Brannon is the executive producer of Star Trek: Voyager, and wrote twenty episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", and the screenplays for "Star Trek Generations" and "Star Trek: First Contact".

Question: You and Joe Menosky make a great writing team. Now that you are in charge of the writing staff, do you still plan to collaborate with Joe on some scripts?
JoeW

Brannon Braga: Absolutely. It helps me immensely to work with Joe, because I have so many other duties to perform on the show. In fact, I used to write five or six originals a season; last year I only wrote one original and several two-parters with Joe. This year, like last year, most of my time will be spent rewriting scripts.

Q: Mr. Braga, what are your plans after Voyager has run it's course? Are there plans for another Star Trek series?
Morwen

BB: I haven't planned that far in the future, though I've always fantasized about being the turkey man at Koo Koo Roo. As far as I know, there are no plans for another Star Trek series.

Q: Are you aware of or follow the show's ratings? Do you feel that UPN promotes the show to the best of its ability?
A. Leon Visitor

BB: UPN does a terrific job promoting, and last year "Voyager" got more publicity than I think Star Trek has gotten in any given year, largely thanks to the introduction of Seven of Nine. What's important to me is that we're promoted in the more mainstream venues. Last year, that happened in a big way. We weren't limited to just on-air promotions on UPN.

Q: Will we ever see the return of Kes?
Meg

BB: Unlikely. Her character is pretty much dead and gone, though you never know on Star Trek. If the right story comes along, we'll consider it... but for now there are no plans.

Q: I have heard rumors that Kate Mulgrew has left the show. Is that true? And if so, how is that possible? I love Kate and would hate to see her or any of the senior staff leave Voyager.
Maeve

BB: We're in our sixth day of filming, and SOMEONE is playing Capt. Janeway down on stage. I imagine it's Kate Mulgrew.

Q: What is the most remarkable milestone for Star Trek since you've been aboard?
John

BB: In my opinion, Star Trek hit a fevered pitch right around the time when Star Trek: The Next Generation was coming to an end. We made the cover of Time magazine -- that's a milestone for any franchise.

Q: When will the Doctor get a name?
U.S.S. James T. Kirk

BB: I ask myself that same question every episode. Probably when the joke of the Doctor not having a name is no longer funny. Right now, no plans.

Q: How did you come up with the idea of First Contact (combining Borgs with time travel, Star Trek history, and a new ship)?
NivekJ1

BB: Our initial concept for the movie was always clear. The Borg would attack humanity at a time in the past. The struggle for us for many weeks was coming up with which time period that would be. At one point, we ever considered the Renaissance. Ultimately, we hit upon the notion of the Borg attacking at the time when Star Trek itself was about to be born, and in this way it raised the stakes of the film: Star Trek itself was in jeopardy.

Q: Do you get a lot of requests by "celebrities" to appear on "Voyager"? I know Native-American actor Graham Greene has expressed interest about appearing as well as rapper Coolio, French Stewart from "3rd Rock...", and Jason Alexander who was inspired to act from watching William Shatner.
7 of 11

BB: All the time, but usually when we approach the actor who's interested, they're not available. It's been very frustrating, though we did have Andy Dick on last year.

Q: what made you decide to go into writing?
tessababcock

BB: Simply put, it was free. I wanted to be a filmmaker, but didn't have the funding to make movies, so I wrote scripts instead. I wrote my first screenplay at around age 6, and still plan to use it one day. when things get really desperate on Voyager.

Q: Lately there have been a lot of Seven of Nine episodes, and I think some are beginning to feel that Seven is taking over every episode (which is good), but are there going to be any episodes in season 5 centered around the other characters (like Torres or the Doctor)?
Nog

BB: If you take a look at the episodes produced last season, the truth is that there were more Doctor episodes than Seven episodes -- but, yes, she was very prevalent. This year, you'll see a better mix of all the characters. We plan to focus less on Seven now that she's been introduced.

