The space among the stars is a vast and unexplored universe of unknown species, galaxies, nebulas, and planetary systems. And Star Trek devotes its voyages to the discovery of strange new worlds and unknown frontiers. As a part of one such voyage, a meaningful relationship was formed between a show’s character and the writer who went through a transformative journey.
In Star Trek: Voyager, one of the show’s fan-favorite characters, Ensign Samantha Wilder has a much more complex history behind her character name than fans realize. Despite not being a part of the original crew from the get-go, she quickly rose to the ranks of a popular series regular and holds a much more emotional connection to the real world than the rest of the cast members.
Star Trek character and her link to the real world
Before selling his script to Paramount, Jimmy Diggs, co-writer of Star Trek: Voyager Season 2 episode Elogium had a heartbreaking experience of his own. His wife nearly died if not for a timely kidney transplant from a seven-year-old girl named Samantha who went on to save her life.
In a letter to Voyager‘s producers, Diggs petitioned to name the new character in Elogium “Samantha” after the seven-year-old girl who saved his wife’s life. As such, Nancy Hower’s character who debuted in that episode was named Ensign Samantha Wildman.
In the letter, Diggs wrote (via Looper):
The ancient Greeks believed the gods would reward heroic mortals by placing them in the stars. By honoring the memory of this child, the producers of Star Trek will accomplish the same thing.
Moreover, the 7-year-old girl was also known to harbor a passion for animals. That personality trait was subsequently transferred to the fictional Samantha in Star Trek: Voyager by making her a part of the ship’s xenobiology department.
Star Trek: Voyager takes a hike on the wild side
As the first female lead in a Star Trek series, Kate Mulgrew was already a revolutionary step toward the future of the Gene Roddenberry franchise. She portrays Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Intrepid-class Federation starship USS Voyager who sets a course for a distant planet on the far side of the galaxy to catch Maquis rebels.
Their voyage goes awry and the crew gets stuck in a planetary orbit where time moves exceptionally fast, as in days can pass within seconds. The crew then sets on a mission to return home while also upholding the values of the Starfleet enterprise of learning and exploring the uncharted expanse of space.
Throughout their 7-season arc, USS Voyager comes across distant planets, has adventures worth reliving, and encounters strange species with a story to tell. In the Season 6 episode Tsunkatse, Dwayne Johnson had a cameo appearance as an unnamed Pendari champion who defeats Seven for Nine in a fighting arena.
Although this was years before The Rock’s ascent as a global action star, Star Trek: Voyager still holds the credit for helping in his rise in the acting world. While the former WWF champion may be one of the best cameos in the series, it wasn’t the only wild episode of Voyager as the Paramount series went on to have even stranger experiences before their journey home in Season 7’s two-part finale, Endgame.
Star Trek: Voyager is available to stream on Paramount+.
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