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The Maquis (mah-KEE), otherwise known as the Maquis Resistance , were a resistance group that consisted of Federation -born colonists and discontented Starfleet officers who organized against the Cardassian occupation of their homes in the Demilitarized Zone after their colonies were ceded to the Cardassian Union by Federation Cardassian Treaties in the late 2360s and early 2370s . Starfleet Command considered members of the Maquis to be traitors , while Cardassia considered the Maquis to be terrorists . The Maquis wished to formally declare their secession from the Federation as an independent state, but they were defeated by Cardassia's new overlord, Dukat , the Dominion and its powerful army of Jem'Hadar , before their plans materialized. ( DS9 : " Blaze of Glory "; VOY : " Hunters ")

• 1.1.1 Seeds of resistance
• 1.1.2 Civil unrest
• 1.1.3 Resistance builds
• 1.1.4 Open conflict
• 1.2.1 The Orias assault
• 1.2.2 Chakotay's cell and the USS Voyager
• 1.3.1 Leadership of Michael Eddington
• 1.4 Sudden death
• 3 Ship classes used by the Maquis
• 4 Ships used by the Maquis
• 5 Maquis worlds
• 6.1 Appearances
• 6.2 Background information
• 6.3 Apocrypha
• 6.4 External link

History [ ]

Origins [ ].

The roots of the Maquis insurrection can be traced back to the 2350s during the Cardassian wars . The Federation and the Cardassians settled a large number of class M planets in close proximity to each other, and the issue of ownership of these colonies – as well as their security – became the causes of war. Although the Federation relinquished claims to all planets occupied by Cardassian colonies, the Cardassians sought to annex several crucial worlds along the border, including Minos Korva and Setlik III . ( TNG : " The Wounded ", " Chain Of Command, Part I ")

Despite the risks of settling on worlds close to the Cardassian border, many Federation citizens, especially Humans , chose to settle on the fertile worlds in the region. ( TNG : " Journey's End ", " Preemptive Strike "; DS9 : " The Maquis, Part I ", " The Maquis, Part II "; VOY : " Caretaker ", " Tattoo ", " Dreadnought ") Colonies including Volan II , Volan III , Soltok IV , Umoth VIII , and others became thriving outposts of Federation civilization, but also became targets for the Cardassian military. ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part I ")

By the mid- 2360s , the wars had settled into an effective stalemate, with neither side gaining advantage in terms of firepower or territory. Finally, in 2366 , a ceasefire ended the long conflict between the Federation and Cardassia . This truce enforced an end to active hostilities but left unresolved many of the major questions of the conflict, such as the fate of both colonies and colonists along the Cardassian border and Demilitarized Zone . ( TNG : " The Wounded ")

Seeds of resistance [ ]

USS Phoenix 's action against the Cardassians

In 2367 , the USS Phoenix , a Starfleet ship captained by Benjamin Maxwell attacked and destroyed an allegedly unarmed Cardassian science station in the Cuellar system . Maxwell explained to Captain Jean-Luc Picard , who was sent to put a stop to Maxwell's actions, that the Cardassians were in fact arming again and that the so-called science station was actually a military supply port. Even though he could not prove it, Maxwell knew of the strategic importance of a military transport station in an area of space where Cardassians essentially had a jumping off point into three Federation sectors. Maxwell expressed his frustration with Federation bureaucrats who, had he notified them, would have just sat around for six months, reading reports trying to figure out what to do, all while Cardassians were arming up against the Federation. He considered the peace treaty a ruse to give the Cardassians room to regroup. Determined to preserve the peace no matter what the cost, Picard insisted that what the Cardassians did was irrelevant.

After Maxwell was apprehended, it turned out that he was right all along: Cardassians were carrying weapons to the science station and cargo ships were running with high energy subspace fields that jammed sensors. Picard confronted Gul Macet with the evidence, telling him that while he did not allow Maxwell to board a Cardassian cargo ship in the interest of preserving the peace, " We'll be watching. " ( TNG : " The Wounded ")

The Demilitarized Zone in relation to other Alpha Quadrant landmarks

It took another three years for a final peace treaty to be negotiated, and although the questions of territory were finally settled, neither side was entirely happy with the solution. The Treaty of 2370 established a new Demilitarized Zone (also known as the DMZ), from which all large warships belonging to either side were excluded.

Much more controversial, however, was the exchange of colonies which was to take place. The treaty stipulated that each side would transfer ownership of certain worlds. The inhabitants of those worlds would be resettled elsewhere beforehand. Despite the vehement protests of many colony leaders, the Federation Council signed the treaty. Starfleet was given the task of evacuating the colonists from their homes and transporting them to other worlds.

Cardassian and Federation representatives discuss the fate of colonies on the wrong sides of the border

One of the first worlds slated to be evacuated was Dorvan V , a colony settled in 2350 by a group of Native American colonists. The Native Americans claimed that they had a special, spiritual connection to their world, and refused to be evacuated. USS Enterprise -D captain Jean-Luc Picard attempted to negotiate an agreement with the settlers, but they steadfastly refused to leave. Violence nearly broke out when Picard attempted to evacuate the settlers by force.

Ultimately, an agreement was reached whereby the Dorvan colonists were permitted to remain in their colony under Cardassian jurisdiction. The arrangement was approved by Gul Evek , the Cardassian official in charge of affairs in the Demilitarized Zone. ( TNG : " Journey's End ")

Following the Dorvan agreement, colonists on many other worlds also refused to abandon their homes and demanded to be permitted to stay on their colonies. Both the Federation Council and the Cardassian Central Command acquiesced for the time being.

Civil unrest [ ]

Calvin "Cal" Hudson, the first of many Starfleet officers to lead the Maquis

Despite success on the surface, the reality of the situation proved rather different. Although Starfleet assigned an attaché, Lieutenant Commander Calvin Hudson , to the Demilitarized Zone to help the colonists function under the terms of the new Treaty, resentments began to fester as hardships mounted. People who had worked all their lives to build these colonies were suddenly asked to either leave or stay behind under the rule of an uncertain and unscrupulous military power . Although the Cardassian government had officially pledged to leave the Federation colonists alone, a wide campaign of oppression began at practically the same time. Food replicators were poisoned, mobs were organized, and general harassment of the Federation colonists made life difficult at best. It was clear, to Hudson and the colonists, that the Cardassians had no intention of allowing the colonists to stay: they were either going to force them out or kill them. ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part I ", " The Maquis, Part II ")

During a visit to Deep Space 9 , Hudson expressed his frustration with the treaty between the Federation and Cardassia to Benjamin Sisko . He pointed out that the Treaty was essentially imbalanced in favor of Cardassia, as it had thrown the colonists, who had not really been given a choice, into the hands of the Cardassians who had all but good intentions with them. He considered what the Federation had done to the colonies abandonment and was angered about the many concessions that were made for the sake of peace; a peace that came at the expense and livelihood of the colonists who had worked hard to make a new life for themselves. He suspected the Cardassian High Command had armed their own colonists to the teeth with the intention to harass the Federation colonies until retreat and surrender. ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part I ")

Resistance builds [ ]

Hudson's suspicions proved to be true: by shipping the weapons through intermediaries such as the Lissepians , they managed to avoid the attention of Starfleet. The Cardassian colonists mounted the weapons – including Galor -class phaser banks – onto shuttlecraft -sized vessels and used them to attack Federation interests.

The Federation colonists did not accept these attacks passively. While Starfleet conducted "official" investigations into the situation, the colonists decided to take matters into their own hands and banded together into underground paramilitary cells , acquiring weapons of their own through the black market. These weapons were mounted on Federation-designed shuttles and couriers and used to defend against the Cardassian colonists' attacks. The Demilitarized Zone was becoming very militarized.

Hudson, who was one of the first Starfleet officers to turn away from Starfleet and lead the Maquis, justified his decision by stating that maybe the Federation could turn its back on the colonies, but that he and the colonists could not. For them, out on the frontier, without the power of the Federation to back them up, a treaty was only a piece of paper that ultimately failed to solve the plight they were facing. He insisted that nobody wanted peace more than the Maquis, but that it could not be achieved with the Cardassians secretly supplying their colonies with weapons while the Federation felt obligated to stand by and watch without taking action out of fear that it might compromise a peace, which – as far as the Maquis were concerned – was based on an unjust and inequitable basis. In the eyes of the colonists and the Maquis, the Federation had abandoned them, expecting that they take care of themselves; which was exactly what they were doing by standing up to the Cardassians. ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part II ")

Open conflict [ ]

The first official strike by the Maquis, the bombing of the Bok'Nor

The first open attack by the Maquis, as the Federation guerrilla groups came to be known, was against the Cardassian freighter Bok'Nor at outpost Deep Space 9 . The Bok'Nor was suspected of running weapons to the Cardassian colonists in the DMZ. Maquis member William Samuels planted an implosive protomatter device on the Bok'Nor 's hull, causing a catastrophic overload in the fusion reactor , destroying the ship.

Barely a week later, Gul Dukat was abducted from Deep Space 9 by Maquis operatives, and taken to a class-M asteroid in the Badlands . DS9 commander Benjamin Sisko pursued, and discovered that the Maquis cell involved was led by Calvin Hudson , the Starfleet attaché and a personal friend. ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part I ") Sisko was eventually successful in rescuing Dukat from the Maquis.

Sisko attempted to dialogue with the Maquis, suggesting that, now the Cardassian Central Command had been implicated in arming Cardassian colonists, political pressure could be used to deescalate the tensions in the DMZ and a better peace treaty could be made. Hudson, speaking for the Maquis, said it was too late for that, that they considered themselves already in a war, and that they had to finish what they had started.

The Maquis engages Starfleet

Based on intelligence obtained from Sakonna , a Maquis member who had been influential in purchasing many of the group's ships and weapons, Sisko determined that the Maquis were planning to attack a suspected weapons depot on Bryma , a former Cardassian colony. In order to prevent the possible outbreak of a new full-scale war, Sisko intercepted the Maquis attack (which was led by his friend Hudson) and forced them to retreat.

Meanwhile, after the shipments of weapons to the Cardassian colonies were exposed, the Central Command officially denied all involvement in the matter. Legate Parn placed the blame on Dukat (who was in the custody of the Maquis at the time) and a small cadre of "misguided" officials. Dukat later observed that he was simply used as a scapegoat to deflect the blame for the violation of the treaty away from the Central Command. ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part II ")

At this point, Starfleet's leadership underestimated the seriousness of the Maquis - they were considered a nuisance, " a bunch of irresponsible hotheads ", in Admiral Nechayev's words, who could be corrected with a simple reminder that they were Federation citizens. However, although full-scale war was avoided thanks to Sisko and Dukat, the Demilitarized Zone was quickly becoming a hotbed of conflict – something which Sisko, with more experience on the ground, worried was inevitable. ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part II ") Now that both sides' civilian colonists possessed advanced weaponry, an underground war broke out without any direct involvement from either the Cardassian or the Federation fleets.

