With all the talk of premise last night, I thought it would be good to actually see what Voyager's premise was.
STAR TREK: VOYAGER BIBLE
STAR TREK: VOYAGER is set in the same time frame as "The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine." It chronicles the adventures of a Starfleet vessel which must make its way back to Federation space from a distant part of the galaxy.
THE BACKSTORY
The Cardassian war is over, but the conflict refuses to die. Cardassians within the Demilitarized Zone continue to harass Federation outposts, and while Starfleet responds to any significant aggression, some colonists have decided to take matters into their own hands. This group of resistance fighters calls itself the Maquis -- and they are becoming more than a nuisance. The Federation considers them outlaws.
The Starfleet ship Voyager is dispatched to search for a Maquis ship which has disappeared in an unusual region of space known as the "Badlands." But Voyager finds itself swept up in a strange and terrifying phenomenon which ultimately deposits the ship at the far reaches of the galaxy -- so far that, even at warp speeds, it would take nearly seventy years to return.
They also find the Maquis ship there, and, in an uneasy liaison, the crews of the two ships agree to band together in order to maximize their chances of surviving and returning to Federation space.
But the Maquis ship is destroyed and its crew must come aboard Voyager. The two ships' captains negotiate for key positions: the Maquis insist on certain pivotal roles for their senior staff. An agreement is struck, and the ship sets out, manned by this unusual mix of Starfleet and renegade officers -- some of whom get along, and some of whom don't.
Their quest is to find a "shortcut" home, a wormhole or other phenomenon which will transport them over the huge distance in minutes. But the Voyager Captain also insists that -- even though they are seventy years from Starfleet Command -- they behave as a Starfleet crew. They will continue to go boldly, to explore, study, and investigate, so that when they do return, they will have amassed a vast wealth of knowledge about a heretofore unexplored region of space.
THE STARSHIP VOYAGER
It is smaller, sleeker, and more advanced than the Enterprise. It holds a crew of some two hundred, and does not have families on board.
Details of the ship will be provided as it is designed.
THE MAQUIS
The Cardassians and the Federation may consider the Maquis outlaws, but in their own minds they are freedom fighters. They are idealistic nonconformists who believe passionately that they are taking the only course of action they can to protect themselves and their loved ones from continued Cardassian aggression.
Some are Starfleet officers who have resigned their commissions or dropped out of the Academy. Some have been asked to leave Starfleet. But most share a common trait: they are not comfortable living under the strict rules of conduct demanded by Starfleet. They are independent, free-thinking individuals with perhaps a few more rough edges than we might see in a typical Starfleet crew.
In addition to the two regular characters that are Maquis (Chakotay and B'Elanna), we assume that some twenty more have come on board and can be used from time to time in stories.
-I'll post the bios that follow some other time. This really precisely describes the show, and is very close to the exposition given in Caretaker. That last part about the Maquis is in general speaking of the main cast members, Chakotay, B'elanna. And to some extent, Paris.
