whatever
the revisions were for that day.
867
00:41:59,255 --> 00:42:01,823
And those days
were typically really long.
868
00:42:01,867 --> 00:42:04,913
They averaged 15 hours,
16 hours.
869
00:42:04,957 --> 00:42:07,263
And the schedule
was overwhelming,
870
00:42:07,307 --> 00:42:09,570
not least for
the show runner himself.
871
00:42:09,614 --> 00:42:12,573
I remember one day
in my backyard
872
00:42:12,617 --> 00:42:14,575
thinking about a story,
873
00:42:14,619 --> 00:42:17,622
and I remember it was like
walking to a brick wall.
874
00:42:17,665 --> 00:42:19,972
And I went, "Oh,
I think I'm done.
875
00:42:20,015 --> 00:42:21,756
"I think I have to move on
from the show,"
876
00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:23,192
like, I was getting burned out.
877
00:42:23,236 --> 00:42:25,238
Brannon stayed
withStar Trek,
878
00:42:25,281 --> 00:42:28,502
but beamed over
to a new series, Enterprise.
879
00:42:28,546 --> 00:42:32,680
Leaving Kenneth Biller
in-charge ofVoyager's climactic final season.
880
00:42:32,724 --> 00:42:35,291
A lot of people wanted
to see us come home,
881
00:42:35,335 --> 00:42:37,729
and that would have been
the story
882
00:42:37,772 --> 00:42:40,645
that, you know, everybody
expected them to write.
883
00:42:40,688 --> 00:42:46,215
I had always envisioned
the last shot of the series
884
00:42:46,259 --> 00:42:52,091
with Voyagerlanding
and the families all being there,
885
00:42:52,134 --> 00:42:55,964
and the crew getting off
of the ship and they're home.
886
00:42:56,008 --> 00:42:59,925
- And Janeway's dog runs out.
- And, yes, Janeway's dog runs up.
887
00:42:59,968 --> 00:43:02,492
And, in fact, I tell everybody
888
00:43:02,536 --> 00:43:05,234
that they're not going to do
what you expect them to do.
889
00:43:05,278 --> 00:43:07,280
But for the series finale,
890
00:43:07,323 --> 00:43:09,761
Voyager suddenly came home.
891
00:43:11,153 --> 00:43:13,460
Which, indeed,
took fans by surprise.
892
00:43:14,069 --> 00:43:15,767
Yeah.
893
00:43:15,810 --> 00:43:18,726
Slyly jumping
twenty-six years into the future.
894
00:43:18,770 --> 00:43:21,120
Computer, end display.
895
00:43:21,163 --> 00:43:23,165
We only did a flash of it
in the episode.
896
00:43:23,209 --> 00:43:24,950
You could see the Voyager
coming through.
897
00:43:24,993 --> 00:43:27,692
There was just
a newsreel playback or something she's watching.
898
00:43:27,735 --> 00:43:29,476
I was not satisfied
with the way it ended.
899
00:43:29,519 --> 00:43:33,523
I really, really didn't like it.
900
00:43:33,567 --> 00:43:35,482
After seven long seasons,
901
00:43:35,525 --> 00:43:39,529
Voyager had
completed its mission, but at grave cost.
902
00:43:39,573 --> 00:43:42,576
I'm your friend,
Kathryn Janeway, remember?
903
00:43:42,620 --> 00:43:44,926
Lieutenant Tuvok
lost his mind.
904
00:43:44,970 --> 00:43:46,406
You're an impostor.
905
00:43:46,449 --> 00:43:48,974
And with Chakotay
and Seven of Nine dead,
906
00:43:49,017 --> 00:43:51,150
it was up toVoyager's captain,
907
00:43:51,193 --> 00:43:54,327
now an admiral,
to right her wrongs.
908
00:43:54,370 --> 00:43:58,026
But when I'm through,
things might be better for all of us.
909
00:43:58,070 --> 00:44:01,639
Because
it could all be fixed with a little time travel.
