|| Mission Review

Production Number: 194
Original air date: 5/20/98

Written by: Brannon Braga & Joe Menosky (story, teleplay), with Rick Berman (story)
Directed by: Winrich Kolbe

Guest Stars:

• Ray Wise as Arturis
• Jack Shearer as Starfleet Admiral Hayes

Official UPN Press Release:

AN ALIEN PASSENGER BRINGS A MESSAGE THAT MAKES EARTH SEEM JUST WITHIN REACH, ON THE SEASON FINALE OF "STAR TREK: VOYAGER" AIRING WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 (9:00-10:00 P.M., ET/PT) ON UPN ``Hope & Fear'' - The badly damaged encoded message received from Starfleet Command five months ago is finally translated by Arturis, an alien passenger recently invited onboard, whose species has a great affinity for language. The directive brings Voyager to a spacecraft, emitting a distinctive Starfleet warp signature, but totally unlike any Starfleet vessel known. With a propulsion system faster than warp speed, the ship is capable of bringing the Voyager crew to Earth - crossing 60,000 light years - within just three months. The crew is elated, but Captain Janeway expresses caution, even though they are all secretly hoping to be home very, very soon, on the season finale of ``Star Trek: Voyager'' airing WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET/PT) on UPN.

While the crew's excitement grows, so does Seven of Nine's anxiety about living among billions of humans. She asks Captain Janeway to let her depart Voyager and roam the Delta Quadrant on her own.

Starring are Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway; Robert Beltran as Chakotay; Roxann Dawson as B'Elanna Torres; Robert Duncan McNeill as Lt. Tom Paris; Ethan Phillips as Neelix; Robert Picardo as The Doctor; Tim Russ as Tuvok; Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine and Garrett Wang as Harry Kim.

Notes:

• Brannon Braga on AOL 2.22.98: The plot for the season finale revolves around the secret encrypted message they got in "Hunters." Also, The message is not what the crew expected. Unlike "Broken Link" and "Adversary" it will not have that much of a significance to next season's premiere. (this is not a direct quote, but rather a paraphrased). Thanks go out to "Cainus!"
• According to my AOL colleague DilberTrek (not my usual source, but he did give us advance warning on "Unforgettable" and "Living Witness" before), this isn't going to be a cliffhanger, but will leave some issues hanging to be resolved in the following season (like DS9's "Broken Link"--not exactly a cliffhanger, but it set up things for the subsequent season). And it doesn't look like Q's involved.
• From GF2020 on 2.21.98:

  The title is not Non PErsona Grata as Mike Jonas site reported, that info was tainted . Along the same Lines Jeri Taylor is not cowriting it with Brannon Braga, Brannon Braga is the ony writer on this one.

  I Instant Messaged Brannon Braga and he gave some news on the season finale among other things. Here is the transcript, feel free to use it

  GF2020: wHAT IS THE SEASON FINALE ABOUT AND WHO DIRECTES IT ?
  BB: directed by Rick Kolbe plot a secret!
  GF2020: it's not a cliffhanger , right ?
  BB: maybe... but unlikely
  GF2020: Is "one" to air before "Demon" because that would make more sense ?
  BB: after demon, one, then the finale
  GF2020: Why after? Wouldn't the damage to Voyager in "One" explain the ergency in "Demon "
  BB: voy is not damaged in one. And in Demon, they are low on power, not damaged.
  GF2020: But I thought Seven had to shut off Life support because of the Power shortage ? and then in Demon they had to find fuel to power Voyager ?
  GF2020: am I wrong or am I missing something ?
  BB: & shuts down life support in a plot twist near the end of the show - the crew is put into stasis beacuse of a deadly field the ship must fly through for three weeks
  GF2020: but doesn't the radation damage Voyager fuel tanks, causing them to leak and lose power fast ?
  GF2020: and where do they get the cyro tanks ?
  GF2020: BTW, Sorry for all the questions
  BB: My advice to you: watch the shows!
  GF2020: good advice!!!

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