STAR TREK: VOYAGER is set in the same time frame as "The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine." It chronicles the adventures of a Starfleet vessel which must find its way back to Federation space from a distant part of the galaxy.
The Cardassian War is over, but the conflict refuses to die. Cardassians within the Demilitarized Zone continue to harass Federation outposts, and while Starfleet responds to any significant aggression, some colonists have decided to take matters into their own hands. This group of resistance fighters calls itself the Maquis -- and they are becoming more than a nuisance. The Federation considers them outlaws.
The Starfleet ship Voyager is dispatched to search for a Maquis ship which has disappeared in an unusual region of space known as the "Badlands." But Voyager finds itself swept up in a strange and terrifying phenomenon which ultimately deposits the ship at the far reaches of the galaxy -- so far that, even at warp speeds, it would take nearly seventy years to return.
They also find the Maquis ship there, and, in an uneasy liaison, the crews of the two ships agree to band together in order to maximize their chances of surviving and returning to Federation space.
But the Maquis ship is destroyed and its crew must come aboard Voyager. The two ships' captains negotiate for key positions: the Maquis insist on certain pivotal roles for their senior staff. An agreement is struck, and the ship sets out, manned by this unusual mix of Starfleet and renegade officers -- some of whom get along, and some of whom don't.
Their quest is to find a "shortcut" home, a wormhole or other phenomenon which will transport them over the huge distance in minutes. But the Voyager captain also insists that -- even though they are seventy years from Starfleet Command -- they behave as a Starfleet crew. They will continue to go boldly, to explore, study, and investigate, so that when they do return, they will have amassed a vast wealth of knowledge about a heretofore unexplored region of space.
It is smaller, sleeker, and more advanced than the Enterprise. It holds a crew of some two hundred, and does not have families on board.
Details of the ship will be provided as it is designed.
The Cardassians and the Federation may consider the Maquis outlaws, but in their own minds they are freedom fighters. They are idealistic nonconformists who believe passionately that they are taking the only course of action they can to protect themselves and their loved ones from continued Cardassian aggression.
Some are Starfleet officers who have resigned their commissions or dropped out of the Academy. Some have been asked to leave Starfleet. But most share a common trait: they are not comfortable living under the strict rules of conduct demanded by Starfleet. They are independent, free-thinking individuals with perhaps a few more rough edges than we might see in a typical Starfleet crew.
In addition to the two regular characters that are Maquis (Chakotay and B'Elanna), we assume that some twenty more have come on board and can be used from time to time in stories.
A human, Janeway is by no means the only female Captain in Starfleet. But it is generally acknowledged that she is among the best -- male or female. She embodies all that is exemplary about Starfleet officers: intelligent, thoughtful, perspicacious, sensitive to the feelings of others, tough when she has to be, and not afraid to take chances. She has a gift for doing the completely unexpected which has bailed her out of more than one scrape.
The daughter of a mathematician mother and an astrophysicist father, Janeway was on a track for a career in science. Her natural leadership abilities manifested themselves quickly, however, and she was rapidly promoted to ever-more-responsible positions. And because of her hands-on experience in various science posts, she brings to her captaincy a greater familiarity with technology and science than any captain we've yet experienced.
Her relationship with her mother, a Starfleet theoretical mathematician, was particularly close, and she used to enjoy talking with her, discussing esoteric issues of math as well as down-to-earth issues of life. Her mother was her role model, and bequeathed Janeway with warmth, sensitivity, intellectual curiosity, and likability. She misses her mother's presence in her life.
Janeway was in the midst of a relationship with a man when Voyager took its unscheduled leap to the edge of the galaxy. The last conversation she had with him took place on a monitor, and it was a rushed, harried chat. She never realized it was to be the last. Although she keeps up a positive front about finding a quick way home, she realizes that she may never reach Federation space in her lifetime, and that her lover, after an appropriate mourning period, will move on and undoubtedly find someone else. These thoughts, held at bay during the day, tend to surface in the middle of the night when it's hard to sleep.
