@MLClark Hi, just watched your podcast on Voyager ... Lots of observations (which I will spare you), but as someone who was working in Trek world at the time I do have one insight.
VOY was a different animal for the studio because, unlike TNG/DS9, it was a network show. It was the first show for UPN, the anchor show.
Mulgrew has talked about the suits who would come on the sets, constantly fretting about her hair, her "femininity," etc ... (1/x)
@fugitive247 Thank you ... @MLClark deserves much of the credit because her podcast (at the below link) brought back lots of memories. I was responding to that, primarily the observation that it was the first UPN show and therefore had a lot more scrutiny and interference than did TNG/DS9.
Stephen, thank you so much for spending time with my little YouTube channel, and then offering such a lovely thread touching on so many pressure-points behind the slings and arrows of ST #Voyager as a series.
We have so many #Trekkies / #StarTrek fans here that I don't doubt these and other stories from the creative trenches will be happily received by #SFF writers and viewers here in general. I just hope I included enough hashtags to reach them all. :)
@MLClark Thank you ... If you haven't seen it, "Chaos on the Bridge" is a good documentary about TNG's growing pains. It's on YouTube, "free with ads."
It's accurate, based on my personal experience.
Here's an anecdote ... As you know, Gates was let go after Season 1. At a con in L.A., a "Save Gates!" petition was circulated. It was given to Gene, who said on stage, "If I listened to the fans, #StarTrek would be sh*t!" I heard the proverbial pin drop.