U.S.S. Voyager : Junior private quarters
U.S.S. Voyager : Junior private quarters
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Pictures of the junior quarters set. Source TOSTFF.
 Picture of the junior quarters set. Source TOSTFF.
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When launched on the mission to the Badlands in 2371, USS Voyager had a total complement of 141 Starfleet officers and crew, with accommodation for senior ranking officers located on the upper decks of the ship, in the primary hull, closer to the bridge. Senior crew enjoy individual quarters and are often provided with a location within the ship that provides them with a viewing portal or window, such as the quarters of the captain (Janeway), first officer (Chakotay), the security chief (Tuvok), chief engineer (name unknown, then Torres), and Neelix. When Torres and Paris marry their married quarters possesses a window. By contrast, many of the junior crewmembers have to share accommodation which is often positioned away from the inner hull bulkheads of the vessel. The psychological importance of positioning elements within a room and the careful use of color and lighting becomes particularly important in the design of these inner cabins to ensure that the crew do not succumb to feelings of claustrophobia, and it is a credit to Starfleet designers that the entire crew of Voyager continue to function more or less efficiently despite the seven long years they spend within the vessel as they travel back to the Alpha Quadrant (23 years in the alternative timeline seen in [#171 and #172 Endgame]). That is a feat considering that even Galaxy-class starships intended to accommodate families do not expect deep space missions of that length of time, and that the much smaller Intrepid-class ship USS Voyager expected the Badlands mission to last three weeks only.
Accommodation for junior officers begins on USS Voyager's deck 4. A variety of single and multiple occupancy quarters are located around the vessel down to the lower decks of the ship. The quarters occupied by ordinary crewmembers such as Tal Celes and William Telfer (seen in 2376, stardate 53753.2, in [#140 Good Shepherd], are typical of the facilities provided. The living space available to these crew members is smaller than that provided for higher ranking officers, additional space is provided in the form of a number of small messhalls that are located on many levels of the ship, which are in addition to the larger, main messhall on deck 2. As none of the smaller messhalls are seen on tv, their use by the crew probably accounts for why tv viewers only ever see a small number of the crew, and why possibly the same ones (about 22) favour the main messhall on deck 2. Those facilities are all that are available on a regular basis, together with access to the two holodecks but their use is often limited due to the lack of power aboard the ship and each crewmember has their particular ration of time although holodeck time is, like replicator rations, commonly traded between crewmembers. It seems unlikely that ordinary crewmembers are able to escape the ship altogether except on official shore leave granted en masse to the crew (e.g. in [#10 Prime Factors], [#78 Random Thoughts], [#135 Tsunkatse]), at least not in the way that the first officer is privileged to do in [#21 Initiations] when he takes a shuttlecraft out on his own in order to perform the Pakra ceremony (that the shuttlecraft is destroyed is not, however, the reason that no other crewmember is allowed this privilege), or that the chief engineer and conn officer are lent the Delta Flyer for their honeymoon in early 2377. Tom and B'Elanna's married quarters Shared quarters for junior ranks aboard starships is a natural space-saving convention dating back to time immemorial. During his posting aboard USS Excelsior, the young Tuvok shared quarters with the rest of Gamma shift, and his bunk-mate was one Dmitri Valtane [#44 Flashback] - see USS Excelsior: Page 5: Gamma shift's crew quarters. The shared quarters available to crewmembers are allocated on a same-sex basis with, for instance, Crewman Tal Celes sharing quarters with another female crew member, while her friend Crewman William Telfer ("Billy") shares quarters with a male colleague. Ensign Vorik likewise shares quarters. Sleeping quarters have a number of different combinations of beds, with bunks included in some male quarters (such as Vorik's) to maximise the use of available space. Female personnel have normal beds positioned at opposing ends of the main sleeping area. Personnel customise their own space to make it as homely as possible. Not all room-mates get on completely well with each other. In the unrealised timeline of [Year of Hell], Ensign Brooks shares crew quarters with Seven. Between Day 65 and Day 70, Ensign Brooks walks past Seven and Tuvok in a corridor. Seven remarks that she is Seven's cabin mate. Seven is unhappy with Brooks who is negligent - she leaves equipment lying around and her clothing on the floor. Tuvok notes that it has been his observation that humans are often lax with their personal habits. Adjacent to the single beds within both male and female quarters are bedside lockers. Personal effects can be stored in these. The tops of the metre-high storage units incorporate a diffuse illuminated bar which acts as a nightlight during the evening cycle of the ship. The flat upper surface can be used to display ornaments, form a handy location for drinking water, or to store PADDs and combadges when they are not being used. |
Crewman Celes often contacts her friend Billy Telfer at night in order that he can help her with her work. She tries to minimise disruption to her room-mate by studying under her Starfleet issue blanket with a hand-lamp, as the low-level illumination that casts a gentle blue light within the room is not bright enough to read information from a PADD during the night cycle. Her sleeping area is reached through a set of sliding doors set in one corner of the room, adjacent to an LCARS workstation that dominates one wall of the room and can be used when off-duty. The interior bulkhead walls are formed by a series of smooth, light-coloured interlocking panels, with an attempt to break up the sterile feel of the walls achieved by the careful placement of a large plant in one corner of the room. The use of plants is a psychologically effective way to produce a more natural feel to a room, and Voyager features a wide variety of plant life in many of its rooms and quarters.
The configuration of Crewman William Telfer's room differs slightly, as the use of bunks allows for more space directly in front of the double sliding access doors to the main sleeping area. Telfer occupies the lower of the two bunk beds that are positioned on the opposite side of the room from the entrance doors, thus maximising the floor space within the shared facility. The bunks are comfortable, with each of the two levels consisting of a single sized mattress, pillow, and bedding that is used more for purposes of privacy than to keep personnel warm, as all quarters have their own environmental controls. Telfer's quarters do not appear to have a computer terminal built into them, although connecting rooms may house the LCARS station for their personal use. The attempts by Crewman Tal Celes to communicate with Crewman William Telfer via their combadges highlights a particular problem with shared accommodation - it is relatively easy to disturb a room-mate regardless of how careful they may be.
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(About 22 people were cast as recurring Voyager crew extras - see 
