FAQL: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST for VOY (NEW STAR TREK TV SERIES)
Otto Heuer #3
INFORMATION ON THE NEW "STAR TREK: VOYAGER" TV SERIES
(last updated 3 June 1994)
This posting is intended to cut down on questions that seem to pop up daily
asking what is known about the new Star Trek TV series in the works. It is
one of a number of periodic postings posted to r.a.s.*. For a full list of
informational postings, please read the "LIST OF PERIODIC POSTINGS" article
in rec.arts.startrek.misc. For a list of acronyms used in this (and other)
postings, please refer to the "ACRONYM LIST" which can be found in
rec.arts.startrek.misc.
===========================================================================
The 28 June 1993 issue of Broadcasting and Cable was the first to break the
story on the fifth Star Trek TV series (1=TOS, 2=TAS, 3=TNG, 4=DS9).
NAME: Star Trek Voyager
AIR DATE: January 1995; Mondays or Tuesdays at 8:00 or 9:00 pm Eastern
FILMING: Starts in the early fall of 1994
TIME FRAME: Same time frame as DS9 and TNG
CAST: Sito (Shannon Fill) & Ogawa (Patti Yatsukate) have been
brought up many times by Paramount reps.
Middle-aged Vulcan (in his 50s) (Head of Security/Tactical)
Half-Human/Half-Klingon Woman (doesn't like Klingon traits)
formerly of StarFleet
Pueblo Indian first officer (pivitoal character-presumably the
commander of the renegade ship and leader of the Maquis)
Holographic Character that is limited to the HoloDeck
Asian-American fresh out of Starfleet
Human Captain (is also the science officer) most likely female
Two Alien Species that "come from the area of the galaxy where
the Voyager finds itself in"
Young Human Officer that was "dishonorably discharged and is
brought back into Starfleet - even though there is some
questionable activity in his past - because he has
information about the renegades." [Nick Locarno would be the
obvious choice --ed]
PREMISE: A group of 200-220 StarFleet officers on board the USS Voyager
(a Voyager Class starship) is chasing some renegades and ends
up on the far side of the galaxy (when they enter a one-way
wormhole/nexus swirl in The Badlands at the Cardassian border).
It would take 70 to 80 years at top warp to get home, so they
join with the renegades to explore the space they are in.
STATIONS: Tentatively on the stations owned by Paramount and Chris-Craft
(and probably given to the highest bidder for markets not
served by such a station).
Station Owner Area of Country (47 or 78% of USA)
------------------------------------------------------------------
KTXA Paramount Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
KTXH Paramount Houston, TX
WDCA Paramount Washington, DC
WTXF Paramount Philadelphia, Penn.
KBHK Chris-Craft San Franscico, CA
KCOP Chris-Craft Los Angeles, CA
KMSP-9 Chris-Craft Minneapolis, MN
KPTV Chris-Craft Portland, Ore.
KUTP Chris-Craft Phoenix, Ariz.
WWOR Chris-Craft New York, NY (Secaucus, NJ)
KABB River City Broadcasting San Antonio, TX
WTTV River City Broadcasting Indianapolis, IN
WJZY Capitol Broadcasting Charlotte, NC
KRRT (Fox affiliate) San Antonio, TX
WKBD (Fox affiliate) Detroit, Mich.
WLFL (Fox affiliate) Raleigh/Durham, NC
KAIL ??? Fresno, CA
KASN ??? Little Rock, Ark.
KFVE Fox Honolulu, HI
KTFO ??? Tulsa,
WTOG ??? Tampa, FL
KADY ??? Oxnard, CA
KTTU ??? Tuscon, AZ
KTVD ??? Denver, CO
KUSI ??? San Diego, CA
KYES ???(ind, owner unknown) Anchorage, AK
KZIA ??? El Paso, TX
WAZ ??? Evansville, IN (Low Power TV station)
WFTE ??? Louisville, KY
WGNT ??? Norfolk, VA
WJTC ??? Mobile, Alabama
WLMT ??? Memphis, TN
WNPL ??? Naples, FL
WPWR ??? Chicago, IL (independent station)
???? ??? ???, ??
???? ??? ???, ??
The following have not been verified by Paramount, but local reports say
that Voyager will be on these stations.