Growing problem [ ]

Late in 2370 , the Cardassians launched an elaborate scheme to attempt to discredit the Federation's policies and to establish grounds to invade the DMZ to eliminate the Maquis. They attempted to portray the Maquis as "savage, Federation-born killers" who were operating with secret but official sanction from Starfleet Command . Using an undercover operative who had assumed the guise of former Starfleet officer Raymond Boone , the Cardassians planted a cache of photon torpedo warheads stolen from Deep Space 9 aboard a runabout piloted by Miles O'Brien , DS9's chief of operations . When the runabout was subsequently intercepted by a Cardassian patrol ship , the photon warheads provided sufficient grounds to arrest O'Brien and charge him with attempting to smuggle weapons to the Maquis. The Cardassians staged an elaborate trial under their traditional laws , loudly proclaiming O'Brien guilty of anti-Cardassian crimes and sentencing him to death. However, this ruse was ultimately discredited when the operative disguised as Boone was discovered on DS9 and taken to Cardassia Prime , and O'Brien was released. ( DS9 : " Tribunal ")

The Vetar attacked by the Maquis

By the end of the year, a precarious stalemate had developed inside the Demilitarized Zone. However, the Maquis continued to gain strength, and continued to launch attacks against Cardassian and neutral shipping in the region. In one of their boldest offensives, a Maquis cell launched a massive attack against Gul Evek's flagship, the Vetar , crippling it before being driven off by the Enterprise -D. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ")

As critical as the Maquis' offensives were, even more embarrassing were the continued stream of Starfleet officers who resigned their commissions in the Federation to join the Maquis in their fight against the Cardassians. The Maquis saw themselves as victims, betrayed, abandoned, carelessly given away by the Federation authorities to the Cardassians in the name of peace; a peace they and their families never experienced. ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part I ", " The Maquis, Part II ") Those who did not have any personal stakes in this insurgence, did it because they could no longer reconcile their conscience with the atrocities they were witnessing. Thomas Riker , who was one of the Starfleet officers to resign, told Major Kira Nerys that he had joined the group because people were dying in the Demilitarized Zone and Starfleet wasn't doing anything about it. ( DS9 : " Defiant ") In addition to Riker, other Starfleet officers such as Calvin Hudson , Ro Laren and Chakotay resigned or deserted their posts to fight "the good fight". ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part I ", " The Maquis, Part II "; TNG : " Preemptive Strike "; VOY : " Caretaker ", " Tattoo ", " In the Flesh ")

Starfleet officer Ro Laren joins the Maquis

The advanced tactical knowledge of those officers often gave the Maquis a distinct advantage in combat against Starfleet opponents. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike "; VOY : " Ex Post Facto "; DS9 : " For the Uniform ") The Maquis also served as a haven for those disgraced and outcast from Starfleet and the Federation, such as Admiral Owen Paris ' son Tom Paris ( VOY : " Caretaker ") and B'Elanna Torres . ( VOY : " Parallax ", " One ") Others were simply seeking an outlet for violent tendencies, like Lon Suder , while yet there were those, such as Kenneth Dalby , who sought revenge and wanted to kill as many Cardassians as possible after they saw loved ones brutally murdered by them. ( VOY : " Learning Curve ", " Meld ") Eventually, the Maquis included members of the Human , Vulcan , Bajoran , Betazoid , Bolian , and Klingon species .

ATR-4107, later renamed " Dreadnought "

However, the Maquis were not satisfied with the delicate and armed stalemate that had developed. Thanks to the influx of personnel and unofficial support, the Maquis began expanding their operations to include larger targets. Thanks to sympathizers, they also managed to evade almost every trap that Starfleet laid for them outside the Demilitarized Zone. And also thanks to the treaty, both Starfleet and the Cardassians were unable to send in sufficient armaments to eradicate them. They developed new techniques and tactics to evade pursuit, such as using thoron particles to render tricorders useless. ( VOY : " Basics, Part II ") Another advantage was their familiarity with the Badlands , which was used to contain munition bases and to outrun enemy vessels. ( VOY : " Caretaker ", " Dreadnought ") In 2370 , they captured a defective Cardassian weapon called Dreadnought , then reprogrammed it to attack the Cardassian fuel depot on Aschelan V , although Dreadnought disappeared in the Badlands under mysterious circumstances before it reached its target. ( VOY : " Dreadnought ")

By 2371 , there were thousands of Maquis. ( VOY : " Hunters ")

The Orias assault [ ]

Thomas Riker on the bridge of the USS Defiant during the Orias Assault in 2371

One of the Maquis' most daring assaults occurred in early 2371 . Former Starfleet officer Thomas Riker posed as his doppelgänger William T. Riker and boarded Deep Space 9. Using his counterpart's passwords and access codes, Riker gained access to the USS Defiant , one of Starfleet's most powerful warships, then assigned to DS9. Using a fake warp core breach as a diversion, Riker beamed aboard several Maquis personnel from the station, hijacking the ship.

Once the Defiant escaped into the Demilitarized Zone, the Maquis launched an elaborate offensive against Cardassian military outposts along the border. However, the purpose of the attacks was simply as a diversion – using the Defiant 's cloaking device , Riker piloted the ship past the border patrols and launched a series of random attacks against the interior of Cardassian space.

The Maquis' true objective was as surprising as it was unconventional. Riker's cell had received intelligence reports that a faction of the Cardassian government was secretly building a fleet in the Orias system , outside of the authority of the Central Command. Believing the force to be intended for an "unofficial" assault against the DMZ, the Maquis sought to destroy this new force before it could be used against them.

However, Riker had not anticipated the presence of warships to be actively operating out of Orias. As the Defiant approached Orias, pursued by ten Galor -class warships, it was confronted by six Keldon -class heavy cruisers emerging from the system. With both his advance and retreat blocked, Riker opted to surrender. In a deal brokered by Commander Sisko and Gul Dukat, Riker agreed to stand trial on Cardassia, while the remainder of the Maquis were turned over to Federation authorities, and the Defiant returned to Starfleet control. ( DS9 : " Defiant ")

However, the secret fleet in the Orias System – which was being built by the Cardassian Obsidian Order – was not intended to fight the Maquis at all, but rather was aimed at launching a surprise attack against the Dominion . ( DS9 : " Improbable Cause ", " The Die is Cast ")

Chakotay's cell and the USS Voyager [ ]

Chakotay aboard his Maquis raider Val Jean in 2371

Former Starfleet officer Chakotay was one of the Maquis' most valued leaders, and it was for this reason Starfleet attempted to capture him in 2371 . They installed an undercover operative, Tuvok , aboard Chakotay's ship, the Val Jean . ( VOY : " Caretaker ") The Cardassians were also interested in Chakotay, and placed one of their own operatives, Seska , with Chakotay's crew around the same time. ( VOY : " State of Flux ") Unknown at the time, a Bajoran vedek named Teero Anaydis , ejected from the Maquis for his controversial experiments with mind control, knew of Tuvok's real loyalties, and used a surgical technique based around a mind meld to implant subconscious instructions in his mind. If necessary, Teero could transmit a message to Tuvok which would have him attack the Maquis crew members, mind-meld with them, and bring them under Teero's control. Teero was not able to implement his plan at the time, since Chakotay's raider was lost in the Badlands shortly thereafter. ( VOY : " Repression ")

Voyager and the Val Jean in the Delta Quadrant

Following a battle with the Cardassian warship Vetar , the Val Jean was pulled to the Delta Quadrant by the entity known as the Caretaker . The Caretaker wanted to examine the Maquis to determine whether or not they were sporocystian lifeforms as he was, since he was dying and needed a lifeform similar to himself to care for the Ocampan people. Just one week later, the Intrepid -class USS Voyager , under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway , left Deep Space 9 to pursue Chakotay's ship. It was also transported to the Delta Quadrant, suffering heavy casualties in the process. Captain Janeway invited Chakotay aboard; although he was angered to learn that Tuvok was really Janeway's security officer , he cooperated with Voyager to search for B'Elanna Torres, his Maquis engineer, and Harry Kim , the Starfleet ensign assigned to operations aboard Voyager . The two crewmembers were found, but Voyager and the Val Jean were attacked by the Kazon-Ogla , a sect of the Kazon race which claimed the Ocampan homeworld as its territory. Outgunned, Chakotay decided to transport his crew to Voyager and ram one of the Kazon carrier vessel with the Val Jean , inflicting serious damage and tipping the battle in favor of Voyager . The Caretaker died around the same time, leaving his array open to plunder by the Kazon. Rather than use the array to transport Voyager home, Captain Janeway ordered it destroyed in order to protect the Ocampa, which Chakotay agreed with. ( VOY : " Caretaker ")

B'Elanna Torres aboard the Val Jean

Because of this decision, she offered the Maquis provisional Starfleet commissions. She and Chakotay agreed the two crews would need to cooperate and learn to trust one another in order to return to the Alpha Quadrant . Chakotay became her first officer , as Voyager 's original first officer had been killed, and Chakotay already had Starfleet and command experience. However, Janeway was hesitant to assign senior positions to any of the other Maquis, especially those who had not previously completed Starfleet training. The first conflict was seen when Chakotay recommended the ill-tempered B'Elanna Torres, a Starfleet Academy dropout, to replace the deceased chief engineer over Lieutenant Joe Carey , who was the assistant engineer and next in line for promotion. Janeway balked, believing that Torres was too untrained and hostile for the position. Some of the Maquis indicated a willingness to rebel against Janeway and take over the ship, although Chakotay immediately chastised them. However, Chakotay challenged Janeway's authority by calling for Torres in engineering during a crisis. Later, Torres showed her great skill after working with Janeway to develop a resolution to the crisis, and Janeway decided that promoting Torres over Carey was an important sign of trust. Carey grudgingly accepted Torres as the new chief engineer, but he was gracious, congratulated her and pledged the entirety of his skill under her direction, which was an important early step in the Starfleet-Maquis cooperation aboard the ship. ( VOY : " Parallax ")

The "holonovel" Insurrection Alpha

Any residual hostility between the two crews quickly vanished, and confrontations were isolated. Tuvok began development of a holodeck training simulation called Insurrection Alpha , which would train his Starfleet security officers to deal with a possible Maquis mutiny, but he abandoned work on the holoprogram only a few weeks after Voyager became stranded in the Delta Quadrant; the crews were integrating so well together that he feared his program would spark off the very mutiny he was trying to prevent. ( VOY : " Worst Case Scenario ") Some Maquis crewmembers were still unused to working in a Starfleet environment, and with Chakotay's support, Tuvok designed a training regimen to make them accustomed to Starfleet protocol, although it took a near-death experience to encourage them to work together properly. ( VOY : " Learning Curve ") Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay became close friends and confidantes; by 2373 , she felt he was the most invaluable member of her crew. ( VOY : " Scorpion ") Despite the cooperation, Starfleet still believed that the Maquis were a liability, and requested their "status" once Voyager began receiving and transmitting data streams to the Alpha Quadrant thanks to the Pathfinder Project . Janeway was stunned and felt a little insulted on behalf of the Maquis part of her crew, as she considered them full members of her crew rather than untrustworthy passengers, although Chakotay assured her these attitudes would be common and an issue that Voyager would eventually need to confront. ( VOY : " Life Line ")

Seska, a Cardassian infiltrator to the Maquis

Their trust in one another was not without its tests; in 2376 , Voyager crewmember and former Borg drone Seven of Nine began experimenting with a cortical processing subunit to increase her efficiency in processing information. The device malfunctioned, and Seven began to link random events together into an extravagant conspiracy theory. One theory, revealed to Chakotay, involved the Federation and the Cardassians cooperating to establish a military presence in the Delta Quadrant, using a tetryon reactor taken from the Caretaker's array and a catapult designed by an alien named Tash . Another theory, told to Janeway, implicated Chakotay as the leader of a resurrected Maquis rebellion which would use the catapult to strike Federation and Cardassian targets. Janeway and Chakotay began to regard one another with suspicion, but after examining Seven's alcove and her data, they realized that her claims were far-fetched. They mutually decided not to make mention of their temporary paranoia in their logs. ( VOY : " The Voyager Conspiracy ")

Consolidating strength [ ]

Back in the Alpha Quadrant, the Maquis managed to not only survive, but to expand their influence and consolidate their position inside the Demilitarized Zone in the two years following the Orias incident. The Maquis' good fortune came in large part thanks to massive upheavals inside the Cardassian Union. Following the destruction of the Obsidian Order the previous year ( DS9 : " The Die is Cast "), the Cardassian dissident movement managed to overthrow the Central Command and place power in the civilian Detapa Council .

