Star Trek: Voyager Original Fate Of Captain Janeway Revealed And It’s Terrible
Star Trek: Voyager could have ended with the death of Captain Janeway. The idea that such a bizarre choice could even have been a possibility on the table in a Star Trek writer’s room seems implausible but, according to the show’s executive producer Rick Berman, as quoted in Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross’s book The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years, it was definitely discussed. While Berman doesn’t give a lot of details about how heavily this was considered or by what means the captain might have met her demise, it is shocking to think about what this choice could have done to the series.
At the time of Star Trek: Voyager’s climactic seventh season, it was the third series in an era that began with Star Trek: The Next Generation and had, by that point, been somewhat consumed by storylines featuring the Borg. As such, a showdown with the Borg was planned for the series finale, including the return of Alice Kriege as the Borg Queen. How this conflict was going to play out, though, was not yet known, and the producers and writers were apparently considering a broad range of ideas for bringing the series to its conclusion.
There was a certain amount of pressure on Star Trek: Voyager for its climax because it was the first Star Trek series of that era to have its finale air while no other Star Trek series was in production. The finale of Next Generation happened while Deep Space Nine was also in production. In turn, Deep Space Nine‘s final episode aired while Star Trek: Voyager was still releasing new episodes, but Star Trek: Enterprise was not set to begin until after the end of Voyager, meaning all eyes in the Star Trek fandom were on Voyager‘s final episode.
There was some concern at the time about franchise fatigue and Star Trek: Voyager needed to go out with a bang that would maintain fans’ excitement over the summer break so they would return for the premiere of Star Trek: Enterprise. The possibility of killing a character is always a risky one, but the demise of the captain of a Star Trek series is an extreme choice. Then again, it was Rick Berman and company who oversaw the death of Captain James T. Kirk in the film Star Trek: Generations.
Star Trek: Voyager certainly had a bit of a bumpy ride as it seemed to struggle to find and maintain its identity, shifting focus more than once during its run. But there would really have been no upside to the death of Captain Janeway, an incredible downer of an ending for a series that is supposed to inspire hope. Interestingly, though, the production and writing staff did eventually go through with a plan to kill Janeway, albeit in an entirely different way.
In the final episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, Janeway is only able to defeat the Borg with the help of her future self, who ultimately sacrifices her own life to allow her past self to make it back home to Earth. So, in a sense, the writers’ room seems to have found a workaround to have it both ways. They could both kill Janeway and let her live.
Why the death of the captain of Star Trek: Voyager was ever on the table to begin with is hard to imagine, but there might have been a little desperation behind the choice. Still, it would certainly have been disastrous to kill the first woman in franchise history to be the series-lead captain. Ultimately, Star Trek dodged some serious phaser fire by allowing Janeway to live.
Of course, since Star Trek: Voyager, Janeway has gone on to become a fan favorite and a major part of Star Trek: Prodigy, which has thankfully found a new home on Netflix. In fact, Janeway has become an inspiration to countless fans in a way other captains have not because women and girls especially have looked up to her for a generation. We’re glad the character has lived in Star Trek stories to this day and that she is continuing to build such a remarkable and positive legacy.
