Star Trek’s Bryan Fuller Shared One Of The Things He Loved Most About Working On The Franchise, And I Wish We Could Have More Of It

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I absolutely love Star Trek: Voyager – it’s one of my favorites, especially because it has some of the most surprising and unforgettable episodes in all of Trek. Bryan Fuller wrote or co-wrote about 20 of those, and many fans consider them the show’s best. TopMob recently interviewed him about his time on the show, and honestly, hearing him talk about it made me wish the newer Star Trek series had that same creative spark.

Ahead of the release of his new movie, Dust Bunny, Nick Venable from TopMob interviewed writer Fuller about his work, including Star Trek. Fuller enthusiastically shared his favorite memories of the franchise, particularly praising the show’s use of two-part episodes.

Some of my best memories from Star Trek involve specific episodes. I particularly enjoyed ‘Bride of Chaotica!’ and the two-part stories we created on Voyager. Unlike ‘Next Generation,’ where the first part of a two-parter was usually strong but the second part fell flat, we often managed to make both parts of a Voyager story work. ‘All Good Things…’ was an exception, though – it really felt like one complete story that was just divided into two episodes for broadcast.

Someone jokingly criticized Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I’m willing to overlook it considering how highly regarded the show is, especially its characters. It’s hard to recall many of TNG’s two-part episodes, except for the series finale, which Fuller pointed out was originally conceived as one longer episode before being divided. Also, Fuller deserves credit for unexpectedly bringing up “Bride of Chaotica,” even though it doesn’t quite fit the mold of a typical Star Trek two-parter.

As a big Star Trek fan, I’ve always remembered a lot of Voyager‘s two-part episodes – especially the ones Bryan Fuller penned. He once explained how they approached those episodes differently, and honestly, I think that’s a big part of why some of them are truly the best Trek has ever offered.

I really enjoyed the two-part episodes of Star Trek, like ‘The Killing Game,’ ‘Year of Hell,’ and ‘Equinox.’ They offered fantastic, in-depth stories, and as someone still learning the ropes of filmmaking at the time, I found being involved in those projects to be a truly valuable experience.

Annorax is definitely one of my favorite Voyager villains, and the “Year of Hell” two-part episode is particularly memorable. It’s great to hear that Bryan Fuller, like many fans, really values those episodes – it makes sense, considering how many of the show’s creators are fans themselves.

More On Star Trek: Voyager

I’m really excited to see both Sulu and Tuvok from Voyager show up in Star Trek: Khan. The writer told me they felt including these characters was the most natural and logical decision.

I’m hoping the next season of Star Trek in 2026 will bring back the classic two-part episodes. I know it’s a challenging thing to make happen, though.

Despite the challenges of a lengthy production delay caused by the writer’s strike, Strange New Worlds still managed to create a two-part episode to connect Seasons 2 and 3. However, the strike significantly impacted Season 3, leading to a disjointed writing process, and making it difficult to fully assess the effectiveness of that bridging episode, as even the show’s creators acknowledged.

Creating a two-part episode is challenging today. Modern Star Trek episodes are longer and more expensive to produce, and seasons have fewer episodes overall. Television is constantly evolving, and a lot has changed since Voyager concluded and Discovery launched the latest era of Trek.

Despite everything, I’m still hoping for a two-part episode. By today’s standards, that would be like a full-length movie, and we definitely need more of those, as Paramount and Skydance know. I also really miss the excitement of a cliffhanger! Hopefully, the current Star Trek writers can deliver, and ‘Make it so,’ just like Captain Picard would say.

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You can now watch Star Trek: Voyager on Paramount+. With Robert Picardo reprising his role as the Emergency Medical Hologram (the Doctor) in the new Starfleet Academy series, it’s a great time to rewatch Voyager. I’m excited to see the Doctor mentoring a new group of Starfleet cadets and how his character evolves with a new generation and the changing Federation. Hopefully, the new series will also bring back the classic two-part episodes we enjoyed in the past.

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2025-12-11 22:09