WGNX Tribune (?) Atlanta, GA
KASA (Fox affiliate) Albuquerque, NM
11 August 1993 Daily Express (mid-range UK newpaper) mentioned that a
Paramount Pictures insider revealed: "writers have been contracted to
prepare scripts for the new series, and casting agents have been told to
look for a beautiful young woman to captain the Excalibur. There is no sex
discrimination in the 24th century and a female can command a ship as well,
if not better, and[sic] any male." The series will be filmed on current
Next Generation sets at Paramount Pictures and will be screened in America
in the autumn of next year.
25 September 1993 SD Creation con: The new Star Trek series that will be
coming out sometime next year will be led by Michael Piller, Rick Berman,
and Jeri Taylor. The creation host said that the new series will be
Enterprise-based (if this is the case, any of the current TNG characters
that didn't want to continue would no doubt have to move off the ship). A
TNG extra mentioned later in the same con that the new series would *not*
be Enterprise-based. They also say that the characters will be younger.
Wil Wheaton may be on it. (He's currently working for NewTek in Kansas
city.)
26 October 1993: Entertainment Tonight (Paramount's mouthpiece) reported
that Paramount plans to start up a new network with Chris-Craft, starting
with four hours of programming per week (similar to PTEN). One of the
hours would be a new series called "Star Trek: VOYAGER". Slated to begin
airing January '95.
27 October 1993 Cincinnati Enquirer:
PARAMOUNT TO CREATE FIFTH NETWORK
Plans to premiere in January, 1995
Bloomberg Business News
New York - Paramount Communications Inc. said Tuesday it would form a
fifth U.S. broadcast television network with Chris-Craft Industries Inc.
Paramount, which has been considering a fifth network for some time, said
the network will premiere in January, 1995, with two nights of programming
each week on 10 stations. It would be the first new U.S. broadcast
network since News Corp. created Fox Broadcasting in 1986. The network
gives Paramount a guaranteed outlet for its television shows. Initially,
the lineup will be anchored by a spin-off of Paramount's popular "Star
Trek" space adventure series, to be called "Star Trek: Voyager." The
network also will acquire original programs from other television
producers. Controlling the network's scheduling ensures Paramount's shows
will get prime-time exposure. Time-Warner Inc., the biggest producer of
prime-time programming in the United States, has reportedly studied
creating a network over the past year for the many of the same reasons.
"What it's basically providing is another avenue to make sure the programs
Paramount produces get good air time, especially since the networks have
their own programming agenda, said James Goss, an analyst for Duff &
Phelps. The new "Paramount Network" will be jointly owned and operated by
Paramount and Chris-Craft, a New York-based company headed by longtime
media investor Herbert Siegel. Through 70%-owned subsidiary BHC
Communications, Chris-Craft owns six independent stations and two network
affiliates. Combined with Paramount's four independent stations, the
company estimated that the stations reach more than 27% of U.S.
households. The companies said the venture has been approved by Viacom,
which is in a bidding war against QVC Network Inc. for Paramount.
26-27 October 1993: An article in the New York Times on the announcement
seems to indicate that Paramount's going to try and get on some
"Superstations" like WOR, WTBS, or WGN as a way of reaching areas that
aren't covered by Paramount/Chris-Craft stations.
Late-October 1993 Saramento Bee reports the same news about the new Trek
series being the anchor of the new Paramount network. They also reported
that none of the current Trek programs would be yanked and moved over to
the new network (TNG should be done by then and DS9 will continue as it
currently is).
Late-October 1993: USA Today reports that areas that won't have a
Paramount station will likely show the Paramount shows on cable stations;
meaning the regular FOX/ABC/CBS/NBC/Indpendents are probably out (unless,
of course, they join the network; it isn't unheard of for one station to
carry TWO networks). Also, since Chris-Craft owns WWOR, cable companies
that carry WWOR may get ST:VOY if their local stations don't carry it.
Well. Let's just make this all offical by putting the 26 October 1993
Paramount press release in here (thanks Mike!):
Paramount Communications Inc.
