10 Star Trek: Voyager Episodes That Were Almost Completely Different

The close of Voyager's fourth season was a jumble of ideas before it eventually settled on Arturis, the Dauntless, and the holographic game of Velocity. It was a stand-alone episode, which presented the writers with a challenge - how to sum up a season, leave the audience ready for another, but do it all in forty minutes?

One of the earliest ideas was the introduction of slipstream technology, while the episode would also focus on the conflict between Janeway and Seven. There was even a pitch for Seven and Janeway to play a game of interstellar chicken, flying toward each other in opposing ships at breakneck speed.

Another idea saw Voyager discovering, after deciphering Starfleet's message, a slipstream network. However, once they got inside, they would have found themselves to be trespassers, flying an antiquated ship, targeted by the inhabitants of the stream. This was deemed a little too similar to Species 8472 and Fluidic Space, though before it was completely rewritten, Seven would commandeer an alien vessel, with Janeway in hot pursuit.

The one consistent theme between the drafts was the arc of Seven's humanity coming to a head, with a fight or flight moment against Janeway. Ultimately, the final version, including Arturis, is the strongest idea of all.