star trek voyager prey cast

Prey (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Script, cast, and characters
• 4.2 Production and effects
• 4.4 Continuity
• 4.5 Reception
• 4.6 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Guest Star
• 5.4 Special Guest Star
• 5.5 Uncredited Co-Stars
• 5.6 Stunt Double
• 5.7 Stand-ins
• 5.8 References
• 5.9 External links

Summary [ ]

The Hunters plan the end for their prey

A bio-ship piloted by a sole member of Species 8472 is fleeing from a Hirogen ship . The younger of the two Hirogen wants to intercept the bio-ship and make the kill but the Alpha tells him to maintain their distance. He instructs the younger Hirogen that his prey is injured and its behavior will be the " key to its destruction ." The bio-ship fires at the warship but the shot is too weak to cause any real damage. The bio-ship heads for an asteroid belt where the Alpha believes it will make a final stand. Species 8472 leaves its ship adrift amongst the asteroids and goes onto a nearby asteroid. The hunters prepare themselves with their colored hunting paint, equip their weapons, put on their masks and go after the creature on the asteroid. Once there, they realize they cannot detect it as their scanners are being deflected. Moving silently across the asteroid the Alpha hears movement behind him and swivels around, coming face-to-face with his prey. Unfortunately for the Species 8472 the Alpha opens fire, causing the creature to withdraw as the Beta arrives firing his weapon. Several dozen shots later and their prey is presumed dead. The Alpha tells the Beta that it was a flawless kill.

Act One [ ]

"Did I mention you look lovely today?"

Seven of Nine is in sickbay , reciting a list of " bedside manner talk." She finds the exercise pointless but The Doctor disagrees. He created the exercise to familiarize himself with the social graces of the crew . They move on to "Exercise Two" – the workplace encounter. Seven takes on the role of a doctor, while The Doctor becomes the nurse. It all seems normal until Seven reads the phrase, " Did I mention you look lovely today? " Ending her lesson, she begins to leave. The Doctor tells her that although it's awkward at first, the rewards can be well worth the effort. The Doctor compares Seven to the time he was first activated, offering that he can help her. Agreeing to his offer, she takes the PADD and as she is leaving, she turns and says, " Have a pleasant day. " The Doctor smiles and gets back to work.

The USS Voyager has detected an alien vessel moving towards them and they confirm that it has a Hirogen signature. Captain Kathryn Janeway decides that they need to settle their differences for good and first officer Commander Chakotay orders a red alert . They attempt to hail the Hirogen but there is no response. As the vessel closes in, Lieutenant Commander Tuvok detects that they haven't charged weapons and there is only one life sign aboard. The vessel stops just in front of them as its engines fail. Chakotay thinks it is a trap but a long-range scan reveals that there are no other Hirogen ships in the area. Janeway tells Lt. jg Tom Paris to move within transporter range, intending to beam over. Seven informs Janeway that she sees the Hirogen ship as a potential threat and recommends that they destroy it. Janeway tells her that she wants to show some compassion, even though Seven responds that the Hirogen haven't reciprocated any compassion before.

Chakotay takes Paris and Tuvok with him on the away team , finding the Hirogen vessel severely damaged. They spread out, looking for the life sign they detected. Chakotay finds a lot of bones and a skull hanging in netting from the ceiling before finding a large tank with more remains in it. Paris finds a helmet , but immediately drops it in fright and horror when he discovers it still has a severed (Hirogen) head in it. Chakotay locates the life sign they detected and finds the Alpha gasping for air, clutching his weapon in fear.

In the briefing room , Tuvok and Chakotay show Janeway the navigational logs recovered from the Hirogen ship. The logs state the ship has been traveling for at least five years, and in the last year it has visited over ninety star systems . Chakotay reports on the alien remains found on the ship, suggesting that they could be trophies from previous hunts. He also surmises that their culture is based upon the hunt. Tuvok says that there is no evidence of a home planet and that Hirogen ships usually travel in small groups, sometimes joining together for a multi-pronged attack, like a wolf pack .

The Alpha is in sickbay, unconscious and behind a force field . Janeway tells Seven that while she was correct about the Hirogen being a threat, the risk of sending an away team has paid off and now they know a lot more about them. Seven simply states that Janeway was correct and it was worth the risk…this time. Janeway then asks, who's hunting the hunters?

Outside, unbeknownst to the Voyager crew, an injured member of Species 8472 is limping up the ship's hull.

Act Two [ ]

Janeway is in sickbay to check in on the Hirogen Alpha. The Doctor explains to her that while attempting to remove the Alpha's body armor , he regained consciousness. He can't be sedated as his immune system is rejecting everything The Doctor has tried giving him and he could be dead in the time it takes to synthesize something potent enough. Janeway explains to the Alpha that his crewmate is dead and his ship beyond repair. Attempting to ascertain what happened, Janeway asks a few questions but gets no response from the hunter at first. The Alpha tells Janeway of the formidable alien they captured two days previously. Unfortunately, their prey broke its restraints and attacked the crew. The Alpha asks to be released so he can continue his hunt. Janeway refuses, saying that he'll die without treatment, so the Alpha grudgingly agrees to stay in sickbay.

Chakotay reports that six Hirogen vessels are converging on Voyager 's position from all directions, so Janeway asks Paris to evade them for as long as possible. Chakotay informs Janeway that they are half a light year away, and so Voyager has only four hours until the Hirogen surround them. Janeway wants to give The Doctor enough time to treat the Alpha so that he can call off the rest of the Hirogen. She hopes that diplomacy will work but Chakotay doubts it, saying that to the Hirogen, Humans and other species are merely game to be hunted. Their conversation is interrupted as the ship shakes. A hull rupture is detected on Deck 11, where a plasma conduit has overloaded. Then there is another jolt as a bulkhead collapses. Janeway sends Tuvok and Ensign Harry Kim to Deck 11 to find out the cause of the collapse. They open one of the hatches to find themselves staring into space. Someone, or something, has ripped through the bulkhead from the outside. They see some blood of some kind on the floor and as Tuvok contacts the bridge, he gives his analysis of the blood sample to Janeway: it is consistent with Species 8472. Janeway orders an intruder alert and seals off Decks 10 to 12. They can't detect the creature, so Janeway says they'll have to track it visually. She grabs a phaser and heads to Deck 11.

An unfortunate surprise…

In engineering , Seven reports that she has erected a level 10 force field around engineering. Lt. jg B'Elanna Torres asks her to set up force fields around every hatch, Jefferies tube and conduit leading there. She attempts to lockdown the warp core , then hears an unfamiliar hissing sound. She looks up… and the wounded alien jumps from the warp core onto her.

Act Three [ ]

Janeway enters engineering to see a few crewmembers lying on the floor, wounded. She orders her security team to take the wounded to sickbay, as Seven reports on what has happened. They tried stunning the creature with their phasers but they were ineffective, it then left engineering through a Jefferies tube. Janeway tells them to secure the warp core and leaves with Seven. She asks if the Borg engaged in physical combat with Species 8472 and what tactics they used. The aliens' destination was always the central power matrix, which was subsequently disabled. However, this particular creature didn't touch any of the power systems.

They head to sickbay, where The Doctor is treating Torres and the other wounded crewmen. Janeway asks the Alpha if the alien is alone. Chakotay recounts previous events and Janeway believes that this sighting could indicate a new invasion. ( VOY : " Scorpion ") The Alpha has only seen one ship and he has been tracking it over fifty light years . When they thought they had killed the creature, it turned out they hadn't.

The Alpha-Hirogen tells of his tracking skills

He again asks Janeway if he can finish the hunt. Seven steps in and tells him he will fail, as the only weapon that can stop Species 8472 are Borg nanoprobes . The Alpha doesn't know what they are, so Chakotay explains. Seven tells Janeway that she will modify the phaser rifles to fire nanoprobe discharges but Janeway tells her that she only wants to incapacitate the creature. Seven calls the alien a threat and the Alpha agrees with her assessment. Over her forceful objections, Seven is ordered to make the necessary modifications. Janeway tells the Alpha to let the approaching ships know that his life was saved by Voyager and that the ship does not want any hostilities to occur between the two species . The Alpha says he will comply with the request, if he is allowed to continue the hunt. He informs Janeway that he has studied the creature's behavior for six months and knows how to track it.

There is another shake as the creature accesses environmental controls . Tuvok reports to Janeway that Deck 11 is losing life support and artificial gravity is also compromised, leaving him floating in the corridor. Janeway tells him to evacuate the deck, as the Alpha tells Janeway that the creature is trying to barricade itself. Janeway allows him to continue his hunt, but under Chakotay's supervision. If he steps out of line, Chakotay is ordered to shoot him. Stepping out from confinement, the Alpha asks for his weapon.

Paris and Chakotay change into EV suits so they can search for Species 8472 on Deck 11. After learning that the Alpha's body armor is sufficient, Chakotay contacts Tuvok and Seven, who are already in EV suits. They make their way to Deck 11, which is now in near total darkness. The Alpha knows that the creature is near but Chakotay orders him to stay in his position. Tuvok and Seven continue moving through the deck on their own. Passing a corridor, Seven suddenly stops and shoots, seeing something. Tuvok backtracks and finds out that Seven had only seen a PADD floating in the room. He notices Seven's increased agitation but she tells him that her fear is justified as Species 8472 were the only species to offer true resistance to the Borg. Chakotay, Paris and the Alpha find blood floating in the corridor and realize that it is from the creature, who is now trapped near deflector control . The Alpha knows the creature is not planning to run but is waiting for an opportune moment to slip around them and attack them from behind. They contact Tuvok and Seven and ask them to join their squad. They soon find the creature floating in the corridor, looking lifeless. The Alpha wants to kill him but Chakotay tells him that they need the alien incapacitated. The Alpha attacks Chakotay, fires at Paris and then opens fire on the creature. He doesn't get far however, as Tuvok stuns him from behind.

Act Four [ ]

Species 8472 communicates with Tuvok

Tuvok enters the mess hall and asks Neelix to leave his cooking and join the security team. He is asked to report to Deck 10 and send tactical updates every twenty minutes. Tuvok stops giving orders however, as the alien communicates telepathically with him.

The Alpha is back behind a force field in sickbay and a security perimeter has been set up around Species 8472. Janeway wants Torres to keep a transporter lock on the creature, in case they have to beam it off the ship. She asks The Doctor for an injury report, but he can't scan the creature with his tricorder ; he can only make a visual diagnosis . He theorizes that the creature has been hunted for months but he can't say for certain the extent of its internal damage. Paris and Seven tell Janeway that the creature attempted to open a singularity but failed. Janeway believes it was trying to get home .

Janeway finds Tuvok, who is in constant telepathic contact with the creature. He tells the captain that during the conflict with the Borg its vessel was damaged. It was unable to return to fluidic space when Species 8472 retreated. Now, it doesn't want to keep fighting, it simply wants to return home because it is dying. Janeway verbally tells the creature that they will attempt to get it back to its own space. During the conversation, the alien loses consciousness and the telepathic link with Tuvok is lost.

Janeway goes to sickbay, where the Alpha demands to be taken to his prey. Janeway informs him that they will be returning the creature to fluidic space. She also tells him that the hunt is over. The Alpha again demands that the creature should be returned to him or the crew of Voyager will take its place.

Janeway asks Tuvok to send Seven of Nine to her ready room, as she is most likely the only one who can recreate the singularity. Tuvok has his concerns as Seven may not want to co-operate.

Janeway informs Seven of her decision but Seven thinks it would not be a prudent course of action. Janeway tells her that part of becoming Human is showing compassion, even to those people who are considered bitter enemies. She recounts a story from when she was a Lieutenant . She was part of an away team defending a Federation outpost and they had been exchanging phaser fire for three days with a group of Cardassians . One night, there was a break in fighting and they could hear a low moan coming from just outside their camp. As all of their people were accounted for, it had to be a Cardassian. Her commanding officer decided that they couldn't let the man suffer, so they went out and brought him back to camp. Three days later, they won the fight and all of them were decorated by Starfleet Command . However, Janeway was most proud of the fact that they had saved the Cardassian's life. Seven tells Janeway that she is still confused about her analogy and Janeway tells her that " a single act of compassion can put you in touch with your own Humanity. " She wants Seven to see this as a chance to grow but Seven refuses, saying that Janeway's decision is "tactically unsound." She still doesn't understand and she and Janeway begin to argue. Janeway eventually orders her to create the singularity but she refuses. Seven is then ordered to remain in the cargo bay until the situation with the creature is over.

Act Five [ ]

Voyager is under attack by three Hirogen vessels. Another three approach, cutting off Voyager 's escape routes. Their weapons are having no effect against the Hirogen ships.

In sickbay, the two guards are standing alert with their phaser rifles pointed directly at the Alpha, who is still behind the force field.

The Hirogen hail Voyager and demand the return of both hunter and prey. Janeway says that if the Hirogen stop their attack, they will return the Alpha but the creature is under their protection now. The Hirogen finds this unacceptable and ends the transmission.

The creature is regenerating on Deck 11, where The Doctor thinks it is becoming more agitated. The Doctor can sedate it but Seven would need to give them another supply of nanoprobes. They also need at least another hour or two to duplicate the deflector protocols to generate a singularity. Main power goes offline as the next shot from the Hirogen ships hit Voyager and all force fields are disabled. Quickly bringing auxiliary power online, The Doctor reports that the creature is still contained. Unfortunately, the Alpha has broken out. Taking one of the guard's phaser rifles, he sets off on his hunt.

Two quick shots disable both the port and starboard nacelles , leaving Voyager crippled.

The hunter fights his prey

Seven arrives at The Doctor's location and moments later so does the Alpha, who quickly incapacitates the security guards. In a tense stand-off, the Alpha doesn't believe that Seven will kill him but as another shot hits the ship the force field goes down and the creature runs at the Alpha. Unable to raise his weapon in time, the Alpha and the creature become tangled on the floor. Seven uses the distraction to access the transporter system and she beams the Alpha and the creature on to one of the Hirogen vessels.

Voyager is unable to pursue the departing Hirogen ships as warp drive is still off-line, so Janeway orders Paris to resume their previous course at impulse. Janeway inquires into the reason for the Hirogen breaking off their attack and Chakotay tells her – Seven of Nine. " Seven of Nine ", Janeway angrily replies, knowing that her actions have surely resulted in the creature being killed by the Hirogen.

