Star Trek: Voyager - Svensk TV Sajt -- Intervjuer

"That’s our ship. That’s Voyager…"
- Lt. Stadi, "Caretaker"

Finally, sunlight!

How appropriate that the sun should finally show it's face today of all days. Laden down with our backpacks full of equipment and arms full of flowers, dressed professionally and sweating at the prospect of what awaits, we cross through the big gate on Melrose Ave. From there, it's a stroll up the pedestrian footpath, where we pass through security metal detectors on our way to the mysteries of the Delta Quadrant.

"You go straight through the big parking lot, then hang a right at Zukor," the guard says, indicating a five-story building directly ahead of us. All the significant buildings on the Paramount lot have been named for past studio icons. "From there, follow along 'till you see Stage Five. Go left to Eight - that's where they're meeting you."

This is the map of the Paramount back-lot which visitors to the site are given. The main entrance on Melrose Ave can be found at the bottom of the map, just left of centre. Click [here] or on the image to view a larger version.

Grabbing an extra copy of the map, we head off. I notice, with some delight, that within sight of our trek is the Roddenberry Building, sitting right beneath the famous Paramount water tower, the "B" tank.

We hustle along - expected for nine in the morning, we now have about ten minutes to make it to Stage 8, where Star Trek: Voyager's main sets are housed. The series also spills over to Stages 9 and 16, the later (which is the largest on the Paramount Lot) is used to create everything from the inside of a Borg Cube to Hirogen arrays, temperate Neurian landscapes, and Krenim time ships. We reach the corner of Stage 5, turn down Avenue P. Laura points out the nine trailers that quickly rise to view. Nine, the lucky number. We're here!

Paramount publicist Candice Clark meets us outside the set. We shake hands and are given a quick introduction to the rules - the typical stuff. No recording equipment. No cameras (what?!) and we are to remain quiet from our seats at the back of the Mess Hall while they film the final scenes of today's episode, the second to the last ever, "Renaissance Man."

"Oh, and one last thing," Candice warns. "When Kate is on set, please don't distract her by facing her directly or making eye contact. Don't approach her under any circumstances between takes."

"Huh?" I gasp, facing Laura. "Surely, you're kidding."

Candice shrugs. "Those are the rules."

We shrug back and follow her into the cavernous stage, through security guards and the last of our naiveté. Once we enter the stage, we find ourselves 70,000 light years from everything we knew on the other side of the doors.

This is Voyager! The first thing you see on Stage 8 are nine director's chairs, each bearing the name of a Voyager star and - appropriately - a little gold star accompanies. Over the backs of the chair, we catch sight of space windows, and beyond them, other chairs, the high-backed chairs of the conference room, all covered in plastic to keep them pristine.

"I don't believe it," I gasp. I touch Laura's arm and we follow Candice deeper into the darkness. Only a few incandescent lights glow around us. The rest of the set is kept dark and mysterious. Ahead of us, we see two long tables, each covered with trays of food - typical on a Hollywood set, and replenished twice a day. Baskets of teas, hot coffee, platters of vegetables, fruit, and trays of bagels and muffins greet our eyes. We are offered coffee and our choice of anything on the spread, though we are too hyped to settle for anything but coffee. In the excitement, Laura dumps way too much sugar in my cup of coffee, but I tell her not to throw it out. I take it, drink a mouth of the hot, sweet blend, and turn. There, over my back, rises the bridge of NCC-74656. I swear this is the best coffee I've ever had!

Candice finds a production assistant to deliver the flowers we've brought along to the actor's trailers. I stand drinking in not only the coffee, but the sights. The bridge set sits open to the left of the Conference Room. Ahead of us, two archways fork out, one to the Mess Hall, the other to crews' quarters. On the far side of those two sets is the typical corridor set seen in every episode. Laura notices, with some delight, that hanging above the farthest table of sumptuous food is the star field - a long swathe of black velvet studded with clear rhinestones. It is suspended from the catwalk overhead for easy moving to the opposite side of the space windows on any set around us. It glows in the light of the incandescent bulbs scattered around the stage.

