In December 1993, Paramount annaounced the formation of the United Paramount Network In the US to take on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. Targeted for a January 1995 launch, the new network promased four hours of original programming over two nights every week. The linchpin of the Schedule was to be a new series called Star Trek: Voyager.
Voyager was Created By Rick Berman, Michael Piller and Jeri Tayler, also the shows executive Producers. The New Series was meant as a direct replacement for Star Trek: The Next Generation, promasing a fresh look at the universe created by Gen Roddenberry.
Over numerous lunch meetings during closing season of The Next Generation, at the same time as preparing the Star Trek:Generations movie for release and producing DS9. Berman, Piller and Taylor set about devising a new format for the fourth incarnation of Star Trek.
The Producers once again tried to avoid the stifling niceness which they felt killed dramatic interaction in Star Trek: The Next Generation. This would be achieved via the use of two divergent crews, forced to work together. It was also decided to strand them in a hostile situation, setting them the task of finding their way home.
Having chosen to base their series aboard a starship stuck in the Delta Quadrent some 70,000 light years from Federation Space, Bermand, Piller and Taylor set about roughing out the pilot story. It was decided that The U.S.S Voyager NCC 74656 would be a smaller Vessal than The Enterprise, holding to the old Star Trek tradition however the voice of the computer is still performed by Majel Roddenberry.
However Voyager did have somewhat of a troubled start, The producers wanted a female captain and names linked with this role were Lindsay wagner and Kirsty Ally of Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan Fame and The Tv show Cheers. The Producers eventually hired movie actress Genevieve Bujold for the role of Captain Elisabeth Janeway.
However on the 9th of september 1995 the Star Trek Production Office Issued a Statement: Genevieve Bujold has resigned her role in Star Trek: Voyager. After several days of production, she has found that the rigours of episodic television were too demanding. The Studio described her departer as 'amicable', but rumours persisted that she had been overheard on set saying that she had not trained as an actor to play a cartoon charecter!
As a resuilt of this the search was on for a replacement captain and Winrick Kolbe re-organised his filming schedule as best he could around the missing captain, when rumours got out that paramount were reconsidering using a female captain their offices were bombarded with Faxes from fans, a new slant to the famiouse letter writing campaighns of the sixtys.
Helen Shaver, Chelsie feilds and Karen Austin were all considered, along with Kate Mulgrew. But eventually Mulgrew came through and signed up to play the re-christened Kathryn Janeway.
The caretaker Premiered on the 16th of January 1995 with the launch of the new United Paramount Network. It was warmly recieved, managing a US rating of 14.7 on the opening night, making it the most whatched programme in the 8pm-10pm time slot. The Caretaker cost a cool 10 million to make and took six weeks to film.
Just recantly at the beginning of Season four of Voyager Jennifer Lien who had portrayed Tha Ocama named Kes in the series decided to leave, So Voyager producers introduced a new Charecter to the show called seven of nine who is portrayed by Former Dark Skys Actress Jeri Ryan.
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