Star Trek : Voyager Star Trek : Voyager is the fourth live - action " Star Trek " series . It was created by Rick Berman , Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor , and ran on UPN ( as UPN ' s first ever series ) for seven seasons in the USA , from to . In some areas without local access to UPN , it was offered to independent stations through Paramount Pictures ( for its first six seasons ) . The series is best known for its familial crew , science fiction based plots , engaging action sequences and light humor . The writers often noted that many episodes had underlying themes and messages or were metaphors for current social issues . This is the first " Star Trek " series to feature a female captain in the main cast . Additionally , the show gained in popularity for its storylines which frequently featured the Borg . " Voyager " follows the events of and ran alongside during its first five seasons . Series summary . Launched in the year 2371 , the Federation starship was a ship built to return to Starfleet ' s founding principle of scientific exploration . It was fitting that the ship ' s captain , Kathryn Janeway , rose up through the science ranks rather than command . On the ship ' s first mission while departing the space station Deep Space 9 , which required it to find and capture a Maquis vessel that disappeared into the treacherous Badlands , the crews of both " Voyager " , as well as the Maquis ship it was pursuing , were swept clear across the galaxy and deep into the Delta Quadrant . This was the doing of a powerful alien being known as the Caretaker . The 70 , 000 light year transit cost the lives of over a dozen crew members . Captain Janeway was forced to destroy the massive alien array that housed the remains of the Caretaker . In doing so , she saved an alien race , the Ocampa , but stranded " Voyager " and the crew in the Delta Quadrant . United in a common purpose , the surviving Maquis rebels joined with Janeway ' s Starfleet - trained crew on " Voyager " . Though a journey back to the Alpha Quadrant would have taken more than seventy years through unknown and treacherous territory , the crew of " Voyager " was well served by Janeway ' s skilled leadership and their own steadfast determination . Ultimately , " Voyager " returned to the Alpha Quadrant in seven years . The crew ' s journey home was eventful . " Voyager " made first contact with over 400 completely new species in the Delta Quadrant , discovered links to Earth ' s early space exploration history , utilized and even pioneered new technologies , all the while engaging in countless other adventures . ( ) The crew encountered species ranging from the violent and ruthless Kazon , the Phage - afflicted Vidiian s , the colorful Talaxian s and the ephemeral Ocampa . The crew ' s other encounters included run - ins with the temporally - sophisticated Krenim , the predatory Hirogen , the toxic Malon and the scheming Hierarchy . The crew picked up passengers along the way , including the wily but extremely resourceful Talaxian Neelix ( who served , at times , as " Voyager " s ambassador , morale officer and even head chef ) , along with the Ocampan telepath Kes ( who , as a parting gift to the crew , used her powers of telekinesis to thrust " Voyager " 9 , 500 light years closer to the Alpha Quadrant ) . Most memorable , however , were " Voyager " s repeated clashes with the dreaded Borg . While each encounter posed grave danger , " Voyager " was able to prevail every time . At one point , Janeway actually negotiated a temporary peace with the Borg when they perceived a common threat in a mysterious alien species from fluidic space . ( ) At other times , she was able to liberate Borg drones from the Borg Collective , including Seven of Nine ( who became a permanent member of the crew ) , Mezoti , Azan , Rebi and Icheb . Other instances pitted " Voyager " against not only the Borg , but also against the nightmarish Borg Queen herself . Several years after " Voyager " s disappearance into the Delta Quadrant , Starfleet Command learned of the starship ' s fate . Subsequently , the Pathfinder Project was created . It was a Starfleet Communications project that attempted to communicate with " Voyager " through the MIDAS array , via a micro - wormhole and the Hirogen communications network . Thanks to the hard work and enthusiasm of Lieutenant Reginald Barclay , the communications technology improved to a level whereby contact could be made on a regular basis . In 2377 , the crew was able to receive monthly data streams from Earth that included letters from the crew ' s families , tactical