Despite its great premise, Rick Berman shot down the original idea for theStar Trek: Voyagerseason 5 episode “Once Upon a Time,” forcing the creative team to come up with something new.Voyagerseason 5 had a high percentage of impressive episodes, including several that are consistently ranked as some ofVoyager’s best episodes.Although it rarely gets as much love as some others, “Once Upon a Time” was important to season 5, notable for being the first big appearance ofNaomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers) asVoyager’s youngest recurring character.
The premise of “Once Upon a Time” followed Naomi andher experiences in a holodeck program called “The Adventures of Flotter,” a program designed to teach children natural science and deductive reasoning. Other members ofVoyager’s cast of charactersalso featured prominently, including Neelix (Ethan Phillips), who attempted to distract Naomi to conceal the fact that her mother was missing after an away mission accident. However, the original rejected premise for “Once Upon a Time” would have featured Neelix and Naomi in a very different situation.
Why Rick Berman Rejected Star Trek: Voyager’s “Once Upon A Time” War Premise
Berman didn’t want Voyager to do a war storyline for one specific reason
The initial premise for “Once Upon a Time” would have featured the rest ofVoyager’s crew dealing with a war while Neelix kept Naomi safe in a fantasy world in the holodeck, something that Executive Producer Rick Berman shot down for a very specific reason. Speaking withCinefantastiqueafter the episode aired,Voyagerwriter Joe Menosky explained Berman’s reasoning for why he ultimately rejected the idea, citing conflicts with anotherStar Trekseries that was also currently in production. Read Menosky’s full quote below:
“Brannon Braga wanted to do the entire thing in a holodeck fantasy. Voyager was going through a war outside that we only caught glimpses of. Rick Berman just didn’t want to see ‘wars’ on both Star Trek series. He rejected that idea.”
The other show Berman was concerned about was, of course,Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which had been doing an ongoing storyline aboutthe Dominion Warsince the end of season 5.DS9is famous for its depiction of the Dominion War, and the storyline offered a unique angle thatStar Trekhad rarely explored.Berman’s desire not to oversaturate the franchise with too many war episodes makes sensegiven thatVoyagerandDS9were both on the air, but killing the original premise for “Once Upon a Time” deprivedVoyagerof a truly unique episode.
The original premise for “Once Upon a Time” would have made the episode better
The original premise of “Once Upon a Time” would have made the episode much more memorable and possibly unique among its fellowVoyagerinstallments. Writer Michael Taylor described the episode toCinefantastique, stating “The notion initially was much bolder. It was going to be real ‘Alice in Wonderland’, with Neelix and Naomi in this make-believe world for almost the entire show.” While “The Adventures of Flotter” was almost anAlice in Wonderland-like world,the idea of Neelix and Naomi both forced to stay in the program would have elevated the plot’s intrigue significantly.
Star Trek: Voyager Used Their Holodeck Differently Than TNG & DS9
The way that Star Trek: Voyager’s crew used their holodeck was often very different than how the crews of Star Trek: TNG or DS9 used theirs.
The concept ofStar Trek:Voyager’s crewusing the holodeck to protect Naomi while they dealt with some great battle is truly fascinating, and the contrast between the whimsical fantasy world Neelix and Naomi would have had to deal with while knowing that outside the holodeck, everything could be going horribly wrong for everyone else would likely have kept audiences on the edge of their seat. Ultimately, there’s no way to know how “Once Upon a Time” would have played, butRick Berman’s decision not to give its original premise a chance is disappointingto say the least.
