Star Trek: Voyager is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor. It aired from January 1995 to May 2001 on UPN, lasting for 172 episodes over seven seasons; the fifth series in the Star Trek franchise, it served as the fourth sequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in the 24th century, when Earth is part of a United Federation of Planets, it follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager as it attempts to return home after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the far side of the Milky Way galaxy. Paramount Pictures commissioned the series following the termination of Star Trek: The Next Generation to accompany the ongoing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, they wanted it to help launch their newly established network. Berman and Taylor devised the series to chronologically overlap with Deep Space Nine and to maintain thematic continuity with elements, introduced in The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine; the complex relationship between Starfleet and ex-Federation colonists known as the Maquis was one such element and a persistent central theme.
Voyager was the first Star Trek series to feature a female captain, Kathryn Janeway, as the lead character. Berman served as head executive producer in charge of the overall production, assisted by a series of executive producers: Piller, Brannon Braga, Kenneth Biller. Set in a different part of the galaxy from preceding Star Trek shows, Voyager gave the series' writers space to introduce new alien species as recurring characters, namely the Kazon, Vidiians and Species 8472. During the seasons, the Borg—a species created for The Next Generation—were introduced as the main antagonists. During Voyager's run, various episode novelisations and tie-in video games were produced. Following the termination of Voyager, the franchise continued with Star Trek: Enterprise; as Star Trek: The Next Generation ended, Paramount Pictures wanted to continue to have a second Star Trek TV series to accompany Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The studio planned to start a new television network, wanted the new series to help it succeed.
This was reminiscent of Paramount's earlier plans to launch its own network by showcasing Star Trek: Phase II in 1977. Initial work on Star Trek: Voyager began in 1993, when the seventh and final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the second season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine were in production. Seeds for Voyager's backstory, including the development of the Maquis, were placed in several The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine episodes. Voyager was shot on the stages The Next Generation had used, where the Voyager pilot "Caretaker" was shot in September 1994. Costume designer Robert Blackman decided that the uniforms of Voyager's crew would be the same as those on Deep Space Nine. Star Trek: Voyager was the first Star Trek series to use computer-generated imagery, rather than models, for exterior space shots. Babylon 5 and seaQuest DSV had used CGI to avoid the expense of models, but the Star Trek television department continued using models because they felt they were more realistic.
Amblin Imaging won an Emmy for Voyager's opening CGI title visuals, but the weekly episode exteriors were captured with hand-built miniatures of Voyager, its shuttlecraft, other ships. This changed when Voyager went CGI for certain types of shots midway through season three. Foundation Imaging was the studio responsible for special effects during Babylon 5's first three seasons. Season three's "The Swarm". Star Trek: Deep Space Nine began using Foundation Imaging in conjunction with Digital Muse in season six. In its seasons, Voyager featured visual effects from Foundation Imaging and Digital Muse; the digital effects were produced at standard television resolution and some have speculated that it cannot be re-released in HD format without re-creating the special effects. However, Enterprise has been released in HD, but the special effects were rendered in 480p and upscaled. In the pilot episode, "Caretaker", USS Voyager departs the Deep Space Nine space station on a mission into the treacherous Badlands.
They are searching for a missing ship piloted by a team of Maquis rebels, which Voyager's security officer, the Vulcan Lieutenant Tuvok, has secretly infiltrated. While in the Badlands, Voyager is enveloped by a powerful energy wave that kills several of its crew, damages the ship, strands it in the galaxy's Delta Quadrant, more than 70,000 light-years from Earth; the wave was not a natural phenomenon. In fact, it was used by an alien entity known as the Caretaker to pull Voyager into the Delta Quadrant; the Caretaker is responsible for the continued care of the Ocampa, a race of aliens native to the Delta Quadrant, has been abducting other species from around the galaxy in an effort to find a successor. The Maquis ship was pulled into the Delta Quadrant, the two crews reluctantly agree to join forces after the Caretaker space station is destroyed in a pitched space battle with another local alien species, the Kazon. Chakotay, leader of the Maquis group, becomes Voyager's first officer. B'Elanna Torres, a half-human/half-Klingon Maquis, becomes chief engineer.
