Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast

SUPPLEMENTAL: The One with Lisa Klink

·1 hr 11 min·5 clips

Lisa Klink reveals how she broke into Star Trek by sending a spec script when no other show would accept them.

This supplemental episode of Mission Log features an interview with former Star Trek: Voyager writer Lisa Klink. Hosts John Champion and Norman Lau guide the discussion, focusing on Klink's experiences during seasons 1-4. Klink explains how she joined the Voyager staff after submitting a spec script for Deep Space Nine and serving as a Writers Guild intern. She describes the writer's room environment under showrunner Jeri Taylor, highlighting Taylor's protective and collaborative approach. Klink notes the directive from Paramount to keep episodes standalone for syndication, though serialized elements increased over time. She discusses character writing, noting that alien characters like Tuvok, B'Elanna, and the Doctor were often more interesting to write than human characters like Harry Kim or Chakotay. The introduction of Seven of Nine is analyzed as a refreshing addition due to her non-Starfleet perspective. Klink reflects on specific episodes she worked on, such as 'Innocence', which explored Tuvok's fatherhood, and 'Retrospect', a false memory story she acknowledges hasn't aged well. She also touches on her post-Voyager work, including writing for the Borg Invasion 4D attraction and appearing on Jeopardy!. The interview includes listener questions from Patreon supporters, covering topics like the Janeway-Kim relationship and tonal shifts after Jeri Taylor stepped down. Throughout, Klink emphasizes the collaborative nature of television writing and the lack of social media pressure during Voyager's production.

As heard by us

A Voyager-focused production conversation with useful insider context and one small literary turn.

Mission Log's supplemental episode turns toward Lisa Klink, a writer and story editor during Star Trek: Voyager's first four years, and uses that access for a practical behind-the-scenes conversation.

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Why you'd press play

Want a guided peek behind Voyager's first four seasons with Lisa Klink, who was in the writer and story editor mix?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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