Janeway goes to Cargo Bay 2 where Seven is regenerating. She prematurely ends Seven's regeneration cycle and tells her that she disobeyed a direct order which resulted in the death of a sentient being . Seven argues that her actions prevented the destruction of Voyager by the Hirogen, but Janeway tells her that they have no way of knowing and either way she hasn't come to debate that but to inform Seven of the consequences. She tells Seven she is no longer willing to accommodate her brazen and occasionally insubordinate behavior and as of now Seven will no longer have access to any primary systems on the ship without Janeway's direct authorization, warning her that she'll be thrown in the brig if she tries anything. She can still work in astrometrics if she so desires, as it's either that or remain in the cargo bay. Seven is puzzled. She tells Janeway that after being liberated from the Collective , Janeway encouraged her to cultivate her independence. But now, when she tries to assert it, she is punished. Janeway replies that there are limits, especially on a ship with a command structure. Seven believes she is being punished because she is not thinking the way the rest of them do. She also claims that perhaps Janeway is frightened by Seven's individuality.

" As you were, " Janeway replies, leaving the cargo bay.

Log entries [ ]

• " Captain's log, stardate 51652.3. It's been twelve hours and our sensors show no sign of any Hirogen vessels, but their people are scattered throughout this region and something tells me that the hunt for Voyager is far from over. "

Memorable quotes [ ]

" The way a creature behaves when it is wounded is the key to its destruction. "

" I'm reading bones, muscle tissue from at least nine different species. It's all being broken down by some sort of enzyme. " " Perhaps this is their method of denaturating their prey. " " Either that or it's dinner. "

" You should know I'm a hologram and can't be bent, spindled, or mutilated, so don't bother trying. "

" Is your body armor designed to handle rapid pressure fluctuations? " " It can defeat most hostile environments. I once tracked a silicon-based lifeform through the neutronium mantle of a collapsed star. " " I once tracked a mouse through Jefferies tube thirty two. "

" Mr. Neelix, I must ask you to exchange your spatula for a phaser rifle. "

" This isn't a hunt. It's a slaughter. And I'm calling it off right now. "

" Part of becoming Human is learning to have compassion for those who are suffering, even when they're your bitter enemies. "

" I know you don't want to do it, Seven. But I'm telling you as your Captain and as your friend, you won't regret it. " " No. Your decision is tactically unsound. "

" I'm giving you an order. Report to deflector control and begin working on creating a singularity. " " I will not comply. I've agreed to remain on Voyager . I've agreed to function as a member of your crew; but I will not be a willing participant in my own destruction or the destruction of this ship. " " Objection noted, we'll do this without you. " " You will fail. " " And you have just crossed the line. "

" It is puzzling. " " What's that? " "You made me into an individual. You encouraged me to stop thinking like a member of the collective… to cultivate my independence… my Humanity. But when I try to assert that independence, I am punished. " " Individuality has its limits. Especially on a starship, where there's a command structure. " " I believe that you are punishing me because I don't think the way that you do… because I'm not becoming more like you. You claim to respect my individuality… but in fact, you are frightened by it. " " As you were. "

" You missed. "

Background information [ ]

Script, cast, and characters [ ].

• This episode's final draft script was submitted on 27 October 1997 . [1]
• Episode writer Brannon Braga believed that the teleplay he wrote for this episode was "a very difficult script" for a typical director to execute. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• Brannon Braga was proud, however, of the turbulent way in which this episode develops the relationship between Seven of Nine and Janeway. " It was the best Janeway-Seven arc since her introduction, " Braga declared. " It was great having them go head to head like that. With any luck, we left people wondering about their relationship at the end. The parent [is] raising the child, and the child is not turning out like the parent. Does that make the parent wrong? The child wrong, because they're being unreasonable? I hope it taps into some deeper issues about the parent-child relationship. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• Robert Picardo was invited to contribute to the Doctor's relationship with Seven by Brannon Braga, and came up with the student/teacher relationship seen in the episode stating, " taking the relationship I had with Kes and flipping it so that the Doctor has the ego to think he's a better teacher of how Seven should reclaim her humanity than a real human would seem to have a lot of comic possibilities. I specifically suggested we could have roleplaying exercises in which I would teach her appropriate behavior under different social situations. " [2]
• Brannon Braga was also pleased with the performances here. He enthused, " The acting was superb. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• Tony Todd (Alpha Hirogen) is better known for his recurring role of Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation . He not only appeared as that recurring character in the episode " Sons of Mogh " but also portrayed an alternate timeline adult Jake Sisko in DS9: " The Visitor ".
• The task of portraying the Alpha Hirogen in this episode was fun for Tony Todd. " It was a great experience for me, " he happily remembered. " I liked the character and I felt the script gave me something to do. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 157 , p. 41)
• Even so, Tony Todd did not enjoy wearing his Hirogen costume. " That turned out to be the most uncomfortable thing I ever did, " he explained. " I had to wear this full bodied suit and the big decision for me on that show was [–] a half hour before they put me in the suit [–] if I had to go to the bathroom or whether I could hold it in until my scenes were done. " ( Star Trek Magazine  issue 157 , p. 41) His Hirogen makeup also tested Todd's endurance. The actor recalled, " Of all of the prosthetic work I've done, it was the most uncomfortable stint, playing that character. Not only was it a four-hour makeup process for the face, it was an hour-and-a-half costume application as well. I don't know if you've ever been in a situation where someone has to tell you to give them notice 20 minutes before you had to pee. It's hard to pee on demand. But I knew the makeup and costume looked effective. And I just wanted that triptych, to be able to be in all three of the shows. " [3]
• Seven of Nine actress Jeri Ryan cited this episode as one of her favorite episodes from the fourth season of Star Trek: Voyager , along with " The Gift ", " The Killing Game " two-parter and " Hope and Fear ". ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 40 , p. 35)

Production and effects [ ]

• This was the first-aired Star Trek production that Allan Eastman directed. His work on this episode satisfied Brannon Braga, who said, " The director, Allan Eastman, took [the] script and made it look like a movie. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• The EV suits worn by Paris, Chakotay, Tuvok, and Seven are the ones used in Star Trek: First Contact . Only three EV suits are visible simultaneously, the same number as in the film.
• Having worked on the episode that introduced Species 8472 – specifically, the third season finale " Scorpion " – Ronald B. Moore and Foundation Imaging were given the chance to revisit the alien species for this episode. Visual effects producer Dan Curry noted, " Ron Moore supervised that episode. " ( The Birth of Species 8472 , VOY Season 4 DVD ) Moore himself said, " Once again, we went to Foundation. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 90)
• The telepathic visions that Tuvok experiences here mostly involved reused shots from the two-parter "Scorpion" and " Scorpion, Part II ", in which Kes sees some of the same images; the recycled footage includes close-up views of a member of Species 8472 that both she and Tuvok individually envisage. Another reused shot is of the battle between a Borg cube and a Species 8472 ship, during which – in the far distance behind the cube – the starship Voyager can also be seen. In fact, only one of the shots that, supposedly, Tuvok sees telepathically was created especially for this episode; it shows a Species 8472 vessel being pursued by a Hirogen ship. Ron Moore commented, " Once again, we […] got stuff, with only one exception from previous episodes. There was one ship shot that [Tuvok] visualizes, and that's something we did for 'Prey'. Other than that, it was something we had already done, which made sense, because he had been so close to Kes. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 90)
• As they had done for the "Scorpion" two-parter, Foundation Imaging once again handled the CGI involved in visualizing Species 8472. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 90) John Teska – who had been instrumental in designing the alien species, originally – was one of the Foundation staffers who had some input into the aliens' appearance here. Teska was glad upon first learning that the aliens were to return to Star Trek: Voyager . " Certainly, I was excited to see that they were gonna keep reusing this character and keep bringing him back, because I was having a great deal of fun, having build him and then getting to animate him, " Teska reminisced. " But, you move on to spaceships and you think, 'Well, maybe he won't come back.' But when I read the script for 'Prey', I was really excited because there were scenes of him [such as] having hand-to-hand combat with this Hirogen warrior. " ( The Birth of Species 8472 , VOY Season 4 DVD )
• John Teska appreciated the unusualness of the shot that shows a member of Species 8472 exploring the exterior of Voyager . He remarked, " That was a fun shot […] You know, there are certain shots that, for an animator, you just really look forward to. And that was one, because it's so rare to see this creature in a full screen shot, and then the whole idea that it's, you know, walking around the outside of the hull. It was also interesting because the camera does like a kind of weird bank into that shot, just kind of orienting itself to the creature on the side of the hull. So, you know, on several fronts, it was kind of a unique shot to get to do. " ( The Birth of Species 8472 , VOY Season 4 DVD )
• The fight scene between the Alpha Hirogen and the member of Species 8472 that is cornered aboard Voyager provided a challenge for the visual effects team. In fact, Dan Curry went so far as to state that this episode was "the trickiest" of the numerous episodes in which Species 8472 appears, precisely because this was "an episode where it actually fought with somebody." Curry elaborated, " Having to have a CG creature fight with a live actor was very, very difficult. Ron Moore […] did a great job, working with the director, and the stunt guy, and the actors, to make sure we were able to put a really terrific scene together at the end. " Speaking from his perspective as a member of Foundation Imaging, John Teska noted, " We had to work very closely with the supervisors on that show and make sure that, when they would shoot it, that there'd be anticipation, I guess, of where the character would be [and] how the actors should react. " ( The Birth of Species 8472 , VOY Season 4 DVD )
• To complete the scenes that include Species 8472, the color and contrast of the computer-generated aliens were adjusted by Ron Moore in the edit bay. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 90)
• Brannon Braga liked the effects in this episode, describing them as "great effects." ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• The first act of this episode begins with some introductory musical notes that resemble the main theme tune from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . ( Delta Quadrant , p. 224)
• Brannon Braga was happy with the episode's soundtrack, noting about the installment, " It had good music. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)

Continuity [ ]

• Species 8472 previously appeared in the duology in which it was first introduced, in " Scorpion " and " Scorpion, Part II ".
• Chakotay says in this episode "Six months ago, [Species 8472] invaded our galaxy", establishing that it has been six months since the events of " Scorpion ".
• Voyager ' encounter with another member of Species 8472 is somewhat unexplained, given that Voyager was thrown 9,500 light years closer to Earth in the episode " The Gift ", shortly after last encountering the species. It's unclear how the Species 8472 ship - which was left behind from the rest of its fleet when they retreated back into fluidic space - was able to travel this distance so quickly.
• When speaking to the Hirogen, Janeway says that the "first time I met your species it wasn't on the best of terms", referring to the events of " Message in a Bottle " in which Voyager uses the Hirogen communication network without their approval, leading to a confrontation.
• The intruder alert siren has a rare appearance here, when Tuvok detects the member of Species 8472.
• Although Janeway lectures Seven of Nine here that "it is wrong to sacrifice another being to save our own lives," this is apparently a change of heart from the events of Season 2 's " Tuvix ", wherein Janeway forces Tuvix to sacrifice his life to restore those of Tuvok and Neelix . It is possible that the events of that episode led Janeway to reconsider her views on this point.
• In the scene where the Alpha Hirogen escapes from sickbay and confronts Seven of Nine in the corridor, he is clearly seen carrying a Federation phaser rifle (taken from one of the guards in sickbay). In the sequence where Species 8472 and the Alpha Hirogen struggle, however, he is suddenly holding his own Hirogen weapon.
• The sixth-season episode " Ashes to Ashes " establishes that a death (that of Ensign Lyndsay Ballard ) has occurred off-screen between the previous episode " Hunters " and this one. This death brings the total number of confirmed crew deaths since the series premiere " Caretaker " to 15, the previous one having occurred in " Scientific Method ". This would put the crew complement as of the end of this episode at 146, given the crew complement of 148 that was most recently established in " Distant Origin " and " Displaced ", and the deaths that have occurred since.
• Hirogen hunting their pray is their way of life. Captain Janeway interfering in the hunt might be a violation of the Prime Directive. But there is no onscreen discussion of this. The Federation had declined to get involved in the Kelpien vs Ba'ul for exactly the same reason.

