In 1995,
Star Trek: Voyager
brought a new dynamic to
Star Trek's
familiar, starship oriented, show. Lost 70,000 light-years in space,
Voyager
and its crew faced an uncertain and changeable future, echoing anxieties felt in the United States at the time. These fifteen essays explore the context, characters, and themes of
, as they relate to the culture and zeitgeist of the 1990s. Essays on gender show how the series both challenges and reinforces typical SF stereotypes through the characters of Captain Janeway, Kes and Seven of Nine, while essays on identity examine the show's intersections with disability studies, race and multiracial identities, family dynamics, and emerging AI and humanity. Using the epic journey of Homer's
Odyssey
as a starting point for the series, and ending with an examination of the impacts of inception at the birth of the internet age, this book shows the many ways in which
negotiated different perspectives for what the future of the galaxy and the USA could be.