VOY Season 4


Episodes

Summary
Season four furthered and even embellished upon the changes to the franchise already seen by the middle to end of season three.

 concluded the season three finale and—most crucially to the future of the series—introduced a new character, Seven of Nine. One episode later, Jennifer Lien left the cast and Kes departed Voyager, not to return until the season six episode .

Seven of Nine had plenty of character development on which to catch up when compared to the other principal actors. Season four could be described as the "Seven of Nine season", heavy with episodes centering solely on developing Jeri Ryan's new character. Relationships between Seven of Nine and all the other main characters needed to be quickly established, and so conflict between Seven and B'Elanna Torres was introduced in , and Harry Kim's infatuation with Seven became a hallmark of the season in . The Doctor, for so long a student under Kes' tutelage, turned teacher to Seven in , kinship with Tuvok was explored in  and, quintessential to the remainder of the series, Seven's relationship with Janeway took center-stage in , , , , and the season finale, . However, with audience figures ballooning, it appeared that the producers of Voyager had finally found a character that appealed to the crucial 16-24-year-old male demographic.

Prior to season four, story writers had given Voyager six thwarted opportunities to return to the Alpha Quadrant, aside from the series premiere . However, as the series continued to mature, episodes presenting the Voyager crew with the possibility of returning home were absent throughout season four, until the finale . Instead, making large jumps closer to Earth became a regular occurrence. Kes' "gift" at the start of the season provided Voyager with its first big jump, knocking 10,000 light years and 10 years off their journey, as well as placing them well outside Borg space. These "jumps" would continue throughout the remainder of the series, getting Voyager out of danger while simultaneously removing years from their journey. Consequently, fewer opportunities to return to Earth in one "giant leap" were presented for this and remaining seasons, with season five's , season seven's  and the series finale  being notable exceptions.

Alongside this change of pace, the concept of the crew as "family" and Voyager as "home" started in season three was continued in season four and script writers clearly made a conscious effort to include these references in their scripts. Examples of this can be found scattered throughout many season four episodes:

"So, how's the newest member of our family?"
 - Janeway, to The Doctor ()

"This ship has become our home, it's part of our family."
 - Janeway, to Tuvok ()

"We do not stand alone. We are in the arms of family."
 - Tuvok, to the crew ()

"It's time to meet your new family."
 - Janeway, to Harry Kim ()

Other notable developments in season four included the cementing of Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres' relationship in , the Krenim conflict (hinted at in season three's ) and the opening of Voyagers new astrometrics lab in . Additionally,  introduced "grey mode" in which all non-essential ship functions are shut down to conserve power.
 
However, one of the biggest developments for the series arc as a whole occurred midway through the season in  when The Doctor is transported back to the Alpha Quadrant using alien technology and makes Voyagers first contact with Starfleet since being stranded. Voyagers use of the alien technology has unforeseen consequences however, as the crew are introduced to the Hirogen, a hunting species who would re-assert themselves throughout the remainder of the season in , , and , and at least once in each subsequent season. By the end of the series, the Hirogen joined the Kazon, the Borg, and the Vidiians as one of the few species to interact regularly with Voyager and whose interactions often created or furthered a particular story arc involving that species. 

It is fair to say that by mid-season four, the introduction of Seven of Nine, the departure of Kes, and the new "jump" method of moving Voyager closer to home meant the series had become quite different from the previous three seasons.