Reception [ ]

• Brannon Braga's general opinion of this episode was very high. On two separate occasions, he raved, " 'Prey' turned out great. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99; Star Trek Monthly  issue 44 , p. 12) On one of those times, he added, " Everything came together. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99) Braga also counted this episode as a highlight of the fourth season (along with the two-parters " Year of Hell " and " Year of Hell, Part II ", as well as " The Killing Game " and " The Killing Game, Part II "). ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 44 , p. 12)
• Executive producer Jeri Taylor once described this installment as a "full-out action adventure romp" that was "full of lots of aliens." ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 36 , p. 13)
• This installment was one of Dan Curry's favorites from Star Trek: Voyager 's fourth season. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 74)
• This episode achieved a Nielsen rating of 3.8 million homes, and a 6% share. [4] (X)
• Cinefantastique rated this episode 4 out of 4 stars. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 99)
• Star Trek Magazine scored this episode 4 out of 5 stars. ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 42 , p. 60)
• The unauthorized reference book Delta Quadrant (p. 225) gives the installment a rating of 7 out of 10.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 4.8, catalog number VHR 4629, 10 August 1998
• As part of the VOY Season 4 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway

Also starring [ ]

• Robert Beltran as Chakotay
• Roxann Dawson as B'Elanna Torres
• Robert Duncan McNeill as Tom Paris
• Ethan Phillips as Neelix
• Robert Picardo as The Doctor
• Tim Russ as Tuvok
• Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine
• Garrett Wang as Harry Kim

Guest Star [ ]

• Beta-Hirogen
• Hirogen Hunter

Special Guest Star [ ]

• Tony Todd as Alpha-Hirogen

Uncredited Co-Stars [ ]

• David Keith Anderson as Ashmore
• John Austin as operations division officer
• Richard Bishop as operations division officer
• Steve Carnahan as operations division officer
• Damaris Cordelia as Foster
• Tarik Ergin as Ayala
• Brendan Fleming as operations division officer
• Roger Garcia as operations division officer
• Tom Gianelli as operations division ensign
• Caroline Gibson as operations division officer
• Joyce Lasley as Lydia Anderson
• Rad Milo as operations division officer
• Arthur Murray as command division officer
• Guy Richardson as operations division officer
• Shepard Ross as Murphy
• Joey Spagnola as operations division officer
• CGI – Species 8472 prey

Stunt Double [ ]

• Scott L. Schwartz as stunt double for Tony Todd

Stand-ins [ ]

• John Austin – stand-in for Clint Carmichael
• Sue Henley – stand-in for Kate Mulgrew
• Gregory Hinton – stand-in for Tony Todd and Scott L. Schwartz
• Susan Lewis – stand-in for Roxann Dawson
• Brita Nowak – stand-in for Jeri Ryan
• Lemuel Perry – stand-in for Tim Russ
• J.R. Quinonez – stand-in for Robert Picardo and Robert Beltran
• Robert Rasner – stand-in for Ethan Phillips
• Keith Rayve – stand-in for Robert Duncan McNeill and Robert Beltran
• John Tampoya – stand-in for Garrett Wang

References [ ]

2369 ; 2371 ; ability ; afternoon ; agitation ; alien ; animal ; antimatter injector port ; approach pattern ; art ; artificial gravity ; asteroid ; asteroid belt ; Astrometrics lab ; atmospheric recycler ; authorization command code ; auxiliary power ; away team ; aye ; banter ; barricade ; biobed ; bioelectric field ; bio scan analysis ; blanket ; blood ; body armor ; bone ; Borg ; Borg alcove ; Borg Collective ; Borg cube ( unnamed ); Borg drone ; Borg encryption code ; Borg nanoprobe ; Borg vessel ; bowl ; bridge ; Bridge Banter for Beginners ; briefing room ; brig ; Buck-toothed alien ; bulkhead ; burn ; camp ; captain ; captain's log ; Cardassian ; Cardassian border conflict ; Cardassian border conflict combatants ; cargo bay ; cave ; cellular level ; central power matrix ; chair ; chief medical officer's office ; command division ; commander ; commanding officer ; command structure ; com link ; communicator ; compound ; computer ; conduit ; console ; corridor ; course ; creature ; crewmate ; culture ; damage ; database ; day ; death ; decapitation ; deck ; decoration ; Deflector Control ; deflector dish ; deflector protocol ; Delta Quadrant ; denaturation ; desire ; desk ; desktop monitor ; dialogue ; dicyclic warp signature ; dilithium matrix ; dinner ; diplomacy ; distance ; distress call ; DNA ; doctor ; door ; dozen ; duty ; EMH ; engine ; engineering ; ensign ; environmental control ; environmental suit ; enzyme ; epidermis ; EPS manifold ; escape trajectory ; evasive maneuvers ; examination ; exobiologist ; eye ; female ; Federation outpost ; flashlight ; flight path ; fluidic space ; food ; force field ; freedom ; galaxy ; hail ; hatch ; helmet ; here and now ; high warp ; Hirogen ; Hirogen ship (aka Hirogen vessel ; unnamed ); hologram ; home planet ; hour ; hull armor ; hull plating ; hull rupture ; Human ; hunt ; hunter ; hunting party ; hypospray ; immune system ; impulse ; injury ; intercept course ; internal bleeding ; internal sensor ; Intrepid -class ; Intrepid -class decks ; intruder alert ; invasion ; Jefferies tube ; Kes ; kilometer ; level 5 force field ; level 10 force field ; lieutenant ; lieutenant commander ; lieutenant junior grade ; lifesigns ; lifestyle ; light year ; log ; long range scan ; ma'am ; magnetic boot ; magnetism ; main power ; male ; mantle ; map ; meat ; medical bay ; mentor ; mess hall ; meter ; microscopic ; Milky Way Galaxy ; minute ; mister ; molecular structure ; monotanium ; month ; mouse ; muscle tissue ; mutilate ; nacelle ; navigational record ; NCC ; net ; Neutronium ; night ; nomad ; nurse ; operations division ; operations station ; pack ; PADD ; patient ; percent ; phaser ; phaser bank ; phaser rifle ; physiognomy ; physiological maintenance ; physiology ; pilot ; planet ; plasma conduit ; plasma network ; polyfluidic compound ; port ; power ; power surge ; power system ; prey ; primary system ; puncture ; pupil ; quantum singularity ; race ; ready room ; red alert ; regeneration ; religion ; remains ; replicator ; report ; restraints ; ritual ; scan ; scanner ; sciences division ; secondary force field ; security detail ; security officer ; security perimeter ; security station ; sedative ; sensor ; sentient being ; sentiment ; shields ; sickbay ; silicon-based lifeform ; SIMs beacon ; sir ; skeletal system ; skull ; slaughter ; social graces ; sociology ; spatula ; species ; Species 8472 ; Species 8472 bio-ship ; star ; starboard ; stardate ; Starfleet border conflict away team ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet tricorder ; star system ; strategy ; structural integrity field ; stun ; supervision ; systems analysis ; systems operations ; table ; tactical course projection ; tactical station ; tank ; tattoo ; teeth ; telepathy ; temperature gradient ; thing ; thoracic crest ; time ; transmission protocol ; transporter ; transporter lock ; transporter range ; transporter system ; trap ; tricorder ; trophy ; turbolift ; unnamed asteroid belt ; unnamed asteroid ; unnamed non-humanoid ; vector ; vernacular ; viewscreen ; visual range ; vocabulary ; Voyager , USS ; Vulcan ; warp core ; warp power ; weapon ; wisdom ; wolf ; Workplace Encounter, The ; year

External links [ ]

• "Prey" at StarTrek.com
• " Prey " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Prey " at Wikipedia
• " Prey " at the Internet Movie Database
• 3 Ancient humanoid

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Star Trek: Voyager – Prey (Review)

Prey is a fantastic piece of television, and stands as one of the best standalone episodes of the fourth season of Star Trek: Voyager .

It is an episode built around a very simple premise, pitting two of Voyager ‘s more memorable alien creations against one another and throwing a nice character arc into the midst of this epic conflict. Prey is an exciting thriller built around the established characteristics of both the Hirogen and Species 8472, using two very distinctive cultures to tell a compelling and engaging story with the regular cast thrown into the fray. “Lone Hirogen hunter pursues lost member of Species 8472” is a great hook for an episode.

Here come the big guns.

However, Prey goes even further than that. The basic plot is intriguing on its own terms, but Prey cleverly grounds the story in what we know about these characters and their dynamic. As much as Voyager is caught in the crossfire of this horrific situation, the crew are also forced to make tough decisions. How will Janeway react to a wounded member of a hostile (and nigh-invulnerable) species? How will Seven of Nine respond when asked to save the life of a creature that participated in a brutal war with the Borg Collective?

This is intriguing stuff, largely anchored in what the audience already knows of the characters and delivered with top-notch production values and a great sense of pacing. Prey is an episode that plays to all the strengths of the fourth season, from the appeal of the Hirogen and Species 8472 through to the chemistry between Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan.

There’ll be hull to pay.

As with Hunters , there is a surprisingly strong thread of continuity running through Prey . More than any other season of Voyager , the fourth season tended to flirt with long-running story arcs and carry small character and plot threads across multiple episodes. After all, The Gift had been forty-five minutes of television primarily concerned with the aftermath of Scorpion, Part I and Scorpion, Part II . To pick another example, Hunters had used the relay stations discovered in Message in a Bottle to tidy up threads tying back to Caretaker or Persistence of Vision .

Although the series was nowhere near as comfortable with serialisation as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had become, the production team still understood that viewers could be trusted to remember a handful of details from earlier episodes. This is obvious across the season, and stands in marked contrast to the rest of the seven-season run. When Neelix was an accomplice to drug dealing and murder in Fair Trade , his punishment happened entirely between episodes. When Seven is punished at the end of Prey , it is acknowledged at the start of Retrospect .

“His story scans.”

Prey is not as explicit in its continuity references as Hunters had been. There is no reference to the encrypted Starfleet message that Seven recovered in Hunters , for example. That detail is confined to the background. At the same time, all of the characters and their interactions are pointedly coloured by earlier adventures. Unlike most “alien of the week” or “phenomenon of the week” stories on Voyager , Prey assumes at least some casual familiarity with earlier stories like Scorpion, Part I , Scorpion, Part II and Hunters .

This is most obvious in the way that Prey is built around two particularly memorable and recurring Voyager aliens. It involves Species 8472 from Scorpion, Part I and Scorpion, Part II , alongside the Hirogen from Message in a Bottle and Hunters . While Voyager has had recurring alien species before, it has never really mashed them together. Voyager has never invested in the dynamics that must exist outside the eponymous starship. Voyager never explored how the recurring species on the show would engage with one another.

The Hirogen healthcare system is a nightmare. It didn’t come up much on the show.

In the first two seasons, Voyager had repeated contact with hostile aliens like the Kazon and the Vidiians. They also repeatedly interacted with Talaxians. However, outside of Neelix’s encounters with these aliens, the series never bothered to explore how these aliens would interact with one another. Voyager never really touched upon what it must be like to live in the same area of space as the Kazon or the Vidiians, how the Talaxians responded to those predatory threats. The Vidiians and Kazon existed in isolated bubbles, quite apart from one another.

This obviously limits the potential for long-form storytelling or development. After all, the Vidiians were always treated as an archetypal menace rather than a culture with a clear narrative arc. They made convenient bad guys for episodes like Deadlock or Fury . It is telling that the Vidiians are cured entirely off-screen, in a throwaway line from a special guest star in Think Tank . Similarly, Maj Cullah would talk about uniting the Kazon factions in Manoeuvres or Alliances , but he could never develop because he existed in a vacuum opposite Voyager.

Faced with a new enemy, their Hirogen tactics went to pieces.

After all, the other Star Trek series tended to develop their alien species by throwing them into conflict with one another and using one alien species to inform others. The Romulans were introduced in Balance of Terror as distant cousins of the Vulcans. The loss of a key prop forced The Enterprise Incident to add a line of dialogue explaining that the Romulans and the Klingons had formed an alliance. Star Trek: The Next Generation effectively contrasted the Romulans and Klingons as sworn enemies, a relationship that informed both parties.

Voyager has largely avoided this form of storytelling. In keeping with the series’ episodic model, the ship tends to move from one area of space to another where it encounters one minor power after another. That way, audience members do not have to keep track of core dynamics or interspecies relationships while tuning in and out at random. Prey stands out as a rare exception to this policy, an episode about Voyager wandering into a conflict between two already-established aliens. It is a good storytelling premise, if only because it multiplies narrative possibilities.

No excuse for losing his head.

Prey feels like an organic extrapolation from what earlier episodes established about these two aliens. Species 8472 mounted an invasion of the Delta Quadrant in Scorpion, Part I and Scorpion, Part II , but were pushed back into “fluidic space” by an alliance between Voyager and the Borg. It makes sense that there would be some members of the species that were stranded after that retreat, even if it feels a little convenient that one stranded alien should wind up trapped ten thousand light years away from Borg space.

The defining trait of the Hirogen is “big game hunters.” It is not an overly complicated premise for a Star Trek alien. However, the teaser and opening act of Prey establish this detail quite effectively, arguably more effectively than the entire subplot in Hunters . The Hirogen featured in Prey seem more menacing and more threatening than those who appeared in Hunters , more ritualised and more violent. There is a solid argument to be made that the production team should have simply teased the Hirogen in Message in a Bottle and Hunters , making Prey their début episode.

Gunning for their prey.

As such, it makes perfect sense that the Hirogen would decide to hunt Species 8472, and that Species 8472 would prove a much greater threat than the Hirogen anticipated. This is an example of the lighter and softer approach to serialisation in the fourth season of Voyager ; it is an approach that does not lean on recurring plot points or exact references, instead drawing upon broad pre-established traits to build new and exciting stories. Prey builds on Scorpion, Part II and Hunters , but the logic is simple enough that the viewer does not need to have seen them.

It helps that the archetypes involved are easily understandable to casual viewer. Effectively, and perfectly in keeping with his own horror b-movie interests demonstrated by Macrocosm or Darkling , Braga pitches this extraterrestrial showdown as a Star Trek twist on Aliens vs. Predator . It is a clever hook, one reinforced by the emphasis on Tuvok finding some gunky Species 8472 blood in a Jefferies Tube in a scene that could be read as an homage to Alien and the fact that the Hirogen evoke the larger-than-life nomadic hunting aliens from Predator .

“Somebody obviously did not care for Mister Neelix’s guacamole special.”

It should be noted that Prey aired at a time when popular consciousness was obsessed with the prospect of a crossover between those two Fox space monster franchises. The concept of Aliens vs. Predator really kicked off in 1989, when Dark Horse published a three-part story in Dark Horse Presents . However, the creative and critical failure of early nineties entries in both franchises, with Predator II in 1990 and Alien 3 in 1992, only cemented the idea that these two floundering franchises might thrive together.

Aliens vs. Predator would spend the nineties trapped in development hell, a frequent subject of industry gossip and nerdy whisperings without any real traction. Peter Briggs was drafted in early to realise the project under the title “The Hunt.” It very quickly fell to pieces . However, there were other multimedia fronts in this particular war . Bantam published a series of Alien vs. Predator books, beginning in 1994. Capcom and Atari would release tie-in video-games around the same time.

“Do you have any idea how hard this armour is to keep clean?”

Prey aired in February 1998, very much in the middle of this multimedia storm and this fixation upon a multimedia clash of the terror titans. The release of Alien Resurrection in November 1997 had done little to reassure fans that the xenomorphs could support their own franchise. Eventually, audiences would get what they wanted with the release of Aliens vs. Predator in August 2004. Apparently most audience members determined that the project had not been worth the wait. That did a lot to sate pop culture’s previously ravenous hunger.

In some ways, this fascination with delivering a Star Trek twist on the long-sought-after Aliens vs. Predator serves as a reminder of just how deeply Voyager was rooted in the nineties. It is hard to imagine the franchise committing to this idea so eagerly and so readily at any other time. Deep Space Nine tended to crib from classic movies released long before its audience was even born, while Voyager tended to turn its attention to the latest fads and the most pressing pop culture concerns.

“Don’t worry, by the end of the first act, I’ll be doing this on my Todd.”