The situation in the Demilitarized Zone changed drastically with the sudden onset of the Klingon-Cardassian War in early 2372 . The Klingon Empire launched a major assault against the Cardassian Union, acting under the belief that the recent revolution had been engineered by the Dominion. The Klingon invasion led to the occupation of more than a dozen outlying colonies, the destruction of a large portion of the Cardassian fleet, and massive damage to the Union's industrial infrastructure. ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ", " Rules of Engagement ")

With the Cardassians' eye turned inward and their military reduced to a third-rate power, the Maquis had nearly free rein in the DMZ. Additionally, the Klingons formed a secret, informal alliance with the Maquis. Aside from providing material assistance, the Klingons also provided the Maquis with thirty class-4 Cloaking devices to mount on their ships. ( DS9 : " Blaze of Glory ")

Leadership of Michael Eddington [ ]

Michael Eddington, after his defection to the Maquis in 2372

The Maquis' greatest victories came under the leadership of Michael Eddington . Eddington was a former Starfleet officer, a Lieutenant Commander assigned to command the Starfleet security detachment stationed on DS9. In late 2372, Eddington defected to the Maquis, taking with him a shipment of 12 industrial replicators that were part of a Federation relief shipment bound for Cardassia Prime. In executing his plan, Eddington exploited the pro-Maquis sympathies of the crew of the freighter Xhosa under the command of Kasidy Yates , using a smuggling run that the Xhosa was engaged in to distract Starfleet from Eddington's true purpose. ( DS9 : " For the Cause ")

With Cardassia reduced to a third-rate power after the Klingon invasion, combined with the able leadership of Eddington, by early 2373 the Maquis were actively planning to openly declare their colonies an independent nation within the territory of the DMZ. ( DS9 : " Blaze of Glory ")

In 2373 , the Maquis attacked two Bolian freighters carrying selenium and rhodium nitrite . Using the materials from those captured cargos, the Maquis created a large cache of cobalt diselenide – a biogenic agent deadly to Cardassians. Eddington attacked the Cardassian colonies on Veloz Prime and Quatal Prime , poisoning the biospheres and making the planets uninhabitable for Cardassians. The Maquis announced their intention to "reclaim" those planets for themselves, and to launch similar attacks against all other Cardassian colonies inside the Demilitarized Zone.

Solosos III poisoned by the USS Defiant

At the same time, Starfleet was vigilantly but fruitlessly pursuing Eddington, seeking to bring him to justice for his treason . Eddington attacked and disabled both the USS Defiant and the USS Malinche in separate engagements. Thus provoked, Captain Sisko launched his own offensive inside the DMZ, in an attempt to capture Eddington. Sisko attacked the Maquis colony on Solosos III , using trilithium resin to poison the planet's atmosphere and make it uninhabitable for Humans for the next fifty years. Sisko then announced his intention to poison every single Maquis colony in order to end the Maquis threat. Horrified, Eddington turned over the remaining biogenic weapons and surrendered himself to Starfleet in order to prevent such an attack. ( DS9 : " For the Uniform ")

Sudden death [ ]

Captain Sisko and Michael Eddington survey the aftermath of a massacre of the Maquis by the Jem'Hadar

Barely a month later, Gul Dukat made the startling announcement that the Cardassian Union had agreed to become a part of the Dominion. The Cardassian military was immediately augmented by a large fleet of Jem'Hadar warships that entered the Alpha Quadrant through the Bajoran wormhole .

Dukat, as the new leader of Cardassia, announced a grand offensive against all of Cardassia's enemies, primarily the Klingons and the Maquis. Dukat vowed not only to kill every Klingon in Cardassian territory, but also to eliminate every last Maquis colony inside Cardassian territory within the space of three days. With the Jem'Hadar as allies, the Cardassians made good on that threat. Ignoring the treaty's restrictions, they launched a massive invasion of the Demilitarized Zone, rapidly and efficiently wiping out every Maquis colony. The Maquis attempted to put up a valiant fight, but the small raiders and fighters they possessed were hardly a match for the fearsome Jem'Hadar attack ships . ( DS9 : " By Inferno's Light ")

In the aftermath of the Cardassian and Dominion offensive, only small pockets of Maquis remained, isolated and completely impotent. Aside from those Maquis who had been captured by the Federation and imprisoned, the largest group of survivors were from Eddington's former cell on Athos IV – and even then, only a few dozen members managed to survive, usually ending up in Federation prisons. ( DS9 : " Blaze of Glory "; VOY : " Hunters ")

Maquis crewmembers of USS Voyager

The only large group of (former) Maquis remaining were aboard Voyager . When Seven of Nine learned how to use an ancient Hirogen communications network to contact the Alpha Quadrant in 2374 , they learned that all the Maquis had been slaughtered, and that they and a few in Federation prisons were the only remaining former Maquis who survived. One of Chakotay's old friends, Sveta , wrote him a letter from prison explaining the situation. ( VOY : " Hunters ") The news was met with mixed emotions. Engineer B'Elanna Torres discovered that she felt no overwhelming pain over the death of some of her closest friends, and began running dangerous holodeck programs without the safety protocols in order to inflict physical pain on herself in order to assuage her feelings of guilt. She eventually dealt with the feelings by helping the Voyager crew on a daring mission to rescue a multi-spatial probe aboard the newly-built Delta Flyer . ( VOY : " Extreme Risk ")

The Maquis in control of Voyager

Some former rebels in the Alpha Quadrant escaped capture, including Teero Anaydis. Teero refused to let the idea of the Maquis die, and discovery of Voyager safe in the Delta Quadrant gave him an opportunity to try and resurrect the rebellion through his mind control plan from six years prior. In 2377 , Teero intercepted a message from Tuvok's son, Sek , and implanted a subliminal message which forced Tuvok to recall Teero's experiments. Tuvok began attacking the Maquis crewmembers and gave them subconscious instructions from Teero through a mind-meld. The Maquis eventually took control of Voyager and nearly stranded its Starfleet crew on a planet in the Delta Quadrant. However, Tuvok was able to regain mental control and use another mind-meld to remove Teero's influence from the Maquis crew. ( VOY : " Repression ")

In 2381 , upon learning that a group of ensigns from Delta shift sought to alter the USS Cerritos 's computer in order to gain a prestigious room, Ensign Beckett Mariner complained, wishing they would "go join the Maquis", suggesting that they should go die horribly. ( LD : " Room for Growth ") Later that year, following Nick Locarno 's introduction of Nova Fleet as " the first totally independent unaligned fleet in the Alpha Quadrant!, " Brad Boimler muttered, " Um, the Maquis would like a word. " ( LD : " Old Friends, New Planets ")

• See : List of Maquis personnel

Ship classes used by the Maquis [ ]

• Apollo -class (stolen)
• Bajoran interceptor
• Bajoran raider
• Defiant -class (stolen)
• Federation attack fighter
• Galador freighter
• Maquis fighter
• Maquis freighter
• Maquis raider
• Peregrine -class

Ships used by the Maquis [ ]

• Alpha Seven
• Unnamed Maquis ships

Maquis worlds [ ]

• Quatal Prime
• Veloz Prime

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

Every episode of Voyager features the Maquis because a quarter of the crew are Maquis, thus the Voyager list contains only Maquis-centered episodes.

• " Journey's End " (depicts beginning of Maquis)
• " Preemptive Strike "
• " The Maquis, Part I "
• " The Maquis, Part II "
• " Tribunal "
• " Defiant "
• " Heart of Stone " (the Maquis are a minor plot point here, but important enough to count)
• " For the Cause "
• " For the Uniform "
• " Blaze of Glory "
• " Caretaker "
• " Parallax "
• " Learning Curve "
• " Dreadnought "
• " Worst Case Scenario "
• " Extreme Risk "
• " Repression "

Other episodes of TNG, DS9, and VOY contribute to the Maquis story line but these are the episodes in which the Maquis actually appear and/or are an important plot point.

Background information [ ]

The notion of the Maquis was conceived by the end of July 1993 . They were originally imagined as rebellious "misfits" who partly made up the crew complement of the (not yet named) USS Voyager and were "stuck with" the Starfleet officers on board. ( Star Trek: Voyager - A Vision of the Future , pp. 174-175) Ronald D. Moore noted, " The Maquis were definitely created for Voyager." ( AOL chat , 1997 ) Jeri Taylor offered, " We knew that we wanted to include a renegade element in Voyager , and that the show would involve [...] these idealistic freedom fighters that the Federation felt were outlaws. " Hence, the creation of the Maquis proceeded from the Voyager creators' goal "to have some people who are quite different from the Starfleet Human types we see all the time," in the words of Michael Piller . ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 134)) In fact, Moore said, " The initial idea for Voyager was that the Maquis who joined the crew would not put on the Starfleet uniforms. Michael lost that fight. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 352) Additionally, Moore clarified, " The whole premise of the Maquis was that it was attracting legitimate, upstanding officers. " ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 28, p. 14)

The Maquis were named after the French resistance group during World War II . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 290); Star Trek Encyclopedia  (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 18); Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 134)) Their insignia was designed by Jim Magdaleno . ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 1 , p. 67) Incidentally, some of Voyager 's Maquis crew were later forced into a Hirogen holodeck simulation of the resistance.