Background information
 This season was broadcast concurrent with  Season 6.
 Beginning with , the screen credits for the cast were modified to remove the ranks of their characters, as was presented in the pilot, except for Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway. They would remain unchanged from this point on through the end of the series.
 Jeri Ryan joins the cast as Seven of Nine and Jennifer Lien, as Kes, leaves the cast.
 Roxann Dawson was pregnant during Season 4. B'Elanna Torres wears a lab coat to hide Dawson's pregnancy for most of the season.
 This is the only season of Voyager not to feature Earth, but did feature a visit to the Alpha Quadrant in .
 The lone character to "crossover" from another Star Trek series this season is Admiral , in  and .
 Shortly after the completion of production on this season, a wrap party was held on . ()

Credits

Guest and co-stars 
 VOY Season 4 performers

Crew
Executive Producers
 Rick Berman
 Jeri Taylor
Associate Producer: Dawn Velazquez
Executive Story Editor: Lisa Klink
Music by
(not a complete list)
Jay Chattaway ("Scorpion, Part II", "Scientific Method", "Random Thoughts", "Hunters", "Retrospect", "Unforgettable", "One")
 Dennis McCarthy ("The Gift", "Day of Honor", "The Raven", "Year of Hell", "Year of Hell, Part II", "Concerning Flight", "Prey", "Vis à Vis", "Living Witness", "Hope and Fear") 
 David Bell ("Nemesis", "Revulsion", "Waking Moments", "The Killing Game", "The Killing Game, Part II", "Demon")
 Paul Baillargeon ("Mortal Coil", "Message in a Bottle", "The Omega Directive")
Director of Photography: Marvin V. Rush, ASC
Production Designer: Richard D. James
Editor: Daryl Baskin
Unit Production Manager: Brad Yacobian
First Assistant Director: Adele Simmons
Second Assistant Director: Arlene Fukai
Casting by
 Junie Lowry-Johnson, CSA
 Ron Surma
Original Casting by: Nan Dutton, CSA
Casting Executive: Helen Mossler, CSA
Costume Designer: Robert Blackman
Set Decorator: Jim Mees
Visual Effects Producer: Dan Curry
Visual Effects Supervisor: David Takemura
Scenic Art Supervisor/Technical Consultant: Michael Okuda
Senior Illustrator/Technical Consultant: Rick Sternbach
Make-Up Designer/Make-Up Supervisor: Michael Westmore
Art Director: Louise Dorton
Set Designer: Greg Hooper
Assistant Editor: Keith Dabney
Visual Effects Coordinator: A.Y. Dexter Delara
Visual Effects Assistant Editor: Elizabeth Castro
Visual Effects Associate: Chad Zimmerman
Script Supervisor: Cosmo Genovese
Special Effects: Dick Brownfield
Property Master: Alan Sims
Construction Coordinator: Al Smutko
Scenic Artist: Wendy Drapanas
Video Supervisor: Denise Okuda
Hair Designer: Josée Normand
Make-Up Artists
 Natalie Wood
 Tina Hoffman
 Scott Wheeler
Hair Stylists
 Suzan Bagdadi
 Charlotte A. Gravenor
Wardrobe Supervisor: Carol Kunz
Sound Mixer: Alan Bernard, CAS
Camera Operator: Judd Kehl
Chief Lighting Technician: Bill Peets
First Company Grip: Randy Burgess
Key Costumers
 Kimberley Shull
 Jamie Thomas
Music Editor: Gerry Sackman
Supervising Sound Editor: Bill Wistrom
Supervising Sound Effects Editor: Jim Wolvington
Sound Editors
 Masanobu Tomita
 T. Ashley Harvey
 Dale Chaloukian
Production Coordinator: Diane Overdiek
Post Production Coordinator: 
Production Associates
 David Rossi
 Kristina Kochoff
 Sandra Sena
Pre-Production Coordinator: Lolita Fatjo
Assistant to Producers: Michael O'Halloran
Stunt Coordinator: Dennis Madalone
Science Consultant: André Bormanis
Main Title Design by: Dan Curry

Companies
Main Title Design by: Santa Barbara Studios
Post Production Sound: Modern Sound
Filmed with: Panavision cameras and lenses
Motion Control Photography: Image "G"
Digital Optical Effects: Digital Magic
Special Video Compositing: CIS Hollywood
Editing Facilities: Unitel Video
Computer Generated Effects: Foundation Imaging

Media releases 
 VOY Season 4 UK VHS
 VOY Season 4 DVD

External link
 

Star Trek seasons

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