Still, in spite of the goofiness of the inspiration, Prey works very well. Part of this is down to the casting, with Tony Todd playing the role of the anonymous Hirogen who finds himself locked in a battle for survival with an anonymous member of Species 8472. Todd has acknowledged that he was simply thrilled to score a Star Trek hattrick :

Of all of the prosthetic work I’ve done, it was the most uncomfortable stint, playing that character. Not only was it a four-hour makeup process for the face, it was an hour-and-a-half costume application as well. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a situation where someone has to tell you to give them notice 20 minutes before you had to pee. It’s hard to pee on demand. But I knew the makeup and costume looked effective. And I just wanted that trip ticket, to be able to be in all three of the shows.

Indeed, it is almost a shame that Todd never appeared in Star Trek: Enterprise in order to maintain that momentum. Still, there are already rumours circulating , suggesting that Bryan Fuller might have a part for Todd in Star Trek: Discovery .

“Damn, those Hirogen cast in The Killing Game really had it easy, eh?”

The Alpha Hirogen in Prey is by some distance the least-developed character played by Tony Todd during his long association with Star Trek . The character does not even have a name, lacking both the long-running tragic arc afforded Kurn and the intimate agony of Jake Sisko. The Alpha Hirogen is just a dude who really wants to kill some exotic alien and is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal. The character is unlikely to go down in the pantheon of great Star Trek guest characters.

However, Todd has enough screen presence that it works. He effectively carries the teaser singlehanded, as the Alpha and Beta track their quarry to an asteroid belt. In that short introductory scene, without any real context or set-up, Todd conveys everything that needs to be said about this character. He is driven by blood lust, prone to making stupid decisions, almost romantically in love with the concept of killing this one strange creature. Even for a species that is consciously built around the trope of  “obsessive hunters” , Todd conveys an unsettling desperation.

“I’m feeling pretty blue.”

The Alpha in Prey does a lot to distinguish the Hirogen from other stock “proud tribalistic warrior” aliens like the Klingons or the Kazon. The Alpha Hirogen seems downright manipulative and underhanded in his dealings with the Voyager crew. He might be committed to a ritualistic hunt, but he is not above playing psychological games to serve his own purpose. Even locked in Sickbay and trapped behind a “level five force field” , Tony Todd makes the alien seem like a tangible threat. The Hirogen in Prey are much more effective than those in Hunters .

This is most notable in how the Alpha manipulates the Voyager crew to get what he wants, which is the opportunity to brutally murder his target. When he discovers that the alien is on the ship, he initially threatens Janeway. “Let me continue, or I will have the others destroy you,” he warns. When that does not work, he demonstrates his potential usefulness to the crew in a crisis situation. “He’s trying to barricade himself,” he explains of the alien’s tactics. “He did the same thing to us.” This is enough to get him back in the field.

“A census taker once tried to test me…”

The Alpha also makes a similar attempt to manipulate Seven of Nine, a character who he has only observed from a distance to that point. When Seven of Nine threatens to “destroy” him unless he surrenders, he responds, “I don’t think you will. You want me to destroy this creature. I saw it on your face earlier in the medical bay. It’s a look I’ve seen a thousand times.” This is the sort of psychological manipulation expected of aliens like Cardassians or Romulans, use of guile and cunning rather than brute force. It makes the Alpha seem a more credible antagonist.

However, the Alpha is ultimately a secondary character in the larger context of Prey . His pursuit of the alien is an inciting event, but it is not the heart of the story. After all, Prey concludes in a relatively open-ended manner as far as the Hirogen and Species 8472 are concerned. The last shot of the Alpha finds the character on the ground wrestling with his antagonist. Seven of Nine beams them back to one of the Hirogen ships attacking Voyager. As far as Prey is concerned, that is where the story ends for these two characters.

Wrestling with moral ambiguity.

Although the implication is that the Hirogen brutally murdered their prey, the script never explicitly confirms how that fight ended. It is never stated whether the alien manages to kill the Alpha before the Hirogen can kill it. It is also not impossible that the alien could escape again and wreak a terrible revenge. More than likely, the Hirogen won the day and the member of Species 8472 is dead. However, there is something very clever in the way that Prey never definitively states any of this. It does not matter. This is not what the story is about, on a fundamental level.

The real story at the heart of Prey is the story between Janeway and Seven of Nine. As with the Hirogen and Species 8472, this is another element carried over from earlier episodes. Seven of Nine’s education and rehabilitation has been a recurring plot thread since The Gift . In Prey , Janeway continues those lessons. The captain tries to instil some quality of mercy in the rescued drone. Janeway tries to teach Seven of Nine that forgiveness and compassion are important virtues on the final frontier, part of what makes a person human.

A specious threat.

There is a lot of really nice attention to detail in Prey , a lot of little touches and choices in the script that emphasise the idea of Seven of Nine’s larger journey. In an introductory sequence in Sickbay, the EMH acknowledges that Seven of Nine’s character arc effectively mirrors his own. “You’re a lot like me when I was first activated,” he admits. “If I’d had a mentor, things would have gone a lot more smoothly.” He even acknowledges the role that Kes played in his character arc, a rare mention of Kes following her departure at the end of  The Gift .

In fact, Seven of Nine’s big argument with Janeway at the end of Prey very heavily references her arguments with Janeway in the brig in The Gift . In that earlier episode, Seven of Nine challenged Janeway with the reality that self-determination was a two-edged sword. Even half-way through her transformation from a Borg drone, Seven of Nine pointed out that Janeway only seemed interested in her right to make her own choices so much as those choices conformed to Janeway’s expectations.

“Ain’t no party like a huntin’ party, cause a huntin’ party don’t…” “Stop.”

Locked in the brig, Seven of Nine wondered what would happen if she were to choose to sacrifice her humanity and surrender to the Borg? “You would deny us the choice as you deny us now,” Seven contends, and perhaps with good reason. “You have imprisoned us in the name of humanity, yet you will not grant us your most cherished human right. To choose our own fate. You are hypocritical, manipulative. We do not want to be what you are.” It is a damning indictment. More than that, it is also not an unfair criticism.

Seven returns to that argument at the end of Prey , when Janeway confronts her about her decision to beam the member of Species 8472 over to the Hirogen hunting pack. “I believe that you are punishing me because I do not think the way you do,” Seven of Nine states. “Because I am not becoming more like you. You claim to respect my individuality, but in fact you are frightened by it.” It is a very powerful accusation, all the more effective for the fact that it has been restated and has yet to be refuted. Seven of Nine might have a point about Janeway.

Floating some bold ideas.

There is a lot to be said for building an episode around that ideological conflict. In an interview with Cinefantastique , writer Brannon Braga acknowledged that he was very proud of the finished episode and that a lot of the episode’s power came from that dynamic between Janeway and Seven:

“Prey turned out great. Everything came together. The director, Alan Eastman, took a very difficult script and made it look like a movie. The acting was superb. It had good music, great effects. It was the best Janeway-Seven arc since her introduction. It was great having them go head to head like that. With any luck, we left people wondering about their relationship at the end. The parent (is) raising the child, and the child is not turning out like the parent. Does that make the parent wrong? The child wrong, because they’re being unreasonable? I hope it taps into some deeper issues about the parent- child relationship.”

The relationship between Janeway and Seven has been around for less than a year, but it is already the richest relationship on the show. Part of that is down to the skill of the actors involved, who are among the strongest performers on the show. However, part of that is also down to the charge between the characters.

“My enemy’s enemy is… well, I think we’ve done this before and it worked out okay.”

In many ways, Seven of Nine is an archetypal Star Trek character. She is the cold and rational “alien” character, the outsider who finds herself perplexed by humanity. There are any number of similar characters in the Star Trek canon. Spock is the most iconic, but Seven is arguably much closer to Data on The Next Generation . It could reasonably be argued that Odo is a subversion of the archetype on Deep Space Nine and that T’Pol plays the arc much straighter on Enterprise . Indeed, before Seven arrived, the EMH fulfilled this role on Voyager .

As such, there needs to be something to distinguish Seven of Nine from Data or the EMH. The Gift hinted at one very interesting possibility, suggesting that Seven’s journey from “outsider” towards a more conventional humanist outlook would be conflicted. Data was an eager student for Jean-Luc Picard, while Seven would position herself as a problem child for Kathryn Janeway. Prey could be seen to deliver on that promise, by emphasising the gulf between Seven and Janeway rather than suggesting their relationship is idyllic.

“I was regenerating in my alcove. You use this word, alcove?”

After all, Voyager is a show that needs some sense of distinction or clarification. The crew on Voyager are woefully generic and underdeveloped compared to the casts on The Next Generation or Deep Space Nine . Nobody seems to have a dissenting opinion about anything. Nobody approaches a problem from a unique perspective. Very few of the characters on Voyager have unique voices, which is disappointing given the sheer potential of stacking half the cast with former terrorists and aliens in Caretaker .

Allowing Seven of Nine to challenge Janeway so explicitly and so overtly harks back to the promise of that original concept. Prey suggests that Seven of Nine is not beholden to the chain of command, that she will not integrate as readily as Chakotay and Torres did in Parallax . More than that, it plays into the idea in The Raven that Seven is emotionally still a young adult. She is not psychologically mature, and is still learning to process her emotions and her experiences. (This is a theme suggested by Prey , and reiterated more awkwardly in Retrospect .)

“So, they’ve got a new “outsider” character now. But you’ll need a cool mentor.”

Although he was not part of production at the time that Jeri Ryan was drafted on to the cast, The Fifty-Year Mission quoted co-creator Michael Piller as a major advocate of this approach to Seven of Nine:

What I think became extremely clear is that once you brought Seven of Nine on board he show, you got cultural conflict from her that nobody else was able to bring. Perhaps partly as a result of that, and I think the quality of the actress had a lot to do with it, she became the most interesting character on the ship, because she was the one person who disagreed with everybody else. What conflict does is bring character out.

Then again, it makes sense that Piller would support this approach to the character. Piller advocated for more conflict on Deep Space Nine and advocated for stronger use of the Maquis on Voyager .

Keep hangin’ in there.

Prey very effectively lays out this ideological gap between Janeway and Seven even before the crew become aware of the involvement of Species 8472. “The Hirogen vessel is a potential threat,” Seven warns Janeway. “We should destroy it.” Janeway responds, “Seven, what you call a threat, I call an opportunity to gain knowledge about this species. And in this case, maybe even show some compassion. There seems to be a wounded pilot over there.” Seven replies, “Our experience with the Hirogen indicates that compassion would not be reciprocated.”

This is already a very pointed discussion. It is the kind of ethical argument that would occasionally pop up on The Next Generation or Deep Space Nine . It recalls Crusher arguing with Picard about the exploitation of Hugh in I, Borg or O’Brien clashing with Bashir over the fate of the Jem’Hadar in Hippocratic Oath . It recalls the impassioned debate between Janeway and Chakotay about the Borg in Scorpion, Part I and Scorpion, Part II , but this sort of discussion is very much the exception rather than the rule on Voyager .

Corridors of no power.

Once the crew discover that the Hirogen has been hunting a member of Species 8472, Seven becomes even more confrontational in her discussions with Janeway. As Seven admits to Tuvok, Species 8472 waged a large-scale war against the Borg Collective that understandably left psychological scars. “They destroyed millions of drones, hundreds of our worlds,” Seven explains. When Janeway explains that she plans to help the alien return home as a gesture of goodwill, Seven of Nine counters, “I don’t believe that is a prudent course of action.”

It is a very clever character beat, one that adds a great deal of nuance to Seven of Nine’s character. While her overall arc owes a lot to the characterisation of Data on The Next Generation , there are also shades of other characters thrown into the mix to add a unique flavour. Seven’s refusal to help an alien on the basis of a long-standing animosity between species recalls Worf’s refusal to give blood in The Enemy . Seven’s betrayal of her friends and colleagues for her own ends recalls Odo’s actions in Children of Time or Behind the Lines .

Tall order.

Janeway espouses a more humanist and optimistic outlook, one very much in keeping with the moral framework of the Star Trek universe. She tells Seven a story about helping a wounded Cardassian during “a Cardassian border conflict” , a conflict that has consistently been likened to the moral quagmire of the Vietnam War. Janeway insists on finding some sense of humanity during that horror, which is a very clever thematic choice. On The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine , Miles O’Brien was repeatedly characterised as a war veteran scarred by those conflicts.

Janeway makes a convincing and hopeful argument. Over the course of Prey , Janeway never loses faith in the idea that the universe is a fundamentally decent place where people and cultures can peacefully coexist. Janeway sees helping a wounded Hirogen as a chance to “settle [her] differences” with the hunting species. She believes that providing medical aid to a wounded hunter might bring about a reconciliation. She seems to believe that the same might be possible with Species 8472, despite their omnicidial zeal in Scorpion, Part II .

Beaming with pride.

Seven of Nine rejects this idealism in favour of a more compromised solution. She surrenders the alien to the Hirogen as a peace offering, effectively bartering one life for the lives on Voyager. It is a cynical decision, and one that Prey repeatedly suggests is grounded in a cold hatred of Species 8472 as much as pragmatism. As such, Seven serves as a reminder that not every person will share Janeway’s philosophical perspective or moral outlook. In her own way, Seven of Nine provides a challenge to Janeway’s world view.

If Janeway cannot count on Seven to do the right thing, what are the odds that she could count on the Hirogen to be reasonable or on Species 8472 to make peace instead of mounting an invasion? It is a very clever twist in the episode. It demonstrates that reality is often more complicated and nuanced than a set of hard idealistic principles. Prey suggests that the relationship cannot function until Janeway and Seven recognise each other’s positions. The key is finding a way to navigate the space between Janeway’s moral idealism and Seven’s emotional response.

Janeway or the highway.

This might sound cynical, but Prey does not reject Janeway’s humanism out of hand. The episode ends in a grim fashion, Janeway’s hopes of brokering peace with the Hirogen or Species 8472 lost in the crossfire. Beyond that, it seems like Janeway has not succeeded in changing Seven. However, this is not the case at all. Janeway makes peace with the Hirogen in The Killing Game, Part II , in a script written by the same writer and broadcast three episodes after Prey . More than that, Seven does eventually become a fully-formed person. In the end, Janeway is right.

