STAR TREK: VOYAGER LAUNCHES ITS SECOND SYNDICATED SEASON FILLED WITH EXCITEMENT AND NEW ADVENTURES
This Season Marks the First Time In STAR TREK: VOYAGER’s History That The Series Stands Alone as the Only Trek Series
Currently in Production
The second syndicated season of Paramount Network Television’s STAR TREK: VOYAGER promises to provide thrilling new adventures, a new alien race and the exploration of uncharted territories as the relationships between the crew members deepen while they continue their on-going mission to find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant. This season marks the first time in VOYAGER’s six-year history that the series stands alone as the only Star Trek series currently in production. VOYAGER continues, since its debut in 1995, to be the #1 rated UPN series among adults and households. Last season, the series made television history again, becoming the first UPN series to reach the milestone of 100 episodes.
Combining skilled dramatic storytelling with stunning special effects, VOYAGER chronicles the adventures of the Starship U.S.S. Voyager crew lead by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the first woman to command a Federation Starship in the 32-year history of Star Trek. Captain Janeway guides her crew with an exciting combination of determination, intelligence and sensitivity as they face the perils of an unknown region and struggle to return to Federation space. The second season of the popular series (which introduces episodes from Season 6 of the network run) premieres in syndication on Monday, September 11th. Check your local listings for time and station.
The premiere episode entitled “Equinox, Part Two” concludes last season’s cliffhanger, in which Voyager encounters their first Starfleet crew in the Delta Quadrant. Other suspenseful plots include the following: Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) experiences flashbacks of her past as a Borg, which are triggered by a confrontation with three other Borgs who have broken away from the collective, but unlike her have done so unsuccessfully; B’Elanna (Roxann Dawson) is forced to explore her Klingon identity as she tries to rescue her mother from Klingon hell; and, in a humorous episode, the Doctor (Robert Picardo) experiences daydreams which take on dangerous dimensions when aliens see them as reality.
STAR TREK: VOYAGER is the newest incarnation of the Star Trek franchise and its fan base has expanded into an extraordinary phenomenon unparalleled by any other television show or motion picture in history. As the flagship show in January 1995 for the fledgling network, UPN, the two-hour season premiere of VOYAGER catapulted the network to #1 in the Nielsen metered markets.
In 1966, the legendary futurist Gene Roddenberry created a science fiction-based television series called “Star Trek.” During its three seasons on NBC, the series was constantly faced with the threat of cancellation. After its first season, the low-rated show was only renewed for a second and third year after an estimated one million devoted fans wrote to the network. Star Trek has since become a national treasure, and continues to thrive in syndication more than a quarter of a century after its debut.
In 1987, the second series, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” premiered in first-run syndication. Setting a new precedent for syndicated television, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” admirably competed against network series. “Star Trek: The Next Generation” concluded its successful seven-year television run in May 1994, but not before earning 16 Emmy Awards, a Peabody, a Hugo, and becoming the first non-network show to be endorsed by Viewers for Quality Television. The show’s two-hour season finale drew more than 31 million viewers, further underscoring the stellar performance that earned the series an unprecedented Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama in 1994.
When “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” premiered in January 1993, the show earned a 21.0 rating and became the highest-rated series premiere in syndication history. The show soared to the #1 position among new hour-long series on television among men 18-49, and for its seventh and final season, ranked among the top 10 hour-long series on television. Created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” garnered 31 Emmy nominations, four Emmy Awards and the respect and adoration of Star Trek fans internationally, while continuing to retain its dominance in the market as the #1 first-run drama series in national syndication (among adults 18-49 and 25-54 season-to-date).
In addition to the four television series, the Star Trek phenomenon has spawned a Saturday morning cartoon show, more than 130 novels, eight motion pictures with total revenues of more than $500 million, video cassettes, 500 fan publications and the first official Star Trek Web site, www.startrek.com. In January 1998, Paramount Parks debuted STAR TREK: THE EXPERIENCE, a $70 million, 65,000 square-foot interactive attraction, at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Rick Berman and Brannon Braga are the executive producers of STAR TREK: VOYAGER. VOYAGER, based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, was created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor. STAR TREK: VOYAGER is produced by Paramount Network Television. The Paramount Television Group is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc.
