Jeri Taylor's Voyager Retrospective

To kick of the opening of their new section looking at the final episodes of Voyager (as announced on Tuesday), the official site has posted an interview with Jeri Taylor.

Taylor has been with the show from the beginning, first as one of its creators and executive producers, then as a creative consultant. In addition to writing numerous episodes of the series, including its premiere episode, she was an executive producer on the Next Generation and has written a number of novels, including the books that provide the back story for Captain Janeway and other Voyager characters, 'Mosaic' and 'Pathways'.

Taylor's been through the end of a series before, with the finale of the Next Generation in 1994. " The end of TNG," she told the site, "while very emotional, was counterbalanced by the beginning of Voyager. We had already been hard at work on Voyager for the better part of a year, and I was eagerly anticipating the birth of this newest 'baby.'" Now, however, that the 'baby' is seven years old and set to leave production itself, how does she feel?

"I don't really have a sense of how Voyager should end; that is in the hands of others and I will trust their instincts. The final episodes of both TNG and DS9 were memorable, and I would hope that Voyager's would be also." She has no regrets about the show either, and few, if any, things she'd change if she could do it all over again. "As I look back," she commented, "I'm quite satisfied with Voyager. There might be tiny things that in retrospect I might have wanted to change, but in general I think it's lived up to its potential."

Taylor is the woman generally attributed for creating Star Trek's first woman character, and she thinks highly of her. "I think Janeway would have to rank as my most significant character. There is so much of me in her that in the beginning it bothered me to share her with Kate Mulgrew!" she joked. "Of course those feelings didn't last, because Kate breathed life into her, but it shows how close, and how proprietary I felt about Janeway. I'm terribly proud of her." She believes that "Janeway ranks right up there with all the Star Trek captains," and, that while everyone fan has their own favourite, that Janeway, "in terms of grit, intelligence, compassion and grace under pressure" is the equal of any.

Her full interview can be found here under the Personal Reflections area of the new section, which promises to have an interview a week until the finale airs.

Other than 'Personal Reflections', the new section contains a total of 6 areas to explore. There are updated crew biographies, looking specifically at "how the last seven years have changed and shaped the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager as they journeyed through the Delta Quadrant," a timeline (requires Flash) and a 'Watch and Win' competition which, will see a series of trivia questions posted about the final four regular episodes the day after they air. Sections yet to come online are a 'Voyager Tour', a series of 'Video Interviews' and a look at the wrap party, all of which should become available in April.

The Star Trek Voyager Retrospective can be found here at the official site, or can be accessed through the official site's side menu bar under the 'news' heading.

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