In some ways, Prey suggests that Janeway’s biggest mistake is in assuming that she can change all of this instantly. Janeway believes that one encounter with the Hirogen is enough to allow her to fundamentally change their way of life so that they might see Voyager as more than just “simply game.” It takes a little more work to get to that stage, a little more familiarity with Hirogen culture and a little more conversation. Similarly, Seven of Nine has been an individual for less than a year. She can become a better person, but that level of growth takes time.

‘Soup, friend?

In a weird way, Prey might be read as an argument in favour of serialisation or long-form storytelling, contending that eventual pay-offs are more satisfying when they come at the end of larger arcs. After all, one of the more frustrating aspects of Seven of Nine’s character arc has been how quickly Voyager has humanised and integrated its newest crew member. Voyager knows that it has three more years to tell this story with Seven of Nine. It can afford to treat her growth as gradual, to allow her to make mistakes and experience setbacks along the way.

Much more than her flirtation with Kim in Revulsion or her curing of Neelix in Mortal Coil , Seven of Nine’s act of teenage rebellion in Prey feels like it represents genuine progress for the character. It is a character who is very consciously reacting to the arc that Janeway has established for her, which serves to provide Seven with more agency in terms of the overarching plot. It also feels like an emotionally honest story beat, one recognisable to anybody who has ever lived in a family with a teenage child.

Keeping her darker impulses at Cargo Bay.

Prey arguably marks the point at which Seven of Nine’s core relationship solidify. A lot of the fourth season was spent trying to play Seven of Nine off various members of the ensemble, to get a sense of how Jeri Ryan clicked with her cast mates and how the character might interact with them. Revulsion focused on the potential relationship between Seven and Kim. The Raven (and later Year of Hell, Part I and Year of Hell, Part II ) teamed the character up with Tuvok. However, Prey makes a convincing case for Janeway and the EMH as Seven’s strongest relationships.

There is an early scene between Seven and the EMH in which the EMH proposes himself as a “mentor” , a role that pays off in Retrospect . However, the bulk of the episode is given over to the conflict between Seven and Janeway. The rest of the crew don’t really get a look into the discussion. From this point forward, Voyager will tend to privilege that dynamic between Seven and Janeway. It is a shrewd decision, as Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan play off one another very well.

Ryan Murphy presents Feud , Season 4.

The only problem is that there was considerable tension between Mulgrew and Ryan on the set of the show. As Brannon Braga explains in The Fifty-Year Mission , there was a lot of stress on the Voyager set after Ryan was introduced:

Kate Mulgrew didn’t like the addition of the character at all. To say it was tense is understating the case. We let Kes go, we felt the character wasn’t quite working, and we made way for Seven of Nine and it was not pleasant. And suffice to say when I started to have an affair with Jeri Ryan a year or so later, it was one of the most uncomfortable moments in my career having to go to Kate’s trailer to tell her what was going on, because Kate was not a fan. I don’t think she had anything against Jeri personally, but it was the character. But Jeri was not having it, either. She was like, “Why is the f$%king woman sh!tting on me? I just want an acting job, for f$%k’s sake.” I think everything cooled off eventually, but it didn’t slow things down in terms of production. No one refused to come out of their trailer. But Jeri felt the tension. You know, “There’s an intruder in our midst.” She was on a bunch of posters, she got all the attention.

It is quite frustrating that the two cast members most vocal in their dislike for one another would find themselves forced to share so many scenes. However, as Ryan has conceded, “It was the richest relationship. They really wanted to capitalize on that.” It is to the credit of both performers that the work on screen never suffered.

“Don’t worry, I’ve seen the script for the next episode.”

Prey is a really great episode, and a highlight of the season. It demonstrates just how much Voyager is doing right at this stage of the fourth season, even if it cannot keep this pace forever.

You might be interested in our other reviews from the fourth season of Star Trek: Voyager :

• Scorpion, Part II
• Day of Honor
• Scientific Method
• Year of Hell, Part I
• Year of Hell, Part II
• Random Thoughts
• Concerning Flight
• Mortal Coil
• Waking Moments
• Message in a Bottle
• The Killing Game, Part I
• The Killing Game, Part II
• The Omega Directive
• Unforgettable
• Living Witness
• Hope and Fear

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Filed under: Voyager | Tagged: Brannon Braga , conflict , continuity , hope , humanism , jeri ryan , optimism , prey , seven of nine , species 8472 , Tony Todd , voyager |

7 Responses

Absolutely agree. This episode is everything I expected of Voyager when I first started watching, I went into watching the series blind only knowing the premise, but very rarely got. It has conflict, claustrophobia, and above all an ambiguous ending. Neither Janeway or Seven of Nine are 100% right, and that is what makes for good drama. I think this episode also shows that when Brannon Braga has a script he actually wants to write, then he can do a good job.

Furthermore, it is episodes like this that makes me think the fourth season of Voyager is also its best season. This season has three of my favorite Voyager episodes in Year of Hell, this one, and Living Witness, which is unfortunately sandwiched between two of the worst of the season, Unforgettable and Demon. Also, I would say that the Hirogen and the Krenim are some the best villains Voyager faces.

Yeah, the fourth season of Voyager is really good. It’s a shame that it couldn’t maintain the consistency of this run of episodes, my issues with Retrospect notwithstanding.

It’s a shame Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan found it so difficult to work together because they really are so wonderful together. There’s a frisson between them we’ve never seen on VGR before (probably because it comes from a place of truth) and it’s one that electrifies they’re scenes, especially when they’re on opposite sides of the fence.

With Prey, it looks like the writers have decided to capitalise on that and turn it into something they can use to they’re advantage. Add to that two of Trek’s most impressive enemies and what we have is the most exciting VGR episode since Year of Hell.

Message in a Bottle teased us with the Hirogen. Hunters established them as the antagonist VGR had failed to deliver with the Kazon, and now with Prey, they really come into they’re own. But if that weren’t enough, Prey also brings back an enemy that we haven’t seen since Scorpion, Pt II – Species 8472.

It’s fitting the teaser brings them together first without Voyager. A lone member of Species 8472 left behind after the war with the Borg ended has had the bad luck to cross paths with an Hirogen warship (how it travelled 10,000 light-years is something Brannon Braga fails to explain) and has spent the past six months being pursued by the relentless hunters. The Hirogen finally corner the creature like a trapped animal but in the same way the Borg underestimated they’re enemy, it recovers and escapes its captors, but not before tearing they’re ship apart (and one of the hunters) in the process.

Naturally, this is when Voyager enters the picture. Bringing aboard the only surviving Hirogen (played by the wonderful Tony Todd), this gives the crew an opportunity to learn firsthand about this race of hunters. But when 8472 invades Voyager and with Hirogen reinforcements on the way, as well as Janeway and Seven’s differing ways of how to resolve this situation, Voyager becomes a battleground for all concerned.

Prey is a fine example of how well VGR’s pieces fit together when it remembers that. Brannon Braga is famed for his ability to dream up high-concept ideas, but he’s not often known for characterisation, which usually seems to take second-place. Prey is a surprising combination of what he does best and what he tends to overlook, and the result is one of Braga’s best solo scripts to date.

He’s helped no end by the actors carrying it, but Prey represents a new maturity for Brannon Braga. It shows him improving with characters, while also including plenty of the things he excels at – SF concepts and seeing where they take us.

The Hirogen want they’re prey, and will kill the crew in order to claim it. Despite nearly winding up as an Hirogen trophy herself in the previous episode, Seven is eager to turn 8472 over to them, but Janeway would rather return the creature to fluidic space (perhaps because they’re both alone in a foreign quadrant, trying to get home). Things eventually come to a head between these two, independently minded women and Seven beams the Alpha and 8472 to the attacking Hirogen fleet, condemning the creature to a certain death.

It is quite a stunning betrayal to see in a Star Trek show. A couple of years back, one of the Maquis crew would have done the same but since this is VGR’s fourth season, the most obvious choice to fill that role now is Seven of Nine, but it’s perfectly in character. She understandably still harbours hatred towards 8472, the first species to create chaos for the Borg Collective (the Borg probably didn’t truly understand the meaning of the word until they met them).

And it culminates in the final scene in Cargo Bay 2, when Janeway revokes all of Seven’s privileges for going over her head. But Seven refuses to back down. She feels perfectly justified in what she did, and even takes the opportunity to attack Janeway’s reasoning by saying she was the one who encouraged Seven to think as an individual. It’s not Seven’s fault if Janeway feels threatened by it.

This could almost be a conversation between Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan rather than Janeway and Seven of Nine. It’s not hard to read into that scene and imagine the similar conflict between the two actresses that was going on behind the scenes. It’s nice to see the writers making use of it because it amps up the drama in a very tense episode.

I was a bit surprised to see Species 8472 turned into the victim so soon (TNG waited until the fifth season before they did the same with the Borg) but I liked Prey more than the way they were watered down in In the Flesh. They still make an impressive adversary (even the Hirogen Alpha can’t help but admit that after tracking it for half a year), and if not for Seven’s intervention, no doubt it would have lived to fight another day.

Prey is a superb distillation of all the good qualities of this season. It capitalises on the fantastic relationship between two of VGR’s best actors, and has plenty of action, suspense and great special effects all wrapped up in a tremendous package. What more can anyone ask? (That it could do this every week?)

Not even every week. But, like four or five times a season even? I’m not greedy.

Seven got shafted. I do agree that if Seven would have just opened up the dimensional gateway, then Janeway would have been happy and then have to live with the consequences of the Hirogen now making Voyager their next prey. At least that would have put ALL of the next events on Janeway’s head. Instead we get the tense battle of the attack and 8472 getting loose. If not for Seven’s quick thinking in the corridor, Voyager would either have been destroyed, or captured and then the crew tortured and hunted to death, along with the creature. Janeway just can’t acknowledge that fact when Seven suggests it at the end of the episode, but rather brushes it off as “a possibility”. If it had been me when Janeway visited the cargo bay and said how I beamed the species off the ship, I would have simply replied with “You’re welcome for my saving Voyager and it’s crew”. I also find it interesting that the very next episode (Retrospect) again tries to make it look like Seven did something wrong, though it’s never fully proven that her memories were faulty. Just because the nano-probes reacted in the experiment the way they found the trace nano-probes in the lab doesn’t prove that the rest of what happened on the planet didn’t actually happen, but the writers are intending that this is proof of false memories. It is possible the gun was set to knock her out and the trace nano-probes would still have been left in the lab the same way as in the test. Then the assault could have happened, her memory messed with and then he wakes her up and heals her hand just as Kovin said. Remember they never could explain why Seven reacted so strongly to Kovin in engineering by knocking him down. So I guess we’re just supposed to believe that after this much time Seven is still punching people in the face who touch her? When you watch Prey and Retrospect back-to-back, it’s almost as if Seven is being punished for the previous episode.

I’ve always been impressed with Ryan’s handling of what was going on in that fourth season. Young; newest cast member on an established show; replacing a well-liked cast member; lead actress definitely Not in her corner; yet Ryan did her work and also didn’t take any guff from that lead actress. Not sure how many young actresses (even with her experience) would’ve handled the situation as well.

Yep. I always liked Ryan; I think she’s a much stronger actor than she gets credit for, largely because the stupid costume is all people think about when they think about Seven of Nine. However, going back and hearing the accounts of what happened behind the scenes, I have an incredible respect for her.

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Star Trek: Voyager – Season 4, Episode 16

Where to watch, star trek: voyager — season 4, episode 16.

Watch Star Trek: Voyager — Season 4, Episode 16 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Vudu, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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Cast & crew.

Kate Mulgrew

Capt. Kathryn Janeway

Robert Beltran

Roxann Dawson

B'Elanna Torres

Robert Duncan McNeill

Ethan Phillips

Robert Picardo

Episode Info

• The Original Series
• The Next Generation
• Deep Space Nine
• Strange New Worlds

The Star Gazer

Into the forest i go.

The Borg cube is on a collision course with Voyager, threatening to destroy the ship and everyone on board. Captain Janeway and her crew must come up with a plan to save themselves. Meanwhile, Seven of Nine has been infected with a virus that is killing her and the Borg Collective. In order to save her life, Seven must find a way to tap into the Collective’s neural network and cure herself.

The Borg cube is quickly closing in on Voyager and only a matter of time before it strikes. With limited resources and time, the crew must act fast in order to save themselves. As they devise a plan to avoid the impending disaster, Seven of Nine is slowly succumbing to a virus that has infected her and the Collective. With no other options, Seven must find a way to access the neural network of the Collective and find a cure.

On the bridge, Janeway and the crew have managed to devise a plan to save the ship. They will use an orbital maneuver to avoid the Borg cube. However, it is a risky move and success is far from certain. As the crew prepares for the maneuver, Seven is struggling to find a way to save herself. With the help of The Doctor, she is able to tap into the Collective’s neural network. But, the virus is quickly spreading and it is unclear if Seven will find a cure in time.

Meanwhile, Voyager is heading towards the Borg cube, preparing for their orbital maneuver. As the bridge crew makes the final adjustments, Seven has managed to access the Collective’s neural network. However, the virus is still rapidly spreading, making it difficult for her to find a cure. With no other options, Seven makes a last-ditch effort and discovers a way to cure the virus.

The orbital maneuver is successful and Voyager narrowly avoids the Borg cube, with only moments to spare. With the virus cured, Seven is restored to full health and the Collective is once again safe. The crew can finally breathe a sigh of relief, their mission complete. They have saved the ship, but more importantly, they have saved Seven of Nine.

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Equinox (part 2), persistence of vision.

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Star Trek: Voyager

Cast & Crew

Alpha Hirogen

Clint Carmichael

Hirogen Hunter

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Stardate: 51652.3 - When  Voyager  encounters a disabled Hirogen ship with a wounded Hirogen aboard, Captain Janeway beams him aboard for treatment. Soon, the prey being hunted by this particular Hirogen, a member of Species 8472, boards  Voyager , damaging it. The only immediate solution is to let the Hirogen assist the crew in tracking its prey. Finding the creature severely wounded, Captain Janeway puts it under her protection, much to the chagrin of Hirogen. Seven of Nine disobeys Janeway's order and transports the Hirogen hunter and the creature to another Hirogen ship. 

Clint Carmichael

Cast appearances.