The decision to establish the Maquis in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was soon made. " In order to avoid having some burdensome backstory and exposition in Voyager 's pilot, we decided we could plant the idea of the Maquis in the shows that were already on the air, " related Jeri Taylor. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 134))

The origins of the Maquis can be traced to TNG : " Journey's End ". ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 28, p. 12) That episode was originally to have included TNG's first reference to the Maquis by name. Eventually, however, the group became a colony of American Indians, with the idea of including the direct reference to the Maquis being dropped. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (3rd ed., p. 290)) Ronald D. Moore commented, " When I was working on 'Journey's End', Michael [Piller] told me quite explicitly about their plans for the role of the Maquis on Voyager and that he wanted 'Journey' to show the roots of the Maquis even though they would later be named on DS9. " ( AOL chat , 1997 )

The process of installing the Maquis into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was initiated by Michael Piller. " Michael said do the Maquis [on DS9], and we started doing them, " recalled writing staffer Ira Steven Behr . Shortly thereafter, establishing the Maquis became the inspiration for the writing of a Deep Space Nine two-parter. Piller himself commented, " This turned out to provide a wealth of story material for us on DS9 in the second half of the second season . " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 72) The group made its bona fide on-screen debut in the first half of the two-parter, the eponymous DS9 episode " The Maquis, Part I ".

Upon devising the DS9 Season 3 installment " Defiant ", the DS9 writing staff was inspired by the notion of the Maquis becoming somewhat improved. " Early on [in the year] we had played with the idea [...] that we would suddenly notice that the Maquis was getting a lot better out there and kicking some serious butt, " explained Ronald D. Moore, who wrote "Defiant". ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 87) He also said, " The initial notion was that the Maquis were getting tougher, but we didn't know why. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 190)) The answer was that the Maquis were being led and tactically bettered by recently defected former Starfleet officer Thomas Riker , who was their general. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 98; Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 87) After Ira Behr suggested an addition to the story might involve Tom Riker visiting Deep Space 9, Moore asked himself what the Maquis might want there, quickly deciding on them stealing the starship Defiant . ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 190))

In "Caretaker", the Maquis aboard the USS Voyager donned Starfleet uniforms, due to Michael Piller having lost the debate over whether they should do so. " Depending on your point of view, " Ronald D. Moore pointed out, " [that] was or wasn't a huge mistake. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 352) It was clear that, in Moore's opinion, the rapid assimilation of the Maquis into the USS Voyager 's crew started the vessel seeming to become essentially identical to any other ship in Starfleet. " By the end of the pilot, you have the Maquis in those Starfleet uniforms, and – boom – we've begun the grand homogenization, " he critiqued. [1]

Aside from the Maquis on Voyager being personified in the main characters of Chakotay and B'Elanna Torres , the Star Trek: Voyager Bible proclaimed, " We assume that some twenty more have come on board and can be used from time to time in stories. " [2] Although Star Trek: Voyager initially featured tensions motivated by the Maquis on board the ship, no long-term plans were made for developing the Maquis on the series, with each of their appearances instead dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Also, the Maquis were soon written in such a way as to no longer cause friction or question the authority aboard the ship. " The people who were doing that began to sound like whiners, " complained Jeri Taylor. Ultimately, the potential conflict posed by the Maquis on Voyager wasn't made a vital part of the series. " When we couldn't find a fresh way to develop it, " Taylor remembered, " then we decided it was time for it to go away. " Piller added, " Personally I would have liked to use it for longer, but it seemed pretty clear from the get-go that Rick (Berman) and the studio felt that the fans were unhappy with the amount of conflict on Deep Space Nine , and they would be more welcoming into their homes of crew members who got along rather than were in constant conflict. " ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 28, pp. 15 & 16) Regarding Berman, Ron Moore reflected, " He really thought that Gene (Roddenberry) wouldn't have liked the whole Maquis story line. I know that Michael and Rick had a lot of arguments about that – the whole thing with the rebellion against what the Federation was doing with the Bajorans and the colonists and the Cardassians. Michael really liked it. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 352) In addition, Moore observed, " From the get-go they (the Maquis) are supposed to be the anti-Starfleet people. They behave exactly like the Starfleet people with the occasional nod towards B'Elanna ( Roxann Dawson ) making a snide remark about Starfleet protocols, or Chakotay ( Robert Beltran ) getting a little quasi-spiritual. " Moore even imagined that, if the starship Voyager returned to Earth prior to the conclusion of the series, " All the Maquis people [would] take regular commissions in Starfleet. " [3]

Arguably, the Maquis were focused on more in Deep Space Nine than in Voyager , despite having been conceived for the latter series. Michael Piller said, "DS9 is the true inheritor of the Maquis since there is no long-term benefit to them on Voyager." ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 72)

In DS9 Season 4 offering " For the Cause ", the Maquis were further developed, revealing that recurring characters Michael Eddington and Kasidy Yates were members of the group. " We wanted to remind people that the Maquis are still around, because they're part of our franchise, " explained Robert Hewitt Wolfe . ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 119) Mark Gehred-O'Connell , who devised the story of "For the Cause", elaborated, " The series hadn't done anything with the Maquis all season, and the producers wanted to reintroduce them. This seemed like a good episode for that. " During the episode's development, Ronald D. Moore wanted to reveal that the Maquis were now in cahoots with the Klingon Empire, though this subplot was later dropped. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 340)) Moore, who wrote the script of "For the Cause", counted the fact that the installment simply "brought the Maquis back into the show" as one of the episode's merits. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 28, No. 4/5, p. 62) Similarly, Ira Steven Behr commented, " I thought it made the Maquis interesting. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 119)

Ira Behr chose to bring an end to the Maquis because he felt there were too many open story threads leading into Deep Space Nine 's sixth season . In hindsight, he explained, " We were just desperate to finish something off. We had to finish a threat. It was necessary. So I told the writers, 'We are going to end something and not hear about it again.' " Behr actually wanted to officially kill off every single member of the Maquis, apart from those aboard Voyager , in DS9's fifth season with " Blaze of Glory ". Rick Berman disallowed their complete decimation in case the creative staff of Star Trek: Voyager wanted to use them again later. Nonetheless, as far as the DS9 writers were concerned, the Maquis story arc was finished. ( Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection , issue 28, p. 17) " 'Blaze of Glory' is [...] although they don't want us to say this on Voyager , the death knell of the Maquis [....] [The VOY writing staff] don't want us to say that the Maquis are utterly and completely destroyed, " commented Robert Wolfe. " The only Maquis left by the end of this show are basically the ones who are off in the Delta Quadrant. We put in a little line at the end saying that there might be more Maquis out there, who knows? They just didn't want us to say that the Maquis had been wiped out to the last man. I can understand that they have characters who are Maquis who believe in something, and that they don't want to say that they have nothing left at home. Part of it is that they're trying to get back to fight for their cause. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, Nos. 6/7, p. 51) Ultimately, almost a year after "Blaze of Glory", the Voyager writers acknowledged the death of nearly all the Maquis in the episode " Hunters " with Chakotay's letter from the Alpha Quadrant, which reveals that only a handful of the Maquis are still alive and the few survivors are in prison.

Concerning Federation policy with regard to the Maquis, Ronald D. Moore explained:

" I know you. I was like you once, but then I opened my eyes. Open your eyes, captain. Why is the Federation so obsessed with the Maquis? We've never harmed you. And yet we're constantly arrested and charged with terrorism. Starships chase us through the Badlands and our supporters are harassed and ridiculed. Why? Because we've left the Federation, and that's the one thing you can't accept. Nobody leaves paradise. Everyone should want to be in the Federation. Hell, you even want the Cardassians to join. You're only sending them replicators because one day they can take their 'rightful place' on the Federation Council. You know, in some ways you're even worse than the Borg. At least they tell you about their plans for assimilation. You're more insidious. You assimilate people and they don't even know it. "

Journalist Lou Anders described the Maquis as "one of the most ambiguous, uncomfortable, and interesting elements Star Trek has ever produced" as well as "a bold choice that paid off big." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Official Poster Magazine , issue 0, "Across Four Seasons")

Apocrypha [ ]

In the " Voyager relaunch" novels Homecoming and The Farther Shore , it was revealed that most of the Maquis contingent on the ship had accepted a Federation offer of full amnesty, and had opted to rejoin Starfleet and assist in the massive recovery operations needed after the war against the Dominion. Further, Admiral Paris mentions that during the Dominion War ; the surviving resistance members of the Maquis were offered and accepted amnesty due to the shortage of experienced officers because of causalities suffered during the war. Consequently, these individuals were accepted back into Starfleet.

External link [ ]

• Maquis at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Jul 20, 2022

Everything You Need to Know About Star Trek: Voyager's Seska

A guide to one of Voyager’s most ferocious foes!

StarTrek.com

The crew of the U.S.S. Voyager faced a variety of foes during their journey home. External threats came from the Borg and the Kazon , but one of the show’s most memorable came from their own crew!

Seska joined the crew as part of the Maquis ship Val Jean when their fighters were brought onboard at the start of the series. However, Seska’s own secrets led to her partnering with the Kazon to try and betray the Voyager crew and Captain Janeway . As she faces off against The Diviner in this week’s round of the Villain Showdown , we’re diving into Seska’s exploits throughout her time on the series.

Seska’s Secrets

Seska’s first appearances showed her to be a Bajoran woman, but she was hiding her true identity. She was, in fact, a Cardassian operative disguised as a Bajoran fighter who had infiltrated the Val Jean . She and Chakotay previously had a romantic connection while she was undercover, using their relationship to get information to report to her Cardassian superiors.

This isn’t the first time that a character has undergone surgery to appear as a different alien species. There are plenty of examples from across the franchise, including notably in the Deep Space Nine episode “ Second Skin ,” when Kira Nerys is kidnapped by Cardassians and gaslit into believing she is a Cardassian operative.

Aboard Voyager

Seska made it clear to Chakotay when they were onboard the Voyager that she would support a Maquis mutiny to take over the ship. Still disguised as a Bajoran, she expressed disapproval of Starfleet and their procedures. She and her close friend B’Elanna Torres were both assigned to Engineering by Janeway; but as B’Elanna became part of the Voyager family, Seska never fully acclimated.

In the episode “ Prime Factors ,” she and several other crew members attempted to steal spatial trajector technology from the Sikarians; when that plan failed, Seska attempted to lie to Janeway about what happened. However, B’Elanna held her back, stating she didn’t want to lie— this signaled a fracturing of their friendship.

Eventually, Seska collaborated with the Kazon, offering them replicator technology in exchange for their help. In the episode “ State of Flux ,” her Cardassian background was discovered by The Doctor . Though she tried to lie and cover up her past, she ultimately revealed the truth when confronted by Chakotay, then escaped to a Kazon ship.

As part of the Kazon, Seska became a consort of First Maje Culluh, having a child with him. She continued to aid the Kazon in their attacks on the Voyager until she died.

At one point following her death, Chakotay traveled through time due to temporal distortions and discovered Seska and other Kazon trying to take over the ship through Engineering in the year 2370. Upon learning her fate, Seska tried to change the course of history to ensure the Kazon’s victory and her own survival. However, they were defeated and her memory of the incident was wiped.

