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| THAT'S A WRAP! Star Trek: Voyager Wrap Party at the W Hotel in Westwood, Los Angeles On what was certainly one of the year's coldest and blustery evenings, the cast and crew of Star Trek: Voyager gathered one last time to celebrate and say goodbye to seven years of hard, but rewarding and often times fun work. The picturesque W Hotel, a curious combination of architectural rigidity combined with deft, modern sophistication, provided the backdrop to accommodate the 500 or so jubilant guests who were able to roam the event from the inside bar and dance floor, right through to the outside pool area. Although the party's atmosphere was generally upbeat and happy, it was tinged with no small amount of sadness, with the one word that seemed to be on everyone's lips bittersweet. Although the show was ending, and the family that had worked together for seven years would be going their separate ways, the idea of doing something new provided a feeling of optimism for many. After all seven years, in the words of Kate Mulgrew, is a long time to be doing one thing. The entire Voyager cast, including major guest stars such as John de Lancie ("Q"), Susanna Thompson ("Borg Queen") and Scarlett Pomers ("Naomi Wildman") were in attendance, as were guests from some of the other Star Trek shows. Serving to highlight how professional and personal relationships carry over into the other Star Trek productions, Brent Spiner ("Data"), Armin Shimerman ("Quark") and Chase Masterson ("Leeta") were also there to mark the occasion. The evening was officially kicked off with the arrivals on the "red carpet" (actually orange, if you want to be technical) and included the entire Voyager cast. Each actor took his or her time with the surging throng of reporters and photographers, including surprise guests such as Richard Herd ("Admiral Paris") and the first lady of Star Trek, Majel Barrett Roddenberry (?Lwaxana Troi,? computer voice, etc.). Known simply as Majel to most Star Trek fans, Roddenberry was there to celebrate and congratulate the latest crew who, technically, owe a lot of their own work success to her late husband, series creator Gene Roddenberry. Rounding out the special guests on the carpet, and to provide their own comments on the show, were series Executive Producers Rick Berman, Ken Biller and Brannon Braga. Later in the evening, after food was served, guests gathered in the main bar/dance area for brief messages from Kerry McCluggage (Chairman, Paramount Television Group) and Rick Berman (Executive Producer, Co-Creator). Berman's brief speech featured a heartfelt ?thank you? to the absent fellow Voyager co-creators Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor. The party began to wind down at 10:30, with several stragglers finding it hard to leave and say goodbye to the friends they had made over the course of the show. When they did eventually tear themselves away, attendees were given a special parting gift ' a hand-blown, glass bowl created especially for the event. The Star Trek: Voyager wrap party was a special evening for a special group of people; the cast, crew and creative minds that inspire and entertain millions with their work. Voyager will now live on forever in various forms, be it syndication, books, comics, computer games. But the time spent by everyone who worked on this show will never be forgotten and this stunning evening provided a fitting send off for everyone involved, with memories to savor long after the noises fade. |