Kate Mulgrew

Robert Beltran

Roxann Dawson

Robert Duncan McNeill

Ethan Phillips

Robert Picardo

Garrett Wang

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Every Star Trek: Voyager 2-Part Episode Ranked, Worst To Best

• Star Trek: Voyager's 2-part episodes raised stakes for Janeway & crew, challenging identity and time travel.
• Featuring notable villains and exploring moral quandaries, Voyager's 2-part episodes set a high standard.
• Crafted like movies, these ambitious episodes reflect the quality Voyager achieved with risks in storytelling.

Star Trek: Voyager 's 2-part episodes regularly raised the stakes for Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the USS Voyager's crew on its journey homeward through the Delta Quadrant, making them some of Voyager 's best episodes. Each of Voyager 's seven seasons incorporated at least one 2-part episode , with many of Voyager 's 2-part episodes following the tradition established by Star Trek: The Next Generation that aired the first part as a season finale cliffhanger before resolving the story lines in the second part as next season's premiere episode.

The 2-part episodes of Star Trek: Voyager were ambitious, compared to Voyager 's usual episodic fare. Several 2-part episodes were spotlight features for some of Voyager 's most notable villains: the predatory Hirogen, who saw others as prey to be dominated; and the infamous Borg Collective, the cybernetic hive mind led by the eerie Borg Queen (Susannah Thompson, Alice Krige). Other Star Trek: Voyager 2-parters challenged Voyager 's main characters with questions of identity, considered the dangers of time-travel, or posed another potential way home, but all of them had something to say.

Star Trek: Voyagers 20 Best Episodes Ranked

Star trek: voyager season 2, episode 26 & season 3, episode 1.

Star Trek: Voyager closes its second season with another chapter of the story arc featuring Seska (Martha Hackett) , a Cardassian spy who had been posing as a Bajoran among the Maquis crew. Allied with the Kazon-Nistrim, Seska takes over the USS Voyager and leaves the crew stranded on an inhospitable planet . Watching the Voyager crew come together to survive is what the first few seasons are all about, but the resolution to the cliffhanger is muddied with plot points that reverse important elements from the far more entertaining first half, like the paternity of Seska's baby and the potential redemption of Ensign Lon Suder (Brad Dourif).

"Unimatrix Zero"

Star trek: voyager season 6, episode 26 & season 7, episode 1.

Through Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) , Star Trek: Voyager did a lot to expand the lore behind the Borg after Star Trek: First Contact established the Borg Queen as the central figure of the Collective. "Unimatrix Zero" introduces the concept of an eponymous virtual world that drones enter in dreams, where they can recover pre-assimilation memories and live out lives as individuals. The existence of Unimatrix Zero is a threat to the Collective that the Queen wants to stamp out and Janeway wants to exploit. It's a weird premise that undermines Seven's character a bit, but it builds on the ongoing battle between Janeway and the Borg with some solid action scenes.

"Workforce"

Star trek: voyager season 7, episodes 16 & 17.

On the planet Quarra, a labor shortage forces corporations to abduct passersby and reconfigure their memories, so they have no knowledge of their lives before coming to work at Quarra's massive power plants and factories. "Workforce" has something unusually prescient to say about the dangers of corporations with too much power, and how they're too willing to use red tape and jargon to obfuscate exactly how workers are exploited, but Star Trek: Voyager season 7's 2-parter borrows heavily from Voyager season 4's "The Killing Game", which handled the USS Voyager crew's amnesia far better, and with higher stakes.

"Flesh and Blood"

Star trek: voyager season 7, episodes 9 & 10.

A follow-up to "The Killing Game", "Flesh and Blood" explores the ramifications of Captain Janeway gifting the Hirogen with Federation hologram technology . Instead of providing the Hirogen with a means to engage in their ceremonial hunt bloodlessly, the Hirogen's tampering inadvertently grants the holograms sentience. Led by Bajoran hologram Iden (Jeff Yagher) and joined by the Doctor, the rebellion against the Hirogen is a pivotal part of the Doctor's crusade for the rights of photonic beings. It's a Star Trek: Voyager episode with true continuity , reaching both backwards and forwards, that also raises questions of what it means to be sentient, and what people truly deserve.

"Caretaker"

Star trek: voyager season 1, episodes 1 & 2.

The 2-hour premiere of Star Trek: Voyager has its ups and downs, but on the whole, "Caretaker" does a great job of establishing Voyager 's cast of characters, their motives, and their morals, by putting them in a classic Star Trek moral quandary. The introduction to the Ocampa is interesting, and they could have been a more important Star Trek species if Voyager had been able to deliver on what "Caretaker" promised. Janeway's decision reveals exactly what she values, despite stranding the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant , and the clear contrast to Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and his Maquis crew sets up the challenges to come on Voyager 's long trek home.

Best Star Trek: Voyager Episode From Each Of The Show's 7 Seasons

"dark frontier", star trek: voyager, season 5, episodes 15 & 16.

Dark Frontier" attempts to put Star Trek: Voyager on a level with Star Trek: First Contact by bringing back the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson) and stretching the tension over its 2 hours. Captain Janeway's plan to steal a Borg transwarp conduit from a not-so-dead cube backfires, as the Queen attempts to lure Seven of Nine back to the Collective. The focus is heavily on Seven, between Seven's inner battle for the life she once knew vs. newfound individuality, and the memories of Seven's pre-assimilation life that are revealed. "Dark Frontier" is a must-watch for fans of Seven of Nine , despite the rest of Voyager 's cast taking a backseat.

"Dark Frontier" maintains the elements of Seven of Nine's backstory introduced in Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 6, "The Raven".

"Future’s End"

Star trek: voyager season 3, episodes 8 & 9.

After evading 29th-century temporal officer Captain Braxton (Allan G. Royal), the USS Voyager is finally back on Earth ... but a few centuries too early. Although the temporal prime directive prevents Voyager from staying in the Alpha Quadrant, "Future's End" takes Voyager's crew through twists and turns of motives and outcomes, tracking down Braxton and then tech mogul Henry Starling (Ed Begley, Jr.) before Starling launches Braxton's stolen time ship into the future. The time-travel conceit creates humor aplenty , as Voyager's crew encounters the 90s in all the decade's glory, particularly when Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) befriend Gen X astrophysicist Rain Robinson (Sarah Silverman).

The Doctor (Robert Picardo) receives his mobile emitter in "Future's End", which allows the Doctor to finally leave sickbay.

Star Trek: Voyager Season 5, Episode 26 & Season 6, Episode 1

The lengths that Captain Janeway will go to are tested in "Equinox", in which the USS Voyager encounters another Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant . The USS Equinox is commanded by Captain Rudolph Ransom (John Savage), who took a much darker path after the Caretaker pulled the Equinox across the galaxy. Ransom represents everything Janeway could have been if she'd made more selfish choices , with the same tendency to dig in when confronted, and nearly drags Janeway down with him. "Equinox" is the coup de grâce on Star Trek: Voyager season 5's exploration of holding onto one's core values in trying times, and sets the stage for Voyager season 6's themes of stories and reputation.

"The Killing Game"

Star trek: voyager season 4, episodes 18 & 19.

The Hirogen take over Voyager's holodecks to create sprawling hunting grounds, focusing on a World War II reenactment casting the Hirogen as Nazis. The crew believe they really are the characters they're playing, to make them better prey, while disabled safety protocols mean the Doctor must keep reviving losers in the Hirogen's new game. "The Killing Game" is a high concept that's executed well, and Voyager 's cast are clearly having fun in this one , especially Janeway as a rebel and Chakotay as a military officer in a neat reversal of their actual roles, and Seven of Nine as a nightclub singer who may or may not be a spy.

Star Trek: Voyager, season 7, episodes 25 & 26

Star Trek: Voyager goes out firing on all cylinders , with Kathryn Janeway's devotion to the USS Voyager crew at its heart. An older Admiral Janeway finds a way to bring the USS Voyager home sooner, while also avoiding heavy losses, and recruits a present-day Captain Janeway to help her do it. Even if the Temporal Prime Directive is addressed, it's nothing compared to Janeway fulfilling Janeway's promise to the crew to bring Voyager home at all costs. The result is a high-energy, action-filled finale that spans two timelines, with the ultimate payoff of the USS Voyager's long-promised return to the Alpha Quadrant, and the end of Janeway's vendetta against the Borg .

Star Trek: Voyager Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1

"Scorpion" marks a turning point for Star Trek: Voyager as the series enters its 4th season, and the USS Voyager enters Borg space. In a no-win situation that asks whether the crew's safety or Federation ideals are the more important factor in returning home, Janeway's proposed alliance with the Borg is a creative third option . The moral quandary is at the heart of all great Star Trek episodes , and "Scorpion" improves on the concept with its added action and eerie tension, as the Borg encroach on Janeway's tenuous trust. Seven of Nine makes her debut in the second half, kicking off one of Voyager 's best character arcs.

Best Star Trek: Voyager Episode Of Each Main Character

"year of hell", star trek: voyager season 4, episodes 8 & 9.

"Year of Hell" shines as Star Trek: Voyager 's best 2-part episode by crafting a great story with an engaging, high-concept sci-fi premise that delivers solid action, uncertain tension, and questions of morality and motive. The USS Voyager is the proverbial wrench in the works for Annorax (Kurtwood Smith) of the Krenim Imperium, a fallen empire attempting to restore itself through erasing and rewriting the timeline. The year spent fighting the Krenim sees the USS Voyager falling apart and fixing itself, and it becomes clear that Annorax is Janeway's equally stubborn foil, as both fight tooth and nail to protect what they hold most dear.

Each 2-part episode of Star Trek: Voyager is crafted like a movie , with the intent of delivering the same level of action and drama that audiences came to expect from Star Trek theatrical outings. The success of these 2-parters inspired the creation of two long-form episodes later in Voyager 's run: Voyager season 5, episodes 15 & 16, "Dark Frontier"; and Voyager season 7, episodes 9 & 10, "Flesh and Blood", which were split into individual hours for syndication. As some of the best of Voyager overall, Voyager 's best 2-part episodes represent the quality that Star Trek: Voyager was capable of achieving when the show was willing to take risks in storytelling.

Star Trek: Voyager

Cast Jennifer Lien, Garrett Wang, Tim Russ, Robert Duncan McNeill, Roxann Dawson, Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo

Release Date May 23, 1995

Genres Sci-Fi, Adventure

Network UPN

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Showrunner Kenneth Biller, Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Brannon Braga

Rating TV-PG

The Cast of Star Trek Voyager – Then and Now

By: Author Brad Burnie

Posted on Published: January 30, 2022  - Last updated: September 22, 2022

Share the Universe!

The Star Trek Voyager is the fifth series and fourth sequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. It originally aired on the then United Paramount Network (UPN) from January 1995 to May 2001 and lasted 172 episodes spanning over seven seasons.

The pilot episode, Caretaker , was actually shot in September 1994, meaning the cast had worked together on set for more than six years, making them almost family.

The series was a big hit as it introduced new ideas to the franchise, like the first female captain of a Starfleet vessel, new alien species, and the use of CGI technology for the first time on Star Trek, which rendered better space shots.

The show’s success meant the cast also became household names, and it was a defining period in their careers.

Because we (Trekkies) were stranded right there with them in the uncharted Delta Quadrant, 70,000 light-years away from the Earth, we became invested in their lives as well. We were together for an entire seven seasons, trying to find the way back to Earth through seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Therefore, it should not be a surprise that we have been keeping up with them beyond Star Trek: Voyager. Here is what they have been up to.

Katherine Kiernan Maria Mulgrew (Kate Mulgrew)

She played Captain Kathryn Janeway, Commander of the USS Voyager . The first-ever female captain to be featured in a Star Trek series and the lead character.

During the Voyager filming, Kate was also featured in animations like Aladdin as Queen Hippsodeth’s voice and Gargoyles as Titania. She has been cast in several other animations since Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters , Infinity Train, and other cameo roles. She has also done voice-overs for a host of video games, Star Trek-related and otherwise.

Her television presence is also flourishing as she has been cast in some highly-rated shows like Mr. Mercedes , Warehouse 13 , Mercy , The Black Donnelly’s, and Orange Is the New Black . She won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014 for her role as Galina Red Reznikov in Orange Is the New Black . The same year she was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in the Primetime Emmy Awards for the same role.

Since then, she has also featured in a number of movies, documentaries, short films, and Broadway productions.

She is still involved in expanding the Star Trek franchise and has been cast in the upcoming animated series Star Trek: Prodigy, currently in production for Nickelodeon.

Personal Life

Kate was finalizing her divorce with Robert Egan, with whom they had two children when the Voyager was first airing in 1995. She was still searching for the daughter she had placed for adoption earlier in her career as a single terrified actor. She got married to Tim Hagan in 1996, but they later divorced in 2014. She reconnected with the daughter she had placed for adoption in 2001.

Robert Adame Beltran

He played Commander Chakotay, the Native American First Officer of the USS Voyager. He reluctantly assumes the position after his crew of Maquis rebels is forced to join forces with the USS Voyager when they are both stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

Robert won the Outstanding Actor in a Television Series at the Nosotros Golden Eagle Awards in 1997 after getting nominated for Outstanding Television Series Actor in a Crossover Role at the NCLR Bravo Awards the previous year.

Beltran would get nominated again in 1998 and 1999 at the same awards, now renamed the American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Awards for the same role in the category Outstanding Individual Performance in a Television Series in a Crossover Role.

Playing Chakotay remains his most celebrated television presence, although he has made cameo appearances in many TV series, films, and documentaries since then. He has appeared in a few movies and is also featured in Star Trek Voyager’s game : Elite Force .

Robert lives in Los Angeles and is a big supporter of the National Down Syndrome Society. He even hosts an annual Galaxy Ball as a fundraiser for the Down’s Syndrome Association of Los Angeles to connect those afflicted with the condition and their families with resources and support systems. He says he is driven to do something because his youngest sibling has down syndrome and knows what the children go through without professional help.

Roxann Dawson

She was Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres, the Klingon-Human hybrid who got to be Chief Engineer of the USS Voyager after the unplanned merger of Voyager and Val Jean crews in the Delta Quadrant. She remains relevant throughout the series for many reasons, the least of which is her long courtship with Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas Eugene Paris, which leads to marriage and their daughter Miral Paris’s birth.

