The UNTOLD Truths Of The Star Trek Voyager Story!
The UNTOLD Truths Of The Star Trek Voyager Story!
Star Trek: Voyager’s take on the Star Trek universe existed on screen for seven seasons, and along the way, there was a lot more happening behind the scenes than you know. From the show’s impressive impact to some crazy drama between actors, here’s the untold truth of Star Trek: Voyager.
Paramount used Star Trek: Voyager to help launch its new mini-network United Paramount Network, or UPN, in January 1995. UPN only had a few shows when it launched, and only aired on Monday and Tuesday nights between 8 PM and 10 PM. That same month, Voyager was joined by the sitcom Pig Sty, comedian Richard Jeni’sPlatypus Man, the Richard Grieco action/drama Marker, and the sci-fi/Western series Legend.
Voyager’s “Caretaker” was UPN’s first telecast on January 16, 1995, and 21.3 million viewers tuned in. Of the network’s five launch series, Voyager was the only program to survive its first year. Yes, believe it or not, even a winner like Platypus Man got the ax.
Voyager went on to outlive other early UPN series like The Sentinel, the sci-fi drama Nowhere Man, and the hit teen sitcom Moesha. Voyager was also the only early UPN series to last seven seasons.
When it came time to cast Captain Janeway, Voyager’s casting team looked at a lot of actresses. Among the candidates was Linda Hamilton of the Terminator films, Susan Gibney who’d played the recurring role of Doctor Leah Brahms on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Buck Rogers alum Erin Gray. Despite the competition, the role eventually went to Canadian actress Geneviève Bujold
However, Bujold didn’t last long, quitting just a day and a half into production. Voyager co-creator Rick Berman said of Bujold’s departure,
“This was a woman who, in no way, was going to be able to deal with the rigors of episodic television.”
Documentaries like What We Left Behind and The Captains include cast and crew talking about 16-hour work days, so it’s tough to blame Bujold too much for abandoning ship. Kate Mulgrew was then cast in the role she’d keep for the show’s run. Keep watching the video to see. the untold truth of Star Trek: Voyager!
