VOY Season 5


Episodes

Summary
With Brannon Braga taking up the showrunner's role after Jeri Taylor's retirement, season five saw the franchise settle into what was to become a familiar pattern of story-telling following the changes made during the latter half of season three, and the tumultuous events of season four. A desire to return to Earth remained the Voyager crew's singular mission, but the themes of "family" and of Voyager as "home" introduced in seasons three and four meant that the series paradigm gently shifted in season five, evidenced best by Janeway's remark at the end of Voyagers 100th episode, ;

"It no longer seems a case of if we get home, but when!" 

Nevertheless, season five could also be characterized as having a darker, more brooding atmosphere than had gone before, with several of the principal characters facing extremely dark moments in their development. None more so than in the season premiere  which sees Voyager attempting to traverse a dark region of space, devoid of all matter and energy. It is during this episode that Janeway is forced to confront her unceasing guilt over the initial decision she made to destroy the Caretaker's array at the beginning of the series, and strand Voyager in the Delta Quadrant.

"I made an error in judgment, Chakotay. It was short-sighted and it was selfish, and now all of us are paying for my mistake!"

Other similar crises of confidence are played out throughout the season. B'Elanna Torres, racked with grief over the death of her friends in the Maquis, begins to self-harm in , Seven of Nine becomes overwhelmed by the voices of the Collective in , Tom Paris faces demotion and incarceration in , The Doctor's decision-making skills are tested as he revisits the greatest threat to his program in , and Harry Kim's spotless record receives a dent for the first time when he continues a sexual relationship against orders in  (according to Garrett Wang in an interview for the Season 5 DVD set, the episode was titled "Alien Love Story"). Arguably Captain Janeway experiences the most of the dark traits in Season 5, most notably in her getting angry with Tom Paris, Harry Kim and The Doctor in the episodes "Thirty Days," "The Disease," and "Latent Image," respectively. 

This sombre bleakness arguably reaches a crescendo with two episodes midway through the season. In , a bio-plasmic lifeform uses neurogenic fields to induce illusions amongs the crew, convincing them to enter what they believe is a wormhole leading directly to the Alpha Quadrant. Once inside the creature, the audience is treated to shots (for the first time since the series began) showing Voyagers return to Earth. The fact that the images are merely telepathic delusions makes "Bliss" one of the darkest episodes of the season. And in , in a throw-back to season four's , the crew realize they are nothing but bio-mimetic copies of the original crew and slowly, one by one, succumb to radiation poisoning from Voyagers enhanced warp drive. The episode closes with the entire ship and crew reduced to a cloud of dichromate particulates, with no record of their existence surviving. "Course: Oblivion" marks a departure from the usual style of Star Trek (and American) story-telling in general with no "happy ending", no moral at the end, and nothing to redeem the crew's struggle as being ultimately "worth it".

Other developments of note in season five include the use of a new multi-spatial probe, which makes its first appearance in , and the construction of a new and improved shuttle. Christened the , the new ship would take center stage during away missions for the remainder of the series. A tentative resolution to the conflict with Species 8472 is negotiated during , and Kate Mulgrew's favorite episode  makes an appearance towards the middle of the season. Leading antagonists include the Borg who appear in multiple episodes throughout the season, most notably in Voyagers first movie length episode . Marketing at the time trumpeted this episode as featuring the return of the Borg Queen, first introduced in the Star Trek movie, .

The Malon are introduced as polluting industrialists and another species for Voyager to contend with, during the season premiere, . Although the Malon make only two more appearances in season five, namely  and , and a passing reference in  and season seven's , they could perhaps be considered alongside the Kazon, the Borg, the Hirogen, the Vidiians and the Hierarchy as being stalwart species of the series as a whole, and contributing greatly to Voyagers overall journey.

The season finale (the first cliffhanger season finale since season three's "Scorpion," in 1997) sees Voyager make contact with their first Federation starship, the , under the command of Captain Ransom (John Savage). Initial celebrations at finding kindred spirits quickly turn sour however when it is revealed that Ransom and his crew have all but abandoned the Prime Directive by killing innocent lifeforms in an attempt to get home faster. The tension between Janeway and Chakotay (begun as far back as the season three finale, ), is heightened to a mutinous fever-pitch, as Janeway's vendetta against Ransom drives a wedge between her and her crew as the sixth season begins.

Aside from the action, it should perhaps be noted that it is within season five that the first hints of dissension in the ranks of the principal actors begins to make itself known. A closer look at the episodes reveals that season five remained top-heavy with stories centering on Seven of Nine and her relationship with Janeway, and if anything, encounters with the Borg increased as a result. The one other principal actor whose story-lines and character development appears to have suffered as a result is clearly Robert Beltran as Chakotay. With this in mind, it is perhaps not surprising that during and after season five, Beltran began to become more vocal and illustrative of his dissatisfaction with the direction the series appeared to be taking. Beltran was however not alone, as some critics of the show had begun to liken Voyager to the "Janeway and Seven of Nine show." It may be fair to say that Voyagers high-water mark had been reached with the advent of  and the rapturous applause for the series during season four had perhaps begun to wear off.

Background information 

 The writing staff of Star Trek: Voyager began their work on this season by . (Star Trek: Action!, p. 93)
 This season was broadcast concurrent with  Season 7, and  was released during its run.
 Characters which, during this season, 'crossover' from other incarnations of Star Trek: Geordi La Forge (), two different versions of Boothby ( & ), and the Borg Queen ().

