Being that “Star Trek” started off with a little three season run back in the 1960’s, it’s almost hard to fathom how it built such a strong following as to become the mega-franchise that it is today. Ahh…witness the power of fandom. Of course, the fact that this original series later launched an animated version, a popular motion picture series, and three additional spin-off series (each lasting 7 seasons) cannot only be credited to the fans, but must also say something about the level of quality viewing that is being offered. This is evident by the newer fourth spin-off series that appeared to lose steam in its first season and is trying to win back audiences as it chugs ahead into its fourth. But, I’m not here to talk about that particular series. I’m going to focus this time around on the new “Star Trek: Voyager”, and specifically season 4. “Star Trek: Voyager” was the third spin-off series. It aired from 1994 - 2001 and proved once again that Trek was a force to be reckoned with. Like most of the series that came before, it wasn’t an immediate hit, but grew on the fans over a period of time.

I am only a casual fan of the Trek universe, interested enough to watch, but not so much has to go to conventions dressed as my favorite Klingon or Borg. Admittedly, this was the series I most wanted to see on DVD, as I missed most of it when it originally aired. I was still going through a phase where I was trying to wean myself from TV, and though I taped the series, rarely watched it.

Now that I’ve had the opportunity to really sit down and spend some time with it thanks to the release of the first three seasons, I can see that it still kept a lot of the qualities that make for great Trek. It harkened a bit back to the old days of Trek by putting the main characters in a position where they could travel great distances and explore areas never seen in Trek before. Of course, this wasn’t by choice. As the series began, the crew was sent out on a mission to deal with the Maquis (Federation Rebels). When a spatial disturbance threw both ships light years away, they were faced with the seemingly impossible task of returning home, and had to learn to work together to do so. With the realization that they may never make it home, they continued to ‘explore strange new worlds and seek out new civilizations, boldly going where no man had really ever been before.’

“Star Trek Voyager” had the distinction of being the first series to feature a woman as the captain of the ship, much to the delight of women’s groups everywhere. As Captain Katherine Janeway, Kate Mulgrew seemed a bit stiff through the first season, but over the course of the series seemed to warm up quite a bit. It was actually quite understandable that she would have appeared this way as it was her first foray into the world of Trek, much as it was Janeway’s first command of a starship. In spite of her abrupt manner, I also understand she was much better than the first actress chosen to fill the role. In the interest of fairness, and the need for the two factions to work together, Janeway took on a Maquis as her 1st Officer. Commander Chakotay, a Native American character whose role was quite ably filled by Robert Beltran. I met Beltran briefly on the set of the Chuck Norris film, “Lone Wolf McQuade” and found him to be quite friendly and was glad to see him in a role that was liable to give him a tremendous amount of exposure.

As is the formula for any Trek series, you must have an interesting array of crew members. Since they had to throw to disparate crews together it gave the writers an opportunity to not only create colorful characters, but build an interesting dynamic by having them forced to learn to work together. On the Federation side we had Lt. Commander Tuvok (Tim Russ), who was the Vulcan security officer, Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeil), who has it in for the Federation for imprisoning him, and Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) the fresh faced and eager newbie. Chiming in for the Maquis there is B’ellana Torres (Roxanna Dawson), a Starfleet Academy dropout who happens to have temper issues due to her half-Human / half-Klingon heritage.

Also joining the crew after being shot across the galaxy is Neelix (Ethan Phillips), who offers to serve as a guide to the ship’s new stomping grounds, and his mysterious companion Kes Jenifer Lien). I was curious to see what the seven year series would bring for this character as her race only has an eight year life span. As it turned out, she ended up leaving the series within the first two episodes if the fourth season (more on that later).

Probably the most interesting character for me was the ship’s doctor. Even when he was there, he wasn’t really there. This is because the good doctor was a ship’s hologram. A hologram so sophisticated that he could actually perform whatever treatments were necessary. This idea had been visited by earlier Trek series with the thought that the holographic images did indeed exist as a form of matter. I’d try to get into all the appropriate techno-babble that would explain it, but I haven’t a clue what it is and doubt I’d understand it anyway. He just IS. I was intrigued by this character more for the actor that played him. I’ve long been a fan of Robert Picardo, who has been in numerous movies, though rarely recognized. Picardo is also a skilled effects artist who has been in heavy costumes for films like “Legend” (Meg Mucklebones) and ”Explorers” (Wak, Wak’s Father, and out of makeup as Starkiller).