Q: Q was very much missed this season. Will we see him anytime soon?
Terry

BB: Again, if the right story comes along, definitely, but there are no plans right now. I should also say that we feel very strongly that Voyager has finally found its own identity, and we're hesitant to bring in elements from the past. We want to keep moving forward, explore Voyager's own potential.

Q: Will we be seeing the crew of "Voyager" wearing the "First Contact" uniforms in the fifth season?
Worf Dax

BB: It was the one piece of the Starfleet message they weren't able to decode, although they did get the design schematics for new socks. You will see new socks this season. I fully expect a sock website to appear within the coming year.

Q: Is it true that Paramount is releasing Generations on video again with the extra scenes added in that were edited out when it came out in theatres.
jbtaylor

BB: I haven't heard about and I certainly hope not. Those scenes were deleted for a reason.

Q: First of all, let me say that Voyager has greatly improved over the last season. I am in favor of a Janeway/Chakotay relationship and feel that said relationship should be explored more than it is currently. I'd like to see more interaction between these two characters; their friendship is just now getting back to the way it was before "Scorpion." I think that this relationship has a great potential to grow and evolve slo
TKat

BB: What was the question?

You've answered it yourself. We will continue to explore their dynamic, but it's doubtful that it will ever ignite into a full-blown romance.

Q: What does an Executive Producer do?
Marine681

BB: Oversees the writing process and the production team. My primary job is making sure there are 26 scripts written and that they are all as good as they can be.

Q: Since you started in Star Trek as an intern, could you tell me how one goes about to get a writing internship to Star Trek?
Joseph

BB: There is no certain way to do that. You can apply to the Writers Guild -- they have an internship program. You can request Star Trek, but there's no guarantee you will be placed there. I myself ended up here quite by chance through an internship at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Q: In the Voyager episode Hope and Fear, the crew gets a message from Admiral Hayes, who was also featured in First Contact. But in FC, didn't Hayes die? Riker reports that the Admiral's ship had been destroyed. Wasnt Hayes the admiral commanding the fleet? Whats up with that? How did Voyager recieve a message from a ghost?
Red Squadron

BB: He got away on an escape pod.

Q: how far is voyager from the alpha quadrant, and how many shuttles are remaining aboard?
junior emert

BB: The ship is about 60,000 light years from home. There is one shuttle left.

In all seriousness, we will be addressing this issue this season when Voyager constructs a brand-new mega-shuttle that is virtually indestructable.

Q: What was your favorite episode of TNG to write, and why?
tessababcock

BB: The final episode, because it was the most challenging and, to our great surprise, it actually worked. It was a very emotional episode to write. Ron Moore broke down in tears several times during the writing process. He still gets a little choked up thinking about those days.

Q: DS9 hasn't had any season cliffhangers like TNG or Voyager. But Voyager's 4th season didn't end in a cliffhanger. Why?
"CLIFFHANGER"

BB: We wanted to keep viewers on their toes, avoid being predictable. At the point, doing a cliffhanger felt obligatory. And outdoing "Scorpion" would have been difficult. We'd also just done a two-parter called "The Killing Game." A cliffhanger just didn't feel right.

Q: What direction would you like to see Star Trek continue in the future, and how do you respond to recent critcisms that the latter two series have become "stale" and soap-opera-ish, with too much sex?
John

BB: I'd like to see Star Trek do what it's always done -- explore new concepts and aspects of the human experience...and lots of sex.

Q: Are you responsible for 7 of 9 being a lesbian?
Anthony

BB: As it turns out, the entire Borg collective is a lesbian. But more on that in this year's cliffhanger. I don't know what kind of magazines you're reading, but Seven is asexual.

Q: Did you ever consider leaving the events in "Year of Hell" instead of 'going back to normal' at the end of part 2?
rms

BB: Never. We always thought of the story as a movie, and a movie HAS to have an ending. We felt it would have been unsatisfying to end it with Voyager basically losing in the end. It was a time-travel concept, and the ending fit in perfectly with what we'd set up.