15 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10023-7780
212-373-8000
Fax 212-373-8558 NEWS
Contact: John A. Wentworth Evan Thompson
PARAMOUNT TELEVISION GROUP CHRIS-CRAFT
(213) 956-5394 (310) 854-0426
Carl Folta
PARAMOUNT COMMUNICATIONS
(212) 373-8530
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 26, 1993
PARAMOUNT COMMUNICATIONS AND CHRIS-CRAFT INDUSTRIES
ANNOUNCE FORMATION OF FIFTH TELEVISION NETWORK
The Paramount Network to Premiere in January 1995 With Two Nights of
Programming Anchored by Paramount's New STAR TREK: VOYAGER
LOS ANGELES, CA. Oct. 26, 1993--Paramount Communications Inc. and Chris-Craft
Industries, Inc. today announced the formation of The Paramount Network, a
fifth broadcast television network to be launched in January 1995. The new
network will be jointly owned and operated by Paramount and Chris-Craft.
The new network will initially present four hours of original programming
over two nights, featuring the introduction of a new, hour-long action/adventure
series, STAR TREK: VOYAGER. The network will also acquire additional original
programs from Paramount and other leading television producers. The
introductory prime-time programming blocks presented by the network will be
carried by a group of affiliated stations that will include the six independent
stations owned by Chris-Craft and the four independent stations owned by
Paramount. Together, these stations reach more than 27% of U.S. television
households.
Martin S. Davis, chairman and chief executive officer of Paramount
Communications, said, "Under our merger agreement, the launch of The Paramount
Network has been approved by Viacom. They share our enthusiasm for the vast
opportunities created by this bold venture with Chris-Craft. The Paramount
Network will benefit substantially from the combination of Paramount's
programming expertise with Viacom's outstanding capabilities in the television
business, particularly in creating immensely popular networks."
Kerry McCluggage, chairman of the Paramount Television Group, said,
"Paramount brought network quality to first-run syndication with STAR TREK:
THE NEXT GENERATION, STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE and THE UNTOUCHABLES. Now,
we are taking it to the next level by creating a quality network; Chris-Craft's
expertise in television station operations makes them a perfect partner in
The Paramount Network, ensuring a successful network that will maximize its
affiliate stations's value."
Evan Thompson, president of Chris-Craft Broadcasting, said, "We are
extremely pleased to join Paramount in the creation of a new national television
network. We both believe that The Paramount Network represents the most
exciting opportunity to provide independent stations with distinctive,
original programming with which they can differrentiate themselves from other
independents and cable channels above and beyond their current slate of
off-network programs. By aligning themselves with The Paramount Network,
the affiliated stations around the country will create a valuable franchise
in their markets."
The Paramount Television Group is a leading producer of both network and
first-run programming, supplying 30-1/2 hours of programming per week to the
CBS, NBC, ABC and USA networks as well as stations across the country and
worldwide. Paramount is producing ten network series for the current season
including WINGS, FRASIER, BOB, SOUTH OF SUNSET, THE MOMMIES, JOHN AND LEEZA,
VIPER, SISTER SISTER, DUCKMAN and ITSY BITSY SPIDER. The pioneer of the
first-run syndication market, Paramount's first-run series are STAR TREK:
THE NEXT GENERATION, STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, THE
UNTOUCHABLES, THE ARSENIO HALL SHOW, THE MAURY POVICH SHOW and HARD COPY.
The Paramount Stations Group is comprised of seven stations covering more
than 11% of all U.S. television households: the independent stations are
WTXF in Philadelphia, WDCA in Washington, D.C., KTXA in Dallas/Ft. Worth,
and KTXH in Houston; the FOX network-affiliated stations are WLFL in
Raleigh.Durham, KRRT in San Antonio and WKBD in Detroit. Paramount
Communications also has significant operations in motion pictures and home
video, cable television networks, motion picture theaterss, theme parks and
live and televised sports and entertainment events, as well as global
piblishing operations serving the educational, consumer and business,
technical and professional markets.
Chris-Craft, through its 70% owned subsidiary BHC Communications, Inc.,
owns and operates an eight-station group covering approximately 20% of all
U.S. television households. BHC owns independent stations KCOP in Los
Angeles, WWOR in New York and KPTV in Portland, Oregon. BHC's 55% owned
subsidiary, United Television, Inc. owns independent stations KMSP in
Minneapolis, KBHK in San Francisco and KUTP in Phoenix, as well as ABC
affiliate KTVX in Salt Lake City and NBC affiliate KMOL in San Antonio.
3 November 1993 USA Today: a crew of Federation officers is pursuing a
band of renegade officers through space, on board the USS Voyager, a new
deep-space class exploration vessel. Both ships are caught in a
"Bermuda-triangle" in space, which hurls them to the edge of the galaxy.