910
00:44:03,292 --> 00:44:05,555
I thought it was
a great showcase for Kate Mulgrew
911
00:44:05,599 --> 00:44:08,558
because she had to play
two different versions of herself.
912
00:44:08,602 --> 00:44:11,126
Am I the only one
experiencing deja vu here?
913
00:44:11,170 --> 00:44:13,868
It was the captain's
responsibility to get us back home,
914
00:44:13,912 --> 00:44:15,957
and that's why they wrote it
the way they did.
915
00:44:16,001 --> 00:44:18,220
And they focused it on Kate,
it's Kate's story.
916
00:44:18,264 --> 00:44:20,440
In a tour de force performance,
917
00:44:20,483 --> 00:44:22,703
Kate Mulgrew does it all.
918
00:44:22,747 --> 00:44:26,098
Kate filled that role
in every way imaginable.
919
00:44:26,141 --> 00:44:27,708
Now, Mr. Tuvok.
920
00:44:27,752 --> 00:44:31,016
As Admiral Janeway,
sacrifices herself,
921
00:44:31,059 --> 00:44:33,279
defeating the Borg,
922
00:44:33,322 --> 00:44:36,456
while Captain Janeway
brings the crew home.
923
00:44:36,499 --> 00:44:38,284
Safe and sound.
924
00:44:39,459 --> 00:44:40,547
We did it.
925
00:44:40,590 --> 00:44:44,377
The last episode ended
with a bang.
926
00:44:44,420 --> 00:44:47,728
But on set, the bang
was more of a whimper.
927
00:44:47,772 --> 00:44:50,557
They were taking
the briefing room set apart
928
00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:52,472
the moment we uttered
the last line,
929
00:44:52,515 --> 00:44:54,387
the walls were coming down,
930
00:44:54,430 --> 00:44:57,129
so that they could build
the new Enterpriseset in its place.
931
00:44:57,172 --> 00:44:58,652
That kind of bothered me.
932
00:44:58,696 --> 00:45:00,741
You're just watching,
literally, watching the show
933
00:45:00,785 --> 00:45:02,656
disintegrate in front
of your eyes.
934
00:45:02,700 --> 00:45:04,963
We were all
a little bit upset,
935
00:45:05,006 --> 00:45:08,227
the fact that there wasn't
more thought about making the last day,
936
00:45:08,270 --> 00:45:11,360
perhaps, a group scene
that we could all be together.
937
00:45:11,404 --> 00:45:13,406
And, no, Rick Berman
didn't come down to the set
938
00:45:13,449 --> 00:45:16,801
to say thank you and goodbye
or anything like that.
939
00:45:16,844 --> 00:45:20,108
I think our cast had the, uh,
940
00:45:20,152 --> 00:45:22,720
"don't let the door hit you
in the ass" feeling.
941
00:45:22,763 --> 00:45:26,941
That goodbye wasn't
ever really a goodbye.
942
00:45:26,985 --> 00:45:30,902
There are some series
that quit when they're ahead
943
00:45:30,945 --> 00:45:34,862
and you feel like
they could have gone on for a little longer.
944
00:45:34,906 --> 00:45:39,214
I have the feeling
that Voyagerwas done,
945
00:45:39,258 --> 00:45:41,521
when it was done.
946
00:45:41,564 --> 00:45:44,132
There was not anything
left to mine in it.
947
00:45:44,176 --> 00:45:47,092
UPN would limp on
for a few more years,
948
00:45:47,135 --> 00:45:51,139
before also going
quietly off the air.
949
00:45:51,183 --> 00:45:53,794
Despite all of
Voyager's struggles,
950
00:45:53,838 --> 00:45:55,404
you cannot deny
the fact that...
951
00:45:55,448 --> 00:45:58,886
Seven years is
a good run for a show.
952
00:45:58,930 --> 00:46:02,020
...and that's where
this story might well have ended.
953
00:46:02,063 --> 00:46:04,674
But years after
it's got first run,
954
00:46:04,718 --> 00:46:06,328
I am thrilled and amazed
955
00:46:06,372 --> 00:46:08,809
that streaming has been
so kind of Voyager.