Dawson got to direct two episodes of the Star Trek: Voyager while still a part of the cast: Riddles and Workforce , then went on to direct 10 episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise. This means she was already a director and an actor while shooting the Voyager.

She won an ALMA Award in 2001 for Outstanding Achievement in a Television Series for her role in the Star Trek Voyager after being consistently nominated in different categories in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000. She was also involved in other award-winning during this period, like the Foto Novelas, which took ALMA Awards in 1998 for Outstanding Latino Casts.

She has since focused on directing several episodes from a host of TV shows, documentaries, and films under her belt. In 2008 she was nominated in 3 separate awards, the ALMA, Hugo, and NAACP Image Awards, for her directed episodes in Heroes.

Dawson has two adopted daughters, Emma and Mia (who was adopted from China), from her marriage to Casey Biggs before the voyage. She is currently married to casting director Eric Dawson.

Robert Duncan McNeill

He played Thomas Eugene Paris, a disgraced pilot from a renowned family who gets a chance to redeem himself when assigned to spy on the Marquis rebels. He will proceed to be the helm engineer and supporting medic of the USS Voyager.

After the Star Trek Voyager, he has featured in the Voyager video game ‘Elite Force ’ and Star Trek Online. He has also acted in a couple of episodes in TV shows. He focused on directing and producing and has quite a number of films and TV shows to his credit. Most notable is the series Chuck which he was involved in all 73 episodes.

Robert lives in Los Angeles and has three children, Taylor McNeill, Kyle McNeill, and Carter Jay McNeill.

Brad Burnie is the founder of Starships.com. He loves all video game genres. In his spare time, he loves reading, watching movies, and gaming

Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Star Trek: Voyager?

The third "Star Trek" series to air in the 1990s, "Star Trek: Voyager" was also the flagship series for the all-new Paramount television network UPN. Making its debut in January of 1995, the series saw Captain Kathryn Janeway command the state-of-the-art starship Voyager on a mission to pursue a group of Maquis rebels. However, when a phenomenon envelops them both and hurls them to the distant Delta Quadrant, Starfleet officers and Maquis terrorists become one crew on a perilous journey home.

Despite a few cast shake-ups, "Voyager" ran for seven seasons and featured a consistently stellar ensemble. The series helped launch the careers of several of its lesser-known actors, while others can count the series as the highest point in their filmography. Some walked away from Hollywood after it concluded, while a few have since made big comebacks, returning to the roles that made them famous.

Since it ended in 2001, "Voyager" has aged like fine wine, earning new fans thanks to the magic of streaming where new generations can discover it anew. Whether seeing it for the first time — or even if you're watching it for the umpteenth — you may be wondering where the cast is now. Well, recalibrate the bio-neural gel packs and prep the Delta Flyer for launch because we're here to fill you in on what's happened to the cast of "Star Trek: Voyager."

Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway

It's no secret that Kate Mulgrew wasn't the first choice to play Captain Janeway in "Star Trek: Voyager." Academy Award-nominee Geneviève Bujold was famously cast first  but filmed only a few scenes before quitting the show during the production of the series pilot, leading to Mulgrew being brought in. Today it is difficult to imagine anyone else in the role, though it's hardly Mulgrew's only iconic TV series.

Following the show's conclusion in 2001, Mulgrew took a few years off from acting, returning with a small role in the 2005 film "Perception" with Piper Perabo. After a guest appearance on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," Mulgrew snagged a recurring role on "The Black Donnellys" in 2007 alongside Jonathan Tucker and Olivia Wilde and another in the short-lived NBC medical drama "Mercy" in 2009. Her return to a main cast, however, came in the Adult Swim series "NTSF:SD:SUV::," where she played an eye patch-wearing leader of an anti-terrorism task force alongside future "Star Trek" star Rebecca Romijn .

Of course, Mulgrew found a major career resurgence in 2013, starring in one of Netflix's earliest forays into original programming, "Orange is the New Black." In the series she stars as Red, an inmate at a women's prison, a role that would earn her an Emmy nomination. Mulgrew returned to "Star Trek" in 2021, voicing both Kathryn Janeway and a holographic version of the character in the Nickelodeon-produced CGI-animated series  "Star Trek: Prodigy."

Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay

Sitting in the chair next to Captain Janeway for seven seasons was Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay, a former Maquis first officer. Though Beltran counts his heritage as Latino, Chakotay was actually the first Native American series regular in the franchise but was sadly under-used, a fact that the actor has  commented on . Following "Star Trek: Voyager," Beltran's work on the small screen was mostly limited to guest appearances, popping up in episodes of "CSI: Miami" and "Medium" in the 2000s while filling roles in movies like "Taking Chances," "Fire Serpent," and "Manticore." 

Beltran's first recurring part on TV after "Voyager" was in the series "Big Love," starring Bill Paxton and Jeanne Tripplehorn. In the series, he played Jerry Flute — another Native American — who has plans to construct a casino on a reservation. However, over the next decade, Beltran seemed to move away from acting, with a sparse handful of minor roles. He revealed on Twitter that he turned down a chance to play Chakotay one more time in the revival series "Star Trek: Picard," as he was unhappy with the part they'd written for him. 

Nevertheless, Beltran did come back to join Kate Mulgrew for the animated children's series "Star Trek: Prodigy." Voicing Chakotay in his triumphant return to the franchise, the series sees the character lost in space and his former captain on a mission to find him.

Tim Russ as Lt. Tuvok

Actor Tim Russ had already made a few guest appearances in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and even the film "Star Trek Generations" before joining the main cast of "Star Trek: Voyager" in 1995. Russ became a fan-favorite as Vulcan Lt. Tuvok, who was later promoted to Lt. Commander. However, after seven seasons playing the stoic, emotionless Tuvok, Russ kept busy with a variety of different roles, mostly guest-starring in popular TV hits.

This includes guest spots in everything from "ER" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" to episodes of "Hannah Montana" and "Without a Trace." He even appeared on the big screen with a small role in "Live Free or Die Hard" in 2007, but it didn't keep him away from TV, as he also had a multi-episode appearance on the hit soap "General Hospital." That same year, Russ joined the main cast of the Christina Applegate comedy "Samantha Who?" and later began working in video games, providing voice work for "Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus" and "The Last of Us Part 2." 

Since then, the actor has kept busy with countless roles in such as "Criminal Minds," "NCIS: New Orleans," "Supergirl," and "The Good Doctor." More recently, Russ turned up in an episode of Seth MacFarlane's "Star Trek" homage "The Orville,"  and in 2023 voiced Lucius Fox in the animated film "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham."

Roxann Dawson as B'Elanna Torres

On "Star Trek: Voyager," the role of chief engineer was filled by Roxann Dawson who played half-Klingon/half-human B'Elanna Torres. Starting out as a Maquis rebel, she eventually becomes one of the most important members of the crew, as well as a wife and mother. Following her run on the series, Dawson had just a handful of on-screen roles, which included single episodes of "The Closer" and "Without a Trace." That's because, like her franchise cohort  Jonathan Frakes , Dawson moved behind the camera to become a director full-time.

Getting her start overseeing episodes of "Voyager" first, Dawson moved on to helm entries of "Star Trek" spin-off "Enterprise" before broadening to other shows across television. Since 2005, Dawson has directed episodes of some of the biggest hits on TV including "Lost" and "The O.C." in 2006, eight episodes of "Cold Case," a trio of "Heroes" episodes, and more. 

We could go on and on rattling off the hit shows she's sat behind the camera for but among her most notable might be the David Simon HBO series "Treme" in 2011, "Hell on Wheels" with future starship captain Anson Mount, and modern masterpieces like "Bates Motel," "The Americans," and "This is Us." Her most recent work saw her return to sci-fi, helming two episodes of the Apple TV+ series "Foundation."

Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim

Despite never seeing a rise in rank and perpetually remaining a low-level ensign, Harry Kim — played by Garrett Wang – often played a crucial role in defeating many of the enemies the crew would face in the Delta Quadrant. When "Star Trek: Voyager" left the airwaves, though, Wang bounced around, with his biggest role arguably coming in the 2005 Steven Spielberg-produced miniseries "Into the West." He has continued embracing his role as Ensign Kim by appearing at many fan conventions, where he found an entirely new calling. 

Beginning in 2010, Kim embarked on a career as an event moderator, serving as the Master of Ceremonies at that year's FedCon (a science fiction convention held in Germany). Later, he was the Trek Track Director at the celebrated Dragon Con event, held annually in Atlanta, Georgia. Over the course of his new career, Wang has held moderating duties and hosted panels and events at major pop culture conventions in Montreal, Edmonton, Phoenix, and Denver. According to Wang, his biggest role as a moderator came at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo in 2012, where he interviewed the legendary Stan Lee .

In 2020, Wang joined forces with co-star Robert Duncan McNeill to launch "The Delta Flyers," a podcast that discusses classic episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager."

Robert Duncan McNeill as Lt. Tom Paris

Robert Duncan McNeill guest-starred in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as a hotshot pilot who broke the rules and wound up booted from Starfleet. So when producers developed a similar character, they brought in McNeill to play him, resulting in brash, cavalier helm officer Tom Paris. In 2002, after "Star Trek: Voyager" ended, McNeill starred in an episode of  "The Outer Limits" revival  and a few more small roles. However, like Dawson, McNeill left acting not long after the series ended to become a director and producer, starting with four episodes of "Star Trek: Enterprise."

Into the 2000s, McNiell helmed episodes of "Dawson's Creek" and "One Tree Hill" before becoming an executive producer on the action-comedy series "Chuck" starring Zachary Levi. Ultimately he'd direct 21 episodes of that series across its five seasons. From there, McNeill went on to sit behind the camera for installments of "The Mentalist," "Blue Bloods," and "Suits." 

Since the 2010s, McNeill has served as an executive producer on further shows that included "The Gifted," the Disney+ reboot of "Turner & Hooch," and the SyFy series "Resident Alien." In addition to hosting "The Delta Flyers" podcast with co-star Garrett Wang, McNeill came back to "Star Trek" in 2022 when he voiced the character of Tom Paris in a cameo on the animated comedy "Star Trek: Lower Decks."

Ethan Phillips as Neelix

Another actor to appear on "Star Trek" before taking a leading role on "Voyager," Ethan Phillips played the quirky alien chef Neelix for all seven seasons of the show's run. A well-established veteran, his TV roles prior had included dramas like "NYPD Blue" and family hits like "Doogie Howser, M.D." Unfortunately, his role on "Voyager" never translated to big-time success after, though he hardly struggled for work. That's because he went back to his former career as a character actor.

In the ensuing years, Phillips could be seen all over the dial and beyond, with parts in "Touched by an Angel" and "8 Simple Rules" among many others, even popping up in a guest-starring role in an episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise" in 2002. Later he did a three-episode run on "Boston Legal," another Beantown-based legal drama from David E. Kelley, this one starring "Star Trek" legend William Shatner and "Deep Space Nine" alum René Auberjonois. Some of the biggest shows he's found work on during the 2010s meanwhile include "Better Call Saul" and a recurring role in the Lena Dunham comedy "Girls." He's also had roles in major movies, showing up in "Inside Llewyn Davis," "The Purge: Election Year," and "The Island."

Though he hasn't come back to "Star Trek," Phillips did return to sci-fi in 2020, joining the main cast of the HBO space comedy "Avenue 5" alongside Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad.

Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine

Though she didn't arrive on "Star Trek: Voyager" until Season 4, Jeri Ryan arguably became the series' biggest star. She came in to help liven up a series that was struggling and joined the cast as a former Borg drone named Seven of Nine . It proved to be just what the series needed and a career-defining role for Ryan. One of the few cast members of "Voyager" to parlay her role into bigger success, Ryan immediately joined the David E. Kelley legal drama "Boston Public" after the series ended.

There she had a three-season run and in 2006 she secured another starring role on another legal drama, this time in the James Woods series "Shark," with Danielle Panabaker and Henry Simmons. Smaller recurring roles came after, including multi-episode stints on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Two and a Half Men," and "Leverage," before Ryan returned to a main cast with her co-starring role in "Body of Proof" in 2011 alongside Dana Delany. Parts in "Helix" and "Bosch" came after, as well as brief recurring roles in "MacGyver" and "Major Crimes," leading right up to her return to "Star Trek" in 2020.

That year, Ryan joined the cast of the revival series "Star Trek: Picard." Returning to the role of Seven of Nine, she supported series lead Patrick Stewart by appearing in all three seasons, and rumor has it she may even star in a spin-off. 

Jennifer Lien as Kes

Joining the Starfleet and Maquis crew aboard Voyager was Kes, a young alien woman with mild telepathic powers and just a nine-year lifespan, and played by Jennifer Lien. Unfortunately, her character never quite gelled, and in Season 4 Lien was written out to make way for Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine.

Leaving the series in 1997, Lien's career stalled in front of the camera, though she did manage a role in "American History X" alongside "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" star Avery Brooks. However, most of her subsequent work came in animation, with voice work in "Superman: The Animated Series" — where she played Inza, the wife of Doctor Fate — and a starring role as Agent L in "Men in Black: The Series." 

Unfortunately, Lien pretty much left acting shortly after that. She married filmmaker Phil Hwang and started a family but has faced personal problems along the way. While struggling to deal with her mental health, Lien was arrested in 2015 for indecent exposure and again in 2018 for driving without a license. 

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website .

Manu Intiraymi as Icheb

Late in Season 6 of "Star Trek: Voyager," a storyline saw the ship rescue a stranded vessel commanded by a group of wayward Borg children. At the conclusion of the story, four young drones join the crew, becoming a surrogate family of sorts to Seven of Nine after jettisoning their Borg identities. The eldest of them is Icheb, a teenager who becomes like a brother to Seven, played by actor Manu Intiraymi. The young actor went on to make 11 appearances across the final two seasons of the show. 

When "Voyager" ended in 2001, Intiraymi continued acting, with his largest role coming in "One Tree Hill." There he played Billy — a local drug dealer — in a recurring role in 2012. Further projects were mostly independent films like "5th Passenger" in 2017 and "Hell on the Border," a 2019 Western starring David Gyasi, Ron Perlman, and Frank Grillo. 

