"Okaaaay, so there's controversy," chuckles Braga. "God forbid! It's been too long since we've had some on the show."
It was controversy — and scrutiny — that fueled the USS Voyager's launch nearly three Earth years ago. Many questioned the niche for another Trek series, given that the tube was already teeming with new episodes of Deep Space Nine and reruns of both the original Star Trek and The Next Generation. Others worried that old-guard fans would never accept Captain Janeway, a woman (!), as a Starfleet leader. Yet with the pressure cooker set to boil, actress Kate Mulgrew calmly assumed the big chair and christened the upstart UPN by beaming up more than 21 million viewers on Jan. 16, 1995 — enough to beat ABC, NBC, and Fox. The future looked as bright as a supernova.
And just as quickly, it began fading like one. Viewers slowly and steadily tuned out, dipping Voyager to No. 102 out of 141 prime-time shows by season's end. Although it managed to garner better ratings than any other series on UPN (or The WB, for that matter), it plummeted to No. 131 in its second season. "Absolutely, we were concerned," says UPN programming VP Ron Taylor. "We wanted to lighten up the show and make it more accessible to non-Trek fans. We told [Voyager's producers]: 'We perceive a problem. What do you think?'"
The producers agreed and blamed the downer premise: a lost Federation crew trapped in a remote area of the galaxy, with microscopic hope of getting home. "This was a very uptight show," observes Braga. "All the characters were depressed and didn't want to be there — so why would the audience? We decided to embrace the adventure, to accept their predicament, and to start having a good time."
Despite the injection of more humorous and imaginative predicaments (a two-parter wove a clever time-warped tale in present-day L.A.), Voyager lost another million viewers this past season. Was it mere coincidence that Deep Space Nine viewership had also steadily declined (despite its being the No. 1 syndicated first-run hour among 18- to 49-year-olds), hemorrhaging nearly half its original audience in its four seasons, according to Paramount numbers — even though most Trekkers felt the show, like Voyager, had actually been improving in quality?
Welcome to Star Trek: The Search for Ratings Dispersion Theories. "I've heard every [excuse], from the networks having fallen dramatically in the last few years to the science-fiction competition going up tenfold," says Voyager creator-exec producer Rick Berman, who oversees the entire Trek franchise. He figures fault lies closer to home: "We are our own biggest competitor lately. There are some places you can watch the original series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager all on the same night. People are going to invest just so many hours a week into Star Trek."
But, in fact, fans are still investing. The more than $2 billion-and-counting industry continues to make money and expand: Buoyed in part by last winter's First Contact (which grossed more than $148 million worldwide), a $70 million high-tech theme park opens this fall at the Las Vegas Hilton; a 30-minute IMAX movie, possibly featuring current characters as well as some from the past, debuts in '98 or '99; and the ninth Trek feature hits theaters in November of '98. "It'll be more romantic and slightly funnier than the last couple of films," reveals Berman, adding: "I've learned over the last few years that humor and sensuality are two of the things people like about Star Trek. If you take a look at the original series, you've got these babes in beehive hairdos and tiny miniskirts and Kirk jumping in and out of bed. I think I've been accused — and rightfully so — of being a little too PC over the years."
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