Seska appeared in 13 episodes of Voyager. Her trickery and cunning made her a worthy adversary of the crew. Will she emerge victorious in a showdown with The Diviner? Vote for your favorite and check back next week for the winner!

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

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Star Trek: Who Is The Caretaker?

Star Trek: Voyager begins by stranding its crew in unknown space. But who brought it there, and why?

Though its reception remains mixed to this day , there's no denying that the premise of Star Trek: Voyager is unique within the franchise. The titular ship is stranded in the Delta quadrant, and must make the arduous journey home. Under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway, the ship encounters previously unknown species, fends off the fearsome Borg, and more.

But for Voyager to end up in the Delta quadrant in the first place, it had to be transported over 70,000 light years from Federation space , which required technology far beyond anything Starfleet had. That technology lay in the hands of the Caretaker, the alien being responsible for bringing not only Voyager, but several other ships, to the Delta quadrant against their will. Who was this being, and what did he want with Voyager's crew?

RELATED: Star Trek: Why Voyager Deserves More Credit Than It Gets

How Was Voyager Transported To The Delta Quadrant?

The show's first episode, "Caretaker," opens with Voyager chasing a ship belonging to Maquis rebels , which disappeared in an area known as the Badlands. Surrounded by plasma storms, Voyager is hit by a mysterious force that causes massive damage. With several crewmembers dead, they find that they are somehow 70,000 light years away from their previous position. The Maquis ship that disappeared is close by. The only clue is a strange array, floating in space before them.

As they tend their injuries and damage, the crew is suddenly transported inside the array, where they find themselves in a holographic simulation of a gathering on a farm. Exploring the environment, they stumble onto a strange medical bay, at which point the holograms in the simulation knock them out.

The crew wakes up, somehow back on Voyager — but Ensign Harry Kim is missing. Hailing the Maquis, Janeway discovers that they are missing a crew member as well, half-Klingon B'Elanna Torres . Janeway and the Maquis commander, Chakotay, form an alliance to track down their missing people. The first step is to revisit the array and gather information.

The simulation is still active, but the only person remaining is an old man with a banjo, sitting on a bench. He's almost annoyed to see them having returned, and speaks cryptically when Janeway questions him. He insists that he cannot return those he captured, repeating "There's no time." He tells Janeway and the others: "You don't have what I need, but they might," and transports them back to Voyager.

The Caretaker and the Ocampa

Meanwhile, Harry and B'Elanna wake up in a hospital in a subterranean city. The inhabitants introduce themselves as the Ocampa, and explain that an entity they call the Caretaker has watched over them for hundreds of generations. When environmental disaster struck their planet , the Caretaker led them to their new home. He provides them with food, water, and power, though he never communicates directly. Recently, he has been sending alien people to the Ocampa — all of whom have the same mysterious illness which has also taken hold of Harry and B'Elanna.

Though it's not stated outright, it's clear that the Ocampa hold the Caretaker in the same reverence as a deity. The elders among the Ocampa dedicate themselves to interpreting the Caretaker's wishes, and those who oppose the Caretaker's supposed "plan" are chastised and disciplined. Essentially, those who go against the Caretaker's will are branded as heretics — and the audience meets one such Ocampa shortly.

The Caretaker's Dissenters

Janeway enlists the help of a scavenger named Neelix, who uses Voyager's resources to rescue his Ocampan girlfriend Kes from the hostile Kazon. Between Kes and Neelix , Janeway learns about the Caretaker and his abductions. Recalling the words of the old man in the array, it is clear that he is this Caretaker, but his goals and what he "needs" from Harry and B'Elanna remain unclear.

Kes takes the captain and her team into the city. There, she confronts one of the elders, defending her heretical views. Kes resents how dependent her people have become on their distant god, diminishing their telepathic abilities and preventing them from thinking for themselves. That's why she went to the surface, and that's why she's determined to help the captives break free. But just as they find Harry and B'Elanna, weapon strikes from the array begin to hit the planet, sealing off the conduits to the Ocampan city. It's a close call, but everyone manages to make it back to Voyager.

But all is not over yet. The array is still firing its weapons, and now the hostile Kazon are closing in to take the array and its technology for themselves. Knowing that the array is the only way home, Janeway beams back over. She finds the old man with his banjo once more, and finally gets the full story.

The Caretaker's Story

The Caretaker reveals that he is a being from a distant galaxy, who came across the Ocampan world on a mission of exploration. However, his people's technology proved destructive, resulting in the environmental cataclysm that rendered the surface barely habitable. The Caretaker and one other were chosen to stay behind and look after the Ocampa, but his partner abandoned him long ago. The Caretaker refers to "a debt that can never be repaid": he can never make up for destroying the Ocampa's home world, but the best he could do was try to keep them safe.

But now, the Caretaker is dying. After his death, he can no longer provide the Ocampa with resources. He reveals that B'Elanna and Harry were not inflicted with an illness; rather, their condition was a result of their bodies rejecting his genetic code. In an attempt to procreate, the Caretaker has been implanting his DNA in those he abducts, before sending them to the Ocampa. Among the people on Voyager and the Maquis ship, only the two of them could potentially host his offspring. But like all his previous attempts, this one failed. The Caretaker has no successor, and he believes that the Ocampa are doomed without him.

Janeway has a heart-to-heart with the Caretaker, echoing Kes' sentiments about the Ocampa's right to freedom — but appealing to his compassion for them as well. She tells him that children need to grow up, to learn to fend for themselves. He takes her words to heart, but has one last request. If the Kazon take control of the array, as they are attempting to do, they will wipe out the Ocampa. His children will never have the chance to make it on their own. As he dies, the Caretaker begs Janeway to destroy the array, preventing the Ocampa from subjugation by a much crueler master.

It's not an easy decision. Janeway must either surrender a race of innocent people to their enemies, or destroy her crew's route home. Her security officer Tuvok suggests that the Prime Directive would dictate that they do not interfere , but Janeway can't stand by. They're already involved in events here, willingly or not. And so with Voyager's weapons, she destroys the Caretaker's array, fulfilling his dying wish and stranding her crew 75 years from home.

Is The Caretaker A Villain?

The Caretaker was a god to the Ocampa. Some saw him as a benefactor; others, as an oppressor. It would be easy to perceive him as cruel : he abducted and killed hundreds, using sentient beings as lab rats. But the Caretaker's drastic measures were those of desperate man. He was desperate to atone for something he felt was unforgivable; desperate to protect the people in his care. But as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Most Star Trek viewers remember the Caretaker as the one responsible for stranding Voyager in the Delta quadrant, but there's more to him than that. Just like the main characters of Star Trek , he too was an explorer. He, too, sought out new worlds. And when disaster struck, he did his best to take responsibility. But once he's gone, it's time for the Ocampa to take care of themselves — and for Voyager to find its own way home.

MORE: Best Episodes Of Star Trek: Voyager

Screen Rant

Tuvok's voyager & star trek history explained.

Tuvok's Starfleet career goes beyond the USS Voyager, and here's his Star Trek timeline from the USS Excelsior to Star Trek: Picard's 25th Century.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 7 - "Dominion" Tuvok (Tim Russ) has an extensive history in the Star Trek universe both before and after Star Trek: Voyager 's timeline. Tuvok was the closest friend and a trusted advisor of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) during their time navigating the Delta Quadrant aboard the USS Voyager. Janeway's loyalty to Tuvok led her to make the controversial decision to end the life of Tuvix (Tom Wright), the hybridized version of Tuvok and Neelix (Ethan Phillips) created by a transporter malfunction.

Janeway was the second legendary Star Trek captain that Tuvok served under during his Starfleet career, which stretches from the 23rd to the 25th centuries. This time span rivals that of the USS Enterprise's Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who continued to play an integral role in Federation politics after he resigned his Starfleet commission. As revealed in Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 7 , Tuvok continues to serve in Starfleet in the 25th century, but has been captured and replaced by a Changeling infiltrator, with his whereabouts currently unknown. Here is Tuvok's Star Trek history, from the early days of his Starfleet career to his capture by the Changelings.

RELATED: Voyager's Tuvok Was Almost TNG's Geordi

Tuvok In Star Trek's 22nd Century

Tuvok's first Starfleet posting was aboard the USS Excelsior, commanded by Captain Hiraku Sulu (George Takei), and the Vulcan was present during the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Despite being a junior Science Officer, Tuvok strongly objected to Sulu ignoring Starfleet orders to rescue his friends Captain James T Kirk (William Shatner) and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley). In later years, perhaps influenced by his experiences aboard the USS Voyager, Tuvok reflected that he had possibly been wrong to object to Sulu's actions.

After spending three years on the Excelsior, Tuvok had grown tired of interacting with Humans, whom he believed were egocentric and intent on making the universe more like them. As a young Vulcan, Tuvok had been pressured into joining Starfleet by his parents, and he had a negative experience. Tuvok resigned from Starfleet and returned to Vulcan in 2296. For fifty years, he taught archery at the Vulcan Institute for the Defensive Arts, prepared for an aborted attempt to undergo the kolinahr ritual, married T'Pel (Marva Hicks), and became a father to four children.

Tuvok In Star Trek: Voyager

By 2349, raising four children made Tuvok better appreciate the struggles that his own parents had experienced, and he decided the time was right to return to Starfleet. Tuvok felt that he could learn more about Humans and other species by serving as a security officer in Starfleet. He worked his way up the ranks from an Ensign on the USS Wyoming to an instructor at Starfleet Academy. Tuvok's strict adherence to Starfleet security protocols led him to embarrass Kathryn Janeway in front of three Starfleet admirals on their first meeting after she failed to observe the proper protocol.

Despite this, Tuvok and Janeway became friends, and she often looked to him for advice throughout her Starfleet career. Janeway selected Tuvok to be her security officer on the USS Voyager around the same time that he was sent to infiltrate the Maquis terrorist organization. It was during this covert mission that Tuvok and the crew of the Maquis ship, the Val Jean, went missing in the Badlands, requiring Voyager to investigate. This investigation led Voyager to the Delta Quadrant and the eventual merging of the Maquis and Starfleet crews as they set out to return home. Tuvok went further than any Vulcan had ever gone before, continuing the legacy of those historic Vulcans that helped prepare Humanity for space travel.

RELATED: Voyager's Maquis Becoming Starfleet Right Away Was A Mistake

Tuvok played an integral role in turning his former Maquis comrades into Starfleet officers, drawing on his formidable record as an instructor at Starfleet Academy. As Janeway's Chief of Security, Tuvok was often called upon to investigate crimes committed aboard Voyager and consulted on how best to punish the guilty parties given how far away they were from Federation space. One of Star Trek: Voyager 's most interesting characters , Lon Suder (Brad Dourif), was a Betazoid murderer, whom Tuvok attempted to rehabilitate by reconciling his violent tendencies during a mind meld.

Tuvok used a Vulcan mind meld to assist Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) to finally sever her connection from the Borg Collective, and he also attempted to stabilize the increasingly dangerous psychic powers of Kes (Jennifer Lien), to no avail. In the final year of Voyager's journey through the Delta Quadrant, Tuvok was part of Janeway's dangerous mission to implant a pathogen inside the shared mind of the Borg Collective by willingly accepting assimilation alongside Janeway and Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson). Tuvok's experiences as a father also helped him to advise Lieutenant Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) on his own impending fatherhood.