Q: I sent an unsolicited Voyager spec script over a year ago. SInce it's been so long, is that a good sign? What's the process a script goes through when it's received?
Patty

BB: We receive hundreds of scripts every year. Unfortunately, it takes time for all of those scripts to be read and analyzed. Be patient. No news is no news.

Q: Where does your inspiration for story ideas come from? Is it difficult to come up with fresh and original ideas after all these years with "Star Trek."
U.S.S. Roddenberry

BB: Coming up with new concepts is THE most difficult part of my job. I have no idea where the ideas come from. If I did, I would quit my job and sell imagination on an infomercial.

Q: Will Seska ever come back? She's our favorite character and Martha Hackett is one of the best actresses in the world. Please, please say she'll be back.
Commander Serge and Lt. Lorca

BB: Seska is dead. Please accept my condolences.

Q: What do you consider the hardest part of writing a script? Plot, continuity, character development or something else?
Terry

BB: The time pressure. Just this week, we had to write a script in five days -- and it had to be good. THAT is the most difficult part.

Q: Will the last episode of "Voyager" have the crew finally return home or would that event occur earlier in the show's run so that the ship would at least for awhile have some adventures in the Alpha Quadrant?
U.S.S. Legacy

BB: A question we ask ourselves every day. It could happen at any moment, but we don't want to take the ship home arbitrarily. We've got to find the right storyline to do it in.

Q: Will there be an episode dealing with Janeway's lack of sex--a problem none of the previous "Star Trek" captains had to worry about? I seriously believe a lot of drama could be mined from her predicament.
A. Leon Visitor

BB: If you were to go to Holodeck 2 at around 0600 each morning, you'd see that Janeway was having plenty of sex, with many different species. She's particularly fond of the Borg lesbians.

Only kidding! We plan to get Janeway romantically involved this year, but, again, only if it's a really fresh storyline.

Q: About how often have Michael Piller's notes/suggestions affected an episode's storyline?
U.S.S. Freedom

BB: Mr. Piller always has helpful insights and his influence is felt in each episode.

Q: Mr. Braga, What, if any are your religous belifs and how do you think they will effect Voyager?
Morwen

BB: I don't want to get into my religious views, but let's just say I share Roddenberry's humanistic view of the universe and plan to explore religion through science fiction metaphors only. A good example of that would be "Mortal Coil" from last season.

Q: Will voyager ever get any new technology that will be more permanent instead of something that is either destroyed or becomes useless etc.. by the end of the episode?
Mike

BB: We have kept many different technologies over the years, including the Doctor's mobile emitter, Borg technology, the Astrometrics lab...and what about Seven of Nine?

Q: Was there ever any consideration of showing the Borg homeworld while Voyager was deep in their space? Is it still too late to do this?
Species 90210

BB: There IS a Borg homeworld. As a matter of fact, a Starbucks just opened there. But we have no plans to show it. We don't want to de-mystify the Borg.

Q: hi my name is eugene mc namee i am from co.tyrone n.ireland, i am the #1 fan of star trek i have every video of tng and deep space nine and voyager all of them up to date my question is: will wesely cruser be coming back in voyager in season 5? at least that is what i heard

BB: No. Again, we're VERY eager to continue Voyager's momentum as a series with its own quadrant and its own identity. I don't want to see elements from years past.

Q: If you wait for the joke (of the Doctor with no name) to wear off before naming him, why would you give him a name then? It wouldn't be funny, so there's no reason, right?
ChiefOps

BB: You're a real party-pooper.

Q: Do you ever think the Doctor gets a little too emotional for just a hologram?
U.S.S. Galaxy

BB: Yes. And that's part of his appeal as a character -- he's a hologram constantly testing the limits of his program.

Q: Please, please tell me that more humor will be evident in season five....
Arania

BB: We've been trying to add more humor and to loosen up the characters. Last year, we succeeded -- and this year we will continue our efforts.

Q: When will the season for Voyager start on UPN?
rob

BB: Mid-October.

