Part III, Chapter IV: "A New Trek Begins"
“We did deviate from Gene’s vision for the future somewhat during this time, but we kept true to the spirit of it. The shows were always optimistic about humanity’s future, but they weren’t afraid to show our many flaws. Deep Space Nine had the departure from the utopian vision, as did Odyssey, but in different ways. Deep Space Nine had the Federation at war, using ships like the Valiant that were built for combat, while on Odyssey, we saw a vessel that was stranded years away from home, crewed by people who were at odds with each other.”
- David Gerrold on the beginning of his time as franchise head. [1]
Star Trek: Odyssey was going to be unlike any show that had come before in the franchise. The writers were promising that there would be full consequences for actions, a crew at war with itself, and a chance to see what Starfleet is truly like when separated from their luxury. Much as with
Deep Space Nine, some fans would criticise this approach as not being true to Gene Roddenberry’s utopian vision for the future.
In contrast to
Deep Space Nine, which was developing an arc that would stretch over multiple seasons,
Odyssey would feature smaller season arcs, as each season brought new recurring features, having a “theme”. The “theme” for the first season would be one of conflict, both within the crew, and without. As it would mark the beginning of their time together, the crew would be more combative with each other than in later seasons. But the crew of the
Odyssey would also face off against the Kazon, a foe which while not technologically advanced, were highly numerous, and would be able to wage a war of attrition against the ship and crew. [2]
The initial story, “Caretaker”, would see the
Odyssey and two other ships, one Cardassian and the other Maquis, flung to the far edge of the Delta Quadrant by the “Caretaker Array”. There, they would be faced with the decision to either use the array’s remaining power to transport them back, condemning the Ocampan people to slavery, or destroy the array, which would strand them in the Delta Quadrant, with an eighty year return trip.
Throughout the series, the crew of the
Odyssey, not being comprised of Starfleet, Maquis and Cardassian personnel, would have to deal with dwindling supplies, and would start to alter the ship to make it more self sustainable, as they meet and barter with other species, with some even joining the crew. The plan was that over the time of the show, the crew of the ship would begin to change, as would the ship itself. [3]
The initial size of the cast would strike some concerns that some characters would be left without any development. To avoid this, a deal was struck ensuring that each main character (i.e. appearing in the opening credits) would have at least one story in the season that focussed on them. In addition, the cast would have a great deal of control over how their characters developed over the seasons. [4]
The increased success of
Deep Space Nine on UPN caused the decision to release
Odyssey into first-run syndication into some doubt. The executives at Paramount decided to see what the viewership of the first season would be like, and if it was not as high as they hoped, they would move further seasons over to UPN.
The success of
Deep Space Nine and
Star Trek VI: Generations only increased expectations for this new show. It was promising something brave and new, and was the first show to be made completely under the management of David Gerrold.
Odyssey would be a test to see if this new era of
Star Trek could thrive, or if it would be stillborn.
[1] A little hint for DS9 Season 3 there.
[2] If it continues, ODY will feature a new "big bad" every season.
[3] I know I've said it before, but the Odyssey will be altered throughout the show. They'll grow their own food etc.
[4] The characters that are "the same" as OTL won't be for long. Voyager was a show of missed opportunities, and I plan on taking many of them.