Janeway is respected and loved by the members of her crew, but what about the renegades? Their captain, Chakotay, has agreed to the position of First Officer, and must now report to a Starfleet officer. Chakotay himself develops a strong bond with Janeway. He had known of her, heard of her diplomatic and tactical exploits, and realizes that if they were to be dumped at the ends of the galaxy with any Captain -- they're lucky it was this one.
Tom Paris has been given his chance at redemption by Captain Janeway, and he's determined to prove to her that it was a good idea. But B'Elanna maintains a distance between herself and the Captain. She won't be won over so easily.
Paris's career in Starfleet was expected to be exemplary. He descended from a proud lineage of Starfleet legends; his great-grandfather, grandmother, father, and aunt were all Admirals. Everyone assumed that Tom, who was bright, capable, and charming, would achieve those same heights. No one knew that Tom felt a tremendous pressure to live up to the name his family had carved -- and had grave doubts whether that was possible.
He fared well enough at Starfleet Academy -- his grades, while not dazzling, were decent. He played on the Parises Squares team and participated in various activities. His greatest skill was as a pilot, and he often said he'd rather pilot a ship than sit in the captain's chair. After graduation, he joined a unit of Starfleet's S.A.V. division (Small Attack Vessel), where his piloting skills would be put to good use.
But there was an accident during a war games demonstration, a pilot was killed -- and Tom Paris, fearing his reputation might suffer and derail his career, lied and placed the blame on the dead man. The fault was actually his, and had he simply owned up to that, he would have been disciplined. But he was young, and was terrified of bringing disgrace onto his illustrious family.
That mistake cost him dearly. When the lie was revealed, he was discharged. His worst fears had been realized -- he had sullied the family name. He sank into a severe depression, wandering the next few years aimlessly, piloting freighters and tankers just to be behind the controls of a ship again -- the only place he felt even vaguely alive. At one point he landed in a port where he fell into a game of Dabo with some members of the Maquis, and at the end of a long night he ended up joining them. They offered him the one thing he wanted most: to pilot a sleek starship in situations which require extraordinary prowess. He wasn't much interested in their cause -- but it did provide a fight which took his mind off the fight with his own soul. He was with them barely a month when he was captured, and in his mind that was another "failure."
When Captain Janeway contacts him in prison, it is with the gift of a new chance at life, and he has always credited her for that opportunity. He would stop a phaser blast for her, and is determined to make her glad she gave him a chance. He of all the crew is not dismayed by the cruel fate which has befallen them: what does it matter that they're at the ends of the galaxy? He's flying a ship and having adventures -- that's just what he wants to be doing and it doesn't matter particularly to him where it happens.
He has an affection for B'Elanna, seeing in her a soul at war and reminding him of himself. And, like B'Elanna, he is drawn toward the rock-like steadiness of Tuvok.
The First Officer is a complex -- some would say difficult -- man. His background is unique: he spans two cultures, one foot in each, belonging to both and yet to neither.
In the 22nd century, a group of Indian traditionalists became dissatisfied with the "homogenization" of humans that was occurring on Earth. Strongly motivated to preserve their cultural identity, they re-located to a remote planet near what has now become known as the Demilitarized Zone.
Chakotay is a member of that Indian nation, but was always what his people call a "contrary;" he had a mind of his own, an individualistic rather than communal way of thinking. Though proud of his heritage and his traditions, he was not satisfied to ignore the galaxy around him -- a galaxy teeming with diverse life forms and amazing technology. He broke from his people, educated himself in the ways of the 24th century, and attended Starfleet Academy.
But he was "contrary" at the Academy, also, and found he had difficulty adhering to the rigid codes and rules. He was commissioned and posted to the Merrimac just after the end of the Cardassian wars. When he learned that his people were becoming victims of attack by Cardassians, he left Starfleet to defend them, joining the then-infant group, Maquis.
Chakotay never gave up his practice of traditional rituals, and he preserves them aboard "Voyager." In his quarters is an Indian altar and other traditional fetishes. One wall contains a version of traditional mural art. He visits the Holodeck where he has a "habak" program for the celebration of his people's ceremonial cycle.
