The Star Trek: Voyager Ending That Led To Battlestar Galactica
Ronald D. Moore is one of the biggest names in science fiction, working on Star Trek shows like The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine before briefly working on Voyager. He exited that last spinoff because the producers rejected some of his ambitious ideas, and many of those ideas later popped up in his landmark Battlestar Galactica reboot.
One of those ideas was having Voyager escort a “ragtag fleet” of alien ships, and this was more than a cool concept…it’s something that could have helped this Star Trek spinoff end on a much higher note.
Moore Wrote Classic Episodes
Part of what made Moore’s short stint on Star Trek: Voyager so infamous is that he was previously one of the franchise’s best writers. He helped write some of the best episodes of The Next Generation, including “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” “Chain of Command,” and the series finale “All Good Things.” Later, he wrote some of the best episodes of Deep Space Nine as well, including “Trials and Tribble-ations,” “Doctor Bashir, I Presume,” and “In the Pale Moonlight.”
Voyager As The Head Of A Convoy
After all of that, though, Moore only worked on two Voyager episodes before leaving and later creating the Battlestar Galactica reboot. In a recent interview, he revealed some of the ideas he wanted to try in that last Trek spinoff, including having an election where the crew potentially ousts Janeway as captain and having the ship escort an alien fleet while protecting them from Delta Quadrant dangers.
Star Trek Writers Thought He Was Insane
He claims that the producers of Star Trek: Voyager thought his ideas were “insane,” but history has proven that they weren’t. After all, his award-winning Battlestar Galactica had the title ship escorting a civilian fleet, and the fleet later held an election that ousted its original president of the colonies, plot points that greatly resonated with fans.
Both ideas have some serious merit, but I can’t help but focus on how much better Star Trek: Voyager would have been if Janeway and her crew were constantly surrounded by an alien fleet.
Voyager Was Limited By Its Concept
You see, one of the show’s built-in limitations is that Voyager eventually leaves the territory of various allies and enemies in its long trip back to the Alpha Quadrant. For example, the crew never encountered the Kazons or the Vidiaans again outside of holograms or time travel shenanigans because Captain Janeway and her crew exited these aliens’ territory.
The Convoy Concept Had An Advantage
A core strength of Battlestar Galactica is that the civilian fleet provides a steady stream of memorable characters who could pop in whenever the writers wanted because they went wherever Adama and his crew went. Had the Star Trek: Voyager producers given the green light to Moore’s ambitious ideas, that could have similarly benefited from having killer guest stars pop in whenever they were needed.
This wouldn’t have just made the show more like the later Battlestar Galactica…it would have made the show more like Deep Space Nine, whose guest stars helped make it the best show in Star Trek history.
Star Trek Could Learn From Battlestar Galactica
Some would say that there is no use in swapping stories about how Star Trek: Voyager could have embraced the ideas of future Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore because both shows are now long gone. However, Paramount’s merger with Skydance has placed the future of Gene Roddenberry’s long-running franchise at something of a cosmic crossroads.
The success or failure of the next few spinoffs could genuinely determine the future of that franchise, and there’s no time like the present for Paramount to learn from Moore, someone who helped shape the golden age of Star Trek and created entirely new generations of eager fans.
Source: Cinemablend