Halfway through our coffee, we are herded - along with Abbie Bernstein, an awesome lady who reports for the excellent UK publication 'Star Trek Monthly' - into the Mess Hall. There, director Mike Vejar and script supervisor Jan Rudolph are running through some last minute dialogue changes, pencilling things in and crossing others out with episode writer Phyllis Strong, who also joins us in the plush, comfortable Mess Hall chairs. Most of the dialogue is for Robert Beltran, Commander Chakotay. Dressed in his Starfleet uniform, Beltran soon struts in, a spring in his step. He does a little animated dance in place, a wide grin on his face as he approaches Vejar and Rudolph.

"This is what Chakotay hears," Rudolph recites from the script. "Chakotay to the Captain," Beltran says quickly. He jumps up and down in place, excited to begin the scene which will pit him against Janeway in her quarters (it is revealed Janeway is really the Doctor in disguise). "Is there something about the away mission that you're not telling me?"

Rudolph reads Janeway's line. "This situation is entirely different…"

A few more dances in place, some last minute glances at the script rewrites, and Beltran is ready. He heads over to the long, winding corridor set to our left. We sit at the incredibly comfortable chairs in a corner of the Mess Hall - which is messy. Crumbs cover the table we sit scratching away at. Laura is right beside the replicator seen on TV at the far right of the Mess Hall (where tomato soup was first supplied to Tom Paris in the pilot episode). She notices that it's nothing more than a plastic prop! I discover those cool tables in the Mess Hall aren't bolted to the floor - they move and shift in place with ease.

"Quiet all around," bellows a loud voice. Vejar stands at a monitor, calling direction. We hear the scene board clap in place.

"Scene 16, take one - and action!" Chakotay approaches Janeway's quarters. He taps the door controls.

"Beep," Vejar states, simulating the computerized chime.

A remote camera tracks Beltran's moves. He turns around and taps his com-badge. "Computer, locate Captain Janeway-"

At that moment, Kate Mulgrew appears on set. They greet, the double doors whisk open, and both enter, still reciting their words. As the camera follows them in, the doors suddenly slam shut in a moment destined to make a Voyager blooper reel.

"Cut!" Vejar bellows. Mulgrew and Beltran try not to laugh, their smiling faces still visible on the monitor as the camera struggles free of the doors.

Kate Mulgrew enters the Mess Hall between takes. To say the actress is stunning is an understatement. Dressed in her uniform and simply dazzling to behold, she cuts through the crowd of makeup, hair, and set people and approaches us, a smile on her face.

"Hello, you two," she says, reaching for me. She pulls me into a respectful hug, kisses my cheek, and I kiss hers. Laura, too, gets a hug and a kiss from the Captain. "The flowers are lovely! How nice of you both!"

We engage in some small talk - our search for apartments while out here, the latest issue of the magazine, which we've brought for her. I touch Mulgrew's arm and lean closer. "How is your dog doing?"

Another smile lights on the actress' face. "I think she must be part cat! She has nine lives. We took her to the vet, who gave her a shot of steroids, and she's eating again!"

We continue our chat in a huddle separate from the others, until Mulgrew is called back for the next take now that they've ascertained the camera isn't damaged. I remember what Candice said about approaching Mulgrew just as she whispers our names.

"Greg and Laura," Candice says, looking stunned by our little meeting with Mulgrew. "How long have you known Kate?"

We turn back to the monitors and watch the spirited, physical display that takes place in the Captain's quarters as Janeway wrestles Chakotay down and knocks him unconscious with a hypo-spray. A few takes later, we meet Beltran in the flesh and have a relaxed conversation with Voyager's Commander.

"Mr. Beltran," I say. "After seven years, you must feel comfortable in Chakotay's' skin."

"Well, I feel like there are some things that I am very proud of in the portrayal of Chakotay," Beltran states. "And there are some things where I feel like we missed the mark, meaning the writers and myself."

Laura poses, "Could you share with us your favourite memory from your time with Voyager?"

"My favourite memory is hard to pin down, because I've enjoyed working with my fellow cast members immensely." Beltran says. "I would have to say that the first four seasons were the most fun, and I think I especially enjoyed working with Virginia Madsen and Ray Walston, two of the guest stars during that time."

