Star Trek: Voyager
Summary
I ’ve always likedStar Trek : Voyager ’s season4 sequence " deadly scroll , " but now I ’m disappointed that its original premiss was scrapped . " deathly Coil " was the 12th sequence ofVoyagerseason 4 , and featured a touching plot line centered on Neelix ( Ethan Phillips ) struggling with his spirituality and questions of the afterlife after he was killed and subsequently revived in a shuttle stroke . The sequence is a tour - de - strength for Neelix , and one of his unspoiled in the serial publication , but one my favorite parts has always been Neelix ’s interactions with recurring character Samantha Wildman ( Nacy Hower ) and her daughter , Naomi Wildman ( Scarlett Pomers ) .
The Wildmans were crucial recurring members ofStar Trek : Voyager ’s roll , and were involved in some great episodes throughout the show , including " deadly Coil . " Naomi tended to be the focal point of more storyline , offering a alone perspective as the first child born in the Delta Quadrant and sharing some truly wonderful second with quality like Neelix and Seven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan ) . Samantha had much less screenland meter than her girl , butif the original premise for " Mortal roll " had cash in one’s chips forward , the episode would have end up being a big bargain for her .
Star Trek : Voyager ’s darling characters have recall in Star Trek : Picard , Star Trek : Lower Decks , and especially Star Trek : Prodigy .
Star Trek: Voyager’s Neelix Episode “Mortal Coil” Was Originally About A Borg Zombie
The episode’s original premise was completely different
In an interview withThe Official Star Trek : Voyager Magazine , Voyagerproducer and writer Brannon Braga revealed that " deathly Coil " was originally going to concentre on Samantha Wildman and have a much darker lean to it . While the episode did end up featuring some expectant paper , Braga ’s give-and-take of the initial idea make it clear that had it not been reworked , " deadly ringlet " would likely have been the secretive thing to a horror moving picture theStar Trekfranchise has ever produce , an idea that excited me when I first take about it . Read Braga ’s full quote below :
" We were going to do this Pet Sematary instalment where Ensign Wildman goes on a bird mission and dies , and Seven of Nine brings her back to lifespan using Borg engineering , except that now she ’s ' zombie mom . ' She ’s not all there . Wildman ’s more machine-accessible with death than life , and her only tie to life is through her girl . She wants to down her daughter , though , to bring her back to ' life ' so she can partake in that experience with her . Really a creepy-crawly , ghoulish tarradiddle ! I thought , ' This is going to be so much fun to drop a line . There has been nothing on Star Trek remotely like that , ever . ' So we violate the story , and everybody was passably felicitous about it . "
Despite enthusiasm , the idea of Samantha Wildman turning into a Borg zombie and attempting to kill her girl did not sit well withVoyagerproducer Rick Bermanor Paramount Studios , who think it was too gruesome forStar Trek . The premise was cursorily scrapped and rework into the episode it became . Some of the original elements , like a numb bunch appendage being bring back by nanoprobes , are still present , butthe truly fearful stuff was supercede with a more experiential list . Knowing about the original premise now though , I ca n’t help but be disappointed it did n’t tear apart out .
Custom image by Yailin Chacon
Star Trek: Voyager’s Original “Mortal Coil” Premise Being Cut Is Disappointing
It’s still a great Voyager episode
Having " Mortal Coil " be afull - onStar Trekhorror episodewould have been a dandy addition toVoyagerand a unique premise for the dealership as a whole . While I understand the qualification about sport a female parent want to shoot down her girl , especially in the nineties on mainstream television,“Mortal Coil " waste the fortune to do something rightfully original . The episode ’s initial premise was hair - bringing up in some of the best way , and would also have been a chance for Nancy Hower , a phenomenal player who did n’t get enough screen time , to shine as Samantha Wildman .
Neelix did n’t get many dramatic or devout moments , so allowing him his storyline in " Mortal Coil " was a real profits .
That ’s not to say that " Mortal Coil " did n’t terminate up becoming great . On the contrary , I think the episode is one of the best of time of year 4 and the best Neelix episode of the serial . Neelix did n’t get many dramatic or heartfelt moments , so allowing him his storyline in " deadly Coil " was a real win . Many of Neelix ’s scene in the installment have stuck with me for days , and his eccentric growth is arguably unpaired anywhere else in the series . However , these thing do n’t preclude the fact thatStar Trek : Voyagermissed an opportunity to do something much more unequalled .
reservoir : The Official Star Trek : Voyager Magazine , issue 18
Cast
