``Star Trek: Voyager'' becomes the fourth ``Trek'' series when it premieres in January as part of Paramount's new TV network.
Like the two earlier sequels, ``Star Trek: Voyager'' takes place in the 24th century. But this story line centers on the adventures of the U.S.S. Voyager, one of a new class of Starfleet vessels.
``Voyager'' will be more like the original ``Trek'' than the two spinoffs, said ``Next Generation'' executive producer Michael Piller. ``Those guys in Kirk's ship were alone out there. There weren't that many people in space. We've gotten to feel it's crowded.''
So, ``we catapult a ship to an entirely virgin area of space. All the aliens we've never met.''
The pilot opens with Voyager chasing a renegade team of former Starfleet officers. Both ships are caught in an interstellar Bermuda Triangle, and the two crews must unite to find a way home.
``The gender and ethnic makeup of the captain has not been determined yet,'' said ``Voyager'' executive producer Rick Berman. ``But other crew members will include a middle-aged Vulcan, a woman who is half human/half Klingon, a holographic character and a Native American from a tribe that left Earth 150 years earlier.''
According to ``Star Trek'' sources, Lindsay Wagner (``Bionic Woman'') is negotiating for the role of the Starfleet captain.