There, they are forced to join together in the desperate attempt to make it
safely back home. Some of the characters will include a half-Klingon, a
hologram, and a Native American whose tribe left Earth to settle on another
planet some 150 years before. The captain of the vessel has not yet been
decided on. (from Berman:) "They end up in an odd and unique astronomical
phenomenon that puts both of them at the very edge of the galaxy."
Essentially the two crews unite for their common good and explore the area,
while looking for a way to get home. Crew: There will be a Captain (but
the gender and ethnic makeup has not been determined), a middle-aged
Vulcan, a female half-human half-Klingon , a holographic character, and a
Native American whose tribe left earth 150 years earlier to settle on
another planet. The article also says that the series fianle of TNG will
introduce the concept for Voyager. (thanks Mike!)
mid-November 1993 TV Guide information (that they were given by Rick
Berman): "...THE CONCEPT: The two-hour pilot opens with the USS
Voyager--one of a new class of small Starfleet vessels, with a crew of
200--chasing another ship, which is carrying renegade, vigilante
Starfleeters. The pursuit at the Cardassian border takes the ships into a
kind of Bermuda Triangle called The Badlands, where a strange natural
phenomenon transports them to an unexplored part of the galaxy. By the
end, the crews are united on the Voyager where, lost in space, they try to
work out their differences as they expore (what else?) strange new
worlds..." To debut in January 1995. The crew: 8 or 9 regulars, still
uncast: Commander figure whose race and sex are yet undetermined, a
half-Klingon half-human woman, an Asian, a holographic character, "two
members of two alien species unique to this species", "an older male
Vulcan", "a young officer who was dishonorably discharged but asked back
because he has information about the renegades", "and a Native American".
"...Like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation, Voyager takes
place in the 24th century, and will include characters from the current
series."
mid-November 1993 ITV TELETEXT UK P351: Nichelle Nichols, George Takei,
Walter Koeing, Michael Doohan will be in a new SCI-FI series (not related
to Star Trek). Doohan will be a bartender. This sounds similar to a
comedy series Walter Koenig was pitching a year or two back.
mid-November 1993: Richard Arnold stated at a con that all of the cast
members to be on ST:VOY have been cast. Pattie Yasutake and Shannon Fill
have signed on. In case you don't know who they are, they are "Nurse
Alyssa Ogawa" and "Ensign Sito" from "The First Duty".
20 November 1993 Omaha, Nebraska convention: Richard Arnold said that
ST:VOY will start shooting August 1994 for a January 1995 start. Many of
the characters will appear in an upcoming episode of TNG called "Lower
Decks", watch for it. The TNG sets will be redressed for ST:VOY and
redressed for the Movies.
26/27 November 1993 New York City Creation convention: Patti Yasutake
(Nurse Alyssa Ogawa) and the female Bajoran cadet (Cadet Second Class Sito
played by Shannon Fill) that was introduced in "First Duty" are supposed to
spin-off over to the new series. ST:VOY sets are being built. Richard
Arnold said he believes that Gene would not approve ST:VOY because of the
flawed Starfleet officers. And ST is about the search for new life (to go
where no one has gone before)--not a trip back home. Lolita Fatjo
concurred.
14 January 1994 Entertainment Weekly, pg 15: In August, Paramount Studios
will begin production on yet another spin-off, Star Trek: Voyager, slated
to be the flagship show of Paramount's planned new network (scheduled to
take off in January 1995). What to expect? "Completely new aliens in
completely new parts of space," promises Rick Berman, co-executive producer
of all the current Trek series and the coming Next Generation big-screen
flick. More details on the future of futuristic television:
SAME TIME NEXT YEAR: Star Trek: Voyager will take place in the same
era as TNG and DS9 - in the 24th century - but the setting will be a
leaner, meaner starship that holds a crew of only 200 (the Enterprise
holds 1,000; Deep Space Nine can accommodate up to 7,000 humans and other
species). "Through a set of circumstances that occurs in the first
episode," Berman explains, "the ship will find itself very, *very* far
away from Federation territory with no apparent way back. They'll have
to discover a way to return home while at the same time they explore a
part of the galaxy where nobody has gone before."