956
00:46:08,853 --> 00:46:10,898
It's enabled
a whole new generation
957
00:46:10,942 --> 00:46:15,076
of young fans to discover
and appreciate Captain Janeway.
958
00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:18,863
I saw what it meant
to these young women...
959
00:46:18,906 --> 00:46:21,387
-Admiral.
-...to have a woman in command.
960
00:46:21,430 --> 00:46:23,911
And I'll never forget
one girl, she said,
961
00:46:23,955 --> 00:46:26,827
"You know, my father and I
watched Janeway
962
00:46:26,871 --> 00:46:29,612
"and these were
in the early days of my education,
963
00:46:29,656 --> 00:46:32,398
"when I really thought I was
going to go into research,
964
00:46:32,441 --> 00:46:35,053
"and by the end
of the first season, I turned to my father
965
00:46:35,096 --> 00:46:37,185
"and I said, I'm not going
to stay in an office.
966
00:46:37,229 --> 00:46:39,274
"I want to go up."
967
00:46:39,318 --> 00:46:42,800
You've had
this whole generation of fans, especially the girls,
968
00:46:42,843 --> 00:46:44,236
I call the "Janeway's Army,"
969
00:46:44,279 --> 00:46:47,717
that have taken to heart
everything about Voyager.
970
00:46:47,761 --> 00:46:49,937
What an extraordinary opportunity
971
00:46:49,981 --> 00:46:52,679
as an actress
to drive this forward.
972
00:46:52,722 --> 00:46:56,901
And because I was the first,
there's a kind of terrific pride in this.
973
00:46:56,944 --> 00:46:59,686
So, I hope that they take
from that pride,
974
00:46:59,729 --> 00:47:02,210
their own sense of pride.
975
00:47:02,254 --> 00:47:04,517
Find out who you are,
have the courage
976
00:47:04,560 --> 00:47:06,824
to be who you are and own it.
977
00:47:06,867 --> 00:47:09,261
Voyager has proven
to be as popular
978
00:47:09,304 --> 00:47:11,437
as it has been inspirational.
979
00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:13,308
I think it's amazing
that the top ten
980
00:47:13,352 --> 00:47:16,181
streaming shows
of all the Star Treks,
981
00:47:16,224 --> 00:47:18,966
six of them of the top ten
are fromVoyager.
982
00:47:19,010 --> 00:47:21,273
No small feat
given the competition
983
00:47:21,316 --> 00:47:24,624
from well over half a century
of science fiction.
984
00:47:24,667 --> 00:47:29,237
If you stand back and look
at the entire franchise
985
00:47:29,281 --> 00:47:32,893
from the original to today,
it's huge.
986
00:47:32,937 --> 00:47:35,156
It's just unbelievable.
987
00:47:35,200 --> 00:47:38,943
To be precise,
79 original series episodes,
988
00:47:38,986 --> 00:47:40,901
twenty-two animated episodes,
989
00:47:40,945 --> 00:47:44,513
six original cast movies,
fourNext Generation movies,
990
00:47:44,557 --> 00:47:46,864
seven seasons
of theNext Generation,
991
00:47:46,907 --> 00:47:48,648
seven more ofDeep Space Nine,
992
00:47:48,691 --> 00:47:51,607
seven ofVoyager,
four ofStar Trek: Enterprise,
993
00:47:51,651 --> 00:47:55,350
four seasons ofDiscovery,
two ofPicard, along withLower Decks,
994
00:47:55,394 --> 00:47:58,005
Not to mention, the movies
from theKelvin Timeline
995
00:47:58,049 --> 00:48:00,312
and much more to come,
996
00:48:00,355 --> 00:48:03,924
including the return
of Captain Janeway inStar Trek: Prodigy.
997
00:48:03,968 --> 00:48:05,665
That's what I mean
about Star Trek,
998
00:48:05,708 --> 00:48:08,581
it's just the reverberations
are endless.
84236
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