In 2017, Intiraymi came under fire for criticizing fellow "Star Trek" actor Anthony Rapp, who'd made accusations of sexual assault against Kevin Spacey . A few years later, fans speculated those comments may have been why he wasn't asked to return to the role of Icheb in "Star Trek: Picard," with a new actor playing the part in a scene that killed off the character.

Scarlett Pomers as Naomi Wildman

Plenty of TV shows have added a kid to shake up the status quo late into their run, and "Star Trek: Voyager" was not immune to this trope. In addition to Borg kids like Icheb, Samantha Wildman — the newborn daughter of a crewperson — became a recurring character beginning in Season 5, played by Scarlett Pomers. She'd wind up in 16 episodes, including a few where she played a leading role. In the aftermath of the end of the series, Pomers appeared in the Julia Roberts film "Erin Brockovich," and in 2001 joined the cast of the sitcom "Reba."

For six seasons Pomers starred as Kyra Hart, daughter of the show's star played by Reba McEntire. Appearing in a whopping 103 episodes, it was only Pomers' second regular role but also her last on-screen performance. When that series concluded, Pomers essentially retired from acting. Unfortunately, her exit from the stage was at least partly due to her ongoing battle with an eating disorder, and Pomers has since become an outspoken advocate for those struggling with anorexia and mental illness. In a 2019 interview with StarTrek.com , Pomers also talked about her subsequent career as a photographer, musician, and jewelry designer.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Martha Hackett as Seska

In the early seasons of "Star Trek: Voyager," one of the most compelling ongoing storylines was that of Seska, a Bajoran and former Maquis rebel and on-again-off-again lover of Chakotay. Played by recurring guest star Martha Hackett, it was later revealed that Seska was actually an enemy agent in disguise. Hackett would appear in a total of 13 episodes of the series, making it by far the largest role in her career. Still, she has appeared in some big hits over the last two decades.

Those included a small role in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" in 2005 and an appearance in the cult horror movie "The Bye Bye Man" in 2017. It also includes one-off appearances in episodes of popular projects on the small screen, like "The Mindy Project" in 2014, "Masters of Sex" a year earlier, and a recurring role in the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives" between 2016 and 2018. Thanks to her iconic role as Seska, though, Hackett continues to be a regular on the "Star Trek" convention circuit and was interviewed for the upcoming "Star Trek: Voyager" documentary "To the Journey."

Robert Picardo as the Doctor

For 30 years, the world of science fiction meant one thing when the moniker of "The Doctor" was uttered, but that all changed in 1995 with the launch of "Star Trek: Voyager." There, actor Robert Picardo — already known for antagonistic roles in "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" and "InnerSpace" — starred as the Doctor, the nameless holographic chief medical officer aboard the Voyager. Known for his offbeat humor and cantankerous attitude, he was played to perfection by Picardo, and it would become the actor's signature role. 

Still, even after leaving sickbay as the Doctor, Picardo had a healthy career, moving quickly into a role in "The Lyon's Den" starring Rob Lowe and Kyle Chandler in 2003. A year later he joined another iconic sci-fi franchise when he secured a recurring part in "Stargate SG-1"  as Richard Woolsey, a grumpy U.S. official who opposed the Stargate program. Following a string of appearances on the flagship series, Picardo joined the main cast of "Stargate: Atlantis" in 2006. A few years later, Picardo had another repeat role, this time as Jason Cooper on "The Mentalist," and he later enjoyed a stint on the Apple TV+ drama "Dickinson."

In 2023, the actor made a guest appearance on the "Quantum Leap" revival playing Doctor Woolsey, whose name is a clear tribute to his two biggest TV roles.

Screen Rant

10 star trek actors who also appear in alien movies.

Several actors have made the jump from exploring the stars in Star Trek to hunting Xenomorphs in the Alien franchise.

• Star Trek and Alien share iconic actors, showcasing their talents in both classic sci-fi franchises.
• Brad Dourif impressed in Star Trek: Voyager and channeled creepiness reminiscent of his Alien character.
• Idris Elba transitioned from Prometheus captain to Star Trek Beyond's villain, showing versatility in both franchises.

10 actors have explored the final frontier in Star Trek and faced deadly Xenomorphs in the Alien franchise. Ridley Scott's Alien premiered in 1979 and remains one of the most influential science fiction horror films of all time. Following Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the doomed crew of the Nostromo, Alien spawned numerous sequels, prequels, and crossovers, including projects that are still in the works as of 2024. From the facehugger to the chestburster to the adult Xenomorph, the team behind Alien also created some of the most iconic visuals in cinema.

Star Trek has its own fair share of iconic aliens, though not even the Borg, inspired by H.R. Giger's Alien designs, are quite as viscerally horrifying as those in Alien . Beginning when Star Trek: The Original Series premiered in 1966, Star Trek became an even more expansive franchise than Alien , with a dozen TV series and 13 Star Trek movies . From the 1970s until today, every decade has seen new Star Trek and Alien projects, so it makes sense that several actors have appeared in both franchises.

Star Trek's Borg Owe A Big Debt To Alien

10 brad dourif, star trek: voyager / alien: resurrection, star trek: voyager.

Brad Dourif only appeared in three episodes of Star Trek: Voyager as Ensign Lon Suder , but his character made quite an impression. A Betazoid member of the Maquis, Suder suffered from violent tendencies he tried to control, but he had no outlet for them as a crewmember of Voyager. In Voyager season 2, episode 16, "Meld," Suder murdered Crewman Frank Darwin and was confined to his quarters on the ship.

Brad Dourif made Suder complex and suitably creepy.

When the Kazon attacked and took over Voyager in the Star Terk: Voyager two-parter , "Basics," Suder helped retake the ship. Brad Dourif made Suder complex and suitably creepy, perhaps channeling some of the psychopathic traits of Dourif's Alien: Resurrection character, Dr. Jonathan Gediman. Gediman was part of the science team that cloned Ellen Ripley, and he became a bit too obsessed with the Xenomorphs.

9 Leland Orser

Star trek: deep space nine, star trek: voyager, star trek enterprise / alien: resurrection, star trek: deep space nine, star trek: enterprise.

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 10, "Sanctuary," Orser played a Skrreean farmer named Gai, who was bonded to the Skrreean representative Haneek (Deborah May). In a later episode of DS9 , season 3, episode 21, "The Die is Cast," Orser appeared as a Changeling masquerading as Romulan Tal Shiar agent Colonel Lovok. Orser's next Trek appearance came in Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 5, "Revulsion," where he portrayed Dejaren, a hologram who developed a hatred for organic lifeforms.

In his final Star Trek appearance, Orser played Loomis in a Star Trek time travel episode — Star Trek: Enterprise season 3, episode 11, "Carpenter Street." Loomis was a human blood bank worker who had been recruited by the Xindi in 2004 as part of their plan to destroy humanity. Leland Orser appeared in Alien: Resurrection as Larry Purvis, a civilian who became an unwilling host to a Xenomorph egg.

Leland Orser has become most known for playing unstable or even psychotic individuals, including the sadistic serial killer in 1999's The Bone Collector .

8 Ron Perlman

Star trek: nemesis / alien: resurrection.

Before achieving mainstream fame portraying Hellboy in Guillermo del Toro's two Hellboy movies , Ron Perlman appeared in Alien Resurrection as the crass mercenary, Ron Johner. Premiering in 1997, Alien: Resurrection was one of the first big Hollywood films Perlman starred in. His Star Trek appearance came not long after, in 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis , where he was physically unrecognizable as the Reman Viceroy.

Although the Viceroy is never named in Star Trek: Nemesis , he serves as the second-in-command of the Reman forces and becomes one of Praetor Shinzon's (Tom Hardy) most trusted advisors. The Viceroy used his telepathic abilities to help Shinzon violate the mind of Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) , although this contact allowed Troi to trace the Viceroy's mind later. The Viceroy is eventually killed in a one-on-one fight with Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes).

7 Raymond Cruz

Star trek: deep space nine / alien: resurrection.

Long before Raymond Cruz appeared as Tuco Salamanca in Breaking Bad , he played human soldier, Vargas, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7, episode 8, "The Siege of AR-558." Vargas was one of the soldiers assigned to protect the communication array on the planet known as AR-558. Vargas survived the five-month assault until Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) arrived with reinforcements, but he was killed during the Jem'Hadar's final attempt to take the array.

Cruz almost made it to the end of Alien: Resurrection, but became the last causality of the Xenomorph .

In Alien: Resurrection , Cruz portrayed Private First Class Vincent "Vinnie" Distephano, a dedicated soldier initially on the side of Dr. Mason Wren (J. E. Freeman). Wren was part of the scientific team that cloned Ellen Ripley as part of their plan to recreate the Xenomorph species. After Wren tried to betray the other survivors, Distephano switched sides. Cruz almost made it to the end of Alien: Resurrection, but became the last causality of the Xenomorph .

Best Star Trek: DS9 Episode From Each Of The Show’s 7 Seasons

6 jenette goldstein, star trek generations / aliens.

Jenette Goldstein is best known for her role in Aliens as Private Jenette Vasquez, a cocky marine who is part of the team sent to investigate Hadley's Hope colony. Like her fellow marines, Vasquez questions Ripley's experience with the Xenomorph on the Nostromo and believes their mission will be an easy one. Vasquez helps keep Ripley and the young survivor, Newt (Carrie Henn), alive, although she later sacrifices herself to avoid being taken by the aliens.

Jenette Goldstein only had a small role in Star Trek Generations , as a science officer on board the USS Enterprise-B in the opening sequence of the film. Although Goldstein has only had minor roles in the Star Trek franchise , her Aliens character, Vasquez, partially inspired the character of Lt. Tasha Ya r (Denise Crosby) on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Jenette Goldstein also voiced the USS Enterprise computer in two episodes of Star Trek: Short Treks.

5 Daniel Kash

Star trek: discovery / aliens, star trek: discovery.

Daniel Kash joined the Star Trek family in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, episode 10, "Terra Firma, Part 2," with a brief appearance as Duggan, an ally of Captain Gabriel Lorca in an alternate timeline of the Mirror Universe. Kash's more memorable Star Trek appearance came in Discovery season 4, episode 8, "All In," in which he plays Haz Mazaro , the owner of the Karma Casino Barge.

Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) had dealings with Mazaro and reached out to him when they were looking for black market isolynium. In Aliens , Kash portrayed Private Daniel Spunkmeyer, a member of the Marine Combat unit sent to investigate Hadley's Hope colony. Spunkmeyer served as a copilot on the dropship Bug Stomper before he was killed when a Xenomorph stowed away on board.

4 Chelah Horsdal

Star trek: discovery / alien vs. predator: requiem.

Upon arriving in the 32nd century in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, Michael Burnham and her crew begin working to aid and rebuild the United Federation of Planets. In the premiere episode of Star Trek: Discovery season 4, Chelah Horsdal's Laira Rillak is elected as the new Federation President . At odds at first, Captain Burnham and President Rillak become close allies, as they fight to save the Federation from the Dark Matter Anomaly in Star Trek: Discovery season 4.

As a Human, Bajoran, and Cardassian hybrid, President Rillak comes from three different species that have historically been on opposing sides. Laira presents a brighter, more unified future, and her time as a top Federation ambassador prepared her well for the job of the presidency. In Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem , Chelah Horsdal played Darcy Benson, whose husband and son were killed by Xenomorph chestbursters while on a hunting trip.

3 Mark Rolston

Star trek: the next generation, star trek: enterprise / aliens, star trek: the next generation.

Character actor Mark Rolston portrayed Private Mark Drake in Aliens, one of the Marines sent to check on the Hadley's Hope colony. In his first Star Trek role, Rolston played Lt. Walter Pierce in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 18, "Eye of the Beholder." Pierce had killed his girlfriend and her lover out of jealousy while working on the USS Enterprise-D, and Counselor Troi felt empathic traces of the murder eight years later.

In Star Trek: Enterprise season 2, episode 17, "Canamar," Rolston plays Enolian criminal Kuroda Lor-ehn. After escaping prison, Kuroda had been recaptured when he met Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), who had been wrongly imprisoned. Archer eventually earned Kuroda's trust, which helped the Captain get back to the Enterprise. Mark Rolston also appeared briefly in Enterprise season 4, episode 6, "The Augments," as the Klingon Captain Magh.

Mark Rolston provided the voice for Portal 63 in the video game, Star Trek: Resurgence .

Every Star Trek Series, Ranked Worst To Best

2 winona ryder, star trek (2009) / alien: resurrection, star trek (2009).

Winona Ryder played Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock (Zachary Quinto), in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009) . In the alternate Kelvin timeline, Amanda was killed when Nero (Eric Bana) destroyed Vulcan. In Alien: Resurrection , Ryder starred as Annalee Call alongside Sigourney Weaver's Ripley 8. Call kept her true identity as an Auton secret synthetics had been outlawed after a failed uprising.

Call was originally meant to kill Ripley 8 before the Xenomorph inside her could be harvested, but she arrived too late. Despite being a machine, Call felt sympathy for mankind , which led her to sabotage the Xenomorph breeding program. One of the few characters to make it out of an Alien movie alive, Call apparently achieved her goal, destroying the Xenomorphs and making it to Earth in one piece.

1 Idris Elba

Star trek beyond / prometheus, star trek beyond.

As revealed in Star Trek: Beyond , Idris Elba's Krall had formerly been a Federation soldier and Starfleet officer by the name of Captain Balthazar M. Edison. When Edison's ship, the USS Franklin, crash-landed on a distant planet, he found alien technology that allowed him to siphon energy from others to prolong his own life. Edison grew to hate the Federation, and he became so mutated that he no longer appeared human, and he became Krall.

Krall's search for a powerful alien weapon eventually brought him into conflict with Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), who succeeded in killing him.

Before taking on the role of the villainous Krall in Star Trek Beyond , Idris Elba portrayed Jalek, the Captain of the scientific vessel Prometheus in 2012's Alien prequel, Prometheus . Jalek eventually sacrificed himself and his ship to prevent the mysterious Engineers from destroying humanity. Whether they are exploring strange new worlds in Star Trek or trying not to get eaten by a Xenomorph in Alien , several actors have left their mark on two of science fiction's biggest franchises.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek (2009), & Star Trek Beyond are all streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek Generations is streaming on Max.