CBS Photo Archive The cast of the science fiction television series, "Star Trek: Voyager."
The final episode of “Star Trek: Voyager” aired on May 23, 2001. Twenty years later, the show is still beloved by the “Star Trek” fandom, as are the actors who brought the show’s characters to life. “Voyager” featured the first female lead, returned to “Star Trek’s” roots by including a Vulcan on the bridge, and explored new territory, literally and figuratively, by throwing the crew into the unexplored Delta Quadrant.
The show has returned to the spotlight lately with the production of a retrospective documentary and calls for a “Short Treks” episode featuring the crew’s favorite holodeck program. Some key members of the cast took advantage of the hype and the slowdown created by the pandemic to start new “Voyager” related projects and virtually reunite with their old castmates. Other cast members have moved on from the Trekverse and launched brand new careers.
Here’s a quick peek at the main cast members then and now as well as updates on their lives today.
Kate Mulgrew
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Kate Mulgrew played Captain Kathryn Janeway, the first female lead in the franchise. Though there had been female captains before Janeway, none of them were at the center of their own series. Mulgrew took the importance of her role to heart, as she recently shared in an interview with Dennis Miller on his podcast Miller +1.
Mulgrew has kept very busy since the “Voyager” finale. She’s had major roles on several popular television series such as “The Black Donnelly’s,” “Warehouse 13,” and “Mr. Mercedes.” She’s also done an incredible amount of voice work for television and video games.
Her most recognizable role since “Voyager” is as Red on the wildly popular Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black.” She played Red in all 91 episodes of the series and her performance earned her an Emmy nomination in 2014. That same year, she won the Critic’s Choice Award for the role.
Mulgrew will be reprising her role as Captain Janeway in the upcoming animated series, “Star Trek: Prodigy.”
Outside of her acting career, Mulgrew is a vocal anti-abortion activist and a devout Catholic, according to an interview she did with Feminists for Life of America. She’s also an advocate for Alzheimer’s research, prompted by her mother’s struggle with and death from the disease.
Robert Beltran
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Robert Beltran played Commander Chakotay, the first Native American officer featured in a “Star Trek” series. Beltran also took the gravity of his role very seriously, saying that he was inspired by his own Indigenous heritage as a Mexican-American.
Since “Voyager” ended, Beltran has appeared in several television shows, a few TV movies, and a few movies. He had a recurring role on the HBO series, “Big Love” and played Cordero in the fan series “Star Trek: Renegades.” Beltran is currently working on the movie “Resilient 3D,” in which he stars opposite Virginia Madsen.
Tim Russ
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Tim Russ played Tuvok, one of the few Black Vulcans in the “Star Trek” universe and the only Black Vulcan on the bridge crew of a regular series. In an interview with TrekMovie.com in 2020, Russ talked about the importance of representation in “Star Trek” and playing the first significant Black Vulcan. Like Mulgrew and Beltran, Russ fully understood the significance of the role and took it very seriously.
In that same interview, Russ admitted that there was a lull in his acting career after “Voyager” ended. During that lull, he dedicated himself to directing, which became a major part of his post-Trek career.
The lull ended by the mid-2000s and Russ has kept very busy since then, both acting and directing. He had minor roles on several popular TV series like “ER,” “NCIS,” “Without a Trace,” General Hospital,” “Hannah Montana,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “CSI: Miami,” “Suits,” “The Fosters,” “Criminal Minds,” “The Good Doctor,” “Supergirl,” and “How to Get Away With Murder.”
He also remained firmly embedded in the Trekverse. Russ appeared in one episode of Seth MacFarlane’s “Star Trek” spoof series, “The Orville.” He also starred in and directed several “Star Trek” fan series and movies including “Star Trek: Of Gods and Men,” “Star Trek: New Voyages Phase II,” and “Star Trek: Renegades.”
Currently, Russ is tied to multiple movie projects due to come out in the next couple of years as both an actor and a director.
Roxann Dawson
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Roxann Dawson played B’Elanna Torres, the half Klingon, half Human chief engineer on “Voyager.” Though half Klingon characters had been featured in “Star Trek” shows before, Torres was the first half Klingon on a “Star Trek” bridge crew.
Dawson has done some acting since “Voyager” ended, but most of her work these days is as a director. She started her directing career on “Voyager” and found that she loved being behind the camera. Dawson began directing for television as soon as “Voyager” wrapped.
Since then, she’s directed several episodes of popular television shows like “Lost,” “The O.C.,” “Heroes,” “The Closer,” “The Mentalist,” “The Good Wife,” “Scandal,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Bates Motel,” “House of Cards,” and “The Americans.” Dawson was also a frequent director for a few shows like “Star Trek: Enterprise,” “Crossing Jordan,” and “Cold Case.”
Dawson made her film directing debut in 2019 with the movie “Breakthrough.” The movie followed a woman having a spiritual experience, which was very personal for Dawson. Like Mulgrew, Dawson is devoutly religious.