As an adolescent, Chakotay pursued a vision quest, and in doing so obtained a "spirit guide" -- a timber wolf -- which appears to him now in dreams and visions, and often guides him in his decision-making process.
He has a reverence for all living things, and when he eats he offers thanks to the earth for providing food; he will not eat meat; he takes no drugs or alcohol.
As a leader he is steady, fearless, and capable of inspiring absolute devotion. Though he comes onto Voyager more by necessity than choice, he quickly wins the respect of even the most die-hard Starfleet veterans. He strikes an immediate and powerful bond with Janeway, and an unusual one with Kim, who through Chakotay's example begins to question his own homogenization and the loss of his traditional values.
The Vulcan Tactical/Security Officer is getting on in years -- he's 160 (about 60 in human terms), but is as fit as people half his age. He is a powerful combination of maturity, wisdom, experience -- and vitality. His Vulcan equanimity and patience serve him well in his role as the ship's peace-keeper, but it is his unofficial role which most binds him to the other crew members. His grandfatherly presence is comforting to many -- particularly the young and head-strong B'Elanna -- and his age is seen as a virtue; many of the crew turn to him for advice and counsel, and are rarely disappointed.
Tuvok has lived long, but he has also lived well, tasting of most of life's experiences. He married young, had four children (three of whom are Starfleet), and outlived his wife of ninety years. He has grandchildren for whom he feels such devotion that at times it threatens to shatter his Vulcan emotional control. It is this loss -- not to see them grow and flourish -- that he feels most keenly.
He has worked with Janeway for some time; they know each other well and have achieved the kind of comfortable relationship that comes with time and experience. She turns to him as a strong shoulder; she is the person he turns to when he needs one.
But it is with B'Elanna that Tuvok has the most intense relationship. His calm, logical demeanor is comforting to her -- and reassuring that one's volatile instincts can be contained. Without Tuvok, B'Elanna's journey would be a much rougher one.
Kim, the Ops/Communication officer, is a human of Japanese descent, and had the happiest day of his life when he reported to duty aboard Voyager. He knew his parents were proud -- though he was a bit embarrassed by their hugs and kisses as they said good-bye -- and that meant a lot to him. As the only child of a couple which had tried for years to conceive, he was their great pride, their golden child. He grew up with love, warmth, and support, and an assumption that he would excel at whatever he chose. More than anything, he wanted to fulfill that expectation, to repay his parents for their undying devotion to him. And he had always done that, through his shining academic career and his graduation with honors from the Academy.
After Voyager was swept to the far reaches of the galaxy, when he realized he would never see his parents again and they would believe him dead, his greatest regret was for the pain they would feel.
But if Harry was raised with love and care, he was also raised in a somewhat sheltered way. He had no worries, no cares, and whatever minor annoyances life might have brought were deflected from him by his parents. So Harry has some growing up to do. Having never experienced adversity, he has fewer of the tools for coping than some of the others. Though he tries to keep such thoughts from surfacing, he's scared. He's over his head in this mission; he thought he'd be gone a month and then go home to share his adventures with his folks. But what has happened is unthinkable, and often he has the sensation that it's just a bad dream, that he will wake up in his bedroom at home, to the sound of his mother singing in the garden and his father hammering copper plate for sculptures.
He goes about his duties with diligence -- it's comforting, somehow, to have a job to do -- but more than anyone else, Harry is suffering.
The others know this, and in their varying ways, try to give the young man a helping hand. Their methods range from Chakotay's stern insistence on duty to Janeway's comforting maternal presence, but among the crew there is not one who doesn't like Harry Kim.
The Chief Engineer has a facade that's worked well for her: tough, knowledgeable, able to take care of herself, bothered by nothing. In fact, beneath the surface, there dwells a person confused and at war with herself. B'Elanna has a mixed heritage -- Klingon and human -- that she deplores. Her Klingon side is disturbing to her; she makes every effort to suppress it, preferring to develop her human side. She distrusts the feelings her Klingon blood produces, and wishes that, like Tuvok, she could achieve total control of them.