Q: Will Bryan Fuller continue writing for Voyager this season? Is he now a story editor, or just a common free-lancer?
David

BB: Now seems like a good time to announce that Bryan's been fired.

Just kidding. Bryan is currently a staff writer and a valued member of the staff. No plans to let Bryan go just yet.

Q: Will you (please) lobby for "Voyager" to receive Emmy nominations in the dramatic categories? I think Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan's work this past season are especially deserving of that recognition.
A. Leon Visitor

BB: I couldn't agree more.

Q: Are there any specific characters that you especially enjoy writing?
cahobbes

BB: Scully and Mulder are pretty cool.

Seriously, Capt. Janeway is my favorite character to write. I've enjoyed giving her a cutting sense of humor, and more of an edge in her command decisions. She's a great character, superbly played by Kate Mulgrew.

Q: How are things going for the making of Star Trek: Insurrection? Why was this chosen as the title and is it guaranteed that this will be the title of the movie when it is released in November?
Rebel

BB: I am not working on the movie this time around, so I don't really know.

Q: Brannon, how did you arrive at Data's "0.68 seconds'" worth of considering the Borg Queen's offer?
The Canadaman

BB: We considered 0.69 seconds, but it didn't seem as funny.

Q: Why would a Borg wear spiked high heels? Where's the logic?
TFore2

BB: Those heels are actually Borg implants designed to support her spinal infrastructure. Without the heels, she would die.

Q: Will Voyager ever have a set built for the Captain's Yacht, whose outline is quite obvious on the bottom of the Saucer Section?
Alexis

BB: There will be, as I said, a brand-new shuttlecraft with advanced abilities and an exciting design for next season. Whether it will drop out of the bottom of ship, I don't know.

Q: I'm really enjoying this chat. Is it possible for you to coerce Kate Mulgrew to do this in the future? I think the entire world wide web would freeze up if she did. :)
TKat

BB: I'll see what I can do.

Q: Do you keep track when a crewmember gets killed because Voyager can only function with a certain minimum of people?
U.S.S. Valiant

BB: Yes.

Q: What was the reason that you & Ron Moore aren't involved with the upcoming ST:TNG movie?
Robert

BB: I won't answer for Ron. As for me, Voyager required my full attention last year and certainly this year. I didn't feel I could do both.

Q: Trekkies are generally viewed as "benign idealists." What is your take on the type of people who follow trek?
Rebecca

BB: Without sounding too solicitous, I find most Trek fans to be highly intelligent people, with a genuine interest in what happens to the world at large. There are a few anomolous fans who take their interest in the show to an obsessional level. But those are few and far between.

Q: How do you see Voyager as being remembered?
Berserker

BB: Two words: High heels.

I have no idea. I'm still too immersed in it to answer that question.

Q: Hey, who will be the tough new enemies for Voyager next year?
SmorgasBorg

BB: Not sure just yet. We're still creating the aliens right now. But you will see the return of the Borg and Species 8472.

Q: Please could you tell me why captain Janeway has nothing to say in the titles of voyager, as did the previous starship captains, eg: Kirk & Picard ?
john

BB: It was a conscious choice. Although, personally, I did make an argument to give her one. I thought it would be cool if it was a "Mayday." In the end, we decided not to.

Q: What is the basis for the mangement style of Captain Janeway, she seems to be more interested in the mojority of the crew than her own intuition as the Captain of a Starship?
Robert

BB: It all taps into Janeway's goal as a character -- to get her family home, no matter what the cost. Her directive as a captain is not the same as, say, Picard's. She must keep the family together and fulfill her promise to them.

Q: First off, a quick thank you for your work and the pleasure it brings me. Now the question: While you are doing the actual work for the show(s) are you conscious of creating 'modern myth' with all the long term ramifications associated with ST, or , like William Shatner, is this just your profession and you don't (can't) allow yourself to be swept up in the Trek mythos ?
J. Whiddon

BB: To be honest, we don't think about such lofty matters. We just try to tell the best stories that we can.