Summary

• Star Trek: Voyager’s “Mortal Coil” had an original horror premise involving a Borg zombie named Samantha Wildman.
• Ultimately, the horror idea for Voyager had to be abandoned because it was too cruel for Star Trek.
• While “Mortal Coil” is still a great Neelix episode, it missed the opportunity for a more unique premise.

I always liked Star Trek: Traveler‘s season 4 episode “Mortal Coil”, but now I am disappointed that the original premise was scrapped. “Mortal Coil” was the 12th episode of Traveler The poignant plot revolves around Neelix (Ethan Phillips), who struggles with his spirituality and questions about life after being killed in a shuttle accident and revived. The episode is a tour de force for Neelix and one of his best in the seriesbut one of my favorite parts was always Neelix’s interaction with recurring character Samantha Wildman (Nacy Hower) and her daughter Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers).

The Wildmans were important recurring members of Star Trek: The Next Generations cast and were involved in some great episodes of the series, including “Mortal Coil.” Naomi was at the center of several storylines, offered a unique perspective as the first child born in the Delta Quadrant, and shared some truly wonderful moments with characters like Neelix and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). Samantha had much less screen time than her daughter, but If the original premise of “Mortal Coil” had been retained, the episode would have been a big deal for them.

The Neelix episode “Mortal Coil” of Star Trek: Voyager was originally about a Borg zombie

The original premise of the episode was completely different

In an interview with The official Star Trek: Voyager magazine, Traveler Producer and writer Brannon Braga revealed that “Mortal Coil” was originally supposed to focus on Samantha Wildman and have a much darker direction. Although the episode contained some heavy themes, Braga’s discussion of the original idea makes it clear that “Mortal Coil” would probably have been the closest thing to a horror film without revisions. Star Trek franchise ever created, an idea that excited me when I first read about it. Read Braga’s full quote below:

“We wanted to do that episode of Pet Sematary where Ensign Wildman goes on a shuttle mission and dies, and Seven of Nine brings her back to life using Borg technology, only now she’s a ‘zombie mother.’ She’s not quite herself. Wildman is more connected to death than life, and her only connection to life is through her daughter. However, she wants to kill her daughter to bring her back to ‘life’ so she can share this experience with her. Truly a creepy, macabre story! I thought, ‘This is going to be so much fun to write. Nothing like this has ever happened on Star Trek.’ So we published the story, and everyone was pretty happy about it.”

Despite all the enthusiasm, the idea of ​​Samantha Wildman turning into a Borg zombie and trying to kill her daughter was not well received. Traveler Producer Rick Berman or Paramount Studios, who thought it was too cruel for Star Trek. The premise was quickly scrapped and reworked into the episode it became. Some of the original elements, such as a dead crew member being brought back by nanoprobes, are still there, but the really terrible stuff was replaced by a more existential variant. Now that I know the original premise, I’m just disappointed that it didn’t work out.

It is disappointing that the original premise “Mortal Coil” was deleted from Star Trek: Voyager

It’s still a great Voyager episode

“Mortal Coil” to a full-fledged Star Trek Horror episode would have been a great addition to Traveler and a unique premise for the franchise as a whole. While I understand the reservations about showing a mother wanting to kill her daughter, especially in the 1990s on mainstream television, “Mortal Coil” missed the chance to create something truly original. The episode’s original premise was outrageous in some ways and would also have been an opportunity for Nancy Hower, a phenomenal actress who didn’t get enough screen time, to shine in the role of Samantha Wildman.

Neelix didn’t have many dramatic or emotional moments, so giving him his own storyline in Mortal Coil was a real win.

That is not to say that “Mortal Coil” is not great. On the contrary, I think the episode is one of the best of the fourth season and the best Neelix episode of the series. Neelix didn’t have many dramatic or emotional moments, so giving him his own storyline in “Mortal Coil” was a real win. Many of Neelix’s scenes in the episode have stuck with me for years, and his character development is arguably unmatched in the entire series. However, these things don’t preclude the possibility that Star Trek: The Next Generation missed an opportunity to do something much more unique.

Source: The official Star Trek: Voyager magazineIssue 18