WHO'S WHO IN OUTER SPACE: Voyager will have nine main characters - the
most of any Star Trek series - although nobody has been cast yet. Among
the castaway crew members, says Berman, will be "a Native American who
comes from a planet that was colonized by American Indians in the 21st or
22nd century because they wanted to find a place where they could deal
with their cultural identity." Also on board: a pointy-eared Vulcun; a
half-Klingon, half-human female; an inter-alien couple from different
parts of the galaxy; and a holographic character that's "really hard to
explain right now, but will be great when you see it."
Late January 1994: Info from a convention (location unknown) reports that
the starship will be Voyager class with a crew of 220. It will be on its
maiden voyage on a mission to hunt down a group of renegade Starfleet
officers out in the Badlands, a area on the Cardassian border somewhere.
Voyager finds the the officers and in the ensuing space battle, both ships
somehow are thrown a looong distance from explored space. The show is
basically going to be about them getting back. They haven't cast any parts
yet because they want to start with the captain and then revolve around
that. Sito Jackson (from "The First Duty" the TNG episode where Wes
Crusher's team is on trial for the death of their classmate) is going to be
on the new series as the same character.
This is interesting, since Sito's death was implied in "Lower Decks".
They've brought characters back before though, and we never saw the dead
body. They could also bring her back as the holographic character. Does
is seem like too much of a coincidence that she "died" at the Cardassian
border, and that the action of the first episode of ST:VOY takes place in
The Badlands at the Cardassian border?
30 January 1994 Los Angeles Creation con: Lindsay Wagner is being *very*
seriously considered for the role of the captain in ST:Voyager. If she
does not get the part, the casting people will be looking for someone who
is a Lindsay Wagner "type" for the captain's role. The role of the captain
of the renegade ship will go to a Native American (it was previously going
to be the captain of the Voyager).
30 January 1994 (or 5 February 1994) San Jose Creation con: A Paramount
representative mentioned that there will *not* be any crossovers from TNG
or DS9 for any of the regulars (Frakes, Sirtis, etc). She confirmed that
the show will appear in January 1995.
February/March Star Trek Fan Club Magazine interview with Rick Berman:
- The series is to start filming in the fall of 1994.
- Currently there are no plans for any of the Next Generation
characters to spin-off into the series.
- The Voyager will be a new class of Starship that will hold
approximately 200 people. With a few exceptions, there will be
no families on board the ship.
- "In the two-hour premiere episode we deal with a situation where
the Voyager is on a relatively routine mission looking for someone
they have planted on another ship that is crewed by a group of people
called the Maquis - a group comprised of well-meaning ex-Starfleet
officers and others who have formed somewhat of a renegade,
vigilante group to combat Cardassian raids and attacks on Federation
planets along the Cardassian/Federation border. This is a group
that is taking the law into their own hands, so to speak, and the
Federation needs to stop it. Starfleet has planted one of their
own people on this ship but has lost contact with him and so they
go in search of the renegade ship. Through a rare astronomical
phenomena, the Voyager and the Maquis ship find themselves
transported literally at the edge of the galaxy -- a distance that
would take them decades to get home. Knowing that the galaxy is
filled with wormholes and folds in space, etc., our new team of
Starfleet officers and the crew of the Maquis ship begin their
search, together, for a way home. They're certainly not going to
settle for a 70 year voyage. In the interim, they will be exploring
and gathering information for Starfleet and going literally where no
one has gone before."
- Starship design hasn't been finished yet.
- There are elements to the back-story of Star Trek: Voyager that will
be sprinkled into both The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine before
the end of the season. but there isn't anything designed specifically
for the last Next Generation episode.
VOYAGER CREW
Middle-aged Vulcan (in his late 50's) (Head of Security)
Half-Human/Half-Klingon Woman (doesn't like her Klingon traits)
Native American (pivitoal character who left his home (a colony of
American Indians founded in the 23rd century near Cardasian border)
to attend StarFleet)
Holographic character that is limited to the holodeck (ship's doctor)
Asian-American fresh out of Star Fleet Academy
Human Captain (not discribed)
Two Alien Species that "come from the area of the galaxy where the
Voyager finds itself in" (one is a woman whose species has a 8-9 year
lifespan) - they join the crew in ep#1
Young Human Officer that was "dishonorably discharged and is
brought back into Starfleet - even though there is some questionable
activity in his past - because he has information about the renegades."