Tuvok In Star Trek: Lower Decks

In the Star Trek: Voyager finale, "Endgame", it was revealed that Tuvok had contracted a degenerative neurological condition that could only be cured by a mind meld with a family member. Stranded in the Delta Quadrant, it was likely that he wouldn't arrive back in the Alpha Quadrant in time. Thankfully, Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant after seven years, and Tuvok continued his Starfleet career after returning to the Alpha Quadrant.

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 revealed that Starfleet promoted Tuvok after S tar Trek: Voyager . Commander Tuvok assisted with the exoneration of Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) when she was framed for bombing Pakled Planet. It was Tuvok who extracted the information that the holorecording of Freeman's attack had been falsified. Hilariously, and typically for Lower Decks , this heroic tale of espionage involving Tuvok and Captain Morgan Bateson (Kelsey Grammer) took place while the Lower Deckers were busy trying to steal the USS Cerritos to launch their own rescue mission.

Tuvok In Star Trek: Picard Season 3

Captain Tuvok appears in Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 7, as Seven reaches out to her former friend for help locating Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes). However, there's a heartbreaking twist as it's revealed Tuvok is a Changeling imposter. The Tuvok Changeling taunts Seven and the crew of the USS Titan-A by saying that, while Tuvok is still alive, he'll pray for death once the Changelings' plans for Frontier Day are enacted. It's possible, therefore, that the real Tuvok may appear in the Star Trek: Picard season 3 finale, rescued from the Changelings by Seven.

Tuvok's appearance in Star Trek: Picard season 3 is the second time that the Vulcan has been name-checked in the spinoff series. In Picard season 2's Confederation reality , Tuvok's name appears in an intelligence report that reveals his role in the dark Star Trek timeline. He's listed as a Fleet Commander, and the leader of the Vulcan Defense Forces during the Confederation's war against the Vulcans. Like his Vulcan forebear Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Tuvok continues to have a rich history beyond Star Trek: Voyager in multiple timelines.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

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Star Trek: Voyager

• While pursuing the trail of Maquis rebels, a newly commissioned Starfleet ship gets pulled to the far side of the galaxy.
• Both the Voyager crew and the Maquis have to deal with the powerful alien - the Caretaker - who transported them 70,000 light-years across the galaxy, to see if he will send them back home. At the same time, a group of warrior aliens called the Kazon strive to gain control of the Caretaker's space station and become the most powerful force in the region. — Tony-B4
• Captain Janeway is sent on her first mission as Captain off the USS Voyager, a Starfleet Intrepid-class vessel. There mission is to find out what happened to a small maquis ship on which captain Janeway's chief of security, Lieutenant Tuvok, has infiltrated. The crew begins tracking the ship by starting at their last known location and tracking their engine emissions. This leads them into a very turbulent and unpredictable area of space known as the Bad Lands. Whilst still tracking the missing maquis ship, Voyager is pulled in to an unknown anomaly which transports them to the Delta Quadrant, 75,000 light years from home on the other side of the galaxy. As if thay weren't bad enough, many crew members are seriously injured or killed during the trip including Voyager's first officer, doctor, Nurse and Chief Engineer. After stopping a potential breach of the warp core, the entire crew of the USS Voyager is transported to a large array-like device. On board, a suitable environment is created for them to wait, however being typical Starfleet officer, Captain Janeway is unable to just sit and wait. She wants to know what exactly is going on and who has brought her and her crew to the other side of the galaxy. While poking around, Lieutenant Paris and Ensign Kim discover a strange energy signature in a barn. When the rest of the crew arrive, all pretense is dropped and the crew is subjected to a DNA test and then returned to Voyager. When they are returned, they discover that one crew member, Ensign Harry Kim, is missing. They then realize that the maquis ship that they where sent to find has been transported to the Delta Quadrant as well. When they make contact, they discover that one of their crew members, Torres, is missing as well, they both agree to launch a joint rescue mission. They then transport back to the array, the last place that they where both seen. They then encounter an old man who won't give them a straight answer; the only thing that the crew members can get out of him that there "isn't enough time left". He then transports them back to Voyager. Once there, a crew member reports that the array is acting strangely and that it has been sending out intermittent energy pulses. The crew then track these energy pulses to a nearby star system, but there is something very peculiar about the plant that is receiving them. There are no nucleogenic particles in the atmosphere, which should make the formation of an atmosphere impossible. Captain Janeway then decides to set course for the planet, as it may hold clues to what is going on and where the missing crew members are. While this is happening, the two missing crew members, Ensign Harry Kim and Torres, both wake up to find themselves in a white room and covered in strange lumps. When Torres tries to escape she is restrained. To her credit, it takes three of the aliens to subdue her. When she regains consciousness, she and Harry are taken on a tour of where they are. They are underground! As if that weren't bad enough, Harry discovers that others who have been sent there previously with the same condition have died. He also discovers that the people the Ocampa are completely reliant on another alien life form, to whom they refer to as the Caretaker. He provided them with the city and according to an ancient text he "opened a great whole in the ground which led to this great city" and has taken care of them ever since.
• On their first mission to find out what happened to a missing federation officer lieutenant Tuvok who was working under cover on board a rebel Maquis ship. They follow the engine signature of the vessel in to an area of space called the Bad Lands there by an unknown device they are transported 75,000 light years home to the other side of the galaxy. Will Captain Janeway be able to find a way to get her crew back home? — Anonymous
• Captain Kathryn Janeway is assigned to go after a rebel Maquis ship that disappeared into "The Badlands." But the Voyager is struck by the same violent force that hit the Maquis, sending it all the way to across the Galaxy. There they are confronted by a huge, mysterious craft--the Array--operated by a single, very powerful alien, "The Caretaker." Janeway, together with the Maquis rebels, tries to convince the Caretaker to return them to Federation territory. But he is preoccupied with his responsibility to protect the people of a nearby planet, the Ocampa. It turns out the Caretaker is dying and doesn't have time for Janeway's request. Instead, he asks her to destroy the Array after his death--otherwise the ruthless Kazon will use it against the helpless Ocampa. Captain Janeway is confronted with a serious dilemma: if she uses the Array to go home, it will mean certain death for the Ocampa. But if she destroys the Array, her ship and crew will be stranded--and it'll take more than 70 years to get home! — Robert Lynch <[email protected]>

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Star Trek: Voyager - Who Is Seska?

A t the beginning of Star Trek: Voyager , two ships are transported to the Delta Quadrant, thousands of light years from home, by the mysterious alien called the Caretaker . Knowing that there was strength in numbers, the two crews decide to integrate: the Starfleet vessel Voyager, with the Maquis rebel ship the Val Jean. Tensions were high at first. Starfleet crew distrusted the Maquis rebels, and the Maquis were reluctant to follow Starfleet protocol. But eventually, they gained mutual respect and began to work together, even becoming fast friends.

There was, however, one former Maquis who proved she could not be trusted. It turned out that her allegiances lay with neither the Federation nor the Maquis, but with enemies of them both. Just who was Ensign Seska, and why did she betray Voyager and her crew?

RELATED: Star Trek: Is Voyager More Advanced Than The Enterprise?

Early Appearances

Seska was a recurring character in early episodes of Voyager 's first season. She was a determined and sometimes headstrong Bajoran woman, growing easily frustrated with Starfleet protocol. However, she was generally friendly with the rest of the crew. Seska had a close friendship with B'elanna Torres , as they had been in the Maquis together. She appeared to get along with Harry Kim, teasing him about a mishap on a double date. Seska and Chakotay had been romantically involved at some point in the past, and even though they had decided it wouldn't work, she still displayed affection for him. Her connections with the other characters, as well as her determination to help get Voyager home, made Seska a likable supporting cast member.

That all changed in season 1, episode 11, "State of Flux." In the episode, the crew of Voyager learns that someone has been secretly feeding information to the Kazon , a ruthless race of aliens hungry for power and hell-bent on seizing Voyager's technology. What's more, Federation technology is found on a wrecked Kazon vessel. Many suspect Seska, who had previously been vocal in her willingness to trade technology for protection from the Kazon. These suspicions anger Seska, who sets about trying to prove her innocence.

Seska's True Nature

Unfortunately for her, Seska's efforts have the opposite effect. When she transports to the Kazon ship to try and remove the technology, she is knocked unconscious and beamed back to sickbay. There, the Doctor makes a shocking discovery: Seska's blood is missing all the typical Bajoran genetic markers. He determines that she cannot be Bajoran, and is in fact Cardassian .

Seska tries to explain her anomalous physiology with Orkett's Disease, which killed thousands of Bajoran children during the Cardassian occupation . Seska claims that she survived due to a Cardassian bone marrow transplant. However, the Doctor examines her story and concludes that it can't explain the genetic markers in her blood. After she falls into a trap set up by the crew's officers, it is confirmed that Seska is the one behind the stolen technology.

Unmasked, Seska releases her anger on Janeway and Chakotay. She had been disguised as a Bajoran to infiltrate the Maquis, who were fighting the tyrannical Cardassians. She had tried to cooperate with Janeway's crew, but grew frustrated and resentful with Starfleet's way of doing things. She believed that a Cardassian ship, they would be home by now, and would have already established power in the Delta quadrant. Seska allied herself with the strongest force she could, the Kazon, in hopes of gaining and using their power for herself. Before Janeway can throw her in the brig, Seska beams off the ship with a voice-activated transporter program .

As a Cardassian, the idea of conquest and domination appealed to Seska. That had been her people's goal in the Alpha Quadrant , and in the Delta Quadrant, she was determined to do the same thing. That was why she allied with the Kazon Nistrim, whose goals were similar: force others to submit to their rule.

Collaboration With The Kazon

After leaving Voyager, Seska became the paramour of Maje Culluh, leader of the Nistrim faction of the Kazon. Though the patriarchal Kazon expected Seska, a woman, to be subservient, she remained an expert manipulator. By influencing Culluh, Seska was thus able to influence the entire Kazon faction, abetting them in their pursuit of dominance over the quadrant. Her plan was to help the Kazon take Voyager, whose technology would make the Nistrim the most powerful Kazon faction.

After she left Voyager, a few of the former Maquis crewmembers expressed some agreement with what Seska had said and done. If giving technology to the Kazon would offer Voyager protection, why not do just that? With this mindset, Crewman Mike Jonas, a former friend of Seska's, contacted the Kazon Nistrim and began feeding them information.

Matters were further complicated by Seska's pregnancy. In the final moments of the episode "State of Flux," the crew receives a video message from Seska, who tells Chakotay that she took his DNA and used it to become pregnant with his child. She used her child to continue to manipulate Chakotay from afar, which came to a head in the Season 2 finale, "Basics Part 1."

