Written by Chris Snellgrove | Published
Aside from debates about which shows and movies were the best, it’s pretty easy for Star Trek fans to agree on one thing: that the ’90s were the franchise’s golden period. This was when The next generation hit its stride, and the spin-offs are fan favorites Deep Space Nine and Voyager was launched, The original series The films were over, and even the smallest towns had their own conventions. but, Star Trek: Voyager Actor Garrett Wang’s recent comments about being ignored by producers are a grim reminder that the franchise’s “golden” era was noticeably dark.
Recently, the Star Trek veteran sat down with Cinema Blind To discuss his excitement at returning to the franchise at Louie Dixbut Garrett Wang has been very frank about how far this has come. He described watching his stars like Jeri Ryan and Robert Duncan MacNeil receive invitations to return to the franchise and counted no less than seven different missed opportunities to bring his character, Harry Kim, back into the fold. Interestingly, he would have returned to the franchise sooner had the opportunity not been taken away from him, but he remains tight-lipped on the details.
It seemed like there was some sort of unnamed Star Trek project in the works that would have somehow brought back Garrett Wang’s character from Voyager Even more recently than his last appearance on Basement floors. According to the actor, “Something happened, but then something else happened that was beyond my control… and that show was somehow cancelled.” Perhaps because of a non-disclosure agreement or perhaps because he didn’t want to spill the refined tea, the Harry Kim actor ended this train of thought with a simple, “That’s all I can say.”
As long-time Star Trek fans know, Garrett Wang has never hesitated to spill the tea about how he was mistreated by his. VoyagerProducers. For example, he was allegedly banned from directing any episode at all, something other lead actors on Trek have always been able to do upon request. He also felt angry over the fact that his character never got a promotion, relaying a sad story to CinemaBlend that he became so despondent over the matter that he once showed up outside Kate Mulgrew’s trailer and begged her to help Harry Kim finally get a promotion.
Perhaps the ugliest Star Trek story told by Garrett Wang was that he and Robert Duncan MacNeil were singled out and ridiculed for being overweight during the show’s production. This culminated in the two actors finding corsets in their trailers one day, and their characters even got dialogue in which they teased each other for being out of shape.
When Wang responded to the insulting exchange, executive producer Brannon Braga allegedly told him in front of the cast and crew, “If you and your fellow actors go down the same path of eating the way you have the last two years, we’re going to have to change the name of the show to ‘Star Trek: Voyager — Pigs in Space.” This terrible body shame is an example of the fact that the golden age of Star Trek is disturbingly dark and depressing.
Despite how much he loved his time on Star Trek, Garrett Wang was never afraid to name names when it came to those who wronged him. This includes Brannon Braga’s body shaming and another alleged incident where Braga explained that Kim was never promoted with the breezy words of “Well, someone has to be the flag.” He had a particular falling out with notorious executive producer Rick Berman, who allegedly asked the actors to “play down our human characters” (i.e. act boring) so that the aliens would seem more realistic.
Now, it’s worth noting that these guys are basically Star Trek royalty: writer-producer Braga also worked The next generation, Voyagerand project While it also helps in writing with a pen Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: First Contact. Fellow producer and frequent writing partner Rick Berman has been a bigger part of the franchise, producing TNG before co-creating DS9, Voyagerand project. Berman is also a very controversial figure, with veteran Trek writer David Gerrold accusing him of being a “rambunctious homophobe” and Jadzia Dax actor Terry Farrell accusing him of being “extremely misogynistic” towards women and their appearance.
Fans who learned of this often debated who the “real” Braga and Berman were. After all, they’ve created some of the best Trek content ever (including TNG’s epic “All Good Things” finale), but they also seem to have done a disservice to some of our favorite actors. This includes Star Trek darling Garrett Wang, and his own anecdotes about these producers are a reminder that these men can be both talented and flawed, capable of great creative energy and capable of inflicting great pain.
The golden age of Star Trek has a hidden dark side, but the men who allegedly caused it have already given us the perfect way to examine their creative legacy. in First contact (Written by Braga and produced by Berman), Commander Riker offers Zephram Cochrane some advice from his future self: “Don’t try to be a great man, just be a man…and let history judge for itself.” The golden age of Trek in history has passed, and only time will tell how future fans and creators will remember its greatest and most flawed Architects.