We found an interesting pair of Monday Los Angeles Times articles by Dan Cray regarding “Voyager” and “Enterprise,” mostly discussing how the new show might avoid the pitfalls of the old.
Some highlights from Cray’s pieces:
GETTING AROUND GENE
According to Berman and co-creator Brannon Braga, "Enterprise" not only takes the "Trek" franchise in a fresh direction, but helps writers evade Gene Roddenberry's difficult character restrictions.
BRAGA PROMISES “EVERYTHING.”
"The formula must evolve," says Braga. "Part of what's appealing about 'Star Trek' is that people are better . . . but there have been some attempts to alter that with 'Deep Space Nine' and 'Voyager,' arguably darker shows. Was that a mistake? Might have been. Do we want to just go back to the 'Next Generation' formula? No way. We need a show that gives us everything" "Enterprise," Berman promises, will do just that.
BERMAN: PRE-STARFLEET ERA ELIMINATES “STUMBLING BLOCKS.”
"The next season will bring a bending of the rules without losing Roddenberry's vision of a hopeful, uplifting future," Berman says. "The Roddenberry perfection of humanity is in the process of happening but will be not completed when the series begins. That will enable us to do a show within the general umbrella of 'Star Trek,' but eliminate some of the stumbling blocks."
And, producers hope, revitalize fan interest.
" 'Deep Space Nine' and 'Voyager,' while both excellent shows, lost a little bit of that original 'Star Trek' spirit," says Braga. "It's time to get back to the fundamentals of 'Star Trek.' "
KEN BILLER: SOME “VOYAGERS” WERE “AS GOOD AS ANYTHING ON TELEVISION.”
"We've always battled nostalgia, and selective memories," says co-executive producer Ken Biller. "People tell you about the five episodes of '[Star Trek:] Next Generation' that were great and forget that some of the others were really goofy. The same is true with 'Voyager.' I'd be the first to tell you that there were some real stinkers along the way, but a few of our 172 hours have been as good as anything else on television."
BILLER: “VOYAGER” “PRECLUDED SERIALIZATION.”
"We struggled a lot with the premise on this show," says Biller. "We were in a situation that drew the characters closer together but precluded serialization and recurring guest characters. The biggest challenge was coming up with fresh stories."
PICARDO: SEVEN HELPED.
Ryan's character helped producers break through what actor Robert Picardo, who became a fan favorite playing the ship's witty holographic doctor, jokingly refers to as "the straitjacket of Starfleet protocol." In essence, that straitjacket boils down to the philosophy of original "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, whose vision of a better future precluded any conflict between Starfleet characters.
BERMAN: MAQUIS “DIDN’T TURN OUT THE WAY WE PLANNED.”
Since assuming Roddenberry's role as overseer of the "Trek" franchise, "Voyager" co-creator and executive producer Rick Berman has attempted to sidestep those limitations, in this case stranding the ship with a group of rebels (the Maquis) to generate friction as the two parties worked to get home.
"That certainly didn't fail, but it didn't turn out the way we planned it," says Berman. "It just seemed easier to have the Maquis become faithful members of Starfleet." Dropping that tension proved difficult for many of the actors, however, especially given the restrictions on how "Trek" officers are supposed to speak and react.
BELTRAN: “THERE’S NOTHING SUBSTANTIAL ABOUT ANY OF OUR CHARACTERS.”
The situation was particularly frustrating for Beltran (Cmdr. Chakotay), who felt his character was stagnating and openly questioned the show's three-decade-old formula. "The problem's mostly what's the damn show about and who is this character that I'm playing?" Beltran says, adding that his concerns were never fully resolved. "There's nothing substantial about any of our characters. I mean, if you consider the Doc being able to leave sick bay and travel around the ship a substantial change, then that's one."
BILLER: RESOLVING THE FINALE PARADOX
The final legend in "Voyager's" saga will likely determine whether fans regard the show with any sense of nostalgia in the years ahead. "It's the biggest episode of the series," Biller says. "We had this fundamental paradox of how to both satisfy the audience expectations and still surprise them, and I hope we succeeded."
Does the ship make it back to Earth? The solution wasn't as clear-cut as "Trek" fans might imagine. "Three weeks prior to going into production, the answer [to whether Voyager gets home] was different than it is now," Berman says. "It's going to be a very provocative end."