Voyager Takeover & Seska's Fate

In "Basics Part 1," Voyager received a message from Seska. In the message, it appeared that when Seska's child had been born and Maj Culluh saw that it was not his, he turned violent towards both Seska and the baby. Though he knew it could be a trap, Chakotay decided that if there were any possibility that his child were in danger, it was his responsibility to rescue the baby. Captain Janeway refused to let him go alone, instead assuring him that Voyager would help him save the child.

Unfortunately, despite the precautions they took, Seska's distress call was indeed bait for Voyager. The Kazon took the ship, stranding the crew on a nearby planet. Only the holographic Doctor appeared to remain onboard. It was the Doctor, though, who managed to surprise Seska with some unexpected news: her child was not in fact Chakotay's. That had been her intention, but she had instead become pregnant with Maj Culluh's child, and the baby was a Kazon-Cardassian hybrid. However, she wasn't about to let it get in the way of her plans.

And yet, Seska's plans crumbled anyway in "Basics Part 2." The Doctor managed to ally with Lon Suder, who had hidden himself in the ship's Jeffries tubes, and Tom Paris , who had escaped in a shuttle. Together, they managed to thwart the Kazon, but the ship sustained heavy damage as a result. The last viewers saw of Seska, she was crawling through the debris in the ship, trying to reach her crying baby. By the time the ship's crew returned, she had died of her injuries. The Kazon were driven off the ship, and Maje Culluh took his and Seska's child with him.

"Basics Part 2" was the last that the starship Voyager saw of the Cardassian traitor and the Kazon that she allied herself with. It marked the end of one of the show's earliest major plot arcs, and the downfall of the first enemy they made in the Delta Quadrant. Despite Seska's intelligence and her talent for manipulation, she ultimately chose the wrong side. Betraying Voyager came back to bite her in the end.

MORE: Star Trek: Why Voyager Deserves More Credit Than It Gets

This Star Trek: Voyager Pilot Moment Killed The Entire Series, According To A Producer

After watching two generations of Starfleet officers diplomacy their way through the Milky Way's Alpha Quadrant, "Star Trek: Voyager" finally gave viewers a chance to step outside their galactic neighborhood and find out what's going on in the Delta Quadrant. But according to producer Ronald D. Moore, a single decision about the pilot's execution took away some of the meat and potatoes from this Trekilicious entrée.

Not long after the newly minted USS Voyager pursues a small band of Maquis into the Badlands only to find both ships teleported to the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light years from Earth — a 75-year journey from home — the opposing sides end up joining their crews together ("Caretaker"). By the end of the pilot story arc, they're all standing on the bridge in their Starfleet uniforms and for the most part, working together save for a few lingering grumblings that pop up from time to time throughout the series. 

According to writer and producer Ronald D. Moore, who joined the show's production team for its 6th season, the moment the Maquis donned their uniforms would come to define, and arguably kill, the series. Moore concluded in the book "The Fifty-Year Mission" (described as "The Complete, Uncensored, and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek"), "You'd think that's the setup for a major show about conflict, but at the end of the pilot they all put on the Starfleet uniforms and that's it. It was a huge mistake."

What a conflicted Maquis would look like

Ronald D. Moore's conclusion about the Maquis goes back to the roots of the Maquis storyline. According to Moore, who also worked as a producer and writer on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," the Maquis were created as a plot device for introducing "Voyager." He explained, "Here are Starfleet officers who had become terrorist resistance fighters, guerrilla warriors. The Federation has got them on the run and both of these groups are thrown in a ship on another side of the galaxy and forced to live together." 

If Moore had the chance to reimagine the Voyager crew, they would be much less agreeable. He continued, "It should have been these two sides that were forced to work together that still don't like each other and still are gunning for each other, wondering who's going to come out on top. Who's going to betray who?"

But ultimately, that concept of the two sides trapped together who must work out their serious trust issues with nary a Counselor Troi on board felt a little too bleak for the network bosses. "It should have been gold, but they got scared," Moore continued, emphasizing that the ratings performance of the darker-toned "Deep Space Nine" had left them uneasy. Instead, Moore said, "They wanted a show that was more like Next Generation and easier to swallow and where people didn't have to think as much. So they drew all the wrong lessons and said, 'Let's play it safe.'"

Moore saw potential in Star Trek's Maquis

For TV screenwriter and producer Ronald D. Moore, exploring complex political issues through a more nuanced lens has always been integral to his writing no matter what he's working on. It forms a main thread throughout the reimagined "Battlestar Galactica," which ultimately explores the Cylon resistance through the lens of both the Colonial and the Cylon perspectives and from just about every imaginable angle. It's also present in "Outlander" as the series explores the Jacobite uprising and the American Revolution. So it should come as no surprise that Moore's hand was in the creation of the Starfleet resistance.

Star Trek's Maquis are inspired by their real-world namesakes: working-class antifascists from Nazi-occupied Vichy, France, who, when faced with the threat of conscription, imprisonment, deportation, or worse, took up armed resistance against their oppressors, calling themselves the Maquis. To our 21st-century sensibilities, it's hard to argue that the Maquis were in the right. Sabotage, sniping, bombings, surprise attacks — all of those seem forgivable when the cause is just. But often, distinguishing resistance fighters from terrorists is not so cut and dry, which is why filing the two crews' relationship status under "it's complicated" might have yielded more fertile ground for nuanced storytelling.

How Ronald D. Moore would do things differently

On paper, the Maquis seem like a perfect addition to a story that's meant to be layered with moral ambiguity. In the world of the original "Star Trek" series and "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Starfleet seems to corner the market on truth and post-scarcity ethics. But with the Maquis, we learn a bitter conflict left Federation colonies feeling abandoned to the point that they are willing to actively and often violently violate Federation treaties. 

Though the Maquis are first seen in "Deep Space Nine," the story behind them begins all the way back in the "Next Generation" episode "Journey's End." This episode introduces Starfleet's intention to cede several colonized planets to the Cardassians in compliance with a new treaty — and the colonists aren't having it. In case the human toll isn't obvious on its face, many of the colonists are Native Americans with a recent cultural memory of their people's last forced relocation. In the end, the colonists choose to accept Cardassian rule rather than leave their homes. 

But as relations between the colonists and Cardassians rapidly deteriorate, the fed-up colonists begin adopting guerilla tactics like rigging explosions aboard Cardassian targets and abducting Gul Dukat (in the "DS9" episodes "The Maquis, Part I" and "Part II"). 

With all of that history, some viewers may find it hard to swallow that the Maquis on "Voyager" are so willing to set aside their differences and go full Boimler right down to the com badges, no matter how far they find themselves from home. If the drama that unfolded when the Cylon and human survivors were forced together on "Battlestar Galactica" is any indication, Ronald D. Moore's amended version would certainly be worth watching. Only the omniscient Koala can know for sure.

Monogram Star Trek Voyager Maquis Ship: Sitting At The Kids Table

I don’t know how it is in the rest of the United States, let alone the world, but in the Southern US, just about every family holiday gathering has something in common. It’s not the food, or the deserts, or even that uncle who makes passing gas a hobby. While all of those things are quite common, that’s not the focus of my ramble today.

The focus of the meal would be the large, traditional table, nicely covered in cloth linen, with the best dishes spread out. Decorative centerpieces would be arranged, with the various dishes of food spaced out, all in easy reach of the table’s diners. The nicest plates and silverware would rule the day. As it came time to eat, the turkey, or ham, or whatever, would be brought out to oohs and ahhs. Someone would say “Daddy, say grace over our food”. As everyone bowed, one of the adults would turn to the other side of the room. “You kids settle down… granddaddy is about to pray.” Of course, you know who they’d be addressing.

The “Kid’s Table”

Off to one side, some sort of temporary, wobbly, fold out table would be set up. Various folding chairs, footstools, and piles of books would be the seating. Instead of the best plates and silverware, it was paper plates and plastic forks.

Welcome to the kids table.

For the younger kids, it seems like quite the honor. A table all to themselves. No adults eyes prying about… they were too busy over at the other table, hearing about Aunt Sally’s latest foot infection, or how Uncle Jim Bob got sloshed at the VFW, started a fight with a State Trooper, and was now at home on house arrest, waiting for Cousin Gertrude to bring him a plate of food.

But for the older kids… those poor souls that were too old to find the adventure of an all-exclusive table less than exhilarating, but not quite old enough to warrant making space at the “big people table”, it was not a pretty site.

Spilled drinks, whining siblings and cousins, mad dashes over to the main table to try and fill your plate, only to be told “you’ve had enough!” All the while being reminded to “set a good example”, or “don’t put your brother in a headlock!” It was a cross between Charlie Brown and professional wrestling at times.

When the day came I was finally old enough to be given a place at the “big table”, I was quite happy. All the food was within reach, and there was plenty of it. The conversation was lively and fun, and the number of headlocks remarkably low. Every now and again I’d peek over at my little brother, still banished to the kids table, and when I caught his eye, I’d smile that sly grin only siblings share, the one that says “ I got something you don’t got… ” He’d glare back at me, at which point I’d reach over, grab a hot biscuit and slather it with butter, then gnaw into it –  never breaking eye contact. Good times.

That’s what the holidays are for, right? Family fun! 😉

More Scifi Wanderings

Over the last year, I’ve really been exploring science fiction models, after over a decade of aircraft only builds. It’s been a fun experience to say the least. It started with building Gunpla, then branched into Warhammer, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and others.

However, I’d not really looked into Star Trek. While I suppose you could call me a casual fan, I’m not nuts about it. I’ve seen every episode of the original series, Next Generation, DS9, and Voyager. And while I enjoyed them all, I can’t say my knowledge goes beyond general familiarization with characters and basic situations.

And the ships themselves, while cool onscreen, have not pulled me from a modeling perspective. So many of the “big name” craft seem so clean, and are such large scale, I’ve not really been interested. Where Star Wars seems to revel in dirty and grimy fighters, my general perception of Star Trek is of large, squeaky clean capital ships. 

But I did want to build something from that universe. So I began looking around at various shuttles and smaller craft, which held more interest for me. In that search, I ran across one I’d forgotten about. And it had a look and size that grabbed me a bit.

In Star Trek Voyager, there had been a faction called the Maquis, who were rebelling against some group of people that apparently had large shellfish mounted on their foreheads, and were related to Kim Kardashian and her bunch in some way . In the first episode of Voyager, the gallant Federation ship, called Voyager, which was captained by Katharine Hepburn, chased them into some quantum rip in the space/time flux capacitor… or something like that. And in doing so, they were flung into a galaxy far, far away… but not a long time ago.

Eventually they decided to join forces to get back to Earth, and in some plot twist lost to my memory, the Maquis ship was blown up.

Like I said… casual fan… 🙂

For my modeling purposes, all that translated into me finding a cheap model on Ebay that looked kind of cool, and had more of the lumpy bumpy Star Wars look than the smooth sleek Star Trek look. So one click of the “Buy Now” button, and it was on the way to me.

Assembling The STV: Maquis Ship

When I first examined the kit parts, I was impressed by all the detail that was cast in. For a 20+ year old model, it was quite busy. The largest bits of plastic were two very large hull pieces, upper and lower. Those two parts there represented about 75% of the models surface area.