Robert Duncan McNeill
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Robert Duncan McNeill played Lieutenant Tom Paris, a reformed criminal who served as “Voyager’s” best pilot. Fans got to watch both his redemption arc and his relationship with Torres, which culminated with the birth of their daughter.
Like Dawson, McNeill also started his directing career on the set of “Voyager.” He directed four episodes of the series and began directing other shows before “Voyager” even wrapped. He directed several episodes of “Dawson’s Creek,” returned to the Trekverse to direct four episodes of “Star Trek: Enterprise,” and directed a few episodes of several other popular television series.
In 2007, McNeill made the jump to producer when he started working on the action/comedy “Chuck.” He was a producer on the show for all five seasons and directed 21 episodes.
McNeill went on to produce multiple series including “666 Park Avenue,” “The Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce,” “Heartbeat,” and “The Gifted.” He’s currently the showrunner for the popular sci-fi show “Resident Alien” and he’s working on a “Turner & Hooch” series.
During the pandemic, McNeill teamed up with costar Garrett Wang to launch a “Voyager” rewatch podcast called “The Delta Flyers.”
Garrett Wang
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Wang played Ensign Harry Kim, the only Asian member of the bridge crew. His character was a callback to Hikaru Sulu, the first Asian character in the “Star Trek” universe, portrayed by George Takei.
Wang has remained thoroughly embedded in the Trekverse since “Voyager” ended. In an interview with his agent, Chris Roe, Wang talked about his career working at fan conventions. He started working as a moderator for convention panels in 2010. Wang discovered that he had a talent for the role and developed a passion for the convention scene. Though he’s done some acting since then, his main work has been on the convention circuit.
Wang also joined Russ for the fan film “Of Gods and Men,” and has done voice work for Star Trek Online.
In 2020, he and McNeill launched The Delta Flyers. They release an episode each week, in which they rewatch an episode of “Voyager” and reflect on their experiences on the show.
Robert Picardo
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Robert Picardo played the Emergency Medical Hologram known only as The Doctor until the very last episode of the series. The Doctor was the first major holographic character in the “Star Trek” universe, and he filled the role of the character exploring humanity that appeared in each “Star Trek” series.
Picardo has had a wildly successful career since “Voyager” ended. He’s landed small roles on several popular TV shows including “Frasier,” “Crossing Jordan,” “The Practice,” “Sabrina The Teenage Witch,” “The West Wing,” “The O.C.,” “Cold Case,” “The Closer,” “Smallville,” “Chuck,” “Castle,” “Supernatural,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “The Good Fight.”
Picardo also played major recurring roles in “Stargate: SG1,” “Stargate: Atlantis,” “The Mentalist,” “Bravest Warriors,” and “Dickinson.” He stayed in the Trekverse as well, joining his former costars Russ and Beltran for “Star Trek: Renegades,” and appearing in “The Orville.”
Currently, Picardo is attached to a few movie projects and one television series. Picardo is also entertaining fans by playing his alter-ego Alphonso, a Lothario in a black smoking jacket who dispenses bad relationship advice.
Jeri Ryan
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Jeri Ryan played Seven of Nine, the borg drone rescued by the Voyager crew. The doctor managed to remove most of her Borg technology, making her almost human again. However, she retained much of her Borg mentality and struggled to recover her humanity. Though Ryan was added to the show for sex appeal, as the producers frankly stated, Seven of Nine was such an interesting character that she ended up being much more than just eye-candy.
Ryan’s career exploded after “Voyager.” She landed recurring roles on several popular shows including “Boston Public,” “The O.C.,” “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Leverage,” “Helix,” and “Bosch.” Additionally, she’s been on the main cast of several series including “Body of Proof,” “Shark,” and “Star Trek: Picard.”
Currently, she’s filming the second and third seasons of “Picard.” When she’s not working, she enjoys cooking with her husband, a professional chef, according to TV Guide.
Ethan Phillips
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Ethan Phillips played Neelix, one of the only crew members native to the Delta Quadrant. The refugee was rescued by the Voyager crew and became the chef and “morale officer.”
Since “Voyager” ended, Phillips has landed plenty of roles on the small and big screens.
He’s had small roles in several popular television series including “Touched by an Angel,” “8 Simple Rules,” “JAG,” “Arrested Development,” “Criminal Minds,” “Boston Legal,” “Bones,” “True Blood,” “Castle,” “The Mentalist,” “Chuck,” “Veep,” “The Good Wife,” and “Better Call Saul.” Phillips also landed a few recurring roles. He played Keith in Lena Dunham’s “Girls,” Michael Schiller in “Boston Legal,” and Spike Martin in “Avenue 5.”
On the big screen, he had major roles in “Bad Santa,” “The Island,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” and “The Purge: Election Year.” He also joined costars, Russ and Wang, for the fan film “Of Gods and Men.”
According to StarTrek.com, Phillips is also busy in the worlds of theater and music. He plays the saxophone for a few bands on a regular basis, and he often stars in stage productions.
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