In the fourth season, it was decided that the series needed a little more sex appeal. I’m really not sure what is sadder, that the creators of the show thought that bringing in a ‘hot chick’ would boost ratings, or fact that they were right. Actress Jeri Ryan was brought in as Seven of Nine, a member of the Borg collective that is ‘rescued’ by the crew of Voyager. Her character soon becomes the strong focal point of the series and worked as a ratings booster, due to her continued efforts to regain her individuality and humanity. (Actually the tight catsuit didn’t hurt much either!!) I really can’t say what happened between the studio and Jennifer Lien. I understand she was initially signed for all seven seasons, but when it was decided that she wasn’t drawing in the demographic that the studio wanted, she was let go and replaced. I personally found her character to be quite intriguing, and she was a darn sight better looking than Ryan. But, C’est la vie. I did find it interesting that Ryan wasn’t interested in taking the role at first, and the part almost went to Hudson Leick (Yowza!!) or Claudia Christian (Yowza!! - Part 2), either of which would have been a great addition to the cast.

Aside from the major casting change, the fourth season also brought the series into a new direction in many ways. Kes’s departure was written to be one of sacrifice, which at least gave her character a dignified exit. The crew dynamic changed as new friendships and alliances were formed, the relationship between Paris and Torres became a more permanent affair, and Janeway had the opportunity to become somewhat of a mother for Seven of Nine.

In spite of the loss of Kes, I found the fourth season to be one of the strongest with many great episodes, some bordering on classic. I also liked (or should I say hated) the new villains of the season, The Hirogen. They are a very similar to the “Predator” in that they love the thrill of hunt and that is showcased in several of the episodes. The two-part “Killing Game”, made great use of the holodeck in creating a Nazi scenario. Jumping back a bit, there was also another great two-part episode called “Year in Hell”, which brings the crew face to face with a Krennin Temporal ship, which is able alter the evolution of a race, essentially wiping them out. Janeway soon learns that the price of victory is often higher than one can imagine. And it’s not the only lesson of its kind during the season.

The thing that always strikes me about these ‘Trek’ sets that Paramount has been releasing is the amazing amount of extra features that are packed into each one. The fourth season set of “Star Trek Voyager” is no different. The seventh disc of the set holds “Braving the Unknown”, which is full of interview snippets from most of the cast and crew as they reminisce about the series. They also continue the “Time Capsule” series, which feature interviews specifically focusing particular crew members in each set. This time around they take a look at Seven of Nine and Harry Kim. You’ll also find a featurette on Species 8472, which is the one alien race that can actually take on the Borg. “The Art of Alien Worlds” gives us a peek at how matte paintings are used to create alien landscapes, while a photo gallery offers up a few behind the scenes shots.

So far, all of the packaging for the Star Trek series sets has been impressive. The sets for “Star Trek Voyager” look a little bit plainer than the previous sets, but are still pretty cool. The discs themselves are still housed in a book-like holder, but this time the clear slipcover comes apart in the middle, with a top and bottom. The disc holder itself is also clear, but tinted blue. It looks like each season will be a different color, making the whole set really standout on the shelf.

Once again my hat’s off to Paramount for delivering yet another Trek series to the fans on DVD. It looks as though they’ll still have the entire 7-year run out this year, if all goes as planned. It still amazes me that they can release a full season in a year’s time, especially considering the amount of work that goes into each set. Not to mention they are also releasing all three seasons of the Original Series this year (in some of the coolest designed cases).

Episodes:
Scorpion, Part II
The Gift
Day of Honor
Nemesis
Revulsion
The Raven
Scientific Method
Year of Hell, Part I
Year of Hell, Part II
Random Thoughts
Concerning Flight
Mortal Coil
Waking Moments
Message in a Bottle
Hunters
Prey
Retrospect
The Killing Game, Part I
The Killing Game, Part II
Vis a Vis
The Omega Directive
Unforgettable
Living Witness
Demon
One
Hope and Fear

Starring: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Tim Russ, Robert Duncan McNeil, Garrett Wang, Roxann Dawson, Jeri Ryan, Ethan Phillips
Extras: Braving the Unknown: Season Four”, “Time Capsule: Seven of Nine”, “Time Capsule: Harry Kim”, “The Birth of Species 8472”, “The Art of Alien Worlds”, “Photo Gallery”, and six Easter Eggs
Specifications: Full Frame, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 9/28/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Star Trek Voyager: Season 4 an A.