Star Trek: 10 Behind The Scenes Secrets From Caretaker
2. Suspiria Was A Get Out Of Jail Free Card Inspired By The Fugitive
While Paramount gave Star Trek: Voyager the green light, they were still wary of the idea of a lost-in-space format for the show. Voyager's plight effectively removed the chance of them running into any of the ongoing adventures in Star Trek, such as the Next Generation movies and Deep Space Nine.
Rick Berman recalled that, as part of the sale's pitch for Voyager, they had to include an escape clause. For this, they looked to the TV series, and the movie adaptation of, The Fugitive. Here, Dr. Richard Kimble is falsely accused of murdering his wife, when in fact the culprit is the 'one-armed man' who was seen leaving the crime scene.
Suspiria, the Caretaker's mate, was included by allusion in the pilot so that, if audiences were really struggling with the idea of Voyager being lost in the Delta Quadrant, the show could do a hard reset. The destruction of the Caretaker's array strands the ship, yet the little nugget that there is another one out there with the power to send them home was just the hook that the studio needed. Appeased, Paramount took the risk on the show.