Fire
The Deck 1 sets, such as the bridge, suffered smoke and sprinkler damage as a result of a fire during this season on . Robert Picardo once jokingly claimed he had started the fire with a lit cigar.  The blaze was actually started by one of the studio arc lamps' bulbs exploding. (, p. 281) "One of the light bulbs popped," offered Tom Paris and Captain Proton actor Robert Duncan McNeill. "I guess the spark smoldered down in the dust, and caught fire on the ceiling of the bridge." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 31, No. 11, p. 52) The sparks also set fire to the starfield backdrop curtain. (, p. 281; Beyond the Final Frontier, p. 326) The fire was only a minimal one, however, and the main damage was caused by the sprinklers that doused the flames. (, p. 281; Beyond the Final Frontier, p. 326)

Robert Duncan McNeill remarked, "No one was hurt, but we had a hungry crew and our lunch was on that stage." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 31, No. 11, p. 52) The small blaze occurred during a publicity photo shoot with executive producer Rick Berman. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 31, No. 11, p. 52; , p. 281) According to the unofficial reference book Delta Quadrant (p. 281), Berman's presence on the bridge at the time prompted some deprecating humorists to claim that "the lightning missed." Robert Duncan McNeill also commented on the link between Berman being on the bridge and parts of the same set meanwhile igniting; "I don't know what the connection is but I am sure there is some meaning." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 31, No. 11, p. 52)

Minor repairs were required, largely owing to the water damage that the small fire had caused. () According to Delta Quadrant (p. 281), these repairs were used – by the construction crew and the art department – as an excuse to make a few slight modifications, such as reupholstering the chairs.

Credits

Guest and co-stars 
 VOY Season 5 performers

Crew
Executive Producers
 Rick Berman
 Brannon Braga
Supervising Producers
 Peter Lauritson
 Joe Menosky
 Kenneth Biller
Co-Supervising Producer: Merri D. Howard
Co-Producer: J.P. Farrell
Line Producer: Brad Yacobian
Creative Consultants
 Michael Piller
 Jeri Taylor
Theme By: Jerry Goldsmith
Co-Producer: Dawn Velazquez
Associate Producer: Stephen Welke
Story Editors
 Bryan Fuller
 Nick Sagan
Music by
(not a complete list)
 Jay Chattaway ("Night", "In the Flesh", "Counterpoint", "The Fight", "Think Tank", "Warhead", "Equinox")
 Dennis McCarthy ("Drone", "Timeless", "Infinite Regress", "Nothing Human", "Gravity", "Bliss", "The Disease", "Juggernaut", "Someone to Watch Over Me", "Relativity")
 David Bell ("Extreme Risk", "Once Upon a Time", "Bride of Chaotica!", "Dark Frontier", "11:59")
 Paul Baillargeon ("Thirty Days", "Latent Image", "Course: Oblivion")
Director of Photography: Marvin V. Rush, A.S.C.
Production Designer: Richard D. James
Editors
 Robert Lederman
 Daryl Baskin
 Tom Benko
Unit Production Manager: Brad Yacobian
First Assistant Directors
 Arlene Fukai
 Jerry Fleck
Second Assistant Director: Michael DeMeritt
Casting by
 Junie Lowry-Johnson, C.S.A.
 Ron Surma
Original Casting by: Nan Dutton, C.S.A.
Casting Executive: Helen Mossler, C.S.A.
Costume Designer: Robert Blackman
Set Decorator: Jim Mees
Visual Effects Producer: Dan Curry
Visual Effects Supervisors
 Mitch Suskin
 Ronald B. Moore
Scenic Art Supervisor/Technical Consultant: Michael Okuda
Senior Illustrator/Technical Consultant: Rick Sternbach
Make-Up Designed and Supervised By: Michael Westmore
Art Director: Louise Dorton
Set Designer: Greg Berry
Assistant Editors
 Jacques Gravett
 Keith Dabney
 David A. Koeppel
Visual Effects Coordinators
 Arthur J. Codron
 Elizabeth Castro
Visual Effects Assistant Editor: Paul Villasenor
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: Josee Normand
Make-up Artists
 Suzanne Diaz
 Tina Hoffman
 Scott Wheeler
 James Rohland
Hair Stylists
 Charlotte A. Gravenor
 Gloria Montemayor
 Viviane Normand
Wardrobe Supervisor: Carol Kunz
Sound Mixer: Alan Bernard, C.A.S.
Camera Operator: Douglas Knapp, S.O.C.
Chief Lighting Technician: Bill Peets
First Company Grip: Randy Burgess
Key Costumers
 Tom Siegel
 Matt Hoffman
 Kimberley Shull
 Erin Regan
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: Monique K. Chambers
Production Associates
 David Rossi
 Maril Davis
 Michael O'Halloran
Pre-Production Coordinator: Lolita Fatjo
Assistants to Producers
 Christopher Culhane
 Robert J. Doherty
Stunt Coordinator: Dennis Madalone
Science Consultant: Andre Bormanis
Main Title Design by
 Santa Barbara Studios
 Dan Curry
Post Production Sound by: 4MC Sound Services
Filmed with Panavision cameras and lenses
Motion Control Photography
Digital Optical Effects: Digital Magic
Special Video Compositing: CIS, Hollywood
Editing Facilities: Four Media Company
Computer Generated Effects
 Foundation Imaging
 Black Pool Studios

Media releases
 VOY Season 5 UK VHS
 VOY Season 5 DVD

External link
 

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Star Trek seasons