"What will you miss most when Voyager ends?"

"Without a doubt, it would be working with all the other cast members," the actor quickly points out. "We always have a lot of fun and I know that sounds like I'm just towing the party line, but it's very true. We get along very well and we have a lot of fun on the set when we're working. It's very much like a party. That's what I'll miss most, working with the other eight actors."

I mention the chemistry issue among Voyager's cast members, which seems to translate onto the screen as well.

"I think we do have great chemistry," Beltran agrees. "I wish the writers had taken advantage of that more so than they did, especially the last couple of years."

"We loved Chakotay in the episode "Nemesis" - and also, that great scene towards the end of "Basics", Part II, when Chakotay saves the alien woman from the lava flow. Those episodes really showed off his heroic side," I say. "What a shame they didn't show more of that."

Beltran draws in a deep breath. "Thank you for saying that. Janeway and Chakotay are both strong characters. However, instead of having two equally strong and forceful characters, the writers felt that it would be better to concentrate on one and that was Janeway. They sort of left Chakotay on the side with a few good scenes and a rare episode here and there. I'm talking about the last three years. In the process, I think they ruined Janeway. I think they tried to take that heroism, that capital letters HEROISM, and force it onto Janeway, and it didn't quite work because it's a different kind. I feel like they made her too all knowing and all-powerful. She's not that much different than Seven of Nine or Tuvok or the Doctor. I think they're all much too smart for their own good. I think the only character who gets away with it is the Doctor. Everybody else should have some flaws or some weaknesses that keep them from looking like a variation of the Doctor."

Laura says, "As we've always said, it's hard to write for perfect characters."

"Yeah, you're spinning your wheels all the time, and I think that's what's happened. Unfortunately, I think Janeway is the one who has suffered most from that complex," Beltran states.

"Do you have a favourite episode?"

"Yes, I do. "Unforgettable". It's the one that I did with Virginia Madsen. I truly loved that little script and that little story. Close to it are the two that I did with Ray Walston, "In the Flesh" and "The Fight". And then I really enjoyed this "Human Error" that I just did with Jeri Ryan."

"That was a great story!" Greg enthuses.

The actor flashes a warm smile. "Thanks."

"Prior to Voyager, you starred in the cult Night of the Comet. Are you a fan of Science Fiction, and if not, how has your opinion of the genre changed since stepping onto Voyager?

This is the avenue on the Paramount back-lot where the Voyager set can be found. Click [here] or on the image for a larger version.

"I honestly have not been a big fan of Science Fiction," Beltran admits. "Although I must say I haven't read a lot of what is considered the classic stuff like Asimov and H.G. Wells and a few others. I just have not explored that kind of literature. I'm more familiar with what popular Sci Fi is, like The Day the Earth Stood Still and Star Trek and Star Wars. I'm not opposed to doing more. There are things that I really like about Sci-Fi, things that have happened in Voyager. I just have a problem with quick fixes, things like replicators and beaming up and us having an endless supply of shuttles. I don't like stories where we've made it easy to get out of situations instead of us doing something ingenious. 'Oh, we'll just reroute the power from this tube to that tube and that will fix everything - gee, thanks, Captain, we couldn't have done it without you!'. That sort of thing gets a little annoying to me, to say the least."

"We know you've done a lot of theatre," Laura mentions. "Do you have any plans for after the series wraps on April 9?"

"I honestly don't know. I'm just looking forward to moving on to the next thing, which isn't to say I wouldn't have been amenable to another year on Voyager or two years provided certain things changed. I'm looking forward to moving on to the next phase of my career and seeing what's out there. I think Chakotay has been fun to do, and I'm looking forward to another character, or many others."

"So, is there anything from the set you'd like to swipe?" We three share some laughter on that one.

"I kinda like the tricorders because they have all those flashing lights and they run on simple batteries. I like those - yeah, a tricorder. That would be it."

Our interview ends. We shake hands and watch the next take - and the next, until the scene is perfect. From here, it's on to the bridge, and one station in particular where we are greeted by our favourite Vulcan.

"Hello, Mister Russ!"

Up Next: Day Four: Tuvok, Tactical and Tim Russ

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