Why will we never know? Why are the producers unable to give exact numbers? We ARE already knowing and the producers DID give exact numbers. Thats the reason I gave you 3 hints/evidences to get the exact number: - "Repression" (7.04) proved there are 36 maquis - The crew-count only can come to the conclusion of former 36 maquis - At least 31 names/faces at Val-Jean manifest (22 names, 9 faces, Tuvok not counted) All evidences are shown and clearly to see for everybody, you just have to look. :-)
I won't promise you to look better in the future, TonyLeung82, because well, t I really don't really care of the exact number of people making the Maquis crew. They managed to melt away into the masses to the point - a good thing - of being non-existent - a wrong thing -, what was a shame because some of them, had the potential to play an important role thereafter on Voyager, like Chell, Alaya (if pple at the production department had kindly given him the use of his tongue!), Dalby, , ... instead of arising from time to time (for 1 or 2 episodes, when they were lucky!) then disappearing again.. -> on 36 Maquis, only Chakotay & B'Elena were placed in front through the 7 seasons and still. Almost all others make up the numbers. There is still a problem here and that was a great disservice for the show! :-(
There's a funny story about Chell. The actor, Derek McGrath, was working on some other show in Texas when he got the call asking him to appear in Star Trek. Then, 7 years later, he was working on some other film in Texas again when he got a call asking him to reprise his role as crewman Chell. Also, in learning curve, his blue paint kept coming off. Everything he touched turned blue. You can see it in the episode whenever he touches someone else's uniform, he leaves a big blur spot on them. There's probably a lot of heavy coordinating to get guest actors to return, and when they do return, they usually have to have a major focus in the episode. Every episode Martha Hackett appears in, she has a prominent role and the story is about her character.
In Repression, Chell said that almost a quarter of Voyager's crew were ex-Maquis. The crew is nearly always set to 150 no matter how many people die, so "almost a quarter" gives an upper estimate of 37. Later in the same episode Chakotay and Tuvok have a discussion in which it is said that 23 have not yet been converted to the rebellion. That means the coup was done by 14 people.
Thats not correct. The coup was done by 9 people. 9 people of the crew got mind melded = Tabor, Jor, Yosa, Fitzpatrick, + 1 unknown person, Ayala, Torres, Chakotay, Tuvok ! These 9 people (incl. Tuvok) made the coup. End of the episode Chakotay mentions: "23 not convinced former crew mates" 5 former ex-maquis has already died in former seasons = Seska, Bendera, Jonas, Hogan, Suder 9 mind-melded + 23 not convinced + 5 dead maquis = 37 maquis from the start (incl. Tuvok) or 36 (without Tuvok) True, very nice