[Nick Locarno would be the obvious choice --ed]
15 February 1994: Viacom was successfull in defeating QVC in the takeover
attempt of Paramont Communications. This probably means that the new
Paramount network is a "go".
19-21 February 1994 NYC Creation con: Alexander Enberg (the Vulcan from
"Lower Decks") doesn't think anyone from TNG or Lower Decks will be on the
series. He said VOY had not been casted yet.
26-27 February Creation con: Info from the Creation people is that the only
possible TNG character on VOY will be Nurse Ogawa. And Sito is alive.
5-6 March 1994 Edmonton, Alberta Creation con: NO MAJOR character
crossovers from other series.
6 March 1994 Baltimore MD Vulkon: Siddig El Fadil said that the Dominion
is being introduced on DS9 simply to establish them as the bad guys for
ST:Voyager. He has also stated that Worf will be on DS9 again.
18 March 1994: Information from an interview with Rick Berman (interview
source unknown): "In the two hour premiere we deal with a situation where
the Voyager is on a relatively routine mission looking for someone that
they have planted on another ship crewed by a group of people called the
Maquis - a group comprimised of well meaning ex-Starfleet officers and
others who have formed somewhat of a renegade, vigilante group to combat
Cardassian raids... ...This is a group that is taking the law into their
own hands, so to speak. Through a series of circumstances that I can't get
into now, the Voyager and the Maquis ship find themselves transported to
the other side of the galaxy..."
19 March 1994 Pasadena convention: Rick Sternbach stated that they are
still designing Voyager, so they don't know what it will look like yet.
They are doing "preliminary drawings". They will continue to use
models/mattes, as opposed to computer generated FX. They will probably
begin to experiment more with computer generated stuff though. Ron Moore
emphasized that nothing is set at all for Voyager (cast, writers,
producers, etc); he gave no straight answer regarding Sito. Lolita Fatjo
(script supervisor) reports that VOY will start accepting scripts from fans
starting with the second season (similar to TNG and DS9). She said that
there is no script yet for the first show of Voyager, but an idea for the
pilot has been given to the studio. The people in TNG's "Lower Decks" TNG
will not be in Voyager. There will be an all-new cast (no TNG or DS9 main
characters crossing over). There are currently no references in Voyager to
Q but that could change.
20 March 1994: Information from an unnamed source state that somehow the
transporter messes up one of the character's molecular cohesion. Their
'essence' is then transfered into the computer. On the holodeck, the
person is real, and can touch things and so on. But outside, the person
can't touch things, but people can see this person.
25 March 1994: The "Ten Forward" show on Toronto community TV reports that
Dana Carvey has signed on for two episodes of VOY as a Ferengi. They also
showed a picture of a sketch of a ship that was a deep space scout Romulan
ship that had a phase invertor on it (aka The Next Phase episode) and
looked liked a cross between a Klingon Bird of Prey (the wings and canons
on the end of the wings) and a Romulan scout ship as seen in the episode
The Defector. This will apparently be considered for VOY. [I thought they
were supposed to be too far away from Federation/Romulan space to be seeing
any Romulans. --ed]
15 April 1994: Michael Piller gave more info on QVC's Star Trek night.
The two new aliens that they are planning to be regulars will be an
ethereal, beautiful, telepathic woman who only lives 7 years, and an ugly
little man.
15-17 April 1994 Long Island I-CON: Lolita Fatjo said that the VOY bible
has been written but the pilot hasn't been scripted yet. The ship has not
been designed yet.
17 April 1994 (no source given, so take it with a grain of salt):
Principal photography will occur sometime in August. Casting will probably
be announced around the first week of July 1994.
1 May 1994 Yuma Arizona convention: John DeLancie reported that Rick
Berman told him that his will be the only crossover character on VOY.
4 May 1994: The March issue of Science Fiction Chronicle claims that VOY
will star Michael Dorn and Armin Shimerman as Worf and Quark. [Huh? --ed]
12 May 1994: Info apparently from workers on the Paramount lot says that
the pilot script is being written right now. A final decision has yet to
be made on VOY's design (though it's definitely a variant on the
saucer-with-double-nacelle design) or any of its sets, such as the bridge.
