10 Facts You Might Not Know about Star Trek: Voyager

The fourth Star Trek series, Voyager, told the story of a ship and its crew hurled to the opposite side of the galaxy. At the best possible speed, it would take 75 years for them to return home -- if they completed the journey at all. From 1995 to 2001, we watched their tales of comradeship, courage and inventiveness. Here are ten things you might not know about the show.

1. Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Janeway, was not the first pick for that role. She only got it after another actress quit two days into shooting of the first episode. Here’s a scene shot with Geneviève Bujold, the first actress to portray Janeway. 2. In the original series bible, Tom Paris was a Small Attack Vessel pilot after graduating from Starfleet Academy. During a wargame, he accidentally killed another officer. Paris lied and blamed the dead man. When investigators uncovered his lie, Starfleet dismissed him from the service. This story is very similar to the Next Generation episode "The First Duty." In that episode, a young Starfleet cadet named Nicholas Locarno accidentally killed another pilot during training, then lied about it. Both Nicholas Locarno and Tom Paris were played by the same actor -- Robert Duncan McNeill. 3. Tom Paris’s middle name is Eugene in honor of Gene Roddenberry.

4. King Abdullah II of Jordan appeared as an unnamed ensign in the episode “Investigations.”

5. Voyager writers dipped deeply into the well of characters in the Star Trek franchise. Deanna Troi, Will Riker, and Reginald Barclay from The Next Generation made appearances. So did Quark from Deep Space Nine. And reaching further back, Hikaru Sulu from the original series appeared in the episode "Flashback." 6. In the series bible, the Doctor went by the name Doctor Zimmerman and had several different personalities. Crew members couldn’t be sure which one they’d encounter when they activated the Doctor. 7. When the holographic Doctor appears, the stage directions in the script say that he “Zimmers in.” When he deactivates, he “Zimmers out.”

8. Professional wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appeared in the episode “Tsunkatse” as a bloodthirsty gladiator who battled Seven of Nine. 9. Why did the writers create the character of Seven of Nine? It wasn't just for the sex appeal. Writer and producer Brannon Braga explained:

Voyager was missing it’s [sic] Spock. It had the Doctor but Janeway didn’t have a foil and that’s what Seven of Nine gave us. Aside from the fact that she’s sexy, she was a classic Star Trek character and we needed that.

10. The episode "Q2" brought Q back to the Voyager...along with his son, Q. John de Lancie played the elder Q. His son, Keegan de Lancie, played the younger Q. Sources: Ruditis, Paul. Star Trek Voyager Companion. New York: Pocket Books, 2003. Print. Schuster, Hal. The Trekker’s Guide to Voyager. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1996. Print. Images: Paramount Television