upgrades , and news about the Alpha Quadrant . In 2378 , " Voyager " made a triumphant return to the Alpha Quadrant , under the guidance of Starfleet and the Pathfinder Project , by utilizing and then destroying a Borg transwarp hub , and after a turbulent trip , a celebration was held in honor of " Voyager " s return back home . Distinguishing " Voyager " . Despite the general prosperity of , Paramount pressured Rick Berman for yet another " Star Trek " television series . Although it was decided very early on that the new series would be set aboard a starship once again , it was important for the writers to vary the series from in other ways . Berman stated , " " When " Voyager " came around and we knew we were going to place the next series back on a starship we wanted to do it in a way that was not going to be that redundant when it came to " The Next Generation " . So we had a certain amount of conflict on the ship because of the Maquis . We had a different dynamic because we were not speaking everyday to Starfleet and because we had a female captain . Those were the major differences that set this show apart from the others . . . It had the core belief of what " Star Trek " was all about , both in terms of the excitement and the action and in terms of the provocative elements of ideas that " Star Trek " has always been known to present to the audience . " " ( " " ) The series ' premise of being lost in deep space was itself a variation on a theme explored in " The Next Generation " . Michael Piller explained , " " We remembered the episodes , many episodes , where Q would show up and throw one of our ships or one of our people off to a strange part of the universe . And we ' d have to figure out why we were there , how we were going to get back , and ultimately – by the end of an episode – we ' d get back home . But [ . . . ] we started to talk about what would happen if we didn ' t get home . That appealed to us a great deal [ . . . ] You have to understand that Rick , Jeri and I had no interest in simply putting a bunch of people on another ship and sending them out to explore the universe . We wanted to bring something new to the Gene Roddenberry universe . The fans would have been the " first " people to criticize us if we had not brought something new to it . But everything new , everything was . . . a challenge , in the early stages of development of " Voyager . " ( " Braving the Unknown : Season 1 " , VOY Season 1 DVD special features ) Jeri Taylor concurred that " Voyager " had to be different from its predecessors . She stated , " " We felt a need to create an avenue for new and fresh storytelling . We are forced into creating a new universe . We have to come up with new aliens , we have to come up with new situations . " " Taylor also recalled , " " We knew we were taking some risks . We decided , in a very calculated way , to cut our ties with everything that was familiar . This is a dangerous thing to do . There is no more Starfleet , there are no more admirals to tell us what we can and cannot do , there are no Romulans , there are no Klingons , there are no Ferengi , no Cardassians . All those wonderful array of villains that the audience has come to love and hate at the same time will no longer be there . This is a tricky thing to do . " " ( " Braving the Unknown : Season 1 " , VOY Season 1 DVD special features ) Differentiating the new series from what had gone before hardened the challenge of inventing the series ' main characters . Jeri Taylor recounted , " " It took a long , long time , it took us weeks and weeks and weeks , even to come up with a cast of characters , because we found that so " many " wonderful characters had already been done and we didn ' t want to " exactly " repeat ourselves . We ' d come up with an idea then say , ' No , that ' s too much like Data , ' or , ' That ' s too much like Odo , ' or , ' That ' s too much like Worf . ' So to try to find the right balance of characters , in terms of gender and alien species and that kind of thing , really took a long time . " " ( " Braving the Unknown : Season 1 " , VOY Season 1 DVD special features ) ↑ John Van Citters listed " VGR " as the series ' official abbreviation when announcing the " DSC " abbreviation for . MA , among other venues , will continue to use the abbreviation VOY for " Voyager " , for historical reasons . Episode list . Season 1 . Season 1 , 15 episodes : Season 2 . Season 2 , 26 episodes : Season 3 . Season 3 , 26 episodes : Season 4 . Season 4 , 26 episodes : Season 5 . Season 5 , 25 episodes : Season 6 . Season 6 , 26 episodes : Season 7 . Season 7 , 24 episodes :