Caretaker

This Story: Season 1 Episodes 1-2 (production codes 101 & 102)
VOY Overall: Episodes 1 & 2 (although originally broadcast as just one)
Trek Overall: Story 433, Episodes 457 & 458
Airdate: 16 Jan 1995
Story by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, & Jeri Taylor
Teleplay by Michael Piller & Jeri Taylor
Directed by Winrich Kolbe

Notes

• The first episode of the series, and as such the first episode for all the cast.
• Was the launch series for the then new “UPN Network” (United Paramount Network).  UPN later merged with “The WB” Network to form what is still known as “The CW” Network today.
• The first episode had a viewership of 21.3 million viewers.  No episode of Voyager, nor anything else on UPN ever got ratings like that ever again.
• As is well known, Janeway was first cast as Geneviève Bujold, who filmed for a few days, and then quit – was cast again with Kate Mulgrew and scenes refilmed as needed.
• The Caretaker’s partner was a plot point left dangling intentionally in case the overall show’s premise didn’t work and they needed to return the crew home sooner than they intended.
• Robert Duncan McNeill’s character was supposed to be Nick Locarno who was in jail after the events of the TNG episode “The First Duty“.  It was changed to Tom Paris to avoid having to pay royalties to the original writer for every single episode (or so I’ve read).  The backstory of both is nearly identical, however.
• The “god like” creature throwing them across the galaxy was inspired from the “Q-Who” episode of TNG.
• Some of the lights in the Voyager transporter set were the same ones used in prior incarnations of Star Trek.
• Janeway’s hair changes a bunch in this episode, which is down to continuity issues created by the late casting of Mulgrew and indecision as to what they wanted her hair to actually look like.
• Features Gul Evek the Cardassian, making his final appearance in any version of Star Trek.  His first appearance was on DS9 in “Playing God“.
• Features a cameo by Armin Shimerman as Quark – set in Quark’s bar on Deep Space Nine (with Morn of course).
• Janeway drinks coffee with creamer, which goes against her usual drinking of black coffee.
• Tuvok calls Neelix “sir” – the only time that happens in the series.
• It is said the Voyager’s crew complement is 141, but that was before they were lost – it was not stated after that.
• Bruce French plays an Ocampan Doctor.  He was also Sabin Genestra in “The Drumhead“, a Son’a officer in “Star Trek: Insurrection“, & a Vulcan elder in “The Andorian Incident“.
• Jennifer Parsons plays an Ocampan Nurse.  She was also Miranda O’Brien in the DS9 episode “Children of Time“.
• David Selburg plays Toscat here.  He was also Whalen in “The Big Goodbye“, Syrus in “Frame of Mind“, & a Vulcan captain in the ENT episode “Carbon Creek“.
• Jeff McCarthy plays the original unnamed Voyager chief medical officer who is killed and has to be replaced by the EMH.  He was also Roga Danar in the TNG episode “The Hunted“.
• Scott McDonald played one of the OG Voyager bridge crew – Rollins.  He was also Tosk on the DS9 episode “Captive Pursuit“, Gran’Agar in DS9’s “Hippocratic Oath“, N’Vek in TNG’s “Face of the Enemy“, and the recurring character of Dolim in the third season of Star Trek: Enterprise.
• Caretaker won two Emmy awards.  They were “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music” and “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Special Visual Effects”.
• One of the rare instances that Deep Space Nine (the station) is seen outside of its own series.  The next time after this was the Lower Decks episode “Hear All, Trust Nothing“.
• The Memory Alpha link for this episode has an insane amount of background material about the making of this story – makes my page look like nothing.  Worth your time to check it out.

Links