Unveiling the Lost Star Trek Tie-In: Voyager's Missed Connection with Picard
Unveiling an untold connection, Star Trek: Voyager's lost tie-in with TOS's supervisors would have reshaped the series Discover the intriguing reason behind their delayed return, finally unveiled in Star Trek: Picard
Summary
Rather than incorporating a connection with Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Voyager opted to introduce the Sikarians, a society possessing advanced technology that potentially offered assistance to Voyager in their quest to return home.
The group known as the Supervisors, seen in the TOS episode "Assignment: Earth," had initially been planned to make an appearance in Voyager's episode "Prime Factors." However, this idea was ultimately discarded in order to give Voyager a distinct identity during its early episodes.
In a later development, the Supervisors did make a comeback in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard. It was unveiled that they had been sent by the Travelers, a group that was introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Star Trek: Voyager passed up the opportunity to incorporate a tie-in with Star Trek: The Original Series, delaying the return of this concept until Star Trek: Picard. The central premise of Voyager focused on Captain Janeway and her crew's quest to find a way back home after being unintentionally transported to the Delta Quadrant during the show's pilot episode. Throughout the series, Captain Janeway actively sought shortcuts that could expedite their journey to the Alpha Quadrant, whether through natural occurrences or by leveraging the technological advancements of alien civilizations they encountered.
In the tenth episode of season one, titled "Prime Factors," the crew of Voyager came across one such civilization. Upon their arrival on the planet Sikaris, they learned about the Sikarians' spatial trajector, which utilized the concept of space folding. This extraordinary technology allowed them to transport individuals across distances of up to 40,000 lightyears, significantly reducing the crew's estimated travel time. Despite Captain Janeway's attempts to negotiate the acquisition of the trajector, the Sikarian Magistrate Gath denied her request based on their societal laws. The episode followed the crew's desperate pursuit of obtaining the technology, ultimately leading to disastrous consequences. Interestingly, the Sikarians were originally conceived as a different, more recognizable alien race from the Star Trek universe.
Star Trek: Voyager Almost Reintroduced TOS’s Supervisors In Season 1
In the original pitch for "Prime Factors," Voyager instead encountered the Supervisors, a group that had sent Gary Seven (Robert Lansing) from Star Trek: TOS season 2, episode 26 "Assignment: Earth." This TOS episode was famous and revolved around Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the USS Enterprise traveling back in time to Earth in 1968. They crossed paths with the enigmatic Mr. Seven as he attempted to prevent a nuclear disaster. TOS provided limited information about Seven's background and the organization he belonged to since the episode served as a backdoor pilot for a potential series centered around the character and his adventures.
However, the Gary Seven series never came to fruition and the Supervisors were subsequently forgotten in TOS, not making any other appearances within the franchise before Voyager considered reintroducing them. While the Sikarians in "Prime Factors" made for a suitable replacement, including the Supervisors would have added an intriguing connection for Voyager. As a new show, Voyager had yet to fully explore references to the broader Star Trek universe, which was a common theme among Trek shows of that time. Furthermore, the Supervisors possessed technology that could have assisted Voyager in their journey back home, much like the Sikarian spatial trajector.
Why The Supervisors Didn’t Return Until Star Trek: Picard
Unfortunately, the Supervisors didn't return to the franchise in Voyager, and it took quite a while before they made another appearance. Voyager's writing team didn't want to establish a strong connection with an episode of Star Trek: TOS early on in the show, perhaps aiming to establish their own identity at the beginning. Consequently, the storyline was altered to introduce the Sikarians, who were an original race from the Delta Quadrant and were meant to be recurring adversaries for Voyager's crew.
Although the Sikarians also didn't return in Star Trek: Voyager, the franchise eventually found a great way to bring back the Supervisors. In season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, Supervisor Tallinn (played by Orla Brady) encountered Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of SS La Sirena when they traveled back in time to 21st-century Earth. The season 2 finale of Picard revealed that the Supervisors were actually sent by the Travelers, a mysterious group first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation and of which Wesley Crusher (played by Wil Wheaton) was a member.