As soon as shooting for "Generations" finishes, they'll be clearing the
soundstages and constructing the VOY sets fast. The pilot begins its shoot
in August. For now, it's uncertain whether the show's SFX will be done
with scale models or CGs, but indications seem to be leaning toward the
computer graphics route. As to what kind of system, Silicon Graphics
workstations, a Toaster-net (like the ones used for "seaQuest DSV",
"Babylon 5" and "The X-Files") and Newtek's new system have been talked
about or investigated. As far as the role of the captain, word is that the
actress has already been cast. She is the only one who has been, since
producers deemed it necessary to make a decision on this role first. She's
in her late twenties, is stage trained, and has appeared in a few guest
shots on TV series. Some of these shows may have been "Class of '96",
"Sisters", or "Melrose Place" and a couple of ads. The opening minutes of
the VOY premiere will take place in the "past" during the
Federation/Cardassian war and the future VOY captain will be the first
person shown (like Picard and Sisko were in their respective shows). The
producers want VOY to be able to stand on its own, for the viewer who has
never seen either TNG or DS9 (unlike DS9, which required some basic
Borg/TNG knowledge). An opening scene which is a flashback to the
Federation and Cardassian war would go a long way in setting up the
background situation regarding the Voyager (for one, why it was
built--maybe to patrol the newly agreed upon Federation/Cardassian
borders?), why the renegade Starfleet officers must be stopped, and
defining what the Federation and Cardassian Empire are (in an opening "text
crawl") to the unenlightened. In addition, such an opening would finally
show to the faithful Trekker what the war was like--an event that has had
many repercussions in the storylines to TNG and DS9 but has only been
talked about, never actually shown. Speculation on the opening scene of
the series premiere agrees that it will involve an on-the-ground Cardassian
assault of a Federation colony--the historic turning point that forced the
Cardassians to finally negotiate peace. And that the future Voyager
captain proved herself a hero in this event. This scenario has been talked
about among those who have written for the Trek shows (but are not among
those actually writing the pilot, it should be clearly stated). Expect a
complete rollout announcing VOY and the new Paramount Network sometime in
late July 1994. "Entertainment Tonight" will naturally be plugging the new
series at this time. Expect a weekend edition of the show to be basically
an advertisement for both VOY and "Generations". Keep your eyes out for
CNN's "Showbiz Today" and, especially, the E! Entertainment Network--this
channel might air the official cast announcement live. As for printed
material, look for "Entertainment Weekly", "TV Guide" and "USA Today" at
about this time, too. "EW", in particular, wants to put the captain along
with other prominent members of the cast in costume on its cover. Expect
the first-ever photos of the set, along with production design sketches,
complete character profiles with actor bios, and a sneak peak at the
pilot's storyline in this issue. There might not be much seen within the
pages of "Starlog" or "Cinemafantastique" that will be as impressive until
afterwards, in November or December. Expect the first trailer for the TV
pilot to be at the start of the "Generations" movie. Ensign Sito will NOT
be part of the Voyager crew. [Thanks to VGHoward for this info --ed]
19 May 1994 Toronto Sun reports that actor/musician Tom Jackson may turn up
as a regular on VOY as a Native American character. Also, it mentioned that
he was in an episode of TNG's last season.
Late May 1994: There are a lot of rumors of Frakes and Wagner being
considered for the role of captain in VOY.
27 May 1994: The "Ten Forward" show on Toronto community TV reports that Lt
Akura(?) from TNG's "Lower Decks" (the medical technician) will be in
VOY. Also they said that Lindsay Wagner is most likely going to be the
captain.
2 June 1994: Two UK newspapers reported that Kirstie Alley is going to be
filling the role for captain of the Voyager.
2 June 1994: A business report on some US radio news show reported that
Paramount and Warner were considering joining forces to start a fifth
network, rather than each starting a separate network. This would probably
give them a better chance of succeeding in the US marketplace. The news
reported that talks had broken off because of problems related to the joint
ownership of the TV stations involved. Don't be surprized to see them
further investigate the possibilities however.
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If you know of any other topics that should be included in this list, feel
free to email me at one of the addresses below. Be aware that about 10% of
the mail I send out bounces, so if you don't get a reply from me, it isn't
because I'm ignoring you. :-)
This article is Copyright 1994 by Otto Heuer. It may be freely
redistributed in its entirety provided that this copyright notice is not
removed. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial
documents without the written permission of the copyright holder.
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--Otto "HACK-MAN" Heuer
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