Naomi Wildman deserves more praise for what she added to Star Trek: Voyager

Naomi Wildman deserves more praise for what she added to Star Trek: Voyager

As a gamer who has spent countless hours navigating the vast expanse of Star Trek’s universe, I can confidently say that Naomi Wildman is often overlooked but deserves far more recognition than she gets. Much like how Voyager was lost in the Delta Quadrant, this character was lost amidst a cast filled with iconic characters.


Among impressive late-season character introductions across Star Trek franchises, we often highlight Worf from Deep Space Nine, Captain Christopher Pike from Discovery, T’Lynn from Lower Decks, and Seven of Nine from Voyager. However, there’s one character that sometimes doesn’t receive the recognition they deserve – Naomi Wildman, a fellow cast member from Voyager.

Unlike Seven of Nine, who was portrayed by an adult actress Jeri Ryan, Naomi Wildman was a young character, with nine-year-old Scarlet Pomers taking on the role. Distinctive among the crew of U.S.S. Voyager, Naomi Wildman stood out as the sole child aboard the ship. Shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine featured numerous children due to the different nature of their vessels.

In contrast, the Enterprise-D from The Next Generation resembled a metropolis in space, whereas Deep Space Nine functioned as a space station, combining aspects of an interstellar shopping center, rest stop, and hotel. Consequently, it often bustled with children who were either temporary visitors or permanent residents, making it a vibrant and lively locale teeming with various attractions.

On Starship Voyager, since its narrative didn’t involve regular child characters, it was not typically staffed with children due to the specific plotline. With Voyager being stranded in the Delta Quadrant and tasked with tracking down dangerous extremists before getting lost, there was a clear focus on mission rather than family matters, hence no families, which in turn meant no children on board.

Other than Samantha Wildman, who became pregnant, she wasn’t initially meant to be on the starship Voyager when she went into labor 75 years from Earth. However, due to a mysterious event that drew the ship far away from home, her delivery had to occur aboard the vessel instead. This took place in season two’s episode “Deadlock,” where an unusual incident caused Voyager to be duplicated and joined together. As a result, one of the ships had to be destroyed for the other to survive, making for a rather intricate situation.

As a gamer, let me share this: In our journey through the stars, Harry Kim and young Naomi Wildman met their fate on a single vessel. Just before the other ship was about to blow up, Captain Kathryne Janeway made a critical decision – she sent Harry and baby Naomi across to the Voyager that survived.

It’s a wild episode and one that you should check out.

That particular episode introduced us to the delightful character of Naomi Wildman. Although she didn’t stand out individually, she provided purpose for characters like Neelix. Rather than serving as a guide or morale officer, he transformed into a teacher and caregiver for a young girl. This change in role significantly enhanced the appeal of Neelix, making him more endearing with his young charge by his side.

Naomi Wildman played a role in revealing Seven of Nine’s more compassionate nature, doing so without requiring any distressful events. Instead, she offered a nurturing hand to the young girl, serving as a mentor and instructor in science when she expressed curiosity about it.

Introducing her significantly enhanced the development of the main characters, making her an exceptional newcomer to the cast.

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2024-11-12 04:23

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