Tom Paris, whom Janeway released from a Federation prison to help find the Maquis ship, is made Voyager's helm officer. Due to the deaths of the ship's entire medical staff, the Doctor, an emergency medical hologram designed only for short-term use, is employed as the ship's full-time chief medical officer. Delta Quadrant natives Neelix, a Talaxian scavenger, Kes, a young Ocampa, are welcomed aboard as the ship's chef/morale
The Silver Bullet Express known as the Sunday River Ski Train, was a owned and operated ski train that ran from Portland, Maine to Sunday River Ski Resort near Bethel, Maine. The ski train was sponsored by Coors Light; the train left Portland at 6:45 am, arriving in Bethel at 8:45 am where passengers transferred to Buses which would take them to the mountain. The return trip would depart Bethel at 5:15 pm. Amenities included a dining car, parlor car, a retrofitted boxcar for carrying skis and snowboards, it operated from 1993 until 1996. In 1993, Les Otten who owned Sunday River envisioned a ski train that would connect the mountain with Auburn and Boston. Otten appointed Carl Spangler to head the ski train effort; that summer a set of seven heritage cars was purchased from Indiana Rail Road, the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad was hired to operate the train. Buses were purchased from Chicago Transit Authority to carry skiers from the station in Bethel to the mountain
The history of shipping in Cyprus traces back hundreds of years. Its geographical position at the crossroads of Europe and Africa as well as its proximity to the Suez canal has favoured merchant shipping as an important industry for this European island state; as of 2005 Cyprus holds the 9th largest merchant navy in the world and the 3rd largest in the European Union. Merchant shipping has long been of great importance to the island, with its roots stretching well back into antiquity. Examples of shipwrecks discovered off the island’s coast plus evidence of ancient ports give proof to the fact that Cyprus was a major seafaring player in antiquity and located along important trade routes. Merchant shipping has been developed by successive governments since the independence of Cyprus from British rule in 1960 and has since experienced sustained growth; the first shipping hub was created in the port of Famagusta, but since the Turkish invasion of 1974 the port has been occupied and is declared illegal.
Most business are now transferred to a lesser extent Larnaca Port. Cyprus has traditionally been a popular shipping centre and home to some of the leading names of the global shipping industry. Among the ship management companies established and operating, 87% are controlled by EU interests; these companies employ 40.000 seafarers out of whom 5.000 are EU nationals. According to the latest governmental estimates, the total fleet managed from Cyprus represents 20% of the world third–party ship management market; the new tonnage tax scheme for Cyprus was approved by the European Commission on 24 March 2010, as compatible with the requirements of the EU Acquis communautaire, in accordance with the relevant guidelines on State Aid to Maritime Transport. This simplified tonnage tax system is approved for the first time for an EU Member State, a state with an open registry; the said scheme was approved for a ten years period, which may be extended for a further period of ten years. The provisions of the Law are applicable for the fiscal year 2010, starting on the 1st January 2010 and will be valid until December 2019.
The Department of Merchant Shipping was established and started functioning as a distinct entity in the Ministry of Communications and Works, in 1977. The service however since 1963 and functioned under the Department of Ports; the Cyprus registry ranks tenth among international fleets and third within the European Union, with a merchant fleet exceeding 22 million gross tons. The department is responsible for the development of maritime activities which include: Ship registration and enforcement of the Merchant Shipping Laws Control of ships and enforcement of international conventions ratified by the Government of Cyprus Marine conservation Vessel traffic monitoring in the sea around Cyprus and information system implementation Monitoring the conditions of living and work on board Cyprus Ships Registration and certification of seafarers Control of Coastal passenger vessels and small craft Investigation of marine accidents Continuous updating of the merchant shipping legislation and its harmonization with that of the European Union Coordination of the EU Integrated Maritime Policy Administration of the State Aid Scheme for Maritime Transport and the Tonnage Tax System Promotion of Cyprus as an International Registry and a base for international maritime operations Cyprus has the only EU-approved “Open Registry” regime with a wide and endorsed Tonnage Tax System, introduced with the Merchant Shipping Law in 2010 and covers the three main “maritime transport” activities: Ship owning Ship management Chartering The BSM Maritime Training Centre was founded in 1983 and is IMO approved operating under the auspices of the Cyprus Administration.
Individual courses are separately recognized by individual leading flag state authorities, where required. The Centre provides training for Ratings, Junior Officers, Senior Officers, employed on Cyprus and foreign flag ships. Attendees who pass the exams are awarded with certificates issued by the Cyprus Department of Merchant Shipping. All courses comply with the amendments of the 1995 Convention. In 1998, the school won the Lloyd's List Youth & Training Award for its outstanding and consistent contribution to maritime training; the states’s accession to the European Union, in 2004, further boosted the reputation and overall image of the Cyprus flag and the infrastructure of Cyprus’ shipping in general. Settlement of the Cyprus dispute would boost the commercial fleet to new levels, according to, Cyprus Shipping Chamber Director General and European Community Shipowners' Associations Chairman, Thomas Kazakos. Under the recent geopolitical developments the government is putting into effect recommendations of a study to help it reposition.
The Cyprus Shipping Chamber director general says the five-point action plan is designed to boost the island further against other maritime hubs and open ship registries. Shipping and ship management makes up 2% of the GDP with an overall contribution in of CYP£170 million. 3,500 people are employed in the industry, representing 2% of the total gainfully employed population. The total revenue of Cyprus Maritime Administration for the year 2003 was around CYP£5.3 million which consists of tonnage tax from ship owning and ship management companies, registration fees and issue of shipping documents. Cyprus Marine Shipping Official website Cyprus Shipping Council Cyprus Ports Authority Cyprus Union of Shipowners