The Star Trek actor reveals the dark side of the golden era of the franchise

According to Chris Snellgrove
| Published 3 seconds ago

Aside from debating which shows and movies were the best, it’s pretty easy for Star Trek fans to agree on one thing: that the 90s was the franchise’s golden age. That was when A new generation get yours, fan-favorite spinoffs Deep Space Nine and Voyager were launched The original series movies ended and even the smallest towns had their own conventions. However, Star Trek: Voyager Actor Garrett Wang’s latest comments about being insulted by producers are a grim reminder that the franchise’s “golden” era was remarkably dark.

The Star Trek veteran recently sat down CinemaBlend to discuss his joy at returning to the franchise Lowe Decksbut Garrett Wang was pretty straightforward about how long the journey has been. He described how he watched fellow citizens like Jeri Ryan and Robert Duncan McNeill getting invited back into the franchise and counting at least seven different missed opportunities to bring his character, Harry Kim, back into the fold. Interestingly, he would have returned to the franchise sooner had the opportunity not been taken away from him, but remains tight-lipped on details.

Apparently there was some unnamed person there Star Trek project in the works that would somehow bring back Garrett Wang’s character Voyager even earlier than his recent appearance Lower decks. According to the actor, “something happened, but then something else happened that I couldn’t control… And that offer was kind of rescinded.” Probably because of the NDA or maybe because he didn’t want to spill the replicated tea, actor Harry Kim ended this train of thought with a simple, “That’s all I can say.”

As longtime Star Trek fans know, Garrett Wang he’s never hesitated to spill the tea about how he’s been mistreated before Voyagermanufacturers. For example, he claims he was prevented from directing the episode, which the other main cast members of Trek have always been able to do upon request. He also bristled at the fact that his character never got promoted, telling CinemaBlend the sad story that he was so desperate about it that he once showed up outside Kate Mulgrew’s trailer and begged her to help Harry Kim finally get promoted.

Perhaps the ugliest Star Trek story Garrett Wang passed on was that he and Robert Duncan McNeill were singled out and ridiculed for gaining weight during the show’s production. This culminated in both actors finding belts in their trailers one day and their characters even getting a dialogue where they tease each other about being out of shape.

When Wang objected to this offensive dialogue, executive producer Brannon Braga reportedly told him in front of the cast and crew, “If you and your fellow actors are going to go down the same path of eating that you’ve had for the last two years, we’re going to have to change the name of the show to “Star Trek: Voyager – Pigs in space.” This horrific body shaming exemplifies the fact that the golden age of Star Trek is disturbingly dark and grim.

Despite how much he loved his time on Star Trek, Garrett Wang was never afraid to name those who wronged him. This includes Brannon Braga’s body shaming and another alleged incident where Braga explained that Kim had never been promoted with a snappy “well, somebody’s got to be a midshipman.” He had a particular beef with notorious executive producer Rick Berman, who he claims told the actors to “underline our human characters” (i.e. act boring) to aliens it would look more realistic.

Now, it’s worth noting that these guys are basically Star Trek royalty: how writer-producer Braga worked on it A new generation, Voyagerand Business and at the same time helps with the pen Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: First Contact. Fellow producer and frequent writer Rick Berman was an even bigger part of the franchise, producing LPG before co-creating DS9, Voyagerand Business. Berman is also a highly controversial figure, accused by veteran Trek writer David Gerrold of being a “raging homophobe” and accused by actress Jadzia Dax. Terry Farrell as “very misogynistic” towards women and their appearance.

Fans who learned about this often debated who the “real” Braga and Berman were. After all, they created some of the the best Trek content ever created (including TNG’s epic finale “All Good Things”), but it also seems to have hurt some of our favorite actors. This includes Star Trek darling Garrett Wang, and his own stories about these producers are a reminder that these men can be both talented and flawed, capable of great creative energy and capable of inflicting great pain.

The Golden Age of Star Trek has a hidden dark side, but the men who supposedly made it happen have already given us the perfect way to explore its creative legacy. IN First contact (written by Braga and produced by Berman), Commander Riker gives Zefram Cochran advice from his future self: “Don’t try to be a great man, just be a man…and let history judge itself.” Trek’s Golden Era itself transitioned into history and only time will tell how future fans and creators will remember its greatest and most seasoned architects.