STLV ’12: ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ Cast Reunion

Following the 25th anniversary of TNG reunion last Saturday, at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention, the cast of ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ reunited on stage in front of thousands of cheering fans at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.

The reunion panel, which included Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang and Robert Picardo, lasted over an hour. The former castmates traded stories from their time on ‘Voyager’, which aired it’s final episode, “Endgame”, in 2001.

Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran

As the former castmates were welcomed on stage individually, the panel began with Wang and McNeill waving to the crowd and immediately pulling out their mobile phones to tweet about the special monment.

Kate Mulgrew

Mulgrew discussed the casting process for ‘Voyager’, mentioning that she wasn’t the first actor chosen to play the captain. Mulgrew mentioned Geneviève Bujold, the French actress originally chosen for the role, had given her the “greatest gift,” by quitting the show as production began. McNeill recalled working with Bujold, saying that she spoke very quietly and he could barely hear her, when she’d softly say “engage.”

Robert Beltran

Robert Beltran, who has previously spoken out about how his character, Chakotay, was used on ‘Voyager’, said he was the last of the main cast to be chosen for the show. Roxann Dawson mentioned there was a possibility that she was going to be cast as a female Chakotay and joked about being asked by the producers if she had any Native American blood.

Garrett Wang

Garrett Wang also talked about his audition process, saying he went on six auditions for the role of Harry Kim. He said the producers originally envisioned a much older actor playing the role.

Mulgrew said UPN was banking on Voyager’s success — that the show was the anchor the new network. She mentioned that in the first season, executives would visit the filming set often, to observe and see if “this broad pull this off,”.

Tim Russ

Tim Russ discussed how serious he took the role of Tuvok. He said he studied Vulcan mythology and wanted to make sure the character was very believeable. He said he was concerned about playing a Vulcan — an alien race that was already so well established in the Star Trek universe.

Robert Duncan McNeill, Garrett Wang and Robert Picardo

When Voyager’s final episode was discussed, Mulgrew said she was proud of how the show ended. Beltran answered the same question silently by doing a “happy” dance. The cast talked about how the show’s set was being dismantled almost immediately after each scene was wrapped filming.

The Voyager cast in 2000

More STLV coverage:

STLV 2012: Vegas Star Trek Convention Kicks Off with Nichelle Nichols, John de Lancie, Rene Auberjonis and Ethan Phillips

STLV 2012: Day 2 Recap with Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Ira Behr and Diana Muldaur

STLV 2012: Vulcans, Borg and Ferengi — The Incredible Costumes of the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention [Slideshow]

STLV 2012: ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Cast Reunion with Frakes, Spiner, Burton, Dorn, Sirtis, McFadden & Meaney