Rick Berman's Alternate Endings for Star Trek Voyager and the Continuing Adventures of the Crew

The Finale of Star Trek Voyager

Star Trek producer Rick Berman praises the direction of Star Trek: Voyager's finale and reveals several alternate endings considered for the show. Voyager completed a seven-series run in 2001, ending with the dramatic two-part episode, 'Endgame,' that saw Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the USS Voyager crew finally accomplishing their mission to return home to the Alpha Quadrant and Earth. Aided in the series finale by an older Admiral Janeway who travels back to warn her younger self about an encounter shortly due with the Borg, the Voyager crew are set on a series of events that lead to accomplishing their most essential goal.

Star Trek Prodigy to Netflix

Lost in the Delta Quadrant seven years before the series' conclusion with no clear route back, Captain Janeway and the Voyager crew must slowly traverse distant space as they make a hopeful long-term return journey toward Earth. Discussing the show's finale in Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross' Star Trek oral history, 'The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years,' Rick Berman contrasts the concept of a 'show about exploration' and 'venturing outward' with a central cast and starship so focused on returning home. With plans for the Borg Queen's (Alice Krige) involvement set for Voyager's finale, Berman reveals the franchise-altering alternative endings considered. When ending the show, we considered everything. We considered having Janeway die, we considered having Seven of Nine give up her life, we considered so many things. We knew that the Borg Queen was going to be involved in the final episode. And that there was going to be a great showdown between her and Captain Janeway. It was a great idea to go in the direction we did with the show, but at the same time there’s something about venturing outward and trying to get back home that are diametrically different from one another. Star Trek by and large is a show about exploration, and exploration is going forth, it’s not trying to find your way home. So it did hold us back in certain ways, but I think that’s because we needed to go in a different direction, and Next Generation had just ended and Deep Space Nine was still on the air, it was the best of both worlds, so to speak.

Hologram Janeway stands alone on the Protostar Bridge

The Adventure Continues For Voyager's Crew in Star Trek: Prodigy

The Emmy award-winning animated Star Trek: Prodigy brings the space-faring franchise to a younger audience. Created for Paramount+ and Nickelodeon, the series has since found a home on Netflix following a successful fan campaign to save the show from cancellation. Alongside its main cast of young alien heroes, the show features several actors returning from Star Trek: Voyager. Kate Mulgrew stars as Voyager's Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway and her Hologram duplicate, working as a virtual training protocol on the USS Protostar. Prodigy continues the search for and introduces Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) in its second season, appearing along with Robert Picardo's Emergency Medical Hologram, The Doctor.

Janewat Chakotay Prodigy

With continued Star Trek: Prodigy fan and network support, other favorite and much-loved characters from Star Trek: Voyager and its sister shows may appear in future seasons. The continuing adventures of Admiral Janeway and her returning Voyager crew are a pleasant reminder of the distinctiveness, originality, and scope of the remarkable coffee-fueled Captain and her Starfleet colleagues originally lost in the Delta Quadrant. With the revelation of alternate endings that would drastically impact not just Voyager but the overall Star Trek franchise (and shows such as Star Trek: Picard) and the security of the universe as a whole, Rick Berman's thoughts on Star Trek: Voyager's finale are a fascinating insight into the behind-the-scenes creation of the show's epic conclusion.

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Conclusion

The continuing adventures of the Voyager crew in Star Trek: Prodigy bring a delightful extension to the beloved characters and their journey in the Delta Quadrant. Rick Berman's revelations about the alternate endings considered for Star Trek: Voyager's finale provide an intriguing look into the creative process behind the show's epic conclusion and the impact it could have had on the broader Star Trek franchise. As the Star Trek universe continues to expand, with new generations of fans embracing the timeless appeal of exploration, discovery, and the enduring spirit of the Voyager crew, the legacy of this iconic series lives on.

Robert Picardo voices the Doctor in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2