A quick test fit gave me concerns, though. While the two parts fit together generally, they lacked precision. I’ve always tried to make a distinction in my written assessments of kits between the two. While a kit that fits generally well may not have gaps, a lack of precision means the parts on either half don’t line up very well. That was exactly the case with this model.

I’d deliberately purchased one of the original boxings of the kit, hoping that “fresher” molds would mean a chance of better fit. But the dry fitting showed that the kit may not have started out in stellar fashion.

Of immediate note was the amount of “lip” on the mating edges of the parts. By “lip” I am referring to some models having a tendency for mating surfaces that should be flat instead having a bit of a “flare” right at the edge. It’s not flash, really, but rather a slight angle that only appears when mated with its other half. Sanding along the edges of both part brings things back into alignment… but when the model is roughly 14 inches by 14 inches, that is a lot of sanding.

Another observation was that detail that should have lined up between the top and bottom halves didn’t. And it wasn’t a case of sections being misaligned. One raised bit of detail may have mated fine with its other half, yet a bit of detail further down the hull would have a slight offset between the upper and lower parts. In a few cases, one half had sections that were wider than its mate on the other half. 

Working On The Warts

Most of the areas had a simple fix – sanding. Lots and lots of sanding. I started by working on the mating of the two parts, figuring if those aligned properly, then it would be easier to focus on adjusting what was left. Eventually I got the upper and lower halves to come to a form of acceptable fit, though still far from perfect. When I reached the point of “that’s all I can do”, I headed into brute force territory – loads of glue and really big clamps.

With that assembled, the rest was mostly adding smaller detail parts. All around the perimeter of the ship were small sections that can best be described as “radiator pipes”, based on their appearance. The hull had cutouts to accept these, and the parts were shaped to fit. Sort of. Kind of. 

Each part was far too small to fully fill the gaps around the edges once placed on the hull. Some were off by mere fractions, others by much greater distance. Bits of excess plastic had to be trimmed away here and there. A few of the “radiator” parts were thicker than others, resulting in them standing far proud of the ship’s edge. In those cases, I sanded the backing down to get a better fit.

I worked my way around, adding parts, sanding down and fitting things as best I could… within reason. 🙂 Eventually I had it all glued on. I then began the process of filling all those cracks and gaps with Mr. Surfacer 500.

My goal in the process was not to fully fill and smooth over every gap. Given the tight working spaces, and sheer number of places that needed work, such a course would have been impractical for my purposes. Instead, I simply wanted to load up all the gaps, smooth them over a bit with cotton buds soaked in alcohol, and avoid any “see through” areas on the model’s exterior. Panel washes, weathering, and chipping would help diminish the look of those blemishes. And because of the size of the model, I hoped the eventual buyer would be more interested in the overall picture than getting down to a narrow focus on every tiny detail.

Accepting Good Enough

Eventually I reached a point of simply deciding that it was all acceptable as-is. I could have spent a lot more time working on it, of course. But the trade-off visually just would not have been worth it. I’ve always felt that with any model, there’s a point of diminishing returns, beyond which I simply exit the highway of fun, and get off onto the side road of frustration. I have to eventually realize that it’s a plastic toy- let it go.

Once I made the decision to avoid Exit Frustration, and instead keep driving down Highway Fun, I moved the model into my spraying area for priming. The Maquis Ship was given a coat of Badger’s Stynylrez Black Primer. With all the various surfaces and angles, coupled with the chunk of plastic that makes up the model, it took quite a while, even through my .5 Badger Patriot. And it took a lot of primer too – about one and a half color cups full.

Next I went with the basic gray coat. Looking at photos from the series only helped a little. While it seemed to be an overall gray, various shots seemed to range from a very light gray all the way to neutral gray. One shot even looked slightly greenish. An executive decision was made – the Maquis Ship would be Tamiya XF-66 Flat Light Gray. This decision was arrived at through a complicated process. (Basically it was the closest light gray within reach… 🙂 )

The whole thing was thus painted, and then increasing amounts of white were added to the mix to lighten in down, adding some highlighting, with the basic goal of giving some surface variation. In the end, it looked like a goofball sprayed some gray paint on a model. 😉

Spoiled By The Big Table

The trouble with eating at the big table is it gets into your system. The availability of the best food, refills of sweet tea, and first dibs on desert becomes something you expect. If suddenly a new guest arrives, and your chair is required… back to the kid’s table you go. Which kinda stinks.

As I’ve delved into scifi scale modeling subject matter, it’s been very easy to see that aside from a few excellent examples, most kit selection for the genre is “kid’s table”. The fit isn’t good, alignment isn’t good, parts are not as well cast. It’s not just this Maquis ship, either. I’ve built a few others, and examined even more, and I can’t help but draw the conclusion.

I suppose part of the cause is that most western companies focus on “traditional” military modeling, and it almost seems as if the scifi genre is left with “that’s good enough for you.” Truly kid’s table stuff. And a few discussions with friends who are long time scifi modelers seem to confirm this. There’s almost an attitude of “we’re just happy to get anything”. 

Of course, there are “big table” examples too. Bandai is the standout. Virtually every scale model they do is some form of scifi, and the kits are arguably the best on the planet. Full stop. Period. And they make gobs of money at it. Others, such as Wave and Hasegawa, also provide good examples. And I’m sure there are others.

The perplexing thing to me seems to be that scifi – especially Gunpla – appears to be where the future growth is. Younger people drawn to modeling seem to go there first. Older guys are starting to discover the freedom the genre offers from the IPMS-USA mentality about FS color chips and whether that mud was correct for Normandy in 1944. Traditional companies are making money right now… but as their market dies off, will they take up the scifi cause – and maybe start serving modelers at the “big table”? Please?

The kids table can be fun for a while, but once you get a chunk of hot buttered biscuit from the big table, going back just doesn’t seem as fun.

But that’s big picture stuff, I suppose.

Right now, there’s a whole load of detail painting to go on this Maquis ship! 

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2 responses to “Monogram Star Trek Voyager Maquis Ship: Sitting At The Kids Table”

Okay after reading about your work on the B-Wing an X-Wing and now the kids table, I am smiling. First off my sister in law came from the south and put on some unbelievable meals during holidays and such, and I managed to avoid the kids table most times, though did some time t said table. Ahh good memories you brought back. I now also reside in the south and am a part time model basher. I hope to not lose your site in the wastelands of my Lap Top, and return to read more. Some great insights and information, and thank you for the sneak peek into your exploits in our hobby. I am embarking on a Sci Fi modeling adventure myself and find your insights helpful as well as fun.

Thanks so much for your wonderful note! I’m so grateful for the read, and that you enjoyed it. 🙂

If you’re on Facebook, be sure and “like” Jon Bius Scale Models. Makes it easy to keep up with all my posts! You can also subscribe right here on the blog. (I also have Instagram and Twitter.)

In any event, thanks again, and have fun in your building. Happy day to you!

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Cruising the Moskva River: A short guide to boat trips in Russia’s capital

There’s hardly a better way to absorb Moscow’s atmosphere than on a ship sailing up and down the Moskva River. While complicated ticketing, loud music and chilling winds might dampen the anticipated fun, this checklist will help you to enjoy the scenic views and not fall into common tourist traps.

How to find the right boat?

There are plenty of boats and selecting the right one might be challenging. The size of the boat should be your main criteria.

Plenty of small boats cruise the Moskva River, and the most vivid one is this yellow Lay’s-branded boat. Everyone who has ever visited Moscow probably has seen it.

This option might leave a passenger disembarking partially deaf as the merciless Russian pop music blasts onboard. A free spirit, however, will find partying on such a vessel to be an unforgettable and authentic experience that’s almost a metaphor for life in modern Russia: too loud, and sometimes too welcoming. Tickets start at $13 (800 rubles) per person.

Bigger boats offer smoother sailing and tend to attract foreign visitors because of their distinct Soviet aura. Indeed, many of the older vessels must have seen better days. They are still afloat, however, and getting aboard is a unique ‘cultural’ experience. Sometimes the crew might offer lunch or dinner to passengers, but this option must be purchased with the ticket. Here is one such  option  offering dinner for $24 (1,490 rubles).

If you want to travel in style, consider Flotilla Radisson. These large, modern vessels are quite posh, with a cozy restaurant and an attentive crew at your service. Even though the selection of wines and food is modest, these vessels are still much better than other boats.

Surprisingly, the luxurious boats are priced rather modestly, and a single ticket goes for $17-$32 (1,100-2,000 rubles); also expect a reasonable restaurant bill on top.

How to buy tickets?

Women holding photos of ships promise huge discounts to “the young and beautiful,” and give personal invitations for river tours. They sound and look nice, but there’s a small catch: their ticket prices are usually more than those purchased online.

“We bought tickets from street hawkers for 900 rubles each, only to later discover that the other passengers bought their tickets twice as cheap!”  wrote  (in Russian) a disappointed Rostislav on a travel company website.

Nevertheless, buying from street hawkers has one considerable advantage: they personally escort you to the vessel so that you don’t waste time looking for the boat on your own.

Prices start at $13 (800 rubles) for one ride, and for an additional $6.5 (400 rubles) you can purchase an unlimited number of tours on the same boat on any given day.

Flotilla Radisson has official ticket offices at Gorky Park and Hotel Ukraine, but they’re often sold out.

Buying online is an option that might save some cash. Websites such as  this   offer considerable discounts for tickets sold online. On a busy Friday night an online purchase might be the only chance to get a ticket on a Flotilla Radisson boat.

This  website  (in Russian) offers multiple options for short river cruises in and around the city center, including offbeat options such as ‘disco cruises’ and ‘children cruises.’ This other  website  sells tickets online, but doesn’t have an English version. The interface is intuitive, however.

Buying tickets online has its bad points, however. The most common is confusing which pier you should go to and missing your river tour.

“I once bought tickets online to save with the discount that the website offered,” said Igor Shvarkin from Moscow. “The pier was initially marked as ‘Park Kultury,’ but when I arrived it wasn’t easy to find my boat because there were too many there. My guests had to walk a considerable distance before I finally found the vessel that accepted my tickets purchased online,” said the man.

There are two main boarding piers in the city center:  Hotel Ukraine  and  Park Kultury . Always take note of your particular berth when buying tickets online.

Where to sit onboard?

Even on a warm day, the headwind might be chilly for passengers on deck. Make sure you have warm clothes, or that the crew has blankets ready upon request.

The glass-encased hold makes the tour much more comfortable, but not at the expense of having an enjoyable experience.

Getting off the boat requires preparation as well. Ideally, you should be able to disembark on any pier along the way. In reality, passengers never know where the boat’s captain will make the next stop. Street hawkers often tell passengers in advance where they’ll be able to disembark. If you buy tickets online then you’ll have to research it yourself.

There’s a chance that the captain won’t make any stops at all and will take you back to where the tour began, which is the case with Flotilla Radisson. The safest option is to automatically expect that you’ll return to the pier where you started.

If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.

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