10 Star Trek Production Secrets Behind These Cliffhangers
9. Equinox
Star Trek: Voyager's fifth season ends on a dramatic note, with the USS Equinox stealing a modified shield emitter, leaving their sister ship vulnerable. Multiple fissures open, with an alien flying toward and attacking Captain Janeway. It was established that a single touch from these aliens could kill, so it doesn't look good for her going into the season break.
Kate Mulgrew was struggling with renegotiations of her contract during the season. She had recently married and was seeking additional free time from the producers of the show. Though this was dissimilar to Terry Farrell's attempts to become a recurring star, it rang some of the same bells. At one point, highly frustrated, she announced to a roomful of reporters that she hoped Janeway would exit the series in a coffin.
If negotiations went south, Janeway would have been killed off the show, with Chakotay taking over as captain for the remainder of the run. However, the producers capitulated to Mulgrew's demands, which saw Janeway shrug off the alien's killer-touch in the opening moments of the sixth season. While this was simply due to her contract being secure, it also went a few steps toward making the character look even tougher on-screen!