B'Elanna's attitude stems from a complex mix of factors: Her Klingon mother and her human father separated when she was young and vulnerable, and she grew up not knowing her father. Consequently, he was transformed by her into a fantasy image: the perfect daddy-prince, an idealized figure who stood for all that was good and valuable.
She and her mother lived, not on the Klingon Home World, but on a remote colony which was largely human, and where the young child inevitably grew up feeling like the "other." As she grew older, the feelings began to solidify: being Klingon was equated with alienation and loss, and being human represented everything that was desirable.
The turning of her back on her Klingon side was epitomized when she was accepted at Starfleet Academy, where she excelled in the sciences. But even then she struggled with the structure and discipline demanded of the students. After graduation she joined the Starfleet Engineering Corps, but her conflict with the Starfleet way of life continued. Her brief career was stormy; she was at odds with her colleagues over almost every aspect of Starfleet life. She quit, with great regret, once again feeling that she didn't fit in -- and blamed this, once more, on her Klingon side.
As a member of the Maquis, B'Elanna had finally found an outlet for many of her frustrations -- a tangible enemy against whom she could fight. She was a courageous soldier, and either didn't realize or didn't acknowledge the fact that warring on the Cardassians allowed her Klingon warrior's blood to course freely and unashamedly.
Now, on Voyager, that foe has been taken away, and her own inner frustrations are thrown into marked relief. Without an enemy, B'Elanna is forced to deal with angry parts of herself that no longer have an appropriate outlet. It is through Tuvok's calm counsel that she is learning to accept herself.
B'Elanna has grown into a fetching young beauty with an incandescent sexuality. She turns many heads, but the person she has designs on is Tom Paris, who won't clutter their professional relationship by having an affair with another officer.
Doc is not really a person, but a holographic figure -- an E.M.P. to be precise: Experimental Medical Program. When the ship's doctor is unavailable, or needs added assistance, he can call on the E.M.P. The holo-doctor appears as a human male and has been programmed with the most up-to-date medical knowledge; he is capable of treating any disease or injury.
Doc identifies himself as E.M.P. 1, Zimmerman -- Zimmerman being the programmer who created him in his own image. He has awareness that he is a hologram, and is fully aware of his limitations. He had no personality when we first met him, and was as dry and dull as an automaton. Subsequently, he has undergone a number of personality changes depending on the person who is programming him. The crew is never sure who they're going to get when they call up Doc Zimmerman.
Neelix is an alien male unlike any we've ever seen, in that he comes from the part of the galaxy that has been heretofore unexplored. He's a strange one -- small, scraggly, toothless, and cunning. He's part scavenger, trader, con man, procurer, and sage. His life has not been an easy one, but he has toughed it out -- surviving by his wits and instincts in a dangerous part of space.
Neelix has developed the capacity to be all things to all people. You want a guide? I'm a guide. You want a weapon? I'm an arms trader. You want a cook? I'm a gourmet chef. He's the ultimate in flexibility and a jack of many, many trades.
Kes is his Ocampa lover: She is delicate, beautiful, young -- and has a life span of only nine years. Neelix adores her, is protective of her, is insanely jealous of her. Kes doesn't give him any reason for those feelings; she loves Neelix and is loyal to him. But she is inquisitive and eager to absorb knowledge about this starship and its fascinating crew. She is an innocent who sees humanity through a fresh perspective, and the crew of Voyager never cease to fascinate her.
Neelix is the "cook" in the officers' mess. It's a job he wangled to get himself and Kes a comfortable life on this luxurious starship. Because of the huge power drain that replicators place on the ship's systems, the crew must, for the first time in years, eat real food. Neelix knows where to find it and how to prepare it, and before long, he's invaluable. He also enjoys being right in the heart of things -- and where else is that but in the officers' mess? He knows when to listen, when to keep quiet, and when to speak up... and the crew find that he can be a valuable repository of information.
Kes helps him cook and serve, but she'd much rather be roaming the ship, getting to know the people; Neelix can never seem to find her when he needs her, and he's always sure she's standing up in a closet with a sailor.
Their relationship is offbeat, wry, and funny -- and allows us insights into a uniquely alien relationship. Neelix and Kes, a truly odd couple, become oblique commentators on the human condition.