HOW THE VOYAGER BIBLE IS USED IN PRODUCTION

The order in which Voyager's main creative steps occur is bible, story, and script.

Once co-creators/co-producers Rick Berman, Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor had obtained a qualified "ok" from the Paramount studio bosses for the outline of the [Voyager] premise, they started developing it further. Much of the discussion focused on expanding the series' concept in greater depth. The result would become a document known as a series "bible".

Many tv shows do not have them, but in all episodic television, which all the Star Trek series are, a bible is a vitally important instrument. The [Voyager] bible describes the characters, the setting, the series premise, the storyline, and other general information about the series concept. The bible is just what the term implies - it becomes the reference authority upon which the pilot script is written, and remains the primary source for writers when scripting every subsequent episode. A Star Trek bible is updated many times throughout the life of the series. After two or three seasons, it will in many ways be considerably different from that used for the pilot episode. A Star Trek bible is especially important, for without it not much is possible - unlike, say, medical drama, writers cannot just telephone a doctor for research and technical advice. Who can the writer call for information about a starship? or a Vulcan? or for an explanation about how the transporter operates? The number of unknowns is huge, and many might seem of little significance, but such details are in the bible, and is important to maintain continuity - fans will notice, for instance, if the transporter works one way one week and a slightly different way the next week.

Constructing a bible for [Voyager] was no straightforward matter. Star Trek is like a vast continuum. Its discernible characteristics include an unending passion for morality plays; delving into such human notions as right/wrong, good/bad, life/death, honour/duty; the-often-skewed perceptions formed by the eye of the beholder; a reverence for all that has come before, and all that is yet to come; and an eternal enthusiasm for the way things really ought to be among Mankind. In this context, Voyager's bible cannot simply be about a new television series, but needs to contain the foundation for all those discernible characteristics created, espoused, embraced, and fostered over the decades by Star Trek. It is, in a philosophical sense, the nature of the series it describes, and it both combines and comprises (since it is the most up-to-date version) but also forms a separate part of the combined drafts collectively termed the Star Trek bible.

Furthermore, when the [Voyager] series ends, there will perhaps be feature films to follow, and possibly a fifth series; this is what happened - the film [Star Trek X: Nemesis] and the tv series [Enterprise] occurred. What will follow will utilise the Star Trek bible to which [Voyager] has most recently contributed, and all will add more detail to the Star Trek universe, which means essentially that in preparing the [Voyager] bible the producers cannot paint themselves into a corner because they must be mindful that there will (hopefully!) be more Star Trek in future.

Therefore, in constructing the [Voyager] bible, the three producers' task was necessarily considerably more thoughtful. The design of all significant elements, including but not limited to the characters, had to be approached with all that had gone before firmly in mind. On the everyday level, it meant fleshing out each of the regular characters in the series' ensemble cast, designing the ship for which the series was now to be named, identifying the main villains and what motivates them and generally populating and sketching in the initial details of the Delta Quadrant. Most of this effort would at first be applied with a broad brush. Finer details would be added as the series developed. Once begun, the process would never actually be completed.

Throughout September 1993, Piller continued working on the bible, revising the draft when the three producers agreed on changes, and incorporating new material as they developed it. By the end of the month he was ready with a first draft of the bible. It included a page and a half story synopsis for the pilot episode, and thirteen pages of background or back story for nine series regulars.

The backstory for the Maquis was included in the bible, and so that tv viewers should be familiar with the Maquis, the Maquis were introduced into the Star Trek universe in the Star Trek series that were currently being aired: [TNG: Journey's End], [TNG: Pre-emptive Strike], [DS9: The Maquis, Parts 1 and 2]. In addition, [TNG: Journey's End] established that Native Americans left Earth to live in space, preparing tv viewers for Chakotay in [Voyager] - not just his presence among the Maquis then Voyager crew but his people's ancestry and history as explored in the Season 2 story [#25 Tattoo]. Two more Maquis-related stories would later appear in [DS9]: [DS9: Defiant] and [DS9: For the Cause].

Kira Nerys reports that she has received a message from a group calling itself "the Maquis".

Even when it was finished, it was never really finished. The first [Voyager] bible would be followed by a number of revised editions, and would continue to evolve until the start of the first season, only to be continually updated and revised throughout the series. However, Michael Piller's first draft of the bible provided enough information to move to the next stage in the development of the series. Additional material was developed by the producers and a widening circle of staff members and outside consultants. Meanwhile, Piller began expanding on one specific part of the bible - its one and a half page story synopsis. This was the next step, to write a draft of the pilot story, not the script as it was much too early to start work on the script.

In the draft of the series bible dated 15th February 1994, Vicon's name was changed to Nivok; Kate Janeway became Elizabeth Janeway; Jay Osaka became Harry Kim; Felox became Neelix; and Dah was changed to Kes. The story draft dated 16th February lists Tuvok, B'Elanna Torres, Neelix, and Kes as among the names for the final cast of characters. Chakotay lost a particular tribal affiliation (Sioux and Hopi had appeared in earlier drafts and there had been discussion about making him originate from South America) and he was simply referred to as being "from a colony of American Indians". The 16th February draft, although considered complete, would still undergo additional changes well into March. Beyond that, the script would keep changing even after principal photography had begun. The series bible would necessarily be revised periodically to reflect the newer versions. A major hurdle had been crossed. Now it was time to start drafting [Voyager]'s pilot episode script.

The [Voyager] technical manual is to the hero starship what the bible is to the series, and it is widely distributed to all departments. The technical manual reads like a real-life overview of a real-life starship. See also BEHIND-THE-SCENES: Designing USS Voyager: exterior and interior.

Source: Poe (with additional explanation and background, and screenshots, by me).
Thanks to Juliomac for